An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Salvadoran, U.S. Airmen advise Afghans

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Eric Burks
  • U.S. Air Forces Central Command Public Affairs
HERAT, Afghanistan --  Airmen from the U.S. and El Salvador, part of the NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan coalition forces, advise their Afghan counterparts on a variety of missions at Herat, a small airfield in Western Afghanistan.

This joint team, which comprises the 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group Det. 1, has been working together since 2011 and currently advises the Afghan Air Force in specialized fields including intelligence, personnel, flight safety, aircraft maintenance, supply and firefighting.

"In my time here we have seen great progress in the efforts of the local AAF Mi-17 Detachment to fulfill the mission of their Air Force," said U.S. Air Force Maj. Bryan Ferrari, 838th AEAG Det. 1 commander.

Part of that success, he said, is due directly to the efforts of the team members from El Salvador.

"The El Salvador team's contributions in mentoring the AAF towards a professional, independent and operationally capable air force can't be overstated and the Afghans couldn't have achieved the success they now enjoy without that support," Ferrari said. "We are truly lucky and honored to have them here working with us and the Afghans 'shohna ba shohna'... shoulder to shoulder."

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Dyjuan Washington, 838th AEAG Det. 1 fire adviser, said training often begins with the very basics.

"The main purpose of my job is to advise fire chiefs on how to structure a fire department, and then we equip them," he said. "Herat doesn't have as much equipment and resources as other locations, so we're starting with the basics. Right now we're in the training and equipping stage of this mission, and that's just getting them to be able to operate as a fire department."

The best part of the mission, he said, is seeing the result of that training in action.

"My favorite experience so far is being able to train them on something and then see them execute it in an exercise," Washington said. "You get to interact with the people you're training and equipping, and some of them are just so grateful for you to be here and teach them. When you watch them get over the hump, that's the kind of fulfillment the job brings."

For El Salvadoran Air Force 1st Lt. Ronald Castillo, flight safety adviser, working in a multinational environment was initially challenging, but ultimately rewarding.

"Working with other nations was a little bit difficult at first, but once you become familiar with the people and their culture, they really interact with you," he said. "We have to teach and advise the Afghans in different ways than we would in El Salvador."

"I feel very proud to be deployed for the first time on this kind of mission," Castillo said. "I've started to see things from a different perspective than at home."

Col. Manuel Calderon, senior officer for the El Salvador advisory team, said it's been a great opportunity for his Airmen to deploy and work in a joint environment toward a common goal.

"Our previous team established a good relationship with both our U.S. and Afghan counterparts, and we've continued to develop that relationship," he said. "We work together with the U.S. Airmen, share everything and are here to help Afghans. It's rewarding to see they are practicing what we have passed along to them."