Christmas in Kandahar

Christmas in Kandahar, Afghanistan was not all bad... The command here did an outstanding job of trying to make this day as special as possible... My hats of to them for this.... COL McGrath, ARSIC-S Commander gave all personnel not essential the day off, if missions permitted. Most of the officers had guard duty, so that the enlisted soldiers could take a full day off. Needless to say, I had a shift on guard duty, but that is what officers do. The above group photo is of the ARSIC-S Command..... during our Christmas Party at the Chai House....

Above is LTC Blake Storey and LTC Bowser with CPT Maureen Sevilla, (Santa). This was really a fun time..... Below MSG Williams did a great rendition of Twas the Night Before Christmas, with an ARSIC twist.... Everyone sang, and it was really fun.....

My pal, friend and confidant, LTC Danny Morton... He has really been there for me spiritually and professionally. Our friendship will most assuredly go beyond this deployment.

Below, MSG Williams, our Chief of Staff Lt. Col Mike Burke, of the Canadian Navy, the ARSIC-S Commander, COL Thomas McGrath and COL Cory Cannon, 205th RSAC Commander singing Christmas carols....

Many of our staff sections participated in the singing of Christmas carols, they all really enjoyed it.... Below is a picture of our Medical Staff singing, SPC Quick, Smith and Santa.........

Our staff is multi-national, we have British, Canadians and Dutch soldiers in our command. Below, several of the British and Canadians officers participated in the singing...

We even got the Afghans in the Christmas spirit.... The Muslim culture do not participate in Christmas, but they really enjoyed this party too.... It was great to see this.....

Our HHC admin and logistics staff. Some were so shy about getting up and doing this, but afterwards they really got into in and enjoyed it.....

Our fearless commander COL Thomas L. McGrath.....

SGM Aaron Keener is just an outstanding NCO, who knows how to take care of soldiers...

Lt Col Mike Burke is not only our Chief of Staff, but he is a good friend. He knows how to enjoy life, he is a joy to be around....

205th Corp Commander, BG Niebe, along with COL Cory Cannon his mentor, his interpreter, and Santa.... Oh, what a sight..... General Niebe and COL Cannon are very close friends, they really have come a long way. They have a great mutual respect for each other, which is a credit to each of them.... (I still am trying to get a picture of them holding hands!!!).....

The final photo that I will share with you is of some of our SECFOR soldiers enjoying the day off, by hitting some golf balls into the desert.... By us manning the gate, it allowed them to enjoy the day off. Sadly, the Taliban, attacked us with a rocket attack against the base.... We don't generally attack them on their holy days, like Ramadan, and EID, but this is war, and they took that shot.... Thankfully, they did not hit anyone..... You know, I know that it is God's hand that have protected this base... We have had almost 20 rockets shot at us and not one of them has hit anyone. That's God.......... For me, it was great to see the soldiers smile, happy and trying their best to make the best of this deployment.... It was equally great to see the soldiers enjoying their time off and swinging the golf clubs.....

USO's Holiday Tour

This week has been a very good week. As we lead up to the Christmas Holiday, the USO, (United Service Organization), did a wonderful job uplifting the spirits of the soldiers that are deployed down-range. As you all have probably read in the news, the military is reassessing the Afghan mission. I personally welcome this, we have to fix what is wrong here. We have been plagued with a shortage of troops, as nations wrangle over continued support of this mission. Some of them support it with troops, but have special caveats on the use of their soldiers. You cannot win a war with one hand tied behind your back, and that is how I feel. We are continually asked to do more with less... only a few nations are really fighting the good fight, and others have their names on the roll.... Pictured above is Admiral Mike Mullen, the new Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs. This was his USO Holiday Tour... I also was able to get his coin. I have been able to get the coin of the last two Chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, (General Pace and Admiral Mullen)... not many can say that....

Accompanying Admiral Mullen was five great Americans, Comedian Lewis Black, Tour de France Icon, Lance Armstrong, Miss USA- Rachel Smith, Entertainer Kid Rock, and the great Comedian, Actor, and Entertainer Robin Williams. This was an excellent way to get the troops to enjoy the Holidays in a small way. This was definitely the biggest USO event since my deployment. It was attended by hundreds... Pictured above is Miss USA Miss Rachel Smith a very humble lady.

Pictured above is Mr. Lance Armstrong. Lance overcame Cancer to go on and win the Tour de France for a fifth time. He is a great example of determination and perseverance that soldiers relate to. He also gave up a trip to Hawaii to come to Afghanistan to support soldiers.... WOW...

Pictured above is the great one himself.... Mr. Robin Williams, Comedian extraordinaire, Actor and Entertainer.... he really wowed the crowd. This was Robin's forth trip abroad to see the troops. You can tell he was passionate about his support and what we do for our country.. He appreciated our service almost as much as we appreciated him taking time out to come here to entertain us.....

Pictured above is none other than "Kid Rock". He is a very good entertainer, funny and talented... He spoke about his fight to Pamela Anderson's ex, Tommy Lee.... quite humorous.... but the troops loved it.... I personally did not realize his blues background....

Above Robin on the harmonica and Kid on the guitar show off their skills. This really was a great opportunity for soldiers to down-shift and relax a bit.... We are constantly reminding leaders to be aware of signs of stress and emotional behavioral changes, as the holiday season is the highest for stress and suicides. You know that this season was meant to show us the love of God and how he gave us his only and most precious son Jesus. This is season of love and reflection on the goodness of God.... I will leave you with this wish and prayer. It is MY wish that WE as a people can forget about what we don't' have and focus on how Blessed WE all are.... You know the Bible states that "it is harder for a Camel to get through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to heaven" Why? Many people with riches have no worries, they have little reason to trust in God, sad huh..... Many of the Afghan people look on Americans as these rich people.... We have constantly shown these people that WE care, thanks so much to the Blue Star Mothers Organization, Gateway Elementary School of Travelers Rest, SC, Trinity Presbyterian Church of Travelers Rest, The people of McCormick, SC, Joy Pescatore and the folks of Greenwood, SC for all the Care Packages sent here to Afghanistan for the people of Afghanistan, and others that are too many to name. So many have given of their time, money and love to show the people of Afghanistan that we as a people love God and believe in Him. And we want to share some of God's Blessings upon us to THEM..... I love each and everyone of you. I thank God for you and for your support and prayers.... May God Continue to Bless us all.........

My Flight with the Flippers TF CORSAIR

This week has been a mixed week....emotionally.... as stated in my last blog entry... we have began an offensive in the Musa Qala area of Afghanistan, which is in none other than the Southern Region of Afghanistan.... to rid that area of the Taliban. The Taliban has had a hold on Musa Qala for several months since the British departed that area. What we find is that when Coalition forces depart a location, the local Afghan forces are not able to withstand the Taliban, thus making it very difficult for us to even consider a draw-down in forces. To the contrary, we are in need of more forces to fully secure this country. I am so proud of my service to my country, I have made some great friendships during this deployment, that I would not have been able to foster in any other environment. One of these friendships is with a pilot from South Carolina, but stationed at Fort Bragg. CW2 Theo Miller, a Chinook Helicopter pilot, that grew up in Georgetown, SC.... These pilots are fearless, they fly into danger all the time in support of our ground forces... They get shot at all the time, but they go day in and day out..... These guys are heroes.... Below is Mr. Miller conducting the pre-flight brief.

I have had the pleasure to work with several heroes from both the active duty and reserve forces. You all should be so proud of these men and women.... This particular flight began for me at about 0800 with a weather and intelligence briefing. The brief was very detailed, as it should be..... Below Mr Miller talks with other members of his crew before the flight.

There is no mission that is without a degree of danger. Soldiers accept this risk and perform superbly. We do not cut corners, but we do everything we can to get the job done. This particular day, we had to conduct a re-supply of the 508th. Below, Chief Miller conduct his pre-flight checks. It was truly amazing to sit in the Jump Seat and see everything they go through to fly these helicopters.

This was our back-up. The Chinooks are cargo carriers and not attack helicopters, but they do have some weapons, but mostly for defensive purposes.... But this bad-boy can make a bad day out of any enemy.... We had two Chinooks and two AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters in support. So, if the Taliban decided to shoot at us, he would definitely regret it.....

The below picture is of a similar helicopter that i was in, flying beside us... You can bet the troops were so glad to see us flying in.... The mission was a huge success.....

Needless to say, this was a great opportunity for me. It gave me a rare opportunity to see things from their position. Below is a picture of me promoting 2LT Donald K. Colemon of the 550th Signal Company. I was so honored that he wanted me to pin him. You never know how you touch people, but he did not want anyone else other than me to promote him..... What an honor!!! He is active duty and I from the National Guard.... what an honor.... God has truly used me here, in so many ways that I can't begin to tell you..... LT Colemon is the OIC of the DSST, Signal Support Team. He and I frequently met and talked about Signal support for this theatre. He and his team has provided me with excellent support. He is a great young leader and one that I have the utmost respect for.....

This week was also tough on several families that lost soldiers to this war. There have been several US and Coalition losses in the fight to re-take Musa Qala. One particular loss not associated with the Musa Qala battle was the loss of SSG Gregory L. Elam, SSG Elam's mother lives in Greenwood, SC. Elam died of non-combat related injury. He had just had his 39th birthday a few days ago, and he leaves behind a wife and his mother Lillie, and two daughters. I met SSG Elam through LTC Dickens his boss, Elam was just a quite and humble man, we talked about Mortuary Affairs and he was going to show me around his facility. That day never came.... What I hate the most is that his death comes right at Christmas for his family. What kind of Christmas are they having.... My heart truly goes out to them...

Christmas is one week away, and several locations are doing well in their attempts to make this holiday special. FOB Lindsey has done a great job decorating for the holiday.... Truthfully, it is hard to get excited about the holiday, when you are away from home and in a war zone. The enemy don't care that this is a special day for US soldiers.... war goes on!!!!!!!!

It is my prayer this Christmas Holiday that WE do not forget the wounded and the fallen, nor their families. Soldiers like the Romano's, families like the Elam's, and other families that lost soldiers to this war. Enjoy the blessings that God has bestowed upon you, but remember those of us that are not able to be at home with our family.... I love you all...... LTC Bowser

Working with the Afghan Police

This past week has been one filled with challenges and opportunities for growth. The Aghan Police has a deep-rooted history of unprofessionalism and corruptness. In order to change that, the government has decided a new approach called Focused District Development. Their plan is to focus on fixing a few districts, by sending in new personnel, that are better trained and equipped. These teams are supported by US mentors to assist them in their day to day operations. The Coalition and the Afghan government wants to target certain regions, and if successful, use that as a model for future locations. Thus the meaning of challenges...It is a great deal of pressure on the command to get this right. This approach, in my opinion is a step in the right direction. If you continue to have corrupt police, the citizens will continue to not trust them and have less confidence in the government... So this has huge implications for the stability of Afghanistan.... (WOW, and I am involved in this process). I had to do a communications assessment for both ANA and the Police Mentoring Teams that will be assigned. The below picture is CPT Hindman and Barrett discussing plans and options.

Below is SGT Robin Rucker from the 111th Signal Battalion standing guard over us while we there. Rucker is a great NCO, and the former Police Chief for Abbeville, SC.

The below picture is of the Police District in a local Afghan Province... As you can see, they are not like us. There is very little other than a building that they can call a police headquarters. WOW..... As you can see, a few of the staff sits and breaks bread with the Police Leadership, no tables, just a mattress and a rug..... That is breakfast for most Afghans, bread and a little sauce.... I personally passed on this meal, as we were a long way from an outlet.................. if you know what i mean...

The Afghan Police is not like our police, they do not have an age restriction on joining... Most of them are illiterate and did not know how old they were. How do you expect to legitimize your agency when so many of them can't read or write?? How can these guys command respect or cooperation from tribal elders or the Taliban!!!

The last picture is of COL Kornish, RPAC Commander, the #2 man in the Ministry of Interior from Kabul, MAJ Shannon Goad and myself... For me, this change of direction in Afghanistan is a positive step. You can't keep doing the same thing expecting a different result. Yes, there is an inherent danger in this place, but if we can make these positive changes, I am confident that this country will move forward. Obviously, the Afghan military is more respected, than the police, but every journey starts with the first step.

Ribbon Cutting for 205th Corps C-E Maintenance Bldg

This past week has been filled with many high points. For me it was simply exciting to see the ANA take a new and huge step into improving their military capability, knowing that you had a part in that success. Pictured above is the 205th CORP Commander, BG Niebe and the CJ6 for the Ministry of Interior from Kabul. As the ARSIC (S) J-6, I was involved in assisting the ANA in the establishment of this facility. Having a Communications and Electronics Maintenance Facility allows them to work on their own radios without sending them to Kabul and hope they get another one in its place... Honestly, their practice has been this.... if a radio breaks, they just hold on to it and try to replace parts off of it, thus having a lot of broken radios in the corner... because they fear sending it away and not getting one in return. Now they have the ability to actually check out what is wrong with the radio, and fix some of the problems... and only send to Kabul a radio that is beyond their capability to fix....

Above, MG Ali, the CJ6 from the Ministry of Interior in Kabul came down to participate in the Opening Ceremony. This is a big event in the history of the 205th Corp. We all are proud of this. The Afghan army is so much farther along than the police, and continue to make strides to improve. If the US troops are to leave Afghanistan, this organization and their ability to operate independently will be part of the driving force on the decision to withdraw forces.... In my humble opinion, we are not even close to that point yet.

Above the Generals inspect the test equipment and discuss the road ahead. As an officer, I am impressed with the Afghan Army, they understand their limitations but they use the Coalition as a crutch... We have to start to allow them to fail, so that they are comfortable in their ability to lead.... With failure, come lessons, with lessons come experience, with experience come confidence, and with confidence come Freedom!!

Below COL Cory Cannon, the mentor for the 205th CORP Commander assists them in their presentation/briefing for the CSTC-A Commander. The brief was very well put together, detailing their readiness posture and their shortfalls... COL Cannon has really done an excellent job mentoring BG Niebe... I am still waiting to get a picture of them holding hands... (For Afghanistan, it is a sign of friendship to walk, holding hands)... We are not accustomed to that, and personally I am glad we are not....

Finally, I will leave you with words from Dr. Donda C. West, the mother of Musician Kanya West. "To me, the most important thing that we can do as human beings is give". For me, that is what God wants us all to do... soldiers give of their time, their freedom, and sometimes their lives. I too believe that in a world fraught with war and blatant injustice still, individuals MUST find ways to lessen human suffering and impact humanity for the better. None of us want war, but there must be someone to stand in the gap and say "I WILL" I am proud of my service to my country and to the Afghan people. It is MY desire to leave this place, return home and say " I've Done My Part".....