Premium Essay

Route 55 Lessons

Submitted By
Words 1864
Pages 8
This is a factual event of a lesson I learned while serving in Afghanistan as a patrol leader of a route clearance platoon in Uruzgan Province. My hopes in writing this are that maybe someone will take my advice and my mistake and not make the same mistake. The events of this story took place throughout my 9 month tour in 2012-2013, on Route 55. Over my 9 months here there has been 13 I.E.D related incidents or finds on this particular stretch of route. The majority of incidents have been detonations on route clearance vehicles. My patrol has personally experienced 2 of these detonations in which one of them could have been prevented. Before I get into the details of that day I would like to explain all of the lessons learned throughout this …show more content…
Approximately 20 kilometers of this route is an improved route that the locals cherish due to the smoothness of the road allowing for faster travel to the bazaar in Tarin Kowt proper. The other 15 kilometers has been closed off from local national traffic due to Taliban operations in the area. The half that is improved stretches through the majority of the Dorafshan district and has had a history of targeted attacks on Afghanistan National Army (ANA), Afghanistan National Police (ANP) and National Directorate of Security (NDS). These targeted attacks have consisted of anything from Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED), Motorcycle Borne Improvised Explosive Attacks(MBIED), Radio Controlled Improvise Explosive Devices(RCIED) all the way down to insider attacks that resulted in a ANP checkpoint with personnel who were resting to be beaten to death with a hammer. This improved portion of the route has not had many kinetic events targeting N.A.T.O forces, however, my patrol has found an RCIED that was targeting ANP on this portion of the …show more content…
These areas are approximately 5 kilometers apart and offer very many advantageous points for the enemy to use. The first Named Area of Interest (NAI) what we call the South NAI of 55 offers the enemy two great over watch positions on ridgelines from both the east and west side of the route. On the west side ridgeline there are approximately 5 draws that run from the mountain tops all the way down through the route and into the creek bed. Once these draws hit the route they turn into Low Water Crossings (LWC). These low water crossings tend to yield the softest ground areas on the route and the easiest areas for the enemy to dig and emplace I.E.Ds. These low water crossings also had negative effects on the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) system that our Husky’s used in order to detect the change in ground density. When the husky would cross these low water crossings the GPR system would use auto adjust in order to clear the high ground on the other side. In the process of this the GPR system would not level out in time to clear the back side of the low water crossing, therefore leaving a blind spot for operators. The other negative affect this route has on the GPR is all of the buried rocks even going slow through these crossings it seemed like the GPR system would still have issues and the enemy knew it. This was the first TTP observed of the enemy. The South NAI of route 55

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

History of Convoy Security

...Abstract The history of convoy security necessitated design through ingenuity throughout history. By applying initiative and ingenuity, Leaders developed concepts, tactics and vehicle designs to protect their supplies moving throughout their area of operations. This produced innovations from the effective hybrid vehicles developed and used in Vietnam to the common use security platforms used in today’s modern Army. Further dialogue will ensure future doctrine should include funding and discussion. Forgetting the lessons learned, with the lives of Soldiers at stake, would be unconscionable. 3 3 The History of United States Army Convoy Security United States (US) Army doctrine has addressed convoy security since the mid 1800’s. The debate over convoy security operations as a hazardous undertaking of war has been a challenging topic throughout US Army history. The first published discussion of convoy operations described challenges that 19th century convoy commanders had to deal with. To conduct a convoy in safety through an enemy’s territory, where it is exposed to attacks either of regular, or of partisan troops, is one of the most hazardous operations of war; owing to the ease with which a very inferior force may take the escort at disadvantage in defiles (Mahan, 1861, p. 155). The US Army has a history of convoy experience. Most early instances relate to the Indian campaigns conducted prior to and after the Civil War. The American Indian had a completely...

Words: 3349 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Mtv India

...entering the European market in 1987. They then began to expand even further around the world, specifically the Asia Pacific region, focusing on India and Pakistan. MTV India was launched in 1996. Launch of MTV India MTV India had a first mover’s advantage in India as it arrived before any of its competition. However, they first made the mistake of simply coming to India as MTV, with no changes to their model or programming. They quickly figured out they would have to develop new programming for this new region as Indian teenagers did not have the same taste in music as American teenagers, as they did not enjoy rock or rap music. Alex Kuruvilla, the head of MTV India, realized it would take patience to do business in a developing country, a lesson he learned from bringing Corn Flakes to...

Words: 3384 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Why Student Fail To Read

...“Conditions for Literacy Learning: Why Do Some Students Fail to Learn to Read? Ockham's Razor and the Conditions of Learning.” The Reading Teacher, vol. 54, no. 8, 2001, pp. 784–786. Frey, Nancy & Fisher, Douglas. “Reading and the Brain: What Early Childhood Educators Need to Know.” Early Childhood Education Journal. vol. 38, pp. 103-110. Grainger, Jonathan et al. “Evidence for multiple routes in learning to read.” Cognition, vol 123, no 2, 2012, pp. 280-292. Hruby, George G., et al. “Neuroscience and Reading: A Review for Reading Education Researchers.” Reading Research Quarterly, vol. 46, no. 2, 2011, pp. 156–172. Lovio, Riikka et al."Reading skill and neural processing accuracy improvement after a 3-hour intervention in preschoolers with difficulties in reading-related skills." Brain research, 2012, 1448, pp. 42-55. Sebastian P. Suggate et al. “Children learning to read later catch up to children reading earlier.” Early Childhood Research Quarterly, vol. 28, no. 1, 2013, pp....

Words: 1183 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Marines

...MCI 0210D MARINE CORPS INSTITUTE TERRORISM AWARENESS FOR MARINES MARINE BARRACKS WASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS MARINE CORPS INSTITUTE 912 CHARLES POOR STREET SE WASHINGTON NAVY YARD DC 20391-5680 IN REPLY REFER TO: 1550 26 Mar 2012 From: Director To: Marine Corps Institute Student Subj: TERRORISM AWARENESS FOR MARINES (0210D) 1. Purpose. The subject course provides instruction on terrorism awareness for all Marines. 2. Scope. This course gives an overview on terrorism and provides guidance to individual Marines on terrorism and its effects. 3. Applicability. This course is designed for the Marine, private through general officer, in all MOSs. 4. Recommendations. Comments and recommendations on the contents of the course are invited and will aid in subsequent course revisions. Please complete the course evaluation questionnaire at the end of the final examination. Return the questionnaire and the examination booklet to your proctor. M. S. REICHENBAUGH By direction (This page intentionally left blank.) Table of Contents Page Contents ............................................................................................................................ i Student Information .......................................................................................................... iii Study Guide ............................................................................................................

Words: 42908 - Pages: 172

Premium Essay

Dante

...Katrina Ramos Professor Perrone LAC 1000C: Italian December 2011 Dante’s Inferno: A Detailed Look Into Canto XXIV, Lines 1-57 Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy is an allegorical epic novel describing Dante’s journey through the Inferno, to Purgatorio and finally to Paradiso. The purpose of this journey, particularly the journey through the Inferno, is to expose people to the recognition and rejection of sin (Casagrande). Dante, being that he is human, must first pass through the Inferno to witness the sinners and their according contrapasso, before he can enter Purgatorio towards his final pursuit to Paradiso. The Divine Comedy is a metaphorical journey of bringing the light of God to the darkness of human sin. In Canto XXIV (24) of the Inferno, Dante and Virgil have made their way to the eighth circle of Inferno – “The Malebolge” – and are in the process of making their journey through the 10 pits of Circle 8 (Mahfood). Being the second to last circle in the inferno, the circle of the sinners who commited fraud and theft in their early life (Dante Worlds), the contrapasso witnessed here is more terrifying than what Dante and Virgil have seen during their journey previously. To provide some background information to Canto XXIV, the previous happenings of Canto XXIII (23) should be provided: Virgil is leading Dante through the pits, or bolgia, of Circle 8 when he remembers a bridge connecting the sixth and seventh pit. Virgil asks the circle’s monster-keeper, Malacoda...

Words: 2372 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Bhopal Info

...Like most fields of study the safety has a history of development. The idea of safety and health as a humanitarian ideal is a relatively new phenomena. As organized civilizations grew and became more sophisticated the size of the labor pool that was necessary to build buildings, goods, and perform services became much larger. Goal of early safety and health activities was to increase the working life span of slaves and indentured servants in an attempt to conserve the limited human resource. It was in the 19th and 20th centuries that the concept of the company obligation to protect the workers really evolved from abuses of workers during the great depression, and the rise of organized labor. Consequently changes in the safety health field are often motivated by great tragedies that focus public attention on risks in the workplace. The Goals of this unit: * Identify the historic trends in industrial safety * Identify events that have impacted industrial safety To complete this unit you must 1. Read the chapter in the book 2. Review the PowerPoint slides 3. Look into the Bhopal accident using the video and searching the Internet to answer the following under the "Assignment tab" for : Session 2: History of Safety. 1. How many died as a result of the accident? 2. What has been the long term effects of the accident on residents 3. Look at the total number of injuries and deaths over for any 2 years on the BLS web site for (Take a look at...

Words: 14078 - Pages: 57

Premium Essay

Yunnan Luck Air Case Study

...operate on a small scale compared to major competitors and so it made economical sense to offer low-cost, high-efficiency to their customers. In 2007 Lucky Air was able to more than double the amount of passengers from the year before by using a low-cost tactic. However other airlines have also caught on to offering low-cost fares for domestic routes to their passengers. With more competitors Lucky Air has decided to look at the possibility of taking a risk and to focus on e-commerce. Backed by their parent company Hainan Airlines, Luck Air has access to one of the most advanced web portals in the Chinese airline industry. But is e-commerce a good and viable option to compete with other airlines? Taking a look at what exactly e-commerce is important to grasp the understanding of how a business can operate, stay competitive and obtain a profit in a digital world. E-commerce involves digitally enabled transactions between and among organizations and individuals. Digitally enabled transactions include all those mediated by digital technology such as over the Internet, the Web and or via mobile apps. (Laudon & Traver, 2013, p. 55). Currently Airlines in China have high distribution costs which are fees paid to travel agents, the cost of staffing offices for direct offline purchases of tickets, the cost of a reservation system, offline advertising and marketing and ticketing fees to the government. The idea behind e-commerce for airlines is to decrease their dependency...

Words: 1737 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Position Paper

...POSITION PAPER ON THE AIRPORTS SECTOR IN INDIA May 2009 Department of Economic Affairs Ministry of Finance Government of India AIRPORTS SECTOR EXISTING SCENARIO 1. The civil aviation traffic has seen an unprecedented traffic in the past few years on account of booming Indian economy, growing tourism industry, entry of low cost carriers in the private sector, liberalization of international bi-lateral agreements and liberalization of civil aviation policy. In future also the civil aviation traffic is expected to grow at the same pace despite current slowdown due to global recession. But airport infrastructure has not kept pace with the growth of the civil aviation traffic. This has resulted in congestion and inefficient services in major airports, limited landing slots, inadequate parking bays and congestion during peak hours for airlines. Development of quality infrastructure will have an impact on international competitiveness and economic growth. This requires faster development of civil aviation infrastructure on public private partnership mode. In tune with the requirement many initiatives have already been started in the 10th five year plan and they are expected to continue in the 11th plan also. 2. Of a total number of 454 airports and airstrips in India, 16 are designated as international airports. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) owns and operates 97 airports. A recent report by Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) states that over the next 12 years...

Words: 8691 - Pages: 35

Free Essay

Cemetaery Anthropology

...Pamela Kofton ANT 102 Cultural Anthropology Fall 2012 Ellsworth Center Marlboro Cemetery Lamoine, MaineThis old time cemetery in Hancock County, Maine seems, at first glance, to be a forgotten patch of Maine woods. Adjacent to a new housing development, Marlboro Woods with large homes spread out on Ldyia's lane, a seemingly bustling neighborhood of the future, an overgrown woods path leads to an entrance marked with a bent iron gate attached to stone pillars and delineated by a wire fence. Marlboro Cemetery is located in Lamoine, Maine off Route 204 (called Partridge Cove Rd) approximately 4.4 miles from the intersection of Rt 184 and 204. Turn left onto Lydia's Lane, drive approximately 0.1 miles. There is a path to the cemetery on the right. The cemetery is named Marlboro Cemetery. Marlboro is a village which was incorporated into the town of Lamoine. Although a number of gravestones do display Christian symbols, there seems to be no obvious church or religious affiliation represented, leading me to deduce this cemetery was used by all town members. There are a total of twenty two surnames represented with no prevailing ethnicity. Wives are buried with their husbands showing this is a patriarchal society. Most stones are crafted from the local granite with a few different types unrecognizable to me. Surnames Represented in Marlboro Cemetery (QTY) | Bowden (2) | Bragdon (6) | Closson (1) | Corey (1 + 1 Dog) | Ford (5) | Frye...

Words: 1153 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Xavante Indians

...the Xavante people of Central Brazil are no different. They are thought to be some of the earliest inhabitants of Brazil or even South America and are first referenced in South American history during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when they resisted the Portuguese (Neel, 55). They have had many conflicts with the Brazilian government over the years but are known for being a fierce people because of their success in retaining some of their lands, unlike most indigenous groups in Brazil. The Xavante currently are located on seven different reservations and number around ten thousand,...

Words: 1383 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Miss

...Question 1 Unit 2 Planning and Enabling Learning: Theory Questions Introduction The author works for a number of training companies, some independent, some attached to Colleges. The main areas in which the author specialises are; Logistics, Customer Service, Business Administration and Warehousing. These qualifications are assessed at NVQ (QCF) Level 2. The qualifications are made up of competency based certificates (QCF), Technical certificates (BTECH), Employers Rights and Responsibilities (ERR), Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) and Functional Skills Maths, English and ICT at Level 1. The author is involved with the training of Drivers, Technicians, Shop Assistants and Managers, Office Staff and Warehouse Operatives so covering skills at all levels running through a business. Methodology Research was carried out by use of the internet, referring to various reference books, discussions with colleagues and information gathered from watching micro teach sessions delivered by group members. Elements of the authors own experience and company policies and procedures are also incorporated. Question 1a. Negotiating with learners, e.g. initial assessment, agreeing goals and actions. The author carries out the initial assessment before a learner starts a course. Gravells (2007, p.75) states that the purpose of this is to “ensure they are on the right path”. Depending on the course or subject, learners may need to have prior knowledge or experience. Minton...

Words: 3109 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Nt2580 Unit 1

...NT2580-M1 Introduction to Information Security Unit 1: Information Systems Security Fundamentals 2015-Summer, 6/20/2015, Saturday (9:00am – 1:30pm) Student Name ___________________________________ Lesson Plan Theory (in class, Lab #2)……………………………..…………………..……...2 Reading  Kim and Solomon, Chapter 1: Information Systems Security. Objectives……………..………………….……………………………….2 Student Assignments for this Unit Unit 1 Lab Perform Reconnaissance & Probing Using ZenMap GUI (Nmap) Lab #1: Performing Network Reconnaissance using Common Tools Overview and access vLab..............................................................................................3 Part 1: Exploring the Tools used in the Virtual Lab Environment……………16 Unit 1 Assignment Match Risks/Threats to Solutions Part 2: Connecting to a Linux Machine …………………. .........................44 Unit 1 Assignment Impact of a Data Classification Standard Part 3: Using Zenmap to Perform Basic Reconnaissance ……………………59 Appendix A. SYLLABUS………………………………………………..……..………….69 B. Forgot your password?………………………………………………..……..73 Instructor: Yingsang “Louis” HO Tel: 425-241-8080 (cell), (206) 244-3300 (school) Email: yho@itt-tech.edu NT2580_2015_Summer_M1_UNIT1.doc Page 1 of 76 Unit 1: Information Systems Security Fundamentals Learning Objective  Explain the concepts of information systems security (ISS) as applied to an IT infrastructure. Key Concepts  Confidentiality, integrity, and availability...

Words: 3379 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

Ebay in Asia

...E-bay’s Downfalls with Asian Markets It has been said that E-bay has not been very successful with the Asian markets.   Should E-bay have gone on a mission to expand into the Asian markets?   There a lot of things to consider when trying to succeed outside of our country.   E-bay was not prepared for the Asian market.   More research should have been done prior to trying to expand in Asian marketing. When E-bay decided to expand in the Asian market, they did not take everything into consideration.   More research should have been done in order for E-bay to know how to gain the attention of the Asian marketers.   An example of that would be the fact that even though E-bay’s CEO Meg Whitman had spent time in China, she was not prepared to cater to their needs.   The Chinese executives had more experience in dealing with the specific needs of Chinese consumers shopping online. Another problem that E-bay didn’t expect was Internet accessibility and the inability of local networks to connect to their site outside of Asian countries.   E-bay may have been alright had they just did more research prior to jumping into the market.   Because E-bay was having problems with the Internet accessibilities, Chinese students opted to use local companies instead. E-bay is not the only brand image.   There are more brands out there, such as Google.   When you are competing with others, you want to try and beat their price just enough that you won’t shoot yourself in the foot.   E-bay did...

Words: 2899 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Implimentation of Six Sigma at Rmg Sector in Bangladesh

...Executive Summery The benefits of lean manufacturing are evident in factories across the world. With a view to achieve performance improvement both the developed and developing countries are practicing lean. In this study nine garment manufacturing companies were selected as sample. A field survey with a semi-structured questionnaire, interviews and site visits were conducted to get necessary lean information from the respondent. These companies were selected purposively to ensure the best possible scenario of lean practices in Bangladesh. The focus of this study is to investigate the improvement of manufacturing performance through lean practice in the Bangladeshi garment industry. The findings indicate that the selected companies have adopted a wide variety of lean tools and techniques and gained many performance improvements. Findings also identified the business challenges that drive the companies to practice lean as well as the areas where changes have been made. It concludes with suggestions for further work. Introduction Today’s global supply chains are, in effect, highly complex networks. They are increasingly vulnerable to disruption which can have significant impact on profitability and shareholder value. Recent research at Cranfield School of Management has highlighted where the sources of risk in supply chains might lie and how that risk might be mitigated and managed by the application of ‘Six Sigma’ philosophies and procedures. [pic] As Supply Chain...

Words: 5501 - Pages: 23

Premium Essay

Importance of Reserch in Education

...I stated m caee in an The Challenges Facing Beginning Teachers New teachers bring varying backgrounds, motivations, experiences, and preparation levels to their initial teaching experience. Their view of the profession and their role in it is shaped by these motivations, as well as by the context in which they begin their work. This chapter explores the commitments that new teachers bring to their roles and the challenges they face. It sets forth the need for the development of a comprehensive induction program to help all new teachers become fully committed and more effective in the classroom. A CASE OF BEGINNING TEACHING Anna was a first-year teacher in an urban school. Although Business was her undergraduate major, she found her initial foray into the business world to be very unsatisfying. She wanted a career that would allow her to make a contribution to society. She heard about the need for teachers— particularly for math teachers—in her area. Not being quite sure what she needed to do to become eligible to work in a teaching capacity, she attended a recruitment fair put on by the local school district. There she heard about the program that would allow her to begin teaching while she completed work on a teaching credential through a district-led or a university-led alternative certification program. 1 Bartell 01.qxd 7/21/04 5:45 PM Page 1 After taking a test that measured her “basic skills” (reading, math, and writing), she was sent on some interviews at several middle...

Words: 7754 - Pages: 32