3-15 Infantry Soldiers depart to Africa

Photo By Spc. Corey Foreman | Soldiers of Company B, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division smile as they prepare to board a plane at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., Feb. 3, 2016. The Soldiers of Company B will serve as the East African Response Force at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Corey Foreman / Released)  

FORT STEWART, GA, UNITED STATES

02.03.2016

Story by Spc. Corey Foreman 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Soldiers from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division departed for Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti Feb. 3 in support of U.S. Africa Command.

The company will be the East Africa Response Force working under the Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa.

“We are going to Djibouti to be on standby in case anything occurs with any of the embassies,” said Sgt. 1st Class Raul Lopez, First Sergeant of Co. B. “We are joining nearby countries to reinforce and support.”

Lopez’s unit will be replacing Co. A, 3-15 Inf. who has been a response force for the Horn of Africa region since August last year. The deployment will last 6 to 8 months, according to Lopez.

The Soldiers are confident their unit is ready for the EARF mission.

“We are the best and we are the best prepared,” Lopez said.

Staff Sgt. Scott Geiszler, an infantry weapons squad leader of Co. B, said, “We've rocked every simulation and every field problem.”

The battalion’s mission has changed over the years, becoming more focused on training and support, rather than decisive action or combat focused.

“This is a mission I’ve never seen as an infantryman,” Geiszler said referring to previous deployments in combat zones.

The EARF Company works in conjunction with U.S. special operations units, allied armies and local governments. Aside from the joint mission, Co. B will conduct training with some of their partners.

“We also have an opportunity to do some cross-training with the French and the other countries,” Lopez said.

“You’ve got to have allies, if our partnerships are not strong then we are out in the wind,” Geiszler said.

• Date Taken: 02.03.2016
• Date Posted: 02.10.2016 13:10
• Story ID: 188484
• Location: FORT STEWART, GA, US