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On 12/21/2010 2:15:20 PM Lieutenant Colonel Dave Ehlers
2nd Combined Arms Battalion, 137th Infantry
wrote
GAKO, Rwanda -- We arrived in Kigali, my third trip to Rwanda, in support of training at the Rwanda Military Academy at Gako. The hills were green, and the weather warm, with large thunderheads forming, reminiscent of Kansas in summer. This was the first trip to Rwanda for Captain Brent Buckley and 1st Lieutenant Jonathan Bjorgaard, the other members of my team. They were immediately impressed by the beauty of this small central-African country. We checked into our hotel and met our driver, J.P., who remained with us throughout our two weeks in Rwanda. One of our first stops was at the Kigali Memorial Centre, where more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide are interred. We toured the center, which tells the story of how 800,000 people were murdered in 100 days beginning in April 1994. It is a moving experience, nearly unbelievable in the scope of horror unleashed on this tiny country. As most of the officers we would be working with are veterans of the fight to end the genocide, the memorial is key in helping to understand what motivates the Rwandan Army. At Gako, we received a warm welcome from Lieutenant Colonel Bosco, and Captains Jimmie, Innocent and Eppimoch. Together, they form a core cadre of experienced, professional instructors, with a wealth of knowledge and experience. All are veterans who fought to end the genocide and have served in numerous operations over the last 15-20 years. This trip we would be working with the 69th Battalion of the Rwandan Defense Force as they prepared for their upcoming peacekeeping mission for the United Nations Mission in Darfur. Our team was again warmly welcomed by the leadership of the 69th Battalion. Our first week was spent covering topics such as the military decision making process, course of action development and comparison, intelligence preparation of the battlefield, battlefield update brief preparation and presentation, and tactical operations center operations and orders production. During this time we moved easily among the different staff sections, talking about myriad subjects, developing a rapport and ease among the staff. This began to pay off early, especially among some of the younger staff. They were constantly approaching us, asking for explanations and help in understanding the different processes. The senior battalion leaders were among the best I have worked with. They were fully engaged throughout the entire process, and set a climate for the staff which encouraged learning and allowed professional critiques, while maintaining a positive working environment. The battalion executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Alex, is the consummate professional. He is a calm, confident leader, who is well respected by all the officers in the Battalion. Alex would patiently explain his rationale for certain decisions to me, defending them when he felt necessary, yet willing to make on-the-spot changes if he felt a suggestion was valid or presented a better or more reasonable option. He took time to explain decisions to his junior staff officers, ensuring they fully understood his intent. His actions reinforced the learning environment established by the RMA cadre and were invaluable in the quick improvements we saw in the TOC throughout the second weeks command post exercise. The command post exercise/computer aided exercise conducted the second week followed the established model I have participated in several times before. The 69th Battalion set up a TOC and conducted simulated operations, set in the area to which they will deploy in Darfur. Different situations were introduced, causing the battalion to react to unplanned events, while maintaining current operations and continuing to plan for future operations. The TOC operated smoothly throughout the exercise, continually improving their tracking and reporting of operations. They struggled a bit when a cordon and search operation was introduced, requiring the MDMP to be executed simultaneously with daily operations. The staff worked through the process, eventually producing a feasible plan for execution. The second week ended with a very thorough after action review, facilitated by the RMA cadre. We left Gako with pictures, email addresses and many new friends in the RDF. We sat and talked with Rwandan soldiers outside their little shoppette, laughing together as we tried to speak Kinyarwanda; we ate rice and beans with pili pili sauce, and fresh pineapple and bananas for lunch at the mess. We asked and were asked about thoughts on many subjects. We savor the memories of hard work, of the time spent talking about our homes, our pasts and our futures.
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