Embedded journalism from the front lines of
Afghanistan & Iraq ~ by Mike & Carlos Boettcher

In Ponca City, back in the days before cable, we had a television advantage over the rest of the state. The old black and white Magnavox could pick up stations in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and Wichita. On the weekends that meant a broader selection of old movies to watch.

One of my favorites was “Fighting Seabees” with John Wayne. I loved every part of that movie except the competition for the nurse. From World War Two on, the Seabees always got the notice. Ignored were the Army engineers who built and fought just as hard.

At Outpost Bariali we found engineers from the Indiana National Guard rebuilding what had been destroyed by a Taliban/AlQaeda assault earlier this month. Ten men died in the attack – three of them American soldiers.

Because of the threat of sniper fire – a real danger at Bariali – they worked in full body armor and kevlar helmets. Objective number one is to build new forward guard towers to thwart another sneak attack. They did this fully exposed on a ridgeline.

We asked two of them why? They answer in the video.