Photo By Staff Sgt. Mike Hagburg | A squad of Turkish Soldiers move into position to guard a simulated accident site...... read more read more
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – Soldiers from Turkey, the newest partner nation in Multinational Battle Group East, showed their capacity to react quickly to unexpected situations during exercises in Kacanik/Kacaniku and Viti/Vitina, May 20.
The Turkish Soldiers have been designated as MNBG E's Quick Reaction Force and the exercises were designed to validate their ability to respond to emergencies in the MNBG E area of operations.
First, the Turkish QRF platoon was called out to Kacanik/Kacaniku. Maj. Shayne Simon, Alexandria, Minn., an exercise planner for MNBG E, said the scenario for the morning centered on a crowd of protesters outside a government building during a local council meeting. The scenario called for the QRF to aid in securing the government building and preventing damage to it.
"The exercise was designed to test whether the QRF platoon can deploy rapidly from Camp Bondsteel, set up security at the building site and maintain communication with the battle desk," said Simon.
The overall mission of Kosovo Forces is to act as a third responder behind the Kosovo Police and the European Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo to preserve freedom of movement and a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, Simon explained. The QRF exercises contribute to KFOR's mission by testing a unit's ability to react to situations and to perform mission essential tasks.
The Turkish QRF platoon quickly arrived at the Kacanik/Kacaniku site, where a gas station overlooking the town was designated to be the government building for exercise purposes. Officers from EULEX were present at the site to help test the Turkish Soldiers on their skills in communicating with law enforcement.
"The Turkish Soldiers set up security and had a reserve force," said Simon. "They did a very nice job."
In the afternoon, the Turkish QRF platoon reacted to a simulated auto accident near Viti/Vitina. The scenario called for a simulated crowd of hostile residents to gather at the scene, angry at the injured driver because he was known in the neighborhood to be reckless. A U.S. patrol driving by stopped to assist the local KP and the officers expressed concern for the safety of the driver. Because a long wait was expected for an ambulance and because of the angry crowd, KP on the scene asked the patrol for help.
The scenario called for a rapid response by air by the QRF and was designed to test the QRF's ability to communicate with KP officers in a joint atmosphere, said Simon.
The Turkish Soldiers arrived at the simulated accident scene in UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters from MNBG E's Task Force Aviation. There, they found two KP officers whom they needed to communicate with through an interpreter. The officers told them about the crowd and the driver's injuries.
To complicate the exercise for the Soldiers, one Turkish Soldier suffered a simulated leg injury just as the Turkish medics were beginning to provide first aid to the injured civilian.
"We simulated multiple injuries to test the QRF platoon leader," said Simon. "He had to decide how to use his resources to treat both injured people."
The exercise ended after the Turkish Soldiers successfully dispersed the crowd, provided first aid to the people suffering simulated injuries, and called in medical evacuation requests for the injured Soldier. The Turkish Soldiers then called back the MNBG E helicopters and departed the site by air.
Turkish Sgt. Maj. Nihat Haykir did so well coordinating medical treatment at the scene that Simon recommended him for a Commander's Coin, which was presented by Brig. Gen. Al Dorhmann, MNBG E's commander, May 21.
| Date Taken: | 05.20.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.26.2010 03:47 |
| Story ID: | 50282 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 261 |
| Downloads: | 148 |
This work, Turkish KFOR Soldiers demonstrate quick reaction skills, by SSG Mike Hagburg, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
