Photo By Sgt. Waine Haley | Sgt. Errol Bozel (left) works next to Lt. Col. Richard D. Root, commander for the...... read more read more
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Spc Waine D. Haley
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
TIKRIT, Iraq (February 14, 2006) - In the fight for stability in the ever-changing battlefront of Iraq, many men and women find themselves training for and taking on new and previously unfamiliar jobs.
Personal Security Detail has become a job that supersedes many traditional Army jobs for some units as Operation Iraqi Freedom reaches into its fourth year.
Personal Security Detail is a task that protects a person or persons from the time they leave a secure area to the time they return.
At this point of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the battlefield for Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Battalion 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, has a more diplomatic overtone.
Commanders and senior personnel need a hands-on approach to the locals in a still semi-hostile environment. This is where PSD Soldiers spend the majority of their time.
Staff Sgt. Eugene R. Montoya, Chief Field Artillery Surveyor, said there are many specialized jobs in the Army that, upon deployment into a combat zone, are not really needed.
In the current situation, the artillery surveyor is not needed, due to the fact all survey points have been placed during the previous years.
"The only way we would have to work our [jobs] here and now is if we were to occupy an area that has not been occupied till this point." Montoya said.
Montoya, a Prineville, Ore. native, and his troops have been tasked with the duty of providing the Personal Security Detail for the commander of 3/320th FA Rgt., and the base's VIPs.
The training for this new job started when the team was deployed to Kuwait The training included drills such as building clearance, vehicle roll over, reaction to contact and reaction to Improvised Explosive Devices. Training continued in Iraq with outgoing troops that had already been doing these tasks.
"We were able to get additional training from the 2nd Battalion, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 101st Aviation Brigade." said Sgt. Errol Bozel, Chief Field Artillery Surveyor, "They gave us a run through of the dos and don'ts, and what to expect here in Iraq."
Bozel, a St. Thomas, Virgin Islands native, said the mission was a challenge at first, because the Soldiers had no experience functioning as a PSD as their primary job was as a gun battery.
There are many different steps in a PSD mission. The process starts with securing the convoy route. Then the team will do a security sweep of the building or buildings that will be occupied.
During the mission gun trucks maintain security of the outside perimeter while the team on the inside keeps constant watch over the area of operations.
In more than 100 missions, the team has only had one incident -- an IED detonation involving a convoy transporting the battalion commander.
"The front truck and rear truck was hit." Montoya said, "The reaction went as it was rehearsed. There were no injuries or damage to vehicles. That was a blessing."
The Rakkasans continue to adjust to different demands of the OIF mission. Montoya said the different challenges Soldiers face on the battlefield can be overcome with the right training and positive attitudes.
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2006 13:53 |
| Story ID: | 5392 |
| Location: | TIKRIT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 439 |
| Downloads: | 15 |
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