Photo By Staff Sgt. William Watson Martin | U.S. Army Major Manu Yasuda (right) speaks with Tongan Major Solomone Savelio as...... read more read more
By Staff Sgt. W. Watson Martin
311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)
CAMP BUERHING, Kuwait -- The ancient kingdom of Tonga remains a staunch supporter of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Faraway from their South Pacific islands, a small contingent of the Tonga Defense Services arrived from March Air Reserve Base, Calif., to Kuwait after completing their initial theater specific training at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
While in Kuwait Aug. 2008, the Tongans continued to train for security duties in Iraq. This month the platoon finished up the last of its training to include combat lifesaving techniques.
"I'm proud to be able to help make the world a more peaceful place to live," said Cpl. Mahoni Alani who is married with six children.
Though it's a fairly small force, Tongans believe their contribution has made an impact in regional and international security, said Tongan Commander Satisi Vunipola.
"We're getting everything we need here and the food is really good," he said. For many of the troops it's their first time to work alongside American forces, which they say will provide them with invaluable experience.
"These men are great learners and show a lot of unit cohesion," said Sgt. Montize Carroll, a team leader with Task Force Gator – an American element designed to assist coalition forces with their deployments and redeployments.
"This Tongan group is unique because it includes Marines, Soldiers and Sailors," he said.
"I'm VERY proud of the Tongan Marines, Sailors and Kingdom of Tonga Soldiers for doing their part in the war against terrorism," said U.S. Army Major Manu Yasuda, a native Tongan and a naturalized American citizen who works as an operations officer with the 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).
"I'm impressed by the motivation of their leadership in taking advantage of the training resources not found in Tonga such as the specialized weapon ranges, medical mannequins and live fire convoy training," she said.
"Their presence is a reminder of the importance of international participation," said Brigadier Gen. William D. Frink, Commander of the 311th ESC who visited the Tongan troops during their training. "I'm glad our teams in Kuwait can help the Tongans move forward to accomplish their mission."
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.21.2008 05:58 |
| Story ID: | 22722 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 566 |
| Downloads: | 374 |
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