Fort Riley Desert Training: Day 6
Battle-ready warriors stay on high alert
2:17 p.m. Friday, July 18, 2008
Day 6
Everyone starts stirring at 6 a.m., so we roll out too. Another cool morning. I pull on the same clothes as yesterday (3 days now) and head to the latrine with my kit. I decide to try my shaving technique one more day. I wet a couple of paper towels at the portable wash stands outside the portable johns, then head for a Humvee to use the side mirror. Most of the mirrors are already in use by other shavers, but I find a free one and start in. I dampen one side of my face with one towel (cold water), apply shaving cream to that side, and try to scrape some growth off. It's getting more and more difficult each day, because my blade has filled up with whiskers and without hot water and water pressure I can't get it cleaned out. Repeat on the other side of the face and use the second towel to "rinse" off. This may be the last day I try this.
Breakfast has not yet arrived by the time we roll out on our first mission of the day. Another foot patrol into the village Abar Layla. This time we are to provide security and muscle power for a civic project, building a barricade around the town's soccer field. A mounted (motorized) convoy provides security for the truck hauling plywood and steel posts, while we, the dismounted patrol, provide security for the captain to walk over to the site. He greets the mayor and soldiers start unloading and putting up the fence. While this goes on, it's the responsibility of our platoon to keep an eye on things in the village and surrounding area. We are also accompanied today by members of the Iraqi Army, who help secure the perimeter.
Things go fine until the mid-morning call to prayer, which is interrupted by someone taking over the PA system and inciting some members of the village to demonstrate. The interpreter with our group is the first to know something is wrong. He simply says to the platoon leader, "We should go." And so we do. The guys nearest the center of the village fall back to near the truck, which is quickly loaded up and moved out. Meanwhile, villagers march and chant. There is no violence, and we don't stick around to further provoke any. The fence around the soccer field will have to wait.
Back at the tent, we enjoy the breakfast that arrived just as we were rolling out about three hours ago. (Army eggs, blueberry pancakes, hash browns, bacon etc., all of it cold. Also, no coffee. I suspect it's all been consumed by those who were not out on a mission when it arrived.)
Our next mission begins at 12:30 hrs. We are to walk into the village, with the Iraqi Army in the lead. This is to show how the Iraqis are taking over control of their own security. That's the only purpose to the mission, a public gesture. (The real training purpose will come out later.)
Fort Riley Desert Training Coverage
All goes well for a time, and then shots are fired. A sniper. No one is hit, but the search is on. It leads to a building in the center of town, where troops find 2 AK-47s and one RPG. That leads to about a two hour "indexing" of the building and the evidence found in it. After that we clear out and head back.
We are only in our tents about 5 minutes when the next mission is announced. We are to provide security for a civilian demographer and his interpreter. We roll out immediately, even though everyone is hot and tired. Again, the Iraqis are put in the lead. The civilian meets the town's police chief and is given a tour of the village, while the platoon provides security, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Nothing happens, and we head back to camp once more.
This time, there is some down time. Hot chow is said to be on the way, so we hold off on ripping into any MREs. By the time it arrives, four hours later, we could have had both. (Barbecue brisket, mac and cheese, corn, lettuce, cupcakes.) We learn of a night mission, where our unit is on standby. We will only respond if needed for assistance. But the guys have to be ready at a moment's notice, so that means strapping on all their gear, "full battle rattle" in Army-speak. If they want to sleep, that's fine, but they do it in full gear. It doesn't look too comfy. It's now nearly midnight, and there's been no call for help, but the other units aren't back yet, either, so it still could happen.
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