Last week was my first time at the check point that my Platoon occupies. My first couple of days there were enjoyable as we had a generator that powered the AC in our tent and the MWR where our SPAWARE computers and phones are. Well the generator shit the bed and so we spent the remaining time without creature features. I actually had to start reading again. I actually like to read believe it or not. I finished 2 great books and started another. I read Legion of the Lost by Jaime Salzaar about a guy tired of corporate America and he joins the Legion and quites later, good read though. The other book I read was SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper by Howard Wasdin. It was a really great read as well about Seals in Mogadishu. I'm reading a Hunter S. Thompson book now volume one of the Fear and Loathing letters. I love HST.- What am I boring you, I was just explaining that I could actually read- losing interest? Fuck you.
Anyway it was really routine for the most part as routine as you can get with driving down a crater layden road known for blowing up. The kids around the check point call us John Cena. I think that is pretty cool and I'm appreciative that they recognize me as a desiel handsome WWE athlete. Though it gets fucking annoying. They kept finding wires in the road. We reward them with MRE's and shit is why they keep finding these. We went to investigate one of the sites and it actually looked legit so we called in EOD to come and clear it. We set up security and waited. They arrived and blew a charge, it turned out to be nothing. Better safe than sorry though. The most fun we had which wasn't really fun was the check point manned by Afghans took fire. We rallied up and were chomping at the bit to assist and kill bad guys. Our Battalion told us to squat hold and drink water until they could get the eye in the sky to check it out. Funny thing is they call back and say they can't see anything, meanstwhile (I know its not a word)RPK and AK are ripping up the night with rounds cracking over head and the insurgent and Afghan security slinging RPGs at eachother. No the eye in the sky can't see shit, and it sounded like the command doubted that this was really going on. My men were ready like pitbulls at Mike Vicks house. It made me proud that my men were willing to run to the sounds of a fire fight, standing ready to engage these Taliban shit bags and assist our Afghan security friends down the street. Alas the fire died down, and we just went back to bed. The men were let down, the command thought that we just wanted to willy nilly jump into a fight. Yes we were ready to scrap but no I would never rush wildly into a situation like that, I had a plan, just wanted to make sure we could move to assist if they needed us.
I'm confused still as to what were doing here. We are supposed to do partnered patrols, and find out what our counterparts need to accomplish there mission. They mainly need to be paid and also ask for supplies to build up there check points. We can't get them paid and not allowed to give them our scrap wood. They want them to utilize the "system", the "system" is obviously broke and we can't fix it at our level. Its frustrating to the Soldiers and to the Afghans. We know what you need and what you want but we can't do shit to get it to you so where does that leave us? Then people back at the big base watch a T.V. screen (the eye in the sky) and determine that there is nothing going on, they can't confirm that there is small arms fire going on and believe that the enemy only let off a couple of pop shots, and the Afghan security started lighting up the area. When we on the ground are watching a volley of fucking RPG fire. Man WTF?
Our PL did have a dinner for some of the local Afghan security guys, they actually showed up and we cooked some steaks and chicken and bought some bread and drinks off of the economy. My men set up a nice area and even made tiki torches out of pickets, soda cans, sand, and diesel fuel. I was really impressed and damned proud. The men really like the dinner and chalked it up to a pretty big success to the end of a frustrating week.
Right now I smell like 6 days of funk and I'm hankering for a strawberry Fanta. Until next time, I'll try not to bore you.
Deuce Deuce
Anyway it was really routine for the most part as routine as you can get with driving down a crater layden road known for blowing up. The kids around the check point call us John Cena. I think that is pretty cool and I'm appreciative that they recognize me as a desiel handsome WWE athlete. Though it gets fucking annoying. They kept finding wires in the road. We reward them with MRE's and shit is why they keep finding these. We went to investigate one of the sites and it actually looked legit so we called in EOD to come and clear it. We set up security and waited. They arrived and blew a charge, it turned out to be nothing. Better safe than sorry though. The most fun we had which wasn't really fun was the check point manned by Afghans took fire. We rallied up and were chomping at the bit to assist and kill bad guys. Our Battalion told us to squat hold and drink water until they could get the eye in the sky to check it out. Funny thing is they call back and say they can't see anything, meanstwhile (I know its not a word)RPK and AK are ripping up the night with rounds cracking over head and the insurgent and Afghan security slinging RPGs at eachother. No the eye in the sky can't see shit, and it sounded like the command doubted that this was really going on. My men were ready like pitbulls at Mike Vicks house. It made me proud that my men were willing to run to the sounds of a fire fight, standing ready to engage these Taliban shit bags and assist our Afghan security friends down the street. Alas the fire died down, and we just went back to bed. The men were let down, the command thought that we just wanted to willy nilly jump into a fight. Yes we were ready to scrap but no I would never rush wildly into a situation like that, I had a plan, just wanted to make sure we could move to assist if they needed us.
I'm confused still as to what were doing here. We are supposed to do partnered patrols, and find out what our counterparts need to accomplish there mission. They mainly need to be paid and also ask for supplies to build up there check points. We can't get them paid and not allowed to give them our scrap wood. They want them to utilize the "system", the "system" is obviously broke and we can't fix it at our level. Its frustrating to the Soldiers and to the Afghans. We know what you need and what you want but we can't do shit to get it to you so where does that leave us? Then people back at the big base watch a T.V. screen (the eye in the sky) and determine that there is nothing going on, they can't confirm that there is small arms fire going on and believe that the enemy only let off a couple of pop shots, and the Afghan security started lighting up the area. When we on the ground are watching a volley of fucking RPG fire. Man WTF?
Our PL did have a dinner for some of the local Afghan security guys, they actually showed up and we cooked some steaks and chicken and bought some bread and drinks off of the economy. My men set up a nice area and even made tiki torches out of pickets, soda cans, sand, and diesel fuel. I was really impressed and damned proud. The men really like the dinner and chalked it up to a pretty big success to the end of a frustrating week.
Right now I smell like 6 days of funk and I'm hankering for a strawberry Fanta. Until next time, I'll try not to bore you.
Deuce Deuce
3 comments:
Trust me, this ain't boring.
I agree with my friend Johnny - never boring. By the way, I thank you for turning me on to 15 min lunch low those many years ago. I have had many a laugh from him through the years. Take care and please know for sure - your writing is NEVER EVER boring. Take care and keep your head and ass down.
Just to let you know, the kids around CP5 still use John Cena to describe every American soldier.
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