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Old Guard deploys to Africa to engage in missions

Army News Service

Release Date: 12/30/2003

By Spc. Eric M. McKeeby

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (Army News Service, Dec. 30, 2003) -- Army Old Guard Soldiers, from Fort Myer, Va., arrived at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti Dec. 17, and have begun engaging in training and tactical missions.

Soldiers from B Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) have been deployed in support of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa and the Global War on Terrorism.

This is the first time this Army ceremonial unit has deployed since the Vietnam War. While it may be best known as the guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, it is primarily a tactical unit, and orders to deploy in support of the war on terrorism are in keeping with The Old Guard's training, capability and tradition.

The Old Guard continues to take part in missions such as providing force protection for civil affairs personnel and engaging in joint operations with American and regional militaries, said Capt. Michael J. Trotter, commander, B Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard.)

"That training alone is huge for us to be able to link into other agencies on post and in the region for training," Trotter said.

Part of the unit departed base camp for a mission in rural, mountainous Djibouti only a few days after arriving here.

The mission began in early Dec. and will continue on for several weeks. The Old Guard Soldiers will be providing security to reservist engineers from the 916th Engineering Unit, based out of North Dakota, who will be drilling water wells for local citizens.

Staff Sgt. Michael D. Wilson, B Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) is the leader of the squad protecting the engineers. Wilson said he is impressed with the impact the well has had on natives in the village.

"Before the engineers arrived, the well was capped. When they removed the cap and installed a hand crank they noticed right away, everyday when they went by the well, people were using the crank and getting water," Wilson said.

In addition to this mission, the company has zeroed and fired on local ranges end engaged in training such as Marine-instructed egress and ingress helicopter drills on the airfield here.

Training in Djibouti is a continuation of the combat rehearsals the company participated in prior to leaving the U. S.

Trotter said after three months of intense tactical training and combat readiness in preparation for the deployment, the company was primed to operate at CJTF-HOA. Trotter led the company on a number of training exercises at Fort A. P. Hill, Va., and the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., including convoy security and urban military operations.

"It was a relief arriving. There was a bit of anxiety but it doesn't really hit you until you arrive, and the whole company falls out of a plane in desert combat uniforms," Trotter said.

Prior to learning about the deployment, the unit engaged in tactical exercises supporting The Old Guard's mission as a contingency force in the Military District of Washington. The Old Guard Soldiers were among the first to respond to the terrorist attack at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

Looking past the historic aspect of arriving in Djibouti, B Co., 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) 1st Sgt. Michael J. Coleman said he will continue to worry about the needs of the company's Soldiers as they face combat in a climate over 60 degrees warmer than Washington, D.C.

"It's not about me. It's about the other men in Bravo (B Co.) as we condition our minds and bodies trying to get acclimatized to the extreme weather change," Coleman said.

Coleman, along with several Soldiers from the company, spent Christmas day holding and feeding babies at a local infants' orphanage, an experience Coleman said he will always remember.

"There is no other place I would have rather been Christmas Day than assisting locals at the infants' orphanage," Coleman said.

In the coming days, other elements of the guard will leave base camp to participate in CJTF-HOA regional missions.

The Old Guard replaced a unit from the 10th Mountain Division, which spent several months working with the CJTF-HOA, and The Old Guard unit is scheduled to stay in Djibouti at least six months.

(Editor's note: Spc. Eric M. McKeeby is with the Old Guard Public Affairs at Fort Myer, Va.)