Murphy's Law delays, not defeats, 3rd BCT

Photo By Staff Sgt. Matt Leary | A Soldier from 1st Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, pulls security during a convoy in Afghanistan, March 22. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Matthew Leary)  

ORGUN, AFGHANISTAN

04.12.2007

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

By Army Spc. Matthew Leary
Task Force Fury Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan – Already used to extended missions and unforeseen complications, the Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, embarked on a mission, March 22, a few hours after daybreak, but did not return until well after nightfall - the mission lasting more than 13 hours.

Many Soldiers chalk it up to what has become a popular term within the platoon: Murphy's Law.

On the way to a remote outpost to deliver supplies, the convoy was held up by several civilian vehicles stuck in the mud. And just as the platoon was almost back to their home, two vehicles experienced a mechanical breakdown, one requiring extensive work.

As the light faded and the weather turned cold, the Soldiers joked about the situation.
This situation is familiar to the unit, the plan changing midway through a mission, said Spc. Justin M. Ray, a rifleman with 1st Platoon, Co. C.

"It's Murphy's Law," confirmed Sgt. Jordan L. Ansley, a team leader in 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon. "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."

But for Ansley, a native of Twin Falls, Idaho, nothing proved the theory of Murphy's Law like the extension of their entire brigade in January.

In early January, the 4th BCT, 82nd Airborne Division, began deploying to Afghanistan to replace the Soldiers of the 3rd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div., who were finishing a year-long deployment. Later in the month, the Department of Defense announced an increased force structure plan for Regional Command- East. Instead of one brigade covering the area, two brigades would split the battle space, doubling the combat effectiveness within the area.

This meant 2-87th Inf. and the rest of 3rd BCT, 10th Mtn., would stay in Afghanistan for an extra four months as Soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade prepared to relieve them.

"It was definitely a surprise," said Army Sgt. Craig R. Putnam, a squad automatic weapon's gunner with 3rd Squad and native of Flint, Mich. "A lot of guys were down at first."

But the Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Co. C quickly rallied together and focused on the mission at hand, Putnam said.

"We've been through worse," he added, speaking about enduring gruelling missions in the mountains of Afghanistan. "Being here a little extra time didn't make that much of a difference. Nothing goes exactly as planned. So this was no different."

The extension was a perfect example of Murphy's Law in action, Ansley said. But the Soldiers grouped together and made the best out of the situation, keeping unit morale high.

The platoon continued on with the missions they were given.

It's been two months since the extension, 14 months since the beginning of their deployment, and 1st Platoon, Co. C is still conducting patrols and going out on convoys.

"In nine days, it will be one full year - straight through - that I have been here," Ansley said. He took his rest and relaxation leave early on the deployment, and will now serve more than 400 consecutive days in a combat zone as a result of the extension.

"I think they handled it better than most," said Sgt. 1st Class Gonzalo E. Lassally, 1st Platoon sergeant. "Everyone probably thinks that their platoon is the best, so I am not going to say they're the best, but they are the tightest."

A majority of the platoon has been training together for over a year-and-a-half, Putnam said, and it was this close-knit community of Soldiers that acted as a support mechanism within the platoon. Over 10 members of 1st Platoon have been together since the unit's first deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2004.

"These are like your brothers right here," said Ray, who is in Afghanistan for the second time with Co. C. "So this deployment, even though it's long, it's like your family. People remember that this is the Army, and we are at war. Anything can happen."

The high spirits seen as they prepare to go out on convoys, work on their vehicles in the motor pool or simply spend time in their rooms can all be traced back to one thing, Ray said. It's all about the guy to your left and to your right.

"Civilians will never understand that bond, how deep it is," Ray added.

"I don't think anybody would have gone back home, unless the whole platoon went home," Lassally said. "They are practically family to one another. Amazingly enough, considering what they have been put through, they are still re-enlisting. We are at a 90 percent re-enlistment, with 70 percent of that being to stay in the unit."

Even though they are separated from their wives and children, they know they are doing something worthwhile in the Army, Ray said.

"It's what we signed up for, and it's why I just re-enlisted," he said.

And more importantly than serving their country, the bond they have within their unit motivates the Soldiers to stay part of the team.

"We are a tight group of guys," confirmed Sgt. Mark T. Clinger, an anti-armor specialist with the platoon.

Clinger, who has been in 1st Platoon for more than three years and two deployments to Afghanistan, is a perfect example of the bond within 1st Platoon, Co. C.

In 2004, while deployed with 1st Platoon to Afghanistan, Clinger was involved in an improvised explosive device attack that killed one of his fellow platoon members and sent him to the hospital for several months. Today, Clinger still shows signs of the attack that almost took his life, with a permanent scar on his left forearm and above his right eye.

"These younger guys need someone who has been through it to kind of show them the way; so that's why I re-enlisted," Clinger said. "I've re-enlisted twice now."

The Soldiers of 1st Platoon, Co. C, 2-87th Inf. Regt., returned to FOB Orgun-E on March 22, after dark, knowing another mission awaited them in the following days.

The following day they would clean and service their vehicles so they could be ready for Saturday, Ray said.

The Soldiers could be heard laughing as they walked back to their barracks.

"They have taken [the extension] well," said 1st Lt. William L. Felder, 1st Platoon Leader, Co. C. "There are things everyone wants to go home for, but they know it's mission first."

Just as this convoy returned home to FOB Orgun-E, later than expected, the Soldiers will return home to Fort Drum, N.Y., a little later than expected. And although both missions ran long, the Soldiers of 1st Platoon carry on with a high-level of morale and camaraderie within, Ansley said.

Murphy's Law will affect only their timetable; it will not affect the platoon's spirit or commitment to the mission. The platoon is capable of handling any other unexpected thing thrown their way, said Felder.

"If we get extended again, we'll do the best job we can," he said. "And that's the bottom line."

• Date Taken: 04.12.2007
• Date Posted: 04.12.2007 06:49
• Story ID: 9872
• Location: ORGUN, AF