A Christmas in Afghanistan, 2010 (UNCLASSIFIED)

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Family, Friends,

Merry Christmas from eastern Afghanistan. It has been a remarkable holiday.

Over these days of Christmas our Division Command Group traveled across the 14 provinces of Regional Command East to visit our troops at their bases and on the battlefield.

On Christmas Eve's Eve I was fortunate to visit one of our great combatunits as they conducted an attack into Sherzad District of Nangahar Province--The Panthers of 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment commanded by LTC Will Johnson.  This squadron is normally assigned to the Currahees of our 4th Brigade Combat Team, but for this deployment they have been attached to our Bastogne Regiment--our 1st Brigade. The Panthers and their Afghan Army partners successfully secured this district over a period of days after starting with a night-time air and ground assault into what had been enemy-controlled territory. The enemy's main resistance came in the form of road-side bombs but the Panthers skillfully overcame them without loss. The Panthers were still working to consolidate their gains over Christmas with many of their troopers still living in very austere conditions on the battlefield. I have attached a few photos from a visit with the squadron's Bayonet Troop. These American and Afghan troopers were shivering on a cold and windswept ridgeline over-watching their first objective but they were taking the fight to the enemy and their morale was amazing--even knowing that Christmas would bring only a few more cold nights. Where do we find them?

Christmas Eve took us to Wardak Province and the Patriots of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. I was able to visit with troops and present some with Division Coins for outstanding performance at Combat Outposts Jalreyz, Nerkh, Jagahatu and Tangi. At COP Jalreyz I was privileged to re-enlist two Soldiers from 1st Platoon, B Troop, 3d Squadron, 89th Cavalry. Can you imagine it?  On Christmas Eve in Afghanistan and 7000 miles from home, these two Americans decided to stay in our Army and, in all likelihood, deploy again in the future. One of them, a veteran Staff Sergeant named Standridge re-enlisted to go to Fort Carson, Colorado after this deployment and the other, a young trooper named Specialist Keisling re-enlisted to join a Stryker Brigade at Fort Lewis, Washington.  There is little doubt that their futures hold more Christmases overseas. Where do we find them? Later, at COP Tangi, I ate the best steak I have had in a long time as we broke breadwith Creek Company, 2d Battalion, 4th Infantry. The mess sergeant for this little outpost, SSG Salas, performs miracles for these troops. Hisfavorite saying is, "I cook what I want to eat, the rest of the company is just invited to join me." I was so complimentary of the food that the company's leaders grew concerned and asked me not to take SSG Salas away from them! They view him as essential to the unit's morale...and so do I.

On Christmas Day we flew down to Paktika province to visit the Currahees of our 4th Brigade--the Band of Brothers of WWII fame. We made stops at COPs Yusuf Khel, Waza Kwah, Curry and Munoz. Was asked to pin Combat badges on Infantrymen, Medics and Forward Observers and present a medal to a young Mechanic who busts his knuckles to keep the trucks rolling--all men who had recently joined the unit and had seen their first combat in the days before Christmas. At our final stop, with Dog Company of 2d Battalion 506th Infantry at COP Munoz, I had the honor of promoting a Soldier to the rank of Sergeant. His actual promotion date was 1 January but we all agreed it was better to get promoted on Christmas Day with his entire company in attendance. It is very unusual for an entire combat unit to be able to come together for any reason in Afghanistan...some Soldiers are always standing watch, sleeping for the night shift or "outside the wire" on patrol. On this day, we brought along a squad of volunteers from "the rear" at the big base at Bagram. They had volunteered to spend their Christmas afternoon manning the gates and guard towers of COP Munoz so the tough, dusty, sweat-stained band of Americans there could all come together for Christmas dinner. COP Munoz is protected by a squad on a windy mountain top several hundred feet above the base and our volunteers had to climb to the top to relieve the warriors there.  I thought that some of them wouldn't want to make the hike down and then right back up but they were all down in a flash for dinner! I have attached a photo of me and Specialist Searles in his machine-gun tower.  He seemed more than a bit surprised when I climbed into his tower and sent him to chow with this platoon. And that was the best part of my Christmas...binoculars in hand, standing watch in a plywood and sandbag tower in the Gayan Valley.

I hope your Christmas was as rewarding and blessed as mine.

Merry Christmas,
Steve

SUBJ: Notes from Afghanistan

It has been a pretty challenging week for us...both good and bad. 

We have been prosecuting an exhausting pursuit against the Taliban who kidnapped a number of Afghan Soldiers on 3-4 August after an operation in western Laghman Province that didn't get off to an auspicious start...Operation Badpesh Kam Dergi (The Afghans named it after the two places the operation started in).  Though the first round went to the enemy, all the subsequent rounds went to the ANA and the Coalition Forces. We have been relentlessly pursuing every lead since then--executing some fairly high risk air assaults onto knife edge ridges at night--magnificent flying by the TF Falcon aviators from 3d CAB.  We chased them with US and French Infantry, US Special Forces and Afghan Commandos pretty much around the clock. In three weeks we conducted over 15 air assaults to include two battalion-size and one brigade-minus-size and hurt the enemy badly. Anyway, all this pressure finally paid off the evening before last when we got word that the Taliban released the final eight hostages. We started with 22 missing Afghans and worked the list down to zero. Most of them recovered alive though a little worse for wear.  We know the Taliban released the final eight without conditions because they had grown weary of running and were desperate to get the heat off them. Pretty incredible for us and the Afghan Army and made all the effort worthwhile.   

Then early this morning I was awakened by our JOC Director who told me there was a significant attack with suicide bombers against the Rakkasans at FOB Salerno over in Khowst City and Province. In fairly short order the Rakkasans and other forces in support dealt a crushing blow to the attackers from the Haqqani network. We completely destroyed the attacking force with only 4 lightly wounded. 

I think both of these operations have been in the news. I saw the Salerno attack on BBC today.

All this has not come without cost though...we have had seven fallen Screaming Eagles in two days...Hard to still feel good about our battlefield successes when we sustain losses like this in other operations.

For some good news, I went on patrol with one of our platoons in eastern Nangahar today. We were doing peaceful tasks for a change. We inspected three new wells that are being built by Afghans with our funding. It was a friendly part of the province and it was very green...farm country with lots of corn, beans, etc. The wells were nearly finished and the people were already drawing water from them and very appreciative. It was good to see what is possible in this country with some security and development.

That's all for now.
Steve