The temperature had risen to 138 degrees Fahrenheit. Laden with the addition of forty to fifty pounds of gear, sweat poured from our bodies soaking our clothes and boots. We couldn't drink enough, downing half liter bottles of water without a breath. Gatorade was added whenever possible, as packets of the dry mix were distributed around and shared from soldier to soldier.

It was now approaching mid-day and we were headed back along the same dirt road where we had been ambushed a few hours before. Again, we entered on foot. This time, however, we used the Canadian light armored vehicles as a moving screen as we pushed back into the area. And again, that smell of the dead filled the air as we crossed the ditch under the blistering sun.

Maj. Francis, the Missouri National Guard Embedded Trainer (ETT), and his squad of Afghan soldiers began by searching the various mud huts and living compounds along the route. A labyrinth of corridors and doorways revealed themselves from behind the gates of every entry. The process was slow, with the obvious dangers of ambush, booby traps and surprise. Success in these moments is measured in steps and inches. The squad completed the task without incident, finding nothing but empty spaces and locked doors.

Villagers usually know when the Taliban and insurgents are in the area. They also know when to flee, as the try to avoid the misfortune that will ultimately befall as the insurgents are rooted out. It is a fine line of survival for them. Being essentially powerless in this war, the villagers are placed in the middle having to choose sides between a force that lives among them and a force that has come from afar. For many, the choice is on par with rolling the dice on the table of craps. Choosing one side over the other is too often a gamble for their life as they make a choice of sides, of who will win and of who will be part their future. The insurgents know this, and use the current climate of political uncertainty in both the United States and that of the countries involved with the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) as an active part of their information and propaganda. The end result is that the insurgents too often end up winning the information campaign, swaying villagers by fear or threat of reprisal to their side. Support is given, places of refuge are taken and the insurgents gain a foothold with a malignancy of a cancer.

Approaching the the point of our previous contact, the soldiers actions became slow and deliberate. There was nothing, other than the spent casings of ammo and shoulder fired rockets. Our movement continued forward. A long, dusty, narrow road with five foot high walls of mud and stone to our right, and a an eight foot earthen wall to our left. Another corridor within the village maze.

This time it began with the distinct cracks of AK-47 rounds snapping overhead, as insurgents fired on our position from a compound some 300 meters to our right. With the Canadian squad fully present, and the Afghan soldiers in support, the response was nearly instant. The soldiers lined the wall returning fire along its one hundred foot length. The insurgent's fire continued; the strain of the heat was ever present. The Canadians reminded me of their Captain and a fellow platoon member who had both lost limbs from a roadside bomb a couple of months before. I thought of the title of Ernie Pyle's column from World War II... "Killing is all that matters."

Maj. Francis walked the line of Afghan soldiers who were also returning fire. As if back in his classroom of high school students, he worked with the Afghan soldiers one by one, demonstrating proper aiming technics, adjusting their stance, and providing words of encouragement to help them overcome their fears. He seemed detached from the danger, fully focussed on his mission and responsibilities of his role as an ETT. The Canadian soldiers would later comment on their amazement at his composure and focus.

As the fighting continued, two Afghan soldiers came to the wall with their rocket propelled grenades (RPGs). For the Afghan soldier, the RPG is more than another weapon, it is an inspiration on the battle field, as if sent by the hand of Allah himself. Following in like manner to the mentoring of Maj. Francis, two Canadian soldiers stepped up to the wall along side of the two Afghan grenadiers. After the first rocket fell long, instruction was given to help the second soldier better site his target. He fired, but again found that his intended target was closer than he thought.

The fire fight lasted for close to forty minutes. In the end artillery rounds were directed at the insurgents location. The soldiers responded with expressions of relief, as rounds from the 155 mm Howitzer exploded over their target. Over the detonations and the deafening thuds of the artillery a lone Canadian soldier's voice could be heard, "What do you think of the infidels now!"

For video, Panjawi- Firefight: Click here

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Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

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