Training helps protect soldiers against IEDs

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By STAFF SGT. MARY ROSE MITTLESTEADT
11th Public Affairs Detachment

 

TIKRIT, Iraq — Improvised explosive devices are the No. 1 killer of coalition forces deployed to Iraq. Tougher and larger vehicles are one way of protecting soldiers on the roads of Iraq, but another is preventive training.

Sailors with Task Force Troy North who specialized in counter-IED measures, spend many days at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, located in Tikrit, Iraq, teaching soldiers what to look for and how to react on the battlefield.

“We are training units to raise their level of awareness, give them an idea of what devices look like up close, and give them ideas of what indicators they might see,” said U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Russell Juhl.

“We get their eyes trained-in to focus when they go outside the wire to be thinking IEDs here, IEDs there, that could be a timing marker that could be an indicator.”

An IED could be anything; from a plastic bottle to a bag, or even some sort of communication device hidden behind a rock. Task Force Troy North, which is comprised of two Navy, Air Force and Army companies, educate soldiers to be aware of these indicators. The preventative IED training will help more soldiers to come home alive.

“The war we are fighting is not the typical warfare. Our biggest threat is IEDs,” Juhl added.

“The training is very realistic; it is actually conducted in the environment where soldier, sailors, airmen and Marines fight daily for the war on terrorism.

It’s relevant training. We go through reports constantly to keep our training current for the area the soldiers are supporting. We tailor our training to the area,” Juhl said.

“I learned a lot of things, different ways to hide stuff, and how hard it is to really identify if you’re not really paying attention, I mean, you got to keep your eyes open when you’re out there,” said Spc. Timothy Melech, a soldier with 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

First, soldiers attend a lecture in a classroom. Next, they move outdoors to walk a lane. During the lanes training session, the soldiers learn how various explosives are disguised. The soldier also attends a driving lane, designed to identify IEDs while driving at different speeds. The IED lanes’ training helps and provides service members additional insight on what they may or may not see on the roads of Iraq.

“Everybody that is in Iraq or Afghanistan should be doing this training,” said Sgt. Ernesto Torres, a soldier with 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division.

After the training, the soldiers conduct a review of what they saw and what they learned through the counter IED training.

“We aren’t necessarily fighting the fight at the point of the spear but maybe we are helping to keep the spear sharp,” Juhl said to his team.

426th BSB Award

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By Spc. Rick Rzepka, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division (AA)
May 25, 2008 - 11:55:19 PM

COB SPEICHER, Iraq - “I am Quartermaster, my story is enfolded in the history of this nation, sustainer of Armies.”

The 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, has been selected by the 2008 Quartermaster Honors Panel as a Distinguished Unit of the Quartermaster Regiment.  The 426th BSB is the only unit to have won the annual honor twice. 

Since 1993, the award has recognized units with a Quartermaster lineage that have significantly contributed to the proud heritage of the Army and the Quartermaster corps. 

The “Taskmaster” battalion’s history, longevity, campaign and battle streamers, and unit citations were all taken into consideration in determining this year’s winner. 

“The 426th BSB is a proven winner,” said Col. Michael S. McBride, 1st BCT commander.  “This battle-hardened unit deserves the honor as being named as the 2008 Distinguished Unit of the Quartermaster Regiment,” he said. 

The “Taskmasters” trace their 90 year history to the 326th supply train, an element of the 101st Division of the National Army.  From the beaches of southern France to the jungles of Vietnam, the 426th has continued to support victory into the Iraq theatre, where the battalion is currently deployed.

The “Taskmasters” provide logistical sustainment support to the maneuver elements of the Bastogne Brigade Combat Team, said Command Sgt. Major Lester Stephens, the 426th’s top NCO.  “There’s a lot of hard work, dedication and commitment that goes into our daily duties here,” he said.  “The Soldiers in this organization are definitely deserving of this award.  They don’t complain, they just execute.”

Along with supplying Bastogne Infantrymen with much needed provisions, the “Taskmasters” have found themselves preparing brigades from the 4th Iraqi Army Division to take on more logistical responsibilities. 

“We’ve been doing a lot of condition setting for the Iraqi Army to improve their logistics,” said Lt. Col. Greg Anderson, 426th BSB commander.  “In order for them to be self sufficient they need to rely more on their own logistics systems,” he said. 

Recently “Taskmaster” Soldiers spent time at an Iraqi Army base, teaching the basics of driving humvees and performing vehicle maintenance.

“Our soldiers enjoy it,” said Anderson about working with Iraqi Soldiers.  It is satisfying for Soldiers to see the progress that the Iraqis are making, he said.  “They hold our Soldiers in very high esteem.”

Over time, the Quartermaster’s mission has evolved from mule-skinning and repairing shoes, to shaping the course of combat in Iraq.  Yet the overarching mission of the Quartermaster Corps has held fast; to support the Soldiers on the ground. 

“What we do isn’t glamorous stuff, but without it, nothing else can happen,” said Anderson.  “It is certainly an honor to be recognized.”

Mothers & Daughters

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Mothers & Daughters Picnic

Contributed By: Jennifer Cannon