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FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELHI, Helmand province, Afghanistan — Having experience should never prevent a soldier from practicing the basics.
Afghan National Army officers with 2nd Kandak, 1st Brigade, 215th Corps are currently participating in a platoon commander’s course offered by the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Embedded Training Team here, Oct. 8 – 19. The course is the first of its kind in Garmsir district.
Marine officers from several different companies in 1/3 are aiding the ETT with the course, providing personal instruction from one platoon commander to another.
“It’s a chance to share the leadership values and habits of a Marine Corps officer and help them become more effective and proficient as leaders in the Afghan army,” said 1st Lt. Kurt Vogler, officer-in-charge of the course and native of Ellicott City, Md.
“These classes help strengthen the leadership in the Afghan army… That will help them be better prepared to take authority of their district.” added Vogler. “It also strengthens the bond between the leaders in the ANA and Marine Corps.”
Marine instructors will familiarize ANA officers with offensive and defensive platoon tactics, weapon systems, physical training plans and virtues of a combat leader. The mission of the course is not to teach the students something new, but to help them become competent leaders.
“This is a stepping stone for the ANA officers,” said Staff Sgt. Louis Serafin, staff non-commissioned officer-in-charge of the course. “This is a progressive, brief course that gives them an idea of what they need to pass down to their soldiers.”
“This isn’t the first time they have interacted with the topics in this course,” added the Camby, Ore., native. “They have every single weapons system that we’re covering. The course is just to familiarize them and increase their confidence as a leader.”
After each lesson, the class goes out and performs what was taught. This means going to the range to fire weapons, patrolling and writing operational orders. As each topic is covered, the students are critiqued and advised on how to become more proficient.
“These classes are a good thing,” said ANA Capt. Mohammad Aziz, with 2/1/215 and native of Laghman province. “Every time we have had a course it helps all the lieutenants. Especially when they go back to their patrol bases and are able to show their young ANA soldiers what they have learned.”
“We appreciate all the things the Marines provide us to help the ANA,” Aziz said. “It helps us for the future to be able to provide better security not only in Garmsir, but in all of Afghanistan.”
Due to its initial success, the Marines of 1/3’s ETT look forward to conducting additional ANA platoon commander’s courses. ANA officers at the inaugural course look forward to further refining the skills and leadership traits needed to be effective platoon commanders.
“In the future we hope to be able to learn about navigating with a global positioning system and would like to receive classes about computers and the English language,” said Aziz. “The Marines have gone out of their way to help us with everything during the classes. It will help us go farther as leaders and as an army.”
Editor’s note: First Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, is currently assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, 2nd Marine Division (Forward), which heads Task Force Leatherneck. The task force serves as the ground combat element of Regional Command (Southwest) and works in partnership with the Afghanistan National Security Forces and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to conduct counterinsurgency operations. The unit is dedicated to securing the Afghan people, defeating insurgent forces, and enabling the ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 10.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 10.13.2011 11:29 |
| Story ID: | 78440 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELHI, AF |
| Web Views: | 255 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Lieutenants teaching lieutenants: Marines hold Afghan National Army platoon commander’s course, by Cpl Colby Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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