Authorized newspaper of Joint Base Lewis-McChord
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Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates speaks to members of 1-17 Inf. at a forward operating base in Afghanistan, Tuesday. Gates visited a memorial dedicated to the men killed in action earlier in the battalion’s deployment.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FRONTENAC, Afghanistan — It was a sobering reminder to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates of the cost of the war in this country. In front of the headquarters of the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry, is a white-painted blast wall bearing the names of the 22 Soldiers who have died on this mission.
Gates was visiting Afghanistan to get the “ground truth” directly from the Soldiers at the sharp end of the spear. He visited with Soldiers at this base and also traveled to Now Zad to visit Marines who are liberating Helmand Province from the Taliban.
The 17th Infantry is part of the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The unit was initially ordered to deploy to Iraq, but President Barack Obama directed more troops to Afghanistan, and the mission shifted.
The Soldiers arrived in July as the first Stryker brigade to deploy here. The Soldiers walked into a buzz saw. The area around Frontenac was a Taliban stronghold.
In 1-17 Inf.’s first 100 days at this former Canadian camp, 300 “significant activities” took place, covering the gamut from mines to roadside bombs to indirect fire to direct fire.
“You came into an area that was totally controlled by the Taliban,” Gates said to about 200 Soldiers at the battalion headquarters. “You fought for critical battle space, you bled for it, and now you own it. And you demonstrated extraordinary courage and determination in making that happen.”
Gates said he wants to make sure that service members in the fight get the tools they need to do the job. He noted he has read a memo calling for improvements to the Stryker wheeled armored vehicle to make it more effective in Afghanistan, and he is overseeing the effort to get more all-terrain, mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to the fight.
“There are 1,000 of these in theater,” he said. “In the next month or so, we should ramp up to 750 a month.” Service members in Afghanistan are getting a lot of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets and more capabilities to counter improvised explosive devices, Gates said.
Gates added that he’s paying special attention to ensuring wounded service members are evacuated to a medical facility within an hour after they’re hurt, which greatly improves their chances for survival.
“One thing that is especially important to me (is having) enough medevac that we come as close as possible to that ‘golden hour,’” he said.
Gates told the Soldiers he understands the stress their families face while they’re deployed, and that he appreciates their sacrifices and support.
Serving northeast of Kandahar, 1-17 Inf., is going to play a large role in the campaign.
“Once again, you will be the tip of the spear,” Gates said, “and I know you will bring the same courage and the same sense of duty to that effort that has already defined your deployment here.”
The secretary visited Regional Command South leaders before taking a V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft to Frontenac. At Kandahar, he awarded Silver Star medals to Army Lt. Col. John Morgan and Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Wooley.
To see images from Gates' visit to 5/2, visit the following gallery:
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