FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.- Col. Valery C. Keaveny Jr., commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team “Currahee”, 101st Airborne Division gave his soldiers some final words of wisdom prior to their departure for Joint Readiness Training Center on Jan. 6 at Fort Campbell, Ky.

Approximately 100 Currahee soldiers were selected to assist as temporary Trainer/Mentors during the 82nd Airborne Division’s, 1st Brigade Combat Team’s rotation through JRTC.

Trainer/Mentor is a term used to describe the individuals who serve as full time staff at JRTC, their job is to train the units who rotate through JRTC.

“You were selected because you are a goldmine of experience,” said Keaveny.

The group of select Currahees recently came back from Afghanistan and was chosen because of their expertise in their individual skills. The soldiers are going JRTC for approximately three weeks, to bring some of the most recently successful techniques, to use during the deployment as well as new tactics the enemy might be doing.

“We are helping to prepare units to deploy troops to combat operations in Afghanistan,” said Maj. Robert Born, the brigade’s Operations Officer.

Born also described how JRTC takes the most recent intelligence begin gathered from the battlefield, as well as current enemy tactics, in Afghanistan and immediately implements it into their training.

Keaveny, who has recent experience as a Trainer/Mentor prior to taking command of the Currahees, wanted his soldiers to understand exactly how useful they could be.

Your value is incredible, you were one of the last units to return from Regional Command East, said Keaveny.

He then went on to explain how their first-hand knowledge will be critical in preparing the 82nd Airborne’s 1st BCT for the next deployment to Afghanistan.

“I want you to go to your counterpart every morning and say ‘what do you want me to take a closer look at?’,” said Keaveny. He explained that their role is to be a second set of eyes for their counterpart, showing them the possible techniques that could improve their readiness, what works well and does not need to change.

Keaveny also told his troops how this is not only an opportunity to train the 82nd soldiers, it is also a chance for Currahees to learn as well.

“This is a partnership, you may see something another unit is doing and bring it back with you and implement it in your unit.”

“Before you leave, talk to your leadership and your subordinates, talk and think about what you want to bring to their training rotation, and what you want to get out of it,” ended Keaveny.