'IED Whisperer' a lifesaver in Afghanistan

This is a great example of how our soldiers are there trying to save lives but the Taliban are there to take lives, no matter who gets killed.

'IED Whisperer' a lifesaver in Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Kelly Rogne, who serves with a battalion from Joint Base Lewis McChord, is known as the "IED whisperer" for his ability to find the makeshift bombs that have extracted such a deadly toll in Afghanistan.
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
Saturday, October 13, 2012

On a September patrol in Afghanistan's Panjwai District, Staff Sgt. Kelly Rogne of Colville uses a metal detector to search for improvised explosive devices.

BABINEK, Afghanistan — Staff Sgt. Kelly Rogne walked down a dusty village road, rhythmically swinging a metal detector that resembled an oversized hockey stick.

He led a column of more than 20 soldiers past deep-green fields of marijuana that surround this village in Panjwai district, traditional homeland of the Taliban.

To defend this turf, Taliban fighters have seeded Babinek and other areas with dense concentrations of bombs, creating one of the most perilous patrol grounds U.S. soldiers have encountered during more than 11 years of war in Afghanistan.

Rogne, 36, from Colville, Stevens County, has displayed an uncanny ability to find these improvised explosive devices (IEDs). He uses technology, tracking skills and intuition honed by careful study of past bomb placements.

Some call Rogne the "IED Whisperer."

On an early September patrol out of Combat Outpost Mushan, Rogne located 29 IEDs through the course of a painstaking, eight-hour movement across less than a kilometer of road, an accomplishment relayed through the chain of command to Pentagon generals.

Staff Sgt. Caleb Duncan, of Vancouver, Wash., recalls one child, a triple amputee, who was brought to battalion soldiers for medical care.

Duncan said it was one of the worst things he has seen in this war. "You don't have to speak to put out the message: 'Look, the Americans didn't do this, the Taliban did.' " read more here