FORWARD OPERATING BASE TARIN KOWT, Afghanistan -- Sgt. Francisco Singer of the 668th Engineer Company, 980th Engineer Battalion, has been training Afghan National Army engineers for more than five months. Seeing them build their first combat patrol base makes him optimistic about what the future holds for the Afghan soldiers.
Since mid-December 2011 the San Antonio, Texas, native has worked with the Australian army on Forward Operating Base Tarin Kowt to train ANA engineer soldiers. Singer’s six-week course teaches the fundamentals of operating heavy construction equipment, such as backhoe loaders, compactors, Bobcat skidloaders, dump trucks and front-end loaders.
Singer, who is serving his second tour in Afghanistan with the Army Reserves, and the other two American instructors also work with the ANA non-commissioned officers, training them how to effectively lead troops and plan construction projects from start to finish.
Singer said he was impressed from the beginning with the work ethic and enthusiasm of the Afghan soldiers.
“It was an eye opener to see their eagerness to learn,” Singer said. “They really want Americans training them. They tell us all the time.”
About two months after the first Afghan troops graduated from his course in January, Singer and several soldiers from Australia’s Mentoring Task Force 4 took the 16 Afghans to a remote location near the city of Chaka Juy.
The mission was to have the ANA engineers build a patrol base from the ground up with minimal assistance.
For each phase of the construction project, Singer and the Australians mentored the Afghan forces using the U.S. Army’s “crawl, walk, run” training philosophy.
“They are visual learners. First we’d show them how to do something. Then we’d do it together. Finally, they’d do it on their own,” Singer explained.
Singer’s primary task was to “stand back and observe” Sgt. Rhamatoula, the ANA platoon sergeant, as he managed the project and led his troops. Singer said he would only interfere if he saw the Afghan NCO taking his construction project in the wrong direction.
If he did lend a hand, Singer gently nudged Rhamatoula back down the right path. He passed on to the platoon sergeant knowledge he gained as a non[commissioned officer – managing troops and equipment and recognizing both their limitations and capabilities.
The original project plans called for the 16 Afghan engineers to build the patrol base perimeter and six living quarters, but, without any recommendations from their mentors, the ANA leadership determined they could have better security if they expanded the project and built two checkpoints and a strongpoint.
“This was the first big project they had ever worked on, and they far exceeded our expectations,” Singer proudly said.
They performed so far beyond what had been forecast that Singer was able to leave the construction site ahead of schedule.
“My job as a mentor finished early. There was nothing else I could teach them that they couldn’t grasp on their own” Singer said. “I [left] the first week of May and wasn’t supposed to be out of there until mid-June.”
Singer said he is proud of his engineers and is optimistic about what the future holds for the ANA engineers.
A total of 41 ANA soldiers have graduated from Singer’s course. He will continue to train ANA engineers and take them out on missions until his tour ends later this year
“Every mission they were given and told to do, they did it with no problems. The only thing that held them back was equipment limitations,” said Singer. “If they were to go out and build another base, I’d want to go out there with them.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2012 04:19 |
| Story ID: | 89748 |
| Location: | TARIN KOWT, AF |
| Hometown: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 309 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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