By 1st Lt. Connor Shepard
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Soldiers with Company D, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, rehearse for a ground defense area patrol in Helmand, Afghanistan, during a recent mission. The Soldiers, who are part of Task Force Southwest, conduct patrols to deter improvised explosive devices and indirect fire. (Photo by 1st Lt. Connor Shepard)
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Members with 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted ground defense area patrols to protect the area of operation from enemy forces.
Task Force Southwest is a joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational organization of advisers who train and advise Afghanistan security forces.
Success during ground patrols involves planning and preparation, said 1st Lt. Nicholas Shearin, platoon leader, Company D, 1st Bn., 41st Inf. Reg., 2nd IBCT.
“Everything we do to get ready for a patrol is part of a planning process,” he said. “We get a notification of a mission a few weeks out and, we start planning the whole operation from start to finish.”
As part of the process, Sgt. 1st Class Ramon Arias, platoon sergeant, Company D, 1st Bn., 41st Inf. Reg., 2nd IBCT, assists his platoon leader with preparing the Soldiers for combat operations.
HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — A Soldier with Company D, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, pulls security from the turret of his vehicle during a ground defense area patrol recently in Helmand, Afghanistan. (Photo by 1st Lt. Connor Shepard)
“Before we push out, we make sure to conduct all the necessary rehearsals and check our supplies,” said Arias. “We check all of our equipment, get a personnel count, maneuver out to the site and interact with the locals we find.”
While on a mission, Arias noticed the junior Soldiers experiencing a culture shock when they saw the living conditions of the local Afghans.
“During our last patrol we found a tent that had a Family of seven people living in it,” said Pvt. Theodore Zimmer, medic, Company D, 1st Bn., 41st Inf. Reg., 2nd IBCT. “Even though they didn’t have much …, they still offered the whole platoon bread and tea, it meant a lot.”
Even though Zimmer only had what was in his pack, he made sure to return the kindness with a small gesture.
“We saw that they needed medicine so I offered them the Tylenol that we carry with us,” explained Zimmer. “For us it’s nothing, but to them … it really helps.”
Patrolling the area of operation is important, but patrols are not always welcome, so it is nice to see a positive outcome, said Shearin.
“It’s great to see how positive people are with our presence in the area, being here makes the whole area safer,” he said.