A long year has finally come to an end. We are still spending our last days in Ali Al Salem AB, Kuwait waiting for the “Freedom Bird” to transport us to BWI Airport. Here we will say our goodbyes and each of us will take a different connecting flight back to our homes and to [...]
Filed under: Missions | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, Ali Al Salem AB, ANA, Bronze Star, Deployment, ETT, Kuwait, U.S. Air Force, war | 19 Comments »
From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: Rex is on his way home and may not be able to write today. So he asked me to post this video about one of only two Afghan women who have the rank of General in the Afghan National Army.
Filed under: Videos | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, Deployment, ETT, news, war | Leave a Comment »
From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: Rex has departed his camp and is on his long journey home. Before he left he had a chance to chat with WUSF Radio’s Bobbie O’Brien. They talked about Rex’s recent visit with two female Afghan National Army officers. You can download that chat by click on this link 4-12 [...]
Filed under: Mentoring ANA | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, Deployment, ETT, humanitarian mission, news, war, WUSF | 2 Comments »
After yesterday’s interview with a former Mujahedeen commander, I was inspired to revisit him. I was prepared to meet the ANA Brigade surgeon but I couldn’t locate Mir Wais, the interpreter. I wanted to get his side of the story before confronting the ANA officer. Since he wasn’t available I opted to visit the garrison [...]
Filed under: Mentoring ANA | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, corruption, Deployment, ETT, Inter-Services Intelligence ISI, Karzai, Mujahadeen, Pakistan, Taliban, war | 3 Comments »
At 22 years of age he was single and attending school in Kabul. The Soviets were already attempting to establish a Soviet-Marxist government in Afghanistan. Then in December 1979 after executing President Daoud and his family, the Soviet invasion began. The Soviets brutally attacked villages and provinces opposed to their presence. Because of these attacks, [...]
Filed under: Mentoring ANA | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, Deployment, ETT, Mujahedeen, Northern Alliance, President Daoud, war | 1 Comment »
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 »
Like an hourglass that has been turned upside down and the sand granules slowly deplete and amass on the bottom, so is the amount of time we have left on our deployment. But the time is measured in days instead of hours. Our ETT mission has officially ended and everyone is busy packing their bags [...]
Filed under: Mentoring ANA, Missions | Tagged: Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, Afghan rugs, Afghanistan, bazaar shopping, Deployment, ETT, humanitarian mission, Military, Pashmina, souvenirs, U.S. Army, war | 1 Comment »
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 »
