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| Operation Medusa which lasted approximately 20 days, was a successful operation that effectively pushed enemy insurgents from this region of Afghanistan. |
| By U.S. Army Sgt. Mayra Kennedy 345th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment |
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| PANJWAYI, Afghanistan, Oct. 10, 2006 -- A small number of soldiers from the 207th Infantry Brigade or Task Force (TF) Grizzly managed to sleep two hours after conducting night operations in the Kandahar province, Southern Afghanistan, where the successful mission concluded in mid September. Dubbed Operation Medusa, Coalition forces together with the Afghan National Army eliminated any enemy insurgents in the Panjwayi district. A few hours after sunrise, the team gathered to check on future missions on the radar for the daytime and nightfall. Operations still continue only miles from their strategic location, which is practically on the enemy’s front door. Army Col. R-Stephen Williams, 207th commander whose hometown is Chugiak, Alaska, gathered with his troops and expressed his concerns about the insurgents attacking not only the soldiers, but anyone who gets in their way. “It’s dead quiet right now. We must have really hurt them,” said Williams. A long night awaited the troops who carefully listened to movement orders given by the commander. “We need to assault in there and start the Taliban retreating—get them out of their positions” said Williams. “We are going to be as aggressive as we can.” This National Guard team has seen more than the regular media can report. In fact, one soldier witnessed a battle injury during a previous deployment, which he survived. Army Sgt. Aaron Spalding, a combat medic from Nashville, TN., currently attached to the 405th Civil Affairs Battalion, volunteered to support his comrades. He walks around the tent area with medicine for sand fleas to aid those who were bitten by the insects the night before. One soldier explained to Spalding that the itching from the fleabites was intolerable, but Spalding did indeed know what excruciating pain felt like. Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Freakly, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-76 and the 10th Mountain Division, arrived in Panjwayi to coordinate operations with TF Grizzly commander for Sept. 12 where moving forward was approved due to the success of Operation Medusa. After asking Williams many strategic questions about operations, Freakley gathered his team at the “watch tower” and explained maneuvering forces towards the enemy. “You know your battle position and how to move forward so lets go,” said Freakley to Williams after listening to a briefing about how the unit planed to move forward. “All right guys, get some rest now and get ready for tonight. You guys will be really busy tonight,” briefed Williams. |
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“I actually was shot in Iraq during my last deployment, right here on my side,” said Spalding pointing to the left side of his torso. He said in a non-sarcastic way, “Now that hurt.” After patching up several itching soldiers, Spalding coordinates night operations with a Canadian medic who accompanied him during the next mission. The night before, Spalding requested a medevac for a soldier who broke his ankle after jumping from a Humvee while conducting a night mission. “We know what they’re going to do. We will match their every move,” said Williams on the morning of Sept. 11. “We’ve asked the locals if they want their village to look the way it does and they told us they want the Taliban out.” Army Staff Sgt. John Ramsey, an air defense tactical operator from Anderson, S.C., had gone out with the artillery team the previous night to support a mission. “I was with the commander shooting the .50 caliber rounds. We were only about 150 meters down from the objective,” he said. “I could see the guys in front of us and could see the rounds shot from their position. After all that it got quiet out there.” Ramsey, like every other team member, had been out conducting missions one right after the other. From his location, he scanned the area with his binoculars, which he uses to watch the enemy day and night. The nightfall, this Sept. 11, signifies the beginning of another mission in Panjwayi. “It was very dusty out there, but we continued with our mission,” said Ramsey. “We all had night vision goggles and could maneuver the terrain, and we made it out ok in the end.” Army Sgt. Rodney Spaulding, an infantryman from Anchorage, Alaska, was assigned as Williams’ designated driver. The troops cleared a significant area in Panjwayi, but there is still much more to do. “We started with small operations,” said Spaulding. “After that we conducted a big night operation. What’s next? We will see.” Another team player, in regarding to OP Medusa, is Army Maj. Chad Parker, an intelligence officer, from West Point, N.Y. who watched over the firing area to monitors operations and enemy activity. “I can actually monitor their weapons movement and tell them to adjust fire up to a certain degree,” said Parker, who with his hand points at the targeted areas. The night mission on Sept. 11 was once again a success, no injuries were received and the objective was reached, leading Williams to believe that TF Grizzly’s movement would continue operations just as planned for the following day. |
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