Navgating minefields
During my time in Afghanistan, one of our mission sets involved route reconnaissance. This involved our engineer platoon clearing routes using vehicles equipped with technology designed to detect threats and survive blasts. I was a lead husky driver (a single-person mine detection vehicle) for most of these missions. My role was to lead the convoy on routes using the technology attached to my vehicle to scan the ground and detect any anomalies that could indicate improvised explosive devices or mines.
We were assigned a mission to find an alternative route back to a main road from a village where we had only been able to access via a single route in and out. The implication was that using the same route repeatedly made us vulnerable to predictability and potential attacks.
The consequences of poor intelligence
We had been given intelligence that there was a saddle traversable on the surrounding ridge line leading from the village to the main road. However, the intelligence failed to mention an unmarked minefield that lay between the village and the ridge line.
Regrettably, we didn’t discover the minefield until we were directly in the middle of it. I recall calling over the radio to confirm my suspicions with our secondary mine detection vehicle, “Hey Husky 2? Are you picking up the same signals as me?” A wave of fear washed over me as I scanned my vehicle’s surroundings. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.
So, what’s the best course of action when you find yourself in a this situation? The safest way out is to keep moving forward. I remember saying a quick prayer as I dropped the rakes behind my vehicle to help us identify a clear and safe path while we made our way to the ridge line. I gripped the wheel and yelled at the top of my lungs, praying not to hear or feel an explosion. Unfortunately, one of the last trail vehicles’ tires hit a mine. Fortunately, the explosion signature was small, indicating it was an anti-personnel mine rather than an anti-tank mine. We managed to escape the minefield, licked our wounds, and returned to base.
The takeaway from this experience
When I feel overwhelmed by a situation, I’m grateful that I’m not in that minefield. But it’s also a moment I reflect on deeply. Have you ever been tested with the responsibility of leading your team through a difficult situation? Have you felt overwhelmed by everything surrounding you, with people counting on you to make a decision? No matter what path you choose, you might still hit a theoretical mine.
The safest way through a minefield is to keep moving forward. It’s more dangerous to try and retrace your steps and go back the way you came. The simplest answer may not always be easy to accept, and there will always be risks associated with the decisions we make. However, overthinking can be just as dangerous as taking action.
Don’t stay in the minefield; don’t go back to where you started; keep moving forward, no matter how difficult the situation may seem.
