The convoy being briefed at Camp Rhino; ST-3, Delta Platoon before leaving Camp Rhino; and shots of the convoy en route. (Authors' collections)
Directions. The local pointed in a specific direction and ended up traveling, by no choice of his own, ten miles with the convoy. He was “dumped” on the side of the road later.69
Another unnerving factor was that the convoy was required to drive with their headlights on as ordered by Commander Harward. Coalition air assets had orders to fire on all vehicles that traveled at night without lights on. Many SOF personnel believed that Glint tape and IR strobe lights should have been enough as target identifiers. Now, with their lights on, some of special operations commandos believed the Taleban forces could ambush the convoy more easily. Driving the vehicles without lights would have been manageable as NODs (Night Observation Devices) were capable of illuminating the dark roads. But with the vehicles’ lights on, the Americans’ advantage of nighttime vision was canceled out and they were left vulnerable to attack.
SEAL team posing in front of Qandahar International Airport. (Authors' collections)
The road near Lashkar Gar turns into a small channel and the locals had set up a checkpoint, with AKs (Avtomat Kalashnikova) and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) ever present. As the convoy approached the check-point, one sailor from Dam Neck recommended staggering the vehicles so as to present a less
Sunset shot of the tent city outside of the terminal at Qandahar International Airport. (Authors' collections)
Uniform target. That suggestion was immediately countermanded by Commander Harward and the convoy proceeded in a straight, single file, a perfect target for an ambush. Darrick was convinced he was going to get hit. He prepared to rush out of the lead vehicle and engage anyone in the nearby buildings. Fortunately, the convoy moved forward unmolested and hit a hard-ball highway to Qandahar. They “hauled ass” and hit the city.
One last interesting point made by Darrick regarding Afghanistan concerns an incident that took place after the Taleban had been crushed. The SEALs were near bin Laden’s former training location at Tarnak Farms when one of them took a step forward. Had it not been for one Mujahideen sniper who pulled him back, he would have stepped on an undetected mine and blown them all to smithereens. Afghanistan is one of the most mine-ridden countries in the world and one other Navy SEAL was subsequently killed in this area from exactly the fate that Darrick had narrowly escaped.
For Darrick the war soon ended. There simply was too much bureaucracy and micro-management, especially during times of war, for him to tolerate staying in any longer. It was time to go home and spend time with his family.
World History
