By SSG John Etheridge
This story is about the mission that I earned my Combat Action Badge on last June. During the firefight I was locked down inside a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle so I wasn't able to get any photos. I was going to wait to publish it when the infantry Soldiers were awarded their Combat Infantry Badges, but as luck would have it, I wasn't able to make it out to the award ceremony. So here is the story without photos.
It was supposed to be a routine route clearance mission. About a hundred kilometers of local roads would be cleared of roadside bombs by a slow moving convoy of combat engineers.
The convoy left Forward Operation Base Apache, Zabul Province, Afghanistan, on the morning of June 9, 2014, and crept along Highway 1 outside the city of Qalat with a group of Afghan Army and U.S. Army infantry as the security force. The procession crawled along at a slow rate of speed so they could keep a look out for roadside bombs.
After the first hour passed without incident, the convoy approached an area of dense brush on the banks of the Tarnak River where the vehicles stopped and a squad-plus sized element dismounted for a foot patrol.
“It was an area known to have command wire improvised explosive devices,” said1st Lt. Chad Cotter, a platoon leader with Baker Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Inf. Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div.
The foot patrol started on what was planned to be a one and a half kilometer trek across the river. The intent was to take away the advantage that the river provided, being a natural barrier from the road, in case of an enemy attack on the convoy, said Cotter.
The squad split into a forward and rear team during their march towards the river. A group of Afghan National Army soldiers set up a position on the north bank of the river to provide over-watch and prevent anyone from flanking the patrol.
Halfway through their patrol they approached an orchard. The squad members noticed the locals moving around and acting suspiciously. They also heard some locals chattering in Pashto from 100 to 200 meters away. According to their interpreters, the locals were saying that they should stay alert and keep a lookout for the patrol.
“It was the first indicator that something might be happening, so we warned our other elements,” said Cotter.
Shortly after warning the rear element of the patrol, there was a single gunshot that went off in the distance in front of them.
“We didn’t know what it was. There was only one shot that went off so we just sat there alert,” said Spec. Levi Gardner, a squad automatic weapons gunner with the 2-12th, who was on the rear team of the patrol.
The lead element of the patrol took the initial contact from the enemy. Five to six insurgents ambushed the patrol using the orchard and a nearby village for cover. A barrage of small arms and machine gun fire pelted and pinned the squad down.
Gardner said that the rear team moved through soft slippery mud as fast as they could to join the lead team once the fire started.
“I felt and heard rounds cracking over my head,” said Gardner. “ It was very exciting and the adrenaline was flowing. As a SAW gunner I carry a lot of ammo and I didn’t even notice the weight.”
The insurgents and the patrol battled back and forth for several minutes to see who would gain the upper hand. After the two patrol teams linked up they were able to pour large amounts of fire on the enemy to gain fire superiority, said Cotter.
He credits the quick actions of Gardner and his skill as a SAW gunner for turning the table on the ambush.
“Once Gardner’s SAW came into play it kind of changed the game,” said Cotter. “He’s one of the best gunners in the battalion and it showed.”
“My first burst from the SAW was probably 100 rounds,” said Gardner, who was the only one on the patrol with a machine gun. “ That’s when the game changed. It allowed the rest of my team to look up the hill and see where the enemy was.”
Although the insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades a couple of times, they were never able to subdue the patrol. Not long after the start of the firefight, a call went over the radio to the convoy waiting on the highway to have all gun-trucks come down to the riverbank and lay down suppressive fire on the insurgent positions.
Cotter credits the arrival of the gun-trucks with ending the fight. After their arrival the insurgents became quiet and disappeared into the village.
Cotter said that this was the first time most of the patrol had been involved in combat since they arrived in Afghanistan four months earlier. Also, for most of the patrol it was the first time that they’ve been in combat.
“It was exhilarating,” said Cotter. “ When we were moving to the action my legs felt like they weighed 500 pounds. It felt like my legs were moving in slow motion.”
For the Soldiers on the patrol who hadn’t already earned it, the engagement with the insurgents qualified them to be awarded the coveted Combat Infantry Badge.
“It means a lot. Not everyone can earn a CIB,” said Gardner. “ The way we got it, we definitely earned it.”
“It’s a symbol of a brotherhood, that you stood toe to toe with the enemy,” said Cotter about the importance of earning the CIB.
This story is about the mission that I earned my Combat Action Badge on last June. During the firefight I was locked down inside a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle so I wasn't able to get any photos. I was going to wait to publish it when the infantry Soldiers were awarded their Combat Infantry Badges, but as luck would have it, I wasn't able to make it out to the award ceremony. So here is the story without photos.
It was supposed to be a routine route clearance mission. About a hundred kilometers of local roads would be cleared of roadside bombs by a slow moving convoy of combat engineers.
The convoy left Forward Operation Base Apache, Zabul Province, Afghanistan, on the morning of June 9, 2014, and crept along Highway 1 outside the city of Qalat with a group of Afghan Army and U.S. Army infantry as the security force. The procession crawled along at a slow rate of speed so they could keep a look out for roadside bombs.
After the first hour passed without incident, the convoy approached an area of dense brush on the banks of the Tarnak River where the vehicles stopped and a squad-plus sized element dismounted for a foot patrol.
“It was an area known to have command wire improvised explosive devices,” said1st Lt. Chad Cotter, a platoon leader with Baker Company, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Inf. Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div.
The foot patrol started on what was planned to be a one and a half kilometer trek across the river. The intent was to take away the advantage that the river provided, being a natural barrier from the road, in case of an enemy attack on the convoy, said Cotter.
The squad split into a forward and rear team during their march towards the river. A group of Afghan National Army soldiers set up a position on the north bank of the river to provide over-watch and prevent anyone from flanking the patrol.
Halfway through their patrol they approached an orchard. The squad members noticed the locals moving around and acting suspiciously. They also heard some locals chattering in Pashto from 100 to 200 meters away. According to their interpreters, the locals were saying that they should stay alert and keep a lookout for the patrol.
“It was the first indicator that something might be happening, so we warned our other elements,” said Cotter.
Shortly after warning the rear element of the patrol, there was a single gunshot that went off in the distance in front of them.
“We didn’t know what it was. There was only one shot that went off so we just sat there alert,” said Spec. Levi Gardner, a squad automatic weapons gunner with the 2-12th, who was on the rear team of the patrol.
The lead element of the patrol took the initial contact from the enemy. Five to six insurgents ambushed the patrol using the orchard and a nearby village for cover. A barrage of small arms and machine gun fire pelted and pinned the squad down.
Gardner said that the rear team moved through soft slippery mud as fast as they could to join the lead team once the fire started.
“I felt and heard rounds cracking over my head,” said Gardner. “ It was very exciting and the adrenaline was flowing. As a SAW gunner I carry a lot of ammo and I didn’t even notice the weight.”
The insurgents and the patrol battled back and forth for several minutes to see who would gain the upper hand. After the two patrol teams linked up they were able to pour large amounts of fire on the enemy to gain fire superiority, said Cotter.
He credits the quick actions of Gardner and his skill as a SAW gunner for turning the table on the ambush.
“Once Gardner’s SAW came into play it kind of changed the game,” said Cotter. “He’s one of the best gunners in the battalion and it showed.”
“My first burst from the SAW was probably 100 rounds,” said Gardner, who was the only one on the patrol with a machine gun. “ That’s when the game changed. It allowed the rest of my team to look up the hill and see where the enemy was.”
Although the insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades a couple of times, they were never able to subdue the patrol. Not long after the start of the firefight, a call went over the radio to the convoy waiting on the highway to have all gun-trucks come down to the riverbank and lay down suppressive fire on the insurgent positions.
Cotter credits the arrival of the gun-trucks with ending the fight. After their arrival the insurgents became quiet and disappeared into the village.
Cotter said that this was the first time most of the patrol had been involved in combat since they arrived in Afghanistan four months earlier. Also, for most of the patrol it was the first time that they’ve been in combat.
“It was exhilarating,” said Cotter. “ When we were moving to the action my legs felt like they weighed 500 pounds. It felt like my legs were moving in slow motion.”
For the Soldiers on the patrol who hadn’t already earned it, the engagement with the insurgents qualified them to be awarded the coveted Combat Infantry Badge.
“It means a lot. Not everyone can earn a CIB,” said Gardner. “ The way we got it, we definitely earned it.”
“It’s a symbol of a brotherhood, that you stood toe to toe with the enemy,” said Cotter about the importance of earning the CIB.
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