Ouellette's unit, 3rd Bn, 8th Marines, returned to Afghanistan nearly 2 years later under the name BLT 3/8, 26th MEU, RCT 2, to establish and maintain security, and support development projects in portions of Helmand Prov., allowing the GoA to foster socio-economic development there. One of the positions BLT 3/8 will operate from is COP Ouellette.
"He was definitely a strong leader and a mentor first," said Cpl. Jesse Raper, then a junior Marine in Ouellette's squad, who applied a tourniquet to the squad leader's leg on that fateful day. "When it came to combat, no one was better. I never really realized just how good a leader he was, until he was gone," said Raper, now a team leader with 2nd Plt, Co I. "I can look back now, and see how I raise my junior Marines, and every little thing I do was the same thing he did for me, instilling strict discipline, trying to bring out the best in them. He raised great Marines. That's what he did."
COP Ouellette will serve as the base of ops for portions of BLT 3/8, charged with neutralizing insurgent networks, and supporting development projects in Helmand prov. Clearing and initial construction of COP Ouellette was begun by Seabees from Camp Leatherneck, and by Co L, BLT 3/8, Ouellette's former company.
"Originally I was in Lima Co.," Raper said, "and we pride ourselves on strength and honor, the fact that we're better than everyone else. He instilled that in us. He was a firm believer in that. Raper said that his former squad leader would be honored to have the COP named for him, "and take the fight to the enemy."
"I miss him dearly," said Raper. "A lot of guys would say he'll never be forgotten. In this case that's true with his whole squad, anyone that ever met him. He was very intimidating, and he always left an effect on you that was lasting."
However, "the frequency of use throughout the years had damaged several portions of the road, which forced larger vehicles to find alternative routes to reach their destinations," said Staff Sgt. Julio Castro, project foreman, Engr Co, CLB-3, 1st MLG (FWD). In order to alleviate these issues for military units and Afghan citizens, CLB-3’s combat engrs began repairing the route in Nov.
After 3 months of work, the combat engrs had successfully completed repairs on more than 10 miles of the road. These repairs included widening and leveling the road, by installing more than 700 meters of retaining walls for reinforcement, constructing several bridges over waterways, and spreading approx 30,000 cubic yards of gravel for stability.
Castro said, “it's the most significant road in this prov. I liken it to the Interstate 5 highway system in California. It’s the main north-to-south route in the area. Now, anyone can pass from the northern part of Helmand to the southern part without having to worry about getting stuck, or rolling over into a canal. This road will last for years, and our work here will leave a long-lasting impression on the people of Afghanistan.”
“With the newly-repaired road, we’ll start to see ripple effects with increased commerce in certain areas, which will provide the Afghan people with the ability for economic growth,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Anthony Reiter, engr. equipment officer, Engr. Co, and a native of British Columbia, Canada. “Beyond that, it also impacts the trust and confidence that the local Afghans have in the U.S. military. From a COIN perspective, our work has a larger effect on the Afghans’ desire to help us rid the area from any Taliban control. In the 3 months we were working, we definitely saw an improvement in the local Afghans’ perception of us. I’m very proud of the road project, but I’m as proud with the relationships we were able to build with the local community,” Reiter continued. “I believe the Afghans can see how the U.S. influence can improve their quality of life, compared to their lives under Taliban control.”
With the repairs, completed the route now fully extends 20 miles – connecting several villages and patrol bases along the Helmand River. With the increased mobility, CF hope to continue improving the lives of Afghan civilians in southern Helmand province by driving out Taliban forces, and conducting even more civil-development projects.
AHP Capt. Shahlohallab, cmdr. of the vehicle checkpoint said that Checkpoint 4 was originally built in 1980, and has gone through various renovations. One of the major improvements was placing Hesco barriers along the perimeter of the checkpoint, to protect AHP from small-arms fire, or VBIEDs.
Sgt. 1st Class Jermaine Trevillion, assigned to Kilo Troop, 4th Sqdn, said that he and his soldiers have built a relationship with the different Afghan forces that operate and secure the checkpoints along Highway 4. They visit different checkpoints on a regular basis and sometimes spend the night.
ABP Capt. Janan, quick reaction force (QRF) cmdr. said, "it's good to see CF working together with Afghan forces, and looks forward to sharing intel with AHP."
AHP Capt. Haji Sahebjan said that the last time he was at the checkpoint was 7 years ago and it was in bad condition. Sahebjan said that he was glad the checkpoint was open again, and that the priority of the checkpoints is to provide security for the Afghan people. “I hope to work together with ISAF,” Sahebjan said, “so that we can stand together to solve problems."
Lt. Col. Andrew Green, comm. officer of 4th Sqdn, told the group that ISAF supports the Afghan forces, and said that he's proud to see the AHP working to help reduce insurgent activity along Highway 4. “The presence of the Taliban in this area has been greatly reduced,” said Green.
After the ribbon cutting ceremony, everyone present had a traditional Afghan lunch that included lamb, flatbread, potatoes, rice and vegetables.
“The recent cache finds were driven by intel gathered by the ANA,” said Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Smith, plt sgt. “The GoP tip was a result of the ANA handing out info cards with phone numbers.” GoP is a program used by ANSF and CF to receive info about insurgent activity. Local villagers get info from flyers and cards providing instructions on how to contact ANSF and CF if insurgent activity is observed.
When an individual participates, the info is delivered without personally identifying info that may put that person at risk of repercussions by insurgent forces. A tip was received by the ANA through this program, that insurgents were moving explosives and IEDs around an abandoned home, close to the Mamuzi health clinic, near Bar Janek Kheyl Village.
The caller kept watch on the activity of the insurgents, while the ANA informed 2nd Plt. of the situation. The ANA and CF couldn't act immediately due to weather, but spent the day planning what to do as soon as the weather cleared. The next morning the SECFORs headed to the Mamuzi clinic.
The ANA searched both the abandoned home as well as some sink holes near it, thinking the pits would be good places to hide things. Once the cache was unearthed, the evidence was photographed and the ANA carefully bagged it to avoid contamination. Before leaving the village, Pallawan held an impromptu meeting with the primary healthcare provider of the Mamuzi health clinic, the night watchman on duty the night prior, villagers and elders.
Pallawan showed the elders the contents of the cache, placing emphasis on the land mines. “This stuff is getting buried in your backyard,” explained Pallawan. His comments focused on the fact that land mines don’t discriminate; anyone could be affected by them. He emphasised the need for the villagers to report any insurgent activity they see, as any villager could get hurt by the explosives.
The ANA and CF returned to base, where an EOD team destroyed the munitions, and the IEDs were packaged and sent to Bagram Air Field for forensic testing. Smith and his platoon were happy to do their job working with the ANA. “Any day that you take 8 IEDs out of the fight is a good day for us,” said Smith.
Although Hushawa is new to this position, Hushawa works closely with male govt officials, to build a better life for the Afghan women of Paktika. Her first major project is teaching girls the Quran, and how to read and write. “In my mind, we’ll get the girls involved from 10 years up to 25 years old,” said Hushawa. “This is the idea I have. I want to speak with the governor and ministry about getting more resources.”
Paktika Gov. Samim gave Hushawa additional funds for another women’s affairs rep. Also, Samim provided Hushawa support and encouragement during the humanitarian assistance event held Feb. 10 at FOB Rushmore. Samim provided lunch, and sent additional hands to help Hushawa.
Voice of Pashto and The National Voice of Paktika radio advertised the event a week prior, and encouraged women to come receive needed winter clothing and toiletries. Hushawa permitted men to receive items for the women and children of their households. “Anyone needy is welcome to come,” said Hushawa.
Prior to the event, Hushawa received and organized the donations herself. The Paktika PRT and Paktika FET provided security and support, to ensure the event was safe and successful. “Any plan I have out of this area, I want to go and do it myself to make sure it's done right,” said Hushawa.
“In her eyes, today's event brought a real face of the GoA to the men, women and children affected by the shortcomings of the economic system,” said Holland. “She wants the people to know that their govt is working hard to improve overall conditions, and that GoA cares about their needs.”
Musleh said employing the people will steer them away from the insurgency. “When they have a job, they'll be supporting their families, not fighting against the govt or CF,” he said. Musleh is looking to develop the program further, and the Paktya PRT has vowed to help.
“We'll provide support for expanding vocational training throughout the prov.,” said AF Lt. Col Marchal Magee, PRT Paktya cmdr., adding that he wants to "assist the GoA to implement a solar power maintenance course for the burgeoning energy business in Paktya."
Rahmatullah, a plumbing student there, plans to use his education to educate others. “When I graduate from this class, I will go out and become a teacher,” Rahmatullah said.
By SFC Jeff Troth
The 2nd General Support Aviation Bn, 1st Aviation Regt. leadership weren't able to accept the Lt. Gen. Ellis D. Parker Award in person, as they're currently deployed to Iraq as part of the CAB, 1st ID.
The Parker Award was established in 1992 by Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, then Chief of Staff of the Army, to honor Lt. Gen. Ellis D. Parker at his retirement. The award recognizes aviation units that have excelled in the areas of leadership, training, maintenance and safety.
The battalion proved themselves during their year-long deployment to Iraq last spring. Normally consisting of 7 companies, the bn grew to a TF of 9 companies, with more than 700 Soldiers and an additional 16 aircraft.
In 2010, the 2-1 GSAB provided aviation support throughout Iraq, flying more than 20,000 hours. During that time they transported almost 113,000 personnel, and 5 million lbs of cargo with their Chinook and Black Hawk helicopters. The TF also provided medical evacuation, and manned 4 air traffic control facilities.
Bn. Cmdr. Lt. Col. Christopher Prather said that during the deployment, the unit's pilots provided more support and flight hours than any other GSAB during OIF. "We've done what no other bn. has had to do during a deployment," Prather said. "Beyond supporting U.S. forces, we began an intense partnership with IA aviation sqdns, and for the first time flew partnered missions with 1 Iraq, and 1 U.S. helicopter."
Prather said that his Soldiers went above and beyond, not only with the wide variety of missions the unit had, but also in their support of each other. "Our success is a result of caring, small unit leaders who operate daily with compassion, and ensure that standards and discipline are maintained," Prather said.
“In my 20 years of service, I’ve never come across a better Army cook,” said Lt. Col. Eric Larsen, stability transition team leader with 4th “Vanguard” AAB, 3rd ID. “He’s the best.”
Harris said that he takes his job very seriously. To him, it’s not just cooking the next meal—it’s a contributing factor in the soldier’s morale, and the esprit de corps on the base. “The morale is pretty high around here right now,” Harris said—an important development, with the resident units recovering from the loss of 2 soldiers just a few months ago.
This loss struck the heart and soul of the company, and canceling that Friday’s barbecue became a major consideration. However, Harris had another idea that would deliver a much needed morale boost to the soldiers — T-bone steaks. “Before then, we'd just been eating regular food,” he said. “I knew that the soldiers really looked forward to the Friday evening barbecues.”
Harris recognized that the soldiers needed to be together, not alone. He asked the cmdr. to have T-bone steaks delivered to the camp. The commander complied, and it was a somber and emotional meal for everyone present. Harris said that no one talked much during dinner. It wasn’t until that following Friday, that the soldiers began to open up and express their personal feelings. The loss of a fellow comrade is always difficult, but at Camp Fallujah, thanks to the weekly barbecues, and the resulting openness of communication, the soldiers are moving past the tragedy.
“Morale took a big hit in Sept., but we were able to push past it,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Boza, STT communications adviser. “Soldiers are humans and humans need to socialize, and there's a good amount of socializing that goes on at Harris’ barbecues.”
Harris, whose specialty is grilled lobster tail, has been grilling since he was 9 years old. He credits much of his culinary talent to his mother, a trained 5-star chef. Harris has also expanded the barbecues to Wednesday night, and introduced “soul food Sunday” at Camp Fallujah. He’s constantly improving the dining conditions on the camp by expanding the menu, maintaining a clean kitchen, and ensuring the dining area is up to standard, along with the Vanguard morale.