Dear Interested Reader,
Ghazni PRT: Takes time out to play, bring supplies to orphanage; surveys mountainside school, dam. Kidnapped child freed, kidnapping ring arrested. Combined Team Uruzgan mentors PAOs. FOB Finley-Shields' FET hosts women's shura. Eagles prepare for flight.
Iraq: Enjoying fun activities kicking off Fire Prevention Week at COB Adder. USD-C Soldiers train the trainers at JSS Deason.
Joanna
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AFGHANISTAN STORIES:
DVIDS
Ghazni PRT Takes Time Out to Play at Afghan Orphanage
By Combined Joint TF 101, PAO
GHAZNI PROVINCE - Army Spc. Timothy Collins, a Ghazni PRT civil affairs member, smiles with a young girl at the girls orphanage in Sanga Masha village, Jaghori District, Oct. 14. The orphanage was a favorite place for the PRT to visit during their 4 days in Jaghori.
AF 1st Lt. Katherine Roling, Ghazni PRT, PA officer, hands out toys donated from Enid and Vance AF Base, Okla. The PRT flew to the remote district for 4 days to check on projects, but also visited the girls orphanage when there was free time. (Photo by Angela Szyszlo)
Angela Szyszlo, the Ghazni PRT education specialist from Poland, greets girls. Szyszlo brought out toothbrushes and toothpaste, as well as paper and colored pencils for the girls to have a drawing contest.
A young girl holding her new teddy bear looks up at the camera while a Ghazni PRT interpreter reads to her. The PRT visited the orphanage and its 40 children to play and hand out toys and health products. The orphanage was refreshing for many PRT members, who stumbled upon the place in March 2010. “This place is great,” said Army Sgt. Kevin Roberts, a Ghazni PRT civil affairs member. “I think everyone should come here just to get a better perspective of this country. The kids at the orphanage are so polite and well-educated, that it gives hope for a better Afghanistan, and I’m proud of being part of a unit that is rebuilding this country.”
Young girls draw and color.
Army Sfc. Vili Schwenke, a Ghazni PRT SECFOR squad leader, pretends to drive young girls around at the girls orphanage, Oct. 14. Sfc. Edward Kruszewski, Ghazni PRT civil affairs member, stands in the back to make sure none of the girls hurt themselves.
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DVIDS
Kidnapped Child Freed, Head of Kidnapping Ring Detained
By ISAF Joint Command
KABUL – The ISAF confirmed that the leaders of a Kabul-based kidnapped ring were detained by ANSF and ISAF, Oct. 16.The men were arrested during a joint ANSF and ISAF mission to free a child the group had kidnapped. Reportedly, the kidnapping ring targeted GoA officials’ families to attempt to influence them to act in favor of the Taliban.Multiple intel reports and tips from local citizens, led the combined SECFOR to the location of the kidnapped child. Upon surrounding the location, Afghan SECFORs entered the location, and freed the boy without incident. Five suspects were detained. The kidnapped boy, the son of an Afghan govt official, was unharmed and reunited with his family.
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DVIDS
Combined Team Uruzgan Mentors Public Affairs Officers
Story by Sgt. Jes Smith
Army Sgt. 1st Class John Wollaston, PA mentor for Combined Team Uruzgan, observes ANA Capt. Koshar, a PAO, while he takes photos, and ANA Capt. Hadisdulah, also a PAO, video tapes an artillery live-fire exercise, Oct. 13, at Multi National Base Tarin Kot, Uruzgan Prov. The exercise was important, because it was the first time that soldiers from 4th Bde fired indirect artillery missions.
MULTINATIONAL BASE TARIN KOT-- It’s not uncommon to be at a range and see PA soldiers wielding video and still photography cameras, feverishly moving in and out of the action. But, today something is different.Today, instead of U.S. or CF covering the action, it's ANA PAOs, followed closely by their mentor Sgt. 1st Class John Walloston. The ANA officers were out gathering info on an artillery live fire exercise, that was conducted by ANA Soldiers, along with their mentors from the Australian Defence Force, Oct. 13.A PAO in the army is responsible for telling the Army’s story, by gathering and releasing info to the public. It's their job to inform the people through different forms of media such as press releases, video stories and radio broadcasts, of what the army is doing. Until Wollaston started mentoring the team of 2 ANA PAOs, all military info in the prov. came from CF. Now the ANA is able to communicate with the local people.Capt. Hadisudlah, a PAO said that Wollaston was a good mentor, and that he's been very successful in teaching them more about public affairs.“They just completed their fifth press release, as well as producing video footage shot of a local Shura,” said Walloston. The footage was released to Radio Television Afghanistan to be broadcast all over Afghanistan.
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DVIDS
FOB Finley-Shields' FET Hosts Women’s Shura
Story by Capt. Mary Danner-Jones
Women from the Nangarhar Dept of Women’s Affairs and Nargis Radio, give out radios to women leaders from Nangarhar prov., and its 22 districts. The women were brought together for the first time ever to discuss women’s issues, during a provincial women’s shura held at the governor’s compound in Jalalabad, Oct. 14.
NANGARHAR PROVINCE – FOB Finley-Shields’ Female Engagement Team (FET), in conjunction with the Nangarhar Dept of Women’s Affairs, hosted the women’s shura. “A shura is a coming together of people. Once we have everyone together, the most important thing is to speak to each other, and pass ideas back and forth,” said Army Maj. Jocelyn Leventhal, the PRT EO. “As we speak, we start to understand the issues that face all of us.”The shura formalized a partnership between the dept of women’s affairs and Nargis Radio. Nargis is an all-female radio station, exclusively broadcasting women’s programming. It's the only radio station in the prov. by women, for women.According to the Asia Foundation, less than 13% of women in Afghanistan are literate. Reaching women and providing them with info, opportunities and education can be a challenge. In a male-orientated country, the radio station provides Nangarhar with a unique tool to reach the female population, and to connect women with their govt leaders.“We are working for you. We want to help you in all areas to include education, health and your families,” said Anisa Emrani, provincial director of women’s affairs. “Nargis is your voice and can reach all your sisters.”“Don’t be shy. Let your voice be heard,” said Gul Lay, a Nargis employee. She pleaded with the women of Nangarhar to use the radio station’s call-in programs, to get their issues heard. “We can carry your voice to the dept of women’s affair,s and to the CF.”“We have the entire circle here today,” said Leventhal. “We have the leaders from the district; the provincial govt; the voice, Nargis; the media and int'l donors.” All groups present pledged their support to women’s issues, and urged the women to stay connected and be involved.The shura was a first step for the FET members to engage women in the prov. The next steps are to bring the women together on a regular basis in a more intimate setting, with very specific agenda items. "The women need to be able to cross talk, discuss the issues, and work on the solutions with women from across Nangarhar and their govt officials," said Leventhal.The FOB Finley-Shields FET is comprised of military and civilian women from the Nangarhar PRT, Missouri ADT IV, and the 1st STB, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne.
Women leaders from Nangarhar Prov., and its 22 districts were brought together for the first time ever to discuss women’s issues.
Anisa Emrani, Nangarhar Dept of Women’s Affairs, addresses women leaders.
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RC-East, Bagram Media Center
Ghazni PRT surveys mountainside school, dam
(Left), Bill Anderson, an engr tech with the USACE, and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike Cernuska, the incoming lead engr for the Ghazni PRT, stand among the chalk lines, Oct. 14, that show the design plan for the new school’s construction in Patoo village, Jaghori District. The school will be for 200 girls and boys, and a soccer field is part of the proposal.
GHAZNI PROVINCE – The team traveled with ANP, and drove in rented cars across bumpy unpaved roads for 2 hours to reach the remote village, where an Afghan contractor was building a school for next year.
Patoo village members introduced their proposal to Angela Szyszlo, Ghazni PRT education specialist from Poland, in a previous visit to the village. “There were only tents here,” Szyszlo said, recalling her first visit.
Szyszlo went to the PRT engrs, showed them the proposal and what she had seen, and the PRT said they could start the project. When the engrs visited the site, they saw where the land had been leveled by dynamite and chalk lines were drawn in the dirt to show the general layout of the future 12-classroom school.Currently, 200 students, both boys and girls, are studying in tents during separate times at a location at the foot of the hill. The PRT also learned that the last 20 days were spent starting the foundation to set up for the masonry work. “We started so late in the season; we hope they’ll get the foundation done before the winter, and then we’ll have them start back up in March, and finish this next building season,” said Bill Anderson.
The school did have one different addition to it – a proposed soccer field. “A normal school design doesn’t have a soccer field, but we asked for it,” Anderson said. “Just to let the kids have a flat space to kick a soccer ball around is value added. All the flat space in this mountainous area is being used already.”After surveying the school’s construction site, the team visited a nearby river where an old dam was crumbling, and no longer in working order. Locals said the waters rose last year to about 2 meters high, or 6.5 feet. “The dam would be used to capture the melted snow for agricultural purposes,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Mike Cernuska. “This site doesn’t have the flow power to sustain a hydroelectric dam.” An ANP points to the location of an old dam, Oct. 14, while speaking to a Ghazni PRT interpreter, near Patoo village. The ANP escorted the Ghazni PRT through the mountainous district of Jaghori to check on projects, and do site surveys.
Afghan contract workers break rocks that will be used for the new school.
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RC-East, Bagram Media Center
Eagles prepare for flight
BAGRAM AIRFIELD – Army Maj. Gen. John Campbell, Combined Joint TF 101, RC-E cmdr, receives an initial briefing for an upcoming flight on an F-15E Strike Eagle from AF Lt. Col. Allan Nilles, 336th Expeditionary Fighter Sqdrn cmdr, Oct. 20. Campbell is flying with members of the Strike Eagle sqdrn., to become more familiar with the mission and capabilities of the F-15, which provides close-air support to his Soldiers on the ground in eastern Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. John Campbell is assisted by AF Tech. Sgt. Marlon White, 336th EFS aircrew flight equipment tech, with the fitting of a flight helmet.
AF Airman 1st Class Angela Morrow, 336th EFS aircrew flight equipment tech, has Maj. Gen. Campbell lean forward to check the fit of a G suit, survival vest and parachute harness.
AF Capt. Ross Clark, 336th EFS F-15 weapons systems officer, demonstrates to Maj. Gen. Campbell, the proper attachment of the parachute harness to the ejection system of the F-15E Strike Eagle.
IRAQI STORIES:
USF-I
Enjoying Fun Activities Kicking Off Fire Prevention Week
Spc. Mitchell Jones, a mechanic with the 319th Trans. Co, said that it was a lot of fun and good exercise. “It’s good camaraderie and a team-builder.” Pfc. Robert Jarvis, an automated logistics specialist with the 319th Trans. Co, described what inspired him to attend the event. “I wanted to show support for my platoon,” he said. “It’s very informative seeing what firefighters do, and how they train up.” Jarvis said that his favorite event was the dummy drag. “It’s just funny to watch people drag it around,” he said.Cavalero said that service members interested in firefighting must attend school at Goodfellow AF Base in San Angelo, Texas, and pass the basic course. “It’s about 6-8 weeks, and then they go to the field fully trained,” said Cavalero. “I was recently down there in March, and I’ve done the course with the young airmen. I preach to the guys that they need to do it, and I’m out there doing it with them. I can still do it, so the expectation is that they’d better do it better.”
Story by Spc. Glen Baker
Soldiers with the 319th Transportation Co, 110th CSSB, 224th Sust Bde, 103rd ESC, carry a hose during a fire muster competition, during Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 3, near Memorial Hall.
COB ADDER — Soldiers, airmen, and civilian contractors kicked off fire prevention week with a team course competition featuring firefighting activities. The fire muster event was hosted by Airmen from the 407th Air Expeditionary Group (AEG), to increase awareness of fire prevention week, which took place, Oct. 3-9.Team “Wreckerz” with the 319th Trans Co, won a plaque for completing the course with an average best time of 1:54. There were 4 teams, but only 2 competed: Team “Wreckers” and the USACE. The AF firefighter team, and a civilian contractor team participated for fun.Tech. Sgt. Michael Champion, asst chief of fire prevention with the 407th AEG, explained the history of the fire muster. “The idea is to kick-off fire prevention week,” said Champion. “The fire muster goes back a long way. Back in the days when they had bucket brigades, fire companies would get together and compete just for fun, maybe have dinner and beers, and just talk about people’s lives, and how their neighboring districts were doing, just as an event to get different firefighting companies together.” Today, the events are a little more contemporary than when the bucket brigades competed.
“We’re doing a dummy drag,” said Champion. “They’re going to grab it underneath the arms and drag it down to the end of the course. They’re going to do a hand-over-hand hose pull. They’re going to deploy this hose by first rolling it up, and then they’re going to fling it out to get it to a hydrant. Then, they’re going to grab a hotel high-rise pack hose and run through the serpentine course of orange cones.” Champion explained that a hotel pack is designed to be brought up several floors of a building. Chief Master Sgt. Michael Cavalero, a fire chief with the 407th AEG, explained what inspired the event. “It’s fire prevention week, so we wanted to put something together to show the public some of the things that we do,” said Cavalero. “When you do this course just in regular clothing, you realize that this is going to be more difficult, when you put 80-lbs of gear on - the personal protective gear and air pack.”The course itself was somewhat complex and challenging for the competing teams. “What they’re going to do is something similar to what the ESPN Challenge is; we just don’t have a 5-story staircase to go up,” said Cavalero. “These things simulate what we do in an actual fire.
“We’re doing a dummy drag,” said Champion. “They’re going to grab it underneath the arms and drag it down to the end of the course. They’re going to do a hand-over-hand hose pull. They’re going to deploy this hose by first rolling it up, and then they’re going to fling it out to get it to a hydrant. Then, they’re going to grab a hotel high-rise pack hose and run through the serpentine course of orange cones.” Champion explained that a hotel pack is designed to be brought up several floors of a building. Chief Master Sgt. Michael Cavalero, a fire chief with the 407th AEG, explained what inspired the event. “It’s fire prevention week, so we wanted to put something together to show the public some of the things that we do,” said Cavalero. “When you do this course just in regular clothing, you realize that this is going to be more difficult, when you put 80-lbs of gear on - the personal protective gear and air pack.”The course itself was somewhat complex and challenging for the competing teams. “What they’re going to do is something similar to what the ESPN Challenge is; we just don’t have a 5-story staircase to go up,” said Cavalero. “These things simulate what we do in an actual fire.
Spc. Mitchell Jones, a mechanic with the 319th Trans. Co, said that it was a lot of fun and good exercise. “It’s good camaraderie and a team-builder.” Pfc. Robert Jarvis, an automated logistics specialist with the 319th Trans. Co, described what inspired him to attend the event. “I wanted to show support for my platoon,” he said. “It’s very informative seeing what firefighters do, and how they train up.” Jarvis said that his favorite event was the dummy drag. “It’s just funny to watch people drag it around,” he said.Cavalero said that service members interested in firefighting must attend school at Goodfellow AF Base in San Angelo, Texas, and pass the basic course. “It’s about 6-8 weeks, and then they go to the field fully trained,” said Cavalero. “I was recently down there in March, and I’ve done the course with the young airmen. I preach to the guys that they need to do it, and I’m out there doing it with them. I can still do it, so the expectation is that they’d better do it better.”
Airmen with the 407th run and carry a dummy.
Contractor civilians run and carry a dummy.
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USF-I
USD-C Soldiers Train the Trainers
Story by Cpl. Daniel Eddy
Sgt. Jason Hutchinson, crime scene instructor with Co D, 2nd Bn, 7th Inf Regt, 1st AAB, 3rd ID, 1st AR Div, shows an IA soldier how to photograph a weapon properly, Oct. 11, at JSS Deason. The IA soldiers also learned how to handle evidence properly, and where to look for evidence in vehicles.
BAGHDAD — A group of IA soldiers conducted a simulated raid, Oct. 13, after a 3-week course taught by soldiers with Co D. During a 3-week training course, the Iraqis learned proper evidence handling and gathering, evidence documentation, and handling a detainee according to the Geneva Conventions. With Op New Dawn in full motion, the successful training of IA soldiers at JSS Deason, is another example of Iraqis taking control of their country, and becoming ready to train their own.“We had a lt and NCOs from the commandos go through training on individual tasks, squad phase, and platoon phase,” said Capt. Kevin Murnyack, cmdr of Co D. “The goal for this training wasn’t to actually teach them tactics, because it’s stuff they already know. It’s to show them what a good training program might look like, to teach it to their own guys.”Murnyack said he knew the Iraqi commandos’ tactics were effective, but he wanted to see their ability to plan, execute and conduct a solid after action review. Afterward, he had full confidence in the commandos’ ability to train fellow Iraqi soldiers.One of the classes the Iraqis were taught, and will teach in the future, is a crime scene investigation class on the proper ways to handle, bag and document evidence. The instructors find these classes to be advantageous to both Iraqis and Americans.“I think it’s great,” said Sgt. Jason Hutchinson, a gunner and a CSI instructor with Co D. “We are working ourselves out of a job; the more we do now, the less we have to do later; so I'm all about getting these guys trained.”Hutchinson said the Iraqis’ improvement is not always obvious. Instead, he looks at the details to see their progress. One sign of improvement is that the Iraqis have started using rubber gloves, whereas before, the practice was much more foreign to them. “In terms of sovereignty the Iraqis certainly are on a level where they haven’t been before,” Hutchinson said. “One of our missions is to support EOD and quick reaction force, and we've done very few missions lately, compared to when we were first assigned that task. So just the decrease in those sorts of missions makes it obvious there is progress.”A new area of emphasis the Iraqis will pass on to fellow soldiers are the Geneva Conventions, and the proper handling of a detainee. “You can see from the IA soldiers how they were interested,” said Staff Sgt. Jerry Asrat, an instructor and plt. sgt. with Co D. “It's totally new from their day-to-day life. They're aware of some of the detainee treatment procedures, but they're not fully experienced about the whole int'l detainee law.”Reyadsaeed Hameed, an IA soldier who attended the classes, and will be training Iraqi soldiers, said that the detainee class increased his knowledge greatly. “The biggest thing that I learned today was the int'l law, and talking about human rights,” he said. “I have to imagine myself as the detainee, and I want to treat them as I would like to be treated.”
Hameed said he's proud to help rebuild Iraq’s Army by training fellow soldiers.Murnyack said that the simulated raid was tailored toward handling detainees and searching houses for evidence, which are the 2 classes the Iraqis said they learned the most from. Murnyack said the Iraqis did very well in performing the mock raid.“I have been here in 2003, 2005, 2007 and now,” Arsat said. “I remember in ’03, ’05, ‘07 the Iraqi soldiers did not have any kind of coordination when it comes to certain procedures. Now I see totally different Iraqi soldiers. Right now they've learned so many things, getting educated by the different training programs.”“I think our partnership is stronger than ever,” Murnyack said. “I think part of that is because the Iraqis like to be in the lead; it's their country, and they take a lot of responsibility and a lot of pride in the security here.”
Hameed said he's proud to help rebuild Iraq’s Army by training fellow soldiers.Murnyack said that the simulated raid was tailored toward handling detainees and searching houses for evidence, which are the 2 classes the Iraqis said they learned the most from. Murnyack said the Iraqis did very well in performing the mock raid.“I have been here in 2003, 2005, 2007 and now,” Arsat said. “I remember in ’03, ’05, ‘07 the Iraqi soldiers did not have any kind of coordination when it comes to certain procedures. Now I see totally different Iraqi soldiers. Right now they've learned so many things, getting educated by the different training programs.”“I think our partnership is stronger than ever,” Murnyack said. “I think part of that is because the Iraqis like to be in the lead; it's their country, and they take a lot of responsibility and a lot of pride in the security here.”
Staff Sgt. Jerry Asrat (right), a plt sgt with Co D, instructs a group of IA soldiers on the proper way to provide security while handling a detainee, according to the Geneva Conventions.
An IA soldier searches Spc. Matthew Driggers, a tanker with Co D.
Spc. Matthew Driggers (on ground), plays the role of a detainee as Staff Sgt. Jerry Asrat (standing), shows an IA soldier how to handle a detainee properly.
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