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MARJAH DISTRICT, Helmand province, Afghanistan – Afghan National Army soldiers with 1st Brigade, 215th Corps conducted a battlefield circulation with the Regimental Combat Team 5 Embedded Training Team here, Nov. 8.
Colonel Mohammad Sarwar Kushal, 1/215 executive officer, visited soldiers from the brigade’s 6th Kandak aboard Camp Hanson and Combat Outposts Duluth, Coutu and Reilly, in an effort to raise morale during the annual Muslim holiday of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha.
“During Eid, Muslims celebrate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac for God,” said Dinar Ehsan, a linguist and cultural advisor with the ETT.
The holiday, known as “Greater Eid”, is the second of two Eid celebrations recognized annually by the Muslim world. According to Ehsan, celebrations for the second Eid typically begin after the Hajj, an annual pilgrimage made by Muslims around the globe to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
“The brigade command wants to make sure the soldiers are not feeling neglected during this important holiday,” added Ehsan.
The trip through Marjah served a greater purpose than praising the efforts of ANA soldiers during this holiday of sacrifice. Kushal used the circulation as an opportunity to tour the facilities at the ANA positions, ensuring living quarters, hygiene areas and dining facilities were properly maintained to provide adequate support to operations.
He also took the time to speak with the soldiers at each post, answering their questions and discussing several topics critical to future ANA operations in southern Helmand.
“Know that the brigade does not forget about the soldiers of 6th Kandak,” said Kushal. “Even when we can’t come visit you, we have communication with your kandak leadership. “
One of the first topics Kushal discussed was the safety of ANA soldiers and, more specifically, the extra precautions they must take when driving across the rugged Afghan terrain.
“I understand if a soldier dies in battle against the enemy, but it is a very bad thing to send a soldier’s body home to the brigade or his family because a driver was not being careful,” he said to soldiers at COP Duluth, citing a recent accident that occurred in the kandak’s area.
Kushal impressed upon members of 6th Kandak the importance of training for each individual soldier. He placed particular emphasis on this point, stating that the mastery of basic skills is crucial to overall unit success.
With Afghan forces looking to take responsibility for security in most of southern Helmand ahead of the summer fighting season, Kushal believes that “training will be a major area of focus during the winter months.”
The winter is critical to the development, in both capacity and capability, of the ANA units operating in Marjah. Soldiers will have more time to devote to training as insurgent operations traditionally decline as the temperature begins to drop.
Kushal moved from his discussion of basic soldiering skills to the related topic of education. He preached the concept of a continuing education for every man in the Kandak. He believes no soldier should remain uneducated if there is even one educated man in the unit.
“Raise your hand if you have education,” Kushal said to a formation of ANA soldiers about COP Coutu.
Nearly half of the soldiers raised their hands. The group took a moment to look at those holding a hand in the air. A look of surprise crept across many faces in the formation – the number was clearly higher than expected.
Kushal smiled. His impromptu poll had achieved the intended effect.
“Look at the hands in the air,” he said. “Each man who is educated should take one or two men and teach him what he knows… there is no reason to stay uneducated.”
Kushal closed his remarks at every position he visited with a similar message – a heartfelt reminder to his soldiers of why they were faithfully standing post during the Eid holiday. He urged them to think not of themselves during this celebration of sacrifice, but of the secure future they were building with other branches of the Afghan forces and their coalition partners.
“We are not like the enemy who fights for a year or two and then leaves... we are here for our families,” said Kushal. “We are here for Afghanistan.”
Editor’s note: Regimental Combat Team 5 is assigned to 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 Afghan National Security Force 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 ANSF assumption of security responsibilities within its area of operations in order to support the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance.
| Date Taken: | 11.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 11.14.2011 23:52 |
| Story ID: | 80047 |
| Location: | MARJAH DISTRICT, HELMAND PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 269 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Brigade command visits soldiers securing Marjah during Eid al-Adha, by 1LT Chris Harper, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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