As I mentioned in an earlier post, we (pretty much the entire state of Iowa) have been alerted that we will be deploying to Afghanistan in October 2010.
Today, our Battalion Commander ran a Platoon Leader validation program, certifying us on critical tasks that we will be required to conduct on the ground in Afghanistan. Today we focused on mounted combat patrols in up-armored humvees, going through the incredibly detailed planning process that takes place before every mounted patrol.
Tomorrow, we will go through ECAS training – Emergency Close Air Support, or “fast-movers”, as we call them. F16s, F18s, F22s, that kind of stuff. Bad guys who mess with us end up on the receiving end of some pretty awesome firepower.
Also, I’ve been appointed the “Unit Public Affairs Representative” or UPAR for my company. This is exciting because I love telling the Army story and the story of our brave volunteers. This will also give me a chance to develop relationships with members of the media in support of our efforts to legitimize the Afghan National Government. That being said, any media types who read this blog, please feel free to contact me. I will be reaching out to certain media-types going forward.
Finally, our Commander also discussed our most likely location during deployment. While I will not reveal our exact location right now due to OPSEC (operational security), what I will tell you is that we are headed into the fight and will be deployed to small FOBs and COPs in platoon-sized elements. The fight will be fought at the platoon and squad level.
For the next 10 months, our training will focus on the basics: Shoot, Move and Communicate. I’ll keep you posted as we continue to develop those skills.
Gabe,
Has the Rachel Maddow Show contacted you yet?