Roughing it With the Assassins

This one comes from Chris:

If there is one thing I have learned on this trip, it’s this. The life of a Cav Scout is definitely not easy. Sunday night, Ryan and I were out, away from 3-1 Cav’s Forward Operating Base. We were embedded with the 3-1 Cav’s Assassin troop as they held a section of ground out in the desert.

The soldiers set up a command post, which is little more than the unit’s vehicles and an armored personel carrier with a tent attached.

The soldiers hid their position from any enemy insurgents, but they weren’t able to hide us from the weather. The temperatures must have been in the 30’s, and there was little to protect us from the cold.

Soldiers slept wherever they could. Some were lucky, like the medics. They were able to bed down in their tracked vehicle, with a heater on. Some soldiers were able to snag cots in the tents.

Ryan and I were able to snag the back seats in one of the humvees. We’d wake up every so often, crank the humvee’s engine and enjoy the heater.

Some soldiers weren’t quite as lucky. They found themselves on the ground, in sleeping bags.

But, the morning light, brought warmth and a new adventure.

Ryan and I linked up with Assassin Troop’s Red Platoon. We spent the afternoon chasing down IEDs and overwatching one of the main roads here at the National Training Center.

Tonight, we’re taking it easy, preparing ourselves for another day which promises to be eventful.