Soldiers clearing rural routes stalk munitions

Army Staff Sgt. Roman Ramos checks
grid coordinates on a map during a
route clearing mission in southern
Afghanistan’s Uruzgan District.
Ramos is a combat engineer assigned
to the 37th Engineer Battalion.

By Army Pfc. Anna K. Perry
19th Public Affairs Detachment
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD,
Afghanistan —
Getting service members from point A to point B successfully is essential to mission accomplishment in time of war.
The mission for the Soldiers of A Company, 37th Engineer Battalion is to make sure troops arrive safely at their destinations.

“We’re here to provide assured mobility for American and Coalition forces,” said Army Staff Sgt. Roman Ramos, a combat engineer assigned to one of the unit’s route-clearing packages.

The small team of route-clearing Soldiers is always on the prowl for improvised explosive devices and unexploded
ordnance in their theater of responsibility. Ramos and his troops use various pieces of equipment and tactical vehicles to help detect IEDs and UXOs along the roads they travel throughout Afghanistan.

“We’re looking for indicators, like wires or anything that doesn’t seem to belong,” Ramos said. Indicators could be random patterns or a break in a natural pattern, he added. Handling IEDs and UXOs is a task taken seriously by the team.

“We’re in a position where we get hands-on and face-to-face with whatever the munitions might be,” he said. “So we take whatever steps we can to mitigate the risk prior to dismounting.” The team also focuses on the perimeter of the area bein cleared.

The team also focuses on the perimeter of the area being cleared.

“We want to avoid taking one bad situation and creating two or three more with a secondary device or a coordinated attack,” Ramos added. If a Soldier is injured, the route-clearing package relies on a medic who always
travels with them. “I’m here to bring my battle buddies back alive if anything happens,” said Army Pfc. Adam Peters, a medic attached to the 37th Eng. Bn. Despite the risk, Ramos said he realizes how beneficial his team’s mission is to his fellow service members and the Afghan people.

“Afghanistan is littered with land mines, and we have places where people are putting more devices into the roads,” he said.

Ramos said he believes route clearance is a never-ending operation.

“This is extremely important,” he said. “There’s no number of clearances that we could do that would be enough.”

Soldiers dismount from a RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicle during a route clearing mission in southern Afghanistan’s Uruzgan Province. The combat engineers are assigned to the 37th Engineer Battalion.

Army Staff Sgt. Roman Ramos uses a metal detector on the road during a route clearing mission in southern Afghanistan’s Uruzgan District. Ramos is a combat engineer assigned to the 37th Engineer Battalion.
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Prayers for all our troops, stay safe and thank you for all you do. We are all so proud of you.
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