Guard on the Ground: First Things First

By Sgt. Jon E. Dougherty
Public Affairs NCO
203rd Engineer Battalion

FOB SHARANA, Afghanistan – The active duty Army and National Guard members of a new route clearance patrol formed here last month would experience many “firsts” in their maiden voyage.

For many of the members of the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery (the 5-3), 17th Fire Brigade, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., last week’s opening mission marked the first time they served as part of a route clearance unit – a job typically left to combat engineers. Becoming route clearance personnel means taking on a substantially different role than manning MLRS – multiple launch rocket system – batteries, the 5-3’s core mission.

For the members of the 203rd Engineer Battalion, Missouri Army National Guard, it was also their first time serving in a route clearance capacity in Afghanistan with an active Army element. When the 203rd was ordered to mobilize last August, these particular citizen-soldiers initially were slated to perform a personnel security role but that changed once they arrived here and the need for more route clearance patrols (RCPs) became evident.

For all of them – who are collectively nicknamed the “Black Jacks” – the mission marked the first time they worked together “outside the wire” as a team.

And the first time they went out, they had their hands full.

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