HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Soldiers from the Route Clearance Platoon, 162nd Engineer Company, 105th Engineer Battalion of the Oregon National Guard worked to remove any IEDs on Route "Cowboys" here in the Garmsir District, Feb. 14-16.
Route "Cowboys" is a road that runs from north to south inside of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment's area of operation. It has been known for a multitude of roadside bombs, making it an unsafe road to travel.
Normally, a route clearance platoon from 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion would do the job. However, with Operation Moshtarak in full swing the 162nd Engineer Company was brought in to take their place from their normal area of operations near Kandahar Air Base.
For three days, the soldiers moved at a pace of six to seven kilometers a day, meticulously checking for any indicators for IEDs or unexploded ordinance. They started at Patrol Base Amir, cleared all the way to the town of Laki and then all the way back to Combat Outpost Sher, covering about 19 kilometers of road over their three-day operation.
"We go so slow because we're interrogating anything that looks suspicious," said Sgt. Robert B. Bertilson, a squad leader with 162 Engineer Company.
The trip through Route "Cowboys" turned up one IED found by Fox Company, while providing security for the route clearance platoon, after receiving a tip from a local national.
Flanking either side of the convoy were Marines from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, who moved through the fields and compounds watching for indicators of IEDs that may not be found on the road.
The platoon crept down the road allowing their ground penetrating radar and their metal detector, both attached to vehicles known as Huskies, to check each inch of the road. Ahead, dismounted soldiers moved with portable mine detectors as well.
"We are behind our dismounts," said Bertilson. "They're up there with the mine detectors and if they see something then we have to stop and dig. That's a slow process right there."
The soldiers have to inspect every metallic hit. They can dig manually but some vehicles come with a robotic arm that allows the soldiers to inspect the ground from within the vehicle.
While most metallic hits turn out to be trash, they still check each one to be sure it isn't an IED.
The soldiers operated from sunrise to sunset each day. At night, they would simply set up security and sleep on the side of Route Cowboys.
"We use all the hours of daylight we can," said Bertilson
While route clearance is a great way to find IEDs, the majority of IEDs are still being found by tips from the local populace.