thedrifter
12-19-08, 11:27 AM
E-mail from Afghanistan
By Christopher McCarthy
Friday, December 19, 2008
Hey everybody,
I left Japan about three weeks ago. The commercial flight went from Okinawa to Utapao, Thailand, to Dubai, finishing in Manas, Kyrgyzstan. We stayed there for 24 hours, then boarded a military flight to Bagram Air Base.
The processing there lasted about two days, and then it was a helicopter ride to Jalalabad, and finally to a Forward Operating Base (FOB). It is located in the Kunar Valley, roughly on the border between the provinces of Nuristan and Kunar. Pakistan is roughly 12 miles to the east.
The U.S. Army shares this base with the Afghan National Army (ANA). I am at this particular FOB with four other Marines and a Navy corpsman (medic) to train and mentor the ANA to make them capable of conducting large operations on their own.
Overall, this particular battalion is pretty good. They show up on time, keep accountability of personnel and weapons and show a reasonable amount of discipline. Their biggest downfall is making the logistics work. They are having problems with supplies and fuel, so we're helping them get a handle on that.
The terrain here is mountainous and dry. Think New Mexico. Some of the higher peaks are snow-capped already, and all of it is steep. In order to survive, the local people have built terraces all over the Kunar Valley. They grow corn and wheat in these terraces.
The people are predominantly Pashtun and Sunni. Most are subsistence farmers in the valley, and in higher elevations they are herders. Goat and sheep are the most common animals, but there are a few cows as well. The majority of children attend school, but they take about two months off in the winter, and two months off in the summer. There are tons of kids. The women wear burkas, but they also work in the fields, which is unusual for Afghanistan.
A World Food Program convoy was hijacked to our south at the mouth of a valley. The World Food Program is an NGO run by the UN. They do not like to be associated with the military, so they just sent the trucks up the valley. It's pretty easy to see tons of wheat driving by, so the Taliban stopped the trucks and pulled the drivers out and roughed them up a bit.
We received a report that this was happening, so we adjusted our convoy to look at the trucks. When our convoy stopped, there were no bad guys around. The enemy was in the middle of unloading these trucks, heard we were coming and left. They stole some wheat, it's unknown how much, courtesy of the people of Australia. The ANA drove the wheat trucks back to the FOB; it will be distributed soon.
The next day, we heard the same thing was going on, but it was local taxi drivers who were getting hassled. So we went in a convoy down south again and looked around. There was nothing to see, just some guy claiming he was hijacked and roughed up a bit. It was a pretty brilliant setup. On the way back, one of the Ford Ranger trucks the ANA drive was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). All American personnel and local interpreters drive in Up-Armored HMMWVs. Obviously, an extended-cab Ford Ranger doesn't provide the same protection. There were seven ANA soldiers in the truck. Five were killed instantly.
After the IED went off, we started getting shot at from ridge lines directly in front of us and across the river. It's called a complex ambush, and it is not a good situation. So my turret gunner started returning fire. I got out, and my Gunnery Sergeant got out, and started returning fire. Then we saw the two wounded ANA soldiers. The corpsman was in the turret, so he got out, the driver jumped in the turret, and I became the driver. My corpsman wanted to run up and help the wounded ANA, but I told him to walk on the far side of the HMMWV while I drove, so he wouldn't get shot running up. By that time, no one was shooting to our front, just to our side from across the river.
We approached the wreckage, and the corpsman started assisting the wounded. I tossed a smoke grenade to provide obscuration so no one could shoot directly at us. We loaded two of the dead and two wounded into the back of a Ford Ranger. I called up to higher informing them of the needed casualty evacuation. The terrain does not allow for a helicopter landing zone anywhere, so we had to drive to one.
By the time we left, the enemy had withdrawn into the high terrain and was gone. The U.S. Army was with us at the time and provided an escort. At the first landing zone, there was no ETA on the bird. This FOB has a very good surgical team and a landing zone, so we pushed all the way there.
The U.S. Army and ANA soldiers picked up the wreckage and the remaining bodies. Overall, a very bad day. The Marines I was with did an excellent job throughout, but the corpsman really shined, providing medical care in a timely manner in a difficult environment.
But the ANA has some very brave soldiers. The U.S. Army was receiving a convoy the next day and needed to provide security for it. Despite the terrible night prior, they went out the next day, in the same Ford Rangers.
There are a lot of funny stories. One day one of the senior ANA officers came to our office. We try to keep all negative Western influences out of sight, but it was a surprise visit. He picked up a Maxim off the table and started looking through it. The room got kind of nervous, because our lieutenant colonel was there, and he is very adamant about keeping this stuff away from the Afghans. Finally he came to a page with a blonde on it. He showed it to everyone in the room and said in English, with a serious face, "This girl very poor. She cannot afford many clothes." We started laughing.
The Marines we replaced would randomly go up to each other and ask, "You know what is awesome about America?" After a pause they would reply in unison "Everything." I am starting to see what they meant.
I will try to attach some pictures next time, and I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season.
First Lieutenant Christopher McCarthy of the U.S. Marine Corps is currently serving as an embedded trainer with the Afghan National Army.
Ellie
By Christopher McCarthy
Friday, December 19, 2008
Hey everybody,
I left Japan about three weeks ago. The commercial flight went from Okinawa to Utapao, Thailand, to Dubai, finishing in Manas, Kyrgyzstan. We stayed there for 24 hours, then boarded a military flight to Bagram Air Base.
The processing there lasted about two days, and then it was a helicopter ride to Jalalabad, and finally to a Forward Operating Base (FOB). It is located in the Kunar Valley, roughly on the border between the provinces of Nuristan and Kunar. Pakistan is roughly 12 miles to the east.
The U.S. Army shares this base with the Afghan National Army (ANA). I am at this particular FOB with four other Marines and a Navy corpsman (medic) to train and mentor the ANA to make them capable of conducting large operations on their own.
Overall, this particular battalion is pretty good. They show up on time, keep accountability of personnel and weapons and show a reasonable amount of discipline. Their biggest downfall is making the logistics work. They are having problems with supplies and fuel, so we're helping them get a handle on that.
The terrain here is mountainous and dry. Think New Mexico. Some of the higher peaks are snow-capped already, and all of it is steep. In order to survive, the local people have built terraces all over the Kunar Valley. They grow corn and wheat in these terraces.
The people are predominantly Pashtun and Sunni. Most are subsistence farmers in the valley, and in higher elevations they are herders. Goat and sheep are the most common animals, but there are a few cows as well. The majority of children attend school, but they take about two months off in the winter, and two months off in the summer. There are tons of kids. The women wear burkas, but they also work in the fields, which is unusual for Afghanistan.
A World Food Program convoy was hijacked to our south at the mouth of a valley. The World Food Program is an NGO run by the UN. They do not like to be associated with the military, so they just sent the trucks up the valley. It's pretty easy to see tons of wheat driving by, so the Taliban stopped the trucks and pulled the drivers out and roughed them up a bit.
We received a report that this was happening, so we adjusted our convoy to look at the trucks. When our convoy stopped, there were no bad guys around. The enemy was in the middle of unloading these trucks, heard we were coming and left. They stole some wheat, it's unknown how much, courtesy of the people of Australia. The ANA drove the wheat trucks back to the FOB; it will be distributed soon.
The next day, we heard the same thing was going on, but it was local taxi drivers who were getting hassled. So we went in a convoy down south again and looked around. There was nothing to see, just some guy claiming he was hijacked and roughed up a bit. It was a pretty brilliant setup. On the way back, one of the Ford Ranger trucks the ANA drive was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device). All American personnel and local interpreters drive in Up-Armored HMMWVs. Obviously, an extended-cab Ford Ranger doesn't provide the same protection. There were seven ANA soldiers in the truck. Five were killed instantly.
After the IED went off, we started getting shot at from ridge lines directly in front of us and across the river. It's called a complex ambush, and it is not a good situation. So my turret gunner started returning fire. I got out, and my Gunnery Sergeant got out, and started returning fire. Then we saw the two wounded ANA soldiers. The corpsman was in the turret, so he got out, the driver jumped in the turret, and I became the driver. My corpsman wanted to run up and help the wounded ANA, but I told him to walk on the far side of the HMMWV while I drove, so he wouldn't get shot running up. By that time, no one was shooting to our front, just to our side from across the river.
We approached the wreckage, and the corpsman started assisting the wounded. I tossed a smoke grenade to provide obscuration so no one could shoot directly at us. We loaded two of the dead and two wounded into the back of a Ford Ranger. I called up to higher informing them of the needed casualty evacuation. The terrain does not allow for a helicopter landing zone anywhere, so we had to drive to one.
By the time we left, the enemy had withdrawn into the high terrain and was gone. The U.S. Army was with us at the time and provided an escort. At the first landing zone, there was no ETA on the bird. This FOB has a very good surgical team and a landing zone, so we pushed all the way there.
The U.S. Army and ANA soldiers picked up the wreckage and the remaining bodies. Overall, a very bad day. The Marines I was with did an excellent job throughout, but the corpsman really shined, providing medical care in a timely manner in a difficult environment.
But the ANA has some very brave soldiers. The U.S. Army was receiving a convoy the next day and needed to provide security for it. Despite the terrible night prior, they went out the next day, in the same Ford Rangers.
There are a lot of funny stories. One day one of the senior ANA officers came to our office. We try to keep all negative Western influences out of sight, but it was a surprise visit. He picked up a Maxim off the table and started looking through it. The room got kind of nervous, because our lieutenant colonel was there, and he is very adamant about keeping this stuff away from the Afghans. Finally he came to a page with a blonde on it. He showed it to everyone in the room and said in English, with a serious face, "This girl very poor. She cannot afford many clothes." We started laughing.
The Marines we replaced would randomly go up to each other and ask, "You know what is awesome about America?" After a pause they would reply in unison "Everything." I am starting to see what they meant.
I will try to attach some pictures next time, and I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season.
First Lieutenant Christopher McCarthy of the U.S. Marine Corps is currently serving as an embedded trainer with the Afghan National Army.
Ellie