Battle Raging

LT Marcus Lai wrote from FOB Blessing:

"...We're in the midst of Ramadan and though it is a holy holiday, attacks haven't abated. Rather, it is quite the opposite. we sorta predict that this trend will continue and likely peak during elections. Such is life in the Pech Valley. but with these trends, we have the opportunity to identify when the "enemy" is most vulnerable and take the initiative...the medics are moving along just fine,though not without drama..."

LT Alex Pruden wrote from FOB Blessing:

" The Korengal Valley is one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan. It's people, an insular ethnic group known as Korengalis, are famously isolationist and warlike, and the terrain is unforgivable to the extreme. U.S. outposts there from 2006-2010 suffered some of the highest casualty rates anywhere in the country, earning the valley the nickname "Valley of Death". In the end it was decided that a permanent presence there just wasn't worth the cost. Unfortunately, since the U.S. withdrawal earlier this year, the valley has become a base from which the insurgents routinely disrupt convoys along the Pech River Valley and conduct attacks against the FOB's and COP's there. COP Michigan, which sits at the mouth of the Korengal valley, has seen almost daily attacks and mounting casualties since our battalion has been here. Basically, it was time to "clean house". And that's exactly what we did.

Because of the importance of the mission and the risk involved, the platoon spent the entire day before preparing. Equipment was prepared, contingencies were planned for, and the soldiers rehearsed the tasks they were to perform. After a few hours of rest and final equipment checks, we loaded aircraft and embarked on the an operation which was to be "the most kinetic fight" in the province for the past 9 months.

I can't speak to what everyone was thinking, but I can tell you that we were all pretty focused at that moment. For me, I am not going to say I had a lot on my mind; in fact, I had very little on my mind. I wanted to get on the ground and get off the aircraft as soon as possible. Given the element of surprise and the fact that we had escort aircraft, I assumed that there wasn't a huge chance that we would take contact in the first moments. That assumption pretty much went out the window as we flew over our LZ and I see muzzle flashes flicker along the ridgelines. The Apaches are calling over the radio that they are taking fire from RPG's and our returning fire to cover our approach. About the same time I see a tracer round zip through the sky behind us, the crew chief turns around, grabs me on the shoulder, and yells above the noise of the aircraft: "WE'RE TAKING SMALL ARMS FIRE. DO YOU STILL WANT TO LAND?".."