Serving the Soldiers, Civilians and Families of 2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Div. Issue 96 Mar. 24, 2012

Happy New Year AfghanistanStory by Sgt. April York2nd BCT, 4th Inf. Div., PAO

During the month of March our Afghan friends gather to celebrate Nowruz. It is a 3000 year old cel-

ebration that originates from the Persian religion “Roastrianism” originally practiced by the Pashto people. Nowruz is one of the most important non-religious festivals and it coincides with the astronomical vernal equinox marking the beginning of spring. Nowruz translates to “new day.” Nowruz is also the start of the New Year in the lunar calendar. On Mar. 20, the lunar year changed from 1390 to 1391. The holiday is viewed by Afghans as a time of “new beginnings,” and they celebrate it by visiting friends and family, listening to music and dancing, cooking numerous traditional meals and visiting the graves of descendants. It is a time for rebirth, and to symbolize this they make changes in their personal

lives, purchase new clothes and plant trees. During the reign of the Taliban, Nowruz was banned due to its non-Islamic origin but returned to Afghanistan in 2001. Celebrations occurred throughout the Warhorse area in Kandahar City, the Arghandab, Khakrez, and Shah Wali Kot. The Afghan security forces executed their own security plan. Warhorse provided only an emergency reaction force, which was not

In the areas sur-rounding Ziarat-e Shah Maqsud Shrine, vendors construct tents to sell their wares. It is customary to buy new clothes to usher in the “new begin-ning” of Nowruz. Nearly 7,000 people came to celebrate with many setting up tents to live in while celebrat-ing the two week holiday.

needed. The provincial governor spoke at several events and urged the Afghan people to sup-port their government and dedicate them-selves to peace. Afghan media interviews of the Afghan people indicated that the people were very happy with the festivals and the security. They said they felt more safe this year than they had since the fall of Taliban rule.

Photos by Sgt. Ruth Pagan

Ziarat-e Shah Maqsud Shrine in Darvishan, Khakrez is a sacred destination thought to have been the location of an important battle in the early history of Islam, and many regard it as the third holiest Islamic site in all of Afghanistan.

Warhorse PridePage 2 Issue 96 Mar. 24, 2012

The Warhorse Pride is produced in the interest of the Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. The Warhorse Pide is an Army-funded news-letter authorized under provision of AR 360-1. Contents of the Warhorse Pride are not necessarily the view of, nor endorsed by the U.S. government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or the 4th Infantry Division. All editorial content of The Warhorse Pride is prepared, edited, provided and approved by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team Public

Affairs Office. The Warhorse Pride welcomes articles, commentary and photos from readers. The Warhorse Pride reserves the right to edit submissions selected for the publication. All issues of The Warhorse Pride can be viewed online from your home computer at www.facebook.com/2bct4id Submissions should be e-mailed to the editor:seth.barham@afghan.swa.army.mil

Col. John S. Kolasheski...................2nd BCT CommanderCommand Sgt. Maj. Ralph Delosa..............2nd BCT CSMMaj. Kevin Toner................................................2nd BCT PAOSgt. Seth Barham..................................................PAO NCOICSgt. Ruth Pagan......................................Layout and DesignSgt. April York.........................................Layout and Design

Warhorse Pride

mentor to the operations coordination cen-ter Afghan National Army commander. A recent vehicle-borne improvised ex-plosive device explosion in Kandahar City tested the OCC and illustrated the progress they’ve made. “Immediately following the explosion, which was caused by a vehicle bomb, our ANSF partners began battle tracking the event,” said Maj. George Coleman, SFAT 9 executive officer. “They all worked togeth-er to get the reports of this event to their higher headquarters and helped relay vital information to men on the ground.” “Watching them come together that morning to help secure and coordinate the efforts of the ANSF on the ground may seem modest but it has given me hope that one day efforts like this will be normal, without any assistance from American or coalition forces,” Coleman said.

SFAT 9 making Afghans more independentStory and photo by 1st Lt. Chad StricklandSecurity Force Assistance Team 9h

Security Force Assistance Teams advise and mentor Afghan security forces and government agencies to prepare

them to provide lasting security and stabil-ity. SFAT 9 with 1st Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division works at the Kandahar Provincial Operations Coordination Center to assist the provincial governor and the Afghan National Security Force’s Joint Op-erations Center. “Our partners have come a long way in the past year,” said Sgt. 1st Class John Falkenberg, the SFAT 9 platoon sergeant. “Initially, they would hardly speak to each other because they came from different branches; the army wouldn’t talk to police who wouldn’t talk to the National Director-

ate for Security. Now they train together with a border police officer teaching a class on map reading and an army first sergeant teaching others how to use a computer.” “The Operations Coordination Center where my team has worked this past year is now certified by Afghans as operational and effective by Afghan standards,” said Col. Kevin Hicks, commander of SFAT 9. “This certification by ANSF officials is an important stepping stone in the process of transitioning security responsibility of Kan-dahar Province to ANSF and (Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan).” The Afghan leaders are as excited about the future as the SFAT. “They (ANSF leaders) tell me that through training, equipment and mentor-ing, their military is quickly becoming capable enough to defend its people from terrorism,” said Maj. Cedrick Dunham,