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By U.S. Army Sgt. John P Sklaney III
2-45th Agribusiness Development Team
PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from the 2-45th Agribusiness Development Team met with Niaz Mohammad Zadran, the director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock for Paktya province, at the DAIL compound in Gardez Nov. 9 to discuss a variety of agricultural programs and tour the facilities.
The team discussed projects that are either currently underway or will be started in the near future for completion in the coming year. The five-year plan for the Afghan government was also discussed and how the ADT would be able to help the Afghans realize their goals in that plan.
“The meeting was critical for the success of all the projects in the province,” said U.S. Army Col. Robert Roshell, the 2-45th ADT commander from Lawton, Okla. “Mentoring and assisting the Afghans is important to the relationships between the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the citizens. The ADT is working, through improving agriculture, to strengthen the bonds between the GIRoA and local Afghans.”
Zadran took Roshell and members of the agricultural section of the ADT on a tour of various areas in the compound, including the administrative building, the green house, the grain storage building, classroom buildings and the maintenance building.
During the tour, U.S. Army Capt. Kale Rogers from Cordell, Okla., the security force commander, found an unexploded artillery round. Rogers informed Roshell, who talked to Zadran about finding the shell.
Zadran said that there were other artillery rounds on the compound. Rogers marked the unexploded ordnance and called headquarters to request the explosive ordnance disposal team.
Rogers and his platoon escorted the EOD team to the compound and provided security while EOD gathered up the ordnance and transported it to a range south of Gardez for disposal.
U.S. Army Spc. Cheryl Baldridge from Prague, Okla., a veterinary specialist for the ADT, conducted an assessment of the veterinary facilities. Baldridge was able to interact with some Afghans who were in class studying to become veterinary assistants and ask them about the training that they had completed.
“The compound has the basic facilities to teach the students a variety of improved agricultural skills in the care of animals,” said Baldridge.
The students have been in class for the past five months to learn the basics of animal husbandry. Animal husbandry can be described as general care and treatment of large to mid-sized animals related to disease control, diagnosis of common animal illnesses and human interaction with the animal.
Some of the future projects the team would like to complete include practical field training exercises for students during the veterinary assistant classes and a veterinary class in Paktika province, said Baldridge.
The day’s mission ended with EOD successfully disposing of the ordnance. The U.S. military and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan constantly strive to create a safe place for all Afghans, and disposing of the ordnance is just one way to make all of Afghanistan safer, said Roshell.
| Date Taken: | 11.09.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.15.2010 06:09 |
| Story ID: | 60146 |
| Location: | PAKTYA PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 121 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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