By Heath resident and retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Hogan.

Sergeant Ben Weston, grandson of Joann Claycomb of Royse City and son of Jan and Ben Weston, formerly of Rockwall, is a Squad Leader in Company C, 1-17^th Infantry, 5th Stryker Brigade, based in Fort Lewis, Washington.

But today, after serving a tour in Iraq, he is stationed in southern Afghanistan.

On a typical day, October 27, 2009, Sergeant Weston, a Squad Leader responsible for himself and seven other soldiers, is in his Stryker vehicle leading a convoy of three other Strykers as they patrol outside their Forward Operating Base looking for insurgent Taliban.

He and all of the other Soldiers in his unit are seeing more and more IED devices employed by the insurgents to kill and maim US personnel, so they are especially vigilant as they patrol. They also are concerned about their protection in the Stryker vehicles they ride as they have recently been told to remove the “bird cage” that surrounds the vehicle.

This metal “cage” was installed on all of the Strykers after they were manufactured to provide a sort of protection from RPG rounds fired at the vehicle. The theory being the rounds would hit the “bird cage” and explode before going through the thin skin of the Stryker. The “cage” also added a degree of stability to the vehicle that would prevent the Stryker from turning over if hit.

Ben and his men were told removal of the “cage” was being done to “prevent damage to Afghan houses as they moved through the narrow streets in the villages.” As you can expect, the men of Ben’s squad were not happy about this action.

On October 27, Ben and his fellow Soldiers were patrolling off the roadways to avoid the IEDs. Down in a dried up riverbed, the vehicles were following one behind the other. Ben and his squad in their vehicle had just gone through a choke point on the riverbed and were waiting 100 yards ahead for the next vehicle from a sister platoon to clear the point so they could proceed up the river.

As the vehicle entered the choke point, it also had to go up a small rise in the ground. Just as it started up, a command-detonated 2000 pound IED made up of ammonia nitrate was detonated right under the vehicle.

As Ben said, “I saw the Stryker go up in the air, heard the explosion, and then saw the vehicle falling. Both the bottom and the top of the vehicle had been totally destroyed by the blast and you could see clear through it.” Seven of the men in the Platoon were killed in the explosion, along with one Afghan interpreter.

Immediately after the detonation, the Taliban opened up with small arms fire from their ambush position. Ben said they were able to hold them off until the helicopter air support arrived and drove the Taliban away.

Since arriving in Afghanistan in July, eleven of the forty men in Ben’s sister platoon have been killed. Fifty-eight Americans were killed in Afghanistan in October.

Where are you on your decision- making, Mr. President? Any half decent Army officer could have made that decision on troop strength a week after it was presented to him. So far you have had the issue to you since August and still no decision. How many more will have to die while you delay and delay. Either make a decision or let’s get out now!

Jerry Hogan is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel who volunteers to write these articles. He can be reached at jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net or 214-394-4033

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“The Military View” by columnist Jerry Hogan. Nathan Raulston, son of Kim and Terry Raulston of Rockwall, and husband of Jessica Mills Raulston of Mesquite, graduated from Rockwall High School in 2003 and today he is in Iraq helping defend our freedoms.

Nathan enlisted in the US Army in early 2007 and immediately started his training to become a Cavalry Scout. In the classical sense, the Army uses their Scout units to find the enemy and hold them in place until other units can engage them with heavier weapons. But in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, since these Scout units are highly mobile and can move quickly in an area, they are used extensively in patrolling both urban and open areas as well as actually engaging enemy forces they might find.

In the summer of 2007 Nathan deployed to Germany where his first unit was located in Schweinfurt and then relocated to Grafenwhoer, Germany, one of the major training area for US forces in Germany. His stay was short as the unit deployed to Iraq in the early winter of last year and now is located at one of the Forward Operating Bases (FOB) south of Baghdad. As he says, “the mission of my unit is to work hand in hand with Iraqi police, army, and security forces to help them sustain the war on terrorism. We train them by showing them the essentials of marksmanship, first aid, close quarters combat and how to fight and win on the battlefield.

I usually work from 10-14 hours each day. Some days are pretty routine while others get rather exciting. The other day, for example, we were on patrol and one of the vehicles was hit with an IED explosive device. While no one was badly hurt, the vehicle was totally destroyed. We traced back the command detonation cord for about 300 yards and found where the terrorist had actually “holed up” with blankets, cigarettes, and an extra battery for the trigger mechanism. He was just waiting for a good target to pass by so he could explode the device.

As far as living conditions, we are in shelters that are like connex containers. We have a bunk, wall locker, showers and a latrine (bathroom). We also have a mess hall (Army restaurant) and the food is good. We are going into the summer so it will be really hot and that takes a lot out of you, especially when we are on foot patrols.”

When I asked Nathan about the All Volunteer Army he said, “It separates the boys from the men. Weigh all of your options if you are thinking about enlisting and think about what you want in life…and then go for it. The Army has been great for me. It has taught me basic leadership skills to prepare me for my dream job of being Captain with the Rockwall Fire Department when I get out next year.”

Now here is a young man who knows where he wants to be in life and is vigorously working towards that goal. Tell him, and all his buddies, thanks and good luck when you get the chance.

Jerry Hogan can be reached at jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net or 214-394-4033. His web site is www.themilitaryview.com

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