When Soldiers Cry Download Torrent
Keena Wiegert
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is expected to call the families of three soldiers who were killed over the weekend in an attack by an uncrewed aerial system, or UAS, at a military base in Jordan, a Defense Department official said.
"I want to just express again our condolences to the family members and loved ones of the three U.S. soldiers who were killed in Jordan this weekend in the Iran proxy drone attack at Tower 22," said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder during a briefing today. "Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with them and Secretary Austin will be calling each of the families to personally relay his respects."
It is also expected that on Friday Austin will attend the dignified transfer of remains at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. It is during that event that the remains of the three soldiers will be returned to the United States.
The three soldiers killed are: Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Georgia; Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, Georgia, who was posthumously promoted to sergeant; and Breonna Alexsondria Moffett of Savannah, Georgia, who was also posthumously promoted to sergeant.
The soldiers were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade at Fort Moore, Georgia, and were in Jordan to support Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. and coalition mission to ensure the defeat of ISIS.
Following the attack, U.S. Central Command continues to look for answers regarding how an attack drone might have penetrated the facility's air defenses, where it originated, and which Iranian proxy group is responsible.
"When it comes to the situation in Iraq and Syria and Jordan, our troops were attacked, and three U.S. service members were killed and over 40 wounded," Ryder said. "The president and the secretary have both said that we will respond at a time and place of our choosing. ... I'm not going to go into details of what that could look like, other than the fact that there will be consequences."
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Reflecting on these questions also opened my eyes to how deeply I wanted my own leaders to appreciate me for who I am, not only for what I could do for them and the unit. As a soldier, I wanted to believe that any leaders who might send me on life-threatening missions would at least recognize that my entire life, not simply the welfare of one of their soldiers, was at stake.
When soldiers enlist in the Army, they willingly accept risk not only to their lives but also to their souls. In their Oath of Enlistment, they vow to obey the orders of the officers appointed over them, knowing full well that those orders may require them to kill other human beings. Military enlistments, then, are awe-inspiring, humbling expressions of trust by the enlistees that their country will provide them with morally trustworthy leaders. Out of love for their country, soldiers allow their consciences to become vulnerable to leaders they have not yet met.
Leaders have many opportunities to sacrifice for their soldiers during peacetime operations, too. Unfortunately, when it comes to protecting their subordinates, many leaders are more willing to risk their own lives in war than their careers at home station.
"In-processing at the CIF is a very smooth transaction," said Bruce Smith, Wiesbaden and Baumholder CIF manager, who said a typical visit includes a briefing from the staff, a review of a Soldier's inventory items and the endorsing of one's clothing record.
When Soldiers process through CIF, they usually acquire items that make up the collection called Organizational Clothing Items and Equipment, formerly known as TA-50 gear. The equipment currently being issued is more advanced than that of previous years, and has evolved in design. The colors and design went from olive drab green to woodland, desert, universal and Operation Enduring Freedom camouflage patterns. "Some Soldiers have a combination of each pattern," said Smith, who has the responsibility of ensuring the facilities are stocked with the best quality of Army equipment.
"If we don't have something, we work extra to ensure the customer gets the needed item," said Hill who told of a recent situation where the staff helped a Soldier procure items in order to deploy. "The Soldier was missing a number of items. He needed boots, (a certain uniform) and (interceptor body armor) gear. We reached out to a few places and he got everything he needed to get on the plane."
CIF manages accountability of inventory through the Installation Support Module, a vast Army Materiel Command database that is connected to Army Knowledge Online. Soldiers can access their individual clothing records through AKO, but the CIF staff stands ready and is able to assist if that system fails.
Because the revelation of a lost item often happens as a Soldier is out-processing -- when permanently changing duty stations or separating from the military -- CIF clerks advise Soldiers to do regular inventory checks of gear and return any duplicated items found while performing such checks.
If a Soldier finds items are missing or misplaced after doing a personal inventory check, he or she can contact the CIF to replace the lost item. However, this is only a temporary fix until the lost item is recovered.
The hum of power generators may get a bit of attention the moment they become operational, but it is soon forgotten or simply lost in a diverse mix of sounds that eventually become part of the acoustical landscape.
That's when Soldiers carrying the titles of power-generation equipment repairer take center stage. Designated 91D for short, PGERs receive military occupational specialty training at the Ordnance School here, and they are integral to the success of an Army that operates outdoors. That's according to Clifton Wiley, chief, Power Generation Division, Tactical Support Equipment Department. To illustrate his point, he likes to use this scenario:
"Think about this," he said. "You're out in the field hundreds of miles away, and you have generator sets that are operating the entire company area. What happens if that generator goes down? What's going to happen?
Wiley concedes his example is a bit over-the-top, considering the fact that most units employ backup equipment, but he didn't want to downplay the abilities of those in the MOS or detract from the importance of electricity in the modern Army.
"I tell my Soldiers that units cannot operate without us in the field," said the retired chief warrant officer 4 and a former 91D. "With all of the technology we have today, you need power -- you need lights in your tents and a place to plug up your coffee pot and your space heater."
Weeks 3-5 are the most critical, said Wiley. In the third week, students complete blocks of instruction on electronic fundamentals via a mix of self-administered computer learning and instructor facilitation.
Students test their knowledge in weeks 4-5 with scenario-driven practical exercises based on instruction they receive on one model of generator. They must then apply basic principles to repair several models using a troubleshooting approach, said Wiley.
"We might require group A to go out on a 30k generator and group B on a 3kw," he said. "Mind you, we just taught everyone on a 60kw, but we want students to use their basic knowledge and apply it to the 30kw or the 3k and figure out what the problem is."
That approach, something the Ordnance School calls Skills Based Training, focuses on providing Soldiers a strong foundation of fundamental skills they can apply to multiple pieces of equipment. It forces repairmen to think critically, and it increases their confidence and morale, said Wiley. From a wider perspective, it provides the Army an efficient means to deal with an ever-changing inventory of generators.
"This is a wonderful system," he said. "Back in the day, I would have Soldiers come to me and say, 'I've never worked on this piece of equipment before.' They no longer have that excuse. I've provided you everything you need to know to be successful. All you need to do is use your mind, use your skills, grab that technical manual and fix that piece of equipment."
Students were precisely performing those tasks during a recent 91D class in its fifth week. D Module, as it is called, requires Soldiers to find faults in various capacities of generators using the aforementioned skills.
"The scenario in this case is a unit that is in preparation to go to the field, and the Soldiers must inspect the equipment to ensure it is operational," said Wiley over the noisy whine of machinery in the TSED's football field-sized bay area. "Once they determine there's a fault, they have to figure out what the problem is, trace the wirings on the schematic and diagrams and determine what it is."
Bryant Hawkes, a course instructor/writer for the students participating in the exercise, said D Module is unquestionably the most challenging portion of the course, not because troubleshooting is difficult but because the knowledge required to do so is extensive.
"They have to know the functions of a water meter, diodes, relays, batteries voltage regulators -- where everything starts and where everything ends," said the retired PGER while students worked on the equipment. "If you don't understand any of that, you can't work on generators. This is where the rubber meets the road."
While Hawkes walked between rows of generators on the bay floor, students tending to them exhibited sober, focused expressions, conveying the task's seriousness. Pvt. Katherine Born, who had moments earlier worn such a face, completed her exercise and seemed relieved. She said it was not easy.
Hawkes said the D Module instruction prohibits the use of notes on the floor, forcing students to study prior to the practical exercise. In effect, that pushes students to think critically and develop processes that help to move them along.
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