STB trains for demanding job in Iraq

Photo By John Crosby | (from right) 1st Lt. Eric Martz, an interpreter and Sgt. Lonnie Paradis work together to search a suspicious Iraqi man approaching coalition forces' vehicles during a training operation in the Orchard Training Area near Boise, Idaho, Aug. 13, 2008.  

UNITED STATES

08.13.2008

Story by Spc. John Crosby 

115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Spc. John Crosby
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

ORCHARD TRAINING AREA, Idaho - Shout, show, shove, shoot, shoot. The five S's of the U.S. Army's rules of engagement.

"Halt!" a military policeman shouts from the turret of an Armored Security Vehicle, as he shows an aggressive posture with his M4 carbine.

An approaching Iraqi civilian continues towards the ASV manned with military police, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army National Guard. The ASV is providing security for operations conducted in the village of Al Fiyad, a mock city in the Orchard Training Area near Boise, Idaho, Aug. 13, 2008.

The MP fires a warning shot, a gesture immediately understood by the Iraqi man. The man drops to his knees with his hands on his head while under the watch of several Soldiers, awaiting an interpreter.

Eventually a team of Soldiers make their way to the civilian man. 1st Lt. Eric Martz, executive officer, provides security as MP Sgt. Lonnie Paradis, instructs the Iraqi to lie on the ground, through an interpreter. Upon searching the man, several rounds of ammunition were found. The man was brought to military intelligence for further questioning.

Following the rules of engagement kept the MPs safe and allowed them to exploit the contraband found on the Iraqi civilian.

"This training helps us get familiar with using the proper methods in possible real-world situations," Paradis said, "such as route reconnaissance, cordon searches and handling enemy prisoners of war."

The STB, along with the 41 IBCT have been running training lanes like these for over a week now, gaining confidence in themselves and their abilities, better preparing them for a deployment to Iraq slated for 2009.

"The training here is top-notch," said Paradis, who deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism in 2001. "The training as well as the terrain is very realistic to the environment in which our current operations are conducted."

• Date Taken: 08.13.2008
• Date Posted: 09.02.2008 01:29
• Story ID: 23100
• Location: US