Photo By Staff Sgt. Evan Lane | Spc. Willie Hamblin, C Company, 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry Regiment, New Mexico...... read more read more
HOHENFELS, Germany – Spc. Willie Hamblin rushed up behind the tan connex buildings, softly stepping over the gravel and brush with 3rd Squad, 2nd Platoon. They worked in concert with the rest of C Company, 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry Brigade’s 2nd Platoon to silently surround a single connex that intelligence had reported as being a hideout for weapons smugglers.
Now Hamblin had to wait.
His role, like the role of all KFOR soldiers, was to act solely in support of local authorities as a third responder. This position is unlike many missions C Company has carried out over the years, and the training Hamblin received in Camp Atterbury, Ind., and Camp Albertshof, Germany, helped him and the rest of 3rd Squad understand their place in the mission.
The Soldiers of C Company, a New Mexico National Guard infantry unit, spent several weeks in Germany training up on the unique role presented by the mission in Kosovo. The work in Germany culminated in C Company soldiers, commanded by Capt. Sergio Hands, executing a precision cordon and search mission in a simulated Kosovo municipality. Members of C Company learned to work in conjunction with their teams and local authorities to accomplish this mission.
Kosovo police, played by German locals and military trainers, moved past the perimeter established by 2nd Platoon and Hamblin, a member of 3rd Squad.
Although 2nd Platoon had successfully remained out of sight, as soon as Kosovo policemen rounded the building’s corner, two smugglers saw them and fled.
Hamblin’s squad saw the smugglers from their position and reacted with perfect precision, rushing to aid the policemen.
Seconds later, one smuggler had been wrenched to the ground by a 3rd squad soldier and his hands bound by plastic restraints. The other smuggler met a similar fate, and both were immediately searched.
A few minutes later, the smugglers had been turned over to the Kosovo police, their building had been searched, and the crowd that had built up around the event was having its questions answered. Each part of the operation reflected the mission specific training that C Company received in preparation for their time in Kosovo.
Members of 3rd Squad said they are ready and excited to hit the ground running when that time comes.
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.26.2011 03:46 |
| Story ID: | 67764 |
| Location: | HOHENFELS, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, DE |
| Web Views: | 170 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Infantry soldiers learn role as third responders for Kosovo deployment, by SSG Evan Lane, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
