Photo By Sgt. Joshua Edwards | Capt. Travis Moore stands in front of E Company 1st Battalion, 118th Combined Arms...... read more read more
HOHENFELS, Germany — Polish army troops on a search and cordon mission, patrol the streets of a small village accompanied by Afghan soldiers and translators searching for a High Valued Target that has been known to live in the village.
The sound of machine gun fire erupts and the soldiers take cover, civilians run through the streets seeking shelter from the firefight.
Afghan soldiers make their to a house at the end of the street to find what they were looking for, a man believed to be a high ranking official of the Taliban.
That man is really Sgt. Stephen Caldwell, from E Co. 1st Battalion 118th Infantry Regiment, Union, S.C., during a three-week long training rotation.
The Mission
Members from E Co., arrived at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center, in Hohenfels, Germany, Aug. 15, to begin a 10-day training exercise playing the role as Opposition Forces, Civilians on the Battlefield and Afghanistan National Army to aide in the training of U.S. and other coalition forces being trained for future deployment to Afghanistan.
During the 1-118th Guardsmen’s rotation at the JMRC some of the soldiers that were tasked with role-playing as ANA soldiers got a better understanding of what it is like to work along side their Afghan army counterparts, as well as others Multinational troops.
South Carolina troops portrayed ANA troops while receiving instruction and orders from real Afghan soldiers learning squad tactics and standard operating procedures that will help them better lead their troops when they return to Afghanistan and work along side their multinational counterparts.
“It was a great opportunity to see the way other coalition forces react to combat in a training environment,” said 1st Sgt. Don Evans, E. Co. 1-118th First Sergeant.
“In Iraq we worked around the Iraqi army and police, but not really with them, but here we got to work with the Afghans pretty closely,” Sgt Javarios Smiley, E. Co. 1-118th, Infantryman.
Mission’s End
“I appreciate all the hard work and time you guys have put in here,” said Col. Daniel Barnett, Joint Multinational Readiness Center, Deputy Commander, “I know it is hard to leave your families and your to homes, but I thank you.”
Barnett presented a framed certificate of appreciation to Capt. Travis A. Moore, E Co. 1-118th, Company Commander, for a successful training rotation.
“I want to thank all of for doing a great job,” said Moore, “There are not very many units that could have come here and did what we did.”
Last Mission
“This training mission was the last mission that E company will ever take apart in,” said Evans.
Since 1907 E company has participated in World War I, participating in the Somme, III Ypres, and Flanders, 1917-18.
In World War II, the unit partcipated in Northern France and the Rhineland, 1944-45.
Past members of E company have also contributed to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Kuwait, Djibouti, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Although it is the end for E Co. the Guardsmen will continue to serve in other units in the South Carolina Army National Guard.
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2010 09:18 |
| Story ID: | 61626 |
| Location: | CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 38 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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