FOB Smart at 1900 - Sunday
The day started off normally and without a hint of "excitement" or pending action. We met early to review mission procedures and plan for our routine mission to observe the completion on one of our projects slightly north of Qalat. We left on time and had little traffic to contend with... until we ran into a traffic stop made by the Afghan National Police and/or the Afghan National Army. What happened thereafter cannot be completely written, but I can say it was definitely "exciting!"
Certain of our convoy members dismounted form our up-armored vehicles to understand the reasoning for the traffic stop. It became immediately clear... an IED r a series of IEDs were found. We secured the area and began clearing out to ensure safety was obtained. This involved approximately five hours of selective clearing maneuvers, security overwatch, radio coordination with EOD, our FOB, and certain of the available nearby assets necessary to continue securing the roadway until the IEDs were eliminated. In the end, they were safely eliminated.
Now keep in mind that I, as a civilian representative from the US Army Corps of Engineers, remained safely inside of my vehicle throughout the entire ordeal. Even from the back seat, with excellent viewing ability of our 12 o'clock, 3 o'clock, and 9 o'clock positions, I was able to really feel close to the "excitement." In the end, we all came home safe and every member of the team I was out there with performed appropriately and with the utmost professionalism. During the time we were there, I could really feel the pressure mounting as we swept the area, discovered potentials for threats, and cleared the threats from the area.
Tonight I find myself tired, even though I merely sat in a vehicle, and eager for sleep. Tomorrow I have more missions, and practically every day of the week moving forward for the next several months. Even with today's excitement, I still feel very drawn to being out amongst the people and helping them and my team in any and every way possible.
143, K&K.
Good night and good day.
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