BTT Team

Photo By Staff Sgt. Miles Elder | Capt. Jarrett Moffitt (left) and embers of the Border Training Team observe conditions along the Iranian border during a visit to Al Shuhada Fort, one of the outposts protecting the Iran-Iraq border. The team is working with Iraqi border guards to stop the flow of insurgent forces and supplies into Iraq.  

NEAR BADRIA, IRAQ

05.09.2006

Story by Staff Sgt. Miles Elder 

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

NEAR BADRIA, Iraq - One was a medic working in a U.S. hospital in Germany while the other was serving as a basic training company first sergeant in Oklahoma. Yet, another was a student at the Military Intelligence Officer Advanced Course at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

They come from different military backgrounds and have varied job skills, but members of Border Training Team 4313 have banded together for one reason " to help Iraq forces tighten their borders. This newly formed team of officers and noncommissioned officers spends most of its day visiting remote outposts and doing what they can to help them.

The team's leader is Maj. Michael Williams from Edenton, N.C. He was working as a small group instructor at Fort Rucker, Ala., when he was given this task. He said it has been a rewarding time for him. This is his third tour in the Middle East.

"It's very gratifying," Williams said. "Most of the guys who came over here volunteered to come over and do this thing."

While the team members came from posts around the world, they formed up at Fort Hood, Texas. There, they went through a six-week training course to prepare them for their mission in northern Iraq.

"We've been together since Jan. 15 living, sleeping and eating together," Williams said.

Coalition forces have tried to work with Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement guards for many years. However, the BTT Soldiers are unique in that this is their only mission.

"We're the first ones officially doing the BTT mission," said Capt. Mark Townsend, the team's intelligence officer. "There's more teams coming, and they will be spread out all across the country."

On their patrol, the mood is laid back. However, it's all business when the convoy approaches the border outpost which is seemingly miles away from any sort city or village.

Team members interact with each other informally and work together to overcome obstacles ranging from maneuvering around a flock of sheep to pulling a vehicle out of the mud. One officer even serves as a gunner for his vehicle when it is out on patrol.

"The best thing about it is that they let us pretty much operate independently of anybody else to do our job," Williams said. "That's what most of the guys enjoy about it is having the freedom to go and do their job on a daily basis.

"They are being real Soldiers, and they like that."

Master Sgt. Wesley Gilmore is the team's top sergeant. A former drill sergeant who hails from Reidsville, N.C., he left his position as a basic training first sergeant at Fort Sill, Okla., and shed his diamond to take his current role. He agreed with Williams" assessment.

"They are the subject-matter experts in their job," Gilmore said of his NCOs. "They don't have to worry about a lot of guys watching over their shoulders and micromanaging them.

"Everybody's opinion matters on this team. We are open for input."

While he's busy supervising the team's noncommissioned officers, he also works with his Iraqi counterparts. He is putting his skills as a teacher and a mentor honed in the hot plains of Oklahoma to use here.

"I try to find out NCO strength and figure out the role the NCO plays in their border teams," Gilmore said. "I want try to get the NCOs more involved."

One of those subject-matter experts is Sgt. 1st Class Kirk Stanscheit, the team's medic. A Denver native, he inspects the outpost's medical supplies and checks to see if any personnel have medical training or experience. He also treats Iraqi border guards if they are suffering from minor injuries or ailments. Treatments have ranged from giving out aspirins to putting a splint on an injured arm.

Stanscheit said he has no regrets about signing on for the mission despite its hazards. He was pleased at the range of different experiences this type of duty affords.

"This has been a unique opportunity to deploy with a small group like this," Stanscheit said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and a lot of guys don't get to do that."

"We're not trying to train them to be an American Army, but a very good Arab army," Williams said. "The biggest challenge is the logistical push.

"Right now, they don't have the logistical supply chain."

For his part, Williams sees his team's role as the next step in the evolution of the Coalition forces" role here. While his team is the first to hit the ground, others will soon be in place helping along both the Iranian and Syrian borders. These areas are believed to supply the bulk of manpower and supplies used by insurgent forces in Iraq.

"Now that a lot of the battalions within the Iraqi army have been validated, the shift has moved towards the border teams," Williams said. "Now, it's time for us to get the borders validated.

• Date Taken: 05.09.2006
• Date Posted: 05.09.2006 16:11
• Story ID: 6324
• Location: NEAR BADRIA, IQ