Brotherhood At The Top Of Afghanistan
(February 2, 2011) |
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KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (February 1, 2011) – At the
highest observation post in northeastern, a brotherhood of
U.S. Army soldiers protects a small valley that feeds into
the Kunar River Valley. |
Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and freezing
winds a few kilometers from the Pakistan border,
Observation Post Mustang weathers storms and
waves of Taliban fighters.
Soldiers from
Troop C, 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment,
Task Force Bandit, of the 1st Brigade Combat
Team, 101st Airborne Division, stay vigilant day
and night at the small, outpost located in the
Hindu Kush Mountains 6,500 feet above Kunar
province.
“That ridge over there is
Rocket Ridge,” said U.S. Army Spc. Brian S.
Ellis, an MK46 machine gunner from Canyon Lake,
Texas, as he pointed toward a snow-lined ridge
in the distance.
“In the past, that's
been the Taliban's main point of attack as far
as rockets,” Ellis |
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U.S. Army Sgt. Jeremy A. Wortmann, an
infantry team leader from St. Louis, looks
across Observation Post Mustang during guard
shift at the remote post, located 6,500 feet up
in the Hindu Kush Mountains on the border of
Pakistan in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar
province, Jan. 25, 2011. |
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continued. “They like it up there because they used to sit on the other side of the ridge
and not really worry about getting hit.
Since we've been up here in the past few months,
we've been raining .50-cal machine gun fire down
on them and calling for fire pretty accurately.” |
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Ellis turned to pick up a pair of binoculars - quickly for
someone wearing more than 30 pounds of combat gear. Quickly,
because the soldiers up here, like Ellis, wear their gear so
often it's a second skin to them.
He scanned the
rugged terrain and the few villages tucked in the shadows of
the valley.
“The biggest task is finding the bad
guys,” said Ellis. “We look and look and look every single
day. Since we keep raining down on them with bombs and
mortars, it's harder and harder to find them. So we have to
look in specific spots in those little nooks and crannies in
the mountains, on top of ridges, and on the other side of
spurs just to try to find these guys. We know they're out
there, and we know they're moving.”
The soldiers up
here live in one of the most unforgiving places in the world
at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains.
“Our
mission is basically a force protection mission,” said U.S.
Army 2nd Lt. Dave J. Cocchiarella, an infantry platoon
leader and highest-ranking soldier at OP Mustang. “We
observe the valleys leading toward the forward operating
base to make sure insurgents aren't coming from Pakistan to
shoot mortars and rockets at FOB Bostick. Lately, our
mission has been a little more offensive than defensive.”
During the past month, the soldiers here have taken the
fight to the Taliban, with more than 40 insurgent fighters
killed or suppressed, said Cocchiarella, a Woodbury, Minn.,
native.
“I think lately they've got the message they
can't just come through here anymore,” added Cocchiarella.
“They're going to be found, and they're going to be killed.”
Back on guard duty, Ellis confirmed their job wasn't
just to observe but to engage.
“We're trying to let
the Taliban know we're here and we're not going to let them
freely move around our [area of operations] without us
seeing them,” said Ellis. “There's nowhere they can go.
We're constantly watching them and they know it. So they've
been trying to move around at night, but we see them.”
As was the case the other night when one of the battle
positions, perched overlooking the valley, called up some
suspicious movement.
U.S. Army Spc. Andrew M.
Dickerson, a team leader from Clarksville, Tenn., was on
guard. He said, after intelligence reported movement in his
sector, he saw three males with weapons.
“They were
close enough you could see it clear as day,” said Dickerson.
“One had an AK-47 slung over his shoulder and another one
was at the low-ready, tactically moving.”
The
soldiers quickly received approval to engage the enemies and
took them out explained Dickerson.
As the soldiers
look out for the inhabitants of the valleys below, they also
look out for each other.
“We're all pretty much like
family,” said Ellis whose only personal time is in the
plywood outhouse or on guard duty. “You're living not even 5
feet away from the guy next to you. We're pretty much all
best friends, like family. We joke around with each other,
like brothers.”
With the sunshine melting the snow,
two soldiers wrestled in the mud for entertainment and
exercise. Cocchiarella stood back, chuckled and jeered his
brothers.
“When I actually got here and realized how
small it was, I was a little shocked at first,” said
Cocchiarella. “I've gotten used to the fact that there
aren't many places you can go up here .... This is home and
family is up here. When I talked to my wife, it was a little
hard for her to understand at first — she felt like she was
being replaced. But now she understands there's a home back
in Minnesota and there's a home here up with my guys.”
The brotherhood on the shelf of Afghanistan tucked
between “Rocket Ridge,” Pakistan, and the Kunar River
Valley, has a mission to accomplish. Defending its home is
on the top of that list. |
Article and photo by Army SSgt. Mark Burrell
Combined Joint Task Force 101
Copyright 2011 |
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Observation Point Mustang, Afghanistan |
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