.S. soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne), clash with insurgents in a firefight that one soldier calls the "worst" firefight of his career.

By U.S. Army Pfc. Jon H. Arguello
DEY CHOPAN, Afghanistan, May 18, 2005 � In an intensive week of successful combat operations, the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) came away with several victories and tangible results, demonstrating not just the awesome warfighting capabilities of Task Force Rock�s paratroopers, but also their exceptional composure during a firefight last month. As Battle Company was climbing mountains chasing insurgent and Chosen Company won a victory in a large clash, a convoy carrying the battalion commander and sergeant major was ambushed and engaged in a fierce firefight that left one American injured and unknown number of injured insurgents in the Zabul province. �It was the worst I�ve seen in 22 years of service,� said U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Hartless, the battalion sergeant major from Amherst, Va. �From the first Gulf War to my last deployment in Iraq, I�ve never been in a firefight like that.�
"I couldn�t believe how well the soldiers reacted to the ambush. The ambush site was well planned and ranged, but the soldiers were incredible," U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Hartless
The convoy was moving between units and as the roads got rough, the vehicles became separated by more than 100 meters. At that point, the two parts of the convoy were attacked simultaneously by several rocket propelled grenades (RPG). �I yelled, �IED! IED!� but it was actually an RPG,� Hartless said. �Right after the command sergeant major said �IED,� a hail of bullets came down,� said Spc. Edwin Laboy-Cortes, from Fayetville, N.C. The paratroopers dismounted and were immediately fired upon by small arms and then machine guns. Bullets ripped through the Humvee�s roof, blowing out gauges and riddling the truck�s interior frame with bullet holes. �We got out of the vehicle and bullets were flying through it,� said Hartless. �We didn�t think of closing the doors until a little later.� �I couldn�t see the lead vehicle while we were engaged in our firefight,� said Hartless. �Hankins was the closest to the door and I told him to get the handset.� Spc. Brian Hankins, from Martinez, Calif., jumped into the Humvee to retrieve the radio. Ten minutes into the firefight the realization that communications between the vehicles was temporarily disrupted would lead the sergeant major to believe the worst. �I couldn�t get anybody on the radio. I thought they were all dead,� Hartless said. The paratroopers were under heavy fire and everyone reacted to the fire with fire of their own. The exchange of heavy fire didn�t allow for instant communication. �The fire was so intense, it took everyone we had to fire,� said scout Staff Sgt. Randall Austin from Glendale, Ariz. �It became shoot first and communicate later. We thought they were dead and they thought we were dead.� Soon the convoy took a casualty. �I was behind the truck shooting next to Capt. Wright and he stopped shooting back and moaned - then he turned to me and said �I�m hit� and went down,� said Laboy-Cortes. �I started treating him. He was coherent and calm the whole time.� Capt. Benjamin Wright, from Metamora, Ill., began calling in his own nine-line report. The nine-line, a radio report


Bullet holes riddle this humvee caught in an ambush on the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) battalion commander's convoy in late April 2005. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Jon Arguello

describing the injury and whether or not medevac is necessary, was finished by Laboy-Cortes. The flume of the incoming rocket propelled grenades gave away the enemies position; Staff Sgt. William Terry, from Montclair, N.J., put a barrage of MK19 fire on the location which suppressed the enemy fire. �I couldn�t believe how well the soldiers reacted to the ambush,� Hartless said. �The ambush site was well planned and ranged, but the soldiers were incredible.� ��Wojo� was on it,� said Austin, referring to Spc. Thomas Wojtowicz. �Before I knew what was going, �Wojo� was firing the .50 cal and Walker was feeding him ammo. They went beyond my expectations.� �I saw the two explosions from the RPGs and I started firing,� said Wojtowicz, from Chicago. �I knew what area the fire was coming from but I couldn�t see anybody, so I�d light up that area and the fire would stop but it would start coming from another area.� No matter how much training the paratroopers have had, considering the circumstances of the ambush, the performances of the soldiers is praiseworthy. �When I asked Hankins to get the radio, he didn�t hesitate,� said Hartless. �He dove into the Humvee with bullets flying into it and grabbed it without hesitation. The quick reaction by Laboy was also amazing. Even Capt. Wright�s response to his own injury was outstanding.� �I was worried but I knew I had the biggest gun out there so I had to keep it up,� Wojtowicz said. When the decision was made that the casualty had to be taken out of the kill zone, the sergeant major devised a plan to put the truck in reverse with the casualty inside, while Laboy-Cortes and the sergeant major would run along the truck for cover. �It was the longest 100 meters of my life,� Hartless said. Eventually, contact was broken, close air support would come and the enemy would dissipate into the mountains with their wounded. No matter how well they fended off the attack, Task Force Rock�s paratroopers have a much better understanding of why it is important to stay alert. �I take my job very seriously, I stay alert and pay attention to the details,� said Wojtowicz. �You really have to go out there and do what you�re supposed to be doing,� Austin explained. �They are dead set on killing us, but that�s not going to happen.� Whether it was the amount of training, the airborne frame of mind or the composure of the soldiers on that day, there is no doubt that all of their quick, selfless actions played a part in bringing home every soldier on the convoy back to base alive.

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