Army mortarmen fire on the mountains

[unhappycamper]

Martin's team fired off dozens of rounds at the surrounding ridge tops after intelligence acquired by his unit, who are members of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Paratrooper Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, warned of a potential attack by insurgents.


Army mortarmen fire on the mountains
By Les Neuhaus, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Saturday, October 20, 2007


PECH RIVER VALLEY, Afghanistan

While the war in Iraq rages on, so does the one in Afghanistan.

While little is reported about the daily fighting in the northeastern mountains close to the border with Pakistan and just below the Hindu Kush, U.S. troops are engaging militants around the clock.

Holding those militants back might be more difficult if it weren’t for the constant barrage of 60, 81 and 120 mm mortar fire lobbed at those same mountainsides by American soldiers dirty to the bone with war.

They get little to no time off and sleep in their threadbare uniforms — waiting for the next assignment to come down the line — anchored to the heavy weapons.

“When our base is taking contact, we’re the biggest gun here,” said Spc. Cody Rankin, 20, from Amarillo, Texas. “There’s an adrenaline rush to it. ... It’d be boring if we never got attacked.”

Rankin’s comments came as his men fielded a fire mission based on intelligence that his base might be attacked on Thursday.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=49643