By SSG Whitney Houston
Any infantryman who has been in the U.S. Army through the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts is familiar with a weapons cache search. A weapons cache is essentially a stockpile of armaments varying from bomb-making material to simply rifles and bullets that are often hidden in enemy territory for later use. Seeking out these stockpiles is one way that the infantry steals an insurgent’s thunder.
Staff Sgt. Dustin Simmons, an infantryman from Oklahoma, serves with the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th IBCT, 4th Inf. Div. (a unit with 153 years of history). Early on in his deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, he and his company were performing one of these routine searches on the north side of a small mountain near Kandahar Airfield called Zakir Ghar-e Junubi.
According to Simmons, this particular mountain has been known to have small caves and good hiding spots for weapons. While patrolling the area, Simmons and his platoon leader noticed a draw that ran north and south and lead to the top of the mountain. It looked like a good place to search, so they proceeded.
As they went up the draw, they began to notice a few things a bit out of the ordinary. Every so often, they would see rocks that were painted white, yellow, or red. At the time it didn’t seem to be anything that was an immediate threat, but to reduce the risk of the unknown they pushed forward with only a few Soldiers, while the others stayed behind and pulled security.
A little further up, almost to the top of the mountain, Simmons and the few who accompanied him noticed some old fighting positions on both sides of the draw, (which is a common find when wandering the mountains in Afghanistan). They first searched the east side of the draw and found a bunch of old spent Russian ammunition cases, rocket-propelled grenades, and other Russian weapons scattered about.
Simmons also noticed old combat boots that had been shredded amongst the old weapons and he said that things just looked abandoned. He noticed a draw behind the supposed Soviet position that led down the east side of three-mile mountain, which in Simmon’s mind was a clear escape route if things faired sour for the Russians. If indeed it was a Russian fighting position.
Besides the obvious use of Soviet weaponry, Simmons got some clarity on the situation when a shiny button caught his eye. It clearly displayed the emblazoned Soviet emblem of the crossed hammer and sickle. The button had maintained most of its luster through the years since the Soviet occupation of the 80’s. He wondered what had happened in that draw, but his thoughts told him that the Mujahedeen had won this battle.
Any infantryman who has been in the U.S. Army through the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts is familiar with a weapons cache search. A weapons cache is essentially a stockpile of armaments varying from bomb-making material to simply rifles and bullets that are often hidden in enemy territory for later use. Seeking out these stockpiles is one way that the infantry steals an insurgent’s thunder.
Staff Sgt. Dustin Simmons, an infantryman from Oklahoma, serves with the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th IBCT, 4th Inf. Div. (a unit with 153 years of history). Early on in his deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, he and his company were performing one of these routine searches on the north side of a small mountain near Kandahar Airfield called Zakir Ghar-e Junubi.
According to Simmons, this particular mountain has been known to have small caves and good hiding spots for weapons. While patrolling the area, Simmons and his platoon leader noticed a draw that ran north and south and lead to the top of the mountain. It looked like a good place to search, so they proceeded.
As they went up the draw, they began to notice a few things a bit out of the ordinary. Every so often, they would see rocks that were painted white, yellow, or red. At the time it didn’t seem to be anything that was an immediate threat, but to reduce the risk of the unknown they pushed forward with only a few Soldiers, while the others stayed behind and pulled security.
A little further up, almost to the top of the mountain, Simmons and the few who accompanied him noticed some old fighting positions on both sides of the draw, (which is a common find when wandering the mountains in Afghanistan). They first searched the east side of the draw and found a bunch of old spent Russian ammunition cases, rocket-propelled grenades, and other Russian weapons scattered about.
Simmons also noticed old combat boots that had been shredded amongst the old weapons and he said that things just looked abandoned. He noticed a draw behind the supposed Soviet position that led down the east side of three-mile mountain, which in Simmon’s mind was a clear escape route if things faired sour for the Russians. If indeed it was a Russian fighting position.
Besides the obvious use of Soviet weaponry, Simmons got some clarity on the situation when a shiny button caught his eye. It clearly displayed the emblazoned Soviet emblem of the crossed hammer and sickle. The button had maintained most of its luster through the years since the Soviet occupation of the 80’s. He wondered what had happened in that draw, but his thoughts told him that the Mujahedeen had won this battle.
The Soviet button that Staff Sgt. Simmons found at the fighting position on three-mile mountain. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston)
After the wonder of his recent find, he and the few other Soldiers he was with went back down the draw to meet back up with the guys they left at the painted rocks. Their next task was to visit an Afghan National Police checkpoint and foster rapport with the local police there.
The CP was outside of a small village situated just southwest of the draw they had just investigated. Upon arrival at the CP, Simmons informed a man of their findings in the draw. Simmons said the man was a reputable senior ANP officer whom he trusted. The man went on to tell them that the draw was an old battleground between the Soviets and the Mujahedeen, and that the Mujahedeen never lost ground there to the Soviets, and the painted rocks were indicators of an old minefield.
“The officer said that the white rocks meant the area was cleared of mines, the red rocks meant there was imminent danger, and the yellow rocks meant to take caution that there was a possibility of mines,” Simmons said.
A bit shocked at the newly acquired information, the Soldiers were happy to have gotten through the minefield without injury, and with their lives.
Along with Simmons' newly acquired souvenir (the button from the Soviet uniform), and the history to go with it, the company went on to an event that made the day even more memorable. They interrogated one last place for weapons, an old abandoned rock quarry where they found over 200 lbs. of explosives. A find big enough that it was later recognized by the commanding general of what was then called Regional Command-South.
The CP was outside of a small village situated just southwest of the draw they had just investigated. Upon arrival at the CP, Simmons informed a man of their findings in the draw. Simmons said the man was a reputable senior ANP officer whom he trusted. The man went on to tell them that the draw was an old battleground between the Soviets and the Mujahedeen, and that the Mujahedeen never lost ground there to the Soviets, and the painted rocks were indicators of an old minefield.
“The officer said that the white rocks meant the area was cleared of mines, the red rocks meant there was imminent danger, and the yellow rocks meant to take caution that there was a possibility of mines,” Simmons said.
A bit shocked at the newly acquired information, the Soldiers were happy to have gotten through the minefield without injury, and with their lives.
Along with Simmons' newly acquired souvenir (the button from the Soviet uniform), and the history to go with it, the company went on to an event that made the day even more memorable. They interrogated one last place for weapons, an old abandoned rock quarry where they found over 200 lbs. of explosives. A find big enough that it was later recognized by the commanding general of what was then called Regional Command-South.
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| On a different mission later on in his deployment Staff Sgt. Dustin Simmons (left) mentors Sgt. Christian Allen. Both serve with the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment out of Fort Carson, Colorado. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston) |
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Staff Sgt. Dustin Simmons in the field watching an artillery round impact on a remote hillside in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston)
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