Soldiers Battle Afghan Heat

Fayetteville (NC) Observer | July 1, 2002 | Henry Cuningham

[Stand Watch Listen]

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Spc. John Dalgleish’s nose began gushing blood during a two-mile run with his unit on Sunday, but he didn’t stop.

The Afghanistan air, baked dry by the 120-degree heat, caused the nosebleed.

"It’s like a mission," Dalgleish said. "There’s no reason, for something as petty as a nosebleed. In combat, I’m not going to be able to stop and say, ‘I have a nosebleed.’"

The Utah native, who loves NASCAR and comes from a military family that traces its roots to Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox" of the Revolutionary War, is among about 700 Fort Bragg soldiers who have arrived in Afghanistan during the past week.

The paratroopers belong to a task force based around the 3rd Battalion of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division.

During the summer, 2,500 to 3,000 paratroopers from the 82nd are scheduled for duty in Afghanistan.

The soldiers are waiting to find out what they will be doing when they replace a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from Fort Campbell, Ky.

The Fort Campbell soldiers have done everything from closing in on enemy forces during Operation Anaconda to trying to establish a secure environment. Taliban and al-Qaida forces are still at large in Afghanistan and considered a danger to U.S. troops.

Using Caution

At Kandahar Airfield, soldiers do not salute officers -- a precaution to avoid making them targets for snipers. Buildings are riddled with bullet holes from past fighting. A Russian minefield in on one end of the airfield.

Lt. Col. Martin Schweitzer, the 3rd Battalion commander, says the fight is not over, and sooner or later his soldiers are going to see action.

"We’re to the point where we don’t feel much anxiety," said Sgt. Carmen Damiani, a fire team leader who is in charge of three men. "We’re just here, and we know what we’re here for."

The 30-year-old from Cleveland loves Merle Haggard music and spicy peanuts. He said the soldiers were trained before Sept. 11, but the terrorist attacks gave an edge to their training and the pending deployment increased it.

Pfc. Joseph Jones, 20, of Dade City, Fla., said he feels confident his training has prepared him for combat.

"It doesn’t bother me," Jones said. "I’m as ready as I’ll be."

The two-mile run was a concession to the need for the troops to become acclimated to the higher temperatures, jet lag and 3,000-foot-plus altitude in Kandahar. At Fort Bragg, those same infantry soldiers might run four to eight miles, up and down hills, for routine physical training, they said.

Maintaining Readiness

In Afghanistan, they are running and lifting weights to stay in shape.

"I’ve been doing this for two years," said Pvt. Grant Ramsey, 21, of Indianapolis. "I’d be disappointed if I didn’t get to do something." Ramsey is a grenadier. His M-203 launcher can lob a grenade at an enemy hiding behind a hill.

For a rifleman, the hot, dusty climate increases the amount of work necessary to maintain the weapon. During spare time, soldiers use shaving brushes to clean the outside of their rifles to keep the inside clean. They use pipe cleaners and dental picks to battle the dust that can accumulate, even during a half hour inside a tent.

The 82nd soldiers carry their rifles across their chests, ready for combat, rather than slung across their backs, as they would at Fort Bragg. Soldiers walk around the compound with a hand on the rifle’s grip and an index finger on the magazine well.

It’s all about getting into a frame of mind for combat, Damiani said.

Field Protection

When Fort Bragg soldiers start going outside the compound, they probably will be wearing body armor and carrying up to 75 pounds in weapons and other equipment, Damiani said.

"When we take over the patrolling, we’re fresh, our equipment is in good condition and we’ll go after them," Damiani said.

"From what I hear from the 101st guys, they are going home in better shape than when they left," Damiani said.

In Afghanistan, soldiers are not smoking, at least not as much. In the high altitude, smokers are supposed to fare worse than their nonsmoking counterparts. The soldiers are drinking lots of water to avoid heat stress, and they are eating a balanced diet with fruit in the chow hall. They get few soft drinks and no alcohol or fast food.

"Everywhere we go, you are going to be walking," Damiani said. "You are going to be losing some weight."

[r9etb]

This is quite an encouraging story for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it shows that these guys are learning the real hows and whys of being soldiers.

It's not quite combat, but it's not sitting around in the U.S., either.

[Free the USA]

Bump