Inches And Seconds Gained By Task Force Iron Ranger In Konar
(March 6, 2011) |
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A squad leader from Task
Force Iron Ranger fixes a ladder that cost
seconds during a surprise battle drill on a
firebase in Khas Konar District, Konar province
March 1, 2011. |
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KONAR, Afghanistan (3/3/2011) – “Inches and
seconds. Inches and seconds. That's what we
want.”
Twenty minutes prior, as armored
vehicles returned from patrol, a loud explosion
sounded inside the walls of a small firebase
encircled by green hills and snow-capped
mountains. White smoke billowed from the impact
site.
“Go! Go! Go!” was yelled as people
began to scatter, grabbing body armor and
weapons as they went. Each of them had a place
to be.
On this tiny base in the
northwestern part of Khas Konar District, Konar
province, U.S. Army soldiers and Afghan National
Security Forces live together, fight together
and conduct battle drills together.
The
explosion was a smoke canister – a training
exercise for the soldiers, who reacted with
urgency. Joining their Afghan partners, soldiers
from Task Force Iron Ranger manned the towers,
the mortar pit, and the front gate.
“These guys spend every day together. The drills
prepare them for the unexpected,” said a U.S.
Special Forces officer and commander of the
firebase.
Within ten minutes the drill
was over and the men regrouped to talk over the
planned reactions verses the reality.
“So, who had things go wrong?” asked the
officer. |
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A private first class slowly raised his hand. “I had issues
with the ladder at the tower. It's broken – one of the
pieces of wood is twisted.”
“That's exactly what I'm
talking about. Inches and seconds. That's what will make the
difference if something actually happens,” said the officer.
“So when is that ladder going to be fixed?”
“Today,”
echoed the room.
“Only two of us knew exactly when
the drill was going to happen,” said a squad leader from TF
Iron Ranger. “The uncertainty of it is important in building
confidence in their abilities to act as if it's
second-nature.”
The drills aren't just to build
confidence in themselves, it's also to build confidence
between the Americans and the Afghans, who live and eat
together, but also have to be able to move and fight
together.
One of the largest barriers between the
two groups is language. To address the challenge in
communication, one of the Afghan interpreters gives a class
every night after dinner.
“I teach English to the
Afghans and Pashtun to the Americans. And then they practice
with each other,” said the terp.
These steps bring
the coordination between the Afghan and U.S. security forces
closer, and the drills train them to move as one unit.
“After the drill, we were able to look at our faults and
plug our holes,” said the squad leader. “Each time there
will be fewer holes until there are none.”
The
meeting ended and the soldiers went back to what they were
doing prior to the explosion. And a few took time to go fix
the ladder. |
Article and photo by Army Sgt. Katryn McCalment
Joint Task Force Guantanamo Public Affairs
Copyright 2011 | |
Provided
through DVIDS
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