SITREP

Situation Report

Let me give you all an update on what is going on here in Iraq for me and the platoon that I lead. Lately we have been given extra duties to take care of on top of our already busy PRT schedule. We typically roll out 5 or 6 days a week performing our responsibilities as PRT escort and security but in addition to that we have been given numerous CIDF missions as well as QRF missions. CIDF stands for counter indirect fire meaning our platoon goes out and patrols a specific sector or objective to prevent the enemy the ability to emplace and fire indirect munitions, aka rockets or mortars. CIDF missions are not difficult in the least considering the very simple nature of the task we complete while we are out driving around yet they add to the amount of time we are at a high sense of alertness. QRF, quick reaction force, missions however, are much more taxing and stressful.

Let me describe the longest day my platoon went through so far this deployment. The other day we went out on a mission that took us to a courthouse in a town that is approximately 90km away from the base. For the environment we are working in that is a really really far away objective considering most of what we do takes place in the city. When looking at the planning alone for a trip like that it takes great thought in ensuring my guys are prepared. We need to bring extra water, extra food, extra tools, and most of all extra fuel for the vehicles. My Platoon Sergeant and I have to debate the decision to take HUMMWVs or MRAPs and weight the consequences of both. Not to mention I have to do a map and aerial reconnaissance of the route and area we are going to in order to ensure I can navigate the vehicles on all roads and decide upon the best route to take and egress from. On top of everything required for this mission, in the back of my mind is the fact that once we do return I need to get my guys time to rest and refit because we go right onto QRF standby status in case we are needed.
Now here goes the day. We woke up extra early to get all the vehicles ready for the trip. We left ontime like always and rolled out to our link up location with the Iraqi escort to find that they sent us Iraqi Police instead of Iraqi Army. Everyone here that is involved with the planning process and coordination knows that the Iraqi Police is only used within city limits due to their jurisdiction and resources and if we are traveling anywhere outside the city we need IA. Already a problem! We sat for almost 2 hours waiting to link up with an Iraqi Army escort for them to tell us that we were going to roll unilaterally and had permission to leave. Keep in mind we are now 2 hours late for the PRT and have been up and running for almost 5 hours. For this missions we took 1 HUMMWV and 3 MRAPs because of the distance and number of people we were escorting. It took us 2 hours to get to the objective location once we finally left and let me say that as awesome as MRAPs may seem they do a lot of damage. We must have taken down at least 10 power lines going there because of how big the MRAPs are and how low the Iraqis hand their lines over the streets. That was not good at all but what can we do, we have a mission and when there are a limited number of ways to go from point A to point B you take the best one possible and accept the consequences. Thats what I did and nonetheless we may have pissed some people off. Anyways, we got there 2 hours late, because we left late, and the meetings and tours lasted about 2 hours themselves. By the time we left it was so late already chow at the cafeteria back on base was already closed so the majority of my guys were forced to eat MREs. Not the most moral boosting thing to have after a long hot day outside the wire. But wait, it gets better.
On our way back from the objective we are moving, I mean driving incredibly fast trying to get back to base as quickly as possible when the HUMMWV overheats. Guess who is in the HUMMWV, I am, leading the convoy not only a the convoy commander but also in the lead vehicle, double duty (lead from the front right!). When a vehicle overheats you have a few options, the least favorable but most safe is cutting off the A/C to save power. So for about 20 minutes we were forced to drive with no air conditioning and suffer from the heat, NOT FUN AT ALL. It however, was the right choice to make as I will explain later.
Finally as we are getting close to the base I hear over the Battalion radio a distress call come through about another platoon convoy that got hit with an IED. Im listening to the call and everybody scrambling around to figure out what unit is going to respond to the call and where they are in location to the area of operation. We get through the gate and rush back up to Command Post so my guys can drop me off and go refuel all the vehicles so we are ready if they need us. I walk into the office and 3 of the 5 other Platoon Leaders are sitting around talking about how they cant go because they need time to get ready and they have guys at the gym and some just got off a guard shift and their vehicles dont have fuel, making excuses. It took my platoon 15 minutes to get fuel and pick up 10 more cases of water for our vehicles and coolers and be ready to go back out if we were needed. I looked at all of them, including the Commander, and told them all they were being lazy pieces of shit and that I would go back out and take care of whoever it was that was out there waiting for help, because at that time, nobody knew if anyone was hurt or if a vehicle had been destroyed or what. So, after being out for almost 10 hours already, me and my guys went back out to go help recover this other unit of guys.
While we were rolling back out, with 4 more vehicles added to my convoy to include EOD and mechanics, I got a call over the radio from the Battalion S-3, the guy responsible for operations, thanking me for responding so quickly and giving me an update of information. About 30 minutes into the trip to the new objective I was given an air asset to help with visual identification and radio communications. The air asset was awesome because while we were driving we came across a group of 4 men on the side of the road digging a hole and burying something in it. I had them check it out to see what was going on and they eventually concluded it was Iraqi Police building a new checkpoint, but hey, I would rather be safe then sorry. Eventually we got to the unit in distress and assisted in their aid. Details about the incident I cant say but let me just say they were relieved to finally have some American there to support them and bring them back home safely. We blocked up so much traffic during the hour it took to recover the vehicle onto the back of a truck that it looked like NYC in rush hour. People were everywhere, outside their vehicles, trying to pass in the wrong lanes of the road, driving off the road in the dirt, literally cars were everywhere trying to get around or see what was going on and we had everyone stopped. You gotta do what you gotta do! No matter what the rules are or what the regulation states, the safety of an American is more important than anything else and that means owning the situation and everything around it. When it was all over it was 17 hours later and my platoon was exhausted to say the least. The kicker to the whole thing, my Commander was pissed at the way I acted when I had walked into the office, understandably, and made me turn in my daily report that night before I went to bed. I got yelled at of course, I get yelled at all the time, but would I really be a good leader or learn anything if I didnt?

That was probably the most eventful day we have had since my last post. Other than that we go about business in the same routine manner, switching up the positions and jobs the soldiers have in order to stay sharp and on our toes. Everyday that goes by brings us closer to the day we can go home, and I know everyone is looking forward to that day. Until then, we have something else to look forward to that is approaching a lot sooner, JULY 4! Yeah no fireworks to watch, loved ones to hold and kiss under the stars, or festivities to enjoy, but we have each other and we are safe. What more can any of us ask for?