Photo By Master Sgt. Ben Navratil | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Courtney Proctor (right), a squad leader in Butcher Troop, 6th...... read more read more
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PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Combat Outpost Wilderness, as its name suggests, is found in a very remote location. Tucked in between the tall mountains of Paktya province in eastern Afghanistan, getting there by convoy is a bumpy and slow ride along the side of what appear to be endless, craggy mountains and steep cliffs.
This tiny COP, literally built on the side of a mountain, is home to Butcher Troop of the 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, based out of Fort Knox, Ky.
Among the soldiers is Staff Sgt. Courtney Proctor, a cavalry scout and squad leader from Butcher Troop’s 3rd Platoon. His efforts are helping his soldiers successfully endure their deployment.
Stepping out of the vehicle I’d been bouncing around in for the last two hours into what doubles as the COP’s motor pool and helicopter landing zone, the convoy commander gestured to several of the tall peaks surrounding the COP and jokingly warns “they can kill you from there, there, there and there.”
His warning turned out to be mostly unfounded though, as most of the taller peaks are home to observation posts, where lookouts are on constant watch for any sign of activity threatening the COP.
This tiny COP, literally built on the side of a mountain, is home to Butcher Troop of the 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Task Force Duke, based out of Fort Knox, Ky.
Among the soldiers is Staff Sgt. Courtney Proctor, a cavalry scout and squad leader from Butcher Troop’s 3rd Platoon. His efforts are helping his soldiers successfully endure their deployment.
Born in St. Joseph, Mich., Proctor said he lived in Kalamazoo, Mich., until his mother joined the Army when he was very young, only six or seven years old. He spent much of his early years moving from one post to another starting at Fort Hood, Texas.
His mother left the Army when Proctor was in his teens, and they returned to Michigan where he graduated from Ypsilanti High School.
After high school, he “did everything,” he said. “I lived. I worked. I partied.”
Eventually though, at the age of 34 he decided he’d had enough and needed more options. “I wanted a better life,” he said, “I wanted to better myself.”
He enlisted in the U.S. Army as a cavalry scout and was sent to his first duty station, Ft. Hood, the same installation where his mother began her Army career about a quarter century earlier.
Why a scout?
“I consulted my uncle, who’d been in the Army,” he said, “and his guidance was to choose something that will help me market myself.”
Also, he said, his recruiter showed him “a cool, high-speed video with people wearing ghillie suits and jumping out of helicopters.”
He decided that’s what he wanted to do.
“The role of a cavalry scout,” he said, “is to act as the commander’s eyes and ears on the battlefield.
“We go out and sneak around the battlefield,” he said, “and report back on everything we see out there, including enemy activity, possible routes we can move soldiers along, and descriptions of the area.”
He enjoys his job, he said, and when going on patrol or conducting reconnaissance, prefers to go on foot rather than in vehicles. Luckily for him, he has ample opportunity to do so here in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, where the rough terrain often precludes the use of heavy vehicles.
Even though he prefers dismounted patrols, he admits that climbing up and down mountains all the time, in his own words, “sucks.”
His platoon goes on patrol often, “usually four to five times a week, depending on weather,” he said.
It’s important, he said, not only to go out often, but also for each platoon to stay in roughly the same area. This way the soldiers not only familiarize themselves with the terrain in that specific region, but also so that they interact with the same villagers often, getting to know their needs and building a rapport with them.
“We interact with the Afghans every chance we get,” he said. “Ultimately, we’re here to help them, but we also hope that in return, they help us out as well. We might dig a well for a village, and then maybe someone in that village will then give us information, such as insurgent hiding spots, that might help save lives.”
When not on patrol, Proctor spends his time trying to keep in touch with family, taking care of equipment, or spending time with his soldiers. As a squad leader, he’s responsible for 11 soldiers, some of whom he’s been working alongside since late 2009, he said.
The main difference between being a squad back at home and being one here in Afghanistan, is simply that he watches his guys a little closer here.
“I’ve got to watch them for signs of depression, homesickness or just being overwhelmed,” he said.
He’s dealt with instances of depression in his previous deployments, he said, but so far this time around there haven’t been any issues. He said his past experiences have given him the knowledge and skills he needs to prevent them from happening now.
“I try to approach these types of issues in my soldiers ahead of time,” he said.
“I don’t wait for the symptoms to become obvious. At the first sign of anyone looking down, or just not right, I’ll approach them and try to help them out.”
Even before the deployment, Proctor began preparing his soldiers for the possibility of depression and combat stress. He ensured that all of his soldiers had someone else in the squad or platoon they could confide in when feeling down, “because everybody gets there eventually.”
“My squad and I are like a family,” he said. “We may not share all the same interests, but we spend a lot of time together, talk and play games, and that brings us closer.”
“Unless I absolutely have to be somewhere else,” he emphasized, “I’m with my Soldiers.”
He doesn’t take all the credit for keeping his soldiers healthy and battle-ready, he said. Compared to his other deployments, he said that he’s seen the most support from the families back home during this one.
“I want to say thanks to the family readiness groups and the individual spouses back home for all their support,” he said. “We can’t do what we do without their help.”
Proctor feels optimistic about this deployment, and with good reason. With the obvious care he takes of his soldiers, plus the support coming in from home, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t have another successful deployment under his belt when he returns to Ft. Knox.
“Everybody’s doing well,” he said. “Everyone’s taking care of each other.”
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.19.2011 10:33 |
| Story ID: | 65751 |
| Location: | COMBAT OUTPOST WILDERNESS, AF |
| Web Views: | 551 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
This work, Squad leader scouts out danger, by MSG Ben Navratil, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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