Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class Terryl L. Pasker, 39, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died July 9 in Panjshir province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire.  He was assigned to the 334th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For more information, the media may contact the Iowa Army National Guard public affairs office at 515-252-4582.

'Red Bulls' have helping hand in building of all-girls school in Afghanistan

By Army Spc. James Wilton

Task Force Red Bulls

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (5/6/11) – Members of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team attended the grand opening ceremony of the Baba Ali Girls School in Dara District, Afghanistan, May 1.

The school can host more than 150 Afghan female students and is a part of a three-school complex which includes a boy’s school.

The Dara Community Development Council, a group of Afghans who address the needs of their community, proposed the school to their local government, but there was no money to fund the project.

Hearing this, the PRT decided to take on the endeavour.

“I am very excited and happy that the Panjshir PRT opened the Baba Ali Girls School in this remote district of the Panjshir valley,” said Abdul Matin Mubashe, a math and sciences teacher for the Baba Ali School, through an interpreter. “The young girls of the Dara District now have a place to study and learn.”

The PRT contracted a local village contractor, the Raz Tanha Construction, Road Building and Production Company, to build the 8-classroom school.

“We have an Afghan-first or Panjshir-first policy, if we can find someone capable of doing a project within that community, then we use them to do the work,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Joseph Blevins, the Panjshir PRT commander. “The communities really tie in with the PRTs.

“Our ability to get out and get around and talk to people, and the effectiveness of the government officials really allow us to get a lot more done in Panjshir.”

Keeping the money from projects like this in the community helps to rebuild and reinforce the infrastructure.

Education is also an important part of that rebuilding and reconstruction effort; it helps increase the knowledge and abilities of the future leaders and builders of Afghanistan, according to the province’s education director.

   

“Education is important to the children of Afghanistan, because they are the future builders of Afghanistan,” said Abdul Makim, the Panjshir Province education director, through an interpreter. “That is why I am trying to support the children of Panjshir Province to study and for education. Then they can help to improve the country and our future.”

He said the effort is most needed when it comes to educating the females of Afghanistan, as they are often overlooked.

“Education isn’t just important for Afghan society. It is important everywhere around the world, especially here in this very fundamentally religious society,” said Makim. “Female education is one thing that was heavily impacted especially during the war years, therefore, rebuilding female capacity here in Afghanistan is one of our big pushes.”

Makim said the PRT’s and Afghan government’s efforts are making great strides in the fight to rebuild this devastated country, and they go beyond just the construction of schools.

“We are also helping our teachers to learn and grow and become better teachers, through continued education and classes to help them educate our students in modern subjects,” said Makim. “These programs and others, both here and outside the country, will make them more knowledgeable and better teachers for the children of Afghanistan.”

Improving education of teachers as well as students, both male and female, puts Afghanistan on the right track toward a positive future, said Abdul Rahman Kabiri, the Panjshir deputy governor.

“Schools like this are the first step in the right direction for the people of Afghanistan, and the solution to a problem which is in the education system of Afghanistan,” said Kabiri.

“Projects like this school are very important because the children are the foundation of a society, and in America we say the children are our future,” said Blevins. “So as long as Americans are welcome in Afghanistan and Panjshir as friends and guests, we will work with you shoulder-by-shoulder, hand-in-hand to do projects like this.”

In an uncertain future, hope is what drives a people, and the people of Panjshir have one hope and one request for their children.

“I make this request and hope for the children of Afghanistan, that they will study more and harder so they can improve their country because they are the future builders of Afghanistan and offer a new generation for the community,” said Makim.

Kentucky Guard donates 3,500 evergreens in Afghanistan

By Senior Airman Amber Ashcraft

Combined Joint Task Force 101

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (4/11/11) - The Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team II presented Shah Mir Amiri, director of Panjshir’s Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, with 3,500 evergreen saplings March 28.

“We’re very excited to receive these beautiful trees,” said Amiri, through an interpreter. “The province is on its way to becoming much greener and more attractive because of the new evergreens.”

The six districts and one municipality of Panjshir Province received 500 saplings each, to be planted around schools, district offices and throughout villages.

“We hope the trees will help promote slope stabilization, erosion control and of course aesthetics in the province,” said Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Casada, the Kentucky ADT lead.

More than 100 villagers and officials attended the Nowruz Tree Planting Ceremony held at the DAIL compound in the Bazarak District.

“Panjshir has a unique opportunity in tourism,” said Casada. “The province is already beautiful with the landscape, but the trees flourishing here will make the attraction that much greater.”

In addition, reforestation is needed due to the decades of trees being uprooted for firewood and building materials, said Casada.

After the ceremony, district representatives arrived with trucks to take away the trees. The ADT provided the trees, with agreement that communities would provide the tools and labor for planting and upkeep.

“We thank the PRT for helping us celebrate our new year and new spring with these beautiful trees,” said Baroukzai. “The people of Panjshir look forward to seeing them grow for many years to come.”

Kentucky Guard unit works to make Afghan agriculture cream of the crop

By Army Staff Sgt. Brandon Pomrenke

ISAF Joint Command

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (3/18/11) – Members of the Kentucky National Guard's Agribusiness Development team are working with Afghan farmers and livestock owners to increase productivity to better feed their families, themselves and their communities.

The Kentucky ADT has teamed up with Afghans throughout Parwan, Panjshir and Kapisa provinces to educate, train and develop new ways to increase production.

"Some of the [projects] we are helping with are improved seed and fertilizers in the area," said Lt. Col. Robert Hamm, Parwan agriculture leader for ADT Team 2.

The teams do not just hand out free supplies and equipment, but they teach the Afghans and agricultural leaders how to properly use them. This is meant to ensure the projects they have begun will last long after coalition forces leave.

"Every project we do, we want to be sustainable," Hamm said. "Which means once we close a project, the Afghan government is able to sustain the process going on."

Creating sustainable agriculture means working closely with Afghan and other agencies, too. With the ADT being spread over three different provinces, they must work with every asset they have to see the most positive results. This requires a close partnership with the director of agriculture, irrigation and livestock, Abdul Farzam.

Farzam is responsible for developing and coordinating efforts of the various leaders and developers throughout the region. He and his predecessor have allowed ADT personnel to mentor leadership and local farmers at his offices near Charikar.

"We started a started a training session twice a month at the DAIL compound to teach forage management, bee keeping, raising poultry, finance and setting budgets," Hamm said. "We have also worked with him in developing the private sector; working to ensure that we mentor the DAIL and [that] he understands how the markets will help the people of his province."

This work in the private sector includes securing a grant to help purchase storage and processing equipment for soybeans from the area. Last year, there were approximately 500 tons of soybeans produced in the provinces.

"The production is there," Farzam said during a planning meeting March 5 at the Korean PRT compound. "But what they sell, they sell. What they don't sell rots or is just thrown away."

Training and equipping the Afghan producers throughout the province is just what the ADT aims to do while here in Afghanistan. The composition of their unit allows them to maximize their efforts.

"There are 10 agriculture-specific guys and two engineers," Hamm said. "Mainly your civilian background is what you do. We have a soils guy, two vocational agriculture education guys, an entomologist, or 'bug guy,' a bee specialist, a veterinarian … a security force of about 32, who are the ones who get us out, and four medics."

While Hamm's primary role is coordinating with the multiple agencies involved to make sure no one is duplicating efforts, he feels that everyone's role is important to the success of their mission.

"We're brought up to the agribusiness team mainly by our civilian skill sets," he said. "I think the uniqueness of the National Guard is beneficial to the people of Afghanistan because you have military personnel who can go travel in more austere areas, but you also pick up those special skills.

"A couple of the guys teach agriculture every day of the week back in the states or you have guys like myself who are engineers and work with building and construction and can get that expertise that you may not find in the regular Army."

The unique talents and varied skills have led the ADT to many a meeting and training event with their Afghan counterparts. Through these meetings, they are learning that there are many skilled farmers just looking to further their knowledge.

"The best part of the deployment has been the direct contact you get with the local people," said Hamm. "I've met some great people here in Afghanistan. The people seem to really want to learn: they're knowledge-hungry."

Although Team 2 of Kentucky's ADT is preparing to head back home, Hamm feels that this tour of duty has been a rewarding one.

"These teams have some great individuals," he said. "Kentucky has dedicated five years here, and we're in our third. Working here with the USDA and trying to get the projects implemented has been a great accomplishment. I think the people respect what we're trying to do for them."

With training, supplies and equipment, the Kentucky ADT is helping to shape Afghan agricultural professionals into the cream of the crop.

Karzai Announces Areas to Transition to Afghan Control

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2011 – Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced the first seven areas of his country that will transition to full Afghan security control.

The announcement marks the beginning of the process that will see Afghan forces responsible for security across the whole country by the end of 2014.

In a speech in the Afghan capital of Kabul, Karzai announced that the area around Kabul -– except the Sarobi district –- will transition. Afghan forces already are in charge of security for most of the area.

Officials in Afghanistan and the United States stressed this was an Afghan decision.

“This heralds the beginning of the transition process for those areas,” said Army Lt. Col. Beth Robbins, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Other areas that will transition are Panjshi and Bamiyan provinces, the city of Herat in western Afghanistan and the city of Lashkar Gah in Helmand province.

Afghan forces will take the lead in Balkh province’s capital of Mazar-e-Sherif and in Laghman province’s Methalam city.

The announcement follows a careful process in choosing the areas. A joint Afghan-NATO group examined the capabilities of Afghan forces and areas where the security, governance and development processes are sufficiently advanced. The conclusions were forwarded to NATO defense ministers, who accepted the recommendations during a meeting earlier this month. But the transition decision was completely in Karzai’s hands, officials said.

“We understand taking complete responsibility of governance, security and reconstruction in our country is not an easy task in a situation in which, on one hand we suffer from the legacy of 30 years of war, and on the other hand destruction and interference is still going on,” Karzai said, according to a translation of his speech at the National Military Academy. “We know that the people of Afghanistan do not want the defense of their country to be on others, and also those who have helped us during the last 10 years cannot afford any more sacrifices for our security and defense.

“This is also for the sake of this reason,” he continued, “that we have agreed with the international community that the Afghan government responsibilities should be handed over to Afghans.”

Panjshir Sheep

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Hancock, assistant Panjshir agricultural lead, Kentucky Agribusiness Development Team II and Monticello, Ky., native, examines a sheep in Khenj District March 5. The Kentucky ADT II examined more than 120 pregnant sheep in three districts and has a seminar planned for April to teach farmers and herders how to use the results to better the health of their flocks.

Iowa National Guardmembers help Afghans improve winter storm response

By Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus

Combined Joint Task Force 101

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (2/11/11) - Iowa National Guardmembers are teaching Afghan emergency managers how to use one of their state’s planning tools to improve winter storm response.

Guardmembers in the Panjshir Embedded Training Team, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls are working with the Operations Coordination Center-Provincial to improve the Panjshir government’s emergency winter response planning.

The OCC-P team includes Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and National Directorate of Security officials, who represent their respective agencies for Panjshir Province.

The ETT supports the OCC-P by working with each staff section in plans development and operations.

“We have a plan for emergency situations,” ANA Col. Rajab Khan, OCC-P commander, said through an interpreter during a training session Feb. 7. “We have a plan for each agency, and we are working to bring them together.”

Under Panjshir’s emergency winter response plan structure, the governor has identified who can provide food, shelter and extra clothing. But then the government waits for external help from agencies in Kabul, said Army Lt. Col. Tim Glynn, ETT commander.

The ETT hopes to expand that plan by helping the province take care of itself internally and offered an Emergency Decision Matrix provided by the state of Iowa’s emergency response center.

The matrix is a summarized version of the Iowa Emergency Management Response Plan which is hundreds of pages long.

About an eighth of the size of the entire response plan, the matrix offers step-by-step procedures on how Iowa government agencies respond to differing emergencies, including winter weather issues.

The partnered training has benefited the OCC-P staff and they have enjoyed it, said Khan.

“They train us on blizzard response and what we need to do if the snow creates problems,” he said.

“I want to thank Lt. Col. Glynn and his team for the training, especially the computer training. We have had the computers, but didn’t know how to use them until now.”

Part of Glynn’s plan for emergency response was to help the Afghans build a document with written procedures for differing emergencies, like the Iowa Emergency Decision Matrix.

To help with the process, they also trained their Afghan counterparts how to use the computers, a skill they learned incredibly fast, Glynn said.

“These guys are sharp,” he said. “They (were) commanders during the Russian and Taliban wars.”

Although building this plan will take time and effort, it will end up being a valuable asset when an emergency happens.

“It’s painful to go through step-by-step, but once it’s complete it will be a great help,” Glynn said.

Throughout the afternoon, Glynn discussed the decision-making process while using an interpreter to translate the lessons.

He asked questions about the importance of saving lives, communication, road clearing and many other aspects of emergency winter response.

The room was full of energy as the staff members responded to each question and participated in the discussion. Glynn jotted down notes on a white board to document the discussion points to add to the written plan.

The training concluded with a rough draft of a plan, with which all participants seemed content.

According to the ETT, the Afghan government officials are now a few steps closer in completing their blizzard emergency response plan in the hope of helping and protecting Afghans.

“They want to help,” said Glynn. “They are excited to help.”

Panjshir

Members of Kentucky Agricultural Development Team II get to know their patient as they conduct a health inspection of local animals in Panjshir province, Afghanistan Feb. 9. The team inspected more than 40 sheep over the course of the day. (Photo by Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team)

Guardmember connects Iowa Cub Scouts, Afghan police officer

By Air Force Senior Airman Amber Ashcraft

Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team

PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (2/4/11) – Through social media, military members overseas easily keep in touch with family and friends back home.

But it is rare that video teleconferencing is used for American children to interview an Afghan National Police officer.

"When I was deployed in 2003, we didn't even have Internet access," said Army Master Sgt. Todd Eipperle, senior noncommissioned officer in charge of Task Force Red Bulls Embedded Training Team in Panjshir. "Being able to have a meeting like this, face-to-face, makes the experience even better."

The meeting took place Jan. 22 with Cub Scout Pack 182 from Ankeny, Iowa.

The Scouts took turns asking Capt. Sefat Mire, Rokha District ANP training officer, about his life in Afghanistan. They wanted to know what it is like for Mire to be a police officer, what the best part of his job is and if he is able to go home to his family every night.

"Some days, we are very busy and travel, so I come home very late," answered Mire, through an interpreter. "But I enjoy being a police officer."

Eipperle, an Iowa Guardsman and part of the Iowa Cub Scouts, helped set up the session by sending an e-mail to some of the packs back home asking if they would like to talk with an ANP member.

"There is a 'Language and Culture' award Scouts can get," Eipperle said. "Pack 182 responded they would like to get that award and participate in the meeting."

After speaking with the pack's leader, Army Lt. Col. Sean Ogelsby, Eipperle found an ANP member to talk with the Scouts.

"Captain Mire was outspoken in our train-the-trainers course and was easy to talk to," Eipperle said. "Having four boys of his own at home, he was excited to participate."

For more than a half-hour, the Scouts, Mire and Eipperle exchanged questions and answers through an interpreter about life as Scouts in the U.S. and as ANP in Afghanistan.

"It was good to be able to speak to the Cub Scouts," said Mire. "When the PRT goes on missions here and talks to our children, our children come home and tell their fathers about the good experience they had with the Americans.

"Afghan children are like American children; we want them to look up to us and have good experiences."

After teaching the Cub Scouts how to say "thank you" and "goodbye" – "tashakor" and "huda hafez" – they ended their teleconference.

"When I thanked Captain Mire for doing this for our boys, he simply replied, 'It's something I will remember forever'," Eipperle said.