Vanatru
09-05-2006, 09:36 PM
Taken from my journal.
I appologize for the typos. I'm running on fumes. We pulled a two day Op and had about 5 hours downtime before having to go back out to assist others.
-Bill
---------------------------------------------------
"Alright, mission time in 1 hour. Gear up and get ready." The time? 03:30.
Weapons checked, magazines loaded and packed. There is no standard combat load. There's a few basic every soldier/marine takes. Weapon, first aid kit, ammo, water, food, and optics. Everything else is optional. Most have their own personal mis-mash of what they feel enhances their performance in the field. Some carry 100mile an hour tape; etools; books; poggy bait; toys; blankets; rope; batteries; you name it.
We want to be out of the gate while it's still dark out and before their gets to be to much traffic on the locals roads. During the night, the insurgents crawl out like cockroaches and plant their IEDs (improvised explosive decive) along the roadways, against buildings, and any other place they think can cause problems for CF (Coalition Forces) or the semi-legit government (IMO). Regular patrols allow us to see irregularities along the way. Is that trash pile normally there (insurgents like to hide IEDs in them)? That cluster of rocks, how long has it been there. When do the local merchants open up and who are the regular workers. New piles, new faces could mean trouble.
We load up in 3 humvees and one guntruck. Our first stop is a short hop away. Dismounting from the humvees, we fan out into patrol formation. The guntruck crew stands ready to respond it we take heavy fire. Down the street, both sides, to the end, then back again. At this hour, few are up or about. Loading back up into the vehicles we're on our way to the next area. On any given day, we'd come back to this area between 30 minutes and 4 hours to recheck it. During that time, we'd hand out poegy bait/candy to the kids, toys, translated books....all to build reporte'. Not today.
We know the Taliban have locals who check our movements and pass it on to others in the insurgent food chain. Todays gonna be a little different. Today we're going to be a doing a big push into some trouble areas in three districts in the southern province of Kandhar/Khandhar/Kandahar. For the haji's reporting our movements, we're gonna go through initial motions...we don't want them to be put on edge......yet.
Official mission time will start at 05:30. Over a thousand troops combined from various Coaltion Forces; though, the majority will come from the Canadian contingent. Over the last few months insurgents have been like thurisaz..........a thorn in our sides. The Canadians have lost over 3 dozen troopers in vairious skirmishes and ambushes. Today we hope to give some payback, in folds.
Leaving our first normal patrol area we head to where we'll initate our portion of the Op.
"Want some gum?" It was offered up by a gun-bunny from a Canadian Horse Artillery (don't ask me where the horses are, they're using Bisons and what nots).
"Thanks Mate." I fired back with a wink. We were waiting for the fly-boys to drop some ordance on insurgents strongpoints. Then with some of Princess Pat's infantry we'd go in and kill some badguys. Meanwhile, the gun-bunnies would be laying back with mortar and artillery support in case our asses get caught in a sling (and they did).
As my team chatted it up with the Canadians, the call came in.
"Fast movers inbound!" Came an excited voice over the local tac.
"Right then, stations everyone." One of the guys mimicked a line we'd heard in a movie recently.
The fighter jet whoosed overhead, followed by another, and another. Like a string of firecrackers, the ordance detonated on the insurgent strongpoints. The flashed of colored light and noise rippled along. In a way, it was quite beautiful. Like a fireworks display.
As the last of the munitions was going off, we went in. Catch 'em with their heads down and shoot 'em as they look up.
The cluster of buidlings was located along a low ridge line. In all there were a hundred buildings of various sizes and shapes; not counting the ditches and tunnels connecting them all together. We'd figured there were a few hundred insurgents here that had recently come from Pakistan.
To help cooridanate the attack, my team had split up into pairs and into the Canadian vehicles. Our LAV was heading in, the top gunner laying down some 25mm supressive fire.
"RPGs! Pump house on the right." Goes out on the vehicle tac. The LAV swerves sharply and is helped along as a nearby blast pushes us along. Our forward momentum is halted by a low mud brick wall, then a mud brick wall, and finally the doorway of the mud brick home we slammed into.
"Up and out!" Yells the Canadian NCO. "Move like you have ****ing purpose!"
With that, we un-***ed ourselves and swarm out the LAV like hornets from a nest.
One of the Patties (Princess Patricia's Light Infantry) went up a stair well to our front. I followed. At the base of the stairs, along is sides was a depression (like a pantry under the stairs). In it was a wide eyed haji. Stepping out he fired off a burst with his AK. His aim was crap. The rounds dotted the stairs. As the muzzle blast brought the barrel up, one of the rounds hit the Pattie, knocking him down.
At ground level, the Pattie NCO had just come out of the LAV in time to see this. He looked seriously ****ed the F' off. In a classic Rambo move, he fired his C8 (a Canadian knock off our M4) at hip level. Haji went down with a major head and chest wound that have the word "sucking" in them.
====================================
That's it for now. I need to catch some Zzzzzz's. Op time comes soon. I'll post another part hopefully tomorrow.
And while all this might sound like cool stuff, it's all dead serious stuff. While we may have killed and or captured over 200 Taliban fighters, we did pay a price for it.
Taken from the Canadian Defence Dpt homepage:
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca
5 Canadian Soldiers killed during Operation Medusa.
Sergeant Shane Stachnik was with 2 Combat Engineer Regiment, whereas the other casualties, Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish and Private William Jonathan James Coshly, were with 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. All were based in Petawawa, Ontario.
-Bill
I appologize for the typos. I'm running on fumes. We pulled a two day Op and had about 5 hours downtime before having to go back out to assist others.
-Bill
---------------------------------------------------
"Alright, mission time in 1 hour. Gear up and get ready." The time? 03:30.
Weapons checked, magazines loaded and packed. There is no standard combat load. There's a few basic every soldier/marine takes. Weapon, first aid kit, ammo, water, food, and optics. Everything else is optional. Most have their own personal mis-mash of what they feel enhances their performance in the field. Some carry 100mile an hour tape; etools; books; poggy bait; toys; blankets; rope; batteries; you name it.
We want to be out of the gate while it's still dark out and before their gets to be to much traffic on the locals roads. During the night, the insurgents crawl out like cockroaches and plant their IEDs (improvised explosive decive) along the roadways, against buildings, and any other place they think can cause problems for CF (Coalition Forces) or the semi-legit government (IMO). Regular patrols allow us to see irregularities along the way. Is that trash pile normally there (insurgents like to hide IEDs in them)? That cluster of rocks, how long has it been there. When do the local merchants open up and who are the regular workers. New piles, new faces could mean trouble.
We load up in 3 humvees and one guntruck. Our first stop is a short hop away. Dismounting from the humvees, we fan out into patrol formation. The guntruck crew stands ready to respond it we take heavy fire. Down the street, both sides, to the end, then back again. At this hour, few are up or about. Loading back up into the vehicles we're on our way to the next area. On any given day, we'd come back to this area between 30 minutes and 4 hours to recheck it. During that time, we'd hand out poegy bait/candy to the kids, toys, translated books....all to build reporte'. Not today.
We know the Taliban have locals who check our movements and pass it on to others in the insurgent food chain. Todays gonna be a little different. Today we're going to be a doing a big push into some trouble areas in three districts in the southern province of Kandhar/Khandhar/Kandahar. For the haji's reporting our movements, we're gonna go through initial motions...we don't want them to be put on edge......yet.
Official mission time will start at 05:30. Over a thousand troops combined from various Coaltion Forces; though, the majority will come from the Canadian contingent. Over the last few months insurgents have been like thurisaz..........a thorn in our sides. The Canadians have lost over 3 dozen troopers in vairious skirmishes and ambushes. Today we hope to give some payback, in folds.
Leaving our first normal patrol area we head to where we'll initate our portion of the Op.
"Want some gum?" It was offered up by a gun-bunny from a Canadian Horse Artillery (don't ask me where the horses are, they're using Bisons and what nots).
"Thanks Mate." I fired back with a wink. We were waiting for the fly-boys to drop some ordance on insurgents strongpoints. Then with some of Princess Pat's infantry we'd go in and kill some badguys. Meanwhile, the gun-bunnies would be laying back with mortar and artillery support in case our asses get caught in a sling (and they did).
As my team chatted it up with the Canadians, the call came in.
"Fast movers inbound!" Came an excited voice over the local tac.
"Right then, stations everyone." One of the guys mimicked a line we'd heard in a movie recently.
The fighter jet whoosed overhead, followed by another, and another. Like a string of firecrackers, the ordance detonated on the insurgent strongpoints. The flashed of colored light and noise rippled along. In a way, it was quite beautiful. Like a fireworks display.
As the last of the munitions was going off, we went in. Catch 'em with their heads down and shoot 'em as they look up.
The cluster of buidlings was located along a low ridge line. In all there were a hundred buildings of various sizes and shapes; not counting the ditches and tunnels connecting them all together. We'd figured there were a few hundred insurgents here that had recently come from Pakistan.
To help cooridanate the attack, my team had split up into pairs and into the Canadian vehicles. Our LAV was heading in, the top gunner laying down some 25mm supressive fire.
"RPGs! Pump house on the right." Goes out on the vehicle tac. The LAV swerves sharply and is helped along as a nearby blast pushes us along. Our forward momentum is halted by a low mud brick wall, then a mud brick wall, and finally the doorway of the mud brick home we slammed into.
"Up and out!" Yells the Canadian NCO. "Move like you have ****ing purpose!"
With that, we un-***ed ourselves and swarm out the LAV like hornets from a nest.
One of the Patties (Princess Patricia's Light Infantry) went up a stair well to our front. I followed. At the base of the stairs, along is sides was a depression (like a pantry under the stairs). In it was a wide eyed haji. Stepping out he fired off a burst with his AK. His aim was crap. The rounds dotted the stairs. As the muzzle blast brought the barrel up, one of the rounds hit the Pattie, knocking him down.
At ground level, the Pattie NCO had just come out of the LAV in time to see this. He looked seriously ****ed the F' off. In a classic Rambo move, he fired his C8 (a Canadian knock off our M4) at hip level. Haji went down with a major head and chest wound that have the word "sucking" in them.
====================================
That's it for now. I need to catch some Zzzzzz's. Op time comes soon. I'll post another part hopefully tomorrow.
And while all this might sound like cool stuff, it's all dead serious stuff. While we may have killed and or captured over 200 Taliban fighters, we did pay a price for it.
Taken from the Canadian Defence Dpt homepage:
http://www.army.forces.gc.ca
5 Canadian Soldiers killed during Operation Medusa.
Sergeant Shane Stachnik was with 2 Combat Engineer Regiment, whereas the other casualties, Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan, Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish and Private William Jonathan James Coshly, were with 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment. All were based in Petawawa, Ontario.
-Bill