Trading a thermometer for a gun
by Cplc Marc Boucher
From August 10 to 13 last year, I got the chance to join a US infantry platoon on a foot patrol in the Zhari district. Our mission was to make our presence known and to make contact with the local population before the national elections.
As a meteorology technician, I do not get to experience such things every day, unlike infantry men and women who live this on a daily basis. In the four days I spent with the US troops, I went through various situations that confirmed for me how significant an influence the Taliban have on the population.
During our first patrol, we went to meet the people where they live. They were surprised to see armed soldiers patrolling in their streets and alleys. I even saw a teenager cry when he came out of his home and saw me there, in front of his door; suffice it to say that villagers were not very open to co-operating with us. At the end of the patrol, we were reminded that danger is omnipresent in Afghanistan: we found a location where the enemy had planned to set an IED about 60 m from where we were stationed.
They were surprised to see armed soldiers patrolling in their streets and alleys.
The second day was even more eventful. Having heard that a local gas station owner had probably been visited by the Taliban, we went to question him. Not surprisingly, people are not very chatty when asked if they have ties to the Taliban. The Afghan National Police (ANP) officer who was with us carried himself very professionally. He found an AK-47 rifle and several loaded magazines ready to be used, as well as a sawed-off .12-calibre shotgun, both of which are illegal weapons. In the end, we drove the gas station owner to an Afghan police commissioner who then interrogated him. Weather-wise, the day was the hottest day on record during my service period, with the mercury reaching 47°C.
At about 10 a.m. on the third day, an ANP officer was knocked over by a Taliban-driven vehicle about 150 m from the entrance to the Cop Rath US camp. We had to take him to Kandahar Airfield by helicopter. After this incident, at around noon, we went to patrol the bazaar to mingle with the local people. I took the opportunity to make contact with a small group of Canadians based at Cop Rath to ask them for Canadian rations for our patrol. Later on, we went to the Terminator forward operating base, where we spent the night.
Our last day started with a patrol in a village. In the beginning, people were wary of us, but just an hour later, we were talking to them and some young people even showed us sites with live munitions. A simple gesture like handing out a pack of chewing gum to children who were speaking to us encouraged the elders to come chat with us, too. They told us that the Taliban had come to intimidate villagers just one week prior. When it came time for us to leave, an RG-31 vehicle had broken down, so we had to wait 10 hours for a mechanic to fix it. In the meantime, I gave the US soldiers a taste of our Canadian rations, and they all said they preferred ours to theirs.
All in all, I realized that the soldiers I patrolled with had a lot of experience. US soldiers are deployed for one-year rotations. The majority of the soldiers in the platoon had served in Iraq – several had done two or even three tours of duty. They have often had to fight the enemy, which has made them tough, professional soldiers.
Our neighbours to the south have the same concerns about deployments as we do. My experience led me to the realization that we all come from North America and share the same values, despite our sometimes dissenting opinions.Overall, this experience with my brothers-in-arms was very enriching and constructive.
by Cplc Marc Boucher
From August 10 to 13 last year, I got the chance to join a US infantry platoon on a foot patrol in the Zhari district. Our mission was to make our presence known and to make contact with the local population before the national elections.
As a meteorology technician, I do not get to experience such things every day, unlike infantry men and women who live this on a daily basis. In the four days I spent with the US troops, I went through various situations that confirmed for me how significant an influence the Taliban have on the population.
During our first patrol, we went to meet the people where they live. They were surprised to see armed soldiers patrolling in their streets and alleys. I even saw a teenager cry when he came out of his home and saw me there, in front of his door; suffice it to say that villagers were not very open to co-operating with us. At the end of the patrol, we were reminded that danger is omnipresent in Afghanistan: we found a location where the enemy had planned to set an IED about 60 m from where we were stationed.
They were surprised to see armed soldiers patrolling in their streets and alleys.
The second day was even more eventful. Having heard that a local gas station owner had probably been visited by the Taliban, we went to question him. Not surprisingly, people are not very chatty when asked if they have ties to the Taliban. The Afghan National Police (ANP) officer who was with us carried himself very professionally. He found an AK-47 rifle and several loaded magazines ready to be used, as well as a sawed-off .12-calibre shotgun, both of which are illegal weapons. In the end, we drove the gas station owner to an Afghan police commissioner who then interrogated him. Weather-wise, the day was the hottest day on record during my service period, with the mercury reaching 47°C.
At about 10 a.m. on the third day, an ANP officer was knocked over by a Taliban-driven vehicle about 150 m from the entrance to the Cop Rath US camp. We had to take him to Kandahar Airfield by helicopter. After this incident, at around noon, we went to patrol the bazaar to mingle with the local people. I took the opportunity to make contact with a small group of Canadians based at Cop Rath to ask them for Canadian rations for our patrol. Later on, we went to the Terminator forward operating base, where we spent the night.
Our last day started with a patrol in a village. In the beginning, people were wary of us, but just an hour later, we were talking to them and some young people even showed us sites with live munitions. A simple gesture like handing out a pack of chewing gum to children who were speaking to us encouraged the elders to come chat with us, too. They told us that the Taliban had come to intimidate villagers just one week prior. When it came time for us to leave, an RG-31 vehicle had broken down, so we had to wait 10 hours for a mechanic to fix it. In the meantime, I gave the US soldiers a taste of our Canadian rations, and they all said they preferred ours to theirs.
All in all, I realized that the soldiers I patrolled with had a lot of experience. US soldiers are deployed for one-year rotations. The majority of the soldiers in the platoon had served in Iraq – several had done two or even three tours of duty. They have often had to fight the enemy, which has made them tough, professional soldiers.
Our neighbours to the south have the same concerns about deployments as we do. My experience led me to the realization that we all come from North America and share the same values, despite our sometimes dissenting opinions.Overall, this experience with my brothers-in-arms was very enriching and constructive.
