Military Matters
Kansas reading leads to Mexico drug arrests
Posted Monday, February 19, 2007
Here are recent headlines about the military in Kansas:
(Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal-Gazette) Keeping Watch at the Border: At a computer in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Dyarman, 24, worked to stop drugs from crossing the border - by reading. A stranger to the local guardsmen, the Fort Wayne reservist worked during the same time period nearly 1,420 miles from Nogales. A member of the 983rd Army Engineering Battalion based in Bryan, Ohio, Dyarman volunteered for a temporary assignment with military intelligence and worked from July to October 2006. While in Kansas, she read newspaper articles and government documents that contained Mexico's day-old news about drug-related activity. She read 140 to 200 articles a day, written in Spanish, until her eyes ached. Then she summarized what she read, translating it into English, and sent it up the chain of command. The information was passed on to the border patrol. Dyarman would often pass along license plate and serial numbers of vehicles that had been used to smuggle drugs, information she gleaned from Mexican government records. Many of those vehicles had secret compartments used to haul drugs or people across the border, she said. She said information she and others at the base collected helped capture accused Mexican drug lord Francisco Javier Arellano-Felix.
Kansas National Guard
(The Wichita Eagle) New commander to lead from afar: The new commander of a Kansas National Guard unit will be leading from afar and traveling often. Major Anthony Mohatt, who works as a senior special agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Sioux Falls, S.D., took command of the 2nd Battalion 137th Infantry on Sunday at a change-of-command ceremony at Century II. The battalion includes a company from Lawrence. He said he'll make the five-hour drive from Sioux Falls to Wichita at least two weekends a month. With the help of technology and frequent conference calls, he said the challenges should be minimal. The biggest sacrifice, he said, was leaving his wife and two children so often. But after serving in the Kansas National Guard for 21 years, Mohatt said it is a "lifelong dream" to be commander. Mohatt took over the position from Col. Jim Trafton, who has served as commander for more than three years. Trafton, who was promoted to a statewide recruiting and retention position, said he'll miss the job.
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