Odd Time To Do Regular Things

Heres a little story for you all to enjoy. While we were at the firebase we went on a few dismounted patrols around the area. This story takes place during the first one my squad went on. Our mission was to follow a group of ANP (Afghan National Police) to a "busy" road about 4 kilometers south of our base, there they would set up a traffic check point to try and catch some of the taliban thought to be moving through the area. So we set off walking right as the sun is going down and things seem to be going great. The only hick up is that the ANP doesn't have night vision goggles and they rely on talking to each other as they walk to know where each other are. So of course, about 3 kilometers out we walk over a ridge and realize when we get over it that most of the ANP are no where to be found. So there we were, in the middle of the desert overlooking a small village with only two ANP still with us and no idea where to go. We check our map and figure out a better route and better place to set up the TCP so we begin to move out. The terrain gets pretty rough after a while, and moving around gets really annoying. On our way there we walk through a lot of wheat fields and I get pretty used to walking in them. Then all of a sudden we see a light about 500 meters to our right, so we halt and put together a team to go check it out. The team starts moving up to the light and all of a sudden I start hearing a lot of yelling. Apparently it was just an old man and he was almost scared to death when four heavily armed and well armored troops come walking out of the darkness. The fact that he didn't see them until they were about 5 feet away from him made me laugh. We got the signal and we all moved up there so my squad leader could figure out what this guy was up too. We automatically set up 360 security and I quickly realized that I was standing in a field with water that reached up to my knees. We found out that the village he lived in had a schedule for when certain people got to use the local stream and apparently it was the old mans turn to use it... thats a pretty crappy time to clean your clothes if you ask me. So now, the combo of wet feet, cold weather and having to walk 5 kilometers back made for a pretty miserable time, but thats what I get for being infantry I guess. All in all a pretty uneventful patrol but makes for a good memory. So there it is, the glory of the infantry :P

-Allen-