Soldiers help turn swords into plowshares January 30, 2012 By Staff Sgt. Matt Scotten Agribusiness Soldiers mobilize at AtterburySoldiers from Kentucky Argibusiness Development Team 4, along with First Army East instructors, practice grenade safety drills during mobilization training at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Indiana, in preparation for the ADT's... Agribusiness Soldiers mobilize at AtterburySoldiers from Kentucky Argibusiness Development Team 4, currently training at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Indiana for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan, had the opportunity to travel to Purdue University's Beck Agronomy... Agribusiness Soldiers mobilize at AtterburySoldiers from Kentucky Argibusiness Development Team 4 practice setting up a base defense during mobilization training at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in Indiana in preparation for the ADT's upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. Related Links Army.mil: National Guard News Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center Kentucky National Guard EDINBURGH, Ind. (Army News Service, Jan. 30, 2012) -- Turning swords into plowshares is not what comes to mind when one thinks about the mission of Soldiers. But this is exactly what some are doing to bring peace and stability to a troubled region: Afghanistan. The poor of Afghanistan, which is the majority of the people there, are often recruited by the Taliban and al-Qaida, simply because they have no other means to make money, said Col. Aaron T. Barrier. Barrier is the commander of Indiana's Agribusiness Development Team 4 at the Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center. This month, 61 Kentucky Guard Soldiers were learning how to be successful farmers. All volunteered for the unusual assignment. "We see this as an opportunity to take some of the talent and some of the experience that we have gained through our agriculture members to go in to these (Afghan) communities and teach new techniques and new ways of farming and developing business to help them be more self-sustaining," Barrier said. The Agribusiness Development Team, or ADT, mission is an integral part of American counterinsurgency strategy. Maj. Benjamin Singleton, and engineer for ADT 4, said agriculture is the biggest part of Afghanistan's economy, but conflicts throughout the last 50 years have destroyed much of the country's agricultural knowledge. "We help the locals rebuild their country to help provide stabilization, help get their economy going again, and help people become self-reliant," said Singleton. "That way people are not as susceptible to planting IEDs (improvised explosive devices) for money or joining terrorist organizations. So really it's part of the overall fight. We're out helping the country get back on its feet again and by doing that, creating stabilization; helping the country come back together and support their government, ultimately increasing stability worldwide." For some Soldiers, this will be their first ADT mission. For others, such as Sgt. 1st Class Catherine Corson, agricultural specialist for the ADT, this is the second time deploying in support of an agribusiness mission. "I feel really good about this deployment," said Corson. "I volunteered both times, mostly because I do believe in the mission. We are going to a different area this time, but I think the country needs it." In the past, Kentucky ADTs have operated out of the area surrounding Kabul. This time they are going to be operating further south in the country, in an area that is much more kinetic. "The locals on our first mission took to us very quickly. They protected us. There was a cohesion and a friendship there that says a lot," said Corson. "In the area we are going to now, we are not so sure. Going into a very kinetic area, you need to be very alert and so it brings in a different starting point in the relationship-building process, I think." Corson said he thinks the mobilization training this time around has been geared more toward their specific mission than it has been in the past. "They have taken a lot of subject matter experts that have personally used the equipment and techniques on deployments of their own and placed them as instructors," Corson said. "They understand frustrations, they understand questions, and they do everything they can to show us all we need to learn so we can overcome potential problems and find solutions in training that is invaluable." Soldiers with more traditional skill sets are able to get specific training for their roles in the unit, as well. Spc. Samuel Woodson, an intelligence analyst, said he feels well prepared for the deployment. "Anytime I felt like I needed anything, all I had to do was ask," said Woodson. "The trainers here have been awesome. If I needed maps, they gave me maps. If I needed familiarization training on the intelligence practices being used in theater right now, I got it." Security personnel, the agribusiness team, and leadership and support personnel from the commander on down, have indicated that they are ready for this deployment. Barrier says he looks forward to making a difference, and commented on the increased importance of doing so, as Operation Enduring Freedom comes closer and closer to its conclusion. "People always say that you never have a second chance to make a first impression. I really think that the last impression, as this conflict starts to wind down, is sometimes what is most important and the one people really remember the most," said Barrier.

When war goes private

How not to run a war part...What? I've lost count.
An account of the day Blackwater mercenaries escorted a convoy into town and got spooked by their own shadow while driving the wrong way round a one- way system...and look what happened.
What really happened with Blackwater in Iraq Sep '07

Alfred Hitchcock - Military Advisor

An unreleased film of Nazi atrocities during WW2 - death camps - was worked on by Alfred Hitchcock in 1945, almost as soon as footage of the concentration camps was taken. The film was meant to document beyond question the systematic murder of civilian 'undesireables' accross Europe by the occupying Nazi regime. Hitchcock refused a fee for his work. The film was never released due to the belief that the planned public screenings of the film, in Germany, would already weaken German morale to the point of chaos and anarchy.
Hitchcock Film advisor

miltary history and the historian

A detailed look at both sides of the controversial 'Bloody Sunday' killings of 13 unarmed members of a protest march in Northern Ireland in the early '70's by members of the Parchute Regiment. An escalation of sectarian violence led to a decision within the ranks of the Army to teach the troublemakers a lesson, before anarchic 'creep' took over further areas of Derry. The decision to send in the Para's was indicative of the Government's complicity in the affair, knowing the Para's desire to fight. It is my own (unfounded) belief that British snipers triggered the massacre. military events and the historical advisor

For 'History Today', Captain Swayne describes his work on major feature films as a historical and military adviser, and what he hopes to achieve.

I’m newly arrived on Redcar beach, surrounded by Second World War wreckage, having just been introduced to Joe Wright, the director of Atonement, the recent film of Ian McEwan’s novel. He says to me ‘It’s a four-and-a-half minute shot. I don’t know why, I just thought it would be a good idea.’ Joe and I start walking along the route the camera will take during the shot. Looking around, I breathe a sigh of relief about the way the location looks. Next time you find a film’s historical or military accuracy lacking, bear in mind that very often the advisor isn’t called onto a production until the cameras are almost ready to roll.

On this occasion the art department has done an excellent job of matching our beach with photographs and accounts of the real evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. The seafront has been completely re-constructed with authentic damaged buildings, signs and a ferris wheel – just as an old Royal Engineer neighbour of mine, who was there, remembers. Anti-aircraft gun emplacements line the promenade, a copy of the crimson-sailed Thames sailing barge Glenway lies stranded on the beach, and period vehicles and military equipment are strewn everywhere around a makeshift field hospital.

We finish walking. ‘Any questions?’ ‘Yes. Where are the Stukas?’ ‘Too expensive.’ ‘Why no officers among the extras?’ ‘To accentuate the lack of order.

’Detail of History Today article

Reeling Back The Past

In this article Captain Crispin Swayne describes being a military and historical advisor to the film and tv industry, most recently on Kenneth Brannagh's version of Mozart's Magic Flute set in World War One, and Joe Wright's film of Ian McEwan's 'Atonement' set in World War Two.

Military Authenticity on tv and film

Trouble on Blackwater Farm

The trouble with mercenaries is...
Mercenaries aren't accountable on the normal military chain of command. They're in it for the money. Which is the biggest problem facing any government body today. Where the bottom line is more important than people, the people pay, in this case with their lives.