It started off as a perfect morning. I had some extra time for breakfast and enjoyed a fluffy egg omelet, fresh fruit, and washed it down with some mediocre tasting coffee. Omid and I loaded the truck with large bags of clothing, blankets, and first aid kits. In addition, I had some boxes of hygiene [...]
Filed under: Mentoring ANA, School supplies project | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, corruption, Deployment, ETT, humanitarian mission, Military, war | 4 Comments »
Yesterday I mentioned that the ANA visited a village school and dropped off school supplies and Beanie Babies for the children. Today I had an opportunity to discuss the trip with Mir Wais, the interpreter who accompanied them and took these photos. Since there was so much stuff to transport, they piled everything into a [...]
Filed under: Mentoring ANA, Missions, School supplies project | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, ANP, Deployment, education, ETT, gender discrimination, humanitarian mission, nation building, war, women's rights | 2 Comments »
After delivering the school supplies, our convoy departed the school and returned back to camp. But my day was only half over and after lunch, I would have to prep the items for the ANA mission the next day. Keeping my promise, I divided the inventory in half and waited for the ANA to come [...]
Filed under: Mentoring ANA, Missions, School supplies project | Tagged: Afghan National Army, ANA, COIN, Deployment, education, ETT, humanitarian mission, war | 4 Comments »
Here is a link to this week’s chat with WUSF reporter Bobbie O’Brien. We talked about the latest school supplies delivery mission, the preparations for it and how the children reacted. To hear the story, click here. Also congratulations are in order for Bobbie and her editor Joshua Stewart; the pair has won a regional [...]
Filed under: Missions, Radio interviews, School supplies project | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, Deployment, education, Edward R. Murrow Award, ETT, humanitarian mission, news, RTNDA, U.S. Air Force, war, WUSF | Leave a Comment »
Now that we had a solution, it was time to implement an action plan. The next day, my teammates and G-Company, 186 BSB combined forces and loaded a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) with the boxes packed full of school supplies. Before loading them, we stacked them in the parking lot by type of item [...]
Filed under: Missions, School supplies project | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, convoy, Deployment, ETT, humanitarian mission, photography, U.S. Air Force, war | 6 Comments »
Now that our mission is over, I will reveal what I couldn’t yesterday about the potential of being the biggest blunder of my deployment. It took some real finesse and some sheer luck to resolve the situation. Some 173rd teammates and I joined forces with G Company, 186 BSB and our mission was to perform [...]
Filed under: Missions, School supplies project | Tagged: 173rd, 186 BSB, Afghan National Army, ANA, convoy, Deployment, education, ETT, G Company, humanitarian mission, school, U.S. Air Force, village elder, war | 8 Comments »
This week’s conversation with WUSF’s Bobbie O’Brien covered our mission to a girls school to drop off donated school supplies and President Obama’s visit to Afghanistan. The story aired Monday during NPR’s “All Things Considered” and will run again this morning in the Tampa Bay area during “Morning Edition.” Or you can click on a [...]
Filed under: Missions, School supplies project | Tagged: Afghanistan, charity, corruption, Deployment, education, ETT, humanitarian mission, Karzai, news, U.S. Air Force, war, WUSF | Leave a Comment »
Judging by the picture, it appears to be a nondescript worn out tent previously donated by UNICEF several years ago. The tent has holes in its roof and the cloth sides are badly deteriorating held together by dry-rotting rope attached to a metal pipe frame. But upon closer inspection, I witnessed a flurry of activity [...]
Filed under: Missions, School supplies project | Tagged: Afghanistan, charity, Combined Transition Advisory Group, CTAG, Deployment, education, ETT, humanitarian mission, U.S. Air Force, war | 2 Comments »
Rex is safely back from his latest mission but too tired to write until tomorrow. So I am using the space to say thanks to some very special people. They are Keri-Anne Kolodiej and Christine Merry, students at the University of Tampa and leaders at UT’s Peace Center. In the last few weeks they have [...]
Filed under: School supplies project | Tagged: Afghanistan, Deployment, education, ETT, humanitarian mission, military spouse, military wife, Peace Center, University of Tampa, volunteerism, war, wife | 3 Comments »
Yesterday we did our sensitive items check (weekly check of our weapon serial numbers and other devices), which allowed us to sleep in a little bit longer today. Today is also Jumaa and our ANA counterparts are off or at least most of them. They are preparing to celebrate the New Year on Sunday. So [...]
Filed under: School supplies project, Uncategorized | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, day off, Deployment, ETT, Jumaa, war | 1 Comment »
