SSG D's Note from Afghanistan
From time to time, Staff Sergeant D (on the Pakistan-Afghan border) shoots me an email on what's happening. The worst revelation is that the Army is charging the soldiers for Internet access (by the kilobyte) - I may have to send instructions on how to Vampire Tap a line to D.
Anyway, here's part of his message about how things are going, the handover to the 82nd Airborne (All the Way!) and some recent successes. Forgive SSG D's spelling/grammar...he's a busy guy and paying for the Internet to send us this message.
...We are working in this remote area because we are the ones that can do it. The 82nd are the new guys operating in our area, and since they are still sort of new, we are showing them around. We have been conducting missions with our Afghan National Army guys, and we are doing our best to mentor the Afghan National Police in our area, even though that is not our stated mission.
...We captured a major logistical facilitator and safe house operator just recently, and conducted some door kicking raids that netted us some more bad guys that needed. We got this information when we were conducting a MEDCAP one day (where the townspeople come and get medical care) and someone walked up and told us about this guy and where we could find him. Immediate, actionable intelligence from the PEOPLE!!!! They know the deal, which is that when the bad guys go away, they are safe and the Americans are the good guys.
I was the first American to put his really bad guy in my sights when my Afghan soldiers went through the door. But the story isn't what I did, it is what the Afghan Soldiers did to plan, resource, and execute this mission. They are light years from our army, but they are starting to get the basics like caring for the soldiers, paying them properly, feeding them right and training them to win.
They are great examples of the potential of Afghanistan. I am glad to have been a part of it. I miss my home and my family and my time now here in Afghanistan is short.
I expect that at some point, I will be returning again. Next time, I think it will be working in the SF Field.
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