Photo By Sgt. Casey Collier | Children on the outskirts of Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, waive goodbye to Charley Troop,...... read more read more
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SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan - As the Soldiers from Charlie Troop, 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment enter the town of Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, a group of excited children greet them with whoops and waves.
The sun is burning brightly in the noon-day sky as Soldiers turn the corner to the street where the District Center is located.
In front of the District Center are rows and rows of brightly-colored tractors and threshers. The fresh reds, oranges, greens, along with the azure blues of the implements stand out distinctly against the light beige and sand colors of the walls of the District Center where the implements are stored in a vacant lot.
As they enter the District Center compound, the Soldiers shake hands with the locals outside the gates.
Charlie Troop is succeeding.
Their usual mission here and around Spin Boldak, at the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, is to interdict the trafficking of illicit materials from Pakistan into Afghanistan, and they seem to be succeeding in that mission as well.
"Our presence here in Spin Boldak and Wesh has helped disrupt the trafficking of illicit material across the border. Because we can be seen there, traffickers don't want to carry what they have across," said Sgt. Shawn Reightler, Charlie Troop, 8-1.
The border is porous and 2,400 km long, but with the main border checkpoint at Freedom Gate in the town of Wesh, near Spin Boldak, Charlie Troop makes their presence felt throughout this border area with daily patrols around the Wesh checkpoint, night patrols for illegal border crossings around the outskirts of the border towns, and constant engagements with local officials within the towns — engagements like the one Charlie Troop is conducting today.
While Charlie Troop has strengthened the border security in this area, new missions and roles are constantly developing.
Often, Charlie Troop works with civil affairs specialists attached to the 8-1 Cavalry.
This part of Charlie Troop's mission carries them from the realm of security, into the realm of diplomacy.
Staff Sgt. Gerald Frushon is one of the Civil Affairs specialists attached to the unit, and plays a vital role in ensuring the success of this part of their mission.
"The State Department has a program called 'USAID' [U.S. Agency for International Development], which helps in the improving of foreign countries. AVIPA, [Agriculture Voucher Improvement Program Afghanistan] is a program specifically designed by USAID to bolster agriculture in certain areas. So, AVIPA is an extension of USAID," said Frushon.
"Today, Charlie Troop escorted Owen Kirby, a State Department Representative, to the weekly coordination meeting between AVIPA representatives and the local government," he said.
Weekly meetings like this take place at the District Center, where program managers discuss USAID projects and their implementation with the district governor and the district director. The transparency of these types of meetings allows local governments a chance to see what is being done, and to have input in how these programs are implemented, said Frushon.
The tractors lined up in rows in the vacant lot outside the District Center are part of the AVIPA lending program for Spin Boldak.
1st Lt. Cliff Meyer, Charlie Troop, 8-1 Cav., has been with the troop in Afghanistan since September, and sees these engagements as vital to the overall success of the unit and the ultimate success of the Afghan people here.
"This is another part of what we do. There is a certain degree of infrastructure here, [Spin Boldak area] that is not yet seen in other places in Afghanistan. There is District Governorship here and leaders that reach all the way down to the village level," said Meyer. "Today we are escorting a very important civilian."
In addition to AVIPA, the programs these troopers are helping USAID implement for the people in the Spin Boldak community range from work programs, to agricultural lending programs that lend tractors, seeds, and farming implements to Afghan farmers. These farmers then, in turn, repay USAID and the U.S. State Department as they begin to see a profit from their efforts and the tools that they have been lent, said Meyer.
"This way, it's not just hand-outs," he said, "but a way for the locals to empower themselves."
After the meetings with the district leaders have taken place, the Soldiers from Charlie Troop make their way back to their vehicles, with the representative from the State Department and civil affairs team discussing their findings.
As the Soldiers pass the outskirts of Spin Boldak, the same small group of youngsters who greeted them upon entering the town jump up and down and raise their hands in the air with their thumbs up, and wide grins on their faces.
It may be a small sign that what these Soldiers from Fort Lewis, Wash., are doing is seen as helpful to the people in this community, but it is an indication that the Soldiers from this unit are laying a framework for further success.
"Every day we see things which we help facilitate, such as these meetings that help us in gaining ground out here amongst the people," said Meyer. "The road which we traveled today was a dirt road when we initially got here, and now it is almost completely paved. When it is complete, we can look forward to having a four-lane highway over here near the border. That is important for the people here.
"Now farmers have ways to get tractors, to get their farms up-and-running before they are expected to pay anyone," he said.
And the ability to do these types of things, with a stable police force capable of providing security for the people here, is what the strategy of counter-insurgency is all about, Meyer said. With opportunity and stability, hopefully those in the area won't feel the need to fight as the only means of supporting themselves and their families.
"So, maybe we're not taking the fight to the enemy . . . but the overall goal of Afghanistan being able to help itself is being accomplished here — step by step," he said.
"We find importance in that."
| Date Taken: | 01.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2010 03:18 |
| Story ID: | 44389 |
| Location: | SPIN BOLDAK, AF |
| Web Views: | 852 |
| Downloads: | 649 |
This work, Border security and shaking hands — Charlie Troop in Spin Boldak, by SGT Casey Collier, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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