CHRISTMAS IN AFGHANISTAN
I have tried to keep the blog fairly light and on-the-surface about what is going on over there . . . more of a "day in the life" picture of things. But, it doesn't tell the complete story if you overlook the horrible tragedies that come with what they are doing. On Christmas Eve, we lost a soldier from David's company, HHC. Out of respect to the family, I am not going to discuss his personal information here. But, the link on the sidebar takes you to the site with a write-up for each of our fallen soldiers. HHC had not lost a soldier up to this point. This cast a very sad and somber net over Christmas Day and the days thereafter. Even so, the Dining Facility and their crew did their best to give the guys a great Christmas meal and to make it a little less painful to be away from their family and loved ones and to be in the middle of a combat zone half way around the world. It was much appreciated by all. In addition, David and the other officers pulled "tower duty," doing time in the watch towers, to make sure that every soldier had a little bit of down time and a chance to call home. Here are a few pictures of the events surrounding Christmas, even the heartbreaking ones . . .
A big "thank you" goes out to everyone that sent care packages, well wishes, and prayers to our guys. Here are some pictures of the guys getting their "boodle" from the Mission Friends at Brent Baptist Church, Brent, Alabama (a special thanks to "Miss" Faye Johnson), and from our nephew, Will, and all his buddies who contributed and who made crafts at his special birthday party to make things to send to the soldiers . . .
David and some others serve Christmas dinner to some well-deserving soldiers . . .
This is the "honor flight" coming to take our fallen warrior home. They have a ceremony where everyone goes out and salutes their fallen and gives him a fitting send-off on his journey back to his family.
A few days later, there was a Memorial Service at Orgun-E to honor their fallen soldier and pay tribute to his sacrifice.
This soldier was a hero and was laid to rest in late January at Arlington National Cemetery with Full Military Honors:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/03/AR2009020303534.html
CHRISTMAS AT HOME
We had the normal chaos at my parents' and granny's house over Christmas. There are a thousand and one pictures, but here are just a couple. This was Price's first year to sort of get into Santa Claus . . . since October, he had asked for two things from Santa: a toy weed trimmer (strange!) and a coat of armor ~
Price talking to Daddy and telling him all about what Santa brought him and Harper . . .
Our future little Alabama football players!!
WINTER IN AFGHANISTAN
David sent this update for me to post several weeks ago (as his internet is very slow and difficult for him to post himself). Sorry it has taken so long, but I wanted to get my part up to date and keep it all in order! He has clearly been there too long as he uses a LOT of military lingo ~ I think he has forgotten how to talk "civilian"! But, I think you will get the important stuff out of it . . .
Since November and the inception of the winter campaign in Eastern Paktika, the
men and women of Task Force White Currahee have performed magnificently.
Our ability to assess our operational environment, interdict the miscreants/ insurgents, and secure the population has fostered an environment conducive towards governance, development, and economic growth. The winter season in Afghanistan, and in particular Orgun-E, is very harsh and in some instances devastating to the local nationals. For many, their survivability is dependent on coalition forces, Afghan leadership, and Afghan security forces to provide for their
security, welfare, and health concerns. Over the past several months, we
have faced some significant challenges attempting to facilitate the Paktikan
subsistence in an environment that fails to reward the unprepared.
Though focused on counter-insurgency operations in an effort to separate the enemy from the populace, the Soldiers of this Battalion have begun to set the conditions for our re-deployment back to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Upon reflection of our deployment, its milestones, and legacy, it is not difficult to see the awesome impact this Battalion has had on the Afghan populace and the mitigation of insurgent malefactors. As our replacements begin to arrive, it is truly imperative that we maintain our operational tempo/posture and ward off complacency.
Operations in Afghanistan are difficult and time-consuming – even more so
throughout the winter months. While the fight here is long from over,
it is evident that the brilliant men and women serving in uniform forward
deployed in this theater are relevant, passionate, and heroic. Not
only do these Soldiers display the necessary character and courage needed in
such an environment, but also depict what is good and righteous about
the military and United States of America.
MORE TRAGEDY FOR 2-506 INFANTRY
Right after David wrote the above entry, tragedy struck our battalion again and we lost two brave soldiers in the same incident on February 10, 2009. Less than a week later, we lost a soldier in another company on February 16, 2009. This was a terrifying and shocking loss for all involved ~ for the soldiers over there as this is the most loss we have suffered during this deployment in such a short time span, and for the families back home as we were just weeks away from the end of the deployment and were praying to make it through without further loss. We had lost three men until that week and then the number doubled within a matter of days. Our hearts and our prayers go out to these heroes' families.
There is a web site honoring one of these fallen warriors that is very powerful and that I would like to share with you. While it is incredibly sad to watch, it puts a person behind the name and behind the brief blurb on the news about another soldier killed in action. I hope his family doesn't mind me sharing it. Please let it serve as a reminder that there are beautiful people behind every name and number that you hear on the news . . .
The next time I write, I hope I have some news on David's expected return date. At times, I thought it would never end. I can't believe how close we finally are!!
