Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Harper | The 14th Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Ray Chandler, pins the Combat Infantryman Badge on...... read more read more
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COMBAT OUTPOST BARI ALAI, Afghanistan –Balanced atop a remote mountainside, in the shadows of the Hindu Kush mountains that stretch across northeastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, sits Combat Outpost Bari Alai. The outpost hosts 30 U.S. soldiers and 13 Afghan security guards responsible for watching over the valleys that stretch for miles in each direction and is accessible only by helicopter or by a long, forced, ascent.
Members of 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colo., are responsible for the outpost’s defense, protecting the main supply routes, and protecting the local population.
For their actions just days after their arrival in Afghanistan, eight 3rd Platoon soldiers were given the unique honor of having Sgt. Maj. of the Army Ray Chandler pin on their combat badges at COP Bari Alai, April 3.
Upon arriving at a combat outpost, soldiers set up around-the-clock rotations for guard duties, force protection and quick reaction forces. Days begin to slip away very quickly, forming a continuous timeline of never ending guard rotations, chow, sleep, and, as all infantrymen know, position improvement.
“We hadn’t really even settled into a routine yet when they attacked,” said Spc. Casey Loos, an infantryman from Folsom, Calif.
They had been on ground for less than a week when insurgents began to test their resolve.
“It began with just a couple of pop-shots from small arms,” Loos said.
Insurgents used the cover of night to move into positions and attacked Bari Alai in the early morning hours of March 20.
“It started with sporadic bursts and then light machine gun fire,” added Spc. Matthew Cowan, a forward observer from Concord, Mass. “It lasted for about 45 minutes.”
The 3rd Platoon soldiers relied heavily on the expertise of their Afghan counterparts.
“Our ASG partners were instrumental in helping identify where the fire was coming from, radioing locations and movements of the insurgents,” said Loos. They’re really good at spotting things that are out of place.”
The platoon ended the firefight by communicating successfully with their ASG and Afghan National Army comrades, pinpointing enemy locations before returning direct and indirect fires.
Platoon leader 1st Lt. Tyler O’Connor, from Phoenix, Ariz., credits the partnership with the ANA and ASG and their work ethics to the successful defense of the outpost.
“These guys like to work, like to train, and feel like they’re working for a greater cause -- the protection of their country and people,” said O’Connor. “Like I told the ASG and ANA commanders, our most powerful weapons are our radios. Through working together and communicating effectively we can accomplish any mission.”
Together with their Afghan partners, having successfully fended the insurgent attack and incurring no friendly or local civilian casualties, they accomplished the mission.
Soldiers earn Combat Action Badges -- or Combat Infantryman Badges in the case of infantrymen -- if they are engaged by the enemy and return fire. More than 50,000 soldiers have earned one of the two badges since Sept. 2001.
Chandler was amid a scheduled battlefield circulation, talking to service members across Afghanistan, when he made the trip to Bari Alai and presented the badges.
“It was an honor, said Cowen, 21, on his first deployment. “He legitimately cared who we were. He talked with each of us and got to know something about us. It was really cool.”
Chandler was quick to point out, “the honor is truly mine.” He commended the soldiers for, “just doing the job to the best of their ability.”
Members of 3rd Platoon continue to do their jobs as COP Bari Alai continues to defend itself shoulder to shoulder with its Afghan partners.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2012 06:37 |
| Story ID: | 86452 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Hometown: | FOLSOM, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Hometown: | PHOENIX, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 321 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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