Alcatraz

I know it's been a while since I posted last, but I just got back from a run to FOB Alcatraz, which is by far the worst place I've been out here. Because it's so dangerous it's a full PPE base, which means everyone is required to wear a flack and kevlar everywhere except for 3 specially designated areas on base. We thought it would be an easy trip, and rout clearance platoon was behind us for 4/5ths of the way there. No sooner do they pass us up to actually clear our path (also known as their job), but their lead vehicle gets hit with an IED. Turns out we had gotten old intel. We were told that there was no activity on the road other than snipers (which means almost nothing with the kind of armor we roll in), but that report was 2 weeks old. As it turns out there was something like 12 IED explosions on that road over the course of the last 10 days. Interestingly though, it is one of the more beautiful parts of the country, with plenty of trees.