Alaska Army National Guard paratroopers trained and ready to deploy to Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Army Staff Sgt. Karima Turner
  • 134th Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind --  Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers from B Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 143rd Infantry Regiment, are anticipating their deployment day, scheduled to leave for Afghanistan before the end of the month.

More than 126 Soldiers, most from western Alaska, were mobilized Nov. 25, 2011, and left Alaska for Camp Atterbury, Ind., to finalize their pre-deployment training before taking over a security forces mission in support of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams who are helping to rebuild Afghanistan.

"The past year and a half, B Company has grown from a small core of about 35 Soldiers as a new airborne infantry company within a new airborne infantry battalion to the present with only a few short days away from deploying 123 fully-trained infantry Soldiers to Afghanistan," said Capt. Jason Caldwell, B Company commander and Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team Security Forces commander.

B Company will provide security for three Provincial Reconstruction Teams while deployed to Afghanistan. The Provincial Reconstruction Teams operate in potentially dangerous areas to rebuild infrastructure, assist with agriculture, build wells and provide healthcare.

The company's final pre-deployment training is nearing completion, and the Soldiers are scheduled to depart for Afghanistan by the end of February.

Caldwell said the readiness of the Soldiers is evident in the way they are performing their security forces training. Although the training has seemed monotonous at times, Caldwell said it has paid off.

"Repetition for all involved is key for a mission like this," Caldwell said. "It's easy to become complacent, so the Soldiers need to be able to complete their security forces mission like it is second nature and under any circumstance."

Caldwell, who is based out of Bethel, said he's impressed with how far his Soldiers have come since beginning their first major pre-deployment training in July 2011.
"The accomplishments of these Soldiers are phenomenal," Caldwell said. "As a group, we overcame geographical barriers, language differences and cultural differences to mesh into one cohesive group before we left Alaska."

During the pre-deployment training at Camp Atterbury, the Soldiers have continued to build on that unit cohesion, he said, as well as tactics, techniques and procedures. They also learned to work in a joint environment alongside the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, who are running the provincial reconstruction teams.

"Working with (the company) has truly been a pleasure and an honor," said Sgt. Maj. Gary Ortega, Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team non-commissioned officer-in-charge. "Their willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done is impressive. As professionals I think they're the greatest, and they'll do a real good job for us in Afghanistan."

Caldwell said his Soldiers have shown true Alaska spirit and have made the state proud.
"At Camp Atterbury, we again, overcame differences in other services to forge ties within the different provincial reconstruction teams and facilitate each group becoming a cohesive unit," Caldwell said. "It is a display of our resilience, confidence and
ability.

"Each provincial reconstruction team staff continuously relied on Alaska's Security Forces Soldiers to help them get through critical tasks such as weapon qualification, mounted gunnery and situational training exercises," he continued. "It proves that if the standard is raised, Soldiers will continuously raise themselves to meet it. I could not have asked for a finer group of men to deploy with, and I am proud to be allowed to serve with them as commander."

The deploying Soldiers hail from Anchorage, Bethel, Chevak, Delta Junction, Dillingham, Eagle River, Ekwok, Emmonak, Fairbanks, Fort Greely, Hooper Bay, Houston, Juneau, Kipnuk, Kodiak, Kongiganak, Kwethluk, Little Diomede, Marshal, Nikkiski, Nome, North Pole, Palmer, Port Graham, Quinaag, Scammon Bay, Shishmaref, Sitka, Tuluksa, Upper Kalskag, Valdez, Wasilla and Wrangell.