Vegas Desert Rats to wage peace in Afghanistan
They’re a tightly knit bunch.
They come from different backgrounds — teachers, cops, cooks, bailiffs and business people. There’s a valet car-parker and a gaming agent, and a masseuse, too.
But they wear the same uniform and share the same goals.
And, they all have the same tattoo: a black sword and two lightning bolts with red letters, "VDR," for Vegas Desert Rats.
They are "family."
And, they’re going to the same place in a few weeks: Afghanistan.
"We’re rockin’ and rollin’," Maj. Victor Ingram said Thursday as his citizen-soldiers packed duffle bags and fine-tuned deployment plans at their North Las Vegas facility.
More than 30 soldiers from the Army Reserve’s Delta Company, 405th Civil Affairs Battalion will leave at the end of this month to wage peace, not war, as the U.S. troop presence dwindles in Afghanistan and the mission in the 10-year war focuses more on nation-building.
"I have to restore hope," the 44-year-old commander said.
"I can never go along with the philosophy that there’s never going to be an end to it because if you can find one person and you can change them and make them believe that we’re doing the right thing, I think we’ve served our purpose."
Essentially, he said, the goal is to win over the population "to let them know that we’re on the right side."
"Each person that we win over, the philosophy is that’s one less insurgent, one less person in the Taliban," Ingram said.
"And you do that by showing them there’s concern for their well-being by providing with security, stability and taking care of their essential needs."
That’s why he’s taking soldiers with a diverse set of civilian skills. They will rely on those skills as they fan out in four-man teams across a wide expanse of Afghanistan to locations yet to be determined.
They will work with infantry soldiers and other units to provide water, food, shelter, trash pickup, sanitation and health care in remote villages and elsewhere.
Their deployment wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision that followed the recent troop withdrawal in Iraq. The plan to send Army Reserve civil affairs operators to Afghanistan has been in the works for about two years. They trained for the tour last year at Fort Hunter Liggett, the largest Army Reserve garrison, about 20 miles inland from the central California coast.
And, most of the men and women in this specialized team — 60 percent — know the ropes of being sent to a combat zone because they’ve been there before.
A few are prior-service, active duty Marines. Some have had multiple deployments. One soldier has deployed four times. Ingram himself has twice been sent to Iraq.
So, the Vegas Desert Rats know first-hand about small arms fire, roadside bombs and other dangers.
They know that in order to develop trust with Afghan citizens, they’ll have to venture into harm’s way. They’ll have to get out of their patrol vehicles to interact, and that will make them vulnerable to attack.
But face-to-face encounters are "the best way to win them over," Ingram said.
After a validation stop at Fort Dix, N.J., to test how they’ll react under the stress of combat, they’ll begin their Operation Enduring Freedom tour, which will last about a year.
Cpl. Eric Roberson, a 40-year-old Las Vegas police officer, is looking forward to the deployment but is preparing his family for the sacrifices he must make.
"As a soldier and a father and a husband, it’s going to be hard to be away from four kids and a wife, and miss four birthdays and Christmas — the everyday things that I took for granted until a couple months ago," said Roberson, who served as a Marine in Operation Desert Storm.
"My inspiration is giving back to my country."
He persuaded his wife to let him volunteer for the Afghanistan deployment, a desire that’s been in the back of his mind ever since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
"9/11, that’s the biggest motivator," he said.
Pfc. Scott Yi will be on his first deployment.
"I like adventure," he said, adding that he’s "anxious and nervous."
"I’m trying to keep an open mind about it and take it day by day," said Yi, 39, who in civilian life works as a valet for a hotel off the Strip.
He said his motivation stems from gratitude.
"The country allows me to do so many things. It’s time to give back."
Cpl. Derek Brady, 29, said he’s looking forward to the deployment. It’s been one of his goals ever since his leg was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident and he couldn’t make a previous overseas trip.
After eight surgeries and therapy, he’s got his sights set on conquering Afghanistan’s rugged terrain.
"We’ll give it a good try," said Brady, of Henderson, whose inspiration has been his family’s ties to the military. His grandfather, James Brady, was a pioneering Navy frogman in Underwater Demolition Team 1 during World War II.
Sgt. Douglas "Shawn" Hite, 33, will be the supply sergeant for the Vegas Desert Rats. He’ll be in charge of distributing everything from ammunition to toilet paper.
"I hope to get these guys every piece of equipment they’ll need to do their job," he said.
Hite, a regular Army soldier from LaCygne, Kan., moved to the Las Vegas Valley 10 months ago with his wife and four children. He has served in Iraq but this will be his first deployment to Afghanistan.
He said he’s inspired by the soldiers of Delta Company being "very tight and cohesive. We’re very family-oriented."
Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.
