Warrior Leader Course

Each year Soldiers from across the army head to Noncommissioned Officer Academies to take the first step in Army leadership by attending the Warrior Leader Course. Between March and April, over 150 Multi-National Task Force (East) Soldiers had the opportunity to take that step during a satellite WLC conducted on Camp Bondsteel.
In Kosovo, WLC is an intensive two-week course that focuses on teaching leadership skills that prepare young Soldiers to advance to the rank of sergeant. The course curriculum includes leadership, training management, map reading, land navigation and war fighting.
“The tactical evaluation [was helpful],” says Spc. Jon Vargo, a recent Wlc graduate and infantryman from Delta Co., TF Patriot. “That’s what the infantry does, and it gives me a better perspective of what it’s like leading troops in a combat situation.”
Sgt. William Pierson, another recent graduate from Alpha Co., TF Red Dragon, adds, “Knowing what a squad leader would do and actually playing the part of a squad leader was helpful.”
The course is also helpful for Soldiers who already have leadership experience.
“It’s good to get back into relearning all the stuff again, just to brush up,” says Sgt. Jonathan Turner, a recent graduate from A Co. TF Red Dragon, who has been a team leader for five years. “Everything that we learn is perishable.”
But there’s more to leading Soldiers than taking them into battle. The Soldiers also learned tasks leaders are responsible for in garrison, like developmental counseling.
“I learned a lot about the counseling statements,” says Pierson. “Especially while activated, you’ve got to do counseling statements all the time. And as a new team leader, it helps to understand the importance of counseling statements.”
Vargo adds, “I didn’t realize there was so much to counseling. I didn’t know that E-4s and below should be counseled on a monthly basis, or how to counsel them.”
Whether in combat or in garrison, WLC is about instilling leadership into Soldiers.
“[WLC] gives the young Soldiers a chance to see themselves in leadership roles,” says Sgt. 1st Class Richard Christianson, the WLC senior small group leader. “Most of them are put together with Soldiers they don’t know, so they get a new team to work with, and they learn some new skills and regulations, but they put it into practice.
“And then, because they’re deployed, they take it right from [the course] back to the unit with them and lead by example.”
The immediacy with which MNTF(E) Soldiers were able to apply the skills they learned is a marked advantage over National Guard Soldiers who take the traditional course. Soldiers who have already had their annual training only have short drill weekends to implement their skills until the next year’s AT, says Christianson.
“But here,” he adds, “the day after they leave us they’re back on the job… so, we get to see them in their real life job, getting on the job training.” Land navigation and map reading are two aspects of the class Soldiers on CBS use regularly.
“Land navigation is something we always do before we go out on missions here,” says Vargo. “We always plot where we’re going, and there’s not always a direct route, so we’ve got to find those little trails up in the hills. “[WLC] helped me better be able to point out those types of trails when we go out.”
ThE INSTRuCTORS, OR Small Group Leaders, traveled to Kosovo from the Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. They are a seven-man Mobile Training Team from the 3rd Battalion, 166th Regiment (Combat Arms) of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
MTTs from the 3-166 have been deployed as close to home as Oklahoma and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and as far as across the globe to Mount Sinai, Egypt and Kosovo.
“They’re also talking about trying to get one stood up in Kuwait,” says Christianson, “we haven’t done Kuwait yet, but it’s been bounced around.”
These mobile SGLs are tasked with the important job of getting junior enlisted Soldiers ready for the next step: sergeant.
“[As an instructor,] you get to influence the next generation of NCOs coming up,” says Staff Sgt. James Marchiano, one of the SGLs. “We teach them the right way, because a lot of times the units know what the right way is, but they kind of cut corners, where this way [the Soldiers] actually learn exactly how stuff’s supposed to be done.”
Turner adds, “It’s good to go back and brush up on everything that I should know, because sometimes there’s a difference between having knowledge of something and knowing it according to the standard.”
The SGLs were excited and motivated to help the Soldiers improve themselves and enhance their leadership abilities.
“As an instructor,” says Staff Sgt. Dan Rich, an SGL, “You see the proverbial light go on, for example, with land navigation and map reading. You have that one Soldier, who, for whatever reason, it’s not clicking for him, and you go over it with him a couple extra times and he’s like, ‘oh! Dang, got it!’
“It’s rewarding to see that I’m helping a Soldier better himself.”
Christianson adds, “I’ve never been mobilized in theater. This is the closest I’ve been. Taking care of Soldiers who are mobilized for a year at a time, I figure, is the least I can do to give back to the Soldiers who are deployed.”
And that motivation to help and mold future NCOs was apparent to the Soldiers as well.
“The instructors were really good about teaching us, and very informative” says Vargo. “If you weren’t understanding something, they were there to help you out.”
Pierson says, “They were always available for questions any time.”
Turner adds, “They really seemed interested in making sure we learned as much as we could, and their counselings were not a sham. “They pointed out our strengths and weaknesses and they elaborated on them, [and told us] what we could do to fix them.”
But overall, the fact that the MTT was here at all is what made the primary impact on the Soldiers who attended WLC. “The most important thing is that we could get it done while deployed,” said Turner. “Because of deployments I haven’t been able to go to [Army] schools, so being able to take advantage of it and get it out of the way here is a huge advantage. We’re almost through all of the E-4s in our company.”
Christianson adds, “They wouldn’t get these schools if it weren’t for guys like us who come out here and give them that opportunity. This is my third one, and I’m sure I’ll be here again next year.”
The transition from specialist to noncommissioned officer is a major step in the career of every enlisted Soldier. And instructors who go the extra mile, (or in this case, more than 4,000 extra miles) along with motivated Soldiers who are ready to learn, helps make that transition easier and keeps the NCO Corps strong.

The Baker

Soldiers aren’t the only ones working to make a difference in Kosovo, Stefanovic Milutin, owner of Pekara Breza, a bakery in Lesak, which is part of the TF Ibar area of responsibility, has worked with KFOR by making food and sponsoring a local multi-ethnic scout camp in the summer.
“Since KFOR came in this area I have had interaction and cooperation with all the nationalities that have been in this area,” says Milutin. “I provide them food delivery as well as groceries, and they come by my restaurant as well as the bakery to eat.”
In addition, Milutin, who has been a scout for 35 years, has helped organize and sponsor a local multi-ethnic scout camp in past years, and is planning another for July.
“We’re trying to give kids an opportunity to develop a relationship with nature,” he says, “and the most important part is friendship.”
“With help from the French [commanded Multi-National Task Force (North)], we had a multi-ethnic camp in this area, where we involved the kids from all the areas of Kosovo, as well as guests from Serbia, and France.”
According to Milutin, the 2006 camp included Kosovar children from Albanian, Turkish, Roma, and Serbian ethnicities. And this year he’s hoping for more scouts from across Europe.
“With the camp, we have proven that we can actually live together… and by the end, the kids were saying goodbye to each other with tears in their eyes. So we’re hoping that this year we’re going to continue the tradition of the multi-ethnic camp,” says Milutin.
“We are actually going over boundaries that are set up [in front of the children],” he adds. “When we’re talking about boundaries I think borders, language, as well as ethnicity, or religion boundaries… so we’re trying to go over those.”

Schutzenschur

Earning an expert badge with American weapons is tough, but earning another country’s weapon badge can be a once in a lifetime opportunity. A group of Multi-National Task Force (East) Soldiers got that opportunity at Camp Casablanca, when German Soldiers invited the Americans to shoot German weapons and qualify for the German rifle badge, the Schutzenschnur.
“[The Schutzenschnur] is only for German Soldiers, but we are allowed to invite any nation,” says German Maj. Alexander Sauer, commander of the MNTF(South) headquarters company. “Today we asked our American and Austrian friends as our guests.”
The day began with German Soldiers giving blocks of instruction on each of the weapons that would be fired during the range. “They were terrific,” says Sgt. Nicki Fellenzer. “They were incredibly helpful; they were very, very friendly, and very knowledgeable about the weapons.”
The Schutzenschnur is awarded to German noncommissioned officers in gold, silver or bronze, depending on the shooter’s skill level. Qualification for bronze and silver involve shooting the HK P8 pistol and the Gewehr G36 rifle from three different positions. Obtaining gold requires the Soldier to also qualify expert with the machine gun as well as the pistol and rifle.
“My favorite weapon was the [P8],” says Staff Sgt. Bum Kim, a chaplain’s assistant with Task Force Falcon. “It was very light, not like the berretta… very light and [it handled very well].”
Spc. Paul Brown, with TF Falcon, liked the rifle best. “The German rifle is a little more accurate because it has two sights,” he says, “you have an optical sight which is 3X, and you also have a red dot system, which is better for shoot and move situations.”
The Soldiers will shoot the machine gun July 25.
While shooting new weapons and earning foreign badges is a great opportunity for the Soldiers, the day was about more than that. “The shooting is working together with other nations to get in contact and have a feeling of familiarity,” says Sauer.
“This is my first time integrating and working with the Germans,” says Kim. “It was a great experience!”

Expert Infantrymen

At 7:30 Wednesday morning, 77 Infantrymen, including 30 multinational Soldiers from throughout Kosovo, stood in formation ready to undertake the Expert Infantryman Badge test at Camp Bondsteel July 19-21. They had passed all of the prerequisites – day and night land navigation, a timed 12-mile ruck march, qualified expert on their M-16, and attained at least 75 on each event of the Army Physical Fitness Test – 37 tasks and subtasks were all that stood between those Infantrymen and their coveted badge.
The sun beat down at nearly 100 degrees, without a cloud in sight, baking the mixture of camouflage face paint, sweat and dust onto their faces while the intermittent patterns of camo netting merely provided the illusion of shade.
The Soldiers trudged up and down the hills of Camp Bondsteel wearing their Advanced Combat Helmets and Load Bearing Vests, carrying a full battle load of ammunition in the blistering heat for three days of familiarization and three days of testing.
“You just sit there and sweat,” says Sgt. Matthew Jurecki, an EIB candidate from Task Force Patriot. “You camo up, you’re sweating. You drink water, you’re sweating.”
Earning the EIB was definitely no simple task. It required hours upon hours of training, day after day to become perfect at a multitude of tasks, to include map reading, first aid, individual movement techniques, donning a protective mask and working with several weapon systems.
“With all the hours we put into it, it seems like it’s been longer [than six days],” says Jurecki, “it’s been nonstop training from day to night.
“Once it started, just train, train, train… If you’re awake, you’re training. If you’re not eating, you’re training. And that’s pretty much it.”
The infantrymen who were serious about earning the award worked tirelessly, even after the hours of training and testing to ensure perfection.
“You’d hear at night going to bed, the action of the weapons out between the barracks, because they’re out there practicing and rehearsing,” says 1st Sgt. Kenneth Pitts, an EIB board member. “There are a few people who understand that the task may seem simple, but when the stress is increased, and you’re up there on the table to perform, there are a lot of things you might have forgotten, [and your] muscle memory hasn’t overcome your bad habits.”
Staff Sgt. Shawn Monette, an EIB grader says, “You walk out of the barracks [at night]… and you’ll see a group of 10 guys huddled around an M240B machine gun all night, until 12 at night and you’ll hear parts clinging and clanging back and forth, but no one gets upset, because we understand the importance of it.”
Earning the EIB is an important milestone in an infantryman’s career. “You know that when you see someone with an EIB, that person met that standard, which is extremely difficult for people to achieve,” says Pitts.
Monette adds, “[The EIB] lets you know that [the wearer] understands his job. If [someone] sees you wearing an EIB, it tells them that you know your job, you’re a good Soldier in your profession.”
The EIB – initially a combat badge – was established in 1943, along with the Combat Infantryman Badge. They were created as a way to boost the morale and prestige of the Infantry in Lt. Gen. Leslie J. McNair’s Army Ground Forces headquarters. The 1943 requirements for the EIB, according to War Department Circular 209, were to attain “the standards of proficiency established by the War Department,” or to satisfactorily perform “duty in action against the enemy.” The CIB was awarded for “exemplary conduct in action against the enemy,” or “duty in action against the enemy in a major operation as determined and announced by the theater commanders.”
In 1944 the requirements for both badges were altered by WD Circular 408. The CIB was to be awarded for “satisfactory performance of duty in ground combat against the enemy,” while the EIB would only be awarded for infantrymen who “attained the standards of proficiency established by the War Department.”
“The CIB is awarded if you’re infantry and you go into combat, and engage the enemy or are engaged by the enemy, which may happen, it may not. It may depend on your luck that day,” says Pitts. “The EIB is something you have to go out and earn. It doesn’t happen in a five minute fire-fight, it happens over the course of three days.”
With a long history behind it, the EIB has changed, the tasks have changed, the standards have changed. “However, what has not changed,” says Pitts, “is that those things that are done are to be done to 100 percent standard. If you get a 99 percent on these tests, you’re a ‘no go.’ You have to earn it many times in a row; it’s very unforgiving. That has not changed.”
While the EIB itself is difficult to earn, just getting the opportunity to try can be quite trying, especially for National Guard Soldiers. So having the chance to earn the badge in Kosovo is a huge opportunity.
“Back home we try to run the EIB once every couple of years,” says Pitts, “key word: try.” But with units always training up for imminent deployments, the EIB can take a back seat. “EIB is one of those things that, while it’s vital for the health of the unit, it doesn’t have the same immediacy when you have a deployment looming.”
“It’s excellent to give the Soldiers the opportunity to get something like this out of the way,” says Monette. “Because they’re active duty while they’re deployed, they’re around this environment 24 hours a day seven days a week, versus being back home, they may only see it once a month. Here it keeps things fresh.”
In general, Army training is focused on working cohesively as a team, but earning the EIB is one opportunity for infantrymen to prove their skills on a basic, individual level. “I’ve also been to ranger school,” says Pitts, “a lot of your success in ranger school depends on the team you’re with… whereas the Expert Infantryman’s Badge is completely on you and your attention to detail and your ability to rehearse and train for the exam.”
The individual Soldier’s abilities are a crucial element on the battlefield, and EIB testing is a good gauge for measuring a unit’s ability. “No matter how the odds are stacked up for or against you,” says Pitts, “if you have a lot of firepower, the logistics are all lined up, and the odds are with you, the Soldier, the American Soldier meeting the enemy Soldier on the battlefield has to be more proficient with his weapon, has to be more proficient at his individual tasks, the individual movement techniques and small unit tactics, in order to gain victory.
“Otherwise, all the complex planning, the superior logistics, it all goes to waste if you don’t win at that level. So the EIB is that one thing at the individual task level that allows us to check the standards of a Soldier.”
While the Soldiers stand alone at the moment of truth in front of the grader, it doesn’t, mean, however, that they do it all alone. “They get to a holding area,” says Monette, “and whatever task may be at hand that they’re about to tackle, they’ll go back and forth and quiz each other to make sure everyone’s on the same page and performing the task correctly before they let their buddy go off and test.”
Jurecki adds, “as soon as we said we were going for the EIB, [our superiors] automatically took us out of the mission and put us here… so we could totally focus, which was really good. If we didn’t do that, we might not have been able to make it.”
Over the decades, the infantrymen who have earned the EIB have only helped to increase the prestige of the award, while proving the caliber of generation after generation of Soldiers. But creating new EIB awardees requires EIB holders; EIB graders must have already earned their EIB.
“[The EIB] teaches our noncommissioned officers how to train others those tasks and pass on a certain mentality required in order to get that kind of perfection at those tasks,” says Pitts.
“We’re all out here, we’re all graders,” says Pitts. “And we’re running the EIB so there’s a certain level of camaraderie there. [The candidates] understand that we had to achieve that standard and we’re here to help [them] train and get others to pass the standard so that they enter our brotherhood.”
When the testing was complete, a few infantrymen had achieved perfection and entered that brotherhood.
“I feel worn out,” says Sgt. Matthew Jurecki after finishing his final station, earning his EIB. “I’m happy… I’m glad to be done with it.
“[Earning the EIB] means that I can pay attention to detail and I can react under pressure,” says Jurecki. “Those are two things that I think every Soldier should have. And to get your EIB, wearing it on your chest proves it.”
Qualifying to take the EIB test is difficult, but even more difficult is earning the badge. “There is a high attrition rate,” says Pitts. “It’s not uncommon for a brigade to send an entire brigade’s worth of infantrymen through, and you get about a dozen who graduate.”
Late Sunday morning, the American EIB candidates formed up again; 11 stood front-and-center to recieve the honor they worked so hard for.
“The average success rate is no higher than 10 percent,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Jenks, MNTF(E) CSM in his address at the EIB pinning ceremony.
But knowing the odds only makes Soldiers want to try that much harder. “Anyone who’s going through this task wants it,” says Monette, “they have the drive within themselves.”
And time and again, they prove they have what it takes to be called an expert infantryman.

Supplemental
Prerequisites aside, the EIB test is comprised of 37 tasks and subtasks, all of which are graded on a go/no-go basis. To recieve a go, the Soldier must perform the task to 100 percent perfection.
There is, however, one slight reprieve. Candidates are allowed two first-time no-gos — they can fail a task once, but must perform to standard on their second try. If they fail an event twice, or fail an event after getting two first-time no-gos, they are disqualified from the EIB testing.
‘Blade runner’ is a term given to EIB candidates who have recieved both of their first-time no-gos and are only one away from disqualification.
Spc. Kevin Hissem, of D Co., TF Patriot, got off to a bad start. He was a blade runner after his first two stations.
“I thought I was out,” he says. “So I went and did grenades… I figured I may as well get something hard out of the way.”
He had five grenades to hit three targets. He hit all three targets on his first try, and went on to perform 34 tasks straight to perfection before tackling one of his buddies in celebration (pictured left).
“Train and train and train,” he says. “And if you really want it bad enough, keep training.”

Doctors provide care in harsh Mongolian environment

Tendon Mondial IV, a combined Medical Civic Assistance Program (MEDCAP) in the Mongolian countryside, began with a two-hour flight into terrain so rugged, it took nine hours to drive 45 miles.
Last month the MEDCAP brought together military medical professionals from the United States and Mongolia.
The purpose of the mission was three-fold; train to provide medical aid in harsh, unfamiliar conditions; develop working ties with Mongolian military medical professionals; and provide free medical care to remote communities in the Mongolian countryside.
The group consisted of physicians, nurses, dentists, medics, surgeons, neurologists, an obstetrician/gynecologist, an optometrist, an ophthalmologist and, for the first time, veterinarians. The majority of the U.S. team was Army Reservists from the 5502nd U. S. Army Hospital (USAH), Colorado. Other members were from the 3297th USAH, North Carolina; the Alaska Army National Guard; and the 9th Regional Readiness Command (RRC) and Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii. The Mongolians were from the Mongolian Army and Border Guard.
To provide care to the maximum number of patients in different hospitals, the doctors were divided into a north team, a south team and a veterinarian team. U.S. doctors partnered with Mongolians who practiced the same specialty.
Each morning around 5 a.m., local drivers maneuvered the teams down bumpy two-track roads, across dried-up river beds, and over dusty hills to hospitals more than an hour away.
Once at their destinations, teams rushed into the hospitals to lay claim to a suitable work space and set up their equipment.
The doctors faced obstacles not found in hospitals in the United States. Most of the medical professionals work in large hospitals with bright lights and plenty of equipment, but came face-to-face with small buildings with little, if any, electricity.
Dentists, who rely on reclining chairs with swiveling lamps overhead, found whatever chair they could and a room with bright, direct sunlight.
“It took a day for the team to really come together,” said Army dentist Col. Jeffrey Astroth, from the 5502nd USAH. “We stumbled a little in the beginning… but the second, third and fourth days were really successful.”
Working together daily, they were able to learn together and give the best possible care to patients.
“We do these missions to try to help people, but it’s also a great way to develop relationships with our allied armed forces,” said Army Col. Dwight Shen, 9th RRC. “There was a lot of reciprocal teaching between the American and Mongolian forces.”
Astroth added, “It was great connecting with our Mongolian counterparts and with the locals, we’d say a few words to them in Mongolian as we treated the patients, and it made them feel a lot more comfortable.”
Some unexpected training came about when three cases of appendicitis were diagnosed in Bayanhayrhan. A team of surgeons, nurses and translators drove the patients an hour south to the Tudevtey hospital. By 3 a.m., they had successfully completed all three surgeries.
Mongolian surgeons performed the appendectomies, but U.S. Army Spc. John Westergard, a medic from the 5502nd USAH, observed the surgeries and learned, first-hand, some of the difficulties of the harsh environment created by the aged buildings and lack of supplies.
“We had to conserve water while scrubbing in because they don’t have running water,” said Westergard. “I’m not sure how the clothes were sterilized, and they didn’t put the patients to sleep, they just use a local anesthetic… they just don’t have the resources out here.”
Lack of electricity and modern electronic technology was another major difference. However, Army Lt. Col. Ruben Alvero, an obstetrician/gynecologist from the 5502nd USAH, brought a portable ultrasound machine that ran off a generator.
“I don’t have the ability to go to a good medical center because I live in a rural area where we don’t have sophisticated equipment,” Khajidma Jugder, a patient in Tudevtey said through a translator.
“I could not normally get this kind of medical treatment… especially free of charge, so I’m happy that the American doctors came out here.”
Byanbasuren Purevjay, who brought her 78-year-old father to the Tudevtey hospital for cataract surgery was surprised to see military doctors.
“When I got here, I found out there was an obstetrician/gynecologist with an ultrasound machine,” she said through a translator. “I was happy to be checked out by the modern equipment.”
Despite all of the obstacles the environment created, the teams accomplished their training goals.
“We demonstrated that American and Mongolian forces can work well together in austere environments,” said Shen, the mission’s officer in charge.
Furthermore, they treated more than 2,600 patients, exceeding their expectations by more than 500, according to Shen.
“We also successfully incorporated the first veterinarian team,” Shen said.
According to Col. John Belfrage, the veterinarian team leader, they examined more than 6,000 sheep, horses, dogs and pigs.
MEDCAPs are about more than training; they are also about helping people.
“America gave me a great profession,” said Astroth, “and I do these missions because I feel I have an obligation to do the right thing and help out where I can … I believe that’s part of what being in the military is about.”

English Class

Ceramic cups clattered against saucers, as small spoons scraped the edge of the mug, mixing sugar into macchiatos. Loud slurps echoed as the last drop of brightly colored soda concoctions were inhaled. The crack of splitting metal followed by the carbon fizz of sugary energy drinks rang out… the sounds of a coffee house symphony.
These sounds weren’t breaking the silence; they were accentuating the chatter of Kosovar high school students enhancing their English skills with American Soldiers from Multi-National Task Force (East) during a weekly English class in Kaçanik/Kačanik.
As part of a Civil Affairs-led program, MNTF(E) Soldiers travel to schools throughout their area of operation to promote safety and security every week through positive interactions with Kosovo’s youth.
“I can’t give the students much,” says Staff Sgt. Manuel Torres-Cortes, an English class volunteer with MNTF(E), “but I can give them some of the knowledge I do have to maybe help them help themselves.”
The students have dreams of higher education and international travel, and a working knowledge of English can be a great tool to help them achieve those goals.
“Later in life, when the students travel,” says Spc. Matthew Shaver, another volunteer, “they will be able to easily communicate with people around the world.”
According to the National Virtual Translation Center’s website, www.NVTC.gov, “English has a wider dispersion than any other language in the world. It is also required in many fields and occupations, especially technology and culture.”
“It is important to learn English because it is spoken all over the world,” says Anber Zherhbu, a student at the school. “As an example, if I am traveling and meet a girl from England, I will know what to say to her!”
While girls are an important factor in anything a teenage boy does, the students also have career aspirations.
“After high school,” says Fitore Harku, a student at the school, “I want to study at the university in Pristina… I want to study to be an architect.”
Another student, Arife Bushee says, “It is my dream to study other languages, especially in America and at Oxford.”
The students of the Kačanik / Kaçanik school are native Albanian speakers, but most are already proficient in two to three other languages, including German, Spanish and, obviously, English.
“Most of the kids speak English very well already,” says Spc. Matthew Moeller, another volunteer. “What we’re trying to do is take it to the next level, actually have a conversation with a native English-speaking person.”
“They can learn proper English from a book, but we’re trying to give them a different perspective on the language,” Torres-Cortes adds. “We’re trying to make the class less structured, and more practical… we’re not trying to just teach them vocabulary words, but help them with conversational skills so they can get their point across when they communicate with English-speaking people.”
While the class will help the students better integrate themselves into the world outside of Kosovo, it has potentially greater implications in strengthening communication within the territory.
According to Staff Sgt. Rebecca Beverly, who is in charge of the afternoon class in Kačanik / Kaçanik, the majority of schools involved in the program are Albanian, but there is at least one Serbian school.
By helping the students learn one common, neutral language, “the program can help break boundaries between Albanian and Serbian Kosovars,” Beverly says.
But, the students are not the only ones who benefit from these classes. The Soldiers are learning more about the area where they live and the people they’re here to protect.
Many Soldiers spend their days in offices on Camp Bondsteel, and have little time to interact with the people of Kosovo. Even when they do, the language barrier hinders the conversation. This class, however, provides the Soldiers with a unique opportunity for one-on-one interaction with the people of Kosovo.
“When I sit down with the students, I get to have a real conversation,” says Moeller. “It’s a more personal level. I get better information about where I’m at, and who the Kosovars really are. On a personal level it makes the mission easier for me. It gives me a purpose for being here.”
“On a personal level it makes the mission easier for me. It gives me a purpose for being here.”
“I’m learning more from the students than they’re learning from me,” Torres-Cortes adds. “I’m learning about their needs and what we can do for them and their country.”
For the Soldiers and students in this class, the learning has become a two-way street. Whether they spend their weekly time together in a classroom reading through English books and explaining specific words and phrases, or spend the time crowded into a coffee shop teaching each other about their backgrounds by sharing photos and stories, both the Soldiers and the students are soaking up as much knowledge as they can from their time together.

Yakima Takes on International Role

Approximately 350 soldiers from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force made the trek to Yakima Training Center during September for a month of training.

The troops were in the United States to take part in Exercise Rising Thunder, an annual training event that usually teams Japanese and American units. This year, the deployment of maneuver units stationed on Fort Lewis meant the Japanese were without their usual partners. But in typical military fashion, the training went on.

While Japan has a number of training ranges, the expansive area of YTC provides for greater versatility in maneuvering and carrying out live-fire training, with fewer restrictions.

“In Japan, the impact zones are designated as to the type of round (we can fire) and the tanks can only maneuver forward and backwards,” said Capt. Hiroshi Okumura, the commander of 2nd Company, 11th Tank Battalion. “At Yakima, they can shoot various types of rounds while maneuvering forward and backwards and side-to-side.”

The versatility offered by YTC extended beyond just live fire training.

“Nowhere in Japan can we do combined (arms) training with infantry and tanks,” said Colonel Kosei Kai, the 10th Infantry regimental commander. “But at Yakima, we are able to.”

Other training opportunities the Japanese took advantage of included indirect fire with artillery and mortars, as well as tactical training for urban operations.

“Overall the training has gone very well,” said Kai. “Some especially good training was the shoot house, counter-insurgency training and the urban assault course.”

One highlight of the exercise was the firing of the Type 96 Multi-Purpose Missile System. This is an anti-tank missile system used by the JGSDF. This is a crew-served system that fires missiles controlled in flight by a fiber-optic cable spooling from the missile, similar to the American TOW. Live firing the sophisticated — and expensive — missile was seen as a reward for the crew. The soldiers who fired the MPMS were chosen by a competition.

“The best-of-the-best shooters were chosen to participate in this firing,” said Lt. Col. Hiroyuki Nakayama, the commander of the Northern Army Ground-to-Ship and Anti-Tank Unit.

“Yakima is an excellent facility with very few restrictions on the ranges,” Nakayama continued, “and we’ve been able to do everything we planned to do. The soldiers have a very deep appreciation for the facility and the American Soldiers who made it possible… even the barracks were comfortable!” Nakayama said.

“It’s very obvious that the skills of my soldiers have improved dramatically and we would like to come back and train again,” Okumura said.