ianstone
05-30-2010, 01:16 PM
Small Comforts For Patrol Base Troops
http://sl.sky.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/8/10/a8408efd-a680-4125-9afc-a2630b243edb.Small.jpg (http://blogs.news.sky.com/profile/Tim%20Marshall)
Tim Marshall (http://blogs.news.sky.com/profile/Tim%20Marshall) sky news
http://sl.sky.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/13/7/4dec3c6b-c51a-4500-8774-1c07d4d03590.Full.jpg
The term Forward Operating Base (FOB) suggests a place as far forward into the Afghanistan war as is possible, but a FOB is behind a Patrol Base (PB).
The FOBs are a sort of staging post for the PBs. Heavily sandbagged, bristling with weapons and containing armoured vehicles and dozens of troops, sometimes over 100 men and women. The FOBs run vehicle and foot patrols and re-supply the PBs.
The Sangin FOB has several PBs. These are situated away from the main area base, to extend the influence of the British soldiers and their Afghan counterparts. They push foot patrols even further out into the villages around the town.
Elements of 1 SCOTS and 40 Commando Royal Marines are operating in Sangin, the most dangerous area in Helmand, at the most dangerous time. The Taliban had been busy harvesting the poppy crops, but now they're back and there has been a spike in British causalities.
PBs are basic. Inside the high mud and straw walls of the compound we stayed in, there is no running water, no mains electricity, no fridges, no TV, no vehicles, no glass in the windows and no chance to be comfortable for the handfuls of frontline troops who live in them for up to six months. There are, however, piles of weapons and ammunition, sandbags, and - above anything - heat and danger.
The heat dominates life. By 0900 the temperature is in the 30s heading for 50. To counter this the men must drink up to eight litres of water a day. This is no easy feat, especially when the water is warm, sometimes hot. By May sleep at night becomes increasingly difficult. The men sleep outside behind blast walls, covered only by mosquito nets. Camp beds are required because they need to be raised from the floor to avoid the scorpions and camel spiders with which they share their living space.
The other constant is danger and the awareness of it. The days are punctuated by the sound of small arms fire and explosions from IEDs going off around the PB. Sometimes these are triggered by stray dogs, sometimes they are controlled explosions, sometimes they are the ones causing the British and local casualties. An hour after we arrived a Royal Marine outside a PB just 200 metres away was killed by an IED. The news came across the military radio, there was a moment's silence, and the men got on with their tasks.
In our PB the young men go out on foot patrol almost every day to find the IEDs and reassure the population security is returning. Parallel to this is advising the Afghan Army soldiers who share the dangers with them.
It's said people can get used to anything. There's a truth in that in the PBs where the hardships are softened in time-honoured military fashion.
Medic John Zoumicles, known as 'Zed', doubles up as cook and appears good enough to cut it as a chef. With a mix of sauces, a heating bloc and a dash of magic, he conjures up a variety of concoctions which relieve the monotony of ration packs.
The PB may not be comfortable but within it there is comfort.
This comes from the cooking, the letters from home and the occasional satellite phone calls to relatives.
It also comes from Sergeant Graeme Hannah's dry humorous team leadership, Lft David Duffus' quiet but effective command, food cooked with care, and from the 100mph banter of these boys from the Scottish borders and Edinburgh region.
This is delivered non-stop, minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day.
It is what sees them through some of the toughest times of their lives.
I like this atricle, crisp, clean and factual__recomemded to read
Your Comments
Tim:
We hear a lot about the casualties that the insurgent attacks via IED`s, coordinated ambushes etc inflict on ISAF and NATO forces, (and sometimes upon Afghan Army and Police) would you have any idea how many casualties within the Afghan civilian population are resultant of insurgent activities on average per month and over the course of the conflict?
The western-press and media like making great political capital, from when the occasional serious mishap occurs if coalition forces accidentally cause civilian loss of life, we hear nothing with regards how the Taliban themselves cause great suffering and loss of life within the general Afghan populous through there war. The press seemingly sometimes appear only bothered about undermining the coalition presence within Afghanistan with regards reporting of civilian casualties. (which is odd when a large proportion of Taliban fighters are not in fact Afghanistan's nationals themselves!)
Noted yesterday that it was the 70th anniversary of the evacuation off the beaches of Dunkirk. The figures that were mentioned, was 325,000 expeditionary British troops that had gone over the Channel to deal with Hitlers aggression and to defend low-land Europe from the German occupation. In Afghanistan the totals are very much lower than seen in the first days of WW2 with the total being 100,000 ISAF and coalition forces with a further 50,000 US only command troops, backed up by 100,000 Afghan Army. (250,000 total coalition allied troops)
Looking at the figures, are they enough, even after taking into account the surge? To my way of thinking it looks like Afghanistan's mission, is more of an exercise in containing a problem rather than a permanent "fix" solving conflict?
Has the conflict within Afghanistan got enough man-power or not(?) and do the politicians really want enough troops in Afghanistan for a "fix" anyway, I wonder out loud?
This is for you Heartsman,
Granted your Grandfather fought in the War of all wars and respect is due, HOWEVER, the troops today and I should know, are still living in squaller with a 360 degree threat 24hrs a day (as they were in the trenches) and the small things like a fridge make all the difference in 40 degree heat believe me. If you think that eveything is just fine for them then lets see you have a go, somehow I don't think you would last 2 minutes.
http://sl.sky.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/8/10/a8408efd-a680-4125-9afc-a2630b243edb.Small.jpg (http://blogs.news.sky.com/profile/Tim%20Marshall)
Tim Marshall (http://blogs.news.sky.com/profile/Tim%20Marshall) sky news
http://sl.sky.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/13/7/4dec3c6b-c51a-4500-8774-1c07d4d03590.Full.jpg
The term Forward Operating Base (FOB) suggests a place as far forward into the Afghanistan war as is possible, but a FOB is behind a Patrol Base (PB).
The FOBs are a sort of staging post for the PBs. Heavily sandbagged, bristling with weapons and containing armoured vehicles and dozens of troops, sometimes over 100 men and women. The FOBs run vehicle and foot patrols and re-supply the PBs.
The Sangin FOB has several PBs. These are situated away from the main area base, to extend the influence of the British soldiers and their Afghan counterparts. They push foot patrols even further out into the villages around the town.
Elements of 1 SCOTS and 40 Commando Royal Marines are operating in Sangin, the most dangerous area in Helmand, at the most dangerous time. The Taliban had been busy harvesting the poppy crops, but now they're back and there has been a spike in British causalities.
PBs are basic. Inside the high mud and straw walls of the compound we stayed in, there is no running water, no mains electricity, no fridges, no TV, no vehicles, no glass in the windows and no chance to be comfortable for the handfuls of frontline troops who live in them for up to six months. There are, however, piles of weapons and ammunition, sandbags, and - above anything - heat and danger.
The heat dominates life. By 0900 the temperature is in the 30s heading for 50. To counter this the men must drink up to eight litres of water a day. This is no easy feat, especially when the water is warm, sometimes hot. By May sleep at night becomes increasingly difficult. The men sleep outside behind blast walls, covered only by mosquito nets. Camp beds are required because they need to be raised from the floor to avoid the scorpions and camel spiders with which they share their living space.
The other constant is danger and the awareness of it. The days are punctuated by the sound of small arms fire and explosions from IEDs going off around the PB. Sometimes these are triggered by stray dogs, sometimes they are controlled explosions, sometimes they are the ones causing the British and local casualties. An hour after we arrived a Royal Marine outside a PB just 200 metres away was killed by an IED. The news came across the military radio, there was a moment's silence, and the men got on with their tasks.
In our PB the young men go out on foot patrol almost every day to find the IEDs and reassure the population security is returning. Parallel to this is advising the Afghan Army soldiers who share the dangers with them.
It's said people can get used to anything. There's a truth in that in the PBs where the hardships are softened in time-honoured military fashion.
Medic John Zoumicles, known as 'Zed', doubles up as cook and appears good enough to cut it as a chef. With a mix of sauces, a heating bloc and a dash of magic, he conjures up a variety of concoctions which relieve the monotony of ration packs.
The PB may not be comfortable but within it there is comfort.
This comes from the cooking, the letters from home and the occasional satellite phone calls to relatives.
It also comes from Sergeant Graeme Hannah's dry humorous team leadership, Lft David Duffus' quiet but effective command, food cooked with care, and from the 100mph banter of these boys from the Scottish borders and Edinburgh region.
This is delivered non-stop, minute after minute, hour after hour, day after day.
It is what sees them through some of the toughest times of their lives.
I like this atricle, crisp, clean and factual__recomemded to read
Your Comments
Tim:
We hear a lot about the casualties that the insurgent attacks via IED`s, coordinated ambushes etc inflict on ISAF and NATO forces, (and sometimes upon Afghan Army and Police) would you have any idea how many casualties within the Afghan civilian population are resultant of insurgent activities on average per month and over the course of the conflict?
The western-press and media like making great political capital, from when the occasional serious mishap occurs if coalition forces accidentally cause civilian loss of life, we hear nothing with regards how the Taliban themselves cause great suffering and loss of life within the general Afghan populous through there war. The press seemingly sometimes appear only bothered about undermining the coalition presence within Afghanistan with regards reporting of civilian casualties. (which is odd when a large proportion of Taliban fighters are not in fact Afghanistan's nationals themselves!)
Noted yesterday that it was the 70th anniversary of the evacuation off the beaches of Dunkirk. The figures that were mentioned, was 325,000 expeditionary British troops that had gone over the Channel to deal with Hitlers aggression and to defend low-land Europe from the German occupation. In Afghanistan the totals are very much lower than seen in the first days of WW2 with the total being 100,000 ISAF and coalition forces with a further 50,000 US only command troops, backed up by 100,000 Afghan Army. (250,000 total coalition allied troops)
Looking at the figures, are they enough, even after taking into account the surge? To my way of thinking it looks like Afghanistan's mission, is more of an exercise in containing a problem rather than a permanent "fix" solving conflict?
Has the conflict within Afghanistan got enough man-power or not(?) and do the politicians really want enough troops in Afghanistan for a "fix" anyway, I wonder out loud?
This is for you Heartsman,
Granted your Grandfather fought in the War of all wars and respect is due, HOWEVER, the troops today and I should know, are still living in squaller with a 360 degree threat 24hrs a day (as they were in the trenches) and the small things like a fridge make all the difference in 40 degree heat believe me. If you think that eveything is just fine for them then lets see you have a go, somehow I don't think you would last 2 minutes.