ARSIC Wall Dedication to Fallen Heroes

This past week has been one of reflection and of some much needed rest.... The command decided to dedicate a wall in the ARSIC-S Headquarters to all the fallen heroes that have died in combat since the implementation of the command. The wall is a tribute to the supreme sacrifices paid by these warriors. I take my hat off to CSM Bobby Albert and COL Thomas McGrath for establishing such a fitting tribute to these warriors. (SSG Roy Lewsader, CPT Joshua Steele, SFC Christopher Henderson, SFC John Hennen, SGT Edward Philpot, SSG David Bullard, and SFC Johnny Walls).

COL McGrath, Chaplain Roy Butler and CSM Bobby Albert officiated in this tribute. They really made this dedication special, as they reminded us of why we are here, and why these warriors lives will not be forgotten. What a great tribute to quote GEN George S. Patton as we honor not their death, but their lives.

I was finally granted a much needed Rest and Recuperation pass to Doha, Qatar. This place is Iraq and Afghanistan premier destination for soldiers to get away from the stress and rigors of war and down-shift a bit..... I am so thankful to have had this opportunity.... I truly feel rejuvenated for the next and final leg of this deployment. Pictured below is yours truly in Qatar.





More pictures of Qatar, the famous Clam Shell.... Qatar is famous for its history in pearls, both fresh and salt water pearls are in abundance here. Prior to their wealth as an oil nation, they were a country with a huge fishing industry, but mostly famous for its pearls.




Here in Doha, you go casual. The post have tours that soldiers can sign up for like golf, water sports (jet ski rides and other boating activities), Doha City Tour, Island Sea Picnic, Shopping Malls, and an assortment of restaurants. The tours are priced between $25-35 dollars depending on the tour. It is just great to allow troops this opportunity to relax for four days. With the advent of oil, Qatar is a rich country. Its citizens are spoiled, they do not work, have maids, drive luxurious cars, pay no electric bills or medical bills, and free college education for every citizen. The government shares its wealth with those that are Qatarian, they give them a monthly stipend in excess of $7,000 a month in many cases. They are a closed nit society, in order for a company to come in and do business one of their citizens must sponsor the company and be the principal owner with 51% of the business, you get 49% and do all the work... WOW, what an arrangement.... and what a novel idea.



This country is largely Islamic and even though you see the lavish lifestyles of its people, you can also see how women are treated as well.... I respect this country, for what they do for its people, but there is still "no place like home" The workers are imported here from the Philippines, Pakistan, India, and other places. They are like slaves, they make so little, they live in terrible conditions, doing what no one else wants to do, but realize that it is better than the alternative, (no job, no food, and no way to provide for their families)....



The large camels smelled really bad and had a tendency to slobber and spit, so I kept my distance. I did get to feed a new born camel, that still have part of his umbilical cord attached....







Qatar has so much construction going on which is a sign of progress. They are trying to get the Olympic games in 2016, so you see new buildings and roads going up everywhere. Above is the cross sabers leading into downtown. Though the malls are very Western, with US style restaurants and clothing shops, most Qatarians have only the white robe for the men and the black robe with hood for the women. Most of the females have nice designer handbags to go with the robe. I got a kick out of this store, I had to take this picture....





I am on my final day in Qatar... I went to the mall for a break, mainly for the restaurants, (McDonalds, KFC, Krispy Kreme, etc). The Villagio Mall was really majestic, designed on the Italian theme with its buildings, gondola rides, a nice break...

LTG Samuel T. Helland's Visit

Life in combat is never slow. This week was definitely fast paced, which makes the time past so much faster. We had a visit by LTG Samuel T. Helland, the Commanding General for Marine Forces Central Command. His visit was to check on the progress made in preparation of his forces arrival to Southern Afghanistan, our area of operation. It was truly an honor to brief him on the communications status of his forces. Pictured above with ARSIC-S Commander COL Thomas L. McGrath and yours truly below.... I am elated that the Marines/additional troops are coming. This is a large region, and we can definitely use the help...

We recently conducted a Humanitarian Mission at a local village near Kandahar City. It is so rewarding going on these missions and really seeing the needs of the community being met. It may seem trivial, but any help is better than no help. Notice the joy on the kids faces.


Before we could pass anything out, we had to obtain the approval of the village elder, some may call him the village chief... turns out this elder is the cousin of Afghanistan's President Harmid Karzai. The British forces were the lead on this mission, and we tagged along with our supplies. As you can see we had plenty to give out... The village population was somewhere between 500 - 1000 people. Obviously, we did not see that amount on this mission.


It is amazing to me how primitive they remain. Women here are second class citizens, they have no say or privilege to basic human/civil rights here. Only a few brave widows came, but sat at a distance until the elder permitted them to participate.


It will surely take quite awhile to change this culture, only God can. We generally only are able to interact with the men and the children.

This day began quite chilly, notice the kids without shoes, socks and the baby out there like this. Many of the little girls are tasked with the responsibility to take care of the babies.... WOW.....

They can't even take care of themselves yet.......... The below picture is of the local elder, whom happens to be related to President Karzai.



After some convincing we were able to talk him into allowing a few of the women to come and get some of the supplies... Our fear was that the supplies would go to only a few of the people and not spread throughout the village. He did allow two of the village widows to come.



The Afghans have a long way to go..... What was particularly heart-wrenching was our stop at a local Kuchi camp. The Kuchis live in tents, twenty or so to a tent, they are nomads, they roam the country side and set up camp where ever they stop. The conditions of this camp was really terrible. Kids/families without basic health care necessities, the women had to walk some distance for water. Education is non-existent, they simply struggle to survive. This is the life they know, they seem content, but we know so much more can be done..



I want to personally thank Gateway Elementary School (Mrs Cindy Howard) the school counselor and Mrs Loretta Blakely and her golf group for providing clothing, gloves and other items to these kids.






When you see these Kuchi villages all over, you know that so many are in need.... many animals live better than some of these people. They have lived this way for generations and know of no other way to live. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have experienced this, and so appreciative for the life that God has blessed me with.....

Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice

This past week has been a memorable one indeed, I was able to meet and talk to the United States Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice, as well as being treated to a concert by American Idol runner up Mr. Bo Bice. With that being said, I have had a wonderful week. It began by a trip to Kabul, to attend a Communication's Conference. As many of you know, I am not a friend of the cold weather, and Kabul definitely was a lot colder than Kandahar. I love the snow, but the cold temperature that goes with it..... WOW....


Dutch MAJ Fred Sijnhorst is his mentor from the Coalition side of the house. Pictured below is myself, MAJ Sijhnorst-towering above us all, and Italian G-6 Mentor CPT Escerito for the 207th CORP.
I guess you all know, that I got out of there as quickly as possible..... The highlight of my week was not only seeing our Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, but actually having a brief conversation with her. She thanked me personally for my work here and my sacrifice. (Made My Day). She was very personable and truly appreciative of the work done here in the South. What is so pleasing to me, is the effort by the State Department to get more troops here in the south. Something that I have been preaching for quite some time. Southern Afghanistan is the most volatile part of the country, and one that many nations that are supporting the effort refuse to put their troops.. This really hurts the ability to fight the insurgency in the most effective manner. For the US, Dutch, Canadian, and British forces, a big thank you to your nations...... who is accepting the greatest loss/risk.






I am so proud of the increased emphasis in Afghanistan, we felt that we were in a "Forgotten War". But this is changing and fast.... She and other officials are wanting other NATO nations to pony up and fully support this effort. "Is it fair for a few to bear the load for the entire NATO?" NO!!!!!!



After meeting one of the most powerful women in the world, we had the distinct pleasure of being entertained by recording artist Bo Bice, the American Idol runner up for the 4th season..... What a powerful singer. We don't get many visitors here in Kandahar, especially stars and high profile entertainers, so it was quite special to us that he took the time out to come sing for us and sign some autographs....



I can understand why he went as far as he did on American Idol. He could sing country, blues, hard rock or any mixture thereof..... The below picture is of several folks in the ARSIC...



I am constantly reminded each day of how wonderful and blessed we are... God surrounded me with not only great leaders like COL Thomas McGrath, but so many other folks to help me stay grounded. Like one of our 2008 Presidential candidates, I too grew up without a father figure, raised by my mother Mae Frances and my Grandmother Earline, and Great Grandmother Arie Bell. They enstilled the values in me to love one another, no matter who or where they come from, honor and integrity. I am eternally grateful to them for not giving up on me and doing without so that we could have. I am where I am in life due to the sacrifices of so many folks. God also blessed me with three wonderful children Ronardo, LaTasha and Breghanna and an amazing wife Linda of 26 years. I know this is quite personal, but being here in Afghanistan has given me a renewed focus on setting the right example, humble, and being the best leader, mentor, dad and husband that I can be. I speak a lot about hope, largely because that is what has carried me through life. My faith is what keeps me grounded and hoping for a better life for others, especially the people of Afghanistan. I can see the hope in their faces, the lack of education, poverty and lack of health care is disheartening, but a fact of life... Thanks always for the prayers, the care packages, and for allowing me to be your eyes into this war. Together we can make a difference.....

Al Qaeda's Training Ground "Tarnak Farms"

This past week, I had the opportunity to visit one of Al Qaeda's Old Training Facilities, called "Tarnak Farms". This place is located just outside Kandahar Airfield. To me, it was an eerie occasion to be there... Tarnak Farms is now a deserted al Qaeda training outpost. This site was featured in released Al Qaeda training videos, showing Taliban soldiers training there. It was the third largest Al Qaeda training center in Afghanistan, next to Tora Bora in Nangrahar Province and Zaewara in Paktia Province. Tarnak Farms was the Headquarters for al Qaeda, which is now converted into a firing range, where many Afghan and Coalition soldiers train.

The above picture is of the Afghan National Police's Outpost atop one of the destroyed buildings on Tarnak Farms. Notice the RPGs laying atop the bunker. This site has about 4-6 police guarding the facility. They live there in very austere living conditions, they also have a few dogs that look as though they are starved. Tarnak Farms got its name many years ago from a canal that flows nearby the facility from Tarnak River, which brought water and farming to the surrounding areas. These buildings housed living quarters and offices of Al Qaeda's leadership including the notorious Osama Bin Laden. Below is what happens when we drop 500lb bombs....

In 1979 the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and turned the site into a housing and training station for the 3rd Afghan Division and a base for the communist regime. In 1989, some ten years later, after fighting the Afghan resistance, or mujahiddin, the Soviets withdrew and the fate of the country fell into the hands of the malitiamen. By 1994, the mujahiddin had come into great power through civil war. Afghanistan was carved up among various factions with many mujahidding commanders establishing themselves as virtual warlords. Many of which still exist today.

Navy Warrant Officer Vincent Avera and Petty Officer James Kuehn accompanied me on this trip. They work for me in the J-6 section, Avera is my Information Management Officer and Kuehn is my Information Technician. We all were amazed at being in such a historic place, you could actually envision Al Qaeda being there.... A dozen former mujahiddin soldiers and refugees in Pakistan took up arms to liberate Kandahar from anarchy. Most of them were religious students who earned the title of "Talib" These liberators of Kandahar became known as the Taliban meaning "students" or seekers of knowledge. The Taliban was later supported by Osama Bin Laden as a part of the Al Qaeda Terror Network. Below I am standing on one of the training obstacles built by Al Qaeda. We were standing in the same place that Bin Laden and his terrorist trained.....

Al Qaeda built this facility with a bomb shelter within arms distance from the facility, but that place too was destroyed... They literally had no place to hide...... Our bombs penetrated the bomb shelter like a knife slicing through hot butter....

In 1994, al Qaeda moved into the Soviet barracks and Tarnak Farms and used the compound as a training area for their soldiers. The neighboring airfield became a Taliban operations base. Which is the compound that I am assigned... Kandahar Airfield... After the 1998 bombing of US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, then President Clinton ordered the attack by cruise missiles against suspected terrorist training camps. Many believe that the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were planned and rehearsed at Tarnak Farms. Unfortunately, Bin Laden survived the attacks and continued to hide out in Afghanistan, until bombing raids and ground troops drove the Taliban out of the area by Dec 7, 2001. Tarnak Farms was deserted, and the building known as "Taliban Last Stand" is now the place where US and Coalition soldiers utilize as an airport.







I personally can see how someone can hide in Afghanistan for years and not be found. In a land where tribes and warlords continue to rule, and little to no rule of law exist to flush crime out. Savage crimes happen here everyday and noone enforces the travesties of injustice here. Once such injustice is the story of Nazia Hookum Darr, a 16 year old girl brutally attacked by her husband whom is 40 years of age, in December 2007. Nazia was beaten and disfigured by her husband of three months on Christmas Day. The man whom is still on the loose, broke 16 of her teeth, shaved her head, cut off her nose and ears and poured scalding water on her hands and feet.



Nazia's mother had died and her stepmother arrainged the marriage, partly due to their need for money, their need to survive. Nazia was still only a child.. Nazia stated that she had no choice but to go with him, she was afraid of him because he was Talib, (Taliban), strangely, his first wife died a mysterious death a year prior and Nazia was his second wife. This event though tragic, has received an enormous outpouring of media attention and support and concern throughout Afghanistan. Nazia is scheduled to receive the plastic surgery she requires to regain her dignity and have an opportunity for a normal life. Despite advances in women's rights since the fall in 2001 of the Taliban regime that barred education and employment for females, reports suggest that at least one out of three Afghan women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused. The abuser is usually a family member or someone she knows. Rarely is anyone prosecuted or even reprimanded.Reports from Herat, in western Afghanistan, show about 90 women set fire to themselves last year there and more than 70 percent died. Afghanistan' s poor health system can do little for the badly burnt.



The US and Afghan government is supporting Nazia in this case. I just pray for the other Nazia's that exist that noone knows about.