Unmanned Systems In Iraq

May 31, 2008

Filed under: Uncategorized — auvsi @ 4:06 pm

I’m 22 days from my departure from my deployment. I thought I needed to give you a small window for what the soldiers go through here and feel here. This is not intended to be comprehensive just a “tip of the iceberg” perspective. I wanted to submit to the bloggers excerpts from a TF Troy Command newsletter (i.e. developed by war fighters for war fighters) that gives a operator’s perspective of life here in Iraq, their thoughts and some ways they use to decompress or lower the accumulated stress. So enjoy and I’ll submit my final entry in about 2 weeks.

Excerpts from the Coalition Joint Task Force Troy Periodical: The Defuse
May-June 2008

Life of Tags
The things we carry with us –ordinary objects of little significance otherwise –become pieces of reverence when we carry them to the moment of death. The iPod in the cargo pocket, the wallet in the back pocket and the sweetheart photo in the breast pocket –these things become the last tangible link to existence. They become relics.

The clothes a person wears at the moment of death catch the last living particles and hold them close between the fibers. That is why the loved one left behind is so conscious to keep from shaking the fabric before placing it neatly folded in a keepsake box. Inside the fabric, there’s a bit of someone they’ve loved and ultimately lost. It’s not an easy sentiment to dismiss. More so than any moment in life, death is the instant in which a person’s identity is most entwined with the fabrics worn and the trinkets carried. Everyone knows the standard military identification tag.

At the Task Force Troy EOD Memorial, as I watched the senior enlisted leadership place the tags of those fifteen individuals on the memorial piece, I couldn’t help notice each of them took when handling the tags. Their movements slowed more than a step. Intent and concentrated, those honored men each made every effort to respect the square pieces of tin that they held in their hands. They showed such great reverence because they knew that they were handling a thing very personal –a link to one of their own whom had full and willingly paid the ultimate price in the name of service and country. They showed such great reverence because hidden beneath every service uniform is a set of tags dangling from the neck so very close to a beating heart.
-by SGT LUKE BALDWIN

Task Force Troy’s Technical Escort Detachment
Troy’s Technical Escort Detachment may be the most highly trained group of individuals in theater today. At least, that’s the first impression they give.

Spend any amount of time with the group and the sentiment won’t fade in the least bit. Comprised of both CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive) specialists as well as EOD operators, the Tech Escort Detachment is the ITOs expert at characterization, mitigation, assessment, and elimination of CBRN threats.

“We at Tech Escort provide theater-level support to all combatant commanders for WMD elimination,” explains detachment commander, Captain Joseph Monette. Characterization and analysis of hazardous materials is the focus of the Tech Escort team. When units conducting operations in the combat zone detect or otherwise come into suspicion of an area that might pose a CBRNE threat, the team at Tech Escort is the first response to characterize and assess that threat. Armed with an array of top-line detection equipment and dressed in specialized protective suits and masks, the team works in groups of two as a site-sweep is conducted to locate, mark, and eventually extract any and all hazardous material from the site. Over watch is essential to operating proce-dures. If any one member of the team is exposed or becomes a casualty, there are always team members on close stand-by for casualty extraction and treat-ment.

With the threat assessed and samples extracted, the next step in the high-stakes Tech Escort mission is to evacuate the collected material to a laboratory for final testing and analysis. “Tech Escort is the only highly specialized unit that I know of that combines the CBRNE and EOD assets,” said Task Force Troy Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Chadwick Bauld, a chemical officer himself. “Tech Escort is the model for future CBRNE forces.”

One would assume that, with the dangers involved with a job such as neutralization of WMDs, the Soldiers of Tech Escort would be one of the most high-strung group of Soldiers one could encounter. This simply isn’t the case. There’s an air of confidence that surrounds the specialized unit. It’s the kind of confidence that can only be attributed to the thorough and rigorous training each member on the team must undergo and complete to gain the fidelity of a command in charge of defeating potentially the most dangerous weapon in the enemy’s arsenal.

“Last summer we did live agent training in Canada. We also went through a Theater Mission Readiness Exercise in Utah which was set up and facilitated by the nation’s top scientists” said Master Sergeant Samuel Lewis, the Detachment First Sergeant and team member. “Also, as part of our train-up, we completed the Chemical Energetics Course which has been very fruitful in training our EOD techs,” CPT Monette added. The chemical energetics course gives special insight into the laboratory production of Home Made Explosives (HME). “We completed what is called confined space training. That exercise actually took place in an abandoned nuclear power plant in Washington.”

“We also train on a daily basis to sustain and advance our capabilities,” said MSG Lewis. “Crew level sampling, analytical training, confined space training, decon training, convoy training, weapons qualification and Blue Force Tracker training are just a few key pieces of training that we’ve done since we arrived in theater.”

“They have a very detailed training schedule,” said LTC Bauld, “and they challenge each other. They have to challenge each other. Every case that they respond to has the potential to present new dangers. Every scenario could be a different challenge or threat. They have to be able to think on the spot and react.”
In addition to all of the CBRNE focused training, the members of Tech Escort are all trained in close quarters engagements, combatives, and every member is combat lifesaver qualified. The team even has one Soldier, Staff Sergeant Maria Vazquezc, who is a qualified emergency medical technician. To better disseminate the knowledge they have acquired through all of this training, many of the Soldiers of Tech Escort play the dual role of technician and instructor. Fully qualified, they share their training with other Soldiers, especially in the EOD field, on subjects such as confined space operations. “The certification process is continual. The nature of the mission makes recertification a requirement,” CPT Monette added. Undaunted, the Soldiers of Tech Escort continually rise above the shifting dangers of their field of work to provide support to combatant commanders. “The team’s performance has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said LTC Bauld. Given the ever-changing challenges of CBRNE and the unremitting efforts of Chemical and EOD operators to meet those shifting challenges, it seems that there will always be a new face to Tech Escort.
-by SGT LUKE BALDWIN

A Pat on the Back and a Pie in the Face
There are times during long deployments when gratitude for your hard work and dedication can be overlooked. The TF Troy J2 wanted to make sure that his servicemen didn’t have this issue. To highlight the great work of his staff, he created the “J2 Outstanding Performer of the Month” award. The award is open to all enlisted servicemen in multi-serviced section. The awardees are judged on eight stringent criteria: duty performance, knowledge, military bearing, leadership, initiative, attitude, camaraderie, and self improvement. “I wanted to make this something to strive for,” said LtCol Price.

Each month the OICs select a deserving person from their section. The Senior NCOIC make the determination of the winner. The names are then turned over to LtCol Price who presents the award. In addition to the recognition, the prizes for the award are an added bonus. The recipient each month receives a certificate, TF Troy sweatshirt, a J2 coin, a half day off, and special reconigtion by the TF Troy Commander, COL Kevin Lutz. Since March, there have been two recipients. The first performer of the month was Micheal Scmidley from Louisiana. He is an analyst on the MND-B team in J2. “He did great work on some of the major RFIs that came into J2, and he also did a few working aids. He’s an all around great Airman,” said MSgt Bonfigli.

April saw Ssgt Kenneth Rath win the award. SSgt Rath is from Arkansas and is a Arabic Linguist. His specialty in J2 is vehicle borne IEDs. He was recog-nized for his outstanding work with home made explosives. In April, the Airforce House sponsored a Spring Fling. It was an event to promote fun and camaraderie with all of the servicemen on the Camp Victory Complex. The event was filled with food, music and fun. “I enjoyed the band the most. It was excellent,” said Susan Guido. The highlight of the event, however, was the fund-raising Pie-in-the Face contest. Units were able to donate money toward the candidate the wanted to see “pied” the most. Of course, candidate could also offer money to not receive the “prize”. From TF Troy J2, LtCol Price was the candidate of choice. The J2 section raised more than $200 to ensure it happened. When all of the money was counted, and the J2 properly cloaked in plastic to protect his clothing. SPC James Hockenberry was given the honor of presenting the J2 with the pie. “This was definitely a once in a life time opportu-nity. I know I’ll never get this chance again in my career,” said Hockenberry.

TSgt Susan Guido received the honor of smearing Major General David Clary, the Air Force House Commander. “I really had a good time. The General was an excellent sport and I appreciated that. Believe it or not I actually bid on the pie to save the General from getting pied,” she laughed.

My boss, MAJ Patrick Stamm getting “pied” at our Hail and Farewell.

Summer-esque temperatures arrived in March and reached triple-digits in April. The rise in temperature did not, however, deter the service members of Task Force Troy from bringing their own brand of heat to the firing range.

Above: Sergeant Walker taking his best shot & below: Sergeant Hodges excited about getting ready to shoot.