Things To Read, Watch or Listen To

We haven't done this in awhile, but, every so often, we like to point our readers to information that they may not get on their nightly news. Some are from commanders giving reports. Others are soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen who are serving on the front lines. They range from broad overviews to day to day life. They may help you understand what it is like "over there".

If you read enough, you will find out that the experiences of some in one sector do not reflect those of others. One district or province may be very active with contact with the enemy. Another district may be quiet and focusing on rebuilding basic infrastructure, developing good governance and economics. This is true for both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Please enjoy reading these posts. Some are rather long, but they wouldn't be here if they did not provide the best information possible.

Richard's Deployment

Richard is in Afghanistan and posts a weekly update. He is at FOB Salerno where our favorite dustoff medic is stationed. He posts pictures of the progress as they build a new, permanent hospital. Right now, they work in tents with raised floors. Last week they suffered a flood and had to rebuild. They've been treating a young patient, Azad who is six, for several months. Today he was moved to the Afghan Surgical Hospital:

There was one landmark today; Our longest-stay patient, Azad, has moved to our Afghan surgical hospital. He's doing very well and his family is visiting him now. His youngest sister in 17 days old. His family is looking forward to going back home. Their gratitude is overwhelming. The gratitude of all our Afghani patients is overwhelming.

Read more about Azad, the flooded hospital tent and the continuing progress to build a permanent hospital here (pictures)

Soldier OnBackground on Azad's story and this little bit about being away from home:

Most of us spend an inordinate amount of time planning our redeployment, our return home. No matter how many times the Chaplain tells us not to idealize things back home, we do it anyway. When you are separated from home and family it's easy to remember everything through rose-colored glasses. It's great for getting through the deployment, but it can make things harder when you actually get home. Despite the fantasy, life goes on at home just as before; children grow up, spouses become independent, coworkers and friends move on. As we idealize life back home, and as life goes on back home, the gap between the fantasy and the reality grows larger and the transition becomes more jarring. It's all just part of the hidden stresses of war. Not all wounds are visible. Not all pain is obvious. Not all casualties of war are Soldiers.

JAG Officer in Mazar-e-sharif Afghanistan (pictures)



More here: JAG Officer in Mazar-e-sharif Afghanistan (pictures)

JAG Officer: Kandahar

Kandahar is just as hot as I thought it would be. I think it’s been around 105+ degrees every day. It can get up to 115 and even hotter but fortunately it hasn’t gotten there yet.

Our first day of class as I was proposing the schedule, which included afternoon sessions, the Afghans immediately protested. They said that they would rather start early and end by noon to avoid the heat in the class room. This week we’re teaching in ANA land so the buildings have no AC. So it was agreed that we would start at 0700 every day and end by noon. It’s actually worked out OK.[snip]

Here on Camp Hero there is a huge area that is surrounded by a covered boardwalk. In the center is a soccer field, small roller-blade arena, and volleyball pit. On the boardwalk are various fast-food places; a Canadian donut shop - "Tim Hortons" aka "deadman's donuts", Korean snack bar, Pizza Hut, Subway, and Burger King. There are also several Afghan shops selling various items, a sew shop, embroidery shop as well as a restaurant just off the boardwalk. It’s actually pretty nice.

The base even has it’s own waste reclamation plant. The first night we were here I asked Paul what that terrible smell was and he said it was the “poo pond” or “bamboo pond.” It’s the water/waste reclamation plant that has bamboo growing in it and it’s about 100 yards or so down the road from his room – where we’re staying. He offered to take us down to see it but of course we declined. The smell was enough of a tour.

This part of the country is the “hot spot” in terms of Taliban fighting. This is the area where Scott Lundell was killed, where road side bombs are a regular occurrence as well as small arms fire. Paul says that when they first got here there were regular rockets being fired over the camp but none that actually landed inside the wire. (continue reading:
JAG Officer: Kandahar)

JAG Officer continues with a great overview of life in Kandahar including the people, the food and the buildings: Last Days in Kandahar

We were there during the workers lunch and it was interesting to see what they were eating. Their main course was a watery soup of yogurt and green onions with a few cooked vegetables and naan (bread). They use the big loaves of naan as plates and then eat the bread around the things on top of the bread. They were very gracious and invited us to join them, but of course since we had just eaten we declined.

And this is Matt Sanchez in Afghanistan (formerly in Iraq). He has some great videos including interviews from enlisted and officers on their work there, conditions and progress.

Getting ready to go to Shura


Food Time in Afghanistan (an excellent quick view of food and eating traditions)



LTC Gilhart Provincial Reconstruction Team Afghanistan on progress and projects



Other videos from Matt Sanchez in Afghanistan

On to Iraq where the experiences can vary even more greatly from area to area.

Jack Army: Typical Patrol

It is real easy to get complacent when you go on patrol after patrol like this one. Nothing happens, nobody challenges you, nobody pushes the envelope, everything is just quiet, business as usual. That is one of the things that is so hard about this job: fighting the complacency. I haven't been in constant, days-long combat, but I imagine that it is easier to stay alert during that sort of activity because you have to. Of course, I'm not eager to test that theory!

A couple of notes about some of the things you see in the video.

Jack Army: Giggles

Since I've figured out how to embed video, I'm able to give you a couple of more. Next up is a video from a visit to a town outside our area. This town gets almost no notice from anybody, good or bad. It's just a quiet town doing it's own thing, but security there is good, services are getting better, and the townsfolk are very supportive of the government and the Coalition.

We started our visit to a small pre-school where we handed out toys and played with the kids for a few minutes. Some of the children were a little shy.

See the rest of Jack's patrol and a little video of the kids enjoying a little "giggle fest" here.


Acute Politics: Militias

I have written previously about some of the major distinctions in the structure of the Iraqi Security Forces. Over the course of the last year, I have had the opportunity many times to see various Iraqi units in action. The Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police have greatly increased in number- there were few of either evident in Ramadi last October, and they are everywhere now. I like to see IAs and IPs; I like to see that Iraqis fighting for their own country. However, the guys I really like to see are the PSF and Neighborhood Watch fighters.

I have witnessed the appearance of local fighters in an area several times- an advent that is normally followed quickly by relative peace.

Militias are a mixed bag. In some areas, they have been extremely helpful in decreasing the violence and securing neighborhoods. These are most closely associated with neighborhood watch or policing programs. In others, like Sadr City, they continue to be dangerous for the people and coalition forces.

An example of how working with the shiehks and creating a locally staffed security force improves security and living conditions can be seen in this report at Badgers Forward:

Raider Commander Update on Ramadi

Security here in Ramadi continues to improve as the Iraqi police and army forces work daily to keep the population safe. When we arrived in February, we were averaging 30 – 35 attacks per day in our area of responsibility. Now our average is one attack per day or less. We had an entire week with no attacks in our area and have a total of over 65 days with no attacks. I attribute this success to our close relationship with the Iraqi security forces and the support those forces receive from the civilian population. The Iraqi police and army forces have uncovered hundreds of munitions caches and get intelligence tips from the local population every day.[snip]

Some of our most recent successes have been in the areas of reconstruction and governance. The city government didn’t exist before April of this year, but has grown steadily over the past few months, and is now providing essential services to the population. In areas that were battlefields only a few months ago, city electrical employees are now repairing transformers and power lines. Sanitation workers are fixing sewer leaks caused by hundreds of buried IED’s [improvised explosive devices]. The Iraqis now have repaired the electrical grid in about 80 percent of the city and about 50 percent of the rubble has been removed. We expect to have all rubble removed in the next 90 – 120 days, which will allow for many parts of the city to start rebuilding.

Read the rest of the report at
Raider Commander Update on Ramadi. Ramadi is in the Al Anbar Province, once considered the hotbed of the insurgency in Iraq. It still has a high attack rate, but this is because the small corner of Al Anbar overlaps Baghdad and a southern "suburb" or "Mahala" called Ahmadiya. There is also an area north east of Baghdad between Camp Taqqadum, Tikrit, Mosul and Kirkuk where the routes for smuggling money, weapons and fighters follow the main highway and river system. It is also the area where the tribes most loyal to Saddam hold the land. In fact, the al Tikriti tribe is the family or tribe of Saddam. It is these small areas where concentrated attacks drive up the average in the whole.

On the odd variances in conditions in different parts of Iraq, we have two reporters:

Violence ebbing. Wealth returning. Can this be Iraq?

For there are two Iraqs in evidence these days: not just the one where weddings are bombed and young women murdered in reply. The other Iraq is harder to dramatise but it is equally real. It is a place where boring, ordinary things take place. And in taking place become extraordinary in the context of conflict.

Last week it was the opening of a new $20 million government centre next to Tal Afar's ancient ruined fort. The day before Jamil detonated his explosives' belt, the sheiks and dignitaries came in and crowded through the building's corridors, muttering approvingly as they examined its new painted walls, the photocopiers, printers and computers - some of them still wrapped in plastic - sitting on the brand new desks.

From Michael J. Totten, veteran reporter who has traveled and reported from the Middle East: In the Wake of the Surge (pictures included)

Just to the right of my knees were the feet of the gunner. He stood in the middle of the Humvee and manned a machine gun in a turret sticking out of the top. I could hear him swiveling his cannon from side to side and pointing it into the trees as we approached the urban sector in their area of operations.

This was all purely defensive. The battalion I’m embedded with here in Baghdad hasn’t suffered a single casualty – not even one soldier wounded – since they arrived in the Red Zone in January. The surge in this part of the city could not possibly be going better than it already is. Most of Graya’at’s insurgents and terrorists who haven’t yet fled are either captured, dormant, or dead.

A car approached our Humvee with its lights on.

“I can’t see, I can’t see,” said the driver. Bright lights are blinding with night vision goggles. “Flash him with the laser,” he said to the gunner. “Flash him with the laser!”

A green laser beam shot out from the gunner’s turret toward the windshield of the oncoming car. The headlights went out.

I'll warn you now, this is long, but it is Gen. Petreaus giving a very detailed interview on the ground situation in Iraq: Interview with Petreaus

HH: Welcome, General. You took over command of the multinational forces in February of this year, February 10. In the past five months, how have conditions in Iraq changed?

DP: Well, obviously, we have been surging our forces during that time. We have added five Army brigade combat teams, two Marine battalions, and a Marine expeditionary unit[ed...that's our Fighting 13th that we need additional support for], and some enablers, as they’re called. And over the last month, that surge of forces has turned into a surge of offensive operations. And we have achieved what we believe is a reasonable degree of tactical momentum on the ground, gains against the principal near-term threat, al Qaeda-Iraq, and also gains against what is another near-term threat, and also potentially the long term threat, Shia militia extremists as well. As you may have heard, that today, we announced the capture of the senior Iraqi leader of al Qaeda-Iraq, and that follows in recent weeks the detention of some four different emirs, as they’re called, the different area leaders of al Qaeda, six different foreign fighter facilitators, and a couple dozen other leaders, in addition to killing or capturing hundreds of other al Qaeda-Iraq operatives.

Boredom

We were sitting out at one of the check points and there is this house a little ways away from where we stage our vehicles. They are always standing outside the house waving at us. I just so happened to have some hard candy in case I was near any kids, so I got out of the truck and started walking over. One of the sergeants went with me. I stood a little way back and waved a them, and then kind of shook my bag of candy. They started to walk toward me, two of them holding hands with their father, so I started walking toward their house.

I stuck my hand out and said “assalaam alaikum” to the man, which means “peace is upon you.” The man said it back and then asked me how I was doing. It turns out that he is a teacher at the school in the village and he spoke English. I told him I had some candy I would like to give to his kids, and asked if that would be okay. He approved, so I gave some to each of the three kids. They loved it and were all smiles.

We got in to a conversation with the man, just trying to find out a little bit about him. We all introduced ourselves and he introduced his kids (I forgot everyone’s name in about two seconds…) He told us that he loves the American troops here. He said that the IPs at the check point were doing a good job. One of his concerns though was getting shot at. At night, because they don’t have air and because it is so hot, they sleep in the grass outside their house. Gunshots are a pretty normal thing, and he told us he was “weary” of his children getting hurt from stray bullets. The sergeant I was with said that he would try to talk to the IP and the guys at our patrol base to notify them of his concerns and see if there was anything that could be done as far as getting them some sort of wall put up.

Another read from Badgers Forward on support from Military Spouses: Ladies of Lakedaemon

Right now I am reading Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire, an ode to the Spartan martial spirit, but I was really struck by this passage, a short soliloquy from one of the Spartan officer's wives:

The wives of other cities marvel at the women of Lakedaemon. How, they ask, can these Spartan wives stand erect and unblinking as their husbands' broken bodies are borne home to a grave or, worse, interred beneath some foreign dirt with nothing save cold memory to clutch to their hearts? These women think we are made of stauncher stuff than they. I will tell you, . . . we are not.

Do they think we of Lakedaemon love our husbands less than they? Are our hearts made of stone and steel? So they imagine that our grief is less because we choke it down in our guts?

So too of today's "milspouses." People ask Mrs. Badger 6 how she does this, as if dealing with deployment is a superhuman task. She does it because she loves me and she believes in me and our task and purpose. I see the same resolve in other milspouse blogs and as I talk to Soldiers about their wives at home. (And occasionally husbands.)

They are not super-human. Quite the contrary. They are everyday people who decided they are going to get through this - that they and their marriages will come through this. Everyday people just deciding to make it through this. And that is far more impressive than being super-human.

Speaking of spouses and children on the home front, My Life as a Military Spouse, reports this interesting part of deployed family life: Out of the Mouths of Babes

I constantly battle with my children over their asking mommy to help with everything. Yes, daddy is gone a lot, but when he is here, he can help, just like mommy normally does. My children don't seem to understand the concept, or so I thought. I have been raging about this issue for several days now and this morning S3 came to me and we had a conversation that went like this:

S3: Mommy, I would love to have some watermelon, but it is not appropriate for me to touch the knifes.

ME: You are right honey, you are not allowed to touch the sharp knives, I will be there in just a minute to help you.

S3: Mommy, I know I can ask daddy things too, but he is not here, he is at work. Remember? He is out with the tanks and his soldiers. Remember?

ME: Yes honey, I know daddy is not here. I appreciate you remembering that you can ask daddy to help you with things too, when he is here of course.

S3: But mommy, we ask you for things because we love you. We don't want you to forget that we love you, so we have to ask you for things. You are the bestest mommy and I love you over and over again.

Read the rest of Out of the Mouths of Babes

Minnesota Red Bulls Home

After a bit of a snafu, our two buses were joined by escorts from the State Patrol, and a couple of dozen motorcycles from the Patriot Riders and the American Legion. As we crossed every county line in Minnesota, we picked up a new escort from the local sheriff. Just outside of Owatonna, our procession turned into a parade with hundreds of motorcycles leading us, and thousands of people lining our route. Our luxury coach bus included tinted windows, so I'm not sure if the folks we passed saw us waving back, or how many of us had to turn away as we were overcome with emotion.

Video of the Welcome Home Red Bulls

Most of these reports and many more can be found on the Dawn Patrol at:




- May no soldier go unloved

Letters From the Front: Update from LTC Turner

LTC Patrick Turner is in charge of the Army Air Force Exchange Services (AAFES) for CentCom. This is the group that supplies the PXs on bases. This includes convoys or helo supplying remote FOBs where the AAFES shows up once a month and allows the soldiers to buy toothpaste, shampoo, batteries, deodorant, etc. Of course, if they are out on a mission that week, they are out of luck unless a buddy back at base is tasked with purchasing necessary items.

While LTC Turner and his group try hard to provide for our men and women on the front lines, the realities of distance, supply, mission and resources of those on the base can mean that some do without. One pick item that is consistently asked for are sheets and blankets for the beds. This is one reason that Angels go out of their way to send regular packages to our folks "in the sandbox". There are the "wishes" and the "realities" and the realities mean some do without while others are living well.

There is a distinct disparagement between the central, large FOBs in Baghdad and Kandahar versus some little COP (combat outpost) in Iraq or remote FOB in Kowst Afghanistan. While some might wonder why that should be in this day and age, it is important to remember that this reality has always existed between those on the "rear echelon" and those in the field. Plus, as LTC Turner later notes, there is a distinct danger driving or flying supplies to such locations.

That's where Soldiers' Angels come in. We send packages through out the month that arrive there much more frequently than the PX AAFES folks since mail is considered (and is) essential to the morale and mission of the forces. Thus, mail is delivered just like here in the US: rain, shine, sleet, snow, dead of night, etc, etc, etc. We don't just think that mail is essential to morale, we know it is by the other letters from the front we received on a regular basis thanking us for reminding them that people care.

Please read LTC Turners' Update:

TO my friends and family:

Yes I know it's been over 60 days since my last email to most of you all but duty called. A number of you sent us in the cell here some items we are grateful to receive and share so it is truly heartwarming the level of support we get from our great American citizens. Examples: DVDs and books and magazines and some candies and so forth.

Received a great book from sister Maryrose called "Team of Rivals" about Lincoln during the War. It was sooooo good as I have a new respect for Lincoln-as if we all did not need one. Working on my diet and controlling other intake as always. My master sergeant went on a 4 day pass to Qatar which turned into a 9 day pass as his plane broke down. I was able to play in a scramble golf tournament where you hit off a green pad onto a "green" (a blanket" about 130 yards away. Problem was if you
hit the dirt in between it was one tough hole but I prevailed. Good citizens have sent me (fortunately) hundreds of golf balls I hit into Victory Lake near Al Faw Palace here in Baghdad. Even Toby Keith the C&W entertainer showed up for a hour long "concert" and I got a pretty good seat. [snip]



On 25 May it got up to 117 degrees and it was the hottest so far in the
year.

On the 27th of May I was directed to go to Afghanistan and conduct assessments of various logistical processes going on there for 33 days or so. To get there, you have to fly to Kuwait first which is always a bummer, wait, then fly into Bagram, Afghanistan. Had two planes have mechanical problems in 110 degree heat at Baghdad Intl and spent 10 hours sitting there so by the time I got to KUW, was pretty well worn out but set a personal record for water consumption. With only a day wait, flew the 3.75 hours from KUW to Bagram which is the home of the 82d Airborne Division. [snip] The C17 plane was almost full and got there just before midnight. Was able to meet the next day the Command Sergeant Major of the 82nd ABN to get an idea of what they were doing there the next day.



A lot of the so called culture in AFG is different than Iraq. Bagram is at 4700 feet, on a relative plateau and is surrounded by mountains. A10 Thunderbolt planes and Prowlers seem to be continually screaming over the base and it's crowded in my opinion as they over 13,000 people there. I lived as you can see in the initial pics in what is called a "B Hut" which is all wood except for a corrugated roof but it felt like a fire trap so I made sure the fire detector worked. The weather was down to 70 degrees almost every night initially and did not get into the 90s during the day until I left on 1 July. A massive difference from Iraq, at least in the northern section unlike down south in Kandahar I later found out.

Was asked to join a "Pilferage Working Group" at Bagram, AFG since sooooo much is stolen enroute by Afghanis and Pakistanis. It is remarkable how much thieving goes on, from fuel siphoning, to door removal and seal removal, you name it. A regular cottage industry. We have lots of products coming in from the ports in Pakistan (Karachi) and their inventiveness at stealing is only seemingly exceeded by their love for Allah, I guess.

I attempted several times to get to Kandahar from Bagram but the planes always seemed to be full so instead I flew on a helo to Jallalabad as a side trip. This is a about a 45 minutes helo ride and it is very warm. The ride I must say was quite spectacular as you start out in the desert, go up and down mountains about 300 feet off the deck, go over fertile valleys and water and return to the desert. If you were on a vacation you would pay serious money for this helicopter ride, believe me. Jallalabad was 111 degrees at 1130 hours so it was mighty warm. This is the home of the 173rd ABN Bde and these guys are fighters & killers which we need more of. The son of the unit's Command Sergeant Major had been killed in action the week before so the morale was kinda sorta down. Like in Bagram, all the Soldiers live in wooden B huts but they all have box air conditioners and the food was good. Able to even attend religious services that evening. The next day, flew back to Bagram on a short takeoff 2 engine fixed wing that could get to 25,000 feet which was fine by me as the temp went to 117 degrees and waiting in that heat is soooo oppressive. And I am not getting any younger.



















A week later we went on a mission to deliver some PX goods via a CH47 double rotor helo to a unit out in the middle of absolutely nowhere as far as I could tell. They are helping build a road to somewhat I gather as they are engineers. Their spirits were good and it was nice to talk to these young men and there were several young women there also. [snip].

Drove in a motor convoy to Kabul from Bagram during the 30 some days I was there. [snip] This is a about a 40 minute ride as fast as you can drive and you see everything from women from Burkas over their face up and down mountains into the crowded city of Kabul. Since I am the only guy that is armed with a weapon in the vehicle I am what is called the Shooter. Its almost like some cartoon, weaving in and out of traffic, honking like crazy and again, going as fast as you can without rolling over. Rule number 1 is NEVER STOP. Rule number 2 is read rule 1 10 times and I can assure you I did not ignore the rule. As we got into Kabul, and I have a pic or two driving down to Bagram, there is a Afghan guard there at the gate named "Rambo". Rambo is known for diving into a car at that gate when a suicide car bomber was attempting to initiate a bomb and stopped him by punching him out. So he is a legend. Now he stands guard at the gate with an American baseball bat. The same day a convoy just west of us had a suicide bomber and killed two and the next day a bus got lit up and killed some 25. So I decided to helo the next day out of Kabul back to Bagram as its faster and safer-I think.

Needed to get to Kandahar but always could not get transport so I decided with my Major to fly to there thru Kyrgyzstan (Manas) and was able to do it successfully, being only 5 people on a huge C17 plane eventually to Kandahar. "K stan" is a strong supporter of the USA in spite of the fact that everyone there is Muslim and a lot of our employees come from there. In Kandahar it was 111 degrees at 0800 and ultimately it got to 126 degrees which is probably as warm as I care to have it. Was invited to a "Fallen Comrade" service at the base wherein 3 Canadian Soldiers were KIA and their caskets were escorted onto a C130 plane on the ride home and I was able to get one pic of it all. [snip]



I met the Base Commander there and NATO is soon "taking over" Kandahar so there was a lot of business to discuss as to the equipment and so forth. In our attempt to get back thru Kyrgyzstan, suddenly with all the combat and weather issues going on, I was forced to stay at Manas for 5 full days. Could not go off the base because I was a "transient" and had to sleep in a tent which lowered my morale for sure but these tents nowadays.

Finally flew to KUW from Bagram on 1 July and tried to fly to Baghdad on 2 July. I felt the trip was successful in that no military guys had ever engaged Command on issues that were important to my "client". I know a lot about equipment (rolling stock) and was able to organize it in short order after conducting a lot of technical inspections, meeting the Command and so forth. In short I tried to be a doer and not a consumer and looking back upon it we had some success but it will always require
follow-up. Well, in attempting to get from KUW to Baghdad, I had literally four planes go down on maintenance (or so they told us) in one day. Had to get up at 0430 and not get to bed until 0200 the following day and all I did was get shuffled from one place to another with little result as it turned out. Whoever said life was fair? On the 3rd of July however able to get to Baghdad finally and am almost caught up from my mission.

Scheduled to go on a pass to Qatar XXXXXXX 4 days and that will be my first time off since I started this tour in January. Am looking forward to playing some golf as they allegedly have two courses there and just chilling out and reading a lot of the books and magazines people send us here.


Thanks again to all those support us here in Iraq and Afghanistan.

LTC Patrick Turner
AAFES Military Operations Senior LNO
Camp Liberty, Iraq

- May no soldier go unloved

Honor the Fallen and Pray for the Families: Missing Soldier Found

U.S. military IDs missing soldier's body

BAGHDAD - A body recovered by Iraqi police from the Euphrates River south of Baghdad was identified as one of three American soldiers abducted in an ambush claimed by al-Qaida, the military said Thursday.

Military officials told the family of Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr. that a commanding officer identified the remains recovered from the river, but that DNA tests were still pending.

"They told us, 'We're sorry to inform you the body we found has been identified as Joe,'" the soldier's aunt, Debbie Anzack, said Wednesday. "I'm in disbelief."

Anzack, 20, vanished along with the two others after their combat team was ambushed May 12 about 20 miles outside Baghdad. Five others, including an Iraqi, were killed in the ambush, subsequently claimed by al-Qaida.

"We can confirm that we have recovered the remains of Pfc. Anzack," Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle, a military spokeswoman, said Thursday.

Aberle also denied reports that a second body had been found and was being examined to determine if it was that of a second missing soldier.

"The reports of a second set of remains being found is a false report," she said.

Soldiers' Angels prays for the families and the safe return of all of our men and women.


- May no soldier go unloved

If You're Reading This...

I saw Tim McGraw on the ACMs sing this song. My brother recorded it for me so I could watch it on TIVO. I was looking for the video or song to post. Finally, Shelle Michaels from Soldiers' Angels, emailed it to me.

Tim McGraw honors families of fallen heroes. If You're Reading This...




- May no soldier go unloved

LTC Patrick Turner Update from Iraq May 16th

Providing packages and support for Iraqis and CMOC (civil military operations):

From time to time, SoldiersAngels volunteers ask me what to send to us here for the Iraqi children and so forth. Note the email below that answers the questions you may have on this:

A cohort of mine, Captain Sheila Corcoran is a Team Chief for what is known as a Civil Military Operations Center ( CMOC ). A CMOC's mission is to serve a community at large. Her particular CMOC has, as part of their mission, a health care clinic and assist in finding "displaced persons"( these are people that have been separated from their families for one reason or another).

During a visit, I asked her what are the items that she needs the most that would benefit the community that she serves.


Here are the items the she requests in this order:

1) School supplies such as pencils, "Big Chief" tablets, erasers, etc...

2) Books in Arabic please, remember where we are. Hopefully your book stores will assist in finding them for you. Consider asking a local Mosque for help.

3) baby formula

4) diapers

5) baby wipes

6) Children & Adult vitamins

7) Children's clothes ( all sizes)


When purchasing these items please be "culturally sensitive" remember, our intent is to put an "Iraqi face" on what we do. No squirt guns, anything that looks like a weapon or a gun is not compatible with our mission here. Let's not get an American Soldier hurt accidentally.

I noticed, but forgot to ask, that there were no TOYS in evidence that they are asking for so cease fire on those.


LTC Patrick Turner
Camp Liberty

If you would like to support the CMOC and LTC Patrick Turner's project, please drop me an email at kehenry1_at_hotmail_dot_com for his contact info.

- May no soldier go unloved

Thunder Run Correspondent in the Sand Box: The Hug

Thunder Run Correspondent says that he is "dusted in" due to a sand storm so he has a few moments to write another dispatch:

I think we’ve all had that sixth sense that something is missing. You may be walking in the woods and realize that there is something different. The birds have stopped chirping, or there is a lack of background noise. Well, I just realized that I’ve been here for several days now, and I have heard very few complaints.

Now I have an honorable discharge from the Navy and an honorable discharge from the Army. I can say that I have heard a wide spectrum of truly unique and creative complaints. I’ve heard people who would win gold in world class complaining. We used to have a saying in the Navy that if the bitching stops, prepare for a mutiny.

The secret weapon in today’s arsenal against complaining is - (drumroll please) “The Hug.” It is also known as “Da Hug.” I’ve seen it once.

Read the rest here.






- May no soldier go unloved

David from Thunder Run has got an inside into the Sandbox. He just arrived in Kuwait.

What am I doing in Kuwait? I have travelled here to provide support to an Expeditionary Medical Facility as they switch into sustainment mode. Most of my 20 years in the DoD have been in the support role. I think I have one of the best jobs in the world. My customers are also my heroes.[snip]

Dave, you oughta see it. This place is covered with highly motivated Americans (military, civilian, and contractor). These people have this place running as smooth as glass. They support what is going on up north, and I have never seen more talented and "switched on" people. They are the NEXT GEN. The up and coming generation. These people have their game faces on and they exercise their free will and initiative... to America's advantage. I met with Chief N from Maryland. He was very protective of his people. During a "dog and pony" walk through, I saw him slow down three times and fix three problems on the spot. He was unashamed that he gave non-standard, out-of-the-box solutions right in front of us "representatives from BIG NAVY." I believe he would have bit someone's ass if they had let the system fail. There is no playing games here. I saw no Mickey Mouse crap.

Read the rest and then stay tuned for updates.
- May no soldier go unloved

Wednesday Heroes on Friday

My bad, again. Things seem to fly by and I am not honoring my committment to honor our heroes every Wednesday. So, we'll make an extra effort today. Double posting about our heroes.

We still have graphics problems. We'll get them fixed, but don't let it take away from the experience of reading about some great heroes.

First up, our traditional post:

Melodye - http://songofthemorning.blogspot.com

Spc. Josiah H. Vandertulip
21 years old from Irving, Texas
2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division
October 14, 2004

Louise Vandertulip fussed at her son about his spending. He bought wild, overpriced hats that had flames on them or horns coming out of the top, she said.

While in Army basic training, he bought portraits of himself. His mother told him to save his money.

She's glad he didn't listen.

The hats and the pictures are all a part of her memories now.

Spc. Josiah H. Vandertulip was killed in Baghdad when his patrol came under small arms fire.

Josiah Vandertulip joined the Army right after his graduation from Irving High School in 2002. He spent a year in South Korea before being stationed at Texas' Fort Hood in February. Against his mother's advice, he volunteered to go to Iraq. She told him to wait, to go to college.

"When he was determined to do something in his heart, he would do it and hell or high water couldn't keep him from it," she said

By going, he knew someone else with a young family could be saved from serving, relatives said.

He always had the important things right, Louise Vandertulip said.

"There's a lot of rest in knowing that he died doing what he believed in and doing what he thought was right," she said.

"We have a much more real sense of the cost for the freedom that we enjoy now," said his father, Robert Vandertulip.

"Josiah was the first brand new soldiers I recieved as a dismounted team leader in Korea. He was one of the Best soldiers I have had the honor to train and work with. He loved being a soldier as much as any guy I have met. He was a great leader in the absence of his superiors. I could always count on him to make sure the mission was accomplished. I watched him change over the year I had him from a goofy kid, to a hard charging soldier."
Sgt. Nickolas Faul

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesay Hero, you can go here.

From Blackfive Someone You Should Know - PFC Stephen Sanford

In late November, 2005, during an assault on a house in Mosul, Iraq, filled with terrorists, PFC Stephen Sanford of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, was hit in the leg. The house erupted in rifle fire and grenades. Soldiers were hit and dying on the first floor of the house.

Though wounded in the leg, Sanford charged back in with his team, laying down suppressive fire while his team mates evacuated the wounded.

On the second evacuation of wounded, Sanford again (bleeding) kept the terrorists at bay while the wounded were evac'd. While assisting the last wounded soldier out of the house, a terrorist shot the soldier assisting the wounded troop. The soldier dropped to the floor - shot through the neck.

Sanford ran back and began performing first aid, then CPR trying to keep the soldier alive.

He received the Distinguished Service Cross. Read the rest and watch the video further down. It's about 28 minutes, but it highlights many heroes from the war on terror.

Also, from Blackfive, a Silver Star recipient, Maj. Jim Gant

Al-Qaeda had planned an elaborate running ambush in which they hoped to destroy the unit that had been their nemesis for more than a month. They had prepared three separate ambush sites along a four kilometer stretch of road. Gant and his commandos were forced to run a gauntlet of machinegun fire, mortar attacks and IEDs. The story of Gant’s, fight that day is an amazing tale of heroism, filled with scenes you would expect to see on the silver screen. Gant repeatedly risked his life to save others. The insurgents had planted IEDs hoping that an explosion would force the embattled convoy to stop.

Gant ordered his driver to drive straight for the first IED. As they rolled within twenty feet, the device detonated. Miraculously, Gant’s HMMWV was unscathed. Gant kept the column moving through a vicious gun battle. Another IED lie only five hundred yards ahead. Again, they went after the planted explosive and, again, a thunderous explosion failed to disable Gant’s vehicle. Almost clear of the ambush, Gant noticed a third IED. He continued to push forward, bringing his convoy safely through the torrent of fire. Had Gant hesitated, good men would have died.

Speaking about the Iraqi men that he knew and fought with, Maj. Gant said:

If you knew them as I do, you would not be so quick to want to leave. If you could see with your own eyes the evil that is perpetrated on innocent men, women and children here on a daily basis, you would not be so quick to call it quits.

Colonel Dhafer, you and brave men like you are the hope and future of your country. I wish I were the hope and future of my country. Because if I were, I would not leave you until this job was done. No matter the sacrifice. No matter the price.

Hooah!

Centcom brings us a story of another unsung hero, the one that detonates the IEDs that don't wound or kill our men and women; the ones that you never hear about on TV because no one bleeds or dies. Except, sometimes they do and it is but a two sentence at the bottom of a report that lists the dead and wounded of the day.

Staff Sgt Albietz, Air Force EOD

Albietz was the leader of an explosives team at Kirkuk Regional Air Base in Iraq, and was tasked with locating and disarming or destroying homemade bombs throughout a 42,000-square-kilometer area. As a result, Albietz was often caught in dangerous situations, with insurgent attacks always looming. In total, he was involved in more than 110 combat missions.

In one such mission, Albietz and his team were called in to disarm a bomb that was blocking a logistical convoy trying to pass through the area. As the enemy fired from multiple locations, Albietz’s team successfully disabled the bomb.

That is 110 bombs that did not kill or wound a single soldier or civilian. And, they often did it under fire or direct threat; above and beyond the possibility of losing life and limb from the explosive.

How about some more "unsung heroes"? You know, the folks that are doing some really hard work in the shadows, beyond the fame and adrenaline of combat, are the engineers and civil affairs folks.

Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Southern Iraq – Progress Toward Independence

Dr. Anna Prouse, team leader for the Dhi Qar PRT, said it was challenging at first when no one from the provincial government wanted to meet. She said as time went on, however, the local officials began to trust them and now they are having the Provincial Reconstruction Development Council at least once a week.

" Iraq is small steps, it's relationships," she said. "If the governor does not believe in me, if the chief of police tries to blow me up every time I get out of that gate, then I will never be able to build anything. So the first months were just, work hard and show them that you really have enthusiasm, and that the whole team really believes in this."

Prouse has been in Iraq since 2003, so she is very familiar with what success will take and what it will mean for the Iraqis. She spoke about what her current team was doing to help ensure the Iraqis have a better future.

"'Reconstruction' is sort of [a] misleading word, because I'm not actually here to rebuild," she said. "I'm not here to do the 'brick and mortar' thing. Iraqis can do it, and they probably can do it much better than I. I'm here to build capacity, build this country from the roots, and the roots is the minds, the roots is the education, the health system. Not just put in a clinic, and don't care whether doctors, whether nurses exist, [but] whether they actually know how to maintain a hospital.”

Since we're on the subject of unsung heroes, don't forget that Friday is Military Spouse Appreciation Day! In that honor, I would like to point you to a great blog run by, you guessed it, military spouses: Spouse Buzz

They bill themselves thusly:

SpouseBUZZ is your virtual Family Support Group, where we can celebrate and embrace the tie that binds us all -- military service. This blog exists because of you. We have authors and contributors to keep the conversation going here, but we need you to become an active participant. Submit your comments, questions and suggestions for topics you would like to see our authors address. SpouseBUZZ will make you think, make you laugh and make you cry. Most of all, we hope you feel instantly connected to the thousands of other spouses with whom you share a common experience

At the milblog conference last week, Sarah from trying to GROK said this about being a military spouse:

...I pointed out to my husband something that every servicemember needs to remember when he thinks of his family back home. We’ve never been to Iraq or Afghanistan. We don’t know what it’s like. We imagine the worst, and our mental war zone would probably seem cartoonish to you. But we simply can’t fully grasp what war is like. And while you know when you’re safe or bored or having a slow day, we don’t. Many times you can see danger coming if you have to go on a mission and you can emotionally prepare yourself to let slip the dogs of war; we have to stay emotionally prepared for the entire deployment, never sure of when your mortality is on the line. Your deployment is filled with the ebb and flow of adrenaline; your life is monotonous days punctuated by moments of anxiety or excitement; our adrenaline is always half-on, since every moment that we’re not on the phone with you is a moment when you’re possibly in danger. Such is the life for those on the homefront, those who stand and wait. Such is the life my husband can’t begin to understand, any more than I can really understand his...

A recent post at Spouse Buzz seems to call to mind exactly what is required of a military spouse: Keeping the Home Fires Burning

Over the years, hubby and I have worked on stoking those fires extensively, trying many things with many different results. Snap, crackle, pop is not only about Rice Crispies.

The amount of time hubby and other "Super-Suits" are gone, though present some very unique situations. On the one hand, I appreciate him more than I ever could if he were always home. I am well aware of what I am missing when he is gone, and I'll move Heaven and Earth to make sure coming home is always a good experience for him, and something to look forward to and long for. On the other hand, it's very easy to get caught up in the daily grind of homeschooling four children, keeping my house clean, mowing the back yard, and trying to plan nutritious yet tasty meals that appeal to the Chicken Nugget generation; the end result of this being that sometimes when hubby is gone for a few weeks I forget to shave my legs with any regularity.

And then, of course, there is also the dreaded and yet somewhat unavoidable irritation at having to focus so much of my work on someone else and occasionally feeling like I wish someone would focus that much attention on me. I have been known, on occasion, to consider advertising for my own wife.

Yeah, you'll want to read the rest.

Someone from Soldiers' Angels KC Myspace network sent me this story of an RAF Officer who received the Military Cross. From Soldiers' Angels Europe story of a hero from our allies:

In one firefight he left the protection of his vehicle and forced his way to the front line without regard for his personal safety. In another attack, the fire he directed from the air was on a Taliban target only 30 metres from his position. But the risk was essential given the ferocious weight of fire coming in, which would otherwise have resulted in significant casualties.

In a further incident he was part of a force being dropped off by helicopter at night to capture a high-value Taliban leader, but the Chinook pilot had to take off after just 20 seconds with Flt Lt Carter still onboard due to sudden incoming fire.

Without regard for himself Flt Lt Carter jumped out of the Chinook from 15 ft (4½ metres), landed in a ditch and instantly began directing fire onto Taliban positions. He gallantly and repeatedly risked his life during all contacts with the enemy.

And he's very handsome, too.

Since a soldier just returned from Afghanistan sent a message saying that he and his buddies were forgotten, I thought I'd make special mention of some of their deeds:

Operation Achilles - Break in the Fight

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - After spending more than 45 days on-mission, most Paratroopers would be happy with a shower and a few days to rest before regrouping and heading back out to fight the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. The Paratroopers from the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, are no different.

“It is just great to be able to get a bath, haircut and a shave,” said Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Hall, 1/508th PIR battalion communications chief.

Catamounts receive awards of valor for endeavors during deployment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTY, Afghanistan — Soldiers of 2nd Battalion 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, were awarded medals of valor by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team commander in ceremonies held at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E and FOB Tillman May 4.

Army Col. John Nicholson, Task Force Spartan commander, travelled to the TF Catamount area of operations to personally present awards of valor to the Soldiers.

The Catamounts have worked under 4th BCT, 82nd Airborne Division, since TF Spartan’s extension in Afghanistan. The infantrymen were the only part of the 3rd BCT to remain in the southern sector of Regional Command-East following the extension. The work of 2-87 in the south has been impeccable, a point of pride for Nicholson and subordinate brigade leaders.

“This battalion has always risen to the occasion in all aspects of the battle,” said Nicholson.

Awarded during each ceremony were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, the Purple Heart and the Silver Star for valor.

“Every one of these medals is significant,” said Nicholson. “They are tangible reminders of the fact that you cared for your country, your duty and your fellow comrades more than you cared for your own life.”

Catamount Commander Army Lt. Col. Chris Toner accompanied Nicholson and awarded medals to his Soldiers. Toner has led the Catamounts through a very successful rotation in Afghanistan. Even in the face of the brigade’s sudden extension, Toner and his Soldiers remained vigilant and continued to hold the enemy at bay.

“We have become very familiar with the territory,” said Army Sgt. Shane Ruiz, a team leader for Alpha Co., 2-87 who has received an ARCOM, AAM, Combat Infantry Badge and a Purple Heart. “We have continued to crush the enemy on all fronts. We continue to delay their major operations, surprising them with our knowledge and our force.”

The battalion will continue to distribute medals to its Soldiers as they return to the states. The paths the Catamounts have blazed have paved the way and set a strong example in the southern sector. Their accomplishments will remain long after their departure.

And don't miss this story from January about two women medics who have earned the respect of their fellow soldiers and the Afghan Kandak they work with. A little taste:

In another incident, 3rd Kandak soldiers were ambushed by insurgents with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms during a patrol. An ANA general was in the convoy and bravely exposed himself to fire to direct his troops. Stapleton jumped from his Humvee to guard the general as he continued to give orders. Turner drove her Humvee into the firefight with another soldier manning the crew-served weapon in the turret. The ANA respected the medics even more when they saw that Turner was not afraid or hysterical. She didn't hesitate to take care of her brothers in a firefight.

"The ANA guys treat us like family now," Turner said. "They call us mother and sister."

Oh, yeah, you'll want to read the rest of this one, too.

It's a difficult thing for many medics to postpone treating casualties until a firefight is over. But they have been taught that no one is safe, including their patients, until the enemy threat is neutralized. Even the best medical care won't help a casualty if they are subsequently injured in further fighting.

"If we have to lay hot lead down range and then treat casualties, that's what we do," Ivanov said.

These are just a few of our heroes. No one tells you about them. They are quiet behind the media lines that only know the names of the dead. But, we at Soldiers' Angels support heroes like this every day. Help us support these heroes and more. Join us at Soldiers' Angels. It doesn't take much but a few words in a letter and a stamp to be a soldiers' hero. Be one.

PS...Military Spouse Appreciation Day is here. Forgot to something for Home Front Six? You can support the troops and show her or him that you appreciate them with a gift certificate from spa emergency. And don't forget, Mother's Day is Sunday. Give your hero a day at the spa.

- May no soldier go unloved

LTC Turner: Iraq Update May 5, 2007

Please be advised that the only parts of this message that were edited were to insure compliance with OPSEC regulations and insure the safety of our current and future serving men and women in theater. Beyond that, totally the words of LTC Turner.


From LTC Patrick Turner:

Last email sent 45 days ago. Last time we visited I finished up a trip down to Kuwait and was preparing for a trip to Baquoba, Iraq or what we call FOB Warhorse. There, a certain sized unit engages in daily combat with Sunni insurgents and Al Qaeda. My mission, in earlier April, was to ascertain the level of support for the exchange system, inspect equipment, make an assessment and so forth. From Camp Liberty where I am based, I had to helo up to Balad, Iraq and sometimes it is called Camp Anaconda about 30 minutes (depending on how circuitous the route is) in flight. For the first time, I was able to fly in the daytime at low level to Balad and pulled out my video camera and got a pretty close view of the countryside. Also took some pretty interesting still pictures with my Olympus FE-190 digital which is a wonderful camera my wife and I have found out. Flew into Balad and had to "hang out" for several hours as flights going into Warhorse are done at night. Being as there has been recent helo issues, I voted along with the crew for this option.





For the first time in Iraq, I flew in a CH47 which is a large helicopter with two large rotor blades. Had not been on one in awhile and they fly with the back door down and a .30 caliber machine gun braced onto the tail. Of course, the rear crewman wears night vision goggles so he could certainly see a lot better than me. The helo flies, not surprisingly, in total blackout because the pilots wear the night vision goggles as well. We swooped in pretty fast and landed. I exited off one side of the pad and missed my contact and had to walk probably 1.5 kilometers until I could line up my bunk for the night. Normally I need the exercise but I don't like walking long distances in full body armor, weapon, backpack and briefcase of sorts. Certainly was sweaty and finding out I was going to be on a cot did not exactly make me enthusiastic.


Conducted my inspection and so forth with the local management and engaged the Mayoral cell as well. Was able to get inside their command post and see how they track the battle and what vision devices they have as well and it was "interesting". I was invited to a officer's call that night and some 2LT got promoted, smoke cigars and so forth and just plain male bonding because there are so few females. But assuredly, there is no alcohol in Iraq unless you illegally import it. Next morning, had to get up early and the bird landed 45 minutes ahead of time at [redacted] as it is very rare to fly during the day. Unfortunately, the windows to the Blackhawk had no windows. I tried initially to video but flying 130 miles an hour almost blew my camera and ballistic glasses off my head. I knew the pilot would be very aggressive in terms of speed to take off since this is a tough area. Onward we flew back to Camp Liberty in about 30 minutes or so and surprisingly saw some vegetation and trees but bad guys all over the place only you can't see them readily. Flew over one town and saw the Mahdi army black flag waving from a large building so I guess I know who they belong to: the Shias.

Found out later in the day that 21 bodies were found tortured and burned and dumped from Baquoba that morning. The base is only [redacted] but only got two mortar or rocket rounds that night. We have a very aggressive officer in charge at Warhorse I am told at Baquoba and an extensive article was written in the New York Times recently on this place.

Able finally in early April to attend a social gathering of so called Intelligence personnel and must admit met some strange, but interesting, characters to include a couple of Iraqi generals. It was a good night to meet some new people and pick up news around the Theatre. Had some nice spaghetti which I don't normally care for but it was done right and good casual conversation was had. Out near a pool but since the water can be brackish I passed on the opportunity but the mosquitoes or their variation had their piece of me.






By the time 20 Apr 07 rolled around I was ready to visit Al Anbar province in western Iraq and made a 11 day visit there, returning on 1 May. Of course, this is United States Marine territory but there are surprisingly a number of army units sprinkled throughout the four locations I helo'd to: Falluja, Ramadi, Al Asad and Taqqadam or normally called "TQ". Trying to get from Camp Liberty to Falluja is horrendous. I was on "Space A helo" and it meant, for a 13 minute helo ride, I had to sit at the heliport a total of 9 hours over two different days. Fortunately, it was not 130 degrees and ultimately, I flew at night. This time, I finally was able to fly in a Marine CH46 which is about 80% of the size of a CH47 where you can put about 8-9 people on each side instead of more. And, which is unusual, they have a side machine gunner just behind each pilot to provide defense. We had a Cobra gunship for support on our flight and I thought those things went away in the 1990s but the Marines are still using them. They are even using "Huey" helos as supporting gunships. Maybe they are cheaper, I don't know. Well, we corkscrewed somehow onto the helipad and as always, its perfectly dark, loud as hell but fortunately someone was there to pick us up.







We drive extensively around Falluja and it is a larger based than you would imagine. But, you can hear the gunfire not too far away and mortar illumination rounds are being constantly fired to support our Marines in nighttime combat operations. Not too far where we slept, a 156mm mortar shot several times (outbound is always good) and who knows what they were trying to do. The reception of the local Marines was very gratifying even if I was an "army dude". I wore my army desert uniform from 2005 to blend in a little more with the Marines since the army digital uniform is so different so maybe that was appreciated to some degree. Traveling with a civilian and a Marine warrant officer, I always like someone telling me where to go in strange places.

We conducted our business and could not fly out until [redacted] or so to Ramadi. Ramadi has a number of local populace who are of ill repute to be sure. We took off for Ramadi in another double rotor helo and got about halfway to Ramadi at about I would guess [redacted] feet. I was seated in the right rear of the craft and bookended by my two traveling partners. I saw the Crewchief suddenly duck down while he was peeking out the "back door" and my two buds observed a spray of red tracers come up right behind or onto our helo so I guess the Bush pacification program is not working at that zip code presently.

The pilot took immediate aggressive action by banking hard [redacted] and it forced me momentarily to think I was on a ride at Six Flags only the stakes were different this time: it was real and this was no drill. We gained speed and landed quickly/directly into an airport at Taqqadam in an emergency stop. We had to de-ass the helo which the crew checked for bullet holes and so forth. The guy traveling next to me said he heard three hits on the helo but I did not. So by the time we finally got to Ramadi and to bed it was late-as always. Hey-I would jump in a pickup truck to go from place to place but the odds on completing that mission would be tenuous-at best.

The second day I was at Ramadi coming out of the Mess Hall when about 1/2 mile away, just outside the wire was the largest explosion I have heard in Iraq and then about 10 minutes later another, but not as large. Seems like another suicide bomber in a car, called a "VBIED" (vehicle borne improvised explosive device) wanted to service his 45 virgins or whatever and took about 10 policemen with him and the terrorists are smart enough to also bomb what we call the first responders minutes later. Many of the wounded were treated on base I was advised for humanitarian reasons. While I was gone out west, I just remembered that a rocket or mortar hit our Mess Hall at Camp Liberty (Baghdad) after hours but due to having a "e-barrier", which is a double tier of steel protection over this high occupancy facility so I guess there was some action.






Went to Al Asad next which is a huge base out in Western Iraq; flew in a Marine Stallion I think it is called and is a large helo. Took 35 minutes or so to come from Ramadi and did not get to bed until 0400 as we fly 98% of the time at night or very, very early morning to avoid mischief. Toured the base, among other things and took shots (attached) of several destroyed Russian planes and equipment and so forth which is laying around inert. We fly A10 Warthogs out of here as evidenced by getting up pretty close to the flight line in my pics. All in all, certainly a desert base with a lot of people. Met the base commander Colonel and exchanged a number of views. He told me Al Asad had not taken indirect fire for 4 months but can't say that about the previous two stops.







Went onto Taqqadam the next day for two days and an extra day for waiting. Checked all of their equipment, i.e. vehicles and forklifts which needed a lot of attention. Am creating an entire program for maintenance of the vehicles and forklifts and so forth as I have a lot of experience in doing this in a previous life. I love organizing things like this to help the cause in anyway I can. Met lots of Marines obviously and exchanged a lot of viewpoints. They think different to be sure but at the end of the day we are all fighters in the end. Took about a day and a half to finally get out of Taqqadam, which is the headquarters for the Marine Expeditionary Force, back to the Baghdad area. Normally this is a about a 20 minute helo ride going east but priorities and routes were not timed for me so I had to ride a C130 fixed wing for 30 minutes all the way back to Al Asad and then fly from there into Baghdad Intl Airport. See how 20 minutes turns into three hours before you know it?

There is daily action around here wherein you here firing all the time and is not necessarily at a firing range. We have UAVs fly over and we have a large hot dog shaped balloon/eye in the sky to tract difficulties and pinpoint targets for counter battery fire.

Still continue to get tremendous personal and cell support from Soldiers Angels and the friends I have met there. Everything is shared amongst the men in the cell. Snacks, non fiction books and you name it show up and it does not take long to cross level, believe me. A friend from my old unit in the Dallas area, a LTC Pete Wells, a resident of Fort Worth is the XO of a Civil Affairs unit so we are already doing things and exchanging items and so forth for their benefit and ours. Right now, we are trying to get Pete any viable toys for his unit to give to Iraq children and we will be happy to pass along. The only thing I offer that our cell needs presently is USED DVD movies so if you have any that you don't want, don't like and is not children's fare, pls send and we will definitely share. No Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon or Bubbra Streisand movies, please as it makes the men sick to their stomach and we just ran though our last pallet of pepto bismol......



It hit 100 degrees yesterday for the first time so we are preparing for the heat the best way we can. I try to walk daily in no matter how hot it is as that helps my stamina. When I will go out to the field when it is 130 degrees, and in the direct sun, in full battle rattle I will lost more weight but the key is to stay dehydrated. There are always pallet fulls of plastic water bottles to help with your thirst as you can get a heat injury pretty quick.

Well it took me over three days to write this. Forgive the spelling and syntax errors as I am always in a rush.

Thanks for your support, Mom.


LTC Patrick Turner
AAFES Military Operations Senior LNO

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- May no soldier go unloved