2 Freedom Watch Magazine

Freedom Watch Staff

Commander Air Force Maj. Elizabeth Ortiz

NCOICTech. Sgt. Aaron Cram

Print ChiefAir Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis

EditorAir Force Staff Sgt. Sarah Gregory

Staff WriterSenior Airman Christine Collier

Visit the CJTF-82 Web site at www.cjtf82.com

Freedom Watch is a weekly publication of Combined Joint Task Force-82.

CJTF-82 Commander Army Maj. Gen. David M. Rodriguez

RC East Public Affairs Offi cer Army Lt. Col. David A. Accetta

Freedom Watch, a Department of Defense publication, is published each Monday by the American Forces Network – Afghani-stan Print Section, Bldg. 415, Room 205 at Bagram Airfi eld, Afghanistan. Printed circu-lation is 5,000 copies per week.

In accordance with DoD Instruction 5120.4, this DoD newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military overseas.

Contents of the Freedom Watch are not necessarily the offi cial view of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government or the Department of Defense.

Deadline for submissions is noon local each Friday. All submissions are subject to editing by the AFN-A Print Section. We can be reached at DSN 318-431-3338.

COVER: Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason McDowell, 33rd Expe-ditionary Rescue Squadron, inspects an HH-60 Pave Hawk at Bagram Airfi eld. Photo: Air Force Capt. Mike Meridith

BACK COVER: An Afghan boy poses for the camera outside Bagram Airfi eld’s Egyptian Field Hospital. The hospital, which boasts specialties such as pediatrics, ophthalmology, dentistry and surgery, treats Afghan people for no cost. Photo: Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis

WASHINGTON – The Army launched its latest Web site, Grow the Army, to illustrate upcoming troop movements and upcoming unit-stationing changes.

The site, www.army.mil/growthearmy, features interactive maps, charts and graphs to show Soldiers and their families where the Army’s new 74,200 Soldiers, six infantry brigade combat teams, eight active-component support brigades and various-sized

Army launches troop-stationing Web site

Army

NavySailors offered opportunity to sound off

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – The Navy is currently polling a select group of Sailors on retention as part of the Navy Quick Poll pro-gram used to measure Sailors’ views on specifi c issues. Sailors who have been selected to participate have until early January to com-plete this on-line poll.

“The poll was created as a supplement to the Stay Navy cam-paign implemented to improve retention. From the poll we can receive answers to why Sailors choose to reenlist,” said retention quick poll organizer Lt. Cmdr. Lee Levells.

Maximum participation in this scientifi c quick poll is desired to achieve the best results.

“We want to know what is on the mind of our Sailors. This is the best way as a whole to express their satisfaction with the Navy,” said Master Chief Petty Offi cer career counselor Jeff Ken-namore. “Results are given directly to leadership who shape the policies that could potentially keep more Sailors.”

Approximately 8,000 Sailors were randomly selected to partici-pate in the poll. Participants will be notifi ed by their command career counselor, according to Dr. Paul Rosenfeld, head of Navy Personnel Research, Studies and Technology survey group, which is responsible for conducting the quick poll.

“Basically, a Navy message gets sent to commands throughout the Navy. We randomly selected Sailors for inclusion in the poll,” said Rosenfeld. “The Sailors who are selected at each command are listed in the message and the message asks the commanding offi cer to designate the command career counselor to contact those listed in the message and ask that they take the poll.”

Quick polling, managed by NPRST, is designed to target one specifi c subject with a limited number of questions and provide Navy leaders with results within a few weeks.

Selected Sailors take the poll online at the Quick Poll Web site at http://quickpolling.nprst.navy.mil/index.htm.

The Web site will only allow the randomly selected Sailors noti-fi ed via Navy message to log in and complete the poll. Results of previous quick polls are also available on the Web site.

For more news from Navy Personnel Command Navy, visit www.navy.mil/local/npc/.

combat-support and combat-service-support units will move, grow or activate between fi scal years 2008 and 2013.

“The Army is undergoing the largest transformational change since 1942,” said Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Richard Cody. “We’ve changed our doctrine. We’ve changed our organiza-tional structure to the Army modular force.

“We’ve changed the active component and the reserve compo-nent, balancing between formations. We’ve changed moderniza-tion and reset programs, and at the same time, under the Base Realignment and Closure Act 2005, we’re changing the footprint of our Army to make it more agile, more expeditionary, but also to place our formations and our family members in camps and sta-tions that have a higher quality of life, a higher quality of training ranges so we have the right formations so we are training as we would fi ght.”

States are color-coded and users can click on them to see specifi c stationing changes. Texas, for example, is scheduled to gain units at both Fort Bliss and Fort Hood because of both 2005 BRAC de-cisions and new stationing decisions, so the state will be light green on the Web site’s map.

Fort Bliss expects to gain more than 25,000 Soldiers, the 1st Armored Division from Germany, three brigade combat teams, in-cluding one from Germany, and a fi res brigade. It will be marked on the map by green, dark blue and blue stars to represent “Infan-try Brigade Combat Team,” “Grow the Army” and “Other Sta-tioning Decisions,” respectively.

Fort Hood is scheduled to gain slightly less than 6,000 Soldiers, an air-defense-artillery brigade headquarters and a sustainment brigade. It has a dark blue star on the map for “Grow the Army.”

Downloadable fact sheets also describe the changes for each state, as well as installations overseas.

“We were given the concept about two weeks ago but we didn’t have the content to work with. As soon as we got the comp ap-proved, the team worked to build out the site with the functional-ity where you could click on each state included in the plan. We then worked to build out the fact sheets with the information giv-en,” said Shannon Sady, art director for the Army.mil team.

WASHINGTON - Military spouses now have a larger scholarship pool to draw from, thanks to a new partnership between the Nation-al Military Family Association and the Fisher House Foundation.

The collaboration will enable the NMFA to expand its Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarship Program to many more deserving spouses, association offi cials said.

“With 55 years of combined experience serving military families, both NMFA and Fisher House Foundation are acutely aware of the challenges and hardships facing today’s military families,” Tanna Schmidli, chairman of the NMFA’s board of governors, said. “We are thrilled to be working together on this very important project supporting military spouses.”

Joanne Holbrook Patton Military Spouse Scholarships are awarded to military spouses to obtain professional certifi cation or to attend post-secondary or graduate school. They normally range from $500 to $1,000 and may be used for tuition, fees, and school room and board. Spouses of uniformed servicemembers, including active duty, National Guardsmen, Reservists, retirees and survivors of any branch or rank are eligible to apply. Applications will be ac-cepted online at www.nmfa.org/scholarship Jan. 1 through Feb. 29.

DODPartnership gives spouses gift of education

15

Freedom Watch Staff

Commander Air Force Maj. Elizabeth Ortiz

NCOICTech. Sgt. Aaron Cram

Print ChiefAir Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis

EditorAir Force Staff Sgt. Sarah Gregory

Staff WriterSenior Airman Christine Collier

Visit the CJTF-82 Web site at www.cjtf82.com

Freedom Watch is a weekly publication of Combined Joint Task Force-82.

CJTF-82 Commander Army Maj. Gen. David M. Rodriguez

RC East Public Affairs Offi cer Army Lt. Col. David A. Accetta

Freedom Watch, a Department of Defense publication, is published each Monday by the American Forces Network – Afghani-stan Print Section, Bldg. 415, Room 205 at Bagram Airfi eld, Afghanistan. Printed circu-lation is 5,000 copies per week.

In accordance with DoD Instruction 5120.4, this DoD newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the U.S. military overseas.

Contents of the Freedom Watch are not necessarily the offi cial view of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government or the Department of Defense.

Deadline for submissions is noon local each Friday. All submissions are subject to editing by the AFN-A Print Section. We can be reached at DSN 318-431-3338.

COVER: Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason McDowell, 33rd Expe-ditionary Rescue Squadron, inspects an HH-60 Pave Hawk at Bagram Airfi eld. Photo: Air Force Capt. Mike Meridith

BACK COVER: An Afghan boy poses for the camera outside Bagram Airfi eld’s Egyptian Field Hospital. The hospital, which boasts specialties such as pediatrics, ophthalmology, dentistry and surgery, treats Afghan people for no cost. Photo: Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis

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Jan. 7, 2008

Freedom Watch

5 8Freedom Watch Magazine 3

One good turn‘Wheel’ that saves lives: Airmen augment Soldiers for

medevac missions

Overcoming the elementsANA, ARSIC-N launch operation despite impending winter

Books, beyondSoldiers, Afghans celebrate school opening

Seasonal salutationsHolidays bring ton of mail to TF Bayonet

IncomingGuns up! ‘Artillery wins the fi refi ght’

Courageous conductA life saved ... unexpectedly

The right medicine Behind the scenes: Airmen help open Afghan National Army hospital

4 Freedom Watch Magazine

Story and photo by Air Force Capt. Michael Meridith

455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Days after de-ploying here, Tech. Sgt. Stephen Thackery saw first-

hand the cost of the Taliban’s war on the Afghan people, and responded as he was trained – by saving lives.

About a week after his arrival, the 33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron medic was on alert when the call came. A suicide bombing had resulted in a large number of casualties. While two other squadron medics, Tech. Sgt. David Denton and Tech. Sgt. Nicholas Falcon, flew out to the scene on Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters, Thackery flew out alone on one of the squadron’s HH-60 Pave Hawks.

“I treated four patients in the course of two missions; all were critical,” he said. “We had everything from fractures and shrapnel wounds to cardiac arrests.”

Since February 2006, Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk he-licopters, like those assigned to the 33rd ERQS, have been flying alongside Army aircraft to provide medical evacuation throughout Afghanistan.

“During a mission, my training sets in and I start doing triage in my head. I work on one patient while I’m thinking about how I’ll treat the other,” said Thackery. “I don’t think about what I’ve been through until afterward.”

For medics like Thackery, whose experiences are with the Air Force’s aeromedical evacuation mission, medevac is some-thing entirely new. While medevac missions move patients via helicopter from the point of injury – where they are often in critical condition – to a nearby medical facility, AE missions usually fly stabilized patients aboard fixed-wing aircraft from a medical facility to a higher level of care.

Typical AE missions can have anywhere from one to three nurses and two-to-four medical technicians. If a patient is in critical condition with burns or breathing trouble, a critical-care transport team is added to the flight. The CCATT usu-ally consists of a doctor, a nurse and a respiratory technician. However, things are far different for the medevac mission.

“On our missions we are the only medical provider on the aircraft,” said Tech. Sgt. William Crain, 33rd ERQS. “Be-tween us and the rest of the crew, we are the critical care team for the patient and we can make the difference whether the patient makes it to the next level of care or dies.”

Crain, who is also a firefighter/paramedic with the Hillsbor-ough County, Fla., Fire Rescue Department, says the nature of the mission – sometimes flying directly into harm’s way to pick up patients from the battlefield – means additional responsibilities for the medics.

“We’re not just medics – we’re part of the crew,” Crain said. “We’re always alert for danger and looking around until we get to the scene.”

That shared responsibility and interaction between the en-tire crew – medics, pilots, flight engineer, aerial gunners and the maintainers back at the base – is just one part of what

Thackery calls “the wheel,” where each person is a spoke that helps ensure the entire mission turns properly.

“For a lot of our maintainers, it’s a race to see who can get out to the helicopter first when the call to launch comes,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Sean Siegal, the squadron’s mainte-nance production superintendent. “The person who launches it gets to paint a green foot on the door representing the ‘save’ when it returns.”

Despite the dusty Kandahar weather, which makes main-taining the Pave Hawks a tough job, Siegal says he and his maintainers are glad to be part of the mission. “We work hard but you don’t hear many complaints. When we look back, we’ll be proud of what we did here.”

Although the medevac mission is still fairly new for the Air Force, most among the 33rd ERQS find the challenges person-ally rewarding.

“Most of the missions are very challenging because of the terrain, weather and low-illumination [many missions are flown at night]. Every time you go out it is something dif-ferent, but it’s rewarding to help someone who’s injured and needs your help,” said flight engineer, Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Gyokeres.

Despite the rewards, the nature of the mission means Air-men are often exposed to the harsh results of the Taliban’s violent extremism – both against Coalition forces and the Af-ghan people. However, the camaraderie shared by this close-knit unit helps them keep a balanced perspective and main-tain their focus on the mission.

“It’s part of our daily life,” said Thackery. “But we talk about it among ourselves and it helps. The people we work with are extremely professional and our motivation is to help get patients safely back to their families. It’s a noble thing and it is the high point of my career.”

‘Wheel’ that saves lives: Airmen augment Soldiers for medevac missions

Tech. Sgt. Stephen Thackery, 33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron medic, stands by one of the squadron’s HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters at Kandahar Airfi eld. Since February 2006, HH-60s, like those assigned to the 33rd ERQS, have been fl ying alongside Army helicopters to help with medical evacuation throughout Afghanistan.

Freedom Watch Magazine 5

Story and photo by Petty Offi cer 2nd Class Brian SeymourCombined Security Transition

Command-Afghanistan Public Affairs

QAYSAR, Afghanistan - U.S. Army-embedded training teams from the

Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-North show Afghan National Security Forces that the mission contin-ues despite poor weather conditions.

The mission, known as Operation Four Seasons, is a continuation of Operation Shaheen Sahara, conducted during much of November in both Faryab and Badghis Provinces.

In an effort to stabilize the region, coalition members from ARSIC-N and International Security Assistance Forces from Regional Command-North planned to team up with the ANSF during Four Seasons. Due to weather however, only the American trainers and mentors from ARSIC-N were able to reach the farthest western province in the northern region, which allowed the first leg of the opera-tion to take place.

Four Seasons was a multi-faceted co-ordination between the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and their Coalition mentors. The mission consist-ed of a police presence, humanitarian-as-sistance missions to remote villages and site reconnaissance for implementing a new forward-operating base for the ANA in Qaysar.

The follow-on operation to Shaheen Sahara is part of a winter-long surge evo-lution where both ARSIC-N and ISAF mentors check in monthly to assess the needs of the ANA and ANP.

Similar to other regional operations around the nation, the objective is to put an “Afghan face” on all elements, which, according to Army Col. Edward Daly, ARSIC-N commander, is precisely how the mission was carried out.

“The ANA got the job done,” he said. “They did the mission and we were hon-ored to help by coaching and mentoring them through it.”

The American forces camped at For-ward Operating Base Freia, which cur-rently serves as the district post for the ANA until a larger and better-equipped FOB can be established in Qaysar Dis-trict.

When the rain began to fall, dirt

ANA, ARSIC-N launch operation despite impending winter

Members of the Faryab provincial and district police mentor team dis-mount behind the Afghan National Police during a police patrol near the village of Qala-i-Wali in Ghowrmach District during Operation Four Sea-sons. The operation was led by Afghan National Security Forces alongside Coalition mentors assigned to Afghan Regional Security Integration Com-mand North from Camp Spann in Mazar-e-Sharif.

quickly turned into mud and the road conditions became virtually impassable, yet the ARSIC-N mentors managed to carry out their missions.

On a stretch of Ring Road, where the roads have yet to be paved, the Faryab District police mentor team pressed on to assess several ANP checkpoints between the towns of Chil Gazi and Dwabi, and follow on police-presence patrols.

Army Capt. Stewart Gast, Faryab District PMT leader, said he was thrilled to assist the ANP.

“That’s what I like to see,” said Gast. “I like to see them talking to the people and letting them know, ‘We’re here to help. We’re here to serve you.’”

Simultaneously, the ANA led the ETTs to villages south of Afghanistan’s major highway to conduct presence patrols and hand out humanitarian assistance to the town of Khwaja Kinti and later to the village of Karez.

Similar to the police patrols, the hu-manitarian-assistance projects were led and administered by the ANA, with their American mentors behind the scenes.

“The ANA distributed everything,” said Army Maj. Joel Graham, ARSIC-N information officer. “They were the ones who divided everything up and organized all the supplies. We were there to super-vise and make sure it all got into the right hands as best we could.”

After the American forces completed the missions alongside the ANSF, they headed back to their staging point at FOB Meymaneh and began planning for their next evolution to take place.

Weather permitted ISAF elements from RC-North to continue with efforts to build a FOB for the ANA in Qaysar, and resume stability-sustaining opera-tions alongside ANA and ANP forces in the region.

The ARSIC-N ETTs plan to travel alongside the ANA in the Qaysar and Ghowrmach Districts on a weekly basis over the next few months. If weather al-lows, RC-North will assist the American mentors in an effort to refurbish villages, restore civil order and rekindle partner-ships between the Afghan people and their government.

6 Freedom Watch Magazine

Story and photo by Army Pfc. Daniel Rangel 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Soldiers helped local Afghans celebrate the opening of the Aftabachi Girl’s School

during a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Aftabachi Village here.Koeja Ablebacker, governor of Kapisa Province, and Army Capt.

Jordan Berry, Kapisa Province civil affairs team leader for the Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team, were both in attendance, along with Mr. Miraga, an Afghan contractor who helped with the $120,000 proj-ect.

“We started six months ago,” Miraga said. “The brick work was the hardest and the concrete was hard work as well.”

With a lack of schools in the area, local children have been looking forward to the opening since the project’s inception.

“They don’t have enough schools around here, so this one’s a big one for them,” said Sgt. 1st Class Henry Rodriguez, 351st Civil Affairs working with the Bagram PRT. “These [children], they come up to us and they can’t wait to get started.”

The new school will serve 620 students and employ 15 teachers who will teach a variety of subjects including mathematics, science, English and Arabic, said Mr. Turyaly, one of the school’s teachers.

Before the opening of the school, teachers conducted their classes outside without any protection from the elements other than trees.

“We are very happy now that we have a building for the school,” Turyaly said.

Berry emphasized it was the willingness of the people of Kapisa to work with Coalition forces to bring about the construction of the new school.

“It is the security of the people around here that has allowed us to do a lot of projects in this area,” Berry said. “There are still people in Afghanistan who don’t want to give us security and they don’t want de-velopment in their areas. So while they still want to fi ght, the children of Kapisa will be going to school. Ten years from now, those people who

still want to fi ght will be working for those children. The children of Kapisa will be the future doctors, lawyers, teachers and politicians who run this country.”

But it was not only the people’s willingness that made construction of the school possible; their contributions made the project possible as well.

“This land was donated from private individuals,” Berry said. “That goes to show the emphasis the people in this area put on education. They give valuable farmland in a beautiful area.”

The school will not be the last project. Berry noted plans already in the works for more projects this spring.

“We look forward to doing more projects,” Berry said. “We have a lot more projects for this area and more development for the springtime when it starts to get warmer. We look forward to working more with the people of Kapisa in the future.”

Soldiers, Afghans celebrate school opening

Students sing at the Aftabachi Girl’s School ribbon-cutting ceremony in Kapisa Province.

By Army Pfc. Daniel Rangel22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SALANG DISTRICT, Afghanistan – With winter setting in, construction in Af-

ghanistan is becoming increasingly diffi cult. For the fi rst time since the beginning of the winter snow this year, U.S. servicemembers made an assessment of key projects in Parwan Province.

Air Force Maj. Timothy Gacioch, Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team surgeon, helped lead a convoy up the snow-covered Salang Pass to inspect an emergency aid station with medical personnel in the region. The ser-vicemembers also inspected the Salang Tunnel, rumored to have the highest elevation of any other tunnel of its kind at 11,200 feet.

The locals are well-trained because many of the educated medical professionals of Afghani-stan took refuge here high in the mountains while the rest of the country was under Taliban

rule. And, although illness may be an ongoing problem, local medical personnel are ready, said Gacioch.

“[They’re] doing good work here,” Gacioch said. “They’re keeping the vaccination rates up.”

While the district’s medical-preparation as-sessment was good, it still faces many medical challenges as a population living at such a high elevation in winter.

On the other hand, the prognosis for winter construction is bleak.

“The snow is going to cause everything to stop,” said Air Force Capt. Harry Jackson, Par-wan civil affairs team chief and lead engineer.

Local contractors are not able to mix cement in such cold weather, which has caused many of the construction delays, including construction on key projects such as the proposed Salang District Center.

“District-center construction stopped when the snow started,” Jackson said. “[The contrac-

tor] will not work again until probably some-time late March.”

However, there are other projects that will go on despite the extreme temperatures such as the installation of a containerized schoolbook depository.

The Afghan government has also taken ownership in the operation of the Salang Tun-nel, which presents its own set of challenges. Generating electricity for light and ventilation are among the most important.

“We have two big generators for the tunnel,” said Col. Atta Ullah, ministry of public works. “With those generators, we get a heater, lights and everything for the tunnel.”

“Over this summer, I’ve seen a lot of con-struction going on that’s not ours, which is re-ally good,” Jackson said. “When you see the lo-cal population building their own communities and trying to improve themselves, it’s a very good sign. That means they’re fi nding confi -dence in their government.”

Afghans, Coalition prepare for extreme weather

Freedom Watch Magazine 7

Story and photo by Spc. Gregory Argentieri

173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTY, Afghanistan – Soldiers

from 458th Adjutant General Postal Company stationed here run the central mail hub for the entire Task Force Bayo-net area of operation. They are responsi-ble for handling, sorting and processing all incoming and outgoing mail through Jalalabad for thousands of Soldiers.

The holiday season began early for the military postal service on FOB Fenty. At the beginning of November, the number of packages and letters tripled, peaked during the days surrounding Christmas and will continue through the end of January.

Mail before the holidays was averag-ing 3,000 to 4,000 pounds a day. That has increased to between 8,000 and 13,000 pounds a day since November.

“Santa Claus is the little white planes, and we are the elves,” said Spc. Tanya Runnels, with Headquarter and Headquarter Company, 173rd Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne) and part of the FOB Fenty postal team. “We’re working our butts off to make sure the mail gets out to the Soldiers. It’s impor-tant. That is our job – we’re the mail people.”

“We get to supply the mail for all the Joes out there, the guys who are really fighting the war. It’s good stuff and it makes us feel good,” said Army Sgt. Brian Boss, 458th AG Postal Company. “Since arriving at FOB Fenty in Febru-ary, the 458th has personally handled and carried 900-950,000 pounds of mail. Before our deployment is over in Febru-ary, we will have moved more than one million pounds of mail.”

Soldiers from FOB Torkham convoy two hours to FOB Fenty to pick up mail and supplies and pick up or drop off Sol-diers three times a week.

“The mail means a lot since we’re away from our families,” said Spc. Jona-than Morgan, 66th MP Company, based at FOB Torkham. “The first thing the Joes do when they see our trucks come back is come running.”

The small, seven-Soldier FOB Fenty mail team maintains a post office open

every day. These same Soldiers travel to FOBs and outposts at least once a month, setting up fully functional mo-bile post offices which they operate for several days before traveling to their next location.

“Spc. (Miquel) Chiqui, Spc. (Isaac) Lopez, and Spc. (Jose) Silva, those are the big three for doing missions. They fly or convoy to nine or 10 different FOBs to do missions to support the Joes out there,” said Boss. “They’re the ones that come as close as mail personnel come to putting it on the line for the Joes.”

Lopez, part of the FOB Fenty postal team, said the big challenge of his job involves working long hours when air-planes arrive late due to bad weather. Sometimes the challenge is trying to read the hand-writing on the letters and packages, but he stresses the most im-portant thing is making sure everybody gets their mail.

“I have sent out packages and cards on four different occasions with out-standing service,” said Army Pfc. Rob-ert Logan III, HHC, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team parachute rigger. “They go above and beyond their call of duty; it’s always an A-plus positive ex-perience. My hat is off to them.”

Recently, the mail has suffered weath-er delays at Bagram Airfield, with de-livery falling three-to-four days behind

schedule. Boss refers to Bagram Airfield as the fish bowl because it’s surrounded by mountains. All mail to Afghanistan arrives there.

“Bad weather comes to the fish bowl and sits there, so every two-to-three days there are weather problems caus-ing delays, with late or canceled flights,” Boss said.

But mail during the holidays is more important than normal so extra efforts were made to get the mail to TF Bayonet Soldiers.

Alpha Company, 173rd BSB, took a holiday break from their normal mission of running ammo and instead delivered 22,500 pounds of holiday morale for the Soldiers. Alpha Company arrived at FOB Fenty with two 20-foot heaping containers, several five-tons, and a few trucks full of holiday mail.

“We ran a convoy down to Bagram to bring back the mail; I guess we were ac-tually the reindeer bringing the Christ-mas presents over the mountains,” said Army Staff Sgt. Fred Fortune, Alpha Company, 173rd BSB. “We called this mission Operation Santa Claus.”

Once the mail arrived at Fenty, he-licopters and another combat logistics patrol immediately took the mail to out-lying FOBs in the Bayonet area of oper-ation to make sure all Bayonet Soldiers got their mail.

Holidays bring ton of mail to TF Bayonet

Army Sgt. Brian Boss, 458th Adjutant General Postal Company, tightens a tie-down as he prepares a bulk pallet of outgoing mail at Forward Operat-ing Base Fenty that will be placed in a C-130 Hercules.

8 Freedom Watch Magazine

Story and photos by Petty Offi cer 1st Class

David VotroubekCombined Security Transition

Command-Afghanistan Public Affairs

QALAT, Afghanistan – A smiling jester grins down from their

ballcaps, but the Soldiers who wear them are all business. And when they go looking for a fight in Zabul Prov-ince, the big guns that cover them are no joke either.

Formally they’re known as the 4-2 Embedded Training Team, but they started calling themselves the “Crazy 98s” during training as ETT class 9806 at Ft. Riley, Kan. And though the team has an easy demeanor, they’re very serious about their job of training the 4th Kandak (battalion) of the Afghan National Army’s 205th Corps.

When the Crazy 98s got to Af-ghanistan in February 2007, the 4th Kandak’s field artillery platoon was far less capable than it is now, ac-cording to FA enlisted mentor, Sgt. 1st Class David Trice. They had the mortar skills, but weren’t able to use the howitzers for direct fire, let alone indirect fire.

Over the last ten months, Trice and Army Capt. Dave Sadovy, the FA officer mentor, have trained the Afghans on fire support with the D-30 howitzer, which can fire a 122-mm shell more than 15,000 meters.

The mentors also had to teach the artillerymen how to calculate range and deflection manually, because the ANA doesn’t use many computers. Two officers in the kandak’s FA pla-toon can now calculate fire missions.

One of them is Capt. Arzee Husse-in, who has worked with artillery for three years now. Hussein thinks that

his training has been good enough that he can now do fire missions with-out help from the mentors.

The Crazy 98s show their confi-dence in the Afghan gunners too. During one mission, team commander, Army Maj. Trent Darling, had shells landing within 1500 meters of his po-sition. Trice gives the Afghan Soldiers a lot of credit.

“They have bright Soldiers over there,” Trice said of the 4th Kandak.

One of those Soldiers is Platoon sergeant Paywand Ali, who said a pre-vious American mentor taught him how to shoot the 82-mm mortar and the British 130-mm mortar. He likes being an artilleryman because of the advantage of high explosives during a battle.

“The enemy can shoot 100 bullets from an (AK-47 assault rifle), but I can win with one 122-mm shell,” he grinned. “Artillery wins the firefight.”

Guns up! ‘Artillery wins the fi refi ght’

Freedom Watch Magazine 9

Guns up! ‘Artillery wins the fi refi ght’

Above: Sgt. Roholluh from the 4th Kandak of the Afghan Na-tional Army’s 205th Corps, sights a D-30 howitzer. The howit-zer is part of a three-gun battery on Forward Operating Base Wolverine, which supports ANA and Coalition military opera-tions against insurgents in Afghanistan’s Zabul Province.Far Left: An artilleryman from the Afghan National Army’s 205th Corps fi res a round from a D-30 artillery piece during an indirect-fi re support mission.The D-30 is part of a three-gun battery at FOB Wolverine. Photo: Sgt. 1st Class David Trice Left: Sgt. 1st Class David Trice watches as Platoon Sergeant Paywand Ali of the Afghan National Army makes adjustments to a D-30 howitzer. Trice is a fi eld-artillery mentor for the 4th Kandak of the ANA’s 205th Corps.

10 Freedom Watch Magazine

Courtesy of Combined Joint Task Force - 82 Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The Sergeant Major of the Army

held a town hall meeting here to discuss where the Army’s been, where it is now, and where it will be tomorrow.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston discussed Army transformation, deploy-ment lengths, uniform standards and an-swered servicemembers’ questions.

Preston said the Army is transforming into a modular force relying more on versa-tile brigade combat teams that can fi ll gaps when considering overseas deployments. He said the Army currently has 38 fully manned BCTs with fi ve in development and a goal of reaching 40 by next summer. He also said the Army has a goal of reach-ing 48 BCTs by 2010.

According to Preston, the increased num-ber of BCTs, in conjunction with drawing down the number of BCTs deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, will reduce deployments from 15 to 12 months. This is conditional on recruiting and retention goals continuing to be met and that no other security concerns develop in other parts of the world.

“We wanted to provide Soldiers and their families reliability on how long they will be deployed and how long they will be at home,” Preston said.

He said the Army decided providing Soldiers and their families 12-month dwell

times was important when considering 15-month deployments.

“You won’t be deployed longer than 15 months,” Preston assured.

Servicemembers asked questions rang-ing from senior-enlisted bonuses, wounded warrior programs, new promotion stan-dards and stop-loss policies.

Preston said the stop-loss policy is con-tinually under review. One idea is to allow Soldiers whose estimated time of separa-tion date is at the beginning of an upcom-ing deployment to separate from the Army as scheduled while providing a bonus to Soldiers whose ETS date falls toward the end of a deployment.

The Army dress-uniform topic was also stressed as Preston wanted to gauge the re-ceptiveness of the new uniform. Although many 82nd Airborne Division Paratroop-ers weren’t receptive to the proposed dress blues, once the Sgt. Maj. of the Army said jump boots would be an optional item ap-proved, many were won over. He also polled servicemembers’ attitudes toward the ex-tended cold weather clothing system and discussed how the uniform should be worn for optimal use.

Preston concluded by expressing his thanks to the servicemembers and remind-ed them they were the best America had to offer.

“I just want to say thank you, to all of you, for your continued commitment and service,” Preston said.

Sgt. Maj. of the Army holds town hall meeting

Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Pres-ton takes questions from service-members during a town hall meet-ing at Bagram Airfi eld. A variety of topics were covered, including de-ployment lengths, stop-loss policy and the dress uniform. Photo: Army Sgt. Timothy Dinneen

Courtesy of Combined Joint Task Force - 82 Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Afghan National Se-curity Forces, assisted by Coalition forces, delivered tons of

much-needed humanitarian assistance to hundreds of villagers in Sra Kala, Achin District and Shabl, Deh Bala District. Both villages are located in Nangarhar Province.

ANSF, including members of the Afghan National Police, delivered more than two tons of blankets, fl our, rice, prayer rugs and other items to the more than 1,000 people who showed up to receive the goods.

Children smiled and thanked the ANP members who provided toys, stuffed animals, crayons and coloring books.

The provincial sub-governor, responsible for the districts, specifi -cally requested assistance from the ANP after hearing from area chiefs and village elders. It was also a way to reward villagers who have en-sured the relative safety of the districts by making the area inhospi-table to insurgents.

“The villagers were very happy to receive the much-needed items. The goods will help villagers endure the onset of freezing winter tem-peratures. The people of Sra Kala and Shabl recognize that the gov-ernment of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan truly cares for the

general welfare of the population,” said a Coalition Soldier. “Afghan National Security Forces and the ANP are trying to improve their quality of life.”

“Coalition forces frequently meet with village elders, ANP chiefs and regional sub-governors to see how they can help. Working with ANSF allows us all to help meet the need of Afghan citizens,” a Co-alition Soldier said. “They are the ones who ultimately benefi t from increased security.”

ANSF deliver tons of aid to villagers in Nangarhar

Shabl villagers arrive early to receive donations of hu-manitarian aid from Afghan National Security Forces, assisted by Coalition forces. Courtesy photo

Freedom Watch Magazine 11

By Air Force Capt. Michael Meridith455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan – As he sat eating breakfast, Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Eb-

erhard had no idea that he was just hours away from a struggle to save the life of the Airman sitting next to him.

The former Marine was enjoying a brief pause before another demanding day as a member of a three-person explosive ord-nance disposal team based here.

“We were out with a route-clearance team for a medical en-gagement and had spent the night at a local village,” Eberhard said. “We ate breakfast and were waiting for the medical en-gagement to end so we could do the route clearance back.”

Although they weren’t scheduled to leave the village until later that day, they were surprised by word that an improvised explosive device had been spotted a short distance away by Af-ghan National Police.

“We got to the scene and talked to the policeman who found it – he had been on patrol and saw something suspicious in a culvert under a bridge and reported it. The bystanders were being kept at a distance so we dressed out our team leader in a bomb suit and he went down into the culvert,” he said.

While their team leader examined the IED, Eberhard and his fellow teammate kept a constant watch from their armored joint EOD rapid response vehicle, or JERRV.

“I was sitting in the front seat when I saw the blast. I still see that flash in my mind,” said Eberhard.

Moments after the IED exploded, he leapt from the vehicle and raced to the scene, waving medics forward to follow him.

“I didn’t know what to expect, I just knew I needed to get down there and assess the situation. When I got there, I saw him laying on the ground and saw that his leg and arm were severely injured, but his bomb suit was pretty much intact.”

After ensuring no further threat from IEDs, Eberhard fi-nally gave the medics the go-ahead to approach the wounded Airman. At the same time, he began to act.

“When I got to him he was trying to sit up, but I made him lay back down. At first, all he could say is, ‘It hurts bad …’ but we were glad that he was coherent – and we wanted him to stay that way.”

To keep the wounded Airman conscious, Eberhard elevated the uninjured leg to force blood back to the core of the body. Then he started a tourniquet for the wounded arm while the medic tended to the leg.

“In my mind I knew his arm needed a tourniquet, so I just reached over and grabbed it. I didn’t ask anyone, I just did it. He was coherent enough that he was actually helping us by tell-ing us what to do. He told me, “My arm needs to be tighter,” and I tightened the tourniquet.”

With the bleeding controlled and an IV started, Eberhard reported the incident and then helped move his wounded team leader to a field to await helicopter medical evacuation.

“I just talked to him and tried to keep him awake,” he said. “We talked about football and video games – we’re both pretty

competitive about it. Not long after that, I ran back and got him a satellite phone and let him talk to his wife. She was ex-tremely grateful and he was too. It was one of the things that kept him alert – he was talking to his wife and because of that he knew he couldn’t pass out.”

Soon afterward, Eberhard said goodbye as his wounded com-rade was taken away to medical care. Eberhard later learned that his team leader lost part of his leg, but was expected to recover.

Over the past few weeks, Eberhard has had time to reflect on that day. At the time, he said he was mostly driven by instinct, which he credits to the combat-skills training he received before deploying. But he makes it clear that he does not consider him-self a hero.

“Everyone is calling me a hero, but it is a weird position to be in,” he said. “My definition of a hero is someone who does something they don’t have to do in a situation they don’t have to be in. No one forced me to be here. I’m a Reservist. There was nothing saying I had to deploy – I wanted to. I wanted to let someone on active duty take an extra six-month break and be home with their family.”

Despite the events of the day, Eberhard says he has no re-grets about volunteering to deploy. In fact, he says the deploy-ment experience has left him with some valuable insights he will carry with him to his home unit, the 419th Civil Engineer Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

“The biggest thing I learned is that if we focus on being the servants, not the masters, and look at deployments as a way to serve our fellow man, it changes the outlook we have on deploy-ments and it makes a big difference in the lives of the Afghan people,” he said.

A life saved … unexpectedly

Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Eberhard kneels in front of a joint explosive ordnance disposal rapid response vehicle at Bagram Airfi eld. Eberhard’s quick reactions allowed him to save the life of the leader of his three-person EOD team after an improvised explosive device detonated near them. Photo: Air Force Staff Sgt. Josh Jasper

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Mike Andriacco

455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HERO, Afghanistan – Airmen in a

medical mentoring team here have been working for the past several months to en-sure the successful opening of an Afghan National Army hospital.

The team’s original mission was to mentor their ANA counterparts and teach them the necessary medical skills to treat Afghan military and police, said Air Force Col. Mike Skidmore, the team’s se-nior mentor offi cer and administrator.

All that changed when the team ar-rived several months ago, he said. The hospital was 500 days behind schedule and, instead of fi nding equipment and eager ANA medical personnel, the team found an empty, incomplete facility.

“We had to move from a mentoring mission to a new mindset of equipping the hospital, opening it and then men-toring,” said Air Force Col. (Dr.) Thomas Seay, the senior medical mentor and chief radiologist.

Most of the state-of-the-art equip-ment, to include a digital X-ray and digi-tal ultrasound machines, was purchased by the United States, with some items – like wheel-chairs – donated by a non-profi t organization based in Canada, he said.

The hospital itself is one of the most

12 Freedom Watch Magazine

Behind the scenes: Airmen help open Afghan National Army hospital

Tech. Sgt. Edward Weaver, medic, instructs Afghan National Army medical personnel on spinal immo-bilization techniques at the newly opened Kandahar ANA regional hos-pital. Photo: Col. (Dr.) Thomas Seay

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Erin TallmanCombined Joint Task Force - 82 Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Army Maj. Jeremy Mcguire, Kohe Safi Police Mentor Team leader, received

his fi rst stuffed animal at age fi ve. The stuffed animal was a gift from his aunt, Marcy Grace Kelley, and he named it Bernice.

Mcguire’s Aunt Marcy continued the gift-giving tradition when she donated 200 stuffed animals to hand out to Afghan children during the holiday season.

Her act of kindness gave Mcguire the incentive to name the humanitarian-aid drop Operation Bernice.

Afghan National Security Forces, assisted by Kohe Safi Police Mentor Team Soldiers, traveled to Angurdarrah and Gadaykhel to hand out stuffed animals, blankets, radios and jackets to the local villagers. The troops were joined by Abdul Whaid Khan,

Kohe Safi subgovernor and Mohammed Masoom Farzia, chief of police.

“Operation Bernice, to me, shows how Coalition forces, the ANP, government leaders of Kohe Safi and people in the United States can work together … to help the people of Afghanistan and demonstrate how the government is available to answer the people’s grievances,” said Mcguire.

Mcguire and his team will make multiple visits to the peo-ple of Kohe Safi . Next, Bagram provincial reconstruction team members plan to hold a four-day medical engagement north of the villages they visited during Operation Bernice.

“I think the drop went well. Just the presence of the female children was a great sign,” Mcguire said. “Typically in this area we’ve had a low female turnout for medical engagements. Opera-tion Bernice gave us an insight that they may be very receptive to another medical engagement by the Afghan government.”

ANSF, Coalition forces deliver toys during Operation Bernice

advanced of its kind in the entire south-ern region of Afghanistan.

“Phase one of the construction con-sisted of a $5.6 million, 50-bed main hos-pital,” said Skidmore. “It will serve the entire ANA 205th Corps, including four combat brigades, their associated gar-rison clinics and more than 27,000 ANA soldiers, Afghan National Police and their families. There are two isolation rooms, one trauma room, two operating rooms and an intensive-care ward that can ac-commodate up to six patients.”

One of the most impressive elements of

the project is the water-processing plant, he added. It uses a multi-stage process to clean and sterilize water to the stan-dard necessary for hospital conditions and is also a model for future water plants throughout the country.

Contractors also recently broke ground on phase two, a $2.6 million hospital ex-pansion that will house an additional 50 patients, Skidmore said.

With the hospital ribbon-cutting, the mentoring team is now looking forward to starting the job it came to do.

The team is made up of 18 Airmen: three doctors, three nurses, three admin-istrators, a radiologist, a pharmacist, a medic, two lab technicians, a pharmacy technician, a radiology technician, a bio-medical equipment technician and a logis-tician.

Each team member will work with their Afghan counterpart to create a baseline of skills, Seay said. There will also be a lot of focus on sterilization and sustainment of equipment and resources, he added.

Together, the team hopes its efforts will help the ANA rebuild their country and be effective at maintaining peace and security.

“This is arguably the best ANA hospi-tal in the entire country, given the build-ing, the equipment and the water-treat-ment plant, but the most impressive part of this hospital is its staff,” Skidmore said. “They are incredibly excited and en-thusiastic to learn new clinical and mana-gerial techniques in healthcare.”

Freedom Watch Magazine 13

Story and photo by Army Sgt. Jim WiltCombined Joint Task Force - 82 Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – “If there is anything such as hell on earth, it was that moment,” said the grey-

haired, 90-year-old man at the front of the room. The hell on earth James Megellas was talking about is a thing

of legend, something one sees in movies. It is exemplifi ed in one movie in particular: “A Bridge Too Far.”

Megellas, a retired lieutenant colonel from the 82nd Airborne Division, came to Afghanistan to visit the troops and, during his stay, gave a class to staff from Combined Joint Task Force-82.

The class focused on leadership in combat, a skill Megellas acquired during World War II. But the class was more than a lecture; it was Megellas’ story, a part of his life.

His hell on earth took place as he acquired his skills as a com-bat leader.

The day was Sept. 20, 1944; the unit was the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Abn. Div.; the operation was Market Garden.

With the Red Devils – the British paratroopers – trapped behind enemy lines in Arnhem, the Netherlands, the 82nd was tasked with capturing a key bridge on the Waal River near Ni-jmegen, the Netherlands.

Elements of the 504th crossed the Waal River in boats dur-ing the middle of the day to capture the bridge. As paratroop-ers, Megellas said, “paddling across a river was never part of our repertoire.”

Under a barrage of small-arm, machine gun and indirect fi re, the “Devils in Baggy Pants” made the crossing.

Megellas told this story to the gathered staff offi cers and non-commissioned offi cers. His point was the effectiveness of lead-ers.

As the paratroopers landed on the other side of the river, they were faced with 500-800 yards of open, fl at land before their ob-jective, which was a dike.

“There was only one option,” said Megellas. “Charge into the dike; charge into the gunfi re.”

A plan was in place for the landing. The Paratroopers would reor-ganize at the dike and continue their mission. There was a problem though; the men, who belonged to different companies, became too

intermixed and conditions didn’t allow for reorganization. Megellas said to stay at the dam and reorganize would have

been “idiotic.”Men considered to be at the bottom of the chain of command

took charge and made decisions, the veteran said. Platoon leaders and squad leaders charged over the dike and accomplished their mission by securing the bridge.

Soldiers from the British Army were to push forward to Arn-hem, but a lack of orders from their command brought them to a halt in Nijmegen. By the time they received their orders, Opera-tion Market Garden was a failure. The British took too long to reach their airborne brethren. Almost 8,000 British Paratroopers were lost at Arnhem.

Megellas, who served as a platoon leader throughout World War II in the 504th, made his point – decisive leadership wins battles. The British “were not decisive” leaders, Megellas said.

“Leadership is required at every level,” he said. “Gen. (James) Gavin could never have accomplished anything without his troop-ers.”

His lesson was simple: Good leadership is needed at the very top and at the bottom.

“Paratroopers, if properly led, would follow you to the gates of hell if asked,” Megellas said.

World War II veteran visits Paratroopers

Retired Lt. Col. James Megellas gives a class on leader-ship at the Joint Operations Center on Bagram Airfi eld. Megellas chronicled his time in the 504th Parachute In-fantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, during World War II in his book, “All the Way to Berlin.”

Courtesy of Combined Joint Task Force - 82 Public Affairs

ORUZGAN PROVINCE, Afghani-stan – Coalition forces saved an

11-day-old baby boy after giving him a blood transfusion at a military treatment facility in Tarin Kowt District, Oruzgan Province.

Family members initially brought the newborn, suffering from severe blood loss, to an Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition forces outpost in Shahidi Hasas District. Coalition medical person-nel say the baby’s umbilical cord was cut

too short following his birth. “The baby was bleeding from the bel-

ly button. By the time he came to our clinic, the bleeding had stopped, but he had a low body temperature of only 94 degrees,” a Coalition Soldier explained. “We provided a transfusion and now the child is doing very well.”

“I’m just glad we were nearby and the family could bring the baby to us,” a Co-alition Soldier said.

This is the second time in less than a month that Coalition medical personnel have saved the life of an Afghan child in Oruzgan.

Previously, an unresponsive 18-month-old was brought to a combat outpost near Cahar Cineh by an Afghan doctor and family members. According to the child’s father, the baby would not sleep so its mother gave the child a hashish pill to help it sleep, an accepted custom in Afghanistan.

Coalition medics worked throughout the night with the Afghan doctor to treat the child. The family was able to take the child home two days later.

The newborn baby, who nearly bled to death, is expected to make a full recov-ery.

Coalition forces save 11-day-old baby boy

14 Freedom Watch Magazine

By Chief Petty Offi cer Robert Thornton

Farah Provincial Reconstruction Team

FARAH PROVINCE, Afghanistan – The Supreme Allied Commander Europe

brought international media here to show the progress being made by the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the International Security Assistance Force.

Army Gen. John Craddock met with the Farah governor, chief of police and director of education at the Center for Excellence, an institute of higher learning currently be-ing built in Farah City. Italian Army Brig. Gen. Fausto Macor, commander of ISAF Regional Command-West, also fl ew in for the SACEUR’s visit.

“I heard about progress here. There is an excellent [provincial reconstruction team] here,” said Craddock. “They have about 10

times the activity going as last year. I am very impressed. I think it’s critical here. It is a large province. Other than the Ring Road, it doesn’t have much in the way of paved roads. When I was here last year, that was the key and I wanted to come out and see the progress from last year to this year, and I see progress.”

Farah Province is fast becoming an educa-tional center, with a number of schools and educational institutes under construction. Besides current construction of the Center for Excellence and the funding of fi ve high schools during the past year, Farah boasts an agricultural high school, which draws stu-dents from throughout the province.

There is also a women’s dormitory under construction at Farah Hospital, which will house 128 women for midwife and nursing training programs; and a teacher’s training facility that brings in teachers from all over the province for educational training.

Progress on display in Farah Province for NATO visit

By Air Force Capt. Michael Meridith455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Thousands of miles away from home, Airmen in Afghanistan still found ways to celebrate

the holiday season – all while providing continuous airpower and com-bat support for U.S. and Coalition forces throughout the country.

While family and friends back home marked the holiday season with gifts and celebrations, deployed Airmen in Afghanistan fueled, loaded, maintained and fl ew aircraft, while others carried out critical expedi-tionary combat support and reconstruction missions.

That hard work was punctuated by time for brief holiday celebra-tions, special meals and church services. But the Airmen’s to the mis-sion did not go unnoticed, as senior leaders took time to visit and per-sonally thank them for their service.

“Thanks for keeping them fl ying,” said Army Gen. Dan McNeill, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, dur-ing a surprise Christmas Eve visit to F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircrew and maintenance Airmen here. “You continue to put steel in the air so we can put steel on the ground and protect our Soldiers outside the wire.”

Air Force Maj. Gen. Maury Forsyth, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces, echoed his support during visits to Air-men deployed across Afghanistan.

“Remember this Christmas with pride in the work that you do,” he said. “Your job is to get the mission done – and it is important. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be here.”

Despite the demands of challenging missions, many Airmen found their thoughts inevitably returning to loved ones back home. However, the sadness at being apart was tempered by pride in service.

“It’s a little bit depressing being away from home during the holi-days,” said 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron member Airman 1st Class Matthew Darrah. “But my family thanks me and they are proud of what I am doing. It’s a good feeling to serve.”

Deployed Airmen receive gift of pride

Army Gen. Dan McNeill, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force commander, greets members of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing during a surprise Christ-mas Eve visit to Bagram Airfi eld. McNeill used the visit as an opportunity to thank Airmen for their service and support to ISAF in Afghanistan. Photo: Air Force Staff Sgt. Mike Andriacco

Air Force Staff Sgt. Charles Knotts, assigned to the 455th Expe-ditionary Maintenance Squadron here, shared that sentiment. “What motivates me is that what I am doing is keeping my family safe back home,” he said.

Knotts’ viewpoint was shared by many other Airmen who, even with the affi rmations from visiting senior leaders, said the best “gifts” of the holiday season came from within.

“It makes me feel proud to serve my country. I miss my family but I know they are all proud of us serving here,” said Airman 1st Class An-thony DeValentin, 336th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit.

U.S. Army Gen. John Craddock, Su-preme Allied Commander Europe, meets local government officials at the construction site of the Cen-tre for Excellence, an institute of higher learning currently being built in Farah Province. Courtesy photo

Story and photos by Petty Offi cer 1st Class

David VotroubekCombined Security Transition

Command - Afghanistan Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAIMANEH, Afghanistan – The sign

above the kitchen door reads, “Galley.” Al-though it’s more than 500 miles from the nearest ocean, it’s still the closest thing to a ship that a small group of Sailors have in western Afghanistan.

When Petty Offi cer 2nd Class Timothy Wright came to FOB Maimaneh, he was the only Sailor here. He was also the only cook. So the FOB offi cer in charge, Army Lt. Col. Robert Williams, put him in charge of the dining facility.

Williams told him, “It’s your place, do what you want with it.” Hence its name: “Wright’s Place.”

There are few noncontracted military din-ing facilities in Afghanistan and even fewer still being run by a Sailor. For a Navy petty offi cer to operate an Army dining facility is positively unique and Wright has a reputa-tion for running a good one. He’s enjoyed it so much he extended his tour in Afghanistan to almost two years.

He’s made improvements to the place, like adding another refrigeration trailer, but the former special forces facility still lacks even simple amenities like ventilation above the grill. What makes Wright’s Place exceptional is Wright himself, whom the Soldiers simply call “Cookie.”

Before coming to Afghanistan, Wright served for fi ve years on the USS Nebraska.

He’s putting that experience serving 160-man submarine crews to good use and says cooking for 30 or 40 Soldiers is actually easi-er. Like being on a submarine patrol, running this facility means he does everything from order supplies to plan menus. It also means there’s never a day off.

One advantage of running a galley is that he can cook however he wants. Like a gourmet chef, Wright likes fi xing dishes from scratch, experimenting with new recipes and

even taking special requests. Two Afghan lo-cal-national cooks, Fraidon and Nasim, also assist him and even prepare some Afghan dishes for the troops.

Sometimes the Soldiers help out by serv-ing themselves. It’s common for some to come back to the kitchen, don a hat and gloves and fi x their own eggs. There is also what the troops call “Celebrity Chef Nite,” when they get a chance to get creative in the kitchen.

“I’ve found that most of the troops here have a passion for cooking as well as eating,” Wright explained.

Overall, he seems perfectly content to be surrounded by Soldiers and this third-gener-ation Sailor takes good care of them. It isn’t unusual for him to take dinner out to me-chanics or stay open for teams coming back late. And they appreciate it.

One afternoon as he prepared dinner, several Humvees came rolling back into the FOB after several days out in the fi eld. A gunner’s fi lthy, grinning face looked over the edge of his turret.

“Tell Cookie we’re back!” he shouted hap-pily.

“People are worried that they’re going to get fat going up there because the food is so good,” said the commanding offi cer of Afghan Regional Security Integration Com-mand-North, Army Col. Edward Daly.

Daly himself has brought pomegranates to Cookie. In fact, the fi rst Army Commenda-tion Medal Daly presented as ARSIC-North commanding offi cer was to Wright in recog-nition of his work in mess management and as a mentor to Afghan National Army cooks at Camp Mike Spann.

Wright spreads Navy infl uence in ways that are sometimes obvious, sometimes sub-tle. A Navy fl ag hangs on the dining facility’s wall and signs around the FOB remind “ship-mates” to replace water in the refrigerators and call smoking areas “smoke decks.” It’s starting to pay off. He’s even heard Soldiers refer to the latrine as the “head.”

It may be a long way from the bottom of the sea to the desert, but Wright’s Place makes it more like home for Soldiers and Sailors alike.

Freedom Watch Magazine 15

Petty Offi cer 2nd Class Timothy Wright cuts up pomegranates to put out as a snack. In addition to his duties as a cook, Wright is also responsible for ordering and storing all supplies and for all maintenance, hygiene and upgrades to the galley.

Desert Galley:Submarine Sailor runs Army chow hall

Petty Offi cer 2nd Class Timothy Wright grills vegetables at Forward Operat-ing Base Maimaneh. Although Wright has made improvements to the facil-ity, it still lacks amenities like a vent above the grill. An open door is all the ventilation he has for now.