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NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The soldiers disembarked the helicopter in a blur of camouflage. Perimeter security appeared out of the darkness around the landing zone. In a flash Observation Point Shogun became a strongpoint at which the soldiers made their home for the duration of Operation Fire Rock, the most recent combat mission for 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Task Force Bronco.
As their name implies, Tropic Lighting bolted into action Sept. 20, high above the village of Wanat in the Waygal district of Kunar province to create a position of overwatch and security for Afghan commandos and U.S. forces who were scheduled to sweep the village for Taliban insurgents that evening.
The soldiers of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd BCT, 25th ID, TF Bronco, immediately began to force their way into the rocky soil to create fighting positions they used to protect themselves from enemy fire.
“My first thoughts were to spread security out in a way that we could have the helicopter landing zone secured,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Emmanuel Batara, platoon leader of 1st platoon, B Company. “As soon as you get off the bird is one of the most dangerous times.”
Sandbags were filled and stacked neatly in rows, rocks found close by were made part of the improvised walls and the brisk mountain air kept the soldiers cool as they worked diligently to fortify their fighting positions.
The positions were completed, the soldiers were weary and yet the mission had only just begun.
“Our specific mission was to infiltrate into observation point Shogun [and] create a support by fire for the afghan commandos and special operations task force to allow them to clear the city of Wanat directly to our west,” said Batara. “I took everything one step at a time, taking ownership of what I could control which was security to the north and security to the east.”
The area in which Operation Fire Rock took place has a history of violence and the troops were prepared for anything.
“I thought we were going to have a lot of contact,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn Burke, a native of Guilford, Maine, and a forward observer assigned to B Company, 2-35th Inf. Regt., 3rd BCT, 25th ID, TF Bronco. “I knew some of the ins and outs of [the mission]. I didn't really want to expect anything - just be prepared for the unexpected and always be ready for anything.”
The first few hours of the night were quiet as the soldiers settled into their positions while the Afghan commandos and coalition special forces soldiers made their way to objectives in the valley below.
“It looked like the [Afghan] commandos were all in the front,” said U.S. Army Spc. Mitchell Napier, a native of Augusta, Ga, and assigned to B Company, 2-35th Inf. Regt., 25th ID, 3rd BCT, TF Bronco. “I watched the first group of commandos go in and they hit the first set of qualot systems that were about 200 meters from my overwatch position.”
While the operation was underway, Apache hellfire missile explosions and the rapid percussion of rifle bursts echoed loudly from the valley floor.
As abruptly as it began, the cacophony below became silent except for the intermittent shots from a distant sniper rifle.
“I think the key to their success was speed,” said Napier. “They cleared through Wanat before the sun came up.”
Coalition forces counted zero casualties when the dust settled, and Taliban militants were neutralized or pushed out.
“There was a lot of good that came out of this,” said Burke. “We can hand this [area] back to the Afghan people so these guys can do well for themselves and they can protect their own borders against insurgency.”
| Date Taken: | 09.21.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2011 14:29 |
| Story ID: | 77561 |
| Location: | NURISTAN PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 358 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Tropic Lightning stay vigilant above Wanat, by Luke Graziani, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
