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Sarah Hauck

Marines and sailors have been facing potential worst-case scenarios as they prepare for their deployment to Afghanistan in the spring.

About 300 Marines and sailors stationed at Camp Lejeune will deploy to the Helmand Province of Afghanistan to advise Afghan Army and police force leaders. Led by Brig. Gen. Roger Turner Jr., the II Marine Expeditionary Force Marines deploying this spring with the newly created Task Force Southwest will return to Afghanistan to train and advise key leaders within the Afghan National Army 215th Corps and the 505th Zone National Police.

Mission rehearsals are about pushing Marines to their limits to assess, reevaluate and get as close to perfection as possible before they leave U.S. soil, Turner said.

We try to do in these is give as close as possible representation of circumstances we may encounter, Turner said. It will give the Marines a feel for how the whole machine is going to work.

Turner explained that the replicated situations are created in a way to crescendo it to a point of almost unrealistic, to really test the Marines and their ability to operate under pressure and in stressful situations.

Throughout the week, various movements and missions were forced upon the Marines both during the day and at night in hopes of testing their teamwork and ability to adapt.

The main mission of the taskforce is to advise Afghan forces to continue to protect their country and people. Because of that objective, a major focus of the mission rehearsal has been learning the culture of the Afghan people, Public Affairs Officer for TFS Maj. Kendra Motz said.

There are definitely some relationships that are existing there already, and we are hopeful that we can reconnect and build on those, she said.

The nature of the deployment has encouraged a higher, more senior group of Marines to deploy, Turner said previously in a recorded interview.

Most have already seen time in Afghanistan, which has proven vital when training and teaching the younger Marines.

The use of Afghan role players, who have been immersed with TFS all week, also assists in learning the culture, Turner said. Advisors have been working with the role players via translator just like they would in country to gain a better understanding of how that process works.

We have been there so long that some of our Afghan partners are used to Americans and the culture, Turner said. Working through translators and with the role players now prevents a misunderstanding or any friction that may come from the difference in cultures. It is less about if they are offended by something said because it is taken a different way and more about learning how the advising process may take longer via translator. When our advisors understand the cultural nuances it may encourage them to ask addition questions.

Motz described the importance of understanding a culture in order to accomplish the mission of advising and assisting the Afghan forces with a quote by Theodore Roosevelt: People dont care how much you know until they know how much you care.

For Master Gunnery Sergeants Henry Gonzalez and Samuel Swain, the mission rehearsal was a way for them to pass on knowledge they have from prior deployments as well as help the younger Marines understand what to expect when their boots hit the ground in Afghanistan.

Gonzalez has not been deployed to Afghanistan but has been deployed to Iraq in an advisor position and said the mission rehearsal is shaped to teach no matter where the real mission takes them.

Preparing for Afghanistan this time has been great for the Marines, he said, thanks to help of subject matter experts who have been able to create a more sophisticated training regiment.

This is one of the best trainings we can do, he said. It gives us a much better understanding of everybodys responsibility, and what I heed to do and where to go so everyone understands their roles.

Gonzalez, who has deployed eight times, hoped the Marines would take away advice and knowledge that didnt involve responding to explosions before deployment.

I want them to make sure they take care of yourself and your family before you deploy, he said. If you do those things you will be able to perform while on deployment, the long hours that sometimes come with deployments. It will allow you to concentrate on what you do because that could save not only your life, but others as well.

Swain was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010-11 and said the training for this deployment is similar, and should be. The mission rehearsals provide a platform for experienced Marines like himself to educate on more than just tactics.

Passing on knowledge to them (is important), Swain said. We can share with them what to expect and what it is really like, not the Hollywood (version), including the processes they are going to go through day in and day out.

TFS will be replacing Army Task Force Forge. Groups will be spread across Helmand Province, each tasked to work with the various groups like the 215th Corps and 505th Zone, as well as headquarters and other pieces that make up a task force, Turner said.

The Marines and sailors will be working with Afghan security forces throughout the area, including at the Camp Leatherneck location used during operations years ago.

The deployment is expected to last nine months.

See the article here:
Task force prepares for Afghanistan deployment - Jacksonville Daily News