March10, 2009 - An Eventful Day...

The photos are of...

the landscape...

"Jackie Chan", Me and "the Kid"...

and a grave that’s made out of a bus that was blown up, full of people.

They left it and made a Memorial.

The day started out like the others, except our whole crew was driving HMMV’s.

The two Cougars we usually take were down for repairs. There was a big route clearing operation going on north of the check point we’ve been working.

The RCT (Route Clearing Team) is made up of heavy vehicles, bomb robots and a bomb dog. Basically they clear the route of any IED’s. We knew this would be going on and that it could be a late day. The MP’s that have been rolling with us brought two MRAPS(newer Cougars) and two ASV’s.(tanks with wheels). So we went to the CP and set up.

The RCT was already working and we were there maybe 10 minutes and they called to say they were going to counter charge an IED about 300m on the road heading away from the CP. I filmed the boom because...you know, I like booms.

The question is this, how did the bad guys get so close overnight to plant it. The CP is manned 24/7. I should mention that today is the last day of the three day holiday of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and there is only a skeleton crew working today. So last night they probably only had a couple on and they might have been checking the inside of their eyelids instead of checking the road, so…

After that the RCT moved on and a little while later they wanted a few ANP,( Afghan National Police) to move up the next village and conduct TCP’s there. I went with the MP’s (Military Police) in one of the Cougars. All together we brought two of our HMMV’s and two Cougars.

These are different MP’s from when I was with the 82nd. All combat experience, no Garrison, appropriate with a war on and all. All young, like I was once, I guess and all looking to get in a fight, on the surface anyway. Might change when they actually get in one.

The dude in charge is a butter bar,(second Lt) who is the size of Logan and the age of Nick, (maybe a tad bigger and a little older, but you get the idea). Their coming in and will eventually replace the Combat team I live with now. So we’re in transition.

After a while of working the CP, the security team that was backing up the RCT got into a TIC, (troops in combat or conflict). We could hear it in the distance. Word is that the bad guys fired a few small arms and our guys return fire, with hell. Sounded pretty awesome. You could make out the distinct sounds of the .50cal, 240, 249 and Mark 19. Read as machine guns of various size and mounted grenade launcher.

After a while the Apache’s and Warthogs started buzzing the area and not surprisingly, the fight was over. Can’t put the rest of what happened but we didn’t get home till well after dark.

Interesting day, more interesting evening……

for another time.