Wolfpack 6 Sends #5 27 September 2013 It’s been slightly over three weeks since the Wolfpack assumed control of our Area of Operations (AO) and the growth in the squadron has been spectacular. As CPT Campbell says, “This was the length of our time training at JMRC,” but now we’ve been at it while in contact with the enemy. Our focus this week has been improving our operational relationship with our Afghan partners so we can accomplish more together, while refining our long-range planning. The troops have been working hard, with some platoons being on the road most of the week. We’ve drunk a lot of tea with local officials, ate a lot of Afghan food, and had a weird stomach bug cut its way through the formation - probably the first of many. Hammer Troop runs our BDOC (Base Defense Operations Center) on Pasab – it’s the command post that’s in charge of the base, while the squadron headquarters focuses on what’s outside the wire. We had a fiber-optic cable get cut accidentally and the squadron headquarters lost communications with the platoons that were conducting operations. LT Coffman was on the radio and he jumped in to fill the gap until the headquarters was up and running. In the S2 shop, SSG Cheever has added “master map maker” to his job description. Everyone wants maps, and of course everyone wants them now, so he’s got the shop working 24/7 on it. SSG Steiner runs our electronic warfare operations and has already frustrated the enemy on a few occasions, preventing attacks on us. Iron Troop continues to push long hours and hundreds of kilometers “outside the wire.” They’ve been developing new tactics that will keep the insurgents off-balance, safeguard our patrols, and help the Afghan security forces. They hosted a visit from CSM Stall (the Division CSM) this week that was so successful it generated a request for an Iron t-shirt from the Division CSM (incidentally, Iron is winning the t-shirt race, with two versions!) A few Soldiers from Iron spent some time off at the Regimental headquarters at “Dragoon Rest” – sort of an in-country weekend getaway. Iron’s maintenance program has improved markedly thanks to some good old-fashioned elbow grease. We’ve got the regimental communication experts literally tearing apart each wire in their strykers to ensure every system works perfectly. Lightning continues to support the regiment’s entire AO, operating from one end to another. CPT Nelson and 1SG Salas are in the unenviable position of taking direction from multiple headquarters, but they manage it with aplomb. 2LT Rapp, Lightning’s Fire Support Officer, did an outstanding job controlling attack helicopters while they were clearing an IED and SSG Calfa has shown how valuable an experienced mortarman can be by developing a comprehensive plan to support the troop with mortar fires –wherever they are on the battlefield. Killer Troop continues to move in several directions simultaneously. The “deconstruction” of Azizullah is nearly complete with a lot of walls that used to be there now nothing but bulldozed sand and construction waste, making the FOB smaller and more efficient. They share their perimeter with several Afghan units, so CPT Carroll is finding his dinner plans are getting more complex. SGT Major continues to develop intelligence on insurgents in the neighborhood and his skills at parsing mountains of data into actionable intelligence are the envy of the squadron. SFAT 301 continues to work with their Afghan partners in the brigade headquarters, increasing their focus this week on future planning for the brigade’s basing while developing new training programs that the brigade will be able to sustain after we leave. CPT Cass has been instrumental in supporting the effort to improve the Afghan artillery capability. SFAT 3202 has made leaps and bounds developing their relationship with the four Afghan battalions they support. Each of the battalions wants more, so that means more travel, more tea, and more discussions in Pashtu about the best way forward. Add this to the fact that many of the advisors in 3202 are doing several jobs simultaneously and it’s a wonder that they have time to sleep. SFC Davis has developed a great relationship with some of the Afghan senior NCOs which allows us to positively influence them in new ways. SFAT 3203 is the “can do” SFAT team, constantly adding new tasks to their plate and volunteering for more. I’ve made them the “retrograde cell” for Azizullah, a job that will require considerable planning and people skills, as they work with their partner battalion to determine who gets the property we transfer to the Afghan army. SFAT 3204 has transformed the most of any unit in the squadron since we arrived. Tailoring his structure to ensure he has the right people in the right places, MAJ Hinton has taken on the contracting tasks for the entire squadron. Helping the Afghan army develop its logistics operations is a Sisyphean task, but they are tackling it head on. I couldn’t be prouder of the Wolfpack. We’ve improved individually and collectively so much in the past three weeks it’s almost overwhelming to think what we’ll look like after another three. Our Soldiers are going out to make contact with the enemy every day and keeping him off balance, they’re defending the FOBs we live on, and sorting through all the equipment that has to be shipped home over the course of the next year. It’s an honor to be a part of it. WP6
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 05:11:29 +0000
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