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    1-84 meets and greets in Qeysar

    1-84 meets and greets in Qeysar

    Photo By Spc. Nathan Goodall | U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kevin LoRusso, a Rocky Point, N.Y., native, now the fire support...... read more read more

    QEYSAR, AFGHANISTAN

    03.22.2011

    Story by Pfc. Nathan Goodall 

    170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

    COMBAT OUTPOST QEYSAR, Afghanistan -- Soldiers deployed in Afghanistan continually strive to achieve ISAF’s mission of partnering with Afghan forces to provide a safe and secure environment for the people of Afghanistan.

    Soldiers with A Battery, 1st Battalion, 84th Field Artillery Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted a meeting with the district chief of police and a foot patrol in Qeysar, March 22.

    “The meeting with the district chief of police was basically to just kind of set a schedule for the upcoming week,” said Capt. James D. Thornton, an East Bernard, Texas native, now the A Battery commander.

    A Battery soldiers have been conducting patrols with the Afghan National Army and the Afghan Uniformed Police to keep the area safe and secure, said 1st Lt. Leo Su, a Kansas City, Mo., native, now the platoon leader for 1st Platoon, A Battery.

    “Basically we’re partnering with [the Afghan Uniformed Police]. That’s our battalion’s mission every time we go out unless it’s for some kind of quick reaction force response,” said Su. “We coordinate with them, which is what we did earlier today.”

    “The relationship with the police is very good,” said Thornton. “It’s continuing to grow, we’ve only been here for a short time but we’re already hitting it off very well. We work very well with the district chief of police.”

    Pfc. Kyle Brown, a Snohomish, Wash., native, now a cannon crewmember with A Battery, said working with the Afghan Uniformed Police has been a rewarding experience.

    “They seem willing to do anything they can to make things safe around here,” said Brown.

    After the meeting, A Battery conducted a foot patrol in Qeysar.

    “The purpose of the patrol today was to kind of get the atmospherics of the town and see how people feel about us and to get our face out there,” said Su. “From what I gathered it was pretty friendly.”

    “Probably the best thing about getting out there is they know that we are part of the community,” said Thornton. “The more we can get out and be a part of the town, the more normal we become when we’re out and about among them.”

    Pfc. Austin E.M. Fischer, a San Marcos, Calif., native, now a cannon crewmember with A Battery said the patrol went very well.

    “It kind of gave them an idea that we’re here and we’re friendly,” said Fischer. “I felt like the locals and the kids like us a little bit more now. They know we’re new, they don’t really know us. We went out there and they saw that we were okay people.”

    Soldiers gave pens and candy to the children and talked with the local people. They also bought items from the local shops.

    “It helps,” said Brown. “It might not be anything to us, but it’s helping their economy.”

    A Battery soldiers remained very courteous and friendly during the patrol to ensure the people they met knew they were there to help.

    “If we’re gonna be here and be rude then it’s not gonna change anything,” said Brown. “There’d be no reason for us to be over here.”

    Brown and Fischer both expressed their enthusiasm toward conducting more foot patrols in the future.

    “I would say it’s the main reason why most of them joined the Army,” said Su. “They get to see different parts of society that you normally wouldn’t see if you just stayed in your hometown. It’s my first deployment, it’s a lot of my platoon’s first deployment. You get out there and get some different experiences.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 03.22.2011
    Date Posted: 03.25.2011 11:59
    Story ID: 67726
    Location: QEYSAR, AF

    Web Views: 400
    Downloads: 3

    PUBLIC DOMAIN