Soldiers support sheep inoculation project

Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | A member of the Afghan National Civil Order Police secures a sheep for inoculation by an Afghan veternarian while other members of the ANCOP and the International Security Assistance Force attempt to keep the other sheep in a central location. The 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team assisted their ANCOP partners during this operation. The 37th IBCT is deployed to northern Afghanistan in support of ISAF in order to build Afghan National Police capacity. (37th IBCT photo by Maj. William Humes)  

AFGHANISTAN

04.14.2012

Courtesy Story

37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

Story by Maj. William Humes
37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KUNDUZ, Afghanistan- Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Viking, 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, provided assistance for an Afghan-led sheep inoculation project last week in the area north of the city of Kunduz. Over the course of two days, more than 20,000 sheep were inoculated.

The project began as a collaborative effort, which included the Afghan Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, the commander of the Afghan National Civil Order Police, the U.S. advisers to ANCOP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture adviser and the Kuchi Peace Ambassador. The sheep owned by the Kuchi tribe, a national nomadic tribe of Afghanistan, were the target of the inoculation project.

Capt. Jennifer Pacurari, the civil-military operations officer for Task Force Viking, played a large part in bringing the group together. “Meeting on [Forward Operating Base] Kunduz provided a secure location to do business,” said Pacurari. “Besides, many of the Afghans attending the meeting had never been to our FOB so it was an opportunity to extend hospitality to our Afghan friends.”
Once all parties agreed on the specifics, the next step was to ensure security was provided for the operation. This responsibility fell to the ANCOP, and the US team advising the ANCOP. In a truly combined operation, the ANCOP and ANCOP advising team went through the detailed planning process to ensure all parties remained safe while conducting the inoculations.

Capt. Jeremy Prince, the operations officer for the ANCOP advising team said, “I have been impressed by the operations conducted by the ANCOP since I started this advising mission. But working with the planning staff for this project really gave me a new level of respect for their professionalism.”

Inoculation day finally arrived, and it was time to see if all the preparations worked out. The operation went as planned, and was a reflection on the thoroughness of the planning team.

"This was my first chance to witness the ANCOP in action,” said Pacurari. “At no point during the operation did I feel my safety was in jeopardy.”

ANCOP and International Security Assistance Force personnel maintained security of the location while Afghan veterinarians administered thousands of vaccinations.

The 37th IBCT is currently deployed to northern Afghanistan in support of ISAF in order to build Afghan National Police capacity.

• Date Taken: 04.14.2012
• Date Posted: 05.12.2012 07:18
• Story ID: 88349
• Location: AF
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