On October 27, Yurista volunteered in an op to raid and destroy a major IED factory in Now Zad. During the op, he was involved in a firefight that lasted more than 4 hours, which resulted in the destruction of the IED factory. While returning to COP Now Zad, Yurista’s convoy came under enemy fire again. While directing his vehicle to provide return fire, his vehicle struck a roadside bomb, mortally wounding Yurista.
Mills gave a speech in honor of Yurista at the dedication ceremony following opening remarks. “I remind you that Capt. Yurista had just returned from the 2nd of his tours in Iraq,” Mill said. “He could easily have sat this one out. He could have stayed with his family, and contributed from back home, but instead, like all Marines, he wanted to be in the fight. He wanted to go to the sound of the guns.”
Maj. Scott Westerfield, RC- SW intel EO, also spoke about Yurista’s character and his dedication to the Corps. “Everybody that knew him personally was really struck by his commitment to be involved, to be where the action was, and to support his Marines,” Westerfield said. “It’s unfortunate that in answering the call-to-arms, and literally fulfilling his goals, he met an untimely end.”
Emphasizing the ultimate sacrifice Yurista made for his Marines and his country, Mills said he was proud to dedicate the new building to the memory of the fallen Marine. “He went forward because the Marines in the front needed his leadership,” Mills said. “For his leadership, his dedication, his esprit-de-corps, we will honor this fallen warrior who so embodied the spirit of the Marine Corps.”
Chiefs Pinning Ceremony at Kandahar Air Field
Afghan Forces Secure Election
The police were successful in confiscating more than 4,000 fake voter ballots. National Directorate of Security, Chief Nabeel reported that his force additionally confiscated 22,000 fake voter ballots. "NDS also arrested 19 terrorists, disrupted and arrested numerous terrorist networks, and defused 60 mines during the past 72 hours," according to Nabeel.
Each leader prayed for the police, soldiers, and civilians who were killed and the quick recovery of those wounded.
Afghan 1st Sgt. Fawse is a drill instructor. “I feel very good about the soldiers, and I’m training them very hard,” he says. “That way, they can defend their country and take care of the people.”
U.S. SF began training Afghan soldiers at KMTC in 2002. By 2006, int'l forces were helping train about 5,000 Afghan soldiers at a time. Now, with 15 nations providing direct expertise in key areas, the number of Afghan soldiers in training has more than doubled.
Currently, about 800 coalition advisors work side by side with some 3,000 Afghan instructors: British troops at the Bridmal Academy for NCOs; French at Officer Candidate School and the Military Instructor’s Course; Canadians at the Legal School; Mongolians and Australians at the School of Artillery; Romanians at the Team Leaders Course; and Germans at the Logistics School.
British Brig. Gen. David Paterson, the asst. comm. gen. of Combined Training Advisory Group–Army, says training is key to building the ANA’s capacity to take over the Afghan security mission. “If we don’t train the army, then there’s no transition,” he said.
Potential recruits from various areas and tribal affiliations come to KMTC, hoping to join the Afghan army. They must pass a rigorous screening process, prior to beginning the 8-week Basic Warrior Training course, that introduces them to their roles and responsibilities as ANA soldiers. The course also teaches fundamental skills such as marksmanship, rank structure, and squad-level tactics.
Advanced courses include a 4-week team leader course, a 12-week one uniform course for NCOs, and the 20-week Officers Candidate School. Private Faizuddin, an ANA recruit whose mother and father were both killed by the Taliban, said that adapting to military life at KMTC has been relatively easy for him. “The only thing that was difficult was waking up at midnight and 3 a.m.,” he said.
One of the technological tools in the cmdr’s arsenal is the RQ-11B Raven. It's a small, hand-launched, remote-controlled, remotely piloted aircraft that can provide live, up-to-the-minute battlefield intel, surveillance and recon using photos and video.
Recently, Soldiers from TF Leader’s 1st Bn, 187th Inf Regt took the opportunity to fly the Raven and check its functionality, during training ops at FOB Salerno. “The Raven is a great asset for ground cmdrs,” said Sgt. Justin Miller. “It's an aerial recon tool that cmdrs at the company level can use, when other surveillance assets are not available to them.”
It's launched by hand; thrown into the air like a model airplane. It’s powered by a small electric motor and propeller, and is capable of flying up to 6.2 miles from its launch site. It can reach altitudes up to 1,000 feet and speeds of 28 to 60 miles-per-hour. Weighing just more than 4-lbs, it carries a payload of small color-video cameras, as well as an infrared night-vision camera, that can capture still photos and video during daylight hours or complete darkness.
The Raven is also versatile. It can be remotely controlled from an operator’s ground station or flown completely autonomously by pre-programming GPS waypoints into its navigation system. Although there are numerous RPAs in use by today’s military, Miller says that the small RPA has several advantages over its larger counterparts. One advantage is its ability to get into the air quickly. “We can usually have the Raven in the air within 15 minutes,” said Miller. “It’s really light and very portable. It can even be put into an assault pack and taken on patrols if necessary,” Miller said.
Once the Raven has completed its mission, it lands itself by auto-piloting to a predefined landing point, and then gliding to the ground.
COB ADDER - All notion of time ceased when he entered a room he had been longing for: a room abundant with joy and life. Gasping to catch his breath, he stood there at last, one step closer to the soft, glistening light shining upon his frail newborn, and a lifetime to embrace her as her father.
Spc. Iram Jaramillo, a personnel security detachment gunner with HHC, 224th Sust Bde, 103rd ESC, returned home on emergency leave, June 19, to welcome the birth of his first child. Jaramillo arrived at his hometown for 2 weeks of paternity emergency leave. There, he was able to embrace his newborn daughter, Fatima, born June 19, weighing 6 lbs. and 3 oz.
He said that witnessing his daughter’s birth was a moment he had been waiting for since his marriage in Nov. of 2008 to his wife Patricia. Jaramillo proudly portrays 2 titles that many deployed soldiers have the honor of carrying: an American soldier and a father. His transition into fatherhood while in a deployed environment has impacted his role as a soldier. Every mission he executes is performed to protect and serve our country, while supporting the greater cause of freedom. Jaramillo said that he treasures every aspect that fulfills his day's mission, leading him to build a stronger bond with his family, and a bolder insight on life and liberty.
Today, Jaramillo is a proud father of his rapidly growing 2-month-old daughter. “It's indescribable, being able to see my reflection in my beautiful baby girl,” Jaramillo said. He added that he hopes to be a great example for his baby as well as be a mentor and a friend.
Jaramillo steadily integrates more time reading to his daughter and keeping in touch with his wife to make this deployment less stressful for both of them. “It 's difficult, but my wife is very supportive, and we take it day by day.” He expects, upon completion of his tour, to not only take pride in his efforts toward defending freedom, but to also share his experience in the form of a bedtime story that would make his daughter proud.
COB GARRY OWEN –Located in the southern region of Iraq, the Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (TUAS) Plt, 3rd BSTB, 3rd BCT, 4th ID, plays a vital role in enabling cmdrs to make decisions in order to maintain stability throughout Maysan, by assisting in intel collection.
The TUAS mission consists of providing intel, surveillance, recon, communications, target detection, and counter-indirect fire ops. As UAV operators and maintainers, soldiers in the TUAS plt serve at both the launch, recovery and forward site.
Co-located with the 1st Bn, 8th Inf Regt, tactical ops center at COB Garry Owen, the launch and recovery site is where soldiers conduct TUAS flight ops, including pre-flight ops, launching aircraft, and landings.
“We prepare and conduct air recon missions, and operate our payload for target detection. Being able to track a target and assist soldiers on the ground gives the soldiers in the plt a real sense of accomplishment,” said Sgt. Frank Jentink, a UAV operator.
Launch and recovery site ops also rely a great deal on the expertise of the unmanned aircraft systems repairers, whose responsibilities consist of repairing the aircrafts electrical, avionics, propulsion, and fuel systems. “I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I joined the plt, but after being part of it for 5 months and knowing what we’ve accomplished, I can say that we’ve definitely contributed to the security of Iraq,” said Sgt. Jason Cantrell, UAV maintenance and repair.
At the forward site, the TUAS mission changes to planning and execution, in order to meet the cmdr’s priority intel requirements. These tasks include assisting with intel collection and dissemination, coordinating with higher and adjacent units, and creating and maintaining an operational data base, all while supervising ops and activities of the plt. “I understand the importance UAV’s play on the battlefield, and knowing that I’ve contributed is a reward in itself,” said Spc. Branigan Kerr, a UAV operator.
COB BASRA – The MP squads visit police stations in the Basra prov., and provide training courses for IP officers and the IA. The training consists of crime scene mgt, room entry procedures, officer safety, and riot control. Soldiers from the 354th instruct these courses both at COB Basra and IP training centers. “Our police team’s mission is critical to the support and stability of Iraq during this transition. We're teaching them critical skills and compounding the basic skills they possess already, helping them to achieve a more effective and efficient police force in Basra,” said 1st Lt. Angela Smith, cmdr, 354th.
Based out of St. Louis, Mo., the 354th is a reserve unit, where many of the soldiers are civilian police officers back home, and can share first-hand experiences and knowledge with the IP. Having both the skills of an MP officer and a civilian police officer, is unique to the Army Reserves.
"Thus far, the IP officers are very impressed with the knowledge and skills these Soldiers have, and can relate to their experiences as civilian police officers," said Smith.