Fayetteville Airman serves vital role, motivates and leads security team through Afghanistan

 By Senior Airman Andrea Salazar

NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan Public Affairs

 

KABUL– A local Fayetteville, N.C., native is serving a six-month tour as the non-commissioned officer in charge of Personal Security Detail Team Bravo for NATO Training Mission–Afghanistan’s commander at Camp Eggers.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Johnnie Grove is responsible for the overall security of the commander and his team during convoy missions around the local area and beyond. The team takes on responsibilities as drivers, machine gun operators, truck commanders and dismounted security.

“It’s a unique position and it requires a lot of dedication to make sure that the general gets to where he needs to be in order to accomplish his objectives,” said Grove. “By getting him there safely and on time, we help contribute to the NTM-A mission.”

Grove deployed from Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., where he serves as the 42^nd Security Forces Squadron NCOIC of Combat Arms training, helping assist Airmen with weapon qualifications prior to their deployment. This is his sixth deployment and first time in Afghanistan working in a joint and coalition environment as PSD.

 “This is definitely a different experience compared to my other deployments which consisted of working in the armory or flight line–being confined to the base,” said Grove. “Our job takes us out and about in Kabul and even further so it’s interesting to see the local culture and people; that aspect is good.”

In 1995, Grove enlisted in the Air Force as security forces and had already achieved a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in 1994.

“I only planned on serving one term but the commander at the time offered me a temporary duty assignment to see the investigations side of security forces,” he said. “I liked it so much I decided to stick around.”

As a leader of his team, Grove expressed how he encourages his team to stay motivated.

“I try to lead by example. It’s not just doing that but its words of encouragement and understanding,” said Grove. “Especially when you have people who may not understand a process, sometimes you have to explain and relate with them to establish that common ground to motivate and inspire people to get the job done. 

In the beginning of the deployment, the team faced some challenging times learning to work with different personalities but ultimately pressed forward.   

“You have to be committed to the team; there can’t be any individuals,” said Grove. “We all make personal sacrifices, we’ve had our grievances and we’re able to work through them. The main thing is that we all want to accomplish the mission and be successful at what we do.”

Grove’s main goal is to have the team make it through every mission safely. He also has plans to take a vacation with his wife and four kids upon his return in April 2012.

“I’m proud of my team and my goal is for everyone to make it home safely,” he said. “I miss my family and I can’t wait to see them.”

Tags: afghanistan, camp eggers, Feature, featured, independence, Kabul, nato, nato training mission, NATO Training Mission Afghanistan, NTM-A, personal security detail, PSD

Category: News - General