By Army Staff Sgt Robert Ramón 345th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARONA, Afghanistan - U.S. Soldiers stationed here located and destroyed an unexploded mortar round near a residential area about five kilometers outside of Forward Operating Base Sharona on Sept. 11.
Afghan National Army soldiers secured the site and called on FOB Sharona to assist in removing the threat. Once notified, Soldiers at FOB Sharona wasted not time springing into action.
"We don't want innocent civilians, especially children, to get hurt so it's important that we get out there as quickly as possible," said Army 1st Lt. Gerard Torres, a platoon leader with the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum , NY . "Also, if the enemy gets their hands on it, there's a possibility it could be used against civilians or us in the future." {Click on image for photo details}
After retrieving the mortar round, Soldiers placed it in a safe, open area and secured the site while an FOB Sharona explosive ordnance disposal team neutralized the explosive.
ReplyDeleteCivilians in the area waved as the Soldiers made their way back to base.
"That's what we're here for," said Torres. "We're here to police up the area and to make things safe."