CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - A detachment of reserve Soldiers, the 940th Movement Control Team, all from the "Chicagoland" area, arrived at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, September 2009 with the challenging mission of working with the host nation in coordinating the transporting of coalition troops, supplies, and vehicles throughout the country.
The Kuwaiti government sets policies and guidelines for U.S. forces to follow inside the kingdom where they are required to report any sort of military transport to members of the Kuwait Ministry of Interior (police) and the Ministry of Defense (military). The mission of communicating all U.S. movements, based at the Kuwaiti Rear Operations Center, with the host nation is paramount to the success and safety of all U.S. military personnel in Kuwait.
The job of Capt. Demario Williams, detachment commander, 940th MCT, is to make sure his troops, who are stationed at all military installations in Kuwait, use friendly relations and an understanding of Kuwaiti courtesies and customs to get the mission accomplished.
"Our goal when we got here last September was to build a positive relationship with the Kuwaitis that would last throughout our entire deployment," said Williams. "Before you knew it, our guys were playing video games and having cook outs with their new Kuwaiti friends."
With the unit set to redeploy later this summer, Deputy Khaled Almutairi, movement liaison, Kuwait police, feels that it is unfortunate his new friends with the 940th are to leave his country soon.
"It is hard because you get accustomed to working with a certain group of Americans, and then they go back home," said Almutairi. "I like these guys. My new friends are very respectful and easy to work with."
Quite possibly the biggest measuring stick for the civilian Soldiers from the Windy City has been the feedback from not only the 39th Movement Control Battalion they fall under here, but the Kuwaiti leaders they work with also.
"The Kuwaiti officers have done a great job of communicating with us from the start of our deployment, and that makes our job easy," said Sgt. 1st Class Eric Waltz, detachment noncommissioned officer in charge, 940th MCT. "Our battalion commander is very happy about the job we are doing here in getting along with the Kuwaitis, but at the same time unhappy we will be leaving in a few months."
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.01.2010 10:54 |
| Story ID: | 47538 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 289 |
| Downloads: | 238 |
This work, Reservists forge positive relations with Kuwaiti hosts, by SPC Brandon Babbitt, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
