KANDAHAR, Afghanistan—Midway through Task Force LUMBERJACK’s year long deployment, route clearance companies, located throughout Southern Afghanistan continue to complete their missions with the same enthusiasm as at the start of their operations in early January.
The adage, slow is smooth and smooth is fast, describes the organized chaos of a well trained unit multitasking in order to complete the mission. This week, soldiers from 3rd Platoon, 510th embodied the saying while conducting route clearance operations and reacting not only to an IED find, but to the distress signals of Afghan locals.
On June 30th, the soldiers of 3rd Platoon discovered, investigated, and requested EOD support for an IED find just like any other day. As EOD began their initial investigation of the site, security elements on the east side of the perimeter alerted to a vehicle speeding towards their location. The vehicle stopped a short distance from 3rd Platoons perimeter and the platoon leader attempted to make verbal contact. Inside the vehicle, were two local nationals, one was a member of Compass and had been ambushed by INS forces and had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Reacting quickly, the platoon leader called for the unit’s medic, who began administering aid as another soldier called higher to request a medical evacuation.
The local national was stabilized and moved via ground to a Forward Operation Base where a medevac helicopter awaited. In the interim, 3rd Platoon continued to maintain security and EOD prepared to blow the IED in place. During missions like this it is essential for leaders and soldiers to move fluidly through their roles and sustain organization amidst the chaos.
So far this month, Task Force LUMBERJACK has completed 75 missions and cleared over 5,500 Kilometers of roads while rendering safe 10 IEDs.
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2010 06:14 |
| Story ID: | 52498 |
| Location: | KANDAHAR, AF |
| Web Views: | 271 |
| Downloads: | 170 |
This work, Task Force LUMBERJACK continues clearing IED’s at full speed midway through deployment, by Cameron Beattie, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
