Romanians Attend Combat Logistical Patrol Academy

June 21st, 2008 · No Comments· 20 views

Soldiers from the Romanian 151st Infantry Battalion, 15th Mechanized Brigade went through the 7th Special Troops Battalion’s Combat Logistical Patrol (CLP) Academy on Contingency Operations Base Adder, May 19 through June 11.

The Romanians attended the CLP Academy as part of an overall Humvee familiarization process. The training included master driver’s training and Humvee Egress Assistance training.

The U.S. Army is loaning 40 Humvees to the Romanians for use during their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The basic object of their training is final preparation prior to their Soldiers actually going out on the road (in their newly acquired Humvees),” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ryan J. Dowling, CLP Academy officer-in-charge. “We let them rehearse their tactical training procedures, last-minute train and give them up-to-date improvised explosive device training, which is relevant to the areas they are responsible for.”

The “Black Wolves” had two interwoven objectives: to become familiar with their new Humvees and become familiar with improvised explosive devices (IED) and their capabilities. They conducted a CLP lane with simulated IED in myriad forms. The goal was to recognize the IED and execute their tactical training procedures.

“So far they did better than anybody that we’ve ever had go through the CLP lanes,” said Master Sgt. Harvey P. Thomas, CLP non-commissioned officer-in-charge. “This training went very well in spite of the language barrier. It made it a little more complicated, being that you couldn’t get instant feedback because you would have to speak through the interpreter.”

“This is routine. It is basically the same thing we have been doing since we got into Iraq,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Constantine Lonel, command sergeant major of the 151st Inf. Bn.

The “Black Wolves” left a positive impression on the staff at the CLP Academy.

“These guys are going to be successful because they understand how IED are built,” said Thomas. “They also quickly grasp emplacement.”

Lonel further explained that he was not surprised at the performance of his Soldiers. He said the majority of them were combat veterans, many with multiple tours in places such as Angola, Bosnia, Albania and Afghanistan.

MNF-I
Story by Spc. RJ Gilbert, 7th Sustainment Brigade Public Affairs Office