The C-17 landed in Afghanistan at around 19:00 (Afghanistan
is 11 ½ hours ahead of El Paso TX) on the evening of the 16th. Gunny, his
good buddy Uncle B, and myself were tasked to secure tents for our platoons to
live in. Gunny runs the Mortar Platoon and Uncle B runs the Scout Sniper Platoon
(Uncle B’s the guy in the picture with me on the plane). I’m in the Mortar Platoon.
Being that I’m the newest and smallest mortar man I get picked on a lot. Being
the new guy is never good but being the new guy in an infantry unit is
horrible. Earning the respect of your fellow soldiers is essential if you want
to fit in. Lucky for me I’m not the only new guy in the platoon. Besides myself
there are two other guys in my platoon that have not been to Afghanistan
before.
We finally got some shut eye around 0200. At 10:00 the next
morning we headed down to the Entry Control Point (E.C.P). The Entry Control
Point is basically the entrance to the Forward Operating Base (FOB) where we
live. The Entry Control Point is the FOB's first line of defense. All vehicle
traffic and foot traffic have to cross through the Entry Control Point to enter
or exit the FOB. Picture the border between Mexico and the United States but a
great deal more secure, that might give you a hint of how an ECP is operated. The
E.C.P is not really on the FOB but it is not really outside the wire either, I
think of it as kind of a no-man’s- land. Anyway, the ECP is where my platoon is
currently assigned. Hopefully it will only be for 2 to 3 months. So, we were
down at the E.C.P on our first full day in country to learn how to run the thing.
The outgoing unit was more than happy to train us, the faster we were trained
up the faster they could fly home.
About an hour before
we were due to depart the E.C.P I got to experience my first 107mm rocket. Or as
everyone around me called it “INCOMING”! I heard a loud whistling sound
directly above my head, instantaneously everyone around me dropped to the
ground; seconds later I heard a huge explosion. Gunny told me to get the %@#*
down. My heart was beating really fast and my legs were shaking a bit but I
obeyed and dropped to the ground. Once we were sure that there was only one
rocket in that volley everyone got up. A soldier on one of the nearby towers
radioed up and reported that everyone was okay and that the rocket landed 200
meters from our location. It was dark at the time and I could not see the cloud
of smoke from the explosion. Gunny told me that the enemy was welcoming us back
to Afghanistan. I did not think it was very funny. Minutes later all the guys
joined in to make fun of me and the two other new guys for being so afraid of
the rocket. I was ridiculed the most because both of my boots fell off when the
rocket hit. The government does not make boots for bears let alone boots for
bears my size. Later Gunny told me not
to worry about being teased and that everyone is afraid of rockets (Indirect
Fire “IDF”).
Gunny told me that
making jokes about IDF is a method soldiers use to hide their own fear. Rockets
or mortar rounds do not discriminate when they land and I don’t really know
anyone who wants to die that way. If you don’t keep your mind occupied during
the day and especially before you go to bed, the fear of being killed by a
random rocket always seems to creep up on you. The fear of dying does not stop
with IDF. All the vehicles and people that we have to search on a daily basis
are scary as well. The guys I work with are always joking about which truck is
going to be a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED). Or does this
guy approaching have a vest on filled with explosives? Oh, yeah there is always
the threat of being shot from a distance as well. We will be standing around
talking with a bunch of guys and one of them will just randomly bring up the
point that we could get shot in the neck or face or anywhere else not protected
at any time. Sure, we all laugh but deep down we all know that it is true.
After about three full days of training up on the E.C.P my
platoon had the job pretty much down. The outgoing unit left and we had the E.C.P
all to ourselves. Well, that last statement is not completely true. There are
dozens of local nationals that work with us. Anyway, the first morning working
on our own we got hit with another 107mm rocket, this time it landed in the
middle of the E.C.P. I was in a tent about 75 meters away. I heard a screaming
whistling sound and then boom! It happened so fast that I did not get a chance
to hit the ground. The platform of the tent shook, I dropped to the ground.
Gunny picked up his radio and asked the towers if everyone was alright and if
they could see where the rocket hit. The locals that work with us took off
running to a nearby bunker. Fortunately, no one was injured but pieces of
shrapnel could be found throughout out the E.C.P.
The very next day at around 1700 (at the E.C.P) the local
nationals were getting ready to leave for the day. At the time there were five
members of my platoon in the tent and two local nationals. We were standing
around talking and out of nowhere came an incredibly load roaring thunder
sound. A guy nick named Big Red (the guy has red hair) yelled “rocket” and
everyone in the tent dived to the floor instantly. My heart dropped from my
chest and half my body was under a desk. A local national named Sarwar that
does not speak English was still standing, he was pointing to the ceiling of
the tent laughing hysterically trying to say the word airplane. His Afghani
coworker was down on the floor with the Americans trying to find cover. What we
thought was a rocket turned out to be an F-18 fighter jet flying at about 200ft
right over our tent. The entire tent broke out in laughter (a great deal of
relief as well). Sarwar called in the rest of his coworkers and told them the
story, both the Americans and the Afghanis laughed for a good 15 minutes. Now
whenever a plane, jet, or helicopter is in our area Sarwar points up to the sky
and attempts to say “airplane airplane no rocket”!
g/b
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