The day begins at 0245 local time. I sit up in my sleeping bag which is laid out on a stack of blankets and a foam mat on the dirt floor of our hut. The sun will not be up for another hour and a half. There is the smell of sour socks and sweat that hangs heavily in the air. You grow accustomed to it, putting aside the memories of a hot morning shower and the smell of fresh brewed coffee. I dump a heavy dose of foot powder into my boots, brush off the dust that has settled onto my face and hair through the night, and get myself ready for the 0330 departure.

Both Staff Sgt. Blake and Capt. Lonsdale check on the Afghan National Army soldiers. The soldiers, like anyone at this hour, would prefer to sleep than ready themselves for a mountain patrol. As they file in, Blake checks with the Afghan Army Sergeant to ensure that everything is in order. Working through a translator, Blake speaks to the Afghan Sergeant who is standing before his men, "Have you checked to ensure that each soldier has enough ammo and water?" The Sergeant responds through the interpreter with a "yes," but Blake still is not convinced. He then instructs the Sergeant to stand with him as he performs a spot check. "This magazine is short on ammo. You have to check every one of your men." The problem is corrected and we begin our movement, passing through the concertino wire that surrounds the outer perimeter of the camp.

Offering correction to Afghan leaders is a delicate thing. Both the tone of the voice and the content of what is said is important. Unlike corrections in the American Army that can be done on the spot and in front of the soldiers, providing lessons for both current leadership and the soldiers they lead, the use of these methods with Afghan leaders can cause them to lose face and honor and thus their ability to lead. Corrections must therefore be handled with a guiding hand, always allowing the Afghan leader a way to institute the corrections themselves, taking advice from his US mentor as a counselor who provides guidance. It is an ongoing challenge that these embedded trainers (ETTs) face everyday; a skill set that is developed and honed as much as a result of Army training, as the vast sets of experiences that these men have as a result of being both civilians and soldiers as members of the Army National Guard.

The climb into the mountains is steady, as we walk from valley floor to mountain peak. We make an 800 to 1000 foot rise in elevation over the next couple of hours. Capt. Lonsdale takes the lead, overseeing the Afghan Army soldiers that fan out before him. Lonsdale calls for the interpreter, instructing him to tell the Afghan Sgt. to keep his men off of the ridge. Lonsdale looks at me and adds,"They're used to walking in these mountains. They can move up and down like gazelles. But now we have to teach them to move tactically. We have a lot of work to do here."

Part way up the mountain ridge, Staff Sgt. Blake calls forward to have the patrol stop. He has seen something that needs further investigation. Navigating his way further up the mountain, perpendicular to our position, he calls forward on the radio to Capt. Lonsdale telling him that he has found a possible enemy overlook position that can be used to see our fire base in the valley below. Displacing rocks and removing some of the key cover and concealment, Blake lets Lonsdale know that he has left them a message, "I want them to know we were here, and that they know that we have discovered their position."

As we approach the main peak, Lonsdale again notices one of the Afghan soldiers moving too far ahead and dangerously close the ridge line. He calls for the Afghan Army Sgt. to stop his soldiers and then has the interpreter translate his instructions. "Sergeant, you cannot let your men rise above the ridge line. If they do they will risk being seen. There are Taliban in these hills." The Afghan Army Sgt. nods, but does nothing. Lonsdale becomes firm, "Sergeant, if you will not correct your men, I will do it for you, and I'll have your soldier run up and down these hills to make a point!" As the interpreter finishes translating his words, the Sergeant realizes what is at stake. Calling to the soldier that sits close to the peak, the Sergeant verbally corrects him then sends him back to his position at the point of the patrol. Lonsdale is satisfied for the moment, and the patrol proceeds. As we continue forward, he says to me,"It's an ongoing challenge. They have the will, but understanding consequences is a difficult thing for them to grasp."

After sitting in an over-watch position for a short while, allowing the soldiers to drink water and eat something, Lonsdale and Blake check in with each other by radio then ask the Afghan Sgt. to instruct his men to move out. As we crest the ridge, in full-view of the valley below, the Afghan Sgt. asks Lonsdale why he is allowing the patrol to now be seen when he was so insistent that his men do the opposite a short while before. Through the translator, Lonsdale explains, "We don't want the Taliban to know where we came from; we use the darkness as our friend. Now, however, I want them to know that we are here, so that they will realize that we can attack them anytime we like. We control the battlefield."

Our decent is slow. The ground is covered in shards of shale, as we navigate down the steep and jagged face of the mountains northerly ridge. I am amazed at the ease at which the Afghan National Army soldiers move over the terrain. Staff Sgt. Blake is quick to comment, "Don't forget we carry an additional 60 - 70 pounds on us with day ruck, body armor, and helmet." He adds, "I challenged some of the Afghan soldiers to some high altitude physical training. I took off my body armor, and after only one lap, they were smoked." He was justifiably proud. Americans are often accused of being slow and awkward in this terrain, yet when the bullets start to fly, the protection they carry is not only envied, but ultimately saves lives.

As we approach the bottom of the rocky slope, Blake brings his rear element to a halt. As I look back, I notice that Blake is squatting in the same manner that the Afghan soldiers do. He smiles,"There is some sense to this position. The rocks are too damn hard to kneel on.” It was a moment of exchange, as Americans learn from their fellow Afgans. The Afghan soldiers seemed pleased that their mentor/ trainer had taken on one of their ways.

As we reached the road below, our fire base fell into view. Walking the road back, we skirted a small village and then traversed the local cemetery. I stopped next to a large grave near the edge of the road as Blake and his squad caught up to me. "The white flag is Taliban... These are graves of two of them that we killed after they attacked us the other night. Don't ask me to feel sorry for them." We continued our movement on.

Movements like this while routine in a training environment are wrought with risk in these mountains. Insurgents often stake out ambushes, adding additional challenges to the need to train. It is training by "fire" here, knowing that everything you do can suddenly become real. As we arrived back at our base the sun had moved to late morning. The other soldiers were going about their daily tasks, as the Afghan Army Sgt. stated that one of his men needed to relieve the guard in the tower. Calling the translator to his aide yet again, Capt. Lonsdale offered his guidance, "We have just returned from a mission having risen earlier than anyone else here in the camp. You are the important group right now. The others can wait for us to finish." The group sat down and Lonsdale sat with them, as Staff Sgt. Blake began the discussion and review of all that had passed in early hours of the morning.

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Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

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