Deployment Journal: The life of a scout

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
BALA MURGHAB, Afghanistan --  I was serenaded to sleep by the gentle sounds of mortar fire and explosions Jan. 7.

Like a symphony, the explosions took the form of a bass drum, 'boom ... boom ... booming' through the frosty night air. I could clearly hear the .50 Cal machine gun at the combat outpost above me 'ratta-tat-tatting' away. Then came the treble - by the sound alone, I think it was an F-16 Fighting Falcon that 'tshuuu-uuu-ished' right above my tent.

That night I was still at Forward Operating Base Todd and the sounds I heard were from a combat outpost in the distance. However, the next morning I was to head out to the most volatile COP in western Afghanistan - COP Delorean, the southern-most military stronghold in the Bala Murghab Valley.

As we mounted up to convoy to COP Delorean, I noticed Bulldog Troop's (7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment from 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.) first sergeant, Army 1st Sgt. David Dempsey, or 'Top,' in the muster.

Normally this would be quite normal, as I've seen Top on many missions. But being that he was in a vehicle that just hit an improvised explosive device Jan. 6, and was tossed about 10 feet in the air when the back of his vehicle was blown up, I figured he'd take a few days off and remain at the FOB.

Top said he'd have none of that - he goes where his men go.

I certainly respect that, and was happy to have him on board as he's seen his fair share of combat. The guy has been in more than 60 convoys that hit IEDs, has hit 12 with his vehicle alone, and has done his fair share of foot patrols - you could say he's a seasoned veteran.

The convoy dropped two Tactical Air Control Party Airmen (my new friends Senior Airman Jose Cruz-Richardson, joint terminal attack controller, and Senior Airman Jeremy Knox, Tactical Air Control Party), my fellow media combat team member, Petty Officer 1st Class John Pearl, and I off at COP Delorean.

The four of us stayed at the COP, which was manned by an Army scout unit called White Platoon, and the rest of the convoy returned to the FOB.

Combat Outpost Delorean suffered a massive insurgent attack Jan. 6, when they were hit with rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire from three different directions for more than 45 minutes.

Though they are attacked nearly every night, this was the largest-scale assault they've suffered in quite a while.

White Platoon leader, Army 1st Lt. Nicholas Costello, decided he needed to reconnaissance the battlefield and find the enemy's infiltration routes and firing positions.

The next day, White Platoon, a half-dozen Afghan National Army soldiers, the TAC-Ps, Petty Officer Pearl and I set out on a reconnaissance foot patrol well beyond the perimeter of BMG's security bubble, and into ground the enemy considers their own.

We moved across fields and sought out positions with evidence of enemy presence. A good distance out, we came across a small building in the middle of a field.

Staff Sgt. Nicholas Lewis, a scout with nine years in the Army, led a fire team to secure the area. The building was empty but, again, we found signs of prior insurgent presence.

We tactically moved down toward a riverbed and headed south along the river. As we came to a village, scores of inhabitants - men, women and children - boarded motorcycles and donkeys, and quickly headed out of town.

That's never a good sign.

Upon seeing that, the platoon leader decided it would be best to hold up on the riverbed for a while and observe the village. Moments later, we were attacked with accurate small-arms fire from our flank.

Sergeant Lewis was the first to respond and began laying down suppressive fire. He called some of us up on a firing line, while others kept watch across the river into the village and to the fields due north.

Meanwhile, Airman Cruz-Richardson called back to Bulldog Troop and requested close-air support. He had fighters in the air but they were engaged elsewhere so our request was denied.

Without having the Air Force overhead, Lieutenant Costello needed to re-evaluate his plan.

After a quick discussion with Sergeant Lewis and Sgt. Jonathan Sweetnan, the lieutenant decided we would bound forward toward the direction from which we received fire, and continue to recon the fields and riverbed.

They divided us into three teams and we pushed forward.

We made a great deal of headway, and gathered intelligence from the battle space the whole way forward.

After the long patrol, we were visibly tired and sweaty. We continued to tactfully move back to the COP, stopping by to talk to some village elders along the way.

The relationship White Platoon has with the elders is such that if someone new arrives in the area, the elders will alert Lieutenant Costello to their presence.

As we walked back, Sergeant Lewis noticed a new face and stopped the man. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Costello summoned an elder, who introduced the new gentleman and explained that his family had just returned to the village.

Under the terrorizing hands of the Taliban and other insurgents, many villagers fled BMG years ago and resorted to living in the mountains, without a river or valley to grow crops in.

I've seen those mountains and assure you that they are no place to live. They are cold, infested with insurgents, and offer no fertile land or livable plateaus. To live in those mountains, one would literally have to live in a cave, or build a mud hut on the steep mountainsides.

Now that White Platoon has taken root at the southern tip of BMG, and the ANA moved to an adjacent COP, many villagers are now returning to live a more productive life inside the security bubble.

I have strong opinions on the matter and hope to see progress in southern BMG. White Platoon leader said something to me that sums up my opinions well:

"Holding this ground helps keep the BMG security bubble intact, and keeps the Taliban out," said Lieutenant Costello. "We want them to be too afraid to come into the villages in our [area of operations], and to know that the ANA is here to stay, that they can no longer terrorize the people of BMG."

We returned to COP Delorean and had a relatively quiet night. The next morning, Top and his men returned to pick us up. We're now back at FOB Todd.

Thinking back over the past few days, I saw a lot and perhaps grew some as an NCO.

But, more than anything else, I've definitely discovered the highest level of respect for U.S. Army scouts. I'll thank God every day for our scouts and what they do.

Perhaps someday the Afghans in southern BMG will also look back on White Platoon and pay gratitude - for it was those scouts, and their ANA counterparts, that afforded so many villagers the opportunity to return from the mountains and rekindle their lives in BMG.