On August 24th, 2010, LT Alex Pruden wrote from FOB Blessing, Afghanistan:
"Fighting season is in full swing. During the past week, FOB Blessing has been the target of several rocket attacks, and insurgents have been engaging U.S. forces throughout the Pech River Valley. Even our observation post, OP Avalanche, was recently attacked by insurgents with small arms and RPG's. Fortunately, no one in the platoon was hurt, and we've been able to continue operations, if a little more cautiously than before.
In addition, a much greater number of people from our valley have been calling about an increase in Taliban activity, including illegal checkpoints and kidnappings. We've stepped up our operations accordingly. On patrol, the Taliban radio chatter that we monitor seems to go on nonstop. It's a little more than disconcerting to hear the enemy talking about your movement and your position as they observe you from hidden locations, while trying to maneuver on you.
On that subject, I want to recognize the extraordinary contribution of our interpreters. We have three interpreters; two from Jalalabad and one from Kamdesh, Nuristan. In addition to being our ears and voices for the people, they also are indispensable when translating Taliban radio traffic. They always come with us on every patrol, some of which are extremely physically challenging. They do this with little to no advance notice, and they do it despite the fact that they neither drink nor eat during the day, when temperatures can climb to over 100 degrees. Although sometimes there is frustration that comes with dealing with the Afghan Army or Afghan Police, the work ethic and dedication of our interpreters reminds me that the people of this country are good people. Its an honor to fight beside them, and I hope they can look forward to a peaceful, prosperous country someday."
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Two messages
A compiled excerpt of recent messages from Alex and Marcus in FOB Blessing, Afghanistan:
Things are crazy, but just fine. Things are somewhat picking up here. We got a local the other day claiming to have been caught in the crossfire between us and the taliban. He had very minor wounds but when we swabbed his hands and face, we picked up a lot of gunpowder residue, which indicates that he was firing at us. we turned him over to the ANP, but he was probably released that same day...The guys are doing well too.....I feel very lucky to have some very quality soldiers at all ranks. We are very busy taking care of patients, making aid station improvements and growing as medics....Other than that, we're making progress and seeing positives in many small ways, which in this environment you can never take for granted.
Its always gratifying when you get to take down some bad guys. Recently, we got to be part of an operation (which included some special operations units) that ended up netting several enemy detainees. These men were part of an RPG cell, responsible for numerous attacks against coalition forces...so hopefully their capture will make this valley a safer place for us in the short term, and more stable for Afghanistan in the long term.
Besides that bit of excitement, we've continued doing our normal patrols. One of the biggest enemies a deployed unit always fights is complacency. It becomes easy to take things like security for granted. "Getting lulled into a false sense of security" is how many people put it. Bottom line, its easy to lose the edge. Just as units that see constant combat become attrited, so do units that see sporadic combat. In fact, the sporadic nature of the fighting here makes it more dangerous, again, because it is easy to get complacent. So we fight this by changing up our patrols, doing things a little differently, trying to keep our minds fresh and the enemy off balance. Also, the squad leaders, platoon sergeant and I make sure that the platoon is as physically fit as possible, and we use these mountains to our advantage, fitness-wise. Staying physically strong keeps us mentally sharp.
In the meantime, we're thinking about all of you back home, and we hope that you are doing well. We just got another shipment of mail in, so I'll just go ahead and say a collective "Thank you" from all of us.
Things are crazy, but just fine. Things are somewhat picking up here. We got a local the other day claiming to have been caught in the crossfire between us and the taliban. He had very minor wounds but when we swabbed his hands and face, we picked up a lot of gunpowder residue, which indicates that he was firing at us. we turned him over to the ANP, but he was probably released that same day...The guys are doing well too.....I feel very lucky to have some very quality soldiers at all ranks. We are very busy taking care of patients, making aid station improvements and growing as medics....Other than that, we're making progress and seeing positives in many small ways, which in this environment you can never take for granted.
Its always gratifying when you get to take down some bad guys. Recently, we got to be part of an operation (which included some special operations units) that ended up netting several enemy detainees. These men were part of an RPG cell, responsible for numerous attacks against coalition forces...so hopefully their capture will make this valley a safer place for us in the short term, and more stable for Afghanistan in the long term.
Besides that bit of excitement, we've continued doing our normal patrols. One of the biggest enemies a deployed unit always fights is complacency. It becomes easy to take things like security for granted. "Getting lulled into a false sense of security" is how many people put it. Bottom line, its easy to lose the edge. Just as units that see constant combat become attrited, so do units that see sporadic combat. In fact, the sporadic nature of the fighting here makes it more dangerous, again, because it is easy to get complacent. So we fight this by changing up our patrols, doing things a little differently, trying to keep our minds fresh and the enemy off balance. Also, the squad leaders, platoon sergeant and I make sure that the platoon is as physically fit as possible, and we use these mountains to our advantage, fitness-wise. Staying physically strong keeps us mentally sharp.
In the meantime, we're thinking about all of you back home, and we hope that you are doing well. We just got another shipment of mail in, so I'll just go ahead and say a collective "Thank you" from all of us.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ramadan
Here is a compilation of messages from LTs Alex Pruden, Marcus Lai and Veterinarian Tom Vermeersch in FOB Blessing, Afghanistan:
" Today is the eve of Ramadan, a religiously significant time for the people of the Pech and Waygul Valleys, as well as for the Islamic world as a whole. Ramadan is the nineth month of the Islamic calendar (a lunar-based calendar)...Typically, observing Muslims fast during daytime for the entire month, consuming neither food nor water. In addition to fasting, Muslims are expected to pray and read / recite the Q'uran. In fact, many mosques have a mullah recite 1/30 of the Q'uran every night for the entire month, so that the entire thing has been recited by the end. These practices are supposed to encourage closeness to God and to show their faith.
For us, Ramadan means that we have to take many extra considerations into account. Probably the most important of these is being sensitive to the fact that all the people are fasting, so it would be impolite to chow down on a Cliff bar in the middle of a village patrol. Also, because the Afghan soldiers practice fasting as well during this month, we have to accommodate them as well. The lack of food and water will certainly compromise their physical abilities somewhat.
That being said, this is a time that we as U.S. soldiers are extra vigilant. In Iraq, Ramadan marked a significant uptick in violence. In this area of Afghanistan, that has not been the case; however, we are taking precautionary measures just in case...For our loved ones back in the United States, I hope this post finds you well. Know that all of us here are thinking about you and look forward to coming home after proudly doing our part here."
" Here are two views of our room from opposite corners and fairly typical of most of the housing on FOB Blessing. Most of the buildings are brick and mortar with a cement floor and no windows; we have heating / airconditioning / ventilation units called chigos that provide for our comfort. Our building has about 6 rooms like this on the north side and 8 similar rooms on the south - some with bunk beds, others like this. Ours is the only civilian room in the complex, the rest being occupied by soldiers. Then there are two more buildings just like this next to ours. On the grand scheme of things in Afghanistan this is pretty good housing; discussions with others reveal tents, b- huts, and even hesko - houses are in use and are vastly inferior.
" Today is the eve of Ramadan, a religiously significant time for the people of the Pech and Waygul Valleys, as well as for the Islamic world as a whole. Ramadan is the nineth month of the Islamic calendar (a lunar-based calendar)...Typically, observing Muslims fast during daytime for the entire month, consuming neither food nor water. In addition to fasting, Muslims are expected to pray and read / recite the Q'uran. In fact, many mosques have a mullah recite 1/30 of the Q'uran every night for the entire month, so that the entire thing has been recited by the end. These practices are supposed to encourage closeness to God and to show their faith.
For us, Ramadan means that we have to take many extra considerations into account. Probably the most important of these is being sensitive to the fact that all the people are fasting, so it would be impolite to chow down on a Cliff bar in the middle of a village patrol. Also, because the Afghan soldiers practice fasting as well during this month, we have to accommodate them as well. The lack of food and water will certainly compromise their physical abilities somewhat.
That being said, this is a time that we as U.S. soldiers are extra vigilant. In Iraq, Ramadan marked a significant uptick in violence. In this area of Afghanistan, that has not been the case; however, we are taking precautionary measures just in case...For our loved ones back in the United States, I hope this post finds you well. Know that all of us here are thinking about you and look forward to coming home after proudly doing our part here."
" Here are two views of our room from opposite corners and fairly typical of most of the housing on FOB Blessing. Most of the buildings are brick and mortar with a cement floor and no windows; we have heating / airconditioning / ventilation units called chigos that provide for our comfort. Our building has about 6 rooms like this on the north side and 8 similar rooms on the south - some with bunk beds, others like this. Ours is the only civilian room in the complex, the rest being occupied by soldiers. Then there are two more buildings just like this next to ours. On the grand scheme of things in Afghanistan this is pretty good housing; discussions with others reveal tents, b- huts, and even hesko - houses are in use and are vastly inferior.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Three months
Today marks the three months since deployment. Thanks to everyone who has mailed a package to support the soldiers. The show of support from home is astounding, and definitely keeps everyone motivated. Your letters, comments, as well as emails, or even simple prayers and thoughts are also very much appreciated. It is our hope that the blog posting is providing all back home with a window from which to view the little slice of the conflict that the soldiers experience, and hopefully gain insight into and awareness of the successes they experience and the challenges they face. Recently, LT Pruden wrote:
" The FOB is surrounded by mountains, but the most dominating terrain feature is the mountain in whose shadow the FOB rests. Because of its location and the tactical advantage it would provide, we have long suspected there to be enemy fighting positions and caches there. We did an air assault to an adjacent ridge line in the middle of the night, and waited for daybreak before pushing to the top. The air up there (altitude of the LZ was about 6700 feet) was nice and cool, though it was thinner, a fact I noticed as my heart and breathing rate picked up on the walk. After about an hour of steady walking, we made it to the top (7750 feet).
Unfortunately, due to time limitations, we weren't able to stay up there long enough to find any caches. There was plenty of evidence of enemy movement, however, and we made certain to take down the grid locations of various trails and fighting positions for future observation or artillery strikes (on that note, there was a surprising amount of trees up there considering how often that hilltop is targeted by the 155's and 120's).
After we finished at the top, we began the long walk back to Blessing. We took no contact, but it was eventful in many other ways. Suffice it to say that the Afghan Army soldiers talk a big game about being more fit than the U.S. Army, but that claim was disproved yesterday. In any case, everyone was happy to be back at base when we finally arrived at around 2 in the afternoon. The 4500-foot descent spread over about a kilometer and a half was brutal, and everyone's knees, hips, and feet are pretty sore today. I'm extremely proud of all the men in the platoon: they accomplished a physical task that no other platoon in the company was able to accomplish, and they did it under a lot of weight and in extremely hot conditions. Its a testament to the NCO leadership in the platoon as well as individual discipline and preparation. We proved to the enemy and ourselves that we are willing and able to do what it takes to seize the high ground, and we will continue to do so in the year ahead."
" The FOB is surrounded by mountains, but the most dominating terrain feature is the mountain in whose shadow the FOB rests. Because of its location and the tactical advantage it would provide, we have long suspected there to be enemy fighting positions and caches there. We did an air assault to an adjacent ridge line in the middle of the night, and waited for daybreak before pushing to the top. The air up there (altitude of the LZ was about 6700 feet) was nice and cool, though it was thinner, a fact I noticed as my heart and breathing rate picked up on the walk. After about an hour of steady walking, we made it to the top (7750 feet).
Unfortunately, due to time limitations, we weren't able to stay up there long enough to find any caches. There was plenty of evidence of enemy movement, however, and we made certain to take down the grid locations of various trails and fighting positions for future observation or artillery strikes (on that note, there was a surprising amount of trees up there considering how often that hilltop is targeted by the 155's and 120's).
After we finished at the top, we began the long walk back to Blessing. We took no contact, but it was eventful in many other ways. Suffice it to say that the Afghan Army soldiers talk a big game about being more fit than the U.S. Army, but that claim was disproved yesterday. In any case, everyone was happy to be back at base when we finally arrived at around 2 in the afternoon. The 4500-foot descent spread over about a kilometer and a half was brutal, and everyone's knees, hips, and feet are pretty sore today. I'm extremely proud of all the men in the platoon: they accomplished a physical task that no other platoon in the company was able to accomplish, and they did it under a lot of weight and in extremely hot conditions. Its a testament to the NCO leadership in the platoon as well as individual discipline and preparation. We proved to the enemy and ourselves that we are willing and able to do what it takes to seize the high ground, and we will continue to do so in the year ahead."
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