Afghan Security Guards receive specialized training

By Sgt. Charles Brice, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Public Affairs OfficeJanuary 9, 2009

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BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (January 5, 2009) - Members of the Afghan Security Guard recently underwent specialized training from U.S. Army Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Fenty in northeastern Afghanistan.

Soldiers from Alpha Company, 201st Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division taught the ASG tactics, techniques and procedures for working traffic control points and conducting body searches.

"What we teach in the class can carry over into their daily routine," said Sgt. Prentice Rouse, an Augusta, Ga., native and A Company Soldier. "In return for their participation, they can go back and train their peers."

During training, the Soldiers demonstrated techniques first and the ASGs followed after the course of instruction was given.

"Each ASG will go through the same training over and over until they grasp the information and feel comfortable with teaching it to others," Rouse said. "We encourage them to participate and interact with our company and their fellow soldiers."

The ASGs were taught a different skill set by the troops every week.

"Now that our forces are combined, we can run the checkpoints and gates more effectively along with the ASG." said 1st Lt. Craig Gridelli, an Oyster Bay, N.Y., native and base defence and operations officer in charge. "The training that we leave behind will hopefully have built a little bit of institutional knowledge with the ASG so that they can do the job themselves."