Photo By Spc. Jessica Dahlberg | Munitions to include 31, 107mm rockets and 20 RPGs are lined up in a pit at Forward...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Jessica R. Dahlberg
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — Colorful flyers are passed out to the Afghanistan population to give them tips such as staying hydrated, warnings to avoid touching landmines and what to do if one might happen to come across munitions that could be used against coalition forces.
Approximately 24,000 of these flyers, which have a combination of pictures and images, tell about the Small Rewards Program. The idea behind the Small Rewards Program is that if anyone finds any munitions they can turn them into the Americans in exchange for money.
"The flyers we distribute help get the word out and advertise the Small Rewards Program a lot better than just Soldiers going out and telling the people about it," Capt. John Bilski, the information officer with the Pa. Army National Guard, 3rd Battalion, 103rd Armor Regiment, said.
As a result of the program, two children recently turned in an improvised explosive device in the Quargehay District, and on Aug. 3, 2008, the 527th Military Police Company escorted a truck carrying a weapons cache to Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam.
The cache was turned in by a member of the Law Enforcements Professional's surveillance team, who works together with the 527th MPs to train the Afghanistan national police on informant development. The informant, who was trained by the ANP, told the member of the surveillance team about the cache.
The weapons cache consisted of 31, 107mm rockets and 20 rocket propelled grenades. The RPGs were brand new and taken out of the original packaging.
"These munitions getting taken off the street is a good thing," Sgt. 1st Class Jody Brissette, 1st Platoon leader, 527th MP, said. "It means that they can't be used against us later on."
Due to the Small Rewards Program, the service members at FOB Methar Lam have received everything from RPGs to hand grenades and even a couple of suicide vests, David Lemoine, a member of the LEP, said.
"The cooperation from everyone on the FOB has led to us recovering more artillery than all of Afghanistan combined," Lemoine said.
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.18.2008 07:02 |
| Story ID: | 22604 |
| Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
| Web Views: | 292 |
| Downloads: | 261 |
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