Photo By Sgt. Joe Padula | Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 502 Infantry...... read more read more
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FORT CAMPBELL, KY -- During deployment, Soldiers have to be ready for any mission. From peace-keeping to reconnaissance, and tactical support to fighter escort, units must answer the call, whatever it may be. A mission that stands above all is recovering the fallen.
The seventh verse of the Soldier's Creed states, "I will never leave a fallen comrade," meaning if one of their own goes down, he will be recovered.
Soldiers not only preach this, but train for it as well.
During a recent Strike Blitz training exercise, Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), were given a mission to secure a downed aircraft and recover the missing pilots. Originally, the unit secured the area to conduct a Combined Medical Engagement for local nationals, but received the call that an aircraft went down.
The unit quickly assembled recovery teams and began searching for the aircraft and its crew.
"When there are missing Soldiers, recovering them is the number one mission and that is non-negotiable," said 1st Sgt. John Greis, first sergeant, HHC, 2nd Bn. 502nd Inf. Regt. "Army wide and military occupation specialty non-specific, every single Soldier should believe they will never be left behind."
Moments before stepping off toward the suspected crash site, the call of "Gas, gas, gas!" went out to the dismounted teams. There was a possibility of chemical use in the area adding an unneeded stressor to an already stressful event.
From a training standpoint, wearing their masks prepares them for difficult breathing conditions as one may find in the mountains of Afghanistan, a place Strike Soldiers are prepared to fight if told.
The masks are designed to filter air and limit the ability to fully breathe which many have said is similar to the breathing patterns while in higher elevations, like the Afghani mountains.
Once they arrived at the crash site, the teams encountered two local nationals who witnessed a helicopter making a very hard-landing. The locals did not speak English and the unit had no translator on the ground; however, to their luck, they had leaders with experience and the knowledge and understanding of the language.
"It is extremely important to know at least the basics of a language and culture no matter whatever foreign land we are in, said Sgt. Ryan Betts, squad leader with the company. "It's a sign of respect when you are willing to learn their customs and languages and that alone will help win over the local populace."
Recovery missions are extremely time sensitive and are needed to be executed with swift and calculated reaction. An interpreter is not always available and is sometimes too far from the scene to be effective for these scenarios. Betts learned through his own experiences and self teachings how to speak and act with some of the local nationals.
"Communicating with these locals, even at the basic levels, gave us the location of the downed pilots and they were in hostile hands," said Betts. "If we did not get that information, the mission would have been delayed and delays can cost lives."
The information provided led the unit to a house where the hostages were being held. Within the home there were both enemy combatants as well as local national non-combatants.
"Not everybody is a bad guy and that must be understood when entering and clearing a room," said Spc. Alexander Orban, an infantryman with the company. "I know there is a sense of urgency and a desire to get in, get our guys, and get them out and not letting anything or anyone slowing us down, but killing innocent civilians will only complicate the mission."
When they went into the home, they quickly had to decipher between good and bad.
"Is it an angry male holding an AK-47 or is it a mother holding her baby, you have to make positive identification with both enemy combatants as well as the innocent who are in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Sgt. Michael Woodall, an infantry team leader. "It's all split-second decisions that have to be made correctly and that's what the training we do here will prepare us for during the real life situations during deployment."
Entering the home and moving from room to room, the teams cleared the house of all enemy combatants including the one holding the two pilots hostage. The pilots were severely injured, but were found alive.
The teams removed the pilots from the house, treated them with immediate tactical field care and returned them back to friendly territory completing the mission of not only recovery the downed American pilots but continuing the honorable belief of never leaving a fallen comrade.
| Date Taken: | 09.30.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2009 18:16 |
| Story ID: | 39519 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, US |
| Web Views: | 337 |
| Downloads: | 191 |
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