218th Inf Bde First Casualty

It is with great sadness that I write this entry into the blog. All of us know the danger we face every day, but even yet, the loss of life still has a devastating impact on not only the soldier's family, but the unit that he/she leaves behind. The mood changes, and getting back in the game takes constant effort by so many folks.... There are so many things that happens when you lose a soldier, from counseling, after action reviews, safety investigations, to AR 15-6 investigation as well. All of these are a part of the system, including a Ramp Ceremony for soldiers to pay their final respects to a fallen comrade before departing theatre . The Army does well in this process, what does not happen is time to grieve. Soldiers have to keep their heads in the game, "Stay on the 360" This is also the time that leaders are challenged even more, as we try to ensure that everyone remains focused, but understanding that emotions are quite evident. I simply pray. When I heard of what happened, I went straight to the chapel for some quality time with God.

As most of you know, the loss that I am speaking of is Sgt. Edward O. Philpot, 38, of Latta, S.C., died October 23rd 2007 in Afghanistan, from a non-combat related Humvee rollover accident. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 263rd Armor Regiment, South Carolina National Guard, Dillon, S.C. SGT Philpot was two months from completing his tour here in Afghanistan. He is also the first combat casualty for the 218th Infantry Brigade supporting Operation Enduring Freedom VI.

Not a day after we lost SGT Philpot, we were informed that we had another soldier severely injured during combat operations. This soldier was shot in the head, but not mortally wounded, he will require extensive reconstructive surgery, but should survive. These events reminds us all that we are not only here mentoring but we are in the line of fire and in many cases, fighting. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has been vigorously fighting to increase troop levels here and get our Coalition partners to pony-up and provide adequate forces to Afghanistan and take off these ridiculous caveats on how they can be used.... i.e. German forces are only deployed in the safer northern area, and do not patrol at night. I know the Taliban likes that...... There are several other nations with similar caveats that simply weaken our resolve to maximize our combat power.

The Taliban has seemingly better organized their attack and efforts in Afghanistan. This means a change in how we deal with this threat. When you have less than 40,000 troops for the entire country of Afghanistan and over 156,000 in Iraq, you can see why feel so less important. Bottom line is we desperately need more forces here to deal with a growing threat.

The picture above is of a Kuchi Tribe, (Nomads), whom have been very US friendly... They move from place to place, so they don't normally have time to establish relationships with the Taliban. You know it is very difficult to blame an entire race of people for what a few does. Most Afghans want peace, they want a better life, it is just going to take some time to get there. Rome was not built in a day, and the US cannot shoulder this burden alone. We should do all we can to assist them, but this is a UN issue and an Afghan leadership issue.

Many nations are paying a huge price here in Afghanistan, many families are torn apart, soldiers are wounded and lives are forever changed. But God has a plan. It becomes increasingly hard during times of death and injury, but I ask for your continued support of troops, especially the families of SGT Philpot and SPC Romano. We are sacrificing so much. I do believe that this is a noble cause, but it is definitely one that should be shared by more than the few countries that are shouldering this burden right now.

Mullah Omar & Osama Bin Laden's Hide-away

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit FOB Maholic, Maholic is located in the middle of Kandahar City.... It is named after a Special Ops soldier that gave his life in service to his nation. This particular location was home to Mullah Omar, Osama Bin Laden's Number One man. The home was built by Osama and he spent a great deal of time there. It also had a cave complex very near the home built into the mountain, close enough to retreat to if they needed shelter. Maholic is nestled in the valley, surrounded by mountains. It is so picturesque, I can see why we made it a base, not to mention having a pool built by Osama.... WOW....

This is a downed Russian Chopper that still lies on the side of the mountain. As you travel around this base, you can feel the history of this place. This place undoubtedly was quite strategic for Bin Laden and Mulah Omar. It was not only used for planning and shelter, but also for relaxation.

MAJ Shannon Goad and I at the entrance to Mullah Omar's cave. This cave was very well constructed, it had a toilet & shower, several rooms and three entry ways/exits. MAJ Goad mentors the Afghan National Police in the Kandahar Province. Shannon is also from South Carolina. These teams are constantly out in the city, facing danger everyday, interacting with the local populus and the police. They have been in numerous TICs (Troops in Contact) with the Taliban.. The entire US should be proud of these teams and what they do day in and day out. I was there to conduct a communications assessment, where I plan to extend the communications network that exist there, better improving the internet and communications access of these teams down-range. Oh, back to the cave.... going in this cave was just awesome, aside from an occasional bat and the darkness.

The hole in the floor below is the toilet, don't think I could get use to that kind of toilet... That squatting thing just is not American.... This cave not only had a toilet and shower, but electricity throughout as well.

Pictured below on the side of this mountain is a fuel tank that powered his underground cave. It had rocks laid all around it to disguise it. They undoubtedly could remain in this cave for months.

One of the multiple exits out of the cave, it is re-inforced with and inch and a half diameter reebar.

Below is a picture of the garden area re-designed by Special Forces. This is really a nicely designed compound with many connecting rooms. It is truly an Oasis in the middle of the desert.

My ride back to KAF. Afghanistan can be so beautiful, with the many years of war and impoverishment of its people, hurts bringing out how beautiful this place can be.

Now you see why the Taliban wants this place back. Just beyond the borders of this FOB is a city filled with danger. A few days ago the Taliban conducted an ambush down the road from this location where several US Special Forces were injured, some of which were flown to Germany to the hospital. We have adopted a phrase that captures how we focus. "Keep your head on the 360 swivel" Meaning always remain vigilant and alert, never let your guard down, because danger is a door-step away.

Village Medical Outreach (VMO)

Recently we conducted a VMO at a village north of Kandahar called "Sawza Da Qalacha" As we arrived there, it became apparent that they were definitely not use to US forces in their village. They were deadly afraid to show their faces, but as the day went on, they lightened up and became more comfortable with us and what we were trying to do for their people. Many of the people felt as though if they were found to be American supporters, that the Taliban would come and cut off their heads. So this fear permeated this village.

As you see pictured above the women mirrored the men in their fear of US forces. Nearby Sawza Da Qalacha village was a Kuchie Tribe, (whom are Nomads), wanderers. They live in tents and move from the mountains down to warmer climates of the desert during winter and back up during the summer. As you arrive you see open tents all over the desert. These people live the same way as they did thousands of years ago, by very meager means. It was also obvious that they had little to no means to obtain medical supplies or services.

In this culture the men and the women separate for almost everything. They do not socialize together, this includes seeing the doctor's. You have to have been there to see how much these people needed just the basic of medical care. It was so apparent that regular baths were not a part of their practices... This just was the way they lived. We were there just to, in some small way better their lives. And this day, I think we did. We were there only for a few hours, but what medical services we provided was truly needed.

This child was very shy and a beautiful little girl. She watched us from a distance and did not approach us, like most of the other children. She caught my eye because she stood out from the crowd.

As we go into these villages we carry along the Afghan National Police to assist in managing the populous and for added security. They were in awe of our equipment, the M-4 simple amazed them.

As Chuck Crombo of the South Carolina State Newspaper entertained the children, you notice a local Afghan being searched prior to going in to see the medical staff. The kids were simply amazed at looking at a digital picture of themselves. They probably have never seen a picture of themselves. It not only amazed the kids, the adults were equally amazed, but they were shy about asking to see the display on the camera.

This child really represents most of the children in the village. No shoes, dirty clothes and an obvious lack of hygiene. I don't say this in a negative manner, only to state the reality of how these kids live every day. There is no school, so no education, only a few of the men in the village had the means to ride a donkey or some other conveyance to town, so many were left lacking basic necessities. Most of the children patients that were seen were infected with worms, diarrhoea, all of which is due to a lack of running water and proper hygiene.

The women and young girls line up for medical care on the opposite side of the facility away from the men. It really was amazing to see how much of an impact we had on this village by simply trying to bring some level of medical care to them, that they could not get elsewhere.

Above, women from the Kuchi Village head back to their tents after being seen by the doctors. We had to have women docs for the women and men for the men.... That is the only way we could administer appropriate care to them...

The above picture speaks for itself. These Kuchi women came that best way they could, here another Kuchi woman carries an elderly woman and child in a wheel-borrow. For years the Taliban told these people how bad the US forces were, and today we left them with a different picture of us. It truly was a wonderful feeling to be a part of this event. We are really doing great things here in Afghanistan, but the information is not being spread like it should... CPT Maureen Sevilla and MAJ Charles Blankman were the attending physician assistants that made this event a huge success.

Security is one thing that is very important, but these folks need HOPE!!!!

McCormick, SC Supports School in Afghanistan

Ms. Nasareem the Assistant Principle of the Said Pache School holds a Thank-You note to the Citizens of McCormick, South Carolina. The teachers/educators earn on average of $40-80 per month. They were so grateful for the hospitality that McCormick showed their people. She said over and over again how grateful she was for this. And I was proud to be an extension of McCormick to do this. Standing beside Mrs Nasareem is Air Force Officer CPT Christina Reyes and SPC Fawn Wilson who assisted us in this Humanitarian Assistance Drop, as well as 1LT Hampton McNeil pictured below.

Several months ago I asked my readers for their support of a local school and its children, by sending school supplies. This particular school lacked basic supplies that were so desperately needed. We received support and supplies from Co B, 111th Signal Battalion in N. Charleston, SC, but a huge outpouring of support came from the town of McCormick, SC. This effort, lead by Mrs Rita Smith was nothing more that outstanding. I received box after box of supplies for this school in a place 7,000 miles away. The school is known to the locals as the Russian Village School, but it's real name is Said Pacha School. With a total of over 520 students, 230 of which are girls, whom were forbidden to attend school under Taliban rule. The school has 19 teachers, of which 16 are female. Ninety-eight percent of the country is illiterate, which truly limits their ability to compete on a world-wide scale... As we drove to the school/village, all I could think about was how happy I was to deliver these supplies on-behalf of our South Carolina citizens.

Pictured above and below is the village that the children reside, as well as the location of the school. This particular village was built by the Russians during their occupation of Afghanistan. It was later destroyed by US forces to remove the Taliban, where now home to many Afghan civilians and their families.

I could not believe the enthusiasm of these kids, as we drove into the village. They ran to the vehicles as if we were Santa Claus. They nearly mugged us as we attempted to take the supplies from the truck into the school. As we entered the school, it became very clear why they fought so hard for their slice of the supplies.... The teachers used what ever they could to teach the kids from, but the lack of supplies, (notebooks, pens, pencils, etc) was just not seen. These children needed these supplies.

The smiles and joy that this brought to these kids and teachers was simply awesome. I was truly blessed to be a part of this. Just amazing to see the desire for mere school supplies was wonderful. It was very difficult to orderly disburse the supplies due to the pushing and shoving by the kids to get them. They felt they would be excluded from the supplies... Unbeknown to them this display of love came all the way from a little town in South Carolina called McCormick.

As you can see by the photo above, many of the kids are below the age of 13, because the older kids are mostly working trying to help care and feed the family. Below is a picture of SPC Fawn Wilson with one of the students, who had to bring her little sister to school with her.

Due to school being in session, we did not want to stay long, even though our hearts wanted us to. We also found that there is a need for Americans to help teach them English, as well as many of the teachers asked for personal supplies like shampoo and bath towels, soap, etc.

I guess you don't know how blessed you are until you see the conditions of others. the kids have a swing set, but there is no sanitation in the country, so trash is just either thrown on the ground or burned. In many cases as you see thrown on the ground. The kids were so happy to see American forces, because they know that we are really there to help them. The smiles and hand waves speaks for itself. Sadly to say, these kids are more fortunate than most other Afghan children. I want the Town of McCormick and Co B, 111th Signal Battalion to know how happy these folks and kids were, and that I personally am so blessed to have supporters like yourselves. Please express my sincere thanks to everyone that gave and those that wanted to but was not able..... God Bless you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!