When they reached the top of the mountain, they went to work. They could rest later, but the first few minutes were critical. No matter what you hear or read about employing stealth, being on top of a barren hilltop in Afghanistan is easy to notice. Digital camouflage does nothing when a bunch of dudes are skylining for everyone around to see.
And, the enemy did see. While Joe and his team were setting up and while the green berets were spreading out to provide 360 degree security, the rear echelon of the enemy forces turned and started heading back.
203 gunner! 203 gunner! Shouted one of the green berets.
Joe moved to respond, but not before motioning to one of his team mates. Sam, he said. Check out that structure. We don’t know how long we’ll be up here, and I think that will be an ideal position for the barret.
Roger that, Sam replied.
Then, Joe moved off towards the calls for a 203 gunner. He found them about 30 meters down from the top, set up behind some natural cover.
Joe carried three weapons. An M9 pistol, an M4 rifle, and attached under the rifle an M203 grenade launcher. It was a simple fire, reload, and fire again gun, but it had come in handy on multiple occasions. Especially when firing from high ground. In the right hands, a 203 is like a personal portable mortar tube, but better. You can actually see what you’re shooting at when you pull the trigger. Much more personal.
Where?, Joe said.
The soldier pointed at a smouldering house across and down from their position. About 200 meters below that house, he shouldered his rifle and pointed, a group of 5 or 6 guys just disappeared under the canopy of those trees. He fired a burst at the location. There.
Joe’s ears rang.
He chambered a high-explosive round, aimed above the location to allow for gravity and fired.
The round exploded just past the main path, short of the canopy of trees.
Yep, the soldier said. Another, but farther up.
Joe chambered and fired a second time and they squirted. Rattle by the second round that had come too close to their position, the enemy scattered. Four of them started back up the path to join the rear echelon and two towards the smouldering house.
Joe heard one of the soldiers behind him call out on the radio. He sent up a quick SITREP followed by a call for fire. When he was done he sent out a SITREP request to the other guys ringing the hilltop.
A report came in from the north most lookout. 20 guys divided in two groups of ten moving towards us approximately 1 click north of us. Dressed in black. Equipped with AKs, RPGs, and a possible recoilless rifle. OVER.
After he said OVER, someone else came on the radio and said SPLASH. Seconds later mortar rounds started impacting the already smouldering house.
Splash out, over. The radioman said.
Joe and his team stayed up there for three days. They didn’t engage with the large enemy group directly, but their observations were critical. After receiving their report, the Captain called up close air support and two AH-64s flew in and dealt with any enemy in the vicinity.
The first night, the enemy force moved in for a sneak attack, but it was foiled. Joe’s team saw them coming. They took shifts observing the valley using a combination of night vision goggles and thermal scopes.
That night, a spectre was on station and boy did they give them hell. An AC130 Spectre Gunship is something to behold and in this case hear. As it prowled the sky above, you could hear a steady heartbeat of 105 mm howitzer rounds leaving the belly of the beast. Ba-buhm! Ba-buhm! One beat to fire the round and a second when it exploded on the ground. Ba-buhm! Ba-buhm!
To the gunship, the ground must have looked like some kind of blinking christmas decoration. To avoid fratricide, all friendly positions had posted infrared lights. One light went in every soldier’s shoulder pocket and other larger lights were hung on structures, trees, and vehicles.
The gunship and other airborne assets relied on these lights to know where to shoot, and where not to shoot.
The next two nights were boring. Joe and his team continued its reconnaissance operations. After the first night the green berets were replaced by a group of 173rd infantrymen and weren’t seen again.
The higher-ups decided to abandon the base. Didn’t think it was worth it after all. Yeah, tell that to the parents who just lost their sons, Joe thought. If it wasn’t worth it why did you try building it here in the first place? The truth is, the position was worth it, but fighting a safe war where everyone comes home is impossible.
Politics, media coverage, and popular support shape the decisions generals have to make. The army’s mission is to close with the enemy, quickly destroy them, and to take and hold ground. Now though, generals are often hamstrung. Today nine guys die and we retreat. In WWII, thousands died and we moved forward and won.
How will we ever win again? Joe asked himself.
They were pulling out. Most of the soldiers had already left. Joe and his team sat satisfied in the shade of a mud and rock wall. A job done, dirty, tired and happy.
The wind picked up and the last chinook thumped a drumbeat as it flew towards them.
The End
