After just two months on duty in southwest Asia, the 16-member South Dakota Army National Guard embedded training team known as "Coyote One" is actively helping soldiers and police in Afghanistan.

From various bases in northern Afghanistan, Coyote One's mission is to mentor the Afghan National Police and army. That requires the guardsmen to forge personal relationships with each policeman and soldier they work with daily.

The commander of Coyote One, Lt. Col. John P. Weber of Rapid City, said even though his team members spend a majority of their time mentoring, communication is still the unit's greatest challenge because of language and cultural issues.

"Communication is slow; therefore, missions can take longer to accomplish," Weber said. "Plus culturally, conducting business takes time here. There is the expected protocol of discussing and asking about one's family prior to handling any official business."

Weber said the civilian skills of his team members have greatly enhanced the unit's ability to accomplish its mission.

"Civilian skills are a tremendous asset to this mission," Weber said. "This is a very diverse country, and the broader range of skills you can bring to the table, the better chance you will have to connect with someone here."

A typical day for the members of Coyote One includes spending time with their Afghan counterparts, whether they are just down the road or hours away.

"The more we are with our Afghan counterparts, the more success we will have," Weber said. "Getting out with them is the key to mission success."

But according to Weber, mission success starts back home in South Dakota.

"Our families are truly the ones that make this happen," Weber said. "What we do here is challenging most days, but what our families are doing back home is equally challenging."

They continue the day-to-day family activities living with the worry of their loved ones in an embattled country.

The war in Afghanistan began after the al-Qaida terrorist network, harbored by the country's ruling Taliban regime, attacked New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. A U.S.-led invasion quickly toppled the Taliban regime. Since then, the coalition and NATO-led troops have battled Taliban militants.

The Pentagon has said there are 32,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. About 14,000 serve as part of the larger NATO force, and 18,000 are separate, involved in training and counterterrorism operations.

Link to earlier story here http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2008/03/05/news/top/doc47cf6550258b5509327898.txt