Charles Company's Tough Go in Panjwai

[Scoobie Newbie]

I would hate to imagine what kind of carnage there would be had we deploy just knowing the St Johns Ambulance sling and doughnut bandages.
Eye opening article.

 

[George Wallace]

Missed that earlier today, but just changed the title of this topic to "Charles".

 

[HItorMiss]

Doc you got no idea how useful it was, When I finished the course I was sure it should be the standard of First Aid for Cbt Arms troops, on the 3rd it was confirmed 1000 times over.

 

[cplcaldwell]

And it was there that arguably the most tragic death of the day occurred. Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish, 38, of 8 Platoon was not meant to be in the teeth of battle that day. But when Mellish, a native of Truro, N.S., learned that fellow Warrant Officer Rick Nolan was dead, he stepped up to help retrieve the body. They were best friends.

Moving from the rear guard, more than 1.8 kilometres from the White School, Mellish made it as far as the Zettelmeyer when he was caught in a storm of shrapnel and died.

I was out today wandering around. Fall days are nice to sneak in a ten click walk or so. Around noon I was by a little joint I know that makes a good souvlaki, time for lunch. It's the kind of place that has a bazillion papers lying around. I was lucky to get most of Section A of the Star; what can I say all the Sun's were spoken for....

I ran across this article, and I must confess, I probably studied it for an hour. The passage above, was the one that struck me...

Now I know that a lot of you have been there, I have friends there, I know some of you were in that place on that day, but this one part of passage struck me... I'm sure the death, as any death of a friend, is tragic, but there is an element of the hero that is not explored in the article's text, it was that element that struck me..."from the rear guard, more than 1.8 kilometres  ...  he stepped up to help retrieve the body. They were best friends."


I never met this WO Mellish, it's too bad, he must have been quite a guy....

"Dulce et decorum est, pro patria et filii mori..."

 

[HItorMiss]

Frank and Rick were lifelong friends, They were also the role models for 100's of soldiers myself included the day they died a little part of what was 1 RCR Recce Platoon history and my heart died with them.

 

[Kirkhill]

"Greater love hath no man than that he give up his life for another."

 

[vonGarvin]

Frank and Rick were lifelong friends, They were also the role models for 100's of soldiers myself included the day they died a little part of what was 1 RCR Recce Platoon history and my heart died with them.

I didn't know them, and I didn't know the effect that they had on you and so many others.  Take this for what it's worth, but take their final acts on this Earth as just one more example for all of us to follow: doing all for your mates.  What Frank Mellish did he didn't have to do according to orders, but he did have to do it according to the person that he was.

 

[couchcommander]

this about the guys who did some phenomenal soldiering

Indeed it is.

As is always, you all have served you country with honour and distinction worthy of more praise than I can express. Allow me, as well as I can however, to express my thanks, and the thanks of all of us who have the privilege to reside in this nation. I, and I should hope we, are as always, truly grateful.

As I have said many times before, I am continually impressed.

 

[Jacqueline]

This really gives an animated example of what's really happening, and how soldiers stick together.

 

[pbi]

And second the rest of you can sit here and explain to the masses how the tail is needed (and it is) but the front line troops get tired of seeing the discrepancy in such things as fighting to get the drivers pistol and every clerk and their dog has one on the basis that a rifle is too cumbersome for the office they work in etc etc, it's get so frustrating with the little things that the troops forget the big picture of just how much help the CSS trades give and just how needed they are.

Hating "the REMFs" is a pretty SOP reaction for everybody forward of B Ech. Don't make the mistake of confusing the purpose of the system with stupid human mistakes or weaknesses. Check out how many Cbt A staff guys are in base or Kabul walking around with gear like pistols, C-8s, etc that may be more needed elsewhere(they certainly were when I was there, but then in those days K-town was the only game except for us two up at Bagram..) Dump those clerks, and who does all the pers admin stuff that pisses people off it it doesn't get done, like pay and HLTA? Fix the system, but don't wreck it.

Cheers

 

[GAP]

Guys this hasn't changed in 40 years. REMF"s are just as frustrated as the the guys outside the wire. I was "lucky", in that right off the hop I saw action at Phu Bai, then when I arrived at Cua Viet, they sent me outside the wire as a radioman (because that's what I did at Phu Bai). 3 months later someone looked at my MOS and said, whoa...wait a minute, but in the meantime I saw my share. After that it was a constant fight to go back outside the wire...some I lost, some I won.

The guys who's MOS stated they were REMF's only occasionally to go outside the wire on presence patrols, listening posts, guard duty, etc. . There was the typical gung ho attitude of some (some were really ridiculous) and a lot of gloaming of supplies that belonged to the guys in the field.

It happened then, it happens now, will probably never end. The REMF's want to soldier also, put yourself in their position and you probably would be as frustrated. But without  the REMF's, nothing is going to happen for very long in the field. I was a Ground Radio Tech, and when they walked in after a frustrating patrol and slammed the PRC-25 on the desk telling me "it talked, but wouldn't listen", they were very happy when I fixed it.

One can't exist without the other. Clean out the deadwood and everything would be darling. 

 

[RHFC_piper]

I saw this:

I am inferring what we taught you guys helped. Hopefully, it saved a couple lives. I heard Rick, JP and John did a really good job that day despite their own injuries.

Late reply, I know, but I can't sit at my computer all day (Hurts my legs).. with that said...

The TCCC should be manditory for all combat troops. 

When I was hit with shrapnel (from the A-10) and I was crawling for my rifle (thought we were under attack) a fellow soldier found me, rolled me over and applied tourniquets to my legs... which stopped the bleeding from my femoral vein (not artery, thank god)... when the medic inspected the tourniquets, he said "these were done perfectly... text book"
When I arrived at KAF, the docs there said that tourniquet probably saved my life.

We were all trained, by our TCCC's and medics from 2FA how to apply Tourniquets, Isreali Bandages (which they applied to the wound going through my arm) and quick clot, all of which was used the day I was wounded and the day before.

The level of professionalism demonstraited by the soldiers on the battle field in treating the casualties could only be described as absolutely amazing.  The less wounded were treating the more wounded.  And it is true what the article said about everyone pitching in; when I looked up from the stretcher, I was surrounded by a medic, an engineer, a sniper and a at least 2 others from the battalion. Everyone around me was calm and professional.

Anyway, enough ranting... to sum up; yes, the training provided was useful... it saved lives... may have saved mine.  Which is why, since I've been back home and close to my home regiment (RHFC) I have been pimping the idea of educating more reservists in TCCC.  Because we will probably be sending more reservists over seas with combat units, and the more they can be trained at home unit, the easier it will be for them to work with the Battalions.

C

 

[GAP]

Charlie Company: The rest of the story
Oct. 1, 2006. 01:00 AM
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1159654214788&call_pageid=1140433364397&col=1140433364286

In yesterday's paper, the conclusion to Mitch Potter's interview with Capt. Ryan Carey in Panjwaii district was missing due to a production problem. Here is what was left out of the Oakville native's remarks on the situation Canadian soldiers face in Afghanistan.

"We still think everyone approaching us wants to kill us. We have no choice but to plan for a fight right till we leave."

But Carey, 35, like the rest of Charlie Company's newly ascended leadership, doesn't see more troops as the answer. Not more foreign troops, in any event.

"More Canadians? Is that not just like giving candy to the Taliban? I think what we need is more ANA soldiers. At the end of the day it is the Afghans, with lots of backing for reconstruction, who are going to turn this thing. Not the people who point the weapons."
More on link

 

[HItorMiss]

PBI

Are you disagreeing with my stuff about CSS troops? or reinforcing them?

Regardless as I stated earlier lets keep this Thread on track and talk about the battle these guys went through and not some sub topic about CSS trades

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

My take is that PBI was saying they are very important BUT they do not need C-8's and pistols necessarily.

 

[Infanteer]

Regardless as I stated earlier lets keep this Thread on track and talk about the battle these guys went through and not some sub topic about CSS trades

That statement was, in my opinion, a significant point buried in a good article.  I don't see any prescriptions on what parts of the article we are supposed or not supposed to talk about.

 

[HItorMiss]

You make a good point Infanteer, but rehashing the Pointy end guys think this and the CSS guys think that, argument has occurred so much I had thought perhaps a split in thread to discuss what the Infantry guys are saying in KAF, and we could leave this thread to remarks or clarification on some of the fighting those guys did... I think it's a rare glimpse into serious combat operations in the CF. And the soldiering they did that day and the following day.

Maybe I have over stepped my bounds, but I just think the point has been made here and that if people wanted to continue that debate then split the thread, and this thread could be for the article overall and not the niggly things

 

[big bad john]

We have had numerous threads on site about the CSS Vs the Pointy End and I for one, would hate to see this thread dissolve into another one of those arguments, there have been enough.  I would welcome further discussion on the operation itself, pro's and con's, as well as Leasons Learned.  My humble opinion.

 

[Kirkhill]

We have had numerous threads on site about the CSS Vs the Pointy End and I for one, would hate to see this thread dissolve into another one of those arguments, there have been enough.  I would welcome further discussion on the operation itself, pro's and con's, as well as Leasons Learned.  My humble opinion.

I share BBJ's opinion.

 

[cameron]

This article is a sobering reminder of the grim realities of combat, which get over romanticized too often, and increases my respect for Canada's fighting men and women even more.  Rest in Peace to all the fallen and Godspeed to all those still standing.