Photo By Staff Sgt. Joshua Ford | *060830-A-2756F-018--Spc. Russell Coffey, cannon crew member, Battery A, 3rd...... read more read more
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by Spc. Joshua R. Ford
3rd BCT, 82nd (AA) PAO
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq — Driving down Main Supply Route Tampa, Sgt. Nate Everitt, squad leader, Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), pointed out areas to look out for improvised-explosive devices to the unit that would replace his in Iraq.
Paratroopers from Battery A, 1st Bn., 319th Airborne Field Artillery Reg., 3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div., listened attentively while Everitt continued to point out small villages on either side of MSR Tampa and what his unit had encountered in the past year with the inhabitants of each village.
Later the mounted patrol pulled into a small town on the outskirts of Tikrit where the Soldiers dismounted their vehicles. They were immediately greeted by cheerful children while the convoy commander asked the village elders and religious leaders if they had noticed any suspicious activity in the town or surrounding areas.
"These guys like us," Everitt turned and said to Paratroopers of the 319th AFAR. "Not all the villages and towns are like this one though," Everitt continued with a sober look on his face.
This was all a part of the right and left seat rides to familiarize Paratroopers of 1st Bn., 319th RFA with the area they will soon take over from Soldiers of the 3rd Bn., 320th FA.
The outgoing Soldiers of the 101st have been showing their 82nd counterparts a way around what is soon to be Task Force Panther's area of responsibility. Soon, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Abn. Div., will hand off their battle space of Northern Iraq to the Paratroopers of 3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div.
The right-seat ride requires a unit to show an incoming unit around their area of operation before redeploying, said Staff Sgt. Raymond St. Louis, squad leader, Battery A, 1st Bn., 319th AFAR Reg.
"During the right-seat ride, we've shown the 319th guys hot spots, and introduced them to the key leaders of each city, town and village; all to let the guys get comfortable with the area they will be responsible for," said Everitt.
Soldiers from the 101st have done an excellent job showing their 82nd counterparts around the area of operation, said 1st Lt. Ronald M. Kubacki, platoon leader, Battery A, 1st Bn., 319th FA.
"Obviously you don't want to throw us out there to do nothing. So for them to actually give us the opportunity to get out there and ride with them and see how it goes, you start to get comfortable with learning the area a little bit," Kubacki added. "It also gives us a chance to pick up on good standards and tactics that worked for them while they were here."
After a week of learning the ins and outs of the Salah ah Din Province, Paratroopers from the 319th AFAR took over for the left-seat ride. It was now up to the 82nd Paratroopers to prove they had a grasp on what they'd learned the week prior.
One non-commissioned officer from the 101st sat in each vehicle during the left-seat ride monitoring the Panthers to make sure they have a good grasp on the area and what to do in certain situations.
"The left-seat ride was certainly different because we got out there not knowing the area too well. It was a big shock to us trying to get around," said Kubacki. "But being out there, the guys start to get used to it and feel more confident, and by the end everybody feels comfortable with it."
"These guys got out there and seemed real motivated. They did everything they were supposed to," said Russell Coffey, cannon crew member, Battery A, 3rd Bn., 320th FA.
"We asked every little question we could think of about the area, and they threw all the information down our throats which was really informative for us," said Kubacki.
"The whole process has been good and very beneficial to the unit," said Kubacki. "We feel well prepared to take on this mission."
"These guys come from a great unit with a good history and I feel comfortable leaving this area in the 82nd's hands," Coffey added.
| Date Taken: | 09.07.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2006 09:45 |
| Story ID: | 7649 |
| Location: | TIKRIT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 420 |
| Downloads: | 135 |
This work, Right-Seat, Left-Seat ride, by SSG Joshua Ford, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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