personal experience

While deployed in Afghanistan my unit, 693rd Engineers, was tasked with the mission to provide direct engineer support to A/1-36 IN BN during Operation Fierce Leopard II. The goal for this mission was to push into the insurgent stronghold of Soordaghal, a village no ISAF force had yet operated in during the entire duration of Operation Enduring Freedom, to allow 1-36 Infantry and 6th Kandak ANA to disrupt insurgent operations and expand GIRoA influences in the area. During the three day operation my platoon was able to breach through two known IED belts and clear 25kms of the new route.

On the first day of the operation, we cleared a route to a smaller village before reaching Soordaghal. Dismount teams cleared foot paths with minehounds and a Do-King to allow Infantry soldiers to clear the homes within the village. An Assembly Area was set up for the night where we received small arms fire throughout the night.

The second day we breached the wadi in two spots with four MICLIC’s and two D7 Dozers in order to reach the village of Soordaghal. The infantry soldiers did not want us to use the preexisting road because there were IED belts on it, but wanted us rather to cut a new road through a poppy field. This would have been impossible for us to do because our vehicles were too heavy to maneuver through the wet fields. After explaining our capabilities more clearly it was agreed upon that we would begin clearing the route to three of the six NAI’s. While as the lead gun truck I guided two bulldozers as they cleared routes and opened up new ground lines of communication for follow on maneuver units. My gun truck was able to provide cover fire for the bulldozers when they came into contact with insurgents armed with PRGs and ...

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...he situation. I learned that the best way to handle a difference in strategy is to calmly and clearly communicate rather than losing one’s temper. We all would have lost valuable time had we begun arguing and fighting, and the purpose of our mission would have been lost.

During Operation Fierce Leopard II, I learned different ways to use the MICLIC instead of launching the line charge with the rocket. I learned that we could use the do-king with a quick release attached to the back of it and drag the line charge out the tub to place it right where we wanted it on the route and this was a more precise way to detonate the IED’s. And when one of our dozers went down to mechanical failure I learned that my fellow soldiers and I had the knowledge to use what tools we had available at the time to do some quick thinking and get us all safely back to the Assembly Area.