Since joining the Army in October 1994, I’ve worn 4 different camouflage uniforms. To date, I still like the BDU the best, but I have to say that the OCP I’m wearing here in Afghanistan is probably my second favorite. The Air Force is getting rid of the BDU, leaving the Navy as the only service that still wears the uniform introduced in the early 80s. Air National Guard Tech. Sgt. Leisa Grant announces the official end of the Battle Dress Uniform in Air Force ranks.
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There is just something about this photos that says so many things. For one, it’s obvious that the Soldier here is exhausted. Yet, the site of a child to converse with brings a smile to his face. Kids have a way of bringing us back to reality. They remind us of why we must succeed in bringing peace here and defeating those that kill innocents indiscriminately. We cannot allow these kids to live their entire lives in fear.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jamyz Touchstone, civil affairs attached to Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul, plays with an afghan child during a mission to a local village in Shinkai, Afghanistan. Touchstone is a reservist deployed from the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Wisconsin. Photo by Senior Airman Grovert Fuentes-Contreras.
Posted in Photo of the Day
Tagged Air Force, army, FOB Sweeney, Patrol, PRT Zabul, Shinkai
I remember the moment when I knew we had done something good in Iraq. We were on a patrol in Baghdad and this kid starts walking with us. A few minutes later another kid shows up, then two. Within a few blocks, a bunch of kids are walking with us, holding our hands. These kids were thankful we were there. They wanted to be with us.
When I saw this photo from SSG Ryan Crane, I thought that we may be getting somewhere in Afghanistan too. It’s taken a lot longer, but Afghanistan is much less advanced culture. These kids have smiles on their faces and I can’t help but swell with pride at the bravery and tenacity of our troops to help create those smiles after such difficulties. We’re getting there. We’re winning the trust. We aren’t the enemy. These kids are the future and they recognize who gave that to them.
U.S. Army Capt. Brandon Delatorre, civil affairs team leader, and Staff Sgt. Jason Roberts, squad leader attached to Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team walk and talk with a group of kids in Mehtar Lam district, Laghman province.
Posted in Photo of the Day
Tagged afghan national police, Afghanistan, Air Force, anp, army, OEF, Patrol, Provincial Reconstruction, PRT Laghman, Security Forces, SFA
There is no doubt the United States military is the biggest, baddest fighting force in the world. We have the best troops, the best gear, the best leaders, and the greatest country in our care.
But, sometimes we need a little help from the least likely of sources.
After watching members of the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team struggle to slide down an embankment, local Afghan children in Mehtar Lam district, Laghman province demonstrate the quickest way down. The Police Transition Assistance Team attached to the PRT is responsible for the training and mentorship of the local Afghan police and routinely conducts training with side by side with them.
Members of the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team jump down an embankment while on a joint patrol in Mehtar Lam district, Laghman province.
Photos by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane.
Posted in Photo of the Day
Tagged afghan national police, Afghanistan, Air Force, anp, army, OEF, Patrol, Provincial Reconstruction, PRT Laghman, Security Forces, SFA
Looks like Afghan corn is doing better than our Texas corn was when I left a few months ago.
U.S. Army Sgt. Sean Matthews, team leader attached to Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team, navigates through a dense corn field while looking for triggermen in Alisheng district, Laghman province, Sept. 12. The PRT, partnered with the security forces assistant team and the Afghan National Police, patrolled through a village to talk to the locals and teach the ANP proper procedures during patrols. Photo by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane.
Posted in Photo of the Day
Tagged afghan national police, Afghanistan, Air Force, anp, army, OEF, Patrol, Provincial Reconstruction, PRT Laghman, Security Forces, SFA
You DON’T want to be on the receiving end of these guys in Aghanistan!
Spc. Dan White, native of Coventry, R.I. and team leader attached to the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team, fires the M24 sniper rifle at the off-base firing range near forward operating base Mehtar Lam Sept. 3. Members from the PRT traveled to the range to practice with crew serve, primary and secondary weapons along with M-203 grenade launchers and the M24 sniper rifle.
Sgt. 1st Class Brian Lancey, a native of Norwich, Conn., and platoon sergeant attached to the Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team, fires the M249 squad automatic weapon at the off-base firing range near Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam Sept. 3. Members from the PRT traveled to the range to practice with crew serve, primary and secondary weapons along with M203 grenade launchers and the M24 sniper rifle. Photos by Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane.
Posted in Photo of the Day
Tagged 240B, 50 cal, Afghanistan, Air Force, army, firing range, m14, M2, M203, m24, M240B, M249, M4, M9, Mk48, OEF, Patrol, Provincial Reconstruction, PRT Laghman, range, SAW, Security Forces, sniper
I haven’t stopped sneezing since I got here. Even though I have minor allergies back home to cats, I still don’t sneeze much around them. I get a little itchy, but sneezing isn’t something I’m confounded by very often. However, the dust in this part of Afghanistan is terrible.
You wake up to it, you suffer through it all day, and you go to sleep to it. The speed limits around Kandahar are kept artificially low to try and minimize the amount of dust kicked into the atmosphere by the heavy vehicular traffic on the FOB. Water trucks spend the entire day dousing the roads with water to cut down on more, but it dries quite quickly in the 100+ degree temperatures.
Even being indoors doesn’t help much. The dust gets through the nooks, cracks, and crannies and fly in every time a door is opened. It travels through the air conditioning in the buildings and settles on everything. And then…there’s the sandstorms!
U.S. Army Pfc. Johnny Nguyen, rifleman, prepares for a sandstorm on Forward Operating Base Smart, Afghanistan, Sept. 3. Nguyen is a member of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul’s security force and is deployed from the Massachusetts National Guard.
Technology is great, but no matter how much technology is available to troops the end result of every successful military operation requires boots on the ground. Nothing can beat the social and personal connection of seeing, talking to, and interacting with troops on patrol. The downside is that foot patrols make us more vulnerable, but a more focused training approach both pre-deployment and while in theater has made our troops more aware of their surroundings.
The local populace is trusting us more and more each day. As such, we are more likely to learn about dangers and impending ambushes before they happen than ever before. You can’t get this kind of information tucked safely away inside a well-armored MRAP or MATV. To the average citizen, troops traveling in vehicles are just large hunks of metal. But, when you get a troop on the ground, it breaks down so many barriers.
Our troops are well-trained and professional. They’re sympathetic to the plight of the host nation Afghan citizens. As you’ll see in tomorrow’s photo, there are some moments that are priceless but can only be purchased on foot. Yet, we put ourselves in potential danger because we want to instill a sense of confidence, security, and friendship among them. We are no longer the enemy of Afghanistan and the guys in this photo by Senior Airman Grovert Fuentes-Contreras are on the front lines of the battle to break down those barriers.
U.S. Army Pfc. Johnny Nguyen, rifleman, and other members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul patrol Qalat City, Afghanistan, Sept. 2. Nguyen is a member of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul’s security force and is deployed from the Massachusetts National Guard.
It never ceases to amaze me that some things actually fly through the air. Every time a C-5 does a touch and go at the Killeen Airport (within view of my office window), I can’t help but just stop and watch. I mean, these things are HUGE and look as if they’re floating in the sky. They barely move, yet they fly! I could understand a little better if they were empty, but holy cow! When you stuff a Marine Corps Super Stallion helicopter in there, it just doesn’t seem possible. I mean, really. LOOK AT THIS PHOTO!!
Marines from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, stationed at Camp Lemonnier, Combined Joint Task Force – Horn Africa, Djibouti, prepare to unload a Marine CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, July 14, from an Air Force Reserve Command C-5B, assigned to the 439th Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass. Two CH-53E helicopters were delivered to augment readiness and support regional operations in East Africa.
Over the past nearly 17 years, it’s never ceased to amaze me what great people I have the privilege to work with. Even during combat operations, most troops are the kindest, most compassionate, and honorable people I’ve ever met. One of the things that I love about being a Soldier, especially in a combat zone, is working with kids.
Prior to heading into Iraq in 2003, I was able to fill an entire Tuffbox with candy, mostly Tootsie Rolls. Handing out that candy to the kids created a connection you have to participate in to understand. While I still maintain a great deal of anger towards the older generations that cowardly fought us from the shadows, I have nothing but love for the younger generation.
I chose this photo because I think it illustrates that. In spite of all the combat gear, the weapons, and gear our troops are still able to make a connection with these kids. That’s what I love the most about this photo from SSG Brian Ferguson. There is a smile on the Soldiers face and the child can see the friendliness in his eyes through all that gear.
Members of Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul and 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division make their way to the Zabul Juvenile Detention Facility, Afghanistan, May 11.
Posted in Military Life, Photo of the Day
Tagged Afghanistan, Air Force, army, Lawyer, prison, PRT Zabul, Qalat, Rule of law
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