Photo By Marc Loi | “Even with our busy mission here, we always made sure that we stayed well-rounded as...... read more read more
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CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar – If it weren’t for the strong noncommissioned officers in the 293rd Military Police Company, the Fort Stewart, Georgia-based unit might not have ever helped change the lives of 18,000 Afghans who cycled through here during their resettlement process.
As the Taliban closed in on Kabul in August, the unit was on the tarmac in Qatar – a stop on its way to Afghanistan’s capital to provide security as thousands of at-risk civilians flooded the airport in search of a way out. That was when most of the Soldiers found out that instead of Kabul, they would stay here.
“There was a lot of adapting because we were put into a different situation than we expected,” said Sgt. Veronica Villalobos. “It helped that our NCOs were adapting and taking initiative as the situations changed.”
At Camp As Sayliyah, the Soldiers’ primary missions included providing security for Afghan travelers as well as overseeing access to the base. At the beginning, 293rd Soldiers supported as many as 8,000 Afghans at a time, which required that some of them worked 16 hours a day. Despite these challenges, the Soldiers persisted. Their ability to endure hardship is an attribute to the training they received prior to deployment, said Spc. Nelson Iglesias.
“Our NCOs have done a great job. We deployed within 36 hours,” he said. “Even with our mission change, their ability to monitor and manage expectations and Soldiers show their ability to lead.”
As weeks turned into months and crisis operations turned into steady state operations, the unit’s noncommissioned officers stayed alerted. They knew training, discipline and fitness produced strong Soldiers and their focus was twofold: mission accomplishment and improvement of Soldiers. For these leaders, there would be no deployment doldrums.
To ensure Soldiers remained proficient with tasks and drills, the unit conducted training that helped them stay tactically proficient as MP Soldiers. As their deployment neared the end, the unit still conducted one final training event: in-the-classroom and hands-on instructions on the use of pepper spray. For Staff Sgt. Nicholas Pham, relevant training is what keeps Soldiers engaged and mission-ready.
“Even with our busy mission here, we always made sure that we stayed well-rounded as military police with our disciplines,” he said. “Whether it’s law enforcement in a tactical setting or even what we are doing here with the safe haven operations, our way of staying ready and well-rounded is to train.”
Fitness also plays an important part in readiness. To make sure their Soldiers are physically fit, 293rd NCOs conducted regular physical fitness sessions and assessments. Especially during long deployments, sustained and organized physical fitness training is uncommon. Pfc. Kirsten Nolan is one of the Soldiers who benefitted from such an unconventional approach to fitness.
“I was really struggling with my four-mile assessment, my team leader ran with me and helped me improve my physical fitness,” she said.
Although there are no official standards for the four-mile run, Soldiers and trainers often push standards by running at a longer distance than the normal 2-mile required for the physical fitness test to ensure maximum fitness and results.
“We stayed on training cycles and did a lot of PT,” said Spc. David Gainey. “We did a lot of physical assessment. Toward the end, we got a lot of Soldiers to pass. When we are back in the rear, we won’t be struggling with PT.”
As with ensuring their Soldiers are properly trained and physically fit, NCOs were also responsible for upholding discipline within the unit. To accomplish that, leaders identified the areas their Soldiers needed improvement and engaged in constant communication with their Soldiers.
“We still do our monthly counseling,” Villalobos said. “If there are disciplinary issues, that will come up in monthly counseling, which can help them work on the things they need improvement on.”
Altogether, these practices lead to mission success because they instill pride in Soldiers and leaders, said Sgt. Chase Brown.
“No matter how many times I asked them to stay late or overcome certain challenges, they showed that pride and resilience to accomplish the mission,” he said. “I am proud of them because when we have Soldiers who take pride in themselves, and their team leaders all the way up to the entire NCO support channel, we can complete the mission as a whole.”
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2022 03:10 |
| Story ID: | 415983 |
| Location: | QA |
| Web Views: | 1,245 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, For One MP Unit, NCO Corps’ Strength Leads to Afghan Evacuation Success, by Marc Loi, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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