Cyclone troops visit remote Parwan village

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Members of Task Force Cyclone took part in an air insertion mission in western Parwan province, Afghanistan to examine current projects, meet Afghan police members and talk with the Afghan civilians, Nov. 16.

More than 40 Cyclone personnel from Task Force Gladius’ security forces, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers technicians and Human Terrain Team members collected information on current operations in the district assisting the people in Surkh-e Parsa area.

 “We were able to assess both the village and the ANP at one time, while also being able to use the engineers to assess the ongoing projects in the area,” 1st Lt. Sam Drzewianowski, a platoon leader with Company B, Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division said. “This type of collaborative mission is both efficient and shows a unity among all the elements that can assist the Afghan People.”

Edmund Campbell, Cyclone Human Terrain Team member who interviewed people in the area, said citizens reacted well to the troops’ presence.

“People’s response was good,” Campbell said. “The people were glad to see us...Coalition forces have not been to the area in four months.”

Drzewianowski had similar thoughts on the operation.

“The people were hesitant at first…but they began to tell us all their issues once they became more comfortable,” Drzewianowski said. “They were happy to have Coalition forces in the area of operation and informed us that there have not been any Taliban in the area and (they) have had no problems with violence.”

Tait Nelson, lead brigade engineer for USACE Cyclone, spoke of the importance of being able to physically visit projects and talk with the contractors of the area.

“In remote sites we don’t have the luxury of being on the ground on a daily basis and we don’t even have the luxury of having some of our outside local engineers to get there consistently to keep up with the construction,” Nelson said. “These missions are unique that we can physically get there and use our USACE engineers to inspect the site and get a handle on where they’re actually at.”    

Although the site was isolated and visits by Coalition forces are not frequent, Cyclone team members had a positive outlook on the mission.

“It was a very good visit,” Nelson said. “We got to thoroughly inspect the site and look at everything from the quality of construction of the concrete to the construction of the guard towers how their stone walls are being fabricated.”

The troops from Cyclone were able to accomplish multiple tasks in their time spent at 

This mission will not only benefit the local people with the vital information gathered, it will ultimately increase the cooperation between all elements involved for operations in the future.

“I think it was a very well planned mission and security was adequately set up,” Nelson said. “Everything was done properly and on time.”

“We also learned we can all help each other rather than each Coalition force element working separately,” Drzewianowski said.