Story by AF 1st Lt. Emily Chilson, Paktika PRT
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Torrean Clarke, Paktika PRT corpsman, is promoted June 10. Clarke earned the combat action ribbon, and was recently combat meritoriously promoted for responding quickly and stabilizing injured teammates, after their convoy was struck by an IED in Nov. Clarke was a passenger in the vehicle when the IED detonated. (AF photo by Senior Airman Ashley Avecilla)
PAKTIKA PROVINCE – Only one Sailor is combat meritoriously promoted to the rank of E-5 in Afghanistan each quarter. Cmdrs. promoted Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Torrean Clarke, PRT corpsman, in front of his teammates, June 10.
In Nov., Clarke was in an armored vehicle during a PRT mission in Paktika’s Urgun District, when an IED composed of 75-lbs of homemade explosives detonated underneath Clarke’s vehicle, throwing the vehicle into the air, and rolling it on to the right side. “His actions during the IED strike definitely saved at least one of our team member’s lives,” said Navy Cmdr. Donny Cox, PRT cmdr.
Once Clarke realized what was going on after the IED went off, he treated and stabilized the driver and truck cmdr. (TC), as well as the gunner who had been thrown from the turret, and was moaning in the middle of the road. “When we hit the IED, it took me a minute to realize what had happened,” Clarke said. “The whole truck was quiet.”
As soon as Soldiers posted security, Clarke and the SECFOR Soldiers moved the gunner to safety, stabilized him, and then assessed the driver and TC, finding both unresponsive. “I noticed that the driver’s ankle was hanging on by a tendon, so I stabilized his ankle and taped his legs together for a splint,” Clarke said. From what the TC communicated, Clarke thought he may have had a fractured spine. Clarke kept the 3 Soldiers stabilized, until a helicopter arrived for medical evacuation.
In addition to the promotion, his superiors awarded Clarke the combat action ribbon, and combat medic badge. “It’s well deserved,” said Navy Lt. j.g. Tamora Holland, PRT medical officer. “I’m very proud of him. He'll make an excellent leader; he already has been one. He’s worked hard this whole deployment, and never lost steam.”
Clarke’s supervisor, Navy Chief Petty Officer Doug Thompson, PRT medical NCO-in-charge, is the team member who submitted Clarke for the award and promotion. “This is huge,” Thompson said, “seeing how they only have 2 of these promotions per quarter, one in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. The fact that he got it says a lot about his character.”
When Clarke completes this deployment in July, he'll move to San Antonio for a year-long bio-medical repair technician school, where he would learn to fix medical equipment, like X-ray machines. “I feel great,” Clarke said. “I really appreciate the recognition.”
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DVIDS
AUP Graduates 114, Builds National Security ForcesStory and photos by AF Tech. Sgt. Mike Andriacco
Swedish Army Capt. Johannes Kirchheim, the Training Sustainment Site (TSS) Shaheen, near Mazar-e-Sharif, lead police mentor, presents a graduation certificate to a basic patrolman course graduate. There were 114 graduates in the ceremony, June 2. The site fields between 600 and 700 new patrolmen annually for the northern region of Afghanistan.
CAMP MIKE SPANN – Every milestone accomplished by the ANSF is another step toward the org. assuming security for the entire country, ahead of the planned NATO withdrawal in 2014.
“I'm very proud to graduate today,” said Mohammad Yasin, a new basic patrolman for the AUP, through an interpreter. “I'm also sad to leave my new friends, but now I get to serve the people,” he added as he boarded a truck that would take him to the police station, where he would begin the next phase of his career.
The AUP, in conjunction with the ABP and ANCOP, make up the ANP force which, when counted with the ANA, make up the ANSF.
The ANCOP have recently reached their targeted recruitment goals, and have changed their recruiting drive from a force building mission, to force sustainment. This is a positive metric, and shows that not only is Afghanistan making strides toward maintaining its own security, but that its people are choosing to be involved in the process. The AUP and ABP are still in their force building phase.
“The students are grateful for the training,” said AUP Maj. Hashemy, the TSS cmdr. “They leave here knowing what they need to do to be good policemen. They're always proud.” Upon arrival, most students – 86% on average - don't know how to read and write. The curriculum during the 8-week course includes literacy, the law, and the importance and responsibility of the police force.
The addition of 114 new patrolmen is not the only mark of progress at the TSS. The mentor team, made up of Swedish army soldiers, is shifting its role as well. “The mentor team before us was teaching the classes as well as the instructors for the last class,” said Swedish Army Capt. Kirchheim, the mentor team leader. “With this class, we served in a purely mentoring role, and Afghan instructors taught all the classes.”
Kirchheim said that he sees the TSS as a definite improvement. “This training is more institutionalized,” Kirchheim said. “This is a much more efficient way to train and field a police force.” He also noted some positive differences in the way trainees participate in their own training, when they're not distracted by the daily ops of a working police station.
“The students were very enthusiastic,”Kirchheim said. “They asked a lot of questions, and the repetition of materials in a controlled environment helped them retain a lot of info in a short period of time.”
Fielding a strong ANSF is an important part of ISAF’s transition strategy for a steady, gradual, conditions-based process. The int'l community is interested in a lasting partnership with an Afghanistan that is stable and secure. The 114 new patrolmen are another step toward that goal.
Graduates from the AUP are inspected in formation prior to their graduation ceremony.
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DVIDS
B Company Soldiers Enjoy Memorial Day Menu ChangeStory by Sgt. Jazz Burney
Soldiers with B Co, 2nd Bn, 18th Inf Regt, 170th IBCT take cover as an Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter lands for an early Memorial Day celebration at COP Fortitude, May 29.
COP FORTITUDE – After a shower of sediment kicked up by the blades of a Black Hawk helicopter settled, its sliding doors opened and revealed stacks of green heating containers filled with tender ribeye steaks, seasoned mash potatoes with brown gravy, fried chicken and a slew of steamed vegetables for 2nd Bn soldiers who man a remote outpost near Imam Sahib, Kunduz prov.
The dinner, packaged and delivered by soldiers with 170th IBCT, started as an early Memorial Day remembrance within the ranks of B Co, yet ended as a joint celebration with ANP leaders from Imam Sahib.
“What a way to remember our fallen soldiers before us who paved the way for our country, by having a joint dinner with our Afghan counterparts here in Imam Sahib,” said 1st Lt. Daniel Krieger, now the 3rd Plt leader with B Co.
The first stop for soldiers and Afghans alike was taking quick dabs of hand sanitizer. Then they fattened their plates from a container packed with fried chicken wings, legs and thighs and a separate tray of marinated ribeye steaks. The soldiers hardly took their eyes off the food.
A fruit salad with diced pineapples, peaches, pears and grapes, and a green salad with carrots provided a healthy balance to the meal. At the request of the soldiers, peach cobbler, pecan and cherry pies were included in the air delivery.
“We wanted to show our soldiers here that we appreciate the sacrifices they make, by giving them a little taste of home,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Aaron Cox, now the brigade food service adviser. In 4 hours, civilian cooks prepared the meal, and Cox personally delivered itl by helicopter from Camp Mike Spann, where the brigade is headquartered. The supply drop also included cookies, sports drinks, cupcakes, and bottles of steak and hot sauce.
COP Fortitude is the most remote of the battalion’s 4 areas of responsibility. Every day for the last 4 months, soldiers either consumed heater meals, which consist of an entree, a fruit beverage and bread snacks, or MRE rations for dinner. The change of menu brought widened eyes to the troops at Imam Sahib.
“We've actual cooked green beans; I love green beans,” said Pfc. Andrew Diller, an infantryman with 3rd Plt. As the Bushmaster soldiers celebrated their Memorial Day, the ANP lost their regional cmdr. to an insurgent attack in another district. “The dinner is a way to honor all those who have died for both countries,” Krieger said to his Afghan partners during the meal.
Soldiers dig into plates loaded with American-style food.
Soldiers are busy eating with very little talking!
Soldiers are in awe of the variety of food!
Pfc. William Vivas, an infantryman with B Co, watches his security sector, while his comrades load empty food containers, after an early Memorial Day dinner.
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DVIDS
Mechanics: Unsung Heroes Keep Marines in the FightStory by Lance Cpl. Bruno Bego
Lance Cpl. Allen Landry (left), Cpl. William Fourd (background), and Cpl. Christopher Schell (right), motor transportation mechanics with Combat Logistics Bn 8, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Fwd), place the differential of a logistical vehicle system replacement on a hydraulic jack, prior to installing it in a truck, May 31, 2011, aboard Camp Leatherneck. Since arriving in Jan., the Marines increased the unit’s operational readiness capability from 76% to 91%.
CAMP LEATHERNECK – Numerous convoys over both the harsh Afghan terrain and the IEDs, commonly used by insurgents, can damage even the biggest and toughest vehicles in the Marine Corps.
Since their arrival in Afghanistan, the Marines with CLB 8, 2nd MLG (Fwd) conducted 426 missions covering countless miles, often through open desert. “We specialize in combat damaged vehicles. In [Support] company we have ordnance, communications and heavy equipment maintenance plts.,” explained Staff Sgt. Amy Bory, the motor transportation maintenance chief. “We do everything. We assess the damages, disassemble the trucks; we order the pieces we need to replace, then we put it all back together, and send them back to their units."
These dedicated mechanics, work day in and day out, so that Marines receive vehicles they can rely on to conduct their missions. “We have everything necessary to restore any piece of equipment out here from top to bottom,” Bory explained. “We're responsible for providing most infantry units at the different FOBs and COPs, especially RCT 8, 2nd Marine Div (Fwd.), with maintenance support.”
Convoys are the most common and practical way to resupply smaller bases throughout the area of op (AO), but the trucks are relied on for more than just transporting supplies; they save lives. “I think about the Marines operating the trucks every time I'm at the shop,” said Cpl. Richard Walters, a motor transportation mechanic with CLB-8. “If they have to get outside their trucks to fix something, exposing themselves, I feel that I’ve failed them."
“Without us, the other units we support wouldn’t be able to move,” Walters said. “Motor transportation can’t move without maintenance, and you can’t supply or protect anybody unless your trucks are running.”
A fully operational truck is priceless to the Marines conducting ops throughout Afghanistan in support of ISAF ops. The mechanics from CLB-8 ensure that the Marines and sailors can count on reliable vehicles when they need them.
Marines with CLB 8 lift the cabin of a medium tactical vehicle replacement.
Lance Cpl. Anthony Sayers, a motor transportation mechanic, tightens up the last few bolts of a logistical vehicle system replacement differential assembly.
Cpl. Richard Walters, a motor transportation mechanic, disassembles the differential of a logistical vehicle system replacement.
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IRAQI STORIES:
U.S. Division-North Public Affairs
Medical Operations NCO earns award at COB Speicher
Sgt. Coltin Heller
Staff Sgt. Jayme Turner, serving as a line medic with Troop B, 1st Sqdn, 10th Cav Regt, 2nd BCT, 4th ID, teaches an Iraqi child the peace sign during an inspection of a water treatment plant in Al Hillah, in 2006. Turner currently serves as the medical ops NCO assigned to Co B, Div STB, Div Surgeon Section, 4th ID, and was awarded the Capt. John R. Teal Leadership Award for his outstanding performance as the medical ops NCO for USD-North in support of OND. (Army photos)
COB SPEICHER – Some Soldiers perform jobs to a standard. Others perform above the standard, setting an example of leadership for others to follow. Captain John R. Teal, brigade medical planner with 2nd Bde, 4th ID, died Oct. 23, 2003, near Baqubah, when an IED detonated, destroying his vehicle and wounding 2 other Soldiers.
After Teal’s death, which marked the first time a medical officer died in Iraq, the Medical Service Corps established the annual award, presented to Health Services Ops officers and NCOs in medical logistics and ops sections, who made significant contributions to the mission, and whose performance exceeded standards.
"I'm flabbergasted by the whole event," said Turner from his seat behind an array of computer monitors in the joint ops center (JOC). "I didn't know I was being awarded." From his seat in the JOC, Turner manages medical services and support functions, and tracks assets across the USD-North operating environment, including medevac helicopters and various aide stations.
“It’s my job to provide up-to-date info on the medical capabilities the command has at its leverage,” said Turner. “I make sure I do everything I can to get my brothers and sisters back to the U.S. safely.” Turner, currently on his 3rd deployment, originally served in the Navy on a bomb assembly team for an aviation ordnance unit. Turner decided to leave the Navy in 2000.
“It wasn’t something I wanted to do at the time,” he said. One day while watching television, Turner decided to return to military service. “I came back in after I saw the invasion on TV,” said Turner, thinking back on the day. “I thought it was my responsibility to be out there with them, helping my countrymen. I didn’t feel right sitting on my couch.”
Turner enlisted in the Army in 2003 as a combat medic, enabling him to fulfill his desire.
“I wanted to do something that was positive, and I thought being a medic, and serving, was the most positive thing to do in a uniform,” he said.
Turner no longer serves with a line unit, but said he still finds his job rewarding, as well as challenging. “I’ve enjoyed the technical challenge of the job that has been given to me,” he said. “It’s a different type of job at the division level. I had to learn to do the job of an ops NCO.”
Turner said that he was given the opportunity well before his time, as his job is usually staffed by senior NCOs, and appreciates the chance to excel at a higher level. Maj. Todd Ryktarsyk, chief of medical ops with Division Surgeon Section, 4th ID, submitted Turner for the award. “When I saw the announcement, I thought, ‘what guys in the section go out of their way to make an improvement?’” he said. “Staff Sgt. Turner is that guy.”
For Ryktarsyk, the award means more than just words or a medal. “I knew J.R. Teal,” Ryktarsyk said. “I was stationed with him in Hawaii, so this has personal meaning to me.” Ryktarsyk praised Turner for being an independent thinker, and his ability to make sound decisions regarding the use of medical assets for support and coverage.
“You can give him a task and he’ll run with it,” said Ryktarsyk. “He has a broad base of knowledge and applies it to whatever he does.” Turner, in addition to his other duties, developed an internet portal the section uses to track tasks, improving overall ops. “He constantly improves what he developed, and he shares that knowledge and helps out other sections in the JOC,” said Ryktarsyk about Turner.
Turner attributes his work ethic to his mother. “My mother has been my biggest influence. She was a single mom raising 5 kids, all the while maintaining a full-time job in the NG,” said Turner. “The one thing she taught me that I keep in my mind, is to do something right or don’t do it at all.”
Turner said that his wife, who he has known since childhood, is his biggest supporter.
“I forget who said it, but the saying goes, ‘Behind every great man, there's a great woman,’ and I have 2 of them—my mother, and my wife, Jocelyn,” he said.
Staff Sgt. Jayme Turner, a former military transition team medical advisor to the 6th IA Div, inspects a hospital at Al Muthana Airfield in Baghdad, with his Iraqi counterparts, during a deployment in support of OIF in 2008.
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U.S. Division-North
Deployed dad watches daughter graduate H.S. via teleconference
Story and photos by Spc. Angel Turner
First Sgt. Michael Robling, senior enlisted leader of Co C, 4th BSTB, 4th AAB, 1st Cav Div, waves to his daughter during a video teleconference call at COB Marez, June 6, 2011. Robling watched his daughter’s graduation live. His daughter, Averie, graduated from Ellison High School.
COB MAREZ – Prior to the Ellison High School graduation, Robling spoke with his daughter Averie and enjoyed quality time with the soon-to-be graduate. “I’m a little overwhelmed,” said Robling. “This is my 2nd child that's graduating high school. Even though I’m in Iraq, I still got to see her in her gown.”
Despite the time difference and showing up to the teleconference at 2 a.m. to see the ceremony, the veteran of 21 years said he was excited to see his daughter receive her diploma. “She was looking forward to this all day,” said Robling. “Being able to share this opportunity brings us closer, because it’s not only important to her, but to me also.”
First Sgt. Michael Robling, pictured in the upper right screen, speaks to his daughter, Averie, during a video teleconference call, prior to watching her graduate.