Nevada NG delivers toys from home. Road to Bar Galay nears completion. ANA graduate NATO training course. ANA take Humvee Egress Assistance Training. Explosives cache seized, and a ton of opium destroyed in Helmand prov.
Iraq: Senior leaders visit local areas near Tikrit. Engrs bring solar light to Fallujah. Brothers honored together at FOB Marez. Hundreds graduate from oldest military academy.
Joanna
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Afghanistan Stories:
DVIDS
Toys for the Little Ones (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Brian Boisvert)
MARAWARA -- Army Staff Sgt. George Condos, Kunar PRT SECFOR plt sgt from the 1st Sqdrn, 221st Cav Regt, Nevada NG in Las Vegas, hands a young Afghan girl a stuffed doll in the Marawara district clinic, Jan. 14. Condo received several boxes of toys from home and seeks opportunities while on patrol to hand them out to Afghan children.
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DVIDS
Road to Bar Galay (Photos by Tech. Sgt. Brian Boisvert)
LALAM -- Army Pfc. Samuel Collins, assigned to Battle Co, 2nd Bn, 503rd Abn Inf Regt, based at Caserma Ederle, Vicenzia, Italy, maintains a security posture while members of the 204th Civil Affairs team speaks with elders about the completion of a road in the village of Lalam, Jan. 12.
Workers pause from building a retaining wall to talk to Kunar PRT engrs along the Shigal to Bar Galay road in Kunar prov., Jan. 12. The PRT stopped to talk to workers about cement mixing procedures and security on the worksite. The road and retaining wall is part of a 10-km project, that will eventually connect more than 60,000 locals in the Shigal valley to other towns and markets.
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CJTF 82 PAO
ANA Soldiers aim high after NATO weapons graduation
By Army Sgt. Andrew Reagan
An ANA Soldier proudly displays his completion certificate during the graduation ceremony for the NATO weapons training course at FOB Thunder, Jan. 7. The NATO weapons course, which focused on familiarization with the M-16 rifle, is an integral part of the ANA’s partnership with U.S. forces, because the ANA Soldiers become proficient on the same weapon that their U.S. counterparts use.
PAKTYA PROVINCE – A class of 94 ANA Soldiers from the 203rd Thunder Corps graduated from a week-long NATO weapons training course. “The Russian weapons have been in their inventory for a long time. If we’re going to be partners with them, we’re issuing them a weapon that we're completely proficient on and have a stockpile of parts,” said Army Lt. Col. Jack Parker, Jr., the Combined Joint TF G-3 training officer for FOB Lightning. ”It’s good for the partnership to be able to operate on the same weapon platform.”
Mohammad Thaeir, a senior NCO with the ANA who took the NATO weapons course, echoed Parker’s sentiments. Thaeir, who is from Takhar prov. and has served in the ANA for 5 years, said he's excited to use modern weapons that are more accurate and efficient than the weapons they used in the past.
Parker also said that it's ANA soldiers and not U.S. personnel that perform the majority of the hands-on training. He added that this was not the case when the program started in September 2008, but the ANA trainers now take the lead with U.S. personnel filling a more supervisory role.
“They have their own trainers. They speak their language. They know how to tell them in their language how to lock the bolt to the rear, how to clear the weapon, and how to make a sight picture,” said Parker. “It’s much better when you have a man who can speak your language training you how to do it. I can’t speak highly enough of how they’re doing it.”
ANA Soldiers take aim at targets while zeroing their M-16 rifles.
Army Lt. Col. Jack Parker Jr. congratulates an ANA Soldier.
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CJTF 82 PAO
ANA Soldiers turn up the HEAT during up-armored humvee course By Bagram Media Center
(Photos by Sgt. Andrew Reagan)
PAKTYA PROVINCE –- An ANA Soldier with the 203rd Thunder Corps emerges from a Humvee Egress Assistance Training (HEAT) vehicle, Jan. 7, as part of a 3-week up-armored humvee driving course at FOB Thunder near Gardez, Paktya province. The HEAT section of the driving course teaches the soldiers how to successfully escape their humvee in the event of a rollover.
An ANA soldier emerges from a humvee. The HEAT module simulates a humvee rollover by flipping the vehicle completely upside down. The ANA soldiers inside had to unbuckle their safety belts while hanging upside down and exit the vehicle.
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American Forces Press Service
Troops Seize Explosives Cache in Helmand Province
By ISAF Joint Command news release
A combined patrol of Afghan soldiers and ISAF troops discovered a significant cache of explosives in Helmand prov., Jan. 13. The patrol found 9 jugs of homemade explosives totaling 250 lbs, 12 pressure plates, 17 radio-controlled bomb initiators, 5 lbs of aluminum powder, 35 lbs of ammonium nitrate-based fertilizer and 15 lbs of sugar. All explosives were rigged to explode with detonation cord and 200 rounds of machine gun ammo.
Jan. 12, a combined Afghan-ISAF searched a compound in Logar prov’s Mohammad Agha district at night, and captured a Taliban operative responsible for the movement of explosives, weapons and makeshift bombs. One insurgent was killed in the assault. The SECFOR recovered a shotgun and automatic rifles.
In Zabul prov. last night, a combined force searched a compound in the Qalat district and captured a Taliban operator with knowledge of multiple militant networks.
In Khost prov., Jan. 10, ABP and ISAF forces seized munitions from insurgents including 4 82 mm mortar rounds, a 75 mm recoilless rifle round, 4 76 mm recoilless rifle rounds, 31 RPG rounds, 12 chest racks, several heavy machine-gun rounds, RPG boosters and Afghan army and police uniforms.
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American Forces Press Service
Troops Discover 1 Ton of Opium
By ISAF Joint Command news release
KABUL - ISAF service members operating in Helmand prov. discovered one ton of opium in the back of a vehicle during a patrol. The driver and 2 passengers were seen hiding the vehicle behind a sand dune and fled on foot. They threw an AK-47 machine gun in nearby bushes. Service members caught the men and placed them in custody. The drugs were destroyed.
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Iraqi Stories:
DVIDS
Senior Leaders Visit Local Areas near Tikrit
(Photos by Sgt. Tyrone Marshall)
TIKRIT -- Staff Sgt. Juan Vizcarra (left), and Spc. Rico White, Quick Reaction Force (QRF), Co A, 209th Aviation Support Bn, TF Lobos, greet children in a small village near Tikrit, Dec. 30. The QRF, based at COB Speicher, conducted a site visit for local Iraqi schools as polling sites.
Spc. Rico White (left), a member of the QRF, and Mike, an interpreter, greet children and line them up to hand out candy in a small village near Tikrit.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jesus Ruiz (right), command sgt maj, 25th CAB, TF Wings, accompanied by members of the QRF team, Co A, greet Lt. Col. Goma'a, Iraqi police chief for al Aswar, in al Sequora, Dec. 30. The group visited local Iraqi schools and villages near COB Speicher.
Command Sgt. Maj. Osvaldo Martell, command sgt maj, 209th, talks to 2 young Iraqi males, while he and his QRF team conduct visits.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jesus Ruiz (far left), and members of the QRF team, meet with Lt. Col. Goma'a, to discuss business opportunities and progress in Salah ad Din prov., Dec. 30.
Spc. Govinda Shabazz, a QRF Soldier from Co A, 209th, greets a group of young boys during a visit to local schools and villages near Tikrit.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jesus Ruiz (center), passes out candy and small gifts to children in the al Sequora area, near Tikrit.
Command Sgt. Maj. Jesus Ruiz (right), gives a box of school supplies to the son of a local muhktar in al Warda, near Tikrit.
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Special to American Forces Press Service
Engineers Bring Light to FallujahBy Scott Harris, Gulf Region District, USACE
Solar-powered street lights recently installed by the USACE illuminate what was once a dark and dangerous neighborhood in Fallujah.
FALLUJAH, Jan. 13, 2010 – More than 22 miles of roadway here and in surrounding communities are now fully lighted with 1,200 solar powered street lights.
“The administration of this project is an excellent example of USACE’s commitment to building Iraq’s technical capacity,” said Army Maj. Joseph Geary, officer-in- charge of the resident office. Iraqi engrs employed by Gulf Region District were key liaisons with local electrical dept reps and city leaders, Geary noted.
In a country with limited power-generation capabilities, solar lights allow energy to be redistributed to areas of critical need. In an area where hard-wired lights may operate only for a couple of hours, a solar-powered light will provide continuous illumination through the night.
The USACE in Iraq has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. and Iraqi govts. Since 2004, USACE has completed 5,257 projects throughout Iraq, and has more than 350 projects ongoing. The overall reconstruction effort in Iraq currently provides jobs for more than 20,000 Iraqis.
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DVIDS
Deployed Brothers Honored Together FOB MAREZ -- Capt. Brendan Fitzgerald (right), Troop C, 3/73 cmdr, shakes the hand of his brother, Spc. Kevin Fitzgerald, HHC, 2nd HBCT, 3rd ID, congratulating him for his re-enlistment, Jan. 8, at FOB Sykes in northern Iraq.
Spc. Kevin Fitzgerald (right), takes the re-enlistment oath, given to him by his brother, Capt. Brendan Fitzgerald.
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USF-I
Hundreds Graduate from Iraq's Oldest Military Academy
BAGHDAD - In an historic ceremony, 231 IA and 247 Iraqi AF cadets graduated from the Basic Officers Commissioning Course 100 at Ar Rustamiyah Military Academy, Jan. 10.
The year-long commissioning course stressed leadership and ethics training, while instilling the values and standards required of the future leaders of the Iraqi military. Additionally, the course covered tactics, weapons training, physical fitness, first aid, current affairs and geography.
Brig. Gen. Scott Hanson, dir. of the Iraq Training and Advising Mission-AF, represented the cmdr of NATO Training Mission-Iraq - Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, as he joined more than a thousand relatives, friends and Iraqi military dignitaries who travelled to attend the graduation.
Staff Lt. Gen. Kanbar, Iraqi Dep. Chief of Staff Ops praised the graduates for their daily sacrifices, and emphasized the importance of their role in fighting terrorism. He encouraged them to be proud and serve in the spirit of unity and integrity, while avoiding divisive sectarianism.
On a similar note, Academy Cmdr, Maj. Gen. Zgaat, reminded cadets that the challenges of the course prepares them for the daily challenges that the SECFOR are enduring while confronting terrorism. He said terrorism will be defeated with their leadership, professionalism and dedication.
The Iraqi MoD plans to extend future commissioning courses to 3 years, which will give graduates a university degree and a more advanced set of skills to bring to the SF. British forces founded the academy in 1924 and based it on the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England. The first class of Iraqi officers graduated in 1927.
NATO Training Mission-Iraq has supported the academy since 2005.
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