Photo By Staff Sgt. Angela Ohearn | Students from Central and Southeast Asia, participating in the Humanitarian Mine...... read more read more
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“Fire in the hole!” a U.S. Soldier shouted behind a sandy berm.
A translator echoed the warning to the others also crouched behind safety.
A moment of silence.
The silence was followed by a deafening explosion that boomed through the mountains of Tajikistan.
This was just an exercise. No one was hurt in the explosion. But land mines, unexploded ordnance and explosive remnants of war contaminate millions of square meters of the Central and Southeast Asia region with the potential to maim and kill children, women and men.
U.S. Soldiers instructed 39 service members and civilians from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Armenia about proper demining procedures as part of the Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) training course September 19-30 in Tajikistan.
“This course enhances regional security by training these individuals how to take care of enemy remnants of war that litter their lands,” said 1st Lt. Joe Gianino, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer from the 723rd Ordnance Company (EOD) in Fort Campbell, Ky., and instructorfor the course. “It makes their communities much safer. It makes their governments more stable when they’re able to give these lands back to their civilians.”
The program consisted of four phases. The first three phases included ordnance educationand identification and explosive safety. The U.S. Soldiers taught the fourth and final phase of thisyear’s HMA course, which focused on Improvised Explosive Device awareness and recognition.
“It’s giving different perspectives from different countries,” said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Wells, a U.S. Army Central EOD officer and the program manager of the course. “The way I solve an EOD problem is not the same that an Afghani would. It encourages that learning environment.”
Participants graduated the course with an international certification, qualifying them to ease human suffering by serving their countries in a mine-action capacity. The certificate is in accordance with the International Mine Action Standards.
“This is the second class that has finished our program,” Wells said.
The program was initiated late 2014, following USARCENT’s and the U.S. Embassy in Tajikistan’s recommendation. With U.S. Central Command’s permission, the program was coordinated with the embassy and Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
“By utilizing overseas humanitarian, disaster and civic-aid funding, we are able to provide training aides, equipment and develop material,” Wells said.
The program was designed was around the “train the trainer” model.
“We are creating instructors that return and teach future classes,” Wells said. “The end goal is to have a sustainable and self-enduring regional explosives hazards center, ran by the Tajikistan Ministry of Defense with partners from Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.”
The center is scheduled to be finalized by 2018.
“Landmines, unexploded ordinance and ERWs are not just problems throughout the region, but throughout the world,” Wells said. “They limit economic prosperity and they also killand maim innocent children, women and men. The only way to improve this is through education. People we educate and train to safely handle explosives can spread that education throughout their homelands.”
Wells said all in attendance came together for one collective, humanitarian goal.
“We have one common goal: to rid explosive hazards and to create a more stable region.”
| Date Taken: | 09.30.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 10.21.2016 08:44 |
| Story ID: | 212548 |
| Location: | TJ |
| Web Views: | 192 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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