FORT POLK, La. - All was calm amidst the mock village of Khaista at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La., as soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, rolled through on a routine convoy.
Locals lined the streets, shouting and waving, some with the intent to sell their respective fruits and supplies to soldiers, while others begged for the chance to speak with troops.
This was nothing out of the norm, just another day in the life of soldiers training on a combat convoy training lane at JRTC. The soldiers took part in five scenario-driven events at different locations throughout mock Afghan cities.
In the blink of an eye, however, things went from ordinary to disastrous.
During the convoy, Humvees escorted various civilian contractor vehicles. One of the villagers on the streets approached one of the civilian trucks. The truck struck the Afghan vendor, sending havoc throughout the village.
As the man lay in street screaming in pain, the local mood changed from curious to angry. No longer were they selling fruits, but using them as projectiles. People now screamed in fury, not in support.
The guilty driver was ripped from his seat and taken into the office of the Khaista mayor. There would be repercussions if the soldiers did not move fast enough to correct the issue.
Through an interpreter, Capt. Travis Stuttes, chief of one of the Security Force Assistance Teams, spoke with the village elder trying to calm the situation, while a medic worked on the bleeding leg of the struck pedestrian.
Amidst the ruckus, standing calmly with his advisers, Master Sgt. Matt McGregor, combat convoy lane non-commissioned officer in charge, was taking mental notes and plotting the next action for the scenario.
"Here, failure is an option," said McGregor, a native of Springfield, Ill. "Picture your worst day ever in country and that
Social Sharing