Soldiers with the 215th Corps, Afghan National Army, stand at attention before the driver’s course graduation ceremony at the Joint Sustainment Academy Southwest aboard Camp Leatherneck. Photo by Lance Cpl. Bryan Nygaard.
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan (May 31, 2011) — Thirty-five soldiers and five Commandos from the 215th Corps, Afghan National Army, graduated from the driver’s course at the Joint Sustainment Academy Southwest aboard Camp Leatherneck, May 26.
The course is six weeks long and teaches students lessons such as driver’s safety, vehicle recovery and preventative maintenance. The students are primarily taught how to drive humvees and light tactical vehicles.
“Most of these guys have never seen a vehicle, let alone drove one,” said Cpl. Russell Wiley, an instructor at JSAS. “We teach them the fundamentals – everything from the ground up. This way when they go out on a convoy, they know how to drive a stick shift.”
Brig. Gen. Zamin Husain, the executive officer of the ANA’s 215th Corps, was the keynote speaker at the graduation ceremony. He commended the students for their hard work and encouraged them to apply their training when they get out to their respective units.