Arlington Soldier Leading the Way on Patrols in Afghanistan

Army Spc. Francis Cremone drives a Husky in front of route clearance patrols in southern Afghanistan to search for IEDs.

An Arlington soldier was recently highlighted by U.S. Central Command for his work clearing routes in southern Afghanistan of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Army Spc. Francis Cremone, of Arlington, operates a Husky Mounted Detection System (HMDS) to search for IEDs in front of route clearance patrols outside of Forward Operating Base Sarkari Karez in Kandahar, Afghanistan, according to a U.S. Central Command press release. Cremone and Army Spc. Joaquin Valera, of Boston, drive the vehicles for the 1st Platoon, 182nd Engineer Company, 223rd Engineer Battalion. The men are the “first to encounter the threat of potential [IEDs]” and, therefore, “have one of the most dangerous jobs of a route clearance patrol soldier,” according to the …

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