Combat engineers clear the way in Kandahar

Photo By Pfc. David Hauk | The Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, 62nd Engineer Company, 4th Engineer Battalion prepare for each mission with a detailed brief. Conducting route clearance across southern Afghanistan in the Kandahar province, the Soldiers drive between two to five miles an hour to make detailed observations of the road to ensure they don't miss any improvised explosive devices.  

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN

11.15.2009

Story by Pfc. David Hauk 

22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — When Soldiers leave the safety of their base, the last thing they want is to come into contact with an improvised explosive device. Soldiers here can take solace in the fact that they have fellow service members continually out there specifically seeking out those IEDs every day.

"The biggest thing is to find it before it finds you," said Spc. Eric Hitzges, a Mount Gilead, Ohio native.

Hitzges and the rest of the Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, 62nd Engineer Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, an active duty unit stationed in Fort Carson, Colo., were originally deployed to Iraq but were transferred to Afghanistan three months in to their deployment. The platoon goes out every day to find and defeat IEDs.

The Soldiers can spend up to 14 hours each day on the road driving at an average speed of just two miles an hour to make sure the entire road is cleared.

It can be boring and tiresome, said Pfc. Jonathan Harvey, a native of Crawfordsville, Ind., he pushes through because he knows it helps to keep the other service members in Afghanistan safe.

Before starting on their latest mission, they encountered a couple of problems.

The first problem was the result of a stray rock hitting an important piece of equipment on a vehicle, said Hitzges. The rock broke a panel on the truck that had to be fixed before the mission could get underway.

Using a little ingenuity, they figured out a way to fix their problem without delaying the mission.

"We used lots of duct tape and a two by four just to hold it in place," said Hitzges.

Another problem the platoon faced was a redirection in their route. A large hole had to be driven around. To do so, the Soldiers had to find a way through a wall.

The platoon was again prepared. Soldiers quickly dismounted from their vehicles to remove a chunk of the wall. Armed with six pounds of explosives, the Soldiers made a hole wide enough for their vehicles.

With the problems solved, the Soldiers opened up a new supply route for coalition forces.

"The new route will become a main supply route for ground forces," said Sgt. Matthew Schreiner, a Mondovi, Wis., native. "Previously, they have been using a combat route that is not good for the supply trucks to be using."

Although the platoon didn't come across any IEDs this day, their leader was happy with his Soldiers and the success of the mission.

"My men performed extremely well despite little sleep and being in the vehicles for hours on end," said 1st Lt. Spenser Bruning, the platoon leader. "We didn't find anything, but the route was cleared. We spent countless hours on the route ensuring that all the coalition forces in the area will be able to complete their maneuvers."

Soldiers going off Kandahar Airfield can take comfort in the fact that the route clearance teams from 3rd Platoon are out there making the roads safer.

• Date Taken: 11.15.2009
• Date Posted: 11.22.2009 11:46
• Story ID: 41884
• Location: KANDAHAR, AF