BMCS(SW) Chuck Clark in Afghanistan as an Individual Augmentee. Before his deployment as an IA, Clark served aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). Photo courtesy of BMCS(SW) Chuck Clark.

As a Boatswain’s Mate, Clark was used to leading Sailors at sea aboard United States Navy ships. In Afghanistan, however, Clark was one of 16 Sailors responsible for training 150 Afghan soldiers at Forward Operating Base Camp Mike Spann, an Army camp named after the CIA agent killed in Afghanistan in April 2005.

''Dealing with Afghani officers was my biggest professional challenge,'' said Clark, a native of Tacoma, Wash. ''They have an old-style Soviet leadership where enlisted are not considered an important part of command and control. Getting my Afghan Command Sergeant Major to engage his troops and the chain of command in the way American senior enlisted do things was very frustrating.''

Currently, more than 10,000 Sailors are fighting side-by-side with their Army and Marine counterparts and providing mission-critical support as IAs in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Horn of Africa, Cuba, and the Philippines. These Sailors are often filling non-traditional roles, but because of the Navy’s cultural differences from the Army and Marine Corps, Clark said Sailors bring unique qualifications to the table.

''My rate is traditionally known for a specific leadership style – gruff, no-nonsense and hard-working,'' Clark said. ''The whole concept of senior enlisted leadership is what the Navy wanted to infuse into the training of our Afghan counterparts. Chiefs were an effective answer in this case.''

Before deploying to Afghanistan, Clark spent three months in basic infantry training at Camp Shelby, Miss., where he earned advanced rifle and pistol qualifications and received training in urban assault, combat lifesaving, individual movement techniques, improvised explosive device (IED) procedures, and camp and perimeter defense.

''The training was very good, but it was always a little strange to be operating in a combat environment when I spent my entire adult life time training to be a surface Sailor bringing my ship to the fight,'' said Clark, who was serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) when he was deployed as an IA.

While many Sailors on IAs are working outside of their ratings, other Sailors bring unique skills and Navy experience that is critical to the war effort.

''Sailors help fill a huge need for the Army to have ‘trigger pullers’ down-range in the fight,'' Clark said. ''If you were an Electronics Technician, you might find yourself working with a LAN system or working on gear for counter-IED operations.''

In addition to the professional challenges of working outside of his comfort zone, Clark, 43, said the deployment was personally challenging as well. Sailors are generally used to six-month deployments aboard Navy ships, with periodic port calls in exotic locales. Between his training in Mississippi and his deployment to Afghanistan, Clark was gone for 15 months, and the locale was far from exotic.

''The environment was very hostile. We were surrounded by the realities of abject poverty,'' Clark said. ''We were always aware that there were people who wanted to do us and our American brothers and sisters harm.''

Clark looked for unique opportunities to make an impact outside the wire. His friends and family would send him boxes of school supplies and clothes, which the Americans would donate to local children and villages that had been destroyed by the Taliban.

''There were some horrible things that I was witness to, but more importantly, there was a positive effort to bring help and security to a people who share a common enemy with us,'' said Clark.

In this unconventional war, Clark said Sailors need to be ready to do their part in unique ways, and leading those Sailors will be the responsibility of tomorrow’s junior officers.

''Go forth into this new chapter of your life with the notion that we are a nation at war in the forefront of your mind,'' Clark said. ''Some of you will see ground combat almost immediately. At all times we are in the service of our country and we must lead and act accordingly. Take the high standards you have lived and breathed here at the Academy and infuse it into your leadership style in the Fleet.''