The State September 23, 2007
S.C. troops say they're making a difference
By Chuck Crombo
GARDEZ, Afghanistan — When the sun goes down, the lights go out at Camp Lightning.
Unlike some larger military installations in Afghanistan, which are lit up like a Wal-Mart parking lot, Camp Lightning is bathed in darkness.
The precaution is necessary because enemy fighters occasionally target the camp with nighttime mortar attacks.
“We had four attacks between May 28 and June 30,” said Capt. Brandon Pitcher, commander of the S.C. National Guard security force unit based here. “I said, ‘That was enough.’”
In response, “We got our mortars in place, started reconning the hills around here and beefed up patrols,” said Pitcher of the Guard’s Company A, 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry, based in Moncks Corner.
Since then, there has been only one attack. As in previous attacks, the enemy’s mortars fell harmlessly outside the base.
The increased vigilance is necessary because the camp — home to about 400 U.S. and coalition troops and 100 foreign civilian works — is in the heart of Taliban country.
The base is near Gardez, a town of about 70,000 and the capital of Paktia province in southeastern Afghanistan. It is about 50 miles west of the lawless Pakistani border.
Elements of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s deposed ruling party, still terrorize the area’s population. Nonetheless, dozens of local Afghans risk their lives to work on the base.
‘SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF’
Despite the isolation and danger outside the camp’s gates, the 100 S.C. troops stationed here say they’re making a contribution.
“Knowing that what you’re doing will someday be written up in the history books, that’s something to be proud of,” said Spc. Carl Rogers of Clover.
The South Carolinians perform a number of jobs, including analyzing intelligence, repairing Humvees, caring for the sick and wounded, and managing logistics. However, the largest group of South Carolinians — an approximately platoon-sized unit from the Moncks Corner infantry company — provides security.
Summerville’s Pitcher has security troops stretched along 600 miles — from Mazar-e-sharif, in the northern corner of Afghanistan, to outposts along the Pakistani border. The infantry troops run convoys, man watchtowers and patrol the area.
“This is the best base I’ve been on,” said Sgt. Bo Evans of Goose Creek, who has been stationed at two other Afghan bases and deployed during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. “The only downfall is that we’re a long way from home.”
SACRIFICES
Being a long way from home weighs on the S.C. troops on occasion.
In civilian life, for example, Pitcher is an assistant principal in the Dorchester 2 school district.
This year, he found himself missing the excitement of the opening days of school, thinking about what he would have been doing to prepare his school for students.
“It makes you realize the sacrifices that all soldiers are making away from their jobs,” Pitcher said. “They just have to put that on hold and do the job at hand. You take care of business here and, eventually, get back to it.”
Pitcher wasn’t alone in his start-of-school reverie.
Staff Sgt. Steve Leggette, another S.C. National Guard member here, normally is a government teacher at Wando High School near Mount Pleasant. Leggette also is the softball coach and an assistant football coach.
Through e-mails, Leggette has kept up on the latest school news.
But he added, “I do miss the Friday nights. The first thing I do when I get up Saturday is get on the computer and start checking for scores.”
PLENTY OF WORK
One of the busiest places at Camp Lightning is its garage, manned by troops of the S.C. Guard’s Varnville-based 163rd Support Battalion.
There, seven soldiers maintain more than 140 Humvees and transport trucks driven by troops in four provinces — Paktia, Patika, Khowst and Ghazni.
Because the area is so mountainous there is plenty of work, said Sgt. Kennith Pelzer of West Columbia.
The rugged terrain regularly results in blown transmissions, brakes and engines, Pelzer said. Humvees also overheat because almost two tons of bullet-proof armor has been bolted onto their frames.
The maintenance work keeps the shop busy, said Sgt. Baron Frazier of Orangeburg. But the troops also are getting ready for winter.
At an elevation of 7,600 feet — more than a half-mile higher than Denver — the area can expect up to 5 feet of snow, said Frazier.
“We’ll be putting chains on the tires, installing snow blades on the 5-ton trucks and Humvees,” Frazier said.
MULTITASKING
Being on a small base requires the soldiers to be flexible and wear a variety of hats.
For example, Lt. Col. Tony Wells of Columbia handles public affairs, civil affairs and information operations. Wells also mentors his counterpart at the Afghan army base, also located at Camp Lightning.
Of the four jobs, Wells said his favorite is working with the Afghan army.
“They are some of the greatest people I’ve met and worked with,” Wells said. “I hate to use the word ‘mentor’ because they know their jobs. It’s more like working side by side, making sure they cross their T’s and dot their I’s.”
Second Lt. Leslie Madron of Florence also finds herself handling a variety of duties.
A medic and platoon leader in the Guard’s Company C, 163rd Support Battalion, Madron also is in charge of the logistics task force at Camp Lightning.
The job includes scheduling convoys to Camp Phoenix outside Kabul to pick up troops and supplies, arranging transportation for soldiers to other Afghan bases, and ordering everything from Humvee parts to bandages.
“I stay busy,” Madron said. “But what I do keeps the mission going.”
GARDEZ
Fast facts about the Afghan city; 100 S.C. National Guard soldiers are stationed at nearby Camp Lightning.
Population: 70,000
Elevation: Approximately 7,600 feet, nearly a half-mile higher than Denver
Location: 60 miles south of Kabul; 50 miles west of the Pakistani border
Climate: In summer, extremely hot and dry, with highs of more than 110 degrees; winter can bring up to 5 feet of snow.
Terrain: Mix of South Dakota’s Badlands and Arizona’s Painted Desert; the area’s rugged mountain passes are best suited for goats.
Political: Capital of Paktia province. Besides Taliban in the area, “the population is divided into tribes, many of which are involved in feuds with each other that can go back generations,” according to Globalsecurity.org, a military and foreign affairs Web site. “Rival warlords still maintain private armies in the area.”
SOURCES: Globalsecurity.org; staff reports
© Copyright 2007, The State
