FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTI, Afghanistan, - As time for their
pre-mission brief drew near, route-clearance crews here began to gather
around Army 1st Lt. Chris Johnson, their platoon leader.
Dawn had begun to break, and as the sun peeked over the horizon, the
cloudless, star-choked, purple sky promised once again to transform itself
into a sea of brilliant blue by mid-morning, coupled with pleasantly moderate
temperatures - a staple of the region this time of year.
At this early hour, however, a winter chill still hung in the air during this
late-December morning, evidenced by the visible breath of the troops, who
warmed themselves with gloves, hot coffee, and sea-foam-colored fleece caps
pulled low over their heads.
As Johnson prepared to speak, a senior noncommissioned officer waved the
crews closer. They responded by forming up in a semicircle facing the junior
officer.
"Intelligence says there was a cache found [nearby] containing quite a bit of
bomb-making materials, but other than that, there is nothing new," Johnson,
of Basehor, Kan., began. "We'll be the first mission down this route in a few
weeks."
Johnson went on to provide further details of the mission that would be
carried out by crews belonging to the 41st Engineer Company, an Army
component based at Fort Riley, Kan., and the 5-3 Field Artillery Company,
which is based at Fort Lewis, Wash. He discussed the routes, the
destinations, and the mission's goals, which included many of the same
objectives these route-clearance troops have been accomplishing regularly
during their six months in Afghanistan.
But Johnson outlined some additional components that, when added to the big
picture, could contribute as much toward defeating extremism here as any
offensive military action, and with greater approval from residents.
While the primary focus of the 41st's mission was to clear key routes of
improvised explosive devices, a large public-relations aspect applied, as
well.
"At tent city, we'll hop out and drop off the boxes of clothing to the
residents there," Johnson told his crews, referring to a tented community
called Chamtala, where the unit planned to distribute clothing donated by
U.S.-based charities.
And later, at the end of the route, the crews would rest overnight at an
Afghan National Police compound, Johnson said.
Rolling out
Less than a half-hour later, crews sat anxiously in their vehicles waiting
for the command to move out. When it came, they moved out one by one, their
lumbering mine-resistant, armor-protected vehicles roaring to life, leaving
diesel fumes and thick, roiling dust in their wake.
As the column made its way toward the base entrance, Afghan soldiers fanned
out across busy asphalt streets to halt traffic so the convoy could proceed
unimpeded and remain together. Once clear of the base, the tan-colored column
weaved methodically through Jalalabad's crowded thoroughfares, passing
through various market districts clogged with cars, three-wheeled carts and
shoppers.
It was nearly 20 minutes before the convoy finally broke free of the downtown
congestion, but once clear of bustling Jalalabad, the convoy steadily
increased its speed, taking advantage of the rare stretch of paved road.
Shortly before 9 a.m., the column of MRAPs eased into Chamtala and ground to
a halt, disgorging soldiers and boxes of clothing.
Within seconds, the troops were inundated by residents, mostly children, who
streamed out of nearby tents and plywood-built shops in a mad dash to greet
the soldiers bearing gifts.
In a sort of controlled chaos, children of all sizes - and all smiles -
clamored for the clothing, and the soldiers distributed the contents of all
three large boxes in moments. By any measure, the public relations "mission"
was a resounding success, evidenced by the satisfied smiles and abundant
laughter from the scores of kids who continued to mob the soldiers and
compete for their attention.
But the children weren't the only ones enjoying themselves. Each member of
the 41st and 5-3 took great pleasure in those few moments playing Santa
Claus. For many, it may even have been the highlight of their day, if not the
entire mission.
The mission continues
For the remainder of the day, the convoy plodded along its route, stopping
occasionally to investigate potential IED finds but, fortunately, coming up
empty-handed.
Once, the column halted to investigate the sighting of what appeared to be a
young man armed with a rifle. Upon spotting the individual, Johnson ordered a
half dozen soldiers to dismount up the side of hill dotted with agricultural
plots to investigate. In the end, the soldiers rounded up a small group of
teenage boys who were armed only with a dilapidated BB gun - hardly a threat
to the convoy or the surrounding community.
On this day, the route-clearance mission still was the primary focus for the
crews, but the part with the most impact thus far clearly had been the
distribution of clothes at Chamtala.
"I think public relations missions, in conjunction with [the primary]
mission, are important," said Army Capt. Reggie Rice of Lee, Maine, commander
of the 41st. "If I can hand out candy and school supplies, great, [but] that
stuff lasts only a short time. If I'm handing out a message that convinces
the [Afghans] that my soldiers are here to protect them from IEDs and allow
them to travel the roads safely, that will have lasting sweetness for the
people of Afghanistan and my soldiers."
At the police compound
Around 4 p.m., after hours of sitting in cramped MRAPs being jostled and
choking on dust, the weary crews pulled into an Afghan National Police
compound overlooking a small community in Nangahar province - not far from
Tora Bora, the region believed to have been a temporary sanctuary for
al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The compound was in rocket and mortar range
of insurgents, who often launched attacks from a small mountain range to the
east less than a half a mile away, said Army Staff Sgt. Cody Newby of Coeur
d'Alene, Idaho, a vehicle truck commander.
That would be a concern for Johnson and his men, who deployed their MRAPs
strategically within the compound to guard against any attack, but it was
important to be seen as sharing the responsibility for the defense of the
base with the Americans' Afghan partners.
As crews powered down vehicles and dismounted for a much-needed stretching of
legs, many broke out packaged meals along with bottles of electrolyte
beverages, water and energy drinks - the latter of which were largely shared
with the Afghan police who quickly gathered to observe the Americans as they
set up to spend the night.
They were not alone. Local Afghans gathered at the compound's perimeter,
sitting in groups of a dozen or so while observing the Americans and the
Afghan police as they went about their business. As American soldiers walked
by, they stared curiously but remained silent.
Meanwhile, though temperatures had been very moderate throughout the day -
warming up into the mid-60s - a chill once again filled the dusk air as the
dazzling yellow-orange sun began to fade below the western horizon.
Soldiers, inquisitive about their surroundings, began touring the compound's
administrative buildings and its observation posts. They exchanged some
conversation and laughs with their Afghan counterparts, made possible by
Afghan interpreters traveling with the crews.
6 p.m., the sun had set completely and temperatures had fallen well below
30 degrees, as a brilliant full moon began to rise in the night sky, highly
visible against a backdrop of billions of stars.
Soldiers gathered wood for a small fire they started in an earthen recession
away from the convoy's vehicles. Throughout the night, the Americans and
their counterparts intermingled, shared laughs and chai tea - a favorite
drink among Afghans - around the flames. By midnight, most had peeled off to
catch some sleep, the Afghans fading into their compound and the Americans
either spreading out by the fire, bundling up in sleeping bags or curling up
inside their MRAPs.
Perhaps dissuaded by the heavy American presence, there were no rocket or
mortar attacks overnight, allowing the camp to rest in relative tranquility -
a welcome development for the tired, haggard soldiers.
Breakfast
The following morning, crews began stirring just before daybreak, going
through their rituals of personal hygiene, stowing sleeping bags and cots and
seeking nourishment. By sunrise, some had migrated back to the fire pit,
where a combination of U.S. soldiers and Afghan police were taking the edge
of the early chill by soaking up heat emitted by the crackling flames.
One police officer brought a large pot full of chai tea that he then shared
with the Americans. Soon after, another brought a stack of warm, steaming
flatbread, a staple in the diets of many Afghans.
The Americans flocked to the flatbread, each of which resembled a 12-inch
pizza crust, devouring it with enthusiasm. The consistency of breadsticks,
the balmy treat had a hint of sweetness and an inner consistency of a
pancake. It didn't take long for the large stack of flatbread to disappear,
along with the entire pot of robust, orange-hued tea.
Rejuvenated, the American crews prepared to move out next, gathering once
more around platoon leader Johnson as he briefed the day's mission to return
to Forward Operating Base Fenti. Not much had changed from the initial brief
given the day before; crews were to remain vigilant as they concentrated on
clearing the route of IEDs.
Before mounting up, the Americans bid their hosts farewell, thanking them for
their hospitality and taking with them memories they will no doubt carry for
a lifetime. Perhaps equally important, the camaraderie shared may have
contributed toward fostering the kind of long-term relationships necessary to
build trust, confidence and cooperation essential to keeping Afghanistan free
from extremism over the long run.
The next mission
Two days later, crews from the 41st and 5-3 departed Fenti once more, again
primarily to conduct route clearance but also to make another deposit into
the Afghan bank of good will. Three hours later, traveling on largely paved
roads, the convoy turned around then halted in a small village southwest of
Fenti. Crews dismounted, and again, children mobbed them.
The eyes and smiles of the children grew even larger as they watched while
soldiers produced bags of candy and treats. Anticipating the giveaway, they
grew ever noisier and more animated, their arms outstretched toward the
towering soldiers, their hands groping the air, hopping up and down.
For the next 15 minutes, soldiers gave away bags of candy and treats, each
bag received even more boisterously than the previous one. As the bags grew
smaller, the smiles grew larger.
Other kids were satisfied just to be interacting with the soldiers. One boy
in particular pulled Army Command Sgt. Major Steve Steunkel of the Missouri
Army National Guard's 203rd Engineer Battalion, who was accompanying the
route-clearance patrol for the day - off to the side to show him he was
learning to write the English alphabet.
The boy, perhaps 9, immediately was surrounded by his peers as he proudly
showed off his skills to Steunkel by scratching letters out in the dirt.
Other children offered to exchange Pakistani currency - 10 rupees - for
American dollar bills, while still others just seemed to want to be close to
the Americans.
At times, Afghan adult men would show up to shoo the children away from the
Americans, but within minutes after the adults left, the children began to
crowd the Americans and their machines again. Soon the men would return and
the process would repeat itself.
An hour later, the order was given to mount up and, as the crews took up
positions inside their MRAPs, the children instinctively backed off and kept
watch several feet away, safely off the roadway. As the convoy pulled out,
they waved and cheered, flashing "thumbs-up" signs and always, always
smiling.\
A successful mission the time the convoy reached Jalalabad, it was well past sunset. Snaking
through downtown, the MRAPs passed scores of shops lit up like nightclubs,
their multi-colored lights shining brilliantly in the darkness, as throngs of
people continued to choke the streets and sidewalks.
A thick, dust-and-fumes-laden cloud hung over the streets, churned by
thousands of people and cars and illuminated by a combination of lights from
businesses, streetlamps and vehicles. The combination of elements - people,
vehicles, donkey carts and open-air markets - made Jalalabad at night seem
almost surreal, said Plano, Texas, native Army Spc. Brian D. Miller of the
5-3, an MRAP crew member.
As the convoy eased into Fenti, the low growl of the MRAPs nearly drowned out
by the bustling sounds of the surrounding city, the end of a long day was
near. As vehicle systems were powered down and weapons unloaded, crews
policed up their trash and belongings as they waited in line to refuel.
And while the convoy had not found any IEDs, the mission commanders were
nonetheless calling it a success.
"With [public relations] efforts that convey a relationship of trust between
soldiers and local [residents] we don't have to [find IEDs to be
successful]," Rice said. "In addition, the PR missions can demonstrate that
we are providing a hand to get local communities on their feet, and not an
oppressive thumb to crush them under."
Allegiances in Afghanistan can be fleeting unless they are continually
nurtured and developed, some analysts have observed. But a people hungry for
peace and prosperity - and an American and NATO force visibly dedicated to
laying the necessary groundwork to achieve such goals - won't have to be
convinced to buy in.