Moving Forward with the 173rd Airborne

Moving Forward with the 173^rd Airborne

By John W. Conroy

Embedded Reporter Afghanistan

FIRE BASE:  ABLE MAIN, Afghanistan:  Troops of the 173^rd Airborne Brigade continue their drive toward the implementation of operation ‘Rock Avalanche’, in their fight with insurgents in the vicinity of the Pakistan border here in south east Afghanistan.  Located just below the Hindu Kush Mountains  north of here, US forces are nearly in place to strike insurgent positions from the high peaks above various 173^rd positions in this area. 



An ASV 11-17 armored vehicle outside Camp Blessing

‘If I see fire coming into this convoy, I’d better be seeing immediate fire going out’ said SFC Michael Loetz as he gave the morning briefing to his men who were manning the convoy to Able Main ‘and I don’t once want to see a head above the gun turret on  these Humvees.  That’s as wrong as two boys f------ in a room full of girls’.

The new ‘politically correct’ army seems to be rapidly fading the farther one travels up the Pech River Valley.  More and more, shades of Viet Nam; and ‘Apocalypse Now’ are breaking through the surface.  The men are living a rougher existence in this war against the Taliban inspired opposition than those fighting in Iraq.  In fact most here in these units have already served at least one deployment in that beleaguered country. 

“Watch those corn fields especially” continued Sgt. Loetz.  “Half of them still haven’t been harvested and we’ve been hit hard before driving along those fields.  You know they’ve got weapons hidden low in the greenery and can pop up in seconds, send hard fire into this convoy, then disappear without a trace. So keep your f------eyes open”

As the convoy approaches Able Main a sigh of relief is breathed by all aboard.  It’s been an uneventful journey.  This Fire Base is a stripped down, no frills operation.  Tubes for urinals, cut off oil drums under the out house four holers, a mess trailer for meals and sand bagged bunkers for housing.   There are no ‘Kellogg, Brown & Roots’ visible on this compound.

There’s some grumbling, but not about the living conditions.  Concerning the local Afghans; ‘they’d be fighting each other if they weren’t fighting us.  When we leave, they’ll turn back to their traditional way of life.  They don’t have any interest in what we’re sellin’.  Concerning the US Army;’ this is nothing more than a back door draft’.  Sgt. James Himrod is giving his opinion of the army ‘stop loss’ program.

“I’ve been in for eight years, done nearly 20 months in Afghanistan and a year in Iraq.  So they can extend me for 9 months?  I did my time and I want out.   The people in the states have no investment in this and I don’t think they really care at all.  And you know what” he said.  “Once in Iraq I had a Major tell me, ‘Look how much money you’re saving Exxon.’.   Imagine that.  No, I don’t think it’s fair at all.”

173rd Mortar crew sending rounds into the hills surrounding Able Main

 

As evening began to descend on this remote station, the loud ‘blast’ of a mortar roared over the compound.  Momentarily, a flash of light appeared on the ridge just north.  A loud boom echoed down through the valley.  A 173rd mortar team was seeking out targets in the hills with the aid of a forward observer.  Eventually they had the tube nearly perpendicular to the ground with the mortars landing on the first low hill across the Pech River.

According to Capt. Louis Frketic, commanding officer of Able Co. that occupies Able Main, they have tracked 44 sub commanders of insurgent elements in the mountains nearby.  Each commander has from 12 to 15 men under his command.  Estimates are that there could be as many as 3 to 5,000 total potential combatants in this province.  Some of the most difficult fighters are Punjabi’s who have crossed the border from Pakistan.