Battlefield Tourist

After spending a month trying to get to the eastern front in Paktika Province, I finally made it. Unfortunately, as previously expressed, I came to a difficult decision to leave the base at Salerno in order to capitalize on the chance of going with the Marines.
As it stands, the story on the Marines is really the only story, that I can see, that I can actually win. I will be one of three journalist allowed to cover them as they finally start combat operations in the south.

May 6th

Things have started getting easier moving about the country. It's almost assuredly a combination of pressure from journos like me and the fact that the command structure is changing as troops rotate out.
The flight from Bagram to Kandahar went off without a hitch and we ended up staying the night there to wait for an early morning chopper flight to where the Marines' 22nd MEU is now based. With me is CNN's Nic Robertson and and AFP reporter named Madaline Coorey from AFP (French Press).

May 7th

The chopper flight was very nice. Flying low over the desert and between mountain passes, you get to see a large slice of Afghanistan from a very nice vantage point.
Turns out the Marines have deployed to Urzugan Province. This province is home to Mullah Omar and is well known as a Taliban infested province. It's a rugged and near inaccessible province that has seen very little coalition protection since the war began.
As we fly over the area, it is mountainous and barren. Hardly any sign of life until we fly through a pass and the town of Tara Khowt becomes visible. It's easy to see because it's the only thing green fro miles around.
Next to the town is where the 22nd Marine Amphibious Unit has been sent. It's been one of the most anticipated moves of the year and I am the first journalist to get to see it.
The Marines have been here two weeks and are hard at work turning it into the newest coalition base in the country. It's name is Forward Operating Base (FOB) Ripley.
Only two weeks old, Camp Ripley looks hardly like a base. It actually looks more like a staging area with boxes of supplies and men feverishly working to set up the defenses. Patrols through the area indicate a population relieved to see the coalition finally arrive. For the Marines, it's history. It's the first time a MEU has been deployed to a landlocked area of operation (AO). The AO is southern Urzugan Province and northern Kandahar Province. An area that most believe is filled with some of the last remnants of resisting Taliban. It could very well be the hiding place of Osama bin Laden as well.
We land in a plume of dust and as you step off the chopper, it has all the characteristics of what I expect the moon to be like. Like other places in Afghanistan, the dust is up to six inches deep and is as fine as baby powder. Although the valley has a beauty to it, it is clear the conditions here will be harsh. There's no showers, no shelter and only MRE rations to eat. I am starting to think this place will not be one of my favorites.
For the media, there is a small tent that acts as a work space, which like usual, is immediately taken over by CNN. there's no where for us to sleep, so we're given small two man tents and a plot of land amongst a sea of similar tents that will now be home.
Less than two hours into the stay, and the wind kicks up to ferocious levels. During the next seven hours, I would endure the most violent dust storm I have ever seen.
Not having any work to do until I get into the field, I hunker down in my tent to ride it out. In the end the driving wind would actually force the baby powder sand through the walls of my tent making life quit miserable.
When it's over, havoc has been dealt across the base, an inch of powder covering everything I just brought. It's an event that no one could possibly have enjoyed and one that definitely started my visit off in a sour way.
When it was over, people began to emerge from their tents like curious mice and the rest of the day was spent by most trying to clean to the best of their ability, which was nearly a useless endeavor.

May 7th

My goal was to get on the first supply convoy to where the action was. Currently, more than a thousand Marines were at a smaller base more than a dozen miles away from where the combat operations were taking place.
CNN wanted Nic to do live shots that night, which put Madelline and I on the convoy without them. Good news for me. If I could get into the combat zone and out again before CNN, I would be the first TV journalist to get the pictures everyone wants (at least in my mind). The Marines are a hot topic at the weekly press conferences, so I can only assume the video is potentially valuable.
We are loaded into the back of an armor plated seven ton truck and begin the long journey to the Battalion Landing Team's HQ known as "Indianhead". First though, we must pick up Bravo Company, whose in the field conducting checkpoints.
After three long, bumpy, dusty hours, we find Bravo's bivouac and start the process of loading them into the trucks, which quickly become overstuffed with Marines and gear. The next four hours would be a miserable mix of the previous three.
Being the oldest guy around by several years, I couldn't help think at times about my time in the service, particularly my time at 29 Palms, California, which looks, smells and tastes a lot like this region of Afghanistan. The ride is long and uncomfortable, but two hours after dark, we finally make it to Indianhead where we lay our bags out in the sand near the command post, and fall asleep under the stars.
The plan for the morning is simple: Hook up with Charlie Company and go looking for the Taliban. I have a feeling the things I need to take pictures of to be successful are just a day away.

May 8th

The night is absolutely beautiful. I saw more stars in the sky there than at any time in my life. I slept fairly well and was comfortable as I have a new sleeping arrangement because I found a company sleeping bag in which I line my with my summer bag.
The sun rises early, around 5 am, and so does the camp in general. Unfortunately, I am immediately told there's a change of plans and that some "things" need to be sorted out before we can go out, and that may take a day or two.
Being a journalist of pessimism, I assume that the Marines want to properly "advise" their troops of how to act around the press, which begins to annoy me. As it turns out, I was far from right.
A few hours into our wait and I am briefed that a patrol had been ambushed a few hours earlier and that there was a change of plans. It appeared as if those plans meant we were staying put. As we were being briefed, I realized that the troops around us were were hastily preparing for a mission, one I knew I should be on.
The Marines and the Afghan National Army were preparing to reinforce the area of attack, and they were getting ready to storm the villages where the attack occurred.
I asked to be a part of the assault and was granted permission. I was going in on the fourth chopper, once again with Bravo Company. I'd never trained for an air assault, but I knew how they worked. i was positioned on in the left column in the #4 position.
As we sat waiting for our CH-53, the excitement began to build. Then we could hear the choppers coming in and we started to get ready to mount. The giant choppers came around the mountain and swung in, raising the dust high into the air. As the birds landed, we covered our faces and dropped our goggles: It was showtime.
Finally the call came and on orders from the platoon sergeant, we ran in file to the chopper and quickly boarded, putting our gear between our legs. Almost as quick as we sat down, we were off. Around me 28 Marines ready for a fight. The men were excited and nervous, many of them punching fist to fist in the way men do before a football game. I just sat there watching and wondering what it was we were about to get in to.
The ride to the landing zone was short, maybe 10 minutes in all, but in this area of the country, it would have taken hours to cover the same ground. As the chopper landed....