On Patrol With 1st Platoon

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I had the opportunity to ride along on a perimeter patrol early yesterday evening with soldiers of Bravo Company’s 1^st platoon in a patrol of several humvees. One vehicle was commanded by Sgt. John Simmons of New York City with Spc. James Paul of Kwigillingok and Spc. Curtis Dock of Kipnuk as driver and gunner. My vehicle was commanded by Staff Sgt. Harold Cleveland of Eek with Spc. James Kaiser as driver and Corporal Charles Atseriak of Tuluksak as gunner. We left the company area in the late afternoon. From the gate we turned onto a dirt road that led to a two lane asphalt highway. We sped along the highway with the flat brown desert spreading out to the horizon in all directions. In the distance I could see camels grazing on short stubby grass, the only patches of green visible anywhere in the landscape. Our lead vehicle suddenly slowed down, veered off the highway and out into the desert. As we followed, SSG Cleveland told me they had spotted a sheep herder who had strayed within three kilometers of the Camp Virginia perimeter. It was the patrol’s job to push the herder and his flock back beyond the three kilometer limit. We bounced across the desert two abreast slowing down as we neared the herd. Spc. Kaiser honked his horn several times to prod the sheep into trotting away. The herder, dressed in white and wearing a red head scarf, was leading a donkey. When he approached our humvee, both SSG Cleveland and Spc. Kaiser used hand signals to make it clear to him that he needed to move back beyond three kilometers. We stayed until assured that the herder understood and was moving away then turned our wheels back to the highway to continue our patrol. SSG Cleveland explained that we would stop again soon to monitor highway traffic for a short period of time. After another half hour of driving, we followed Sgt. Simmons’ vehicle as it made a U turn off the highway and onto the desert facing the roadway. We sat close to the edge of the road for about twenty minutes. Traffic was light; only a few cars, pickup trucks and vans with an occasional bus and big rig passed by. The sun was setting as we drove on once again. Along the way I saw hunks of what looked like scrap metal scattered in the desert close to the roadbed. I found out later that this highway was the infamous “Highway of Death” during the first Gulf War in the 1990’s. Hundreds of Iraqi military vehicles were destroyed here as they attempted to flee across the border. Those rusting scraps of metal we passed were the remains of some of those vehicles.

Night comes quickly in the desert. There is no lingering twilight. When the sun set the darkness was complete. A dim glow appeared on the horizon ahead of us slowly spreading in size as we drove on. It finally resolved into a long strip of individual lights that eventually revealed itself to be Ali Al Salem airbase. We followed our lead vehicle’s tail lights as they swung off the road to stop near a Kuwaiti Army checkpoint. We sat there watching fuel trucks, water trucks and assorted military vehicles move through the gate and onto the base. With the end of their shift approaching, the drivers turned our vehicles onto the highway once again for the drive back to Camp Virginia. First stop when we arrived back at camp was the fuel depot to get the fuel tanks topped off. Then we returned to the company area where soldiers from 3^rd platoon were waiting to take over the vehicles and begin their duty shift.

A ride in a humvee is not a pleasure drive. It’s hot, bumpy, dusty and loud. There is no air conditioning. I took this trip in the relative cool of early evening when temperatures were only in the 90’s. I was still soaked with sweat under my armored vest and helmet. I can only imagine the heat soldiers must endure in these vehicles during the 120 plus temperatures of midday.

 

ARF Crew on the road in Kuwait

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