BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Soldiers from Troop A, 1st Squadron, 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division provided security and mentorship for the Afghanistan national army during a key-leader engagement, March 15, in Paktya province in eastern Afghanistan.
Troop A or Apache Troop, created a secure atmosphere in which, the ANA was able to interact with the community, bringing the locals information and build relationships.
"As we conduct security in conjunction with the ANA, we are also mentoring them," said Troop A platoon leader, 2nd Lt. Timothy Roy. "We are working with them to build their capacity so they are able to take over the security operations as well."
With the assistance of Apache Troop, the ANA handed out radios to local population to better equip them with the ability to maintain knowledge of current events in their area.
A local radio broadcaster accompanied the Soldiers, conducting interviews with the locals that could later be heard over their new radios.
The response from the community was positive, and progress is under way.
"The operation was definitely a success today," said Roy.