OPERATION RED HEAT AFTER ACTION REPORT (19 MAR 2016 @ 0325)

OPERATION RED HEAT - AFTER ACTION REPORT

PREPARED BY: SPC Oskar Lindemann


SITUATION

o Enemy Forces:
 - 7 Sectoids, 4 "Thin Men", armed with plasma pistols

o Friendly Forces
 - PFC Oskar Lindemann, Gunner (Germany) 
 - PFC Spencer Donohue, Medic (United States)
 - PFC Ward Parsons, Scout (Australia)
 - PVT Ghaith Khadem (Egypt)
 - PVT Wushun Zhu (China)
 - PVT Osazenomwan Olufunke (Nigeria)


MISSION

o Strike Team deploys to Toronto, Canada, 19 MAR 2016 @ 0325 hrs, IOT disrupt a bomb threat on a key train yard

EXECUTION NARRATIVE

We received the Mission Alert at 0300 hrs on 19 MAR. The Skyranger was wheels-up by 0313, with boots-on-ground at 0325 hrs. Upon arrival, the squad identified several alien artifacts, which Dr. Shen believed were power nodes for charging the bomb. 

Parsons moved up to clear the immediate area to our front, after which the squad advanced to cover positions, and PFC Donohue was able to disable the first of the power nodes. While he was doing that, Parsons spotted movement and snapped a shot off at what appeared to be a civilian, lost on the battlefield, until he took cover and we saw that he was armed with an alien plasma weapon. I provided coverage as the rest of the squad advanced, with Parsons still in the vanguard, to engage the enemy and disable another node.

When Parsons shot the man-like creature at point blank range, it exploded into a noxious gas. Zhu, watching the left flank saw multiple Sectoids moving in the distance, so the squad bounded forward in fire teams to engage. As the squad bounded, they continued to disable nodes as we came to them, further delaying the bomb.

Using intersecting fields of fire and fire-team overwatch, the remaining X-Rays were eliminated with no friendly casualties. When Olufunke eliminated one of the Sectoids, he observed the same double-kill effect noted by PFC Hassan in OPERATION DARK THRONE. When Parsons and Donohue located the bomb, I directed the squad to move forward under cover, and take up an overwatch position overlooking the bomb, while Parsons prepared to disable it. 

Once PFC Parsons disabled the bomb, we prepared to eliminate any forces inbound to reactivate it. Our rookies proved effective members of the team by eliminating two of the strange, human-seeming aliens before they could close on our position, but a third flanked and shot PVT Olu, critically wounding him. Donohue moved to provide medical assistance, while PVT Khadem put the alien down.

I directed the rookies to clear the path back to the Skyranger while I provided cover for Donohue and Parsons to carry PVT Olu back to the Drop Zone for evac.


LESSONS LEARNED

o Sustain:
 - Bounding Overwatch
 - Intersecting Fires
o Improve:
 - Cover Destruction
 - Utilize all equipment