Navy Senior Chief Petty Offic

Source: Heroes in the War on Terror.

There is rarely a break for those chosen to be part of a personnel security detachment (PSD) team – the individuals charged with providing security and transportation for military leaders on the ground. The task requires a state of readiness 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and it requires a keen awareness on the battlefield, since any senior military leader is a high-value target for insurgents.

Chief Taggart, a submariner, was sent to Iraq in the summer of 2003 as a communications specialist. When he arrived, however, Taggart found that his background in law enforcement made him an obvious choice to take over as the Coalition Military Assistance Team’s PSD commander – a job that required him to form, train, and deploy the PSD forces. And a job that required versatility in widely diverse settings: patrolling busy streets, scouting dangerous roadways, and securing the sites before and after high-level meetings, whether in a municipal building or a palm grove.

Taggart quickly formed two five-man teams, which completed more than 200 missions stretching from Iraq’s border with Turkey and Syria down to Kuwait. Their duties were often dangerous: twice the teams encountered roadside IEDs, which forced them to clear the area, set up security, and wait for the explosive ordnance disposal teams to declare the area safe before they could move on. In one incident, Taggart was injured by an IED but refused to leave the area until the mission was complete. He was also involved in four separate firefights with enemy forces.

While it is quite unusual for a sailor to perform what would normally be considered a soldier’s job, Taggart was eager to gain the experience. “Throughout my military career, I volunteered to go many places. . . . I’ve been trying to do something different than just submarines.” For his leadership and work, Taggart received the Bronze Star with Combat “V” on March 4, 2005.

Former Kentucky Army National Guard Spc. Ashley Pullen

Source: Heroes in the War on Terror.

The Kentucky National Guard’s 617th Military Police Company has turned out a long list of heroes – among them Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, Staff Sgt. Timothy Nein, and Sgt. Jason Mike. Spc. Pullen is yet another addition to those ranks.
On March 20, 2005, Pullen was driving one of three Humvees providing security for a 30-vehicle convoy traveling in Iraq. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary – which is often how the prelude to an ambush appears. Suddenly insurgents sprung a complex operation and began pouring heavy fire from multiple directions, stopping the convoy in its tracks. Pullen’s unit moved out from behind the convoy to flank the insurgents and prevent them from escaping. Pullen’s team began firing back.

Then she heard a call for help over the radio. Pullen backed her Humvee into a better position, jumped out, and ran 90 meters through the line of fire toward the injured soldier. She administered first aid and tried to calm him down. As she was treating him, another soldier launched a shoulder-held rocket toward a nest of insurgents. Although he warned of the impending firing, Pullen couldn’t move out of the way fast enough. She threw her small frame over the wounded soldier to protect him from the blast – a blast that threw her off the soldier onto her backside.

About 27 insurgents were killed during the fight, and six were injured. For her efforts, Pullen was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” on June 16, 2005. MNF-Iraq story; USA Today story.

Joint operations root out terrorists

11 April 2007
Courtesy story of Multi-National Division-North

TIKRIT — Iraqi and Coalition forces began major operations to root out known terrorists at Mujamma and Ad Dawr, Iraq, March 28.

Anti-Iraqi forces in the area used the town as a safe haven while orchestrating attacks against the towns’ people and Iraq security forces such as an attack on the Ad Dawr police headquarters, which left 12 Iraqi policemen killed and 22 wounded.

Iraqi Soldiers and Coalition troops from Task Force Loyalty established a city-wide cordon and 24-hour curfew, then began round-the-clock presence along the Tigris River and in small villages to the east of Ad Dawr, conducting raids and patrols.

“The citizens of Ad Dawr and Mujamma Housing Complex have endured long enough,” said U.S. Army Maj. Christopher Moretti, an executive officer in Task Force Loyalty.

The Iraqi Army, Police and the cities’ Joint Coordination Center worked together to provide food, fuel and medical care on a daily basis to ensure its citizens well-being while confined to the city.

The Iraqi policemen provided checkpoint security and escorted trucks with humanitarian aid, while Iraqi Army and Coalition forces conducted combat operations.

Iraqi security forces agreed to conduct joint patrols to re-establish security and credibility with the local citizens. Coalition forces remained in the city to continue patrols and joint operations with Iraqi Army troops.

“It is time for the Iraqi Army and Police to work together and take charge of the security situation,” said Moretti.

The joint operation also yielded more than 150 detainees, which are in Iraqi Army and Coalition custody.

Numerous weapons caches including large numbers of various mortar rounds, automatic machineguns, remote detonation devices and other types of explosives have been discovered throughout the operation.

There has been no Iraqi Army, Coaltion or civilian casualties during the operation. Two insurgents sustained injuries.

“We are not here to cut the branches from the tree; we are here to pull the roots out from the ground,” Moretti said.

“Task Force Loyalty is here to facilitate cooperation between the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police and Joint Coordination Center for the benefit of the proud and honorable citizens of Ad Dawr and Mujamma,” he said.

Photo: Iraqi Soldiers and Paratroopers from 2nd Platoon, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division rush through a gate during operations in Ad Dawr, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Joshua R. Ford.

Ordnance disposal makes for no ordinary day

11 April 2007
By Master Sgt. Bryan Ripple
332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNEWS) — Airmen assigned to the 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight have a dangerous mission that keeps fellow coalition forces safe.

It takes nerves of steel and a steady hand to do the work these Airmen do. After all, getting anywhere near an improvised explosive isn’t something most people want to do.

Airmen from the EOD flight put their extensive combat training and experience to the test every day in support Operation Iraqi Freedom. When they are not on a mission, they keep busy maintaining their equipment, vehicles and robots for their next time out, or they’re destroying unexploded ordnance, or UXOs, from in-direct fire attacks or ridding munitions that have exceeded their shelf lives.

“This is my third deployment to Iraq since the start of the war in 2003. I’m amazed at how the battlefield is ever changing,” said Master Sgt. Michael Pitts, deployed here from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. “We get smarter, but so does the enemy. It’s a crazy cat and mouse game. Sometimes we win, sometimes the enemy does. Thankfully, we win a lot more!”

The explosives Airmen have two distinct missions, one on base and one outside the wire. They are here on six-month deployments, which are more like eight months when you include their mandatory Combat Skills Training and the Global Anti-terrorism and Operational Readiness training that prepares them for ‘outside the wire’ work.

The EOD missions vary from day to day. One day the teams might respond to unexploded ordnance, or UXO, on base, or they may assess damage done to buildings and equipment after an indirect fire attack. On another day, they may go off base to perform their Army “in-lieu-of” mission. This can range from rendering IEDs safe that have shut down a convoy route, to conducting a post-blast analysis on coalition vehicles struck by IEDs.

The latter mission can be the most difficult to perform.

“We see … the personnel who were injured or killed in these attacks. It’s hard to focus on the task at hand seeing all the destruction, but we have to. The intelligence we gather from these incidents and others allows us to gain valuable intelligence on how the enemy operates,” Sergeant Pitts said.

The equipment and vehicles EOD Airmen have used over the years have evolved to keep up with the ever-changing requirements of the tactical battle space. Armored vehicles have evolved from standard armored Humvees in early 2003, to the Joint EOD Rapid Response Vehicle being used today. The JERRV is a massive vehicle that allows EOD teams to safely travel to and from an incident site and allows them to vary operations in and around the vehicle during a call. Inside the armored EOD vehicle, there is room for the EOD team, their robots, and all the other gear needed to work outside the wire, including their 70-pound bomb suits. The JERRV also has multiple optical camera capabilities providing day and night vision, as well as forward looking infra-red technology that allows EOD Airmen better visibility of their surroundings.

Senior Airman Stephen Ohge is deployed from Anderson AFB, Guam, and operates the new joy stick controlled technology provided within the JERRV as easily as a young person playing a favorite video game.

“Cutting-edge technologies are paramount to today’s EOD operations outside the wire,” said Airman Ohge. “As new equipment emerges and is integrated into our career field, situational awareness and efficiency are intensified; this results in not only a more cognizant and rapid response, but also an immeasurable increase in our mission capabilities,” he said.

“Since our initial employment of our optical systems, we have spotted multiple triggermen and aided our security in the capture and exploitation of these individuals. This is just one of the many benefits we have experienced thus far. These systems also assist our use of robots for remote reconnaissance and disruption of IEDs, directly relating to a decrease of time spent in a kill zone. We’re very lucky to have such an amazing apparatus to perform our duties,” he said.

Airman 1st Class Robert Wester is also deployed from Hickam AFB. Airman Wester exercises extreme care while operating the Talon Robot, one of three robots EOD uses to respond to IEDs.

“It’s my job to disrupt and eliminate IED hazards in hostile situations. I use various robots, one being the Talon,” Airman Wester said. “It’s an excellent robot, and I would rate it as being the best one in theater. Using the Talon is like an extension of my own arms. There is no time for fumbling or room for error. Robot operators must work quickly and thoroughly without letting stress affect their performance,” he said.

The EOD Airmen know that where there is an IED, there is most likely someone watching.

“A good friend of mine was shot by a sniper not long ago. A good robot driver will minimize all team member exposure to sniper fire and explosive hazards. Most hazards can be cleared with a robot, but sometimes there is a need to have eyes on to know the scene is cleared,” Airman Wester said.

EOD Airmen are not immune to the dangers IEDs pose, however.

“It’s a struggle to stay two steps ahead of the enemy. We learn from other people’s experiences and survive based on our strict adherence to our tactics, techniques, and procedures. In this game, you only get one shot to get it right. This is evident by our EOD motto, ‘Initial Success or Total Failure,” Sergeant Pitts said.

Staff Sgt. Octavia Washington is deployed here from the 5th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Minot AFB, N.D., and works supply requests for the EOD flight helping ensure EOD Airmen have all the equipment they need to do their jobs.

“Every time we have a successful mission or another controlled detonation to keep the base safe, I know I had a hand in our success,” she said. “It’s imperative these guys have what they need, when they need it, to do their jobs.”

EOD Airmen here feel they are making a positive difference in Iraq.

“When we roll down the street heading out to the next reported IED, and we see a young girl in an Iraqi village heading off to school with her book bag, I know we’ve changed her life for the better. She has an opportunity she would never have had if our military wasn’t here helping Iraq combat this insurgency and establish its new democratic government,” Sergeant Pitts said.

Throughout their missions outside the wire with Army units, EOD Airmen here have smoothly integrated with the Soldiers who provide cover for them while performing their EOD duties.

“EOD is a prime example of the joint brotherhood that develops in this area of operations,” said Capt. Jay Ferguson, deployed here as the EOD flight commander from Hill AFB, Utah.

Sergeant Pitts agreed. “The soldiers put their lives on the line to protect us, he said. The uniform we wear doesn’t matter when we’re outside the wire; we’re there to help each other.”

Photo: Airmen with the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight conduct a controlled detonation March 20 at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The Balad EOD periodically disposes of unserviceable, excess, or dangerous ordnance by fabricating explosive demolition charges in a controlled environment. (U. S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth).

Gates Extends Army Tours in Iraq to 15 Months

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2007 – All soldiers in the U.S. Central Command area of operations will serve 15-month tours in the region beginning immediately, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today.

“Effective immediately, active Army units now in the Central Command area of responsibility and those headed there will deploy for not more than 15 months and return home for not less than 12 months,” Gates said, during a Pentagon news conference.

This policy applies to all active duty Army units with the exception of two brigades currently in Iraq that have already been extended to 16 months. The policy does not apply to Marine Corps, Navy or Air Force units serving in Central Command. It also does not apply to Army National Guard or Army Reserve units deployed to the region.

The 15-month tour applies to active duty soldiers serving in Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and all the countries in the region. U.S. Central Command stretches from Kenya to Kazakhstan and Egypt to Pakistan.

Soldiers will receive an extra $1,000 a month for each month or portion of the month that they serve longer than 12 months, Gates said.

Gates called this policy an “interim change.” The goal for active duty units is 12 months deployed followed by 12 months at home station. Ultimately, the Army would like to see soldiers deployed for 12 months and home for 24 months.

“My objective was to set clear guidelines that our commanders troops and their families could use in determining how future rotations in support of the global war on terror would effect them,” Gates said.

Upon taking office in December 2006, Gates learned that even the sustaining the level of deployed Army forces needed before surging five brigades into Iraq would require active duty units to flow into Iraq before they had spent a full 12 months at home. He said this reality was a significant factor in his decision to recommend to President Bush that defense officials increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps over the next five years by 62,000 soldiers and 27,000 Marines.

The deployment change is intended to provide better clarity, predictability and sustainability in how the Defense Department deploys active duty Army forces, Gates said.

He said the changes produce clear, realistic, executable, and long-term policy goals to guide the deployment of active duty forces. The change will also allow the Army to support the 20 brigade goal of the surge as long as it is needed, he said.

“Without this action we would have had to deploy five Army active duty brigades sooner than the 12-month at home goal,” Gates said. “I believe it is fairer to all soldiers that all share the burden equally.”

The secretary said he realizes his decision will ask a lot of Army troops and their families.

“We are deeply grateful for the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and their commitment to accomplishing our mission,” he said. “In the end, this new approach will better allow the Army to better support the war effort while providing a more predictable and dependable deployment schedule for our soldiers and their families.”

Photo: Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Marine Gen. Peter Pace conduct a press conference at the Pentagon, April 11, 2007. The secretary announced that active-duty U.S. soldiers currently within or deploying to the CENTCOM area of operations will have their deployment extended from 12 months to 15. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen.

Resignation of Iraqi Cabinet Officers Can Turn Into Positive Step

American Forces Press Service

AMMAN, Jordan, April 17, 2007 – The resignation of six Iraqi Cabinet ministers loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr can become a positive development if the country’s prime minister appoints new ministers that are more representative of the Iraqi population, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

Gates’ comments came in a news conference after morning meetings with Jordan’s King Abdallah and Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country’s chief of defense.

“My understanding is that while the ministers are withdrawing as Cabinet ministers, they will remain as members of the Council of Representatives, so I think that they are not walking away from the process, as it were,” Gates said.

Sadr is an influential figure in Iraq with many loyal followers. According to various media reports quoting Sadr followers, the cleric pulled ministers loyal to him from the Iraqi government in protest because the government has so far refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Gates said it’s too soon to tell what effect the cleric’s distancing himself from Iraq’s legitimate government will have.

“I think the impact that … these resignations have will depend in some measure on who is selected to replace these ministers and their capabilities and whether those vacancies are used in a way that perhaps can advance the reconciliation process,” he said.

“There is the opportunity to turn what might seem like a negative, potentially into a positive development,” he added.

While Gates said he believes strengthening representation in the Iraqi Cabinet would be a positive step, he said the Iraqis will have to make those decisions for themselves. “That’s a judgment that the Iraq leadership is going to have to make,” he stressed. “It’s really their business.”

“I’m not sure really that we fully appreciate the meaning of the action that’s been taken and how significant it is,” Gates said. “I think we’re going to have (to) wait and see a little bit about that.”

Gates, a former director of central intelligence, stressed that he has no insight into Sadr’s motivations.

“In the intelligence business, we divided all the information that we wanted to know into two categories: secrets and mysteries,” the secretary said. “I think that his motives right now, at least for me, are a mystery, not a secret.

Gates went on to say that he believes open debate in the U.S. Congress about the future of U.S. involvement in Iraq is instructive, in that it shows the Iraqis that American patience has limits and that it’s time for the Iraqis to make concrete progress on their own. “As General (David) Petraeus (commander of Multinational Force Iraq) has said, there’s a Baghdad clock and there’s the Washington clock,” Gates quipped.

Still, he added that he opposes specific deadlines for withdrawal from Iraq.

“I’ve been pretty clear that I think the enactment of specific deadlines would be a bad mistake,” he said. “But I think that the debate itself, and I think that the strong feelings expressed in the Congress about the timetable, it probably has had a positive impact — at least I hope it has, in terms of communication to the Iraqis that this is not an open-ended commitment.”

Gates Describes ‘Excellent Visit’ to Jordan

By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

AMMAN, Jordan, April 17, 2007 – Jordan’s King Abdallah today pledged his country’s continued support to Iraq’s fledgling democracy, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.

In what he called a “really excellent visit,” Gates today had wide-ranging discussions with King Abdallah and with Gen. Khaled Jamil al-Sarayrah, the country’s defense chairman.

“His Majesty affirmed Jordan’s support for (Iraqi) Prime Minister (Nouri al-) Maliki, and we talked about efforts that others could take to contribute to the reconciliation process in Iraq itself,” the secretary said following a meeting with the king.

Jordan is a long-time U.S. ally in the Middle East. “This is a relationship that goes back a long way,” Gates said, noting that the first time he visited Jordan was 20 years ago at the invitation of Abdallah’s father, King Hussein, who died in 1999.

The secretary pointed out that the U.S. and Jordanian armed forces have strong military-to-military ties. “There are frequent exchanges, exercises and visits between the military officers of both sides,” Gates said.

Some 370 Jordanian troops are manning a field hospital in Afghanistan, and another 220-plus Jordanian servicemembers are performing a similar mission in Iraq. In addition, Jordan has trained 40,000 to 50,000 Iraqi national policemen at the Joint International Police Training Center in Jordan.

“I thanked both His Majesty and the chairman for all of the things Jordan has done to help us, a great deal of training of Iraqi security forces, both police and army,” Gates said.

Other topics discussed included Syria and its involvement in the Mid-East peace process and Iran. Gates said he reaffirmed President Bush’s commitment to the Middle East peace process.

He added that he and Abdallah “agreed that diplomatic and economic pressures were the most profitable way to try and get the Iranians to change their behavior.”

After leaving Jordan, Gates is scheduled to visit Egypt and Israel. As he travels through the Middle East, Gates is encouraging regional leaders to bring Maliki and his unity government more fully into the political landscape of the region, a senior official said as Gates was en route to the region.

“I think that there is not yet confidence in the region that Iraq’s government represents all Iraqis,” Gates said today. “My own view is that (the Iraqi government is) working hard in that direction. … And I think the more encouragement the neighbors can provide, the more support for the Iraqi government and with it encouragement of a broad-based government approach to governance, I think would be a positive contribution.”

Iraqi Police continue to improve safety in Baghdad neighborhood

17 April 2007
Story by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Elisandro Diaz
Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq Public Affairs

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Police continue to improve security in the Al-Karkh district here Friday.

“Our mission is to investigate crimes and respond to emergencies,” said Iraqi Police Capt. Majid, deputy commander of the Juaifer Police Station, which is responsible for the Salhiya neighborhood.

Majid had pointed out that the Salhiya neighborhood is an area composed of Shia and Sunni residents, which borders the Tigris River and contains Haifa Street and attributes the change in the area’s crime patterns, over the last few months, to several factors beginning with increased patrols.

“Our police conduct many patrols in cars and on foot throughout the neighborhood,” he said. “We have several vehicle checkpoints and a patrol in the market.”

The neighborhood is safer because of improved law enforcement measures. Also, the Iraqi Police in the area routinely works with the Iraqi Army.

“The Iraqi Army will provide escort [security] for our police and work side-by-side at checkpoints,” said Majid. “We used to have up to three to four murders a day, but since Fardh Al-Qanoon started, murder and attacks have decreased tremendously.”

While security and crime investigation remain positive factors, being community leaders and building relationships with local residents during patrols has also helped the Iraqi Police gain a foothold in the neighborhood.

“Children and adults come out to greet the police and seem happy they are in their neighborhoods,” said U.S. Army 1st Lt. Elizabeth Zerwick, a Police Transition Team advisor who is helping the Juafer Police Station. “The people will flag down the police when they drive through their areas.”

However much the Iraqi police station has improved, they still face challenges.

Many Iraqi policemen have left the station because they fear for their families lives while others have simply been fired, said Majid. However, most of the 115 policemen who make up the force have several years experience in the field and are making a difference in the neighborhood.

In spite of challenges, Majid remains hopeful for the police station and envisioned new vehicles, more weapons and more manpower to build his workforce to continue making the Salhiya neighborhood safe.

“This police station helps Iraq because it helps make it safe for people to live here,” said Majid.

Photo: Two Iraqi policemen, from the Juaifer Police Station, staff a checkpoint in Baghdad’s Salhiya neighborhood. Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Elisandro Diaz, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq Public Affairs.

Veterinary mission morphs into life saver

18 April 2007
Story by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Carrie Bernard
CJTF-HOA Public

DIKHIL, Djibouti – With only seconds to react, U.S. military members made a daring rescue April 14, pulling a young African man out of a raging torrent.

After a day of heavy rain, the Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa team was assessing a river crossing site they planned to use the following day as part of a veterinary civic action program when they saw a man signaling frantically for help.

As we drew close, it became obvious that the individual trying to flag down our vehicle was desperate,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joseph Gamble, mission commander. “After stopping and engaging the individual, the team was told that two people had been swept away by a flash flood.”

The military members followed the swollen river in their vehicle until they came to a wide ditch that couldn’t be driven across. Further down the river, they could see a crowd of people gathering so they continued following the river bank on foot.

“At this point we discovered that one of the individuals who had been swept away had been pulled to safety on a small partial of high ground in the middle of the raging torrent,” said Gamble. “The individual had sustained numerous injuries.”

With a powerful current of water standing between them and the injured 19 year-old man, three military members, accompanied by a local Djiboutian, tethered themselves together with a rope and made their way into the river.

“At that moment, we weren’t thinking about anything but rescuing the guy,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Rovell Thomas, force protection for the VETCAP. “The scene was chaotic.”

When they reached the stranded teenager, the team provided immediate aid and then Senior Airman Travis Manning placed the young man on his shoulders and, along with the help of his fellow servicemembers, brought him back across the swift-moving water.

“It was second nature,” said Manning, a combat camera videographer. “We had to get him across the water to safety and my self aid training kicked in. At that moment, I was working off sheer adrenaline.”

Once on shore, Manning and Thomas carried the injured Djiboutian to a waiting vehicle that then brought him to a local hospital. “At the hospital, the father of the injured youth continuously thanked those involved in the rescue,” said Gamble.

The news wasn’t all good. Later that night, a search team found the body of the other individual.

“I’m glad we were there and able to help,” said U.S. Army Col. Vic Adamson, 350th Civil Affairs Command Functional Specialty. “We were able to save a life that evening that may have otherwise been lost.”

The mission of CJTF-HOA is to prevent conflict, promote regional stability and protect coalition interests in order to prevail against extremism. The CJTF-HOA organization began operations at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti May 13, 2003. It works with partner nations on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, consequence management, civic action programs to include medical and veterinary care, school and medical clinic construction and water development projects.

Photo: Senior Airman Travis Manning, Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa Combat Camera, carries an injured youth on his shoulders with the assistance of U.S. Army Col. Vic Adamson, 350th Civil Affairs Command Functional Specialty (left) and U.S. Army Sgt. Rovell Thomas, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (right). (Photo by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Bryan Boyette).

ISAF team trains ANA humanitarian de-miners

17 April 2007
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson
American Forces Network – Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – ISAF soldiers empowered Afghans with taking care of their own security by training humanitarian de-mining teams here.

“This training is a step forward to making a safer Afghanistan,” said Army Capt. Chris Nuckols, 207th Regional Security Assistance Command embedded tactical team. “The work we are doing here today will make for a safer tomorrow.”

Members of the Afghan National Army spent April 12-14 learning two levels of de-mining. Taking the de-miners course and de-miners pre-deployment course the ANA members were learning de-mining to international standards. This training made them qualified to conduct de-mining operations anywhere in the world.

“After these ANA members complete this training they will be able to clear land for buildings or farming,” said Australian Maj. Alex Thomson, Royal Australian Engineer officer in charge of the Operation Enduring Freedom mine action center. “Being trained will help them be ready to serve their community.”

In the past, the de-mining course graduated individual Afghan humanitarian de-miners. Even if those de-miners cleared a field they would still have to wait for someone else trained to international standards to come behind them to clear a field. This new course will graduate highly skilled teams so they can clear the fields without help.

“We can now help our own people ourselves,” said ANA Sgt. Said Arif, ANA humanitarian de-miner. “The classroom instructors have been enjoyable and helping me to be able to serve my country.”

When the class graduates, the ANA will have three new de-mining teams of 12-14 members capable of clearing 1,500 to 2,000 square meters of fields per day. Not only will the ANA members be able to clear mines they will also be able to clear unexploded ordnance.

“Seeing the Afghan people empowered to help themselves is something we take pride in,” Nuckols said. “They love our assistance and we enjoy helping them help themselves.”

The new ANA humanitarian de-miners are expected to graduate April 23.

Photo: Members of the Afghan National Army go through a field training exercise during the De-mining Pre-deployment Course here April 12. The first teams of Afghan Humanitarian De-miners are scheduled to graduate April 23. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Oshawn Jefferson).