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Clearing the Way: Idea Seeks to ‘Deny the Dragon'
(January 29, 2010) |
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| FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, Jan. 25, 2010 –
By any measure, Mike Woodgerd is a patriot. And by any
measure, U.S. forces are going to benefit from his
patriotism and his innovative spirit.
Having spent more than 20 years in an Army uniform, Woodgerd
is spending the next phase of his military career as a
civilian contractor. But in terms of service, he hasn't
missed a beat. In fact, he's stepped up his game.
Moved by the death of an explosive ordnance disposal soldier
in 2008, Woodgerd has dedicated the last 19 months of his
life to the development of a warfighting concept and tool
that, if successful, could save countless lives while
improving the standard of living for the average Afghan.
Earlier this month, Woodgerd oversaw the first deployment of
“Salerno Boxes” – square, metal-framed devices topped in
concrete that are designed to prevent insurgents from
planting bombs in culverts to target military or civilian
traffic that passes on the road overhead.
Now, servicemembers must examine nearly every culvert,
either by using a vehicle-mounted camera or their own eyes –
the latter of which can be extremely dangerous.
“Every time our guys have to dismount and actually look into
those culverts, they are staring into the mouth of the
dragon,” Woodgerd told me. “I wanted to do something so they
wouldn't have to look into the mouth of the dragon.”
And the dragon has reared its ugly head a number of times,
especially along roads that fall within the responsibility
of the 1141st Engineer Company, a Missouri Army National
Guard route-clearance unit based here that has witnessed
first-hand the damage bombs in culverts can cause.
In several culverts along routes where the 1141st hunts for
improvised explosive devices are bomb craters left by
previous detonations that are big enough to force traffic
off the paved road and onto dirt bypasses – where it is much
easier to plant more bombs.
“Insurgents have, historically, used culverts to plant IEDs,”
said Army 1st Lt. Travis Miller of Jefferson City, Mo.,
commander of the 1141st's 1st Platoon, the unit assigned to
deploy the first two Salerno Boxes. “We want to try to make
sure that we can drop these in and keep insurgents from
using culverts against us in the future.”
Woodgerd said that while his team played a major role in
developing the boxes, the initial design came from similar
devices employed in Iraq. And while he's not quick to take
all the credit, he is quick to point out how eager he was to
get the project off the ground. He extended his contract so
he could see the project to fruition.
“When I was home on leave last fall, my wife and I were
walking along the beach, and she said, ‘Why don't you finish
what you started?'” he said. “I was glad to come back,
knowing I would continue working on” the boxes.
Now, months later, his vision finally is being realized.
Miller's platoon took just four hours to deploy the first
two boxes, an operation that immediately drew the attention
– and concern – of local Afghans. Shortly after the combat
engineers began working, an elder from a nearby village
ventured out alone to check on the commotion. He was met by
Miller and by Army Capt. Bryan Sayer, commander of the
1141st.
It seems he was primarily concerned that the devices would
impede or cut off the flow of water through the culvert –
water that is vital to farming in this arid environment. But
the soldier-diplomats quickly assuaged the elder's concerns
by explaining that the denial system would hinder insurgents
but not hamper the flow of water.
Part of the plan to keep the boxes in place depends on the
trust and support of the local people, who need to know they
are being put there to help protect them as well as U.S. and
NATO forces. Soon after, crowds that had gathered at the
periphery began to close in on the American soldiers, the
elder's acceptance serving as the icebreaker.
Before the first Salerno Box was seated, dozens of men and
boys surrounded the platoon, eager to get a glimpse of the
American operation and to interact with the soldiers. By the
time the second box was being installed, Afghans were
participating in the installation.
Seeing that the Americans were having trouble leveling an
area for the second box by using a large backhoe machine,
one Afghan man shed his sandals and jumped into the
calf-deep water to help. Using just a shovel, the man spread
out the muddy earth, then motioned for the Americans to once
again lower the heavy metal Salerno Box into place next to
the culvert opening.
It fit perfectly.
Rewarded with a First Strike meal and two sodas, the smiling
Afghan man disappeared back into the crowd to observe the
rest of the operation.
Back at Salerno, Woodgerd was beaming.
“It's so good to finally see these things deployed,” he told
me. “I really believe they will save lives – and that's the
most important thing.”
To him, it wasn't about recognition. It was about making
sure that EOD soldier didn't die in vain. It was about
improving the lives of ordinary Afghans. And it was about
making sure fewer and fewer American soldiers have to look
into the mouth of the dragon.
You wouldn't expect a patriot to feel any differently.
(Army Sgt. Jon E. Dougherty serves in the 203rd Engineer
Battalion public affairs office.)
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By Army Sgt. Jon E. Dougherty
Special to American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010
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