By Army Sgt. Matthew Moeller
The groups meet to prioritize projects and programming that is important to the region, before the group's director meets with the provincial gov. Awrang Sameem, info and cultural dir. for the group, spoke about several ideas at the meeting, including book and poetry festivals, youth programs, journalist and novelist symposiums, and training opportunities. "We'll not regain what we've lost in the 30 years of war we've seen," said Sameem. "But if we work really hard for the bright future of Afghanistan, we will see progress."AF Lt. Col. Joy Mann, cmdr of the Nangarhar PRT, said the goal of the TWGs is to make development a local process, starting at the base of the Afghan govt and moving up. "We're trying to legitimize the Afghan govt and bring the people in closer to their elected officials," Mann said. Although the PRT was just there to advise, Sameem was pleased to have them at the meeting, and expressed how much the Afghan people appreciate the work they're doing. "Afghanistan has been destroyed over the last 30 years," he said. "There's still a lot to be done, but the progress over the last few years is awesome. The PRT is doing well. They're doing a good job. We like them."
Shafiqullah Waak, the Nangarhar public info officer for the UN Assistance Mission, listens to input.
By Army Sgt. Brad Staggs
Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit provided realistic scenarios for the training, guarding the mock embassy that the civilians had to enter and roadways they had to traverse. Team members also sat in on Marine briefings and saw first-hand how what they do affects the Marines in country.
Elizabeth Rood, director of the Stability Ops Div for the State Dept’s Foreign Service Institute, said she saw value in the interagency training, even when coordination issues arose. “There were some cases that the Marines were in a facility that we were intending to use,” Rood said. “The PRT or another civilian group might be going out to meet people and discover that there's a maneuver unit already doing something there that wasn’t a planned encounter. So it’s not a bad thing that these movements are going on simultaneously.” Purdue and Indiana universities also take part in the training, providing important info on Afghan farming techniques and info on what to expect once the civilians arrive in country.-30-
With 7 Deployments Under His Belt, Ops Sergeant Hones His Trade
Sgt. William Altman, ops NCO for 28th CAB, stands outside the 28th CAB tactical ops center. Altman has logged 7 deployments during his 18 years in the military.
Along with more than 20 other Soldiers working various shifts and taskings, Altman is responsible for manning the 28th CAB tactical ops center, which requires vigilant and continuous staffing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For Altman, the bde's Blue Force Tracker and fires sgt, continuity is often the greatest challenge. "I think most people don't understand that concept. While we might work shifts, any issues must be resolved or worked to completion," Altman said. "Otherwise, we're creating a sort of 'butterfly effect' for the next shift.""We manage to handle high-stress events well, mostly because we all know our roles," Altman noted. "Even when days are fairly quiet, we have to fight boredom by trying to stay proficient on our equipment." Although the tempo occasionally slows, there is never a shortage of work for current ops Soldiers. Organizing various document binders, from fragmentary orders to Red Cross messages, maintaining the daily log, making changes to personnel manifested to fly to different bases, and simply tracking the progress of scheduled flights, requires the TO staff to effectively utilize word processing, spreadsheet and slideshow software.
By Army Spc. Maurice A. Galloway
Army Sgt. Jennifer Macdonald, a vocalist with the 34th ID Band, performs Iraq's national anthem with students of Basra city's newest talent school, Oct. 1, 2009.
Members of the 34th Red Bull ID Band were on hand to play several selections of U.S. and Iraqi standards. Accompanied by the school’s students, vocalist Sgt. Jennifer Macdonald’s rendition of Iraq’s national anthem highlighted the band’s performance. “They seemed so proud that we were able to sing their national anthem,” Macdonald said. “It was amazing. I felt so fortunate to be up there singing for them. I never thought being deployed to Iraq would include something like this.”
Several local actors gave an opera performance, depicting the possibilities students will have if they put forth their best effort and study hard. John Naland, reconstruction team director and a featured speaker at the event, said the school’s design was a picture of progress for the future improvement of Iraq. “This beautiful school is the newest of 4 talent schools in Iraq,” he said. “This facility is another example of the people of Basra striving for progress.” Located in Basra’s Jameat district, the school can hold up to 200 students and consists of 12 classrooms with enough space to hold 30 students each. A science lab, language arts teaching center, and the school’s library are located in the central part of the campus. The campus also includes a computer and electronic media learning lab with 17 new computers, a gym with 6 new treadmills, free weights, a gymnastics balance beam and spring board, parallel bars and an array of sports equipment. The dormitory has dozens of rooms equipped for 4 students to a room. The rooms come furnished with wall lockers, bunk beds and desks. Students are required to pass an entry exam before gaining admission to the school. Army Staff Sgt. Hugo Rivera, who assisted in the final inspection, commented on the school’s obvious impact on the Basra community. “The talent school will signal a return to normalcy for Basra City, and will provide a much needed tertiary educational facility in an otherwise poor al Jameat district,” he said. The school’s completion marks the beginning of a process to provide the province’s youth with a sound educational foundation, Abd Al-Rida said. “This facility means so much to our community,” she said. “It'll inspire hope in the people of Basra and spark a substantial economic development that will have a stabilizing effect in our country.”