Confined to Afghan outpost by rocket attacks, unit finds ways to pass the time

[unhappycamper]

Confined to Afghan outpost by rocket attacks, unit finds ways to pass the time
By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, June 4, 2008

ZEROK, Afghanistan — Zerok Combat Outpost, at the edge of a plateau about 7,700 feet above sea level, is surrounded by mountain ridges rising several hundred feet higher.

Enemies love to climb on the far side of those ridges and lob rockets and missiles toward the soldiers below.

It happened Saturday morning. And Saturday afternoon. And Sunday morning. And more than 100 times since 3rd Platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment arrived in this area, in eastern Afghanistan, in May 2007. Most of the time, the projectiles don’t come very close to hitting their targets. Soldiers hunker down in bunkers, while those in the watchtowers make sure no one attacks the perimeter.

Spcs. Russell Chappell and William Judd were wounded by shrapnel when a rocket hit their tower last August. They were eventually evacuated to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, but they’re now back with their unit.

First Lt. Justin Thornburg, who has led the platoon for three months, says their assailants know they only have a few minutes to get off their shots before the Americans either return fire or call for air support. Their aim isn’t accurate because they have to run for cover. If they stayed with the launchers, they could be bombed from above, but the soldiers aren’t about to go chasing them up the mountains.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55300

[CRK7376]

1. That's Afghanistan for you....

I was in a similar location, isolated and a rocket magnet compound. We didn't have xbox or any game systems, but we did have lots of DVDs and movies to watch on the computers and dvd players. Pity we didn't have internet out there...it's a war zone, early on in the Afghan campaign....