War On Terror News

NATO ‘Needs More Trainers’ in Afghanistan

VOA News   Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

A top NATO general says the transfer of security responsibility to Afghan troops hinges on whether more alliance trainers are made available to bolster local security forces.

U.S. Lieutenant-General William Caldwell urged NATO allies in Brussels Tuesday to provide 1,000 additional specialized trainers to build up Afghan forces by next year, so that Western troops can begin to withdraw from the country.

Caldwell also said the Afghan police and army need 133,000 more

Australian Defence on Charges Brought Against 3 Australian Soldiers

The Australian Defence has issued a statement regarding charges being brought against 3 Australian soldiers, regarding action taken in a clearing operation on February 12, 2009 in the Uruzgan Province of Afghanistan.

Brigadier Lyn McDade, Director of Military Prosecutions, stated "As a result of that compound clearance operation, six people died and up to four people sustained injuries.  The operation was the subject of an investigation by the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service, which was subsequently referred to me for consideration in November 2009.  I requested further investigations be conducted by the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service and I received the answers to my requests for further information throughout 2010."

There seems to be some disagreement from other sources as to whether these 3 soldiers are currently serving or not.  This, per a statement from the Australian Defence, should clear that matter up.

"The Director of Military Prosecutions has decided that three Australian Defence Force members who continue to serve in the Army will be charged in relation to this incident." 

“Consistent with the presumption of innocence, these members will receive the full support of the Australian Defence Force,” the Chief of Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said. 

See below for the entire Australian Defence comment issued regarding the Director of Military Prosecutions's decision [to prosecute].

RCT-7 surgeon plays harmonica to pass time in Afghanistan

Regimental Combat Team-7, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs
Story by Cpl. Skyler Tooker

09.26.2010  MARJAH, Afghanistan - Whenever Cmdr. Rodney Pray, the Regimental Combat Team 7 surgeon, has a little down time, and isn’t working with the Marines and focusing on the mission, he reaches into his pocket and pulls his harmonica out, plays a few of his favorite songs from the “Rolling Stones,” and relaxes.

Pray, 56, from Ashland, Ore., started learning how to play the harmonica back in the 70s. He said he and his friends used to go for hikes on the countryside in southern Oregon and practice their harmonicas out where no one could hear them play.

“We would take our harmonicas with us when we would hike in southern Oregon where there were giant hills and boulders all over the place,” said Pray. “We would sit on top of the giant boulders and play our harmonicas and listen to the echoes in the canyon.”

Suicide Attack Kills Afghan Deputy Governor

VOA News    28 September 2010

Afghan police say a suicide bomber has killed a top provincial official and at least five other people in eastern Afghanistan.

Tuesday's attack killed the deputy governor of Ghazni province, Mohammad Kazim Allahyar, as well as his adult son, nephew and a guard.  Two nearby civilians also were killed.

Police say the bomber, on a motorized rickshaw,

Taliban Want Reconciliation, Afghan Gov't Sets Up Council

Afghan Government Appoints Peace Council
VOA News 28 September 2010

The Afghan government has appointed a committee to negotiate peace talks with the Taliban, in an effort to get insurgents to lay down their arms.

President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday unveiled the 70-member High Peace Council, which includes former warlords, former presidents, former Taliban officials, civil and religious leaders, as well as women.

US Soldier Held in Death of Soldiers in Iraq

VOA News   28 September 2010

The U.S. military says an American soldier is being held in connection with the shooting deaths of two American servicemen in Iraq.

A military statement released Tuesday says Specialist Neftaly Platero is being held following the killing of two soldiers last Thursday.

The military says an investigation is underway. No other details of the incident have been released.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

Home is where the Army sends us

Combined Joint Task Force 101
Story by Staff Sgt. Whitney Hughes

09.26.2010  AFGHANISTAN - At a kulat in Forward Operating Base Gardez, home to the battalion headquarters of the 3rd Battalion of the 172nd Infantry Regiment, a wooden sign hangs engraved with a play on the old adage, “Home is where the Army sends us.”

Nobody has experienced or embraced this mentality more than the battalion’s Delta Company, who, until recently, had never seen their battalion headquarters.

During their first six months in Afghanistan, the company was serving in three different locations in Paktika Province, only about 30 miles from the rest of the 3-172 but still a world away from the close-knit Vermont National Guard mountain infantry unit.

Recently, the company was ordered to move to a newly constructed joint combat outpost

RIP SGT Mark A. Simpson, SPC Donald S. Morrison

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            They died Sept. 26 at Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their military vehicle with an improvised explosive device on Sept. 25 at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, Afghanistan.  They were assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

            Killed were:

            Sgt. Mark A. Simpson, 40, of Peoria, Ill.

            Spc.  Donald S. Morrison, 23, of Cincinnati, Ohio.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

Victorious Soldiers at Fight Night

224th Sustainment Brigade
Story by Spc. Glen Baker

09.26.2010  IRAQ - Three soldiers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), emerged victorious in the mixed martial arts “Fight Night” event Sept. 18 at Memorial Hall on Contingency Operating Base Adder.

Spc. Tony Chien, Army direct ordering specialist, and a Long Beach, Calif., native, Spc. Michael Ferguson, signal support systems specialist, and an Inglewood, Calif., native, and Spc. Christopher Stafford, intelligence analyst, and a Buena Park, Calif., native, discussed strategy as well as the training involved to help them win their matches.

“I worked on striking, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu,” Chien said. His fight ended with a rear naked choke hold in the second round.

Commerce Stability Program empowering Afghans

2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment
Story by Sgt. Gerald Wilson

09.27.2010  ZABUL, Afghanistan- The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan working alongside Afghan National Security Forces and Coalition Forces from the Provincial Reconstruction Team are working together to empower the people of Shah Joy with hope in a brighter, safer future. A great example of GIRoA’s efforts is the newly developed the Commerce Stability Program.

CSP is a village-level security force made up of local men similar to a neighborhood watch. Like the Minutemen of old, these individuals agree to take up arms and defend their homes. The program hires men from each village and paying them to man observation posts. CSP is run by the Ministry of the Interior, but they are supervised by the Afghan National Police. They work together toward a common goal of providing a safe environment for the people.

Capt. Max Pappas, Team Leader of the Shah Joy PRT said,

Wild Deuce" soldiers support drawdown

Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Antonia Silva-Warren

09.26.2010  IRAQ - The “Wild Deuce” Soldiers with 2nd platoon, 15th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), became part of history this August in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the transition to Operation New Dawn at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Heavy Equipment Transporters from the 15th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), line up alongside Stryker vehicles from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division in August at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, during the road march to Kuwait. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonia Silva-Warren)

Somali Sufi Group Backs Out of Government Power-Sharing Deal

 VOA News  Alisha Ryu | Nairobi 27 September 2010

A leader of Somalia's moderate Islamist Ahlu-Sunna Wal-Jama'a group says members of al-Shabab are holding top positions in the U.N.-backed Transitional Federal Government. The accusation follows the Sufi group's withdrawal from a power-sharing deal it signed with the government six months ago.

Map:  VOA

The chairman of Ahlu-Sunna Wal-Jama'a's Shura Council, Sheik Omar Sheik Abdul Karidir, says his group has documents that show some leaders of the Transitional Federal Government are also members of al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked extremist group fighting to topple the government.

Take Politics Out of War

Political Wrangling continues to muddy the waters of military actions.  While we have the best trained, best equipped, and most Honorable Military on Earth, rivaled only by our allies, it is increasingly burdened with red tape and political correctness hampering its ability to do what needs to be done.

That confusion breeds misperceptions and calls for all or nothing political slogans.  Unfortunately, the input of politicians rarely leads to solutions but most often to knee-jerk reactions made in frustration.  The greater the interference by politicians, the more likely that Victory will be thwarted, as demonstrated by History.  Hitler, Stalin, and McNamara all demonstrated that politicians make poor Generals, that their "decisions" more often lead to higher friendly body counts.

One obvious example is the debate of "Counter-Terrorism" vs. "Counter-Insurgency."  Counter Insurgency is a type of warfare, of which the current American Strategy and Tactics are one type.  On the opposite end of the spectrum in the same type of warfare is the Iranian model, as witnessed a little more than a year ago.  It is the classic style of putting down an insurrection against tyranny: mass atrocity and brutal installation of fear in the population.  It works quicker than does ours, but is certainly against all America stands for.

War In Afghanistan News 28 Sep 2010

News reports provided by ISAF Joint Command regarding operations conducted in the following provinces:  Laghman, Kandahar, Paktika, Helmand, Badghis and Logar.

Laghman Province

International Security Assistance Forces confirmed one Afghan civilian was killed by an ISAF service member in the Ali Sheng district of Laghman province Sunday, Sept. 26.

Welcome Home Navy LT Francis B. McIntyre, Aviation Radioman Second Class William L. Russell RIP

Missing WWII Naval Aviators Identified

             The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

             Navy Lt. Francis B. McIntyre of Mitchell, S.D., will be buried on Sept. 29, and Aviation Radioman Second Class William L. Russell of Cherokee, Okla., will be buried on Oct. 1. Both men will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

             On Nov. 10, 1943, the two men took off on a bombing and strafing mission in their SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber from Munda Field, New Georgia, in the Solomon Islands. 

RIP PFC William B. Dawson, PFC Jaysine P. S. Petree

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

                 They died Sept. 24 of wounds suffered while traveling between Ghanzi and Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, when their military vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, U.S. Army, Alaska, Fort Richardson, Alaska. 

                Killed were: 

Honoring Pfc. William Brandon Dawson, 20, of Tunica, Miss. 

 

 

Honoring Pfc. Jaysine P. S. Petree, 19, of Yigo, Guam. 

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

RIP SPC Marc C. Whisenant

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

                 Spc. Marc C. Whisenant, 23, of Holly Hill, Fla., died Sept. 24 in Kuwait of injuries sustained in a military vehicle roll-over.  He was attached to the Florida National Guard's 1st Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, Miami, Fla.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

AF civil engineers BEEF up Marine Corps mission

by Senior Airman Melissa B. White
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

9/27/2010 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan  -- Airmen and Marines worked together to build sun shades to improve the quality of life for a new F/A-18 Hornet squadron Sept. 23 and 24 at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan.

The 777th Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron, also known as the Base Engineer Emergency Force, provided the skill set and received help from members of the 232nd Marine Fighter Attack Squadron to set up the structures for their aircraft.

The F/A-18 squadron from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., is the first Marine Corps unit of this type here and has been in place for about four months.

Former NCO fights through PTSD

by Airman 1st Class Melanie Holochwost
56th Fighter Squadron Public Affairs

9/27/2010 - LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- Before a nine-month deployment to Camp Bucca, Iraq, an active-duty security forces member stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., was on the fast track.

He was promoted below-the-zone to senior airman and selected for staff sergeant on first attempt. Before he was medically retired due to post-traumatic stress disorder, he was being considered for a step-promotion to technical sergeant.

"While I was in Iraq, everything was fine," said Gary Morgan, a 56th Security Forces Squadron unit reserve coordinator. "I was able to focus and do my job. But, everything changed when I came home."

USS Winston S. Churchill Renders Aid in the Gulf of Aden

U.S. Naval Forces, 5th Fleet Public Affairs

09.27.2010  USS WINSTON CHURCHILL, Gulf of Aden – USS Winston S. Churchill, assigned to Combined Task Force 151 identified a skiff drifting in the Gulf of Aden, Sept. 26. The skiff was initially discovered at approximately 7:30 a.m. local (Bahrain) by the Republic of Korea vessel, ROKN Wan Geon who passed the skiff’s position to Winston S. Churchill, operating in the vicinity. The skiff was carrying approximately 85 passengers, consisting of 10 Somalis and 75 Ethiopians.

RIP SPC John Carrillo Jr., PFC Gebrah P. Noonan

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn. 

                They died Sept. 24 in Fallujah, Iraq, of injuries sustained Sept. 23 in a non-combat incident.  They were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. 

                 Killed were:

                 Spc. John Carrillo Jr., 20, of Stockton, Calif. 

                Pfc. Gebrah P. Noonan, 26, of Watertown, Conn. 

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

RIP PFC Clinton E. Springer II

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Clinton E. Springer II, 21, of Sanford, Maine, died Sept. 24 in Kabul, Afghanistan, in a non-combat related incident.  He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

"He which hath no stomach to this fight let him depart. But we in it shall be remembered. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers!! For he today, that sheds his blood with me, shall always be my brother”. Rest in peace my Brothers, you have not been forgotten. (W.Shakespeare)

Springer joined the Army in March, 2009.  After completing training he arrived at Fort Drum in July 2009. Springer served as an infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 22 Infantry Regiment. He deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 1st Brigade Combat Team in January 2010. It was his first deployment.

Springer’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Afghanistan Campaign Medal.  He had completed the Combat Lifesavers Course this year prior to deployment.

Springer is survived by his mother and father.

Soldier creates brilliant art on t-walls

Written by Sgt. 1st Class Rhonda M. Lawson
103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command

Sunday, September 26, 2010 BAGHDAD - Many service members have hidden talents that surface during deployments. Some write poetry to pass the time, others sing. Some play an instrument, others draw. However, their talents rarely stay a secret.

Spc. Brandon Tate, a food service specialist deployed to Iraq with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), puts the finishing touches on his painting to his company’s t-wall barricades here, Sept. 26, 2010. U.S. Army photo courtesy of the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

Such is the case for Spc. Brandon Tate, a food service specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Clifton Park, N.Y., native.

Tate has been drawing since age six, and has been the reigning Phillip A. Connelly centerpiece award-winner at Fort Stewart, Ga., for two years straight. His 9-foot gingerbread football stadium earned him first place in 2008, and his life-sized 1957 Chevrolet and matching cake earned him first place in 2009. Even following this success, no one expected what he created in 2010.

A Chance In Hell by Jim Michaels

When I saw that a USA Today reporter had written a book about a battlefield in Iraq, certain expectations arose such as an abbreviated style of coverage and some political undertones to the story.  Mr. Michaels was able to capture a simple tone of relaying an important story that non-Veterans will be able to understand.  This book has as its central cast of characters mid-level leaders in Anbar Province, Iraq at the height of the War. 

He tells the story of the risks they took often at the sacrifice of their lives, to bring Victory to Ramadi and Anbar, to defeat an atrocious enemy, but very early he recognizes that his book will likely be used unjustifiably, to justify the argument that General Petraeus' Plan was not needed.  He does point out that the General was key to implementing the policies that did bring Sustained Success throughout the country, but this is not a book about the Petraeus Plan.

Glory visits Soldiers in Iraq

224th Sustainment Brigade
Story by 1st Lt. Raymond S. Patterson
Photos by Spc. Curtis Given

09.26.2010  IRAQ - Soldiers with the 632nd Maintenance Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), welcomed “Glory,” an honorary member of their company, to their unit, Sept. 13 at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Glory is no ordinary visitor. She’s not a living, breathing human being either. She’s a Beanie Baby®, and a Columbus, Ga. native, visiting from Ms. Julie Jackson’s kindergarten class at the Lonnie Jackson Academy in Columbus, Ga.

Spc. Salvatore Inga, an armament repairer with the 632nd Maintenance Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224 Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), cleans a weapon with Glory, Sept. 12, at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Curtis Givens)

Glory was sent by Jackson’s students to give moral support to the troops with the 632nd Maint. Co. Glory came with her very own journal written by the kindergarten students, which contained pictures of activities the students were doing in class.

Somali Pirates Abandon Greek Cargo Ship

VOA News    Monday, September 27th, 2010

Somali pirates have abandoned a Greek-owned cargo ship after hijacking it on Saturday.

The owners confirmed late Sunday the MV Lugela was on its way to a secure location and that all 12 Ukrainian crew members were safe.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry says the crew members locked themselves in the engine room with food and water. It says from there, they prevented the pirates from redirecting the ship towards Somalia. It says the cargo ship is now proceeding on its original voyage.

US Denies Involvement in Somalia Helicopter Attack

VOA News   Monday, September 27th, 2010

The U.S. military says it was not involved in a helicopter attack reported by residents of a town in southern Somalia on Sunday.

Witnesses in Merka, south of Mogadishu, say a helicopter gunship fired on a building where commanders of the militant group al-Shabab may have been meeting.

They say the aircraft flew away after Islamist forces fired on it. No casualties were reported.

The Associated Press and New York Times cite military officials

Operation Dragon Strike Launched in Kandahar City

Afghan, NATO Forces Launch Anti-Taliban Air-and-Ground Push in Kandahar

VOA News 27 September 2010

Afghan and NATO forces are staging a new push to drive Taliban militants out of their stronghold around the southern city of Kandahar.

Officials say 'Operation Dragon Strike' is an air-and-ground phase of an ongoing anti-Taliban offensive that already has involved weeks of fighting.

NATO spokesman Josef Blotz, a German brigadier general, says Afghan and coalition forces expect tough battles in the coming days.  He says the goal

NATO Helicopters Take Out Insurgents in Pakistan

NATO Conducts Rare Cross-border Strike Against Insurgents in Pakistan

VOA News 27 September 2010

NATO helicopters conducted a rare cross-border operation into Pakistan Saturday, killing dozens of militants, according to the alliance.

NATO in Afghanistan said the first cross-border strike came a day after rebels attacked an Afghan border outpost in eastern Khost province. In a second strike, two helicopters returned to the border area and came under fire

Bombs in Kirkuk Wound Police Chief

VOA News September 27,2010

Police in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk say the city’s police chief was wounded in a bomb targeting his patrol.

Officials say the bomb exploded Monday in the southern part of the city. Four other officers were wounded in the blast.

Elsewhere in Kirkuk,

Absentee Voting Week Begins Today!

DOD Announces Absentee Voting Week; Launches Electronic Voting Support Wizard

  The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today Absentee Voting Week from Sept. 27 to Oct. 4.  The week will encourage all citizens voting under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act who have not received their absentee ballot to go to http://www.FVAP.gov  to fill it out as soon as possible.

Commanders and voting assistance officers will use this week to emphasize the importance of filling out and returning the absentee ballot.  They will also educate eligible personnel on how to use the new online tools to fill out their absentee ballot, plus encourage the use of emailing and faxing as an alternative to sending the voted ballot to local election officials where allowed.

Put a Hero's Face on Ryan Newman's No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

U.S. Army Racing set to create picture perfect Veterans Day
By U.S. Army Accessions Command

Sep 17, 2010  FORT KNOX, Ky. - The U.S. Army and Stewart-Haas Racing are planning a special paint scheme for Ryan Newman's No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet which gives veterans the opportunity to put their faces on the Soldiers' car running in the Kobalt Tools 500 Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway on Nov. 14.

Army Racing driver Ryan Newman rounds a corner at Martinsville Speedway in the Army Chevrolet Impala during a NASCAR race. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Cameras in Action

Veterans, along with their families, friends and loved ones, can go online and submit photos of the men and women who

Warfighters sharpen IED awareness on JKnIFE

By Franz Holzer

Sep 22, 2010 WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 22, 2010) -- The most current and relevant improvised explosive device facts are a few clicks away, online, at the Joint IED Defeat Organization's Knowledge and Information Fusion Exchange website.

At the site -- called JKnIFE for short -- warfighters, trainers and observers have access to lifesaving information.

"We think our greatest return on investment comes from reaching the next-deploying warfighters and trainers," said JKnIFE director Mike McLean.

CSC Recovers from Tragedy to Help Others in Iraq

Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division
Story by Capt. Efrem Gibson

09.26.2010  CAMP TAJI, Iraq – An Army medical detachment hit hard by the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, last November, is now in Iraq providing mental health support to deployed soldiers.

The 1908 Medical Detachment (Combat Stress Control), a U.S. Army Reserve unit from Topeka, Kan., was at Fort Hood preparing for deployment when Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan killed 13 soldiers and wounded 30 others inside the Soldier Readiness Center. Two of the CSC soldiers were killed, and five were injured.

Maj. Hilario Pascua talks with a soldier in the Combat Stress Center on Camp Taji, Iraq, Sept. 24.

Having dealt with that traumatic experience, the unit is now deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq, assisting other soldiers who need help handling stressful situations.

The CSC is working in the Taji Warrior Resiliency Campus, a facility that addresses the five dimensions of a soldier’s health:

Afghan education system sees marked improvement

Regional Command Southwest
Story by Sgt. Shawn Coolman

09.24.2010  CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — Afghanistan faces many challenges as it continues to develop into a self-sufficient country.

One of the biggest concerns facing Afghanistan is the lack of an educational infrastructure. However, since the 2005-2010 National Education Strategic Plan was implemented, many advances in the education system have been made, paving the way for the 2010-2015 NESP, scheduled to be released later this fall.

“The education system in Afghanistan

Turkish Minister Meets with Officials in Iraq’s Kurdistan

VOA News    Sunday, September 26th, 2010

Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay traveled to Iraq’s Kurdistan region Sunday for talks with officials on security and bilateral issues.

Mr. Atalay met with Masoud Barzani, the president of the northern Kurdistan region.

News reports say the two leaders discussed recent activities of the Kurdistan Worker’s Party, or PKK. Last week, the Kurdish rebel group announced a one-week extension of a cease-fire in Turkey.

Sniper Bullet Didn't Put This Recon Marine Down

Recon Marine Who Survived Sniper Attack earns Purple Heart
1st Marine Division
Story by Gunnery Sgt. William Price

09.25.2010  Sgt. David Fresenius was lying on a rooftop in Helmand province’s Trek Nawa on the morning of June 21. His machine gunner and radio operator, Cpl. Greg Harris, was by his side, providing over-watch security for their unit, 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion.

Sgt. David Fresenius, an assistant team leader with 3rd Platoon, Company B, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, holds the protective Sapi plate that saved his life, in front of the 1st Marine Division (Forward) Memorial monument, Sept. 24.  Photo by Gunnery Sgt. William Price

Everything was quiet until approximately 9 a.m., when all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, the village erupted with enemy small arms fire. For Fresenius, a 22 year-old native of Westminster, Calif., the situation was about to get a lot worse. Approximately three minutes into the engagement, he saw rounds coming from a canal and brush about 300 meters from his right.

What Fresenius didn’t realize was that while he had been acquiring his target, a Taliban sniper had gotten Fresenius in his sights. The enemy sniper squeezed out a bullet. A 7.62 mm round hit Fresenius square in the back.

War In Afghanistan News 27 Sep 2010

News reports provided by ISAF Joint Command regarding operations conducted in the following provinces: Kunar, Helmand, Takhar, Zabul, Paktika, Khost and Kandahar.

"Afghan and coalition forces are repeatedly hitting the insurgents in their backyard - allowing them no time to regroup," U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director, said. "The ultimate goal is to disrupt the enemy's sanctuaries and staging areas for attacks into Kandahar City so that the people of Kandahar City can continue their efforts building security and more importantly, re-building their lives without the Taliban threat."

US Air Force Launches Surveillance Satellite

VOA News    Sunday, September 26th, 2010

The U.S. Air Force launched a new surveillance satellite into space Sunday.

A Minotaur 4 rocket carrying the Space Based Space Surveillance satellite lifted off from an air base in the western U.S. state of California at 0441 UTC Sunday.

The satellite is aimed at detecting and monitoring debris, satellites and other space objects.

Some information in this story was provided by AP.

Demo farm reveals complexity of Kunar agriculture

   Combined Joint Task Force 101
Story by Capt. Peter Shinn

U.S. Army Sgt. Tanner Ruble of Winterset, Iowa, a military policeman with the Iowa National Guard's 734th Agri-Business Development Team, provides security as U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Bennett Groth of Moville, Iowa, production agriculture specialist for the ADT, speaks through an interpreter to Mohammed Ismael, manager of the Salar Bagh Demonstration Farm Sept. 21. The soldier and airman were part of a mission to assess the farm, which produces corn, soybeans, tea and locust trees for timber.  Photo by Capt. Peter Shinn

09.25.2010  The Iowa National Guard’s 734th Agri-Business Development Team got some lessons in the complexity of Afghanistan’s agriculture and governance when its members paid a visit to a demonstration and experimental farm near Asad Abad Sept. 21.