NOTE: I am publishing this blog entry retroactively because during this time I was busy performing base defense operation and didn't have enough time to write and post.
Today began like any other work day. Although I was still called for tower guard duty one more day longer than we had originally planned because a "credible threat" was still said to exist. I was having lunch with some coworkers in between my shifts on the towers, and one of them began complaining that the travel lock down needed to be lifted because there hadn't been an attack on the days we anticipated. As a side note, there had been an attack in the Wardak province with a car bomb on September 10th that injured 77 people. It appeared that the Taliban weren't strong enough to mount an offensive in the Afghan capital.
After lunch, we went back to the office and sat down to catch up on a few emails before starting back my guard shift that afternoon. At 1330 hours, the base alarm system went off warning everyone to take shelter as we upgraded our defensive posture to THREATCON Delta. I grabbed my body armor, helmet, M-4 rifle, and bandoleer of ammo and ran down to the BDOC (Base Defense Operations Center).
A car bomb had exploded at the U.S. Embassy and it and ISAF were currently under attack from SAF (small arms fire) and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) from the area of Massoud Circle, just adjacent to our compound. I went with a team to secure the inner perimeter of the compound and round up all stragglers to get them to a hardened shelter. Once outside, the sound of automatic weapons fire in the close vicinity filled the air, and we were all directed to reinforce the compound guard towers. I ran with another individual to the closest tower, which was on the opposite side from the Embassy and ISAF.
Across from our location and down the opposite side of the street, one insurgent had taken up refuge in a building under construction and was taking sniper shots. From our vantage points in the towers, none of us could see him. In that same area, the Afghan National Police had identified a suicide bomber and surrounded him from a distance. Knowing that he had failed, he walked behind a cluster of trees and self detonated rather than being captured.
On the other side of the compound, several towers were engaging targets with M240B and M249 machine guns on another building that was under construction and apparently a stronghold of the fighters. They watched as they fired RPGs across the street into the Embassy compound and at ISAF. Our compound apparently was never a real target. After about an hour, my counterpart in the tower with me left to go see where else he was needed since he was one of the chiefs in charge of the BDOC. The Sergeant Major of the MP detachment on base was driving around to all the towers bringing us Gatorade and fruit. I've never been so happy to receive an apple in all my life.
After several hours of sporadic gunfire, things quited down, and at 1630hrs, I listened as the local mosques rang out with their call to afternoon prayer for the devout Muslims. This was a very surreal moment as everything else in the city was dead silent except for the call to prayer. By 1700hrs, two Russian made Afghanistan Army Mi-24/35 Hind helicopter gunships began circling the area and repeatedly engaged the building that was under construction near ISAF and then returned back to their base. For the last couple hours, the skies had begun to darken and by 1800 hrs it poured down in a heavy rain for nearly an hour.
By 1930hrs, we were relived from our post as replacements took over for us to rest before we were to go back on at midnight. I went back inside and called home to let everyone know I was ok, but no one even knew there had been an attack until I told them. After assuring them I would be fine, I went in and took a couple hour nap before my midnight guard shift started. Once the adrenaline had died down, I slept like a rock (until my alarm went off).
Not sure why but I wasn't scared. I like to think it's the Saints charmes that I carry with me all the time. The one with Saint Michael around my neck and the one with Saint Barbara in my wallet. I guess Saint Michael may be protecting my heart, but Saint Barbara is covering my ass.
More to follow.
Today began like any other work day. Although I was still called for tower guard duty one more day longer than we had originally planned because a "credible threat" was still said to exist. I was having lunch with some coworkers in between my shifts on the towers, and one of them began complaining that the travel lock down needed to be lifted because there hadn't been an attack on the days we anticipated. As a side note, there had been an attack in the Wardak province with a car bomb on September 10th that injured 77 people. It appeared that the Taliban weren't strong enough to mount an offensive in the Afghan capital.
After lunch, we went back to the office and sat down to catch up on a few emails before starting back my guard shift that afternoon. At 1330 hours, the base alarm system went off warning everyone to take shelter as we upgraded our defensive posture to THREATCON Delta. I grabbed my body armor, helmet, M-4 rifle, and bandoleer of ammo and ran down to the BDOC (Base Defense Operations Center).
A car bomb had exploded at the U.S. Embassy and it and ISAF were currently under attack from SAF (small arms fire) and RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) from the area of Massoud Circle, just adjacent to our compound. I went with a team to secure the inner perimeter of the compound and round up all stragglers to get them to a hardened shelter. Once outside, the sound of automatic weapons fire in the close vicinity filled the air, and we were all directed to reinforce the compound guard towers. I ran with another individual to the closest tower, which was on the opposite side from the Embassy and ISAF.
Across from our location and down the opposite side of the street, one insurgent had taken up refuge in a building under construction and was taking sniper shots. From our vantage points in the towers, none of us could see him. In that same area, the Afghan National Police had identified a suicide bomber and surrounded him from a distance. Knowing that he had failed, he walked behind a cluster of trees and self detonated rather than being captured.
On the other side of the compound, several towers were engaging targets with M240B and M249 machine guns on another building that was under construction and apparently a stronghold of the fighters. They watched as they fired RPGs across the street into the Embassy compound and at ISAF. Our compound apparently was never a real target. After about an hour, my counterpart in the tower with me left to go see where else he was needed since he was one of the chiefs in charge of the BDOC. The Sergeant Major of the MP detachment on base was driving around to all the towers bringing us Gatorade and fruit. I've never been so happy to receive an apple in all my life.
After several hours of sporadic gunfire, things quited down, and at 1630hrs, I listened as the local mosques rang out with their call to afternoon prayer for the devout Muslims. This was a very surreal moment as everything else in the city was dead silent except for the call to prayer. By 1700hrs, two Russian made Afghanistan Army Mi-24/35 Hind helicopter gunships began circling the area and repeatedly engaged the building that was under construction near ISAF and then returned back to their base. For the last couple hours, the skies had begun to darken and by 1800 hrs it poured down in a heavy rain for nearly an hour.
By 1930hrs, we were relived from our post as replacements took over for us to rest before we were to go back on at midnight. I went back inside and called home to let everyone know I was ok, but no one even knew there had been an attack until I told them. After assuring them I would be fine, I went in and took a couple hour nap before my midnight guard shift started. Once the adrenaline had died down, I slept like a rock (until my alarm went off).
Not sure why but I wasn't scared. I like to think it's the Saints charmes that I carry with me all the time. The one with Saint Michael around my neck and the one with Saint Barbara in my wallet. I guess Saint Michael may be protecting my heart, but Saint Barbara is covering my ass.
More to follow.
Wow! thanks for sharing. trusting you're alright with the deep faith you have in your heart. God bless you!
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