Story by Spc. Elisebet Freeburg, 08.06.2009

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Soldiers of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment at Forward Operating Base Baylough have one mission, disrupt the enemy. Austere FOB Baylough lies 7,500 feet above sea level in a valley below the Hindu Kush Mountains. Because of rocky terrain, most patrols to the remote, local villages in the Deh Chopan District, Zabul province, are dismounted, or foot patrols.

Although they conduct offensive operations based on specific intelligence reports, the 1-4 Inf. Regt. Soldiers accomplish most of their counterinsurgency through daily, key leader engagement patrols. The Soldiers rotate, so each squad patrols every three days.

"We-re trying to build trust with [local leaders]," said Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Carney, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. platoon sergeant from Norwood, Mass. "Give us information where the bad guys are, and we-ll go fix them for you, so they won-t be a problem."

During a KLE patrol, the patrol leader speaks with village elders, seeking information about insurgents hiding in surrounding mountains or recent insurgent activity. With Afghanistan-s presidential election scheduled for August, Soldiers commonly ask villagers if they plan on voting or if they are registered to vote.

"The Taliban is as much as a danger to them as they are to us," said Pfc. Wesley R. Gatewood, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. infantryman from Oak Hills, Calif.

Local leaders often tell Soldiers the village-s needs, and the troops assist when possible. The 1-4 Inf. Reg. have built bridges and are planning a community center and a school.

Soldiers often provide medical care on KLE patrols. A medic accompanies each patrol and evaluates and treats locals who are ill or injured.

Troops also update their biometric database by collecting fingerprint and retinal scans from locals, using the Hand-held Interagency Identity Detection Equipment.

"We look for something that doesn-t look right," said Sgt. Christian Cisenero, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. team leader from San Diego, Calif. "If they are nervous, trying to walk away from us, or trying not to make eye contact, usually that is a big clue."

Soldiers on a KLE patrol July 26 also collected fragments from a suspected insurgent-fired rocket. The 1-4 Inf. Regt. sends evidence they find on patrols to a counter-improvised explosive device team at Kandahar Airfield for analysis.

Foreign, insurgent fighters from China, Chechnya and Uzbek use horses to travel the Hindu Kush Mountains, said Staff Sgt. Azhar M. Sher, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. squad leader from Baltimore, Md. The FOB Baylough Soldiers investigate horses and riders they encounter while on patrol. They also examine motorcycles, which are also commonly used by insurgents for travel.

"Nine out of 10 times our gut feeling is right," said Sher. "We-ve been to these towns so many times, we are able to tell when someone or something isn-t right."

As part of establishing trust and communication with the Afghan populace, Afghan national army soldiers and Afghan national police officers often patrol with 1-4 Inf. Regt. Soldiers. Although ANA soldiers are relatively new to the area, ANP officers have been present for five years and are very knowledgeable about the area and operations, said Carney.

"[ANA soldiers and ANP officers] will do any mission we ask them to do," said Carney. "And we will do it side by side."

There are many dangers on patrols, such as injuries due to the terrain or illness from the heat. Soldiers also face enemy attacks from ambushes, snipers and IEDs. Medics are trained to assess and assist casualties, and call for a medical evacuation back to FOB Lagman or KAF if needed.

Patrols can extend as far as seven kilometers, and each Soldier carries about 60 pounds of equipment through orchards, fields, mountainous terrain and waterways. Soldiers pack enough gear and supplies to last 48 hours, in case they are delayed by enemy contact. If Soldiers discover an IED while on patrol, they must wait at that location until an explosive ordnance disposal team, a military bomb squad, arrives to safely destroy or disable the device. As a result, patrols may take as long as three hours to two days, said Gatewood.

"I think [patrols] help Operation Enduring Freedom, because it-s all about stabilization for Afghanistan, and that-s what we try to bring," said Gatewood.

The 1-4 Inf. Regt. has assisted the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan since 2004 and has worked and trained with the Romanian Royal Army at FOBs Baylough, Mizan and Lane since 2006. When Bravo Company Soldiers finish their six month rotation and return to their home station in Hohenfels, Germany, they will train coalition forces in counterinsurgency operations.

Story by Staff Sgt. Marcos Alices, 08.06.2009

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - In Afghanistan, troops are spread throughout the desert, countryside and mountainous terrain in small, forward operating bases. The number of service members at any location can be as small as 30 to 60 or vary in the hundreds.

At FOB Baylough, a platoon of infantrymen from the 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment shoulders the responsibility to patrol the Hindu Kush Mountains in the Deh Chopan District, Zabul province. That is their mission, but their jobs extend much more as they must maintain and operate a FOB on their own.

"We are pretty self-sustaining, so we have to do everything ourselves," said Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Carney, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. platoon sergeant from Norwood, Mass. "We got to make sure our own showers work. We got to make sure out toilets work. We pretty much got to do everything on our own."

Spreading the work and mission over a three-day cycle among the squads, the 1-4 Inf. Regt. has been able to maintain Baylough since 2006. No time is ever wasted as each squad rotates daily duties and patrol missions. Daily duties would include anything from cleaning common areas, burning the trash and filling the generators with fuel. In Baylough, a Soldier is more than an infantryman; he has to be a carpenter, mechanic and capable of doing several odd jobs.

Baylough could be its own village in these mountains, as they have their own supply of water, food and electricity to support the compound. They get most of their supplies, such as rations and ammunitions, via the Container Delivery System. The CDS is the most commonly used method for the aerial insertion of supplies quickly to FOBs such as Baylough.

"[Life is] simple," said Staff Sgt. Jason Gaulke, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. indirect fire infantryman from Buffalo Lake, Minn. "You wake up and do your missions or chores"

Each squad has its chance to go out on patrols and talk to local villagers. As every squad goes out, there is always a squad on stand-by as the quick reaction force. As the QRF, it will be their job to come to the aid of the patrolling squad if needed. The Soldiers who are on the sidelines are responsible for being ready at a moment's notice. They will make sure all tactical vehicles and equipment are operational.

"The living conditions here are actually pretty nice considering the locations," said Pfc. Bryan E. Delashmit, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. infantryman from Lebanon, Indiana. "They definitely have improved [the FOB]. You hear stories from what other people have said when they have been here before, and they have been like four or five dudes in a small room, a clay room at that."

The FOB grew from meager beginnings as nothing more than a mud hut to a perimeter extending out about 400 meters. Though Baylough is no bigger than the size of a small elementary school, it has barracks, a gym, dining facility, plus a morale, welfare and recreation facility. Many of these facilities, such as the barracks, are new additions to the FOB. The barracks was added in February.

"You are generally at the frontlines [when on guard duty]," said Delashmit. "Upon an attack, you are the first responder for the FOB."

With any FOB, security is top priority and this is no different for Baylough. Unlike other FOBs, which are setup with a circular or triangular perimeter, Baylough is set up with a square perimeter. U.S. Soldiers guard the most likely way of attack. The Soldiers call this post "Rock Guard" because of the large rocks around the area. Afghan national army and Afghan national police man all other posts. Security is provided for the base 24 hours. The Soldiers look for anything suspicious within the orchards and mountains around the area.

"It's like being at summer camp." said Spc. Christopher Spositi, a 1-4 Inf. Regt. indirect fire infantryman from Plano, Texas. "You have a bunch of guys in a small, confined area to do a job."

Confined in small areas and a stressful environment, Soldiers build close bonds. These bonds cannot be compared to any other relationship. It is unique in how it was created. Six-hour shootouts with insurgents created these bonds. Long patrols in the mountainous Deh Chopan District created these bonds. Two hour "Rock Guard," card games and watching movies created these bonds. The 1-4 Inf. Regt., Bravo Company, 2nd Platoon Soldiers all have a story about the day they came close to a bullet. Yet, they shrug their shoulders and move on as they prepare to return back to Hohenfels, Germany, in the coming months.

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