A Note on my New Pictures

So I was looking at my blog and realized that I had only added a few photos over the entire deployment.  That was due to several causes, not least being the lack of a high powered internet.  So I decided to add another slide show.  This one has 50 photos from my time here.  I think I've published all of them on Facebook already, but for my other readers I thought you might like to see some of what I see. 

When I'm out on patrol I don't always take photos, especially when things get busy.  I can be a bit forgetful when I have other things to deal with.  I a lot of times like to just hand my camera over to my interpreter, David, especially when we aren't talking to a lot of people.  Unfortunately, he tends to take pictures mostly of me, so I have to warn him to point the camera at someone else.  He apologizes, and goes back to taking more photos of me. 

I chose these photos because they covered most of my time here and are good representation of what I get to see and experience everyday.  One photo I wish I could add (but I can't because I don't have it) is from the Islamic New Year's feast yesterday.  Wow, was that food good.  The guards here at my base were very proud to serve us food, and even though it was their holiday, they insisted we get food first before they would rest and eat.  It was a pretty funny sight seeing other Soldiers come in with a message for the commander and get pulled into dinner.  The Afghans would rush over to the serving table and bring back a huge tray of rice, french fries (I know), chicken, lamb, a delicious salsa, and fruit and vegetables.  And of course naan bread.  Afghan hospitality is truly a good experience. 

That's all I've got for today.  Reference my last post for what I have to go do now. 

Army Paperwork

The level and sheer amount of paperwork we do as a deployed Army would amaze most people unfamiliar with the system.  Especially the paperwork done by officers.  Paperwork is by no means the most important thing I do, but it can definitely ruin plans, cost lives, or lead to lost equipment.  For most Soldiers, a patrol begins with the briefing I give before leaving and ends when they take off their gear, but for me, I have a much longer process.

The first paperwork I have to do is the basic CONOP, or Concept of the Operation.  In general, it is a one page document that lets another leader look at a single document that explains the task, purpose, and scheme of maneuver for any patrol.  I'm pretty fast at writing CONOPs, especially when I have a similar mission as a previous operation.  I can usually recycle a fair amount of what I've already written, so on average it takes me about fifteen minutes to write an order.  If I have a larger or more detailed operation, it can take me up to an hour, depending on the graphics I need to make on PowerPoint or the maps and imagery I need to look at to plan the best mission possible.  We usually try to have our CONOPs turned in several days prior to the actual mission, especially if we need assets not available at the company level, such as air assets. 

Now if it is a larger mission, the amount of paperwork and planning involved becomes a bit ridiculous.  Everything becomes much more detailed and involved, and the level of graphics required adds additional layers of complexity.  Of course, I always try to adhere to the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid!) because of the ease of effort involved.  There is a reason why only one piece can be moved at a time in chess.  The OPORD typically is 11-20 pages long, but fortunately I don't have to write orders that long (just my company commander).  My orders are quite a bit shorter as they only need to focus on my platoon rather than the whole operation. 

As for the actual operation itself, there is obviously no paperwork that is involved.  Although I do typically take notes on what I see and hear, especially when I am talking to the elders involved.  I do not want to forget what they say to me, otherwise they will try to throw back into my face something I said or they thought I said.  Of course, the translation from English to Pashto and back makes communication a bit more difficult. 

When I get back from a patrol, I always have at least one piece of paperwork to deal with: the Debrief.  It basically describes the events of the patrol and goes into detail about what I observed from the people and in the towns.  That takes anywhere from fifteen minutes to a half hour, depending on the time of day (night) and my current state of exhaustion (or lack thereof).  If something happens during the patrol such as a firefight, IED, or cache find, I have to create a storyboard to describe the events and show additional pictures and information from the patrol. 

There is paperwork I never want to do.  I never want to process paperwork for one of my Soldiers due to his injury or death.  That would not be fun at all.

My NCOs also have paperwork to do, especially if we expended ammunition or took damage to one of the vehicles.  They are responsible for maintenance on the vehicles, although I am ultimately responsible for everything that happens.  I signed for all the equipment in the platoon, but then handed over the direct responsibility for each piece of equipment to my Squad Leaders.  Of course, all this necessitates additional paperwork for supply.  Inventory is not fun. 

Additional paperwork I have to do involves rating my Squad Leaders and Platoon Sergeant, checking the work of my SLs evaluation reports, counseling individuals, and awards.  Awards are typically difficult to write, but they are worthwhile if they get approved.  Even if they do not make it, they show the Soldiers that I do care, and want them to succeed, and recognize them for their excellence.  I would have to say that awards are both the biggest headache and greatest personal reward out of all the paperwork I have to do.

All of this paperwork I've talked about is simply the routine paperwork assigned to any Platoon Leader.  I am also the investigating officer for a recent change of command inventory, and have to determine if anyone is responsible for the loss in equipment, or if it can be written off.  I also need to write this month's company newsletter.  I could very easily be chosen as the inspecting officer for inventories for the whole company, which would add a lot more paperwork and inspections to my schedule.

And I still haven't mentioned any of the paperwork I do as one member of the Company Intelligence team, working to provide the company with good intelligence that will enable better operations. 

So for me, paperwork is an inescapable part of the job, and it will only get worse as I get higher in rank.  However, there are a lot of resources to help me, and I very rarely have everything piled up at once.  I can normally space it out and still get to be both around my Soldiers and go out and patrol, which are the things I love the most about being a Platoon Leader.  

Definitely not the paperwork.

20 February 2011

These events took place several weeks ago, although I am waiting until now to post it.  I don't want to put up information too quickly on the internet, so anything that happens will have a time delay before I write about it.

The original mission for the day was to conduct a KLE with one of the local leaders in my AO.  In fact, my Platoon Leader post already contains a picture from that day.  I also wanted to go check out a set of nearby ruins that the enemy like to frequent and use as a platform to fire at the ANP checkpoint a short distance from my COP.  I decided to use the ANCOP, since all reports indicated their willingness to engage the enemy and get out and do something for their country.

Pre-mission Brief to ANCOP and ANA

The complications ensued when I reached their base to pick them up.  Ten ANCOP, just like I asked, were ready and willing.  However, a group of ANA came up to me with an American NCO and asked where I wanted them.  And then he asked, "so where do you want the ANP?"  My jaw just dropped as that would mean in addition to my Soldiers, an additional thirty Afghan soldiers from various organizations, none of whom I or my Soldiers had worked with before.  Additionally, we heard reports of ten to twenty Taliban fighters operating north of the checkpoint.  I told the ANP to stand-down, and gathered the ANCOP and ANA around for a pre-mission brief. I gave them a quick and easy version of the plan, including a change to search several compounds north of the checkpoint due to the reports of fighters.  Following that, we would go and talk to the local leader, and finish up by checking out the area around the ruins.  We moved across the wadi, and went to the ANP checkpoint to coordinate with them to keep them informed of our locations and basic plan (so they wouldn't shoot us).  From there, we moved north.

KLE with the local Malik and Afghan Security Forces

We set up a cordon around the search area and let the ANA go ahead and search the compounds for anything suspicious.  They didn't find anything, so we moved on to the next objective: Talking to a local Malik.  I actually enjoy talking to him as he is smart and funny and extremely hospitable.  He won't openly oppose the Taliban, but that's because he knows that we are too far away to effectively protect him all the time.  We talked about a variety of topics and  was actually able to get my ANCOP and ANA do much of the talking.  That is most definitely a good thing, as we won't be there forever.  They brought up good points about government and involvement and how to better his village.  One thing I've noticed in talking to numerous (and I mean a lot) Afghans is that persistence and perseverance are key to getting them to agree to anything.  They are hesitant to trust an unknown individual, and which is part of the reason why they use friendships and blood relations to guide their actions.  These people around here live in walled compounds, so it's not like they actually trust the other people they live around.  The only people the locals trust are their family and those they call friend, and even then they don't really trust.  Trying to motivate scared locals into agreeing to cooperate with us is one of the hardest parts of my job.  It is a constant effort to show that we have a continual presence in the area and that we can protect the populace from the Taliban.  Unfortunately we are hampered by an unnamed higher headquarters that likes to throw wrenches into all of our plans.

The creepy orchard

But I digress.  We finished the KLE, and moved out to the ruins site.  My platoon set up security on the northern and southern ends of the search area, and a third element with myself began to clear.  We first cleared a pathway between two walls, and then turned south.  I really wanted to check out an orchard near the ruins because it is surrounded by ten foot high walls and provides great overhead cover.  Unfortunately, there were two very vicious dogs inside threatening to attack either myself, the ANCOP, or our military working dog (MWD).  We moved the dog away from the door, and opened it.  One dog almost immediately ran out the door but the other stayed in the orchard.  I decided to continue the search anyway, and asked the ANCOP to set up a screen to keep the dog away from our MWD while he searched the southern end of the orchard.  It was definitely a pretty creepy place, with trash and debris and plastic jugs galore.  However, the MWD didn't find anything.  As the dog moved to the other side of the orchard, I asked the ANCOP to get the other dog to move to the southern end of the orchard.  Unfortunately, they did nothing, and so when the dog attacked ours, I had no other recourse than to kill the dog.  I couldn't kill the other dog while it was running because of the angle of attack and all the trees.  I ran about 10-20 meters towards them, and had to move into a better firing position so I wouldn't hit the MWD.  

I made sure to end its life quickly.

I was mad, not because I had to kill the dog (I really don't care about a mean mongrel that attacked a valuable US citizen), but because of the lack of action on the part of the ANCOP.  Fortunately, the MWD was unharmed, and was able to continue work.  He finished searching and we continued south to check out the actual ruins.  We were about 75 meters away from the southern blocking position when the firing began.

I was located with most of the ANCOP with the MWD and my RTO, my Squad Leader and a rifleman were with the ANA, and his Alpha Team Leader had most of the squad and the remainder of the ANCOP at the northern blocking position.  The enemy opened fire from the northeast at my northern blocking position.  My TL already had everyone set in their positions and scanning for the enemy, so as soon as the enemy opened fire, my Soldiers immediately returned fire.  A few minutes after that firing began, myself and the ANCOP began taking fire from the northwest.  I had my RTO send up a contact report, and we began to fight off at least five enemy fighters.  After a few minutes, I heard an exchange of gunfire from the south between the ANP checkpoint and another position.  I knew that the ANP had come under attack from a third enemy position, and although I had told them where we were going to be searching, the message didn't make it to everyone.  I didn't notice, but my SL said that bullets were walking their way near me.  Oh well, I was too busy sending up a flare and talking to the ANP commander on the radio to worry about that.  We called for Close Air Support, although by the time they arrived the enemy had already withdrawn.  About fifteen minutes after enemy withdrawal, we heard a heavy volume of fire to the north, which meant that the Taliban had run into another group of Americans on patrol. 

Combined movement

After CAS arrived, all three elements consolidated, and we moved back to base.  I had a stop to make first at the checkpoint to discuss how angry it made me that the ANP had shot at us, especially after I had told them exactly where we were going to go.  I might have gotten the message across, but you never know.  We made it back safe and sound with no casualties (although the ANP at the checkpoint had one wounded in the fight), conducted an AAR, and I went on to do several hours of paperwork. 

A Typical Day

I'm going to attempt to describe a typical day in my life over here, although there really have been no normal days, and my schedule changes everyday.  However, I can try and talk about a timeline that occurs on a fairly regular basis.

We normally have some other duties in addition to patrolling, such as base security or QRF, so most of the patrols we run do not involve more than half the platoon. 

I usually wake-up around 0800, and slowly struggle get out of bed and start the day.  I will usually sit on my computer and stare blankly at the computer screen for a few minutes to try and wake-up enough to not be blinded by the light when I go outside.  I head to breakfast sometime before 0900, and once done with that I work on paperwork or planning or coordinate for future patrols.  I eat lunch around 1200 or so, and begin mission prep.

Before every mission, my SLs and TLs start PCCs and PCIs about an hour before leaving, and I have a few final things I need to check out or coordinate.  Thirty minutes before heading out the gate I give the mission brief, describing our Task and Purpose, and the basic scheme of maneuver for the patrol.  There are certain things that I have to cover everyday regardless of where we are going or what we are doing called the "Wolfpack Daily Four."  They are: Stryker crew drills (fire, rollover, evac), ROE/EOF, Weapons Status, and Talking Points.  After I give my piece my senior NCO gives the MEDEVAC portion of the brief in case something bad happens. 

The patrols last anywhere from one to three hours, and can have a variety of purposes whether it is to search some compounds, talk to a local leader, or conduct a reconnaissance of the area.  Two of the more vital things we do is to incorporate the ANP into our patrols and simply have a presence out in sector.  After we come back, I have a debrief to do to help with future intelligence reporting.  So let's say we SP at 1300, and get back at 1500, then after the quick AAR with the NCOs, and the debrief, it is almost 1700.  Depending on my schedule and tiredness, I might squeeze in a bit of gym time.  I head to dinner, and shortly thereafter I have a meeting with the company leadership to discuss past, ongoing and future operations.  Many times, after the rest of the leadership leaves, the PLs, XO, and CO have a smaller huddle to discuss other plans. 

After I finish with the meetings, I usually have a night patrol that goes out and runs in a similar fashion as the day patrols.   So that involves the same steps: plan, brief, execute, AAR, debrief.  If we leave at 2100 and stay out for an hour, then by the time I get done with the debrief it is approaching midnight.  I head back to my room to read, chat on Facebook, and relax and unwind before bed.  I usually head to sleep around 0100, and sleep until I start all over again the next day.

Of course, this is just what some of my days look like.  Sometimes I can't send out any patrols, so it gives me an opportunity to get ahead on paperwork and push other issues pending within the platoon.  Throw in some inventory inspections, additional duties assigned by squadron to my platoon, and the need to let my guys rest, I really don't need to look hard to keep myself busy.  I hope this helps everyone back at home see a little bit of what life is like for me here.  And I love it.  Being a Platoon Leader is the best job I have ever had, and I'm going to savor everyday remaining to me.

Platoon Leader

Several of my posts have mentioned how much I was looking forward to being a Platoon Leader, and thus far all of my hopes and dreams for it have been fulfilled.  My platoon is somewhat of a bastard child of the company, as they were thrown together a few months before the deployment from the other three platoons in Hawk company. 

But they are great.

They are smart, tough, and motivated.  And they are good people too.  Or at least they try.  We of course have our share of hiccups and missteps and perennial problem children, but all things considered they perform better than I could ask.  I have a great relationship with my Platoon Sergeant, although it is funny to look at us, as he is one of the oldest men in the company, and I am one of the youngest-looking.  We ended up having close to a two hour initial counseling session, which usually doesn't happen.  His stories are really funny as well, especially with his missing tooth adding to the storytelling.  My Squad Leaders are solid, and more than ready to assume the duties of a Platoon Sergeant, so I don't have to do any micromanaging (and they wouldn't let me anyway).  I have some young Team Leaders, but they are constantly working to improve themselves and their Soldiers, and that's all I can really ask for. 

And as for the "Joes," they are certainly unique.  But they want to do good things and my platoon is full of diversity.  I have a Brazilian college graduate as a SAW gunner, a French-speaking math wizard from Cameroon, a soft-spoken giant, city boys, country hicks, and those in-between.  Some of my Soldiers plan on getting out of the Army at the first opportunity, and others that have the next twenty years of their lives planned out, whether it be college, or Special Forces, or piloting.  And I want to be able to help them achieve their goals, especially if it is something like bringing their families to Germany.  They will do anything I ask of them willingly (maybe not always cheerfully), and in return I owe them my very best effort to be "The Lieutenant." 

Not only must I be tactically and technically proficient, but I also must show that I care about each Soldier individually, on his own merits, and not simply as a resource to be expended.  I am responsible for everything that the thirty Soldiers under my command do or do not accomplish, and for their very lives.  It is not a light burden undertaken.  Just like I told them in my first little speech to the entire platoon, we are here to go out, do our jobs, and it is my responsibility to bring everyone home.  As Daren's death brought home the reality of war, I can only strive to give my Soldiers my best, and they owe themselves to do the same, and to become the best (SAW gunner, Team Leader, Grenadier) they can be.

I've only been a Platoon Leader for a few short weeks, but it is already the greatest honor of my life to lead such men into and out of harm's way.

I am a better leader and better man everyday I have the privilege of serving as their PL.