Joint Task Force Phoenix V has as its primary mission to mentor and train the Afghan National Army (ANA) so that it can stand on its own and function as a self-sustaining fighting force. To accomplish this, the majority of the effort and focus of the task force has been directed towards Embedded Training Teams (ETT's) that will be assigned to various ANA units throughout the country. The task force is composed of several thousand soldiers.

"Embedded trainers will be out there with a unit and will train for a whole year. [During that time] they are [each] going to touch the lives of 600 to 700 Afghan soldiers...," were the words of General Pritt as he stood before the thirty-five members of Detachment 13.

As he continued to speak, General Pritt focussed his message, placing the importance of Detachment 13's mission in context with this deployment, "[Detachment 13] has a very important mission. During that same period of time, you will affect 850 soldiers every four weeks... For every minute of every day that you are in Afghanistan, someone is going to be watching you. You can never let your guard down. You can never do anything in any way, shape or form that could be considered unprofessional or insulting to their culture. That means you've got to be on your "A" game. I need you to be the very best... as this task force goes to Afghanistan." For the members of Detachment 13, that challenge is what brought them here, and is part of a history that they look forward to continuing.

Detachment 13 is what their Executive Officer, Captain Isbell referred to as a reception battalion which is "... typically a battalion that houses drill sergeants that are used for augmenting a basic training facility." Having already deployed as an infantry platoon leader to Iraq while on active duty with the 4th Infantry Division, Captain Isbell is an example of the quality of soldier that is the make-up of this unit. "I was in Tikrit when Saddam was captured and in Mosul when Uday and Qusay were killed." Captain Isbell volunteered for this deployment, leaving his civilian job as a national installer of bank software. When asked about that, Captain Isbell stated that the company he worked for was "very supportive of this deployment."

The commander of Detachment 13 is Lt. Colonel Vaughn of Frisco, Texas. He is a commander with over 24 years of service with the Regular Army, Army Reserve and National Guard. He explains that even though this is a National Guard deployment, his unit is an Army Reserve unit. "All of the soldiers on this deployment volunteered for this mission and are the best in our Division." When asked about his mission, Lt. Colonel Vaughn explained, "Our primary mission is oversee the development of an existing Drill Sergeant Acadamy... and support them in running their basic training units." He explained that this was an operation that started a little over a year ago; his Detachment is the second group of Drill Sergeants to be deployed to Afghanistan from the 95th Division for this purpose.

As part of the 95th Division, Detachment 13's mission adds to a long history accomplishments. Nicknamed the "Iron Men of Metz," a name given to the Division by the Germans during their successful route of the Nazi's that had invaded Metz... a city that had withstood all attacks by military forces since 451 A.D..., the current mission is no less significant. As Colonel Vaughn explained, "Since September 11, 2001, Drill Sergeants have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan for training... it had not been done before that."

Detachment 13 draws from nine primary states: Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico. Though they will not be allowed to wear their traditional "round brown" hats, they will be allowed to wear the honored patch of the Drill Sergeant corps. As Lt. Colonel Vaughn went on to explain,"Being a Drill Sergeant is really a step above a regular soldier because there are so many more things they have to do; they have to be professional, they have to set the example for the rest of the Army; they're the basis that everybody looks to for 'this is how a soldier is supposed to be.' "

As the discussion continued, Lt. Colonel Vaughn placed their mission in perspective, "You have to win the hearts and minds of the people... and to do that you have to create an environment where they can be successful and independent... This is an essential part of the Army's mission, to have a trained force to protect that civic and economic community within the country. So if we weren't there teaching them how to be Drill Sergeants and helping them run their basic training unit, [the tendency would be that] they would rely on us to help them get their Army going, or they wouldn't have an Army at all." Detachment 13's training will take place at the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTA) in Afghanistan.

That reality is understood by Detachment 13's senior officers. As Captain Isbell stated, "My biggest hope is to help insure that we put that keystone of drill sergeants/ trainers so that they can support themselves in regenerating new soldiers and removing ourselves as much as possible from the process as they become an autonomous unit."

In terms of the objectives of their mission, Lt. Colonel Vaughn summed things up, "[It is my hope] that the KMTA runs and manages their drill sergeant academy as well as we do at one our our drill sergeant academies. There are differences in the way they do things... but after we take all of those issues and meld them all together, I think it's a good goal to shoot for."

The role of a Drill Sergeant is known to every soldier, even to Generals. "I can still tell you the name of my Drill Sergeant from 36 years ago... I'm still here. He did his job, and he takes full credit for it," were the words of General Pritt as he spoke them with a smile. "This is my point, you are going to be remembered by all of these Afghan soldiers... [as well as] their families... and their friends." As the General made clear, that reputation will influence the Afghan Army for years to come.

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Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

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