What's the U.S. up to in Uganda?
Training anti-terror units, and establishing a central command center in northern Uganda. With Ugandan troops already doing its dirty work in Somalia, the U.S. is lending a further hand in destabilizing the Great Lakes region by bolstering an army which has been convicted for war crimes.
-XUG Editor
 KASENYI, Uganda – The Soldiers of the U.S. Army’s Delta Company 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment stood proudly beside their student counterparts from the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Force as 160 UPDF soldiers graduated from the Ugandan Counter Terrorism Course July 27 in Kasenyi, Uganda. The ceremony marked the end of 12 weeks of anti-terrorism training where UPDF soldiers were trained by U.S. Soldiers in various individual infantry soldier skills, squad and platoon battle drills and operations, security and support operations and rigorous physical conditioning.
“These soldiers have spent 12 weeks challenging themselves and their comrades in both physical and mental trials,” said Delta Company Executive Officer, Army Capt. Joseph Nickel. “Each of them has made great personal sacrifice in their pursuit of individual betterment and national service. They have set the standard for those who follow. It has given me and my team of U.S. instructors great pleasure to serve the soldiers who have answered the call to serve the great nation of Uganda. We are proud to say that we had a small part in bettering an already-admirable army.”
The ceremony kicked off with a platoon of UPDF soldiers demonstrating the proper technique for entering and clearing a building and safely apprehending a high-priority target. That demonstration, which was conducted flawlessly, was followed by a squad performing a tactical movement from the beginning of an entry lane and traversing obstacles to get to an enemy bunker at the top of the hill. This demonstration required them to move in squadron column-wedge formation while constantly maintaining 360 degree security. As they approached the hill, they were hit by enemy fire and had to quickly assess the situation and decide on a solution. In the end, the bunker was taken without a single casualty.
Following the two demonstrations, the graduates assembled in ranks and were congratulated by Marine Col. Richard Britton, Central Command’s senior officer in the area.
“This is a great class and everyone here should be proud of their accomplishments. I also want to thank the instructors who put in the time and effort to make this such a demanding and worthwhile learning experience,” he said. “We all believe in a safe and secure environment, and we all share this same common goal across all nationalities and occupations.”
Britton then emphasized his point by quoting Henry David Thoreau, who said, “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success and unexpected commonalities.”
“And I would suggest that the success that he was talking about can be found right here today in this graduating class,” Britton told the graduates. “The other thing I would suggest is that you should never define success as attaining a dream, but define it as confidently stepping out in the direction of that dream. If you are doing that, you will be successful because you never gave up. Never give up on your dreams, your unit, your profession and your country.”
The ceremony was also attended by UPDF Chief of Staff, Gen. Geoffrey Muheesi. He was equally proud of the graduates and even more grateful to the U.S. Army for their contribution to his soldiers’ lives and his country’s security.
“The American instructors and Ugandan graduates have done wonders in the field. It is wonderful that so many courses have been taught, but it is even more important that the quality of those courses has been superb,” said Muheesi, who was one of the first commanders of the camp 10 years ago when there was just one building, a point he didn’t hesitate to emphasize when regaling how far everything has come.
“I want to thank the training department and commanders of this school. I am grateful for their work, and it is a privilege to be here today. You have sacrificed and left your families to come here to train us. We are proud to be trained by the excellent U.S. Army and we thank you for the support you have given us, enhancing our core competencies, and equipping us. Our promise to you is that we will never die in vain |
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