Through a trainer’s eyes

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nancy Lugo | Sgt. Karoll Echeverri, a petroleum fuel specialist with the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division’s E Company, 407th Brigade Support Battalion, works with Iraqi soldiers to build a Forward Area Refueling Point on a remote outpost in Al-Anbar, Iraq, Oct. 10. Paratroopers with the 2/82 have trained Iraqi soldiers how to build, run and maintain a FARP to allow them to refuel aircraft and expand their ability to patrol the desert between Anbar province and the Syrian border. Echeverri is a native of Miami.  

RAMADI, IRAQ

10.10.2011

Courtesy Story

82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Office

RAMADI, Iraq – A Forward Support Company in an infantry battalion has the hard job of supporting combat operations with supplies, maintenance, and transportation regardless of the mission or requirements. To meet this challenge, the soldiers assigned to the company have a wide spectrum of specialized skills and are subject matter experts in their field, which allows them to react to any mission and provide precise support. So when the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, was assigned the task of establishing a Forward Area Refueling Point for Iraqi army aircraft, Sgt. Karoll Echeverri, a petroleum fuel specialist, took the lead.

Echeverri was born in Cali, Colombia, and lived there for 12 years before immigrating to the United States with her parents, Maria Bonilla and Francisco Echeverri, and settling in Miami. She attended college after high school, but after two years she decided to enlist in the Army. “I just wanted something different. I wanted to do something bigger,” she explained.

She first served with 6th Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment in the 10th Mountain Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade, and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2008 to 2009. She then moved to Fort Bragg, N.C., where she served with the 188th Brigade Support Battalion and was re-assigned to the 2/82’s E Company, 407th Brigade Support Battalion, the FSC for 1-325 AIR. She is currently deployed to Iraq with the unit in support of Operation New Dawn.

“I was surprised that an infantry battalion was given the task to establish a FARP, but I was happy to show my expertise,” Echeverri said.

The establishment of the FARP will allow the Iraqi army to refuel aircraft and expand their ability to patrol the expansive desert between Anbar province and the Syrian border. She quickly planned what she wanted to teach the Iraqi soldiers and inspected the equipment they would be training on. The main training objectives included safety, concept of FARP operations, installation and set-up, and maintenance required for the equipment. “I wanted the training to be mostly hands-on, that’s the best way to learn,” she said.

As a result of her emphasis on hands-on training, the eight Iraqi soldiers that attended the training received over 30 hours of hands-on training in only three days. Her training vision was realized as the IA was able to complete the installation and preliminary tests independently on their third day of training.

The Iraq soldiers’ eagerness to learn was even more impressive. “They wrote notes, drew pictures, and asked questions regularly. We would continue to go over areas until they understood them and they were appreciative of that. They wanted to be able to do this on their own,” she said.

Upon completion of their last day of training, a ceremony was held to commend the Iraqi soldiers on their performance and the training they had accomplished. Sgt. Maj. Fadhil Tahir Murib, assigned to the 7th IA Division’s Logistics and Support Company, spoke for the Iraqi soldiers and personally commended Echeverri for her dedication and training.

After three days of training, the mission was considered a success and the large convoy left Camp Ramadi in the early morning hours of October 10 to set up the FARP outside of the 29th Iraqi Brigade Headquarters. The IA’s performance on site was commensurate with their training, Echeverri said. “They set up and tested the equipment on their own, I just supervised. We provided a capability for them, to refuel aircraft, but really they are the ones who will do it on their own. They showed that they can, and that’s good.”

She highlighted the importance of the mission in Iraq by stating, “The most important thing is that the [Iraqi army] can do this on their own and we have succeeded in that today.”

• Date Taken: 10.10.2011
• Date Posted: 10.24.2011 10:08
• Story ID: 78914
• Location: RAMADI, IQ