Cleaning up before company arrives, even in war
Published: December 8, 2010
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HOWZ-E MADAD -- For a relatively new base out in the Zhari district of Kandahar, preparing for a visit by the Secretary of Defense requires a bit of spiffing up, downrange style.
Like putting out a row of brand new port-a-potties. Laying down a carpet of rocks on the dirt roads to try to stave off the insidious dust. And making the Afghan National Army soldiers pick up the litter that is typically strewn across their living area.
The U.S. soldiers also put up a wall of empty Hesco barriers to block off a storage area, and set up a tent for Defense Secretary Robert Gates to use for handing out Purple Hearts and commendation medals to soldiers.
Soldiers with the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky., milled about for hours waiting for Gates’ arrival on Wednesday. He was an hour and half behind schedule because of issues with the air travel, but the soldiers didn’t seem to mind.
“To shake his hand is probably a once-in-a-career opportunity,” Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Williams said.
Gates had told the battalion he wasn't interested in a briefing, just in spending some time with the troops. Speaking to a couple dozen soldiers, Gates offered his usual line, telling them that as the man who signs the orders for them to be in harm's way, he feels personally responsible for them.
The sacrifices, hardships and losses "affect me more than you can possibly imagine," he said.
The unit had prepared some show-and-tell for Gates, but the soldiers presenting a bomb-sniffing dog and two devices used to find and blow up roadside bombs had to settle for an audience with the traveling media who came with the secretary.
Gates sat down with 10 young enlisted soldiers, and he told the sergeant major of the unit that they were among the most prepared he had spoken with – and a few generals would be answering their questions later.
Despite some grumbling about the dining facility being closed for lunch because of Gate’s brief visit (and, for the engineers, about having to do the last minute tidying up), most soldiers were excited that the man in charge of the Pentagon came out to see them.
“It’s a real morale booster,” Staff Sgt. James Boldizsar said.
