LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas – A huge step in the Air Force’s transformation to the Airman Battle Uniform occurred at the basic training equipment issue here.

The trainees who entered the door at the uniform facility this week got a little something different in their duffel bags than the previous week’s recruits – four sets of ABUs instead of four sets of battle-dress uniforms.

Air Force Brig. Gen. Darrell D. Jones, 37th Training Wing commander, was on hand to take part in the event. The general, who was wearing a set of ABUs himself, said he is very happy with the new uniform.

“This is a milestone for our wing,” Jones said. “It is extremely important to start this process here because we are the gateway to the Air Force.”

A lot of work behind the scenes contributed to the successful issue of the uniforms to more than 800 recruits in the first week.

The process of swapping out the uniforms was not easy, said Air Force Maj. Wes Wenzel, acting commander of the 37th Logistics Readiness Squadron. It involved processing more than 300 pallets and most of the facility staff members working more than 80 hours a week to make it all happen.

“It was definitely a full-team effort,” he said. “One of our major challenges was ensuring that we had enough stock to issue out so many uniforms.”

It was good seeing all the trainees in their new uniforms, General Jones said.

“It’s a distinctive uniform,” he said. “We now stand out as Airmen like we should.”

MILLINGTON, Tenn. – The Exceptional Family Member Pro-gram exists to help Sailors and their families.

That’s the message Marcia Hagood, Navy EFM Program man-ager, wants to get out to thousands of Sailors and their families.

“The program is a win-win solution for Sailors and commands,” Hagood said. “It’s available to alleviate hardships on family members by ensuring special needs are considered in the detailing process.”

According to Hagood, the mission of the EFMP is to provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach for medical, educational and personnel support for families with special needs. Enrollment is mandatory for all family members with long-term medical, men-tal health or educational needs and is required immediately upon identification of a special need.

Special needs are identified by treating physicians and are then classified in one of six EFM categories. These ensure the special- needs family member receives the appropriate level of care. Detail-ers then assign Sailors to duty stations where adequate medical or educational facilities are available.

While the status alerts detailers, Hagood stressed that the cat-egories are used to protect members’ private information and is only provided to those who have a need to know.

“There are some misconceptions that it will hinder a Sailor’s ca-reer, but that’s simply not the case,” Hagood said. “There are more than 17,000 Navy sponsors with family members enrolled in the program. Many members enrolled in EFMP have been successful in the military. Promotion boards do not see EFM category status. As long as sponsors are meeting Navy requirements, they have a good chance of being promoted.”

Sailors with family members already enrolled in the program must stay on top of updating their status. Updates are required nine months prior to their projected rotation date, every three years, or if the special need changes. Temporary enrollments (cat-egory six) must be updated within one year of assignment.

For more information, visit the Navy’s EMFP Web site at www.npc.navy.mil/CommandSupport/ExceptionalFamilyMember.

Navy provides exceptional care to family members

Navy

ArmyArmy to expand basic combat training to 10 weeks

FORT MONROE, Va. – In early November, Basic Combat Train-ing will expand from nine to 10 weeks at all five Army BCT sites: Fort Jackson, S.C.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; Fort Knox, Ky. and Fort Benning, Ga.

“We’re going to do 10 weeks of basic training, starting Nov. 2,” said Army Gen. William S. Wallace, commanding general of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. “It will be a pilot during this fiscal year. We’re going to do it for the first third of the year. The

last 10-week course will be complete somewhere around the twenty-first of March, and then we’ll go back to our normal nine-week basic training for the rest of the fiscal year.”

A reason for conducting a pilot program is to see what effect ex-panding BCT by a week has on Advanced Individual Training.

“We’re doing it as a pilot to make sure we understand the second and third-order of effects of doing 10 weeks of basic training,” Wal-lace said. “We anticipate a surge in our training population during the second half of the fiscal year.”

The expansion doesn’t add more tasks to be trained during BCT.“We are not going to add tasks,” said Wallace. “What we’re go-

ing to add is time, and give that time to the drill sergeant so he can ensure the individuals have mastered those tasks that they need to master before they go on to AIT. That is the sole purpose.”

As in all of BCT, drill sergeants will play a key role in the tenth week.

“We want to make sure we have enough time to review and re-train the things that are required of the Soldiers by the units in the field,” said TRADOC Command Sgt. Maj. John Sparks.

“By extending BCT, it gives us the opportunity to review those type of skills and retrain and retest them to ensure that the Soldier ... has the kinds of skills necessary to assimilate into his unit.”

In the current nine-week BCT, Soldiers learn 40 warrior tasks and go through 11 battle drills. With a 10-week BCT, Soldiers will be able to review what they learned and also get an extra week of physical-fitness training.

“We do need to add a little bit of extra time and give it to the drill sergeant,” said Wallace. “In my judgment, it will provide to the AIT commander a better physically fit, more mature, more dis-ciplined Soldier who understands the tasks to master better than he does right now.”

Air ForceBasic trainees receive ABUs

2

ContentsTeam makes positive difference for Afghans 4

Armored security vehicles keeps troopers safe 5 Teamwork, skepticism lead to early project finish 6

Pentagon shows continued support for Afghanistan 7

ANP, Coalition forces destroy cache, foster relationships 8

Misfit unit takes mission outside the wire 10

Bagram eastern expansion in works 11

Holiday mailing dates 12

C-130s put troops, supplies on target 13

Photos from the field 14

Freedom Watch StaffCommander

Air Force Maj. Elizabeth OrtizNCOIC

Tech. Sgt. Aaron CramPrint Chief

Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis Editor

Air Force Staff Sgt. Sarah GregoryStaff Writer

Senior Airman Christine CollierVisit the CJTF-82 Web site at www.cjtf82.com

Freedom Watch is a weekly publication of Combined Joint Task Force-82.

CJTF-82 Commander Army Maj. Gen. David M. Rodriguez

RC East Public Affairs Officer Army Lt. Col. David A. Accetta

Freedom Watch, a Department of Defense publication, is published each Mon-day by the American Forces Network - Afghanistan Print Section at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Printed circulation is 5,000 copies per week.

In accordance with DoD Instruction 5120.4, this DoD newspaper is an au-thorized publication for members of the U.S. military overseas.

Contents of the Freedom Watch are not necessarily the official view of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government or the Department of Defense.

Deadline for submissions is noon local each Friday. All submissions are sub-ject to editing by the AFN-A Print Section, located in Bldg. 415, Room 205, Bagram Airfield. We can be reached at DSN 318-431-3338.

COVER: Spc. Hailynn Talbot, a gunner from 3rd Pla-toon, 546th Company, 385th MP Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, sits in the turret of an M-1117 armored se-curity vehicle, packing both a MK-19 grenade launcher and a .50 caliber machine gun. (Photo: Spc. Micah E. Clare)

Air Force Staff Sgt. Josh Green, a 455th Expedition-ary Aeromedical Evaluation Flight medical techni-cian, monitors the oxygen content and heartbeat of an Afghan patient during an aeromedical evacuation flight out of Afghanistan. The 455th EAEF team uses C-130 Hercules aircraft to provide quick-evacuation response to injured Coalition forces and Afghan com-batants and civilians.

Spc. Jason Crowson, 235th Military Police Company supply-vehicle clerk, in the stands next to the Wall Drug sign he made about six months ago at Bagram Airfield.

Pg. 4

Pg. 7

3

4

Story and photo by Air Force Staff Sgt.

Joshua Jasper 455th Air Expeditionary

Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The only Air Force medical unit in Af-ghanistan with the mission of transporting injured military warriors, as well as injured civilians and enemy combat-ants, has cared for and trans-ported more than 508 patients since May.

The 455th Expedition-ary Aeromedical Evacua-tion Flight team, made up of 17 National Guardsmen and nine active-duty personnel, transport the patients from any place in Afghanistan to the medical care they need via fixed-wing aircraft.

“Our goal is to get people to Bagram Airfield, Afghani-stan, within 12 hours and to Germany within 24 hours of

the time they suffer their in-jury,” said Air Force 1st Lt. John Rinaldo, a flight nurse here who also works as a civil-

ian telemetry nurse back at the University of California Irvine Medical Center.

“With such an important

mission, they (Coalition forc-es) need to know there is a system in place to get them immediate care if they are in-jured,” he said.

Since it’s the only Air Force AE flight here, the operations tempo is high. Up to twice a day, the team loads nearly 800 pounds of medical equipment aboard a C-130 Hercules to care for the wounded during transport from forward-op-erating bases across Afghani-stan, said medical officials.

“The hardest part about this job is transporting in-jured personnel that we know will have change-of-life chal-lenges, depending on the sever-ity of their injuries,” said Air Force Lt. Col. James Bruhl, the 455th EAEF commander. “The most rewarding part is knowing that we are there when they need us in the most timely manner possible with a skill set that provides the best chance of recovery.”

Aeromedical evacuation team tops 500 transports

Air Force Staff Sgt. Josh Green, 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evaluation Flight medical technician, mon-itors the oxygen content and heartbeat of a patient dur-ing an aeromedical evacuation flight out of Afghanistan. The 455th EAEF team uses C-130 Hercules’ aircraft to provide quick-evacuation response to injured Coalition forces and Afghan combatants and civilians.

Story and photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Mike Andriacco

455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – A group of Bagram Airmen has been making a difference in local Afghan villagers’ lives one school bag at a time.

Members of the Air Force Office of Spe-cial Investigations Expeditionary Detach-ment 2405 handed out school supplies to about 560 children in the villages of Qal’eh-ye Dewana and Chawni.

Each set consisted of a backpack, note-books, pens and pencils. The items were do-nated by families in the U.S. or were collected from the humanitarian assistance office here, said OSI Special Agent Rosa Cervantes.

The team’s goal is to get out at least three times per week to meet with local villagers and see if they need assistance.

Special Agent A.J. Brasseur, detachment commander, said visiting the villagers and helping meet their needs whenever possible plays an important role in Air Force opera-tions here.

“The villagers are happy with and very appreciative of the assistance we provide them,” he said. “It shows that Coalition forces are here to help them improve their quality of life as well as to make sure they are prepared for a brighter future.”

AFOSI isn’t the only agency providing such support, said Brasseur. Other organi-zations include Army maneuver elements and provincial reconstruction teams that work daily throughout the country to help improve the infrastructure within villages. Such efforts not only help build prosperous communities, but also bolster the security capabilities of Afghanistan and help ensure the safety of deployed military members, he said.

The agents also recently visited several nearby Afghan National Police checkpoints. The agents gave the police winter clothes for their families as well as blankets for them-selves to help make winter at the check-points a little more bearable.

“Fostering relationships with our host- nation counterparts goes a long way to-ward helping build a secure Afghanistan,” said Special Agent Randall Evans.

Team makes positive difference for Afghans

Village elders thank agents from the Air Force Office of Special Investi-gations Detachment 2405 after re-ceiving school supplies during a hu-manitarian mission.

Armored security vehicle keeps troopers safeStory and photos by Spc. Micah E. Clare

4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office

SABARI, Afghanistan – Where does a six-ton vehicle go? Anywhere it wants to or so says one company of military police in Khowst Province, Afghanistan.

After receiving two M-1117 armored security vehicles this summer, the MPs of 3rd Platoon, 546th Company, 385th MP Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, feel more than ready to fight a recent increase of improvised explosive device activity in the Sabari and Bak Districts.

“We feel like the safest convoy in the area of operations now,” said Army Cpl. Josh Polley, a 3rd Platoon team leader.

The vehicle, which entered into service in 1998, was designed for urban-security operations, said Spc. Mike Rutledge, an ASV driver who attended a special course at Bagram Airfield for vehicle familiar-ization.

The ASVs are perfect for the types of missions the MPs execute in the two heav-ily populated districts, such as patrolling tight streets, transporting local govern-

ment officials to meetings and conduct-ing escort missions, he explained.

“They are highly maneuverable and have a better turning radius than Hum-vees,” Rutledge said.

Even though their up-armored Hum-vees are already heavily armed, the ASV adds quite an extra punch. Sitting be-hind both a .50 caliber machine gun and a MK-19 grenade launcher, the gunner has a clear view of the terrain from with-in the safe confines of a heavily armored turret, said Spc. Hailynn Talbot, a 3rd Platoon ASV gunner.

“It’s an empowering feeling,” she said. “I know that if anything comes up, I have devastating firepower at my finger-tips.”

“It feels so much safer traveling with an ASV,” she said. “These vehicles are definitely needed.”

Seeing these behemoths providing se-curity is something Afghans need as well and they feel well-protected, said Army Staff Sgt. Derrick Mullinex, a squad leader in 3rd Platoon.

“We hear a lot of Afghans and [Af-ghan National Security Forces] call it the ‘tank with wheels,” he said. “The sheer

intimidation factor is quite powerful.” There really is only one thing left to

be desired regarding the ASVs, Mullinex stated.

“We need more.”

Above: An M-1117 armored security vehicle from 3rd Platoon, 546th Compa-ny, 385th Military Police Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, fords a river crossing near the town of Yaqubi in Sabari District, Khowst Province, Afghanistan.

Right: Spc. Hailynn Talbot, a 3rd Platoon gunner, 546th Company, 385th Military Police Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, sits in the turret of an M-1117 armored security vehicle, packing both a MK-19 grenade launcher and a .50 caliber machine gun.

Spc. Mike Rutledge, a military police-man from 3rd Platoon, 546th Com-pany, 385th Military Police Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, patrols through a bazaar in Yaqubi in Sabari District, Khowst Province, Afghanistan.

5

What time is it?

DariSa-at chand as?(Sah-aht chand ahst)

PashtuSo baja da(So bahjay-dah)

1. In Islam, education is valued more than wealth. 2. On average, Afghans in the United States place a higher val-ue on education than many other immigrant groups. 3. Most children of Afghan refugees and Afghan immigrants are college-educated or enrolled in a university.

Story and photo by Air Force Capt. Michael Meridith

455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The motivation to prove skeptics wrong and a strong foundation of teamwork set the stage for the recent completion of an important new ramp here.

The $8.9 million construction project, be-gun in 2005, created a 270,000 square-foot concrete ramp to replace the grated “steel beach” that had previously supported the Army’s helicopter missions here.

“We were told it couldn’t be done before winter,” said 1st Expeditionary [Rapid En-gineer Deployable Operation Ready Squad-ron Engineers] Group lead craftsman Tech. Sgt. John L. Farley of Stumptown, W. Va., who noted that Afghanistan’s harsh weather ruled out any work after late October. “We saw that as a challenge and wanted to prove those people wrong … and we did.”

Farley said thousands of hours have been invested in the project since it began, with about a dozen people at work at the site at any one time. He added that he had person-ally deployed here three times in support of the project.

“When I came here the first time, I saw steel everywhere I looked – and I thought to myself, ‘we’ve got to get this out of here.’

Those surfaces held water and were very un-even. In winter they would freeze over and be almost impossible to plow,” he said.

Beyond the obvious improvements in safe-

ty, those involved in the project also praised the flexibility the new ramp brings.

“It was designed to hold the weight of a fully-loaded C-17,” said project manager Tech. Sgt. James J. Toth of Hazelton, Pa. “That will mean bad things for the enemy – and will definitely make it easier for us to take the fight to them.”

Toth said that in addition to the motiva-tion provided by skeptics, teamwork was another essential key to the project’s suc-cessful conclusion.

“It was very daunting at the start, when you would look down the 1,600-foot length and see nothing but steel. But our people have a great attitude and work very hard. They had outstanding teamwork and pulled off what some people thought we couldn’t get done,” Toth said.

Army Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, com-manding general of Combined Joint Task Force-82, added his own praise during an Oct. 4 ceremony recognizing the accomplish-ments of the RED HORSE team.

“There was nothing you couldn’t do,” he told the team members. “It is characteristic of organizations like yours that you get it done better and faster than anyone else.”

“Our folks know that their work is really helping the mission,” said Farley. “The Air Force wanted this ramp. The Army want-ed it. Everybody wanted this but the bad guys.”

Teamwork, skepticism lead to early project finish

6

First Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron Senior Airman Miguel Gas-stelum pours concrete as part of an $8.9 million ramp renovation proj-ect. The 270,000 square-foot con-crete ramp is expected to enhance air operations during Afghanistan’s harsh winters.

Dari/Pashtu phrase of the week

7

Story and photo by Tech. Sgt. April LapetodaCombined Joint Task Force-82 Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Aside from the beautiful scenery of luscious green fi elds and never-ending blue skies, those on a road trip across the southern stretch of South Dakota don’t have much else to see.

Except for the countless signs leading to Wall Drug, which beck-on to tourists. Many of the handmade signs read “5¢ coffee” or “free ice water,” and they can be found every few miles.

Those from South Dakota may have become complacent to the signs, but one which reads “6,964 miles to Wall Drug …” is sure to grab anyone’s attention, as was the case for one Airman from Pierre, S.D., who has been deployed here for the past fi ve months.

Airman 1st Class Kyrissa M. Sandal, Combined Joint Task Force-82 Civil Military Operations data developer and Web master, recent-ly discovered the sign while driving by with a friend.

Sandal said when she saw the sign she felt, “ecstatic … Just see-ing the sign that leads back to home was comforting.”

She revisited the sign to take some pictures of and with it.“I’ve never seen a Wall Drug sign outside the U.S. before,” San-

dal, who has been in the Air Force for just over a year, said.Wall Drug is a drug store and gift shop in Wall, S.D. Their signs

can not only be found across South Dakota, but around the world. Because of its creative marketing technique, Wall Drug has become a popular tourist stop.

Similarly, the lone sign here has become a picture opportunity for servicemembers.

Generally, people take pictures with the sign about once a week, said Army Staff Sgt. Thomas A. Wanzek, 235th Military Police Company motor sergeant. Usually, passers-by get a laugh at it.

While taking pictures of the sign, Sandal ran into a few members of the 235th MP Co., which is an Army National Guard unit out of Rapid City, S.D.

They chatted for a few minutes about things back home.“It was very nice,” said Sandal. “I don’t meet many people in

the military from South Dakota.”Spc. Jason Crowson, a supply vehicle clerk in the 235th MP Co.,

decided to make the sign about six months ago.“My family was curious about how far my hometown was from

here, so I fi gured it would be easier to go from Wall Drug, which is about 50 miles away from them,” said Crowson, who hails from Rapid City.

The mileage was confi gured using Google Earth going over the North Pole, he said.

A picture of the Wall Drug sign here was sent to the store, said Crowson. “They said thanks for the picture and that they’d post it somewhere.”

Even while driving in Afghanistan, a servicemember never knows when they’ll see a sign which will remind them of the road to home.

Deployed members fi nd comfort, laughter in special sign

Spc. Jason Crowson, a supply vehicle clerk in the 235th Military Police Company, stands next to the Wall Drug sign he made about six months ago.

Deployed members fi nd comfort, laughter Signs of home:

By Air Force Capt. Bob EverdeenQalat Provincial Reconstruction Team

QALAT, Afghanistan – Less than three months after the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited the small southern district of Qalat in Zabul Province, three additional members of the Washington-based joint staff stopped by for a meeting with the Qalat provincial governor.

Army Lt. Gen. Carter Ham, director for operations; Marine Lt. Gen. John Sat-tler, director for strategic plans and poli-cy; and Navy Rear Adm. David Dorsett, director for intelligence, spent time with

Gov. Delbar Jan Arman to discuss priori-ties in the province.

“This is an area with enemy activity,” the governor said, referring to the coun-try’s bloodiest year since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion against the Taliban. “Security is our number-one priority and with help from Coalition brothers, we can show the enemy we are strong.”

Task Force Zabul is a joint Interna-tional Security Assistance Force unit that operates in the province.

“We have some of the United States’ best here to help you,” Sattler told the gov-ernor. “We have the provincial reconstruc-tion team, State Department, U.S. Agency

for International Development and other military and civilian representatives.”

According to Arman, two of the contrib-uting factors to slower-than-desired prog-ress here are the 30 years of fi ghting that have plagued the country and the tribalism that is prevalent in his province.

“The enemy is always watching, see-ing what we are doing, and then chang-ing their tactics,” the governor said. “In addition to better security, we need to focus on three things: roads; agriculture, including irrigation; and animals for the people. Our government is still new; we need patience and must move day by day, step by step.”

Pentagon shows continued support for Afghanistan

8

Story and photos by Senior Airman Dilia DeGregoCombined Joint Task Force-82

Public Affairs

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghani-stan – There are no roads that lead in; there are none that lead out; and the dream of attending school is merely that – a dream.

Landekhel Village sits nestled in the desolate mountains of Afghanistan, where traveling is limited to hiking the steep mountains by foot or air-dropping in.

The small village, consisting of ap-proximately 15 families, sat unvisited by Coalition forces for nearly a year until Oct. 4 when a combined team from the 82nd Airborne Divisions Special Troops Battalion; 755th Alpha Explosives Ordi-nance Disposal Flight; Parwan Province Police mentor team; and Afghan Na-tional Police forces visited Landekhel.

In an effort to prevent terrorism and promote security in the village, an anonymous villager called out to Coali-tion forces and ANP for help, inform-ing them of a cache of SAKAR rockets hidden at the foot of a mountain very close to the village.

Answering his call, the combined team air-assaulted into the village, find-ing a larger cache than expected and further fostering their relationship with

the villagers.“It was a very successful mission,”

said Army Capt. Shawn Dalrymple, Bravo Co., 82nd DSTB company com-mander. “We did both, interacting with the local populace and removing items that pose danger to them as well as [Afghan National Security Forces] and Coalition forces.

“We found almost double of what we were told was there,” he continued.

Altogether, the team found 26 SA-KAR rockets, 24 SAKAR rocket motors, three RPG warheads, approximately 10 cases of fuses, an anti-aircraft weapon and various miscellaneous Soviet-era munitions.

Kohe Safi District Chief of Police Farziea Masoom agreed. “The mis-sion was outstanding. The people were very happy and appreciated that the Coalition forces and ANP came and destroyed the ammunition. The mission was very effective toward the develop-ment of Afghanistan.

“The people were asking for a school, hospital and roads to be built here,” he added.

Although missions to destroy caches and promote security and development in Afghanistan are not uncommon, this mission was particularly special. The mission, which was very physically demanding for both ANP and Coalition

members, was executed during Rama-dan. Ramadan is an Islamic religious observance considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, fasting, charity and self-account-ability are especially stressed at this time.

“It is very interesting working with another culture out there because you have to take into account Ramadan and things of that nature and be courte-ous of their culture and at the same time the mission has to get done,” said Dalrymple.

Being respectful of Afghan tradi-tions and culture has been a common practice for this team of Soldiers.

“They do an outstanding job here in Afghanistan; it is very impressive what they do. They take their jobs very seri-ously and work very hard. They truly care about what they do,” Dalrymple added about his Soldiers. “I think that was the hardest part [about the mission was] working around Ramadan. We did everything that we could to take all the precautionary measures in preparing for the mission because [the ANP] do not eat or drink during the day [during the observance].”

“I want to thank the ANP for com-ing on this mission,” said Army Maj. Stephan Tremblay, Parwan Province police mentor. “They worked extremely hard all day through Ramadan with-

out eating. Some haven’t eaten in more than 18 hours. To get these Soldiers here through Ramadan is a significant improvement toward the development of Afghanistan.

“This mission is an excellent ex-ample of joint Coalition forces. We destroyed a major cache and improved operability between ANP and Coalition forces,” he added.

Aside from destroying the cache and meeting with village elders to discuss security and development issues, the combined team left the village with a parting gift.

“We knew that we were going to go there and disrupt their daily routine, so we wanted to leave them with some-thing when we left. We went down to the [humanitarian aid] yard and the [U.S. Navy] senior chief there already had these pre-staged pallet configura-tions for this exact purpose. One was a winterize bundle and the other was a survival bundle,” said Army 1st Lt. Eric Bechard, Bravo Co., 82nd DSTB

executive officer. “Aside from making the villagers

happy and giving them things that they need, [aid packages] help because we went in there to destroy this cache, and we may [have] upset anyone who was monitoring that cache, which could have a negative effect on the villagers,” said the Perry, Maine, native. “So any kind of additional help we could give helps them out since we went in and disrupted them in more than one way.”

The bundles delivered near the vil-lage included food, blankets, stoves, tarps, hygiene kits, health kits, shoes and clothes.

There may not be any roads that lead to and from the village of Landekhel or schools to attend; this vil-lage and others in Kohe Safi District are only seemingly unreachable. Through Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Coalition forces’ efforts, the request for roads and the dream of a school are not impossible – it is merely a matter of time.

ANP, Coalition forces destroy cache, foster relationships

Background: Army Capt. Shawn Dal-rymple, Bravo Co., 82nd DSTB com-pany commander, watches as a CH-47 Chinook flies overhead. A combined team air-assaulted onto a landing zone near Landekhel Village, Kohe Sofi District, Parwan Province, on a mission to destroy a weapons cache near the village.

9

Teamwork

Members of the 755th Alpha Explosives Ordinance Disposal Flight destroy part of a large cache near Landekhel Village, Kohe Sofi District, Parwan Province.

8

Right: A combined team runs off a CH-47 Chinook after landing near Landekhel Village, Kohe Sofi Dis-trict, Parwan Province, on a mission to destroy a weapons cache near the village.

Story and photos by Senior Airman Dilia DeGregoCombined Joint Task Force-82

Public Affairs

PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghani-stan – There are no roads that lead in; there are none that lead out; and the dream of attending school is merely that – a dream.

Landekhel Village sits nestled in the desolate mountains of Afghanistan, where traveling is limited to hiking the steep mountains by foot or air-dropping in.

The small village, consisting of ap-proximately 15 families, sat unvisited by Coalition forces for nearly a year until Oct. 4 when a combined team from the 82nd Airborne Divisions Special Troops Battalion; 755th Alpha Explosives Ordi-nance Disposal Flight; Parwan Province Police mentor team; and Afghan Na-tional Police forces visited Landekhel.

In an effort to prevent terrorism and promote security in the village, an anonymous villager called out to Coali-tion forces and ANP for help, inform-ing them of a cache of SAKAR rockets hidden at the foot of a mountain very close to the village.

Answering his call, the combined team air-assaulted into the village, find-ing a larger cache than expected and further fostering their relationship with

the villagers.“It was a very successful mission,”

said Army Capt. Shawn Dalrymple, Bravo Co., 82nd DSTB company com-mander. “We did both, interacting with the local populace and removing items that pose danger to them as well as [Afghan National Security Forces] and Coalition forces.

“We found almost double of what we were told was there,” he continued.

Altogether, the team found 26 SA-KAR rockets, 24 SAKAR rocket motors, three RPG warheads, approximately 10 cases of fuses, an anti-aircraft weapon and various miscellaneous Soviet-era munitions.

Kohe Safi District Chief of Police Farziea Masoom agreed. “The mis-sion was outstanding. The people were very happy and appreciated that the Coalition forces and ANP came and destroyed the ammunition. The mission was very effective toward the develop-ment of Afghanistan.

“The people were asking for a school, hospital and roads to be built here,” he added.

Although missions to destroy caches and promote security and development in Afghanistan are not uncommon, this mission was particularly special. The mission, which was very physically demanding for both ANP and Coalition

members, was executed during Rama-dan. Ramadan is an Islamic religious observance considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, fasting, charity and self-account-ability are especially stressed at this time.

“It is very interesting working with another culture out there because you have to take into account Ramadan and things of that nature and be courte-ous of their culture and at the same time the mission has to get done,” said Dalrymple.

Being respectful of Afghan tradi-tions and culture has been a common practice for this team of Soldiers.

“They do an outstanding job here in Afghanistan; it is very impressive what they do. They take their jobs very seri-ously and work very hard. They truly care about what they do,” Dalrymple added about his Soldiers. “I think that was the hardest part [about the mission was] working around Ramadan. We did everything that we could to take all the precautionary measures in preparing for the mission because [the ANP] do not eat or drink during the day [during the observance].”

“I want to thank the ANP for com-ing on this mission,” said Army Maj. Stephan Tremblay, Parwan Province police mentor. “They worked extremely hard all day through Ramadan with-

out eating. Some haven’t eaten in more than 18 hours. To get these Soldiers here through Ramadan is a significant improvement toward the development of Afghanistan.

“This mission is an excellent ex-ample of joint Coalition forces. We destroyed a major cache and improved operability between ANP and Coalition forces,” he added.

Aside from destroying the cache and meeting with village elders to discuss security and development issues, the combined team left the village with a parting gift.

“We knew that we were going to go there and disrupt their daily routine, so we wanted to leave them with some-thing when we left. We went down to the [humanitarian aid] yard and the [U.S. Navy] senior chief there already had these pre-staged pallet configura-tions for this exact purpose. One was a winterize bundle and the other was a survival bundle,” said Army 1st Lt. Eric Bechard, Bravo Co., 82nd DSTB

executive officer. “Aside from making the villagers

happy and giving them things that they need, [aid packages] help because we went in there to destroy this cache, and we may [have] upset anyone who was monitoring that cache, which could have a negative effect on the villagers,” said the Perry, Maine, native. “So any kind of additional help we could give helps them out since we went in and disrupted them in more than one way.”

The bundles delivered near the vil-lage included food, blankets, stoves, tarps, hygiene kits, health kits, shoes and clothes.

There may not be any roads that lead to and from the village of Landekhel or schools to attend; this vil-lage and others in Kohe Safi District are only seemingly unreachable. Through Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Coalition forces’ efforts, the request for roads and the dream of a school are not impossible – it is merely a matter of time.

ANP, Coalition forces destroy cache, foster relationships

Background: Army Capt. Shawn Dal-rymple, Bravo Co., 82nd DSTB com-pany commander, watches as a CH-47 Chinook flies overhead. A combined team air-assaulted onto a landing zone near Landekhel Village, Kohe Sofi District, Parwan Province, on a mission to destroy a weapons cache near the village.

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Teamwork

Members of the 755th Alpha Explosives Ordinance Disposal Flight destroy part of a large cache near Landekhel Village, Kohe Sofi District, Parwan Province.

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Right: A combined team runs off a CH-47 Chinook after landing near Landekhel Village, Kohe Sofi Dis-trict, Parwan Province, on a mission to destroy a weapons cache near the village.

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Story and photo by Spc. Micah E. Clare

4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

SABARI, Afghanistan – Some people may think Soldiers assigned to head-quarters units aren’t used to leaving the confi nes of a tactical operations center, much less living ‘outside the wire.’

One such headquarters unit would beg to differ.

To the paratroopers of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, being fatigued and dirty, going without hot meals, showers or a comfortable bed to sleep in is nothing new.

Stationed at the Bak District Center in Khowst Province, Afghanistan, almost an hour from any major forward-operating base, the manuever platoon of HHB has per-formed a job well beyond what was ever laid out for them on paper, said Army Staff Sgt. Jesse English, an HHB section chief.

“An HHB maneuver platoon doesn’t ex-ist on any offi cial documents anywhere,” said English, whose actual military occupational specialty lies in weather forecasting. “I’ve got to be the only ‘weather guy’ section chief in 82nd history.”

The rest of the platoon is made up of a wide range of support personnel who were pulled from various positions throughout HHB. Communications personnel, weather, supply, nuclear biological chemical, fi re direc-tion control and even cooks are all now part of the maneuver team, explained English.

For this reason, the members of the pla-toon jokingly refer to themselves as “The Misfi ts,” he said.

The team had to quickly adapt to its new mission of providing a permanent presence in the districts of Sabari and Bak, said Army Sgt. 1st Class Luis Rivera, a geologic survey-or turned HHB platoon sergeant.

“Most of these guys have had to learn their new jobs from scratch,” Rivera said.

Despite the fact that most members of the team have had no special combat train-ing, many of them were able to contribute valuable leadership experience, explained Rivera, who helped train Iraqi Army soldiers in his previous Iraq deployment.

“We pooled what we had together to forge this team,” he said.

Since its arrival to Afghanistan in Febru-ary, the HHB maneuver platoon has execut-ed more than 200 missions including routine

‘Misfi t’ unit takes mission ‘outside the wire’mounted and dismounted patrols, humani-tarian-assistance deliveries, VIP escorts and protecting the Bak and Sabari district cen-ters, Rivera explained.

“Whatever mission is required, we’re the ones who get it done,” he said.

Being responsible for such a high volume of missions can be quite diffi cult, he said.

“In the beginning, it seemed overwhelming because we had to do an incredible amount of different missions,” Rivera said. “In time … the guys began to understand that every-thing was for a reason.”

His Soldiers agree that it was a challenge.“It took a while to get into the groove,”

said Spc. Christopher Gilbert, an unmanned aerial vehicle operator.

When he was assigned to HHB last year, he defi nitely didn’t picture himself out in the fi eld patrolling around in Humvees, teach-ing local policemen how to run tactical check points, or pulling security at a district center.

Doing these things on a daily basis was all the training they needed though, he said.

Gilbert remembered how rough the pla-toon’s fi rst few weeks at Bak were.

“We lived out of our trucks for weeks on end,” he said. “Then we upgraded to a tent. We pretty much ate [Meals Ready to Eat] for fi ve months straight.”

Since then, a building was constructed for

the units stationed at the Bak District Cen-ter, where they are able to cook hot meals and have access to Internet and phones.

But the mission hasn’t changed and is even more effective now that the maneuver platoon has an established home in the area, said Army Capt. Peter Cairns, HHB’s com-mander.

“You need to be out there living with the locals as much as possible,” he said. “If not, you’ll never have a really good feel for the area you’re living in.”

Having this permanent presence in Khowst was the main reason why 2-321st tasked HHB and the battalion maintenance company, Company G, based in a nearby dis-trict, to create maneuver platoons.

“The previous artillery battalion had no maneuver mission [in Khowst],” Cairns ex-plained. “We decided that a permanent pres-ence was needed to wage a better counterin-surgency fi ght in this area.”

It has defi nitely worked to their advan-tage, he said.

“We’ve developed good relationships with the people of Sabari, from the sub-governor to police chiefs to shopkeepers,” Cairns said. “I know the roads in Sabari and Bak better than the ones at home.”

The people of Sabari and Bak have been plagued with Taliban intimidation and IED-manufacturing cells, making the two districts historically the most dangerous in Khowst. However, by showing a constant presence and reinforcing and mentoring the local Af-ghan National Police, these areas are now becoming safer, Cairns said.

“When you get to know an area this well, you’re able to tell when things aren’t right,” he said.

The paratroopers stationed here know that this presence is not just benefi cial to this area, but essential.

“Only by being out here all the time, have we been able to get the locals to understand that we’re here to help,” said Gilbert. “Some-times it’s just a lot of smiling and waving, but it gets the message across; if they just put a little trust in us, together we’ll get the bad guys out of here.”

When the paratroopers of HHB maneu-ver platoon fi nally do go home next year, their maneuver mission will be over, but the experience will be invaluable to their future Army careers, said English.

“They’ve done so well,” he said. “When we get home, they’ll no longer be just ‘sup-port guys.’ They’ll be a combat asset to any unit they are in.”

Army Sgt. Chris Couvillion, a medic in Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 321st Air-borne Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Air-borne Division, administers an in-travenous shot to a dehydrated Af-ghan National Police offi cer at the Bak District Center in Khowst Prov-ince, Afghanistan.

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Story and photos by Senior Airman Christine Collier

American Forces Network – Afghani-stan

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Bagram Airfield is expanding eastward, a project designed to restruc-ture the base, as well as improve the qual-ity of life for base personnel.

“Bagram Airfield has been designated as an enduring base,” said Army Lt. Col. Jim Bonner, 23rd Chemical Battalion commander. “We will get away from B-huts and structures that were designed to be temporary, and build more permanent facilities.”

The number of personnel at BAF is one of the main reasons for the expansion and renovations.

BAF houses approximately 13,600 people, but was originally designed to ac-commodate around 3,000.

“The expansion will give us flex space to expand the base and improve quality of life, while organizing BAF into like functions,” Bonner said.

The reorganization aspect of the ex-pansion will put like units together. For example, all life-support units will be in the same area, and all logistical units will be put together as well. This will allow the units to interact and function more effectively.

There are no plans to have a central housing area, so there will continue to be separate housing accommodations near individual units.

Originally, when BAF was built, it was designed as a temporary base with sev-eral camps each responsible for its own security. Now, with base-wide perimeter

security, there is no need for 34 individual camps and Hesco barriers separating the camps are being torn down. Combining camps will ease road constructions as well as make it easier to install and maintain utilities throughout the base, said Bon-ner.

In addition to making BAF one com-bined installation, several quality-of-life improvements are being made as the base expands from aproximately 1,939 acres to 2,479 acres.

Construction of a new dining facility is scheduled to begin this month. The new DFAC will hold more people, and is de-signed to be a permanent structure, as op-posed to the current dining facility, which was meant to be temporary, said Conner.

Five brick-and-mortar lodging facili-ties, each able to house 160 personnel, are currently in the works. They are sched-uled to be completed no later than Febru-ary. Eventually, B-huts will be eliminated completely, replaced by brick-and-mortar buildings and re-locatable buildings.

There are also plans for a waste-water treatment plant, additional reception, staging and onward movement and inte-gration areas, an Air Mobility Command expansion, a new gym and additional ca-pacity for BAF’s landfill.

“The improvements will increase the standard of living for all BAF personnel,” Bonner said.

Bagram eastern expansion in works

Two contractors de-mine a sec-tion of land slated for Bagram Airfield’s eastern expansion.

Two builders work on the new brick-and-mortar housing facilities, sched-uled to be finished by spring 2008.

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Rescue from above

Above: Members of the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacu-ation Flight load almost 800 pounds of medical equipment onto a C-130 aircraft just before taking off for a medical mission.

Right: Air Force Staff Sgt. Andria Essig, 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight medical technician, tends to an Afghan patient aboard a C-130 aircraft during an aeromedical evacuation mission. (Photos: Air Force Staff Sgt. Joshua Jasper)

To ensure delivery of holiday cards and packages by Dec. 25 to military APO/FPO addresses overseas and to international addresses, the U.S. Post Office suggests that mail be postmarked by the recommended mailing dates listed below. Beat the last-minute rush and take your mail to the post office by these suggested dates.

2007 international and military mail holiday mailing dates

EMMS: Express Mail Military Service is available to selected military post offices. Check with your local post office to determine if this service is available to your APO/FPO of address.

PAL: PAL is a service that provides air transportation for parcels on a space-available basis. It is available for Parcel Post items not exceeding 30 pounds in weight or 60 inches in length

and width combined. The applicable PAL fee must be paid in addition to the regular sur-face rate of postage for each addressed piece sent by PAL service.

SAM: SAM parcels are paid at Parcel Post postage rate of postage with maximum weight and size limits of 15 pounds and 60 inches in length and girth combined. SAM parcels are first transported domestically by surface and then to overseas destinations by air on a space-available basis.

GXG: Global Express Guaranteed is available to over 190 countries via a partner-ship with Federal Express. See a retail associ-ate at participating locations for a complete list of countries and money-back guarantee details. Some restrictions apply.

EMS: Express Mail International is avail-able to over 190 countries with delivery in 3 to 5 business days. See a retail associate at participating locations for a complete list of countries. Some restrictions apply.

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Story and photos by Senior Master Sgt. Kim Allain

455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – The 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here provides accurate and imme-diate airdrops of critical supplies to troops on the ground throughout Afghanistan. These airdrops have significant impact on the success of ground missions for those fighting the war on terrorism.

Ground missions in Afghanistan take troops deep into mountain terrain or to bas-es without airstrips. The delivery of supplies by road can be dangerous, time-consuming or nonexistent.

“Airdrop is either the fastest or only way to resupply troops with food, water, fuel, ammunition and equipment,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Lance Peck, a loadmaster.

Airdrops have been one of the U.S.’s pri-mary means of moving supplies since the Berlin Airlift in 1948. Whether the mission is for troop drops and resupply to contribute to a wartime effort, or for emergency relief during humanitarian aid, the C-130 Hercu-les aircraft and crew provide assistance.

“This is a pure C-130 mission here at Bagram – doing what we have been trained to do and what the aircraft was built for,” said Senior Master Sgt. Roy Self, also a loadmaster.

The mission is also a joint effort between Soldiers and Airmen. Army logisticians perform a risk evaluation to determine the airdrop requirement. They then coordinate with ground troops to determine a feasible

zone, or drop location for air delivery of troops, supplies or equipment.

“It is important to hit the zone with the drop as that may be the only piece of ground those troops own at the moment,” Self said.

Once airdrop needs are determined, the teamwork and communication between the services kicks in. The Army ascertains what is needed at each drop location and then builds the loads (equipment), or bundles (supplies), and rigs the parachute attached to each drop.

The Army rigging team then follows the bundles/loads to the aircraft where the air-crew joint airdrop inspector, or JAI, meets with the rigging team to inspect the para-chutes attached to each bundle. The para-chute rigging must be accurate to ensure the chute opens once each load or bundle exits the back of the aircraft.

Both the rigging team and aircrew load-masters work with the JAI to correctly load the drops onto the C-130 and inspect the rigging. Once it is determined each drop will properly clear the aircraft upon extraction, the JAI will provide the final certification and clearance is given for aircraft depar-ture.

The biggest challenge is that “every load and mission is different and all sec-tions involved need to understand what the requestor needs and wants you to do to ac-complish an accurate drop,” said Tech. Sgt. Eric Higen, another loadmaster.

Safety concerns determine whether the drop is performed at a high altitude, which is above 10,000 feet, or at low altitude.

“Teamwork and communication get the

job done,” said Self. The navigator confirms the drop location and gives the loadmaster the “green light” to extract the load or bun-dle from the aircraft.

“There’s no better feeling in the world than calling ‘load clear’ and knowing you are getting those troops the items and equipment they need to survive and com-plete their mission,” he said.

C-130s put troops, supplies on target

Above: Aircrew members and rig-ging specialists load airdrop bundles onto a C-130 Hercules transport air-craft on the flightline at Bagram Air-field, Afghanistan.

Left: Senior Master Sgt. Roy Self cleans the ramp area after eight bundles of supplies were airdropped from a C-130 Hercules to troops in the field by the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron from Bagram Air-field, Afghanistan.

Photos from the fieldLeft: An Afghan National Army Soldier applies a tourniquet to another ANA soldier during a training class conducted by the U.S. Army’s 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. (Pho-to: Army Staff Sgt. Justin Holley)

Below: An Afghan girl in Paktika Province watch U.S. Soldiers build a road in front of her home while she tends to her three younger siblings. The road will connect the towns of Orgun and Zerok, granting the locals easier access to hospitals, government facilities and bazaars. (Photo: Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis)

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Above: An Afghan girl runs be-side a convoy just outside Bagram Airfield. The convoy passengers were Operation Care volunteers who brought donations of toys and clothing to a displaced per-sons’ camp. To learn more about Operation Care, e-mail: reuben.breaux@afghan.swa.army.mil (Photo: Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis)

Left: Soldiers from Bravo Com-pany, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, patrol the mountains in Bar-la, Afghanistan, in search of Taliban members and weapons caches (Photo: Army Staff Sgt. Marcus Quarterman)

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Right: Tag Ab Valley residents gather for an afternoon meal after a shura, or town meeting, with the Kapisa provincial gover-nor, a key Afghan National Army general and the Task Force Cin-cinnatus commander. (Photo: Air Force Staff Sgt. Sarah Gregory)

Back cover: An Afghan girl holds an elder’s hand in a displaced per-sons’ camp just outside Bagram Airfield. (Photo illustration: Air Force Staff Sgt. Daniel Bellis)