Drum unit takes lessons from north country to Afghanistan

FORT DRUM — Members of the community have acted as mentors to the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team, offering tips on everything from building infrastructure to policing.

Those mentorships have taken shape over the past few months. Soldiers who have participated will be responsible for rebuilding rural Afghan villages. In October, for instance, almost 50 of the unit's leaders toured city facilities to learn how infrastructure works.

Some of the mentors will be a resource for officers while the unit is away, said Maj. Jorge A. Reyes, brigade civil affairs officer.

The brigade hosted the citizens on post and held telephone and video teleconference chats with military leaders overseas. The civilians also met with Fort Drum commander Brig. Gen. Harry Miller.

Watertown City Police Chief Joseph J. Goss taught soldiers how to communicate and deal with policing problems they might face in Afghanistan. He said he was drawn to the challenge of policing a foreign populace.

"I'm intrigued by the fact they have so many barriers to overcome to complete the mission," he said.

Not knowing local languages was at the top of his list. But Mr. Goss taught them policing traits that will work anywhere, such as being honest.

"Don't make promises you can't deliver," he said.

Another adviser was Bartosz H. Stanislawski, director of Syracuse University's Global Black Spots-Mapping Global Insecurity Program. Last fall, he taught brigade leaders how Afghan insurgents are funded by illegal activity.

"Insurgents do not survive if it's not for criminal activities, so it's critical," he said.

The brigade has learned not only from the civilians' lessons, but from working alongside them — something they will have to do when they partner with such groups as the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Department of State.

"Nowadays, when it comes to counterinsurgency operations ... we're partnering with our civilian counterparts," Maj. Reyes said.

"We're trying to get used to working with civilians, because this is not just a military fight, he said."