Afghanistan JAG

CLOTHING DONATIONS FOR AFGHANISTAN

2007-06-22T16:31:00.002-05:00

If you are interested in sending clothing donations to help the people in Afghanistan, please contact me at my email address, which you can find under the "my profile" section to the right.

Any clothing that you want to send must be practical. The Afghans live in a very harsh environment so things such as dress clothes, dress shoes, etc. can't be used.

Practical clothing such as jeans, sweaters, sweatshirts/pants, coats and baby clothes can be used. If you have a large amount of items then it is important to organize your shipments. Baby clothes in one box, boys pants in one box, girls pants in another box, boys shirts in another box and so on. This will save the soldiers a lot of work when the time comes to deliver the clothes.

For more information visit http://www.taskforcephoenix.com/opreach.htm

Thanks for your help. I look forward to hearing from you.

HOME

2007-06-02T11:54:00.000-05:00

I am finally back home from Afghanistan.

This banner has two stories behind it.

The first has to do with the quote, which was taken from a picture in Allyson's dad's office.

Colonel Bruce Garnett was the head of the Patriot Missile Project in the U.S. Army and was a Vietnam and Gulf War veteran. After his untimely passing a few years ago, we discovered a picture from his office that was given to him by his co-workers on the occasion of his retirement that said, "Ya done good Trooper." So this has special meaning for Allyson.

The second story has to do with the banner itself.

Prior to my arrival home, Allyson went to a local printer to have the banner made. When she tried to pay for it, the clerk told her that another customer had seen it being made for a soldier, and paid for it anonymously. That was a wonderful gesture.

We will take some vacation time together and then work on restarting my law practice.

I am thankful for this journey, for my family, my friends and for arriving home safely.

PERSONAL INVESTMENT

2007-05-15T06:58:00.000-05:00

I will be heading home soon so I probably won't post again for some time. Thanks to all who have supported me through your encouraging words and prayers. A big thanks to everyone who donated to our humanitarian efforts.

If you would like further information on our ongoing Afghanistan humanitarian efforts, please contact me directly. My email address is located under "My Profile" to the right.

A whole new group of soldiers has arrived to take our place. Please don't forget about them or their families. Those soldiers will be here for at least twelve months, and with the recent extension, many will be gone for fifteen months.

FIFTEEN MONTHS.

Think about what that means. Kids will spend over a year without a parent. Some kids will have both parents deployed. Spouses will be without their husband or wife. Many marriages won't survive. One thing is certain. Lives will be changed forever.

Could you handle it? Could your spouse? How would you feel if it was your child, your father, mother, brother or sister? We've even got grandparents serving here.

I can tell you how you'd feel. You'd be worried. You'd take an interest in the people and the politics. You'd count the days until your loved one could come home. You'd voice your opinion.

You'd get involved.

That's the problem as I see it today. Many of us don't know anyone who is deployed. We're not personally invested in the outcome.

Don't just say that you "Support the Troops." What does that really mean? Does it mean thinking about what the troops believe? What they're going through? What their families must endure? Does it mean taking some kind of action in order to influence the outcome?

Or does it mean what the t.v. or talk radio tells you?

I think it means more than sending a card, a care package or placing a yellow ribbon magnet on your bumper. It means getting involved. It means participating in the American political process. It means pushing outside the boundaries of the world that you have created for yourself.

Consider it your duty to follow what is happening and to form your own opinion. That's the least you can do.

But if you really want to support the troops, you must find a way to become personally invested.

AFGHAN SCHOOL CHILDREN

2007-05-14T02:51:00.000-05:00

During a recent village recon I had the chance to see an elementary school and visit with the kids.

Like all kids, they were a bit shy. I guess I would be too if a couple of fully armed soldiers walked into my classroom. That can't be helped because we're required to stay in our body armor.

Despite our appearance, the kids opened up to us really fast and were glad to see us. A great icebreaker is to show the kids digital pictures of themselves. They've probably never seen pictures of themselves so they're fascinated by the camera.

Notice anything? All boys. I really couldn't get a straight answer as to whether the girls attend school or not. I know that this school is so small that the kids have to attend in shifts; some in the morning and then a new group in the afternoon.

Overcrowding is a common problem. The typical Afghan family has between five and ten children. It's also hard to get the teachers paid sometimes. This school house is in the middle of nowhere and is not easily accessible, which exacerbates those problems.

Anyway, it was fun visiting these kids and hopefully we will be back soon to deliver more help to them.

A BIG STEP FORWARD

2007-05-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

(CNN) -- Top Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah Lang has been killed in a military operation in southern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Forces said Sunday, confirming earlier reports by the Afghan government.

A NATO statement said Dadullah had "left his sanctuary in southern Afghanistan where he was killed in a U.S.-led coalition operation supported by NATO."

The operation was made possible "by the Afghan National Security Forces and the Afghan people," the statement said.

The elusive commander was in charge of day-to-day military operations for the Taliban and, according to ISAF, his death has struck a "serious blow" to the resurgent Taliban in the region.

According to Afghan government spokesman Khaleeq Ahmad, Dadullah was tracked down Friday by a joint Afghan army-police operation backed by NATO air support in southern Helmand Province.

Ahmad said Dadullah, who he described as the "killer of killers," was located through intelligence reports and by following leads closely.

"We had some reports that there were some major figures in the area of the operation," Ahmad told CNN Sunday. "We were going for some significant figures who were hiding in Helmand province."

Ahmad said the announcement was made Sunday because that was when the government's intelligence service confirmed the body was Dadullah.

The one-legged Dadullah figured prominently for the Taliban in media interviews.

In April, he told al-Jazeera that Osama bin Laden helped plan a deadly suicide car bombing outside Bagram Air Base targeting a "very important American official," apparently referring to Vice President Dick Cheney. (Full story)

Referring to bin Laden, Dadullah told the network, "Praise be to God he is still alive, and we have information about him and praise be to God he orchestrates plans in both Iraq and Afghanistan."

On March 1, Dadullah said his forces were poised for a spring offensive against NATO-led coalition troops in Afghanistan, and that he was maintaining a regular line of communication with bin Laden. Dadullah spoke in an interview obtained by Britain's Channel Four.

Journalist Tom Coghlan told CNN on Sunday from Kabul that he had witnessed a shift in NATO battle tactics.

NATO has been moving away from killing large numbers of low-level fighters to targeting Taliban figureheads in an "aim to decapitate the leadership," Coghlan said.

And Dadullah's death is "perhaps the biggest military loss" the Taliban has had since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion.

In December, the U.S. military said another top Taliban military commander was killed in an airstrike close to the border with Pakistan.

Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani, described as a close associate of Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was killed by a U.S. airstrike while traveling by vehicle in a deserted area in the southern province of Helmand, the U.S. military said.

I FRATELLI DI ITALIA

2007-05-13T01:15:00.000-05:00

The title of this post means "My Italian Brothers." Yesterday marked my last visit to Camp Invicta, the Italian FOB, and the last time that I will see my friends Giuseppe and Erman in Afghanistan. I say "in Afghanistan" because my wife and I plan to travel to Italy later this year. I hope to see them again then.

Pictured from left to right are SSG Bobby Jory, Italian CPT Giuseppe Lorusso, me and Italian LT Erman Panarese. Giuseppe and Erman gave SSG Jory and I the t-shirts that we're holding. We gave them our American Flag patches. You can see Erman holding his.

I can't say enough about Guiseppe and Erman. They kept me sane by feeding me great Italian food and through their friendship. Visiting with them was a welcome break from Camp Alamo and it gave me something to look forward to each week.

To my Italian friends, "Mille grazie."

OPERATION BACKPACK

2007-05-12T05:00:00.000-05:00

We are currently in the process of filling over 2000 backpacks and duffel bags to give to the Afghan school kids. This is proving to be one of our biggest logistical challenges.

This must be done during our "down" time, and there isn't much of that. Each backpack or duffel must be unwrapped from its packaging, unzipped and then put through an assembly line of packers. Here you see backpacks waiting to be stripped of their internal packaging, which consists of a lot of useless cardboard and plastic.

Each packer has an assigned task. One person is in charge of pens and pencils, another handles crayons, another handles notebook paper, and so on. Then a person has to zip up the backpack or duffel and place it back into a box for shipment. As you can see, this is a very labor intensive process.

Two days of work and we've only been able to stuff about 800. Here you see the stuffed backpacks that have been "re-boxed." These are now ready to be delivered.

See all of those boxes in the back? Those are the duffel bags that we haven't even unpacked yet.

This is going to take a while.

Soviet K-9 Dog Kennels

2007-05-11T08:19:00.000-05:00

Soviet Combat Engineers used dogs to sniff for land mines during their war in Afghanistan. German shepherds were the breed of choice.
These pictures show the remains of a Soviet K-9 dog barracks. They were built using the same mud construction that the Afghans use for their homes.

You can still see the small kennels used to house each dog. It's amazing that the mud construction has lasted this long.

The Afghans tried a number of ways to baffle the Soviet Union's dogs, like wrapping the mines in cellophane or sprinkling them with motor oil. Neither method was very successful.

Dogs are still used today to help locate the thousands of land mines left in this country.

AWARDS CEREMONY

2007-05-10T09:16:00.000-05:00

Today the Training Assistance Group held an awards ceremony for many of its departing members.

It is nice to be recognized for a job well done, but people don't do things here for medals.

I personally did not set out on this tour to chase medals either. We only wear them on our class "A" uniforms, and being in the National Guard, I have only donned mine a few times. However, now that this deployment is almost over, it does feel good to know that people think you did a good job.

I received the Meritorious Service Medal and the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. We will all receive several other medals for participating in this tour.

Colonel Lyman said today, and I agree, that the Volunteer Service Medal is the most meaningful. I'm very proud of the humanitarian work we've done here.

FULTON COUNTY DAILY REPORT ARTICLE

2007-05-09T07:23:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Atlanta JAG carries out aid mission for Afghan refugee village
By Meredith Hobbs, Staff Reporter

On Friday, U.S. soldiers distributed two 7-ton trucks’ worth of clothes, shoes and supplies to a refugee village near Kabul Military Training Center in Afghanistan. Atlanta solo plaintiffs’ attorney Scott Delius, serving in Afghanistan as an Army National Guard JAG since November 2006, organized the relief effort.

SCOTT D. DELIUS is ordinarily a solo plaintiffs’ attorney in Atlanta but has been serving in Afghanistan as an Army National Guard member since November 2006. He is stationed at the country’s largest military training base as a judge advocate general helping to train the Afghan National Army.

In late February, appalled and frustrated by the desperate poverty he’d seen in a refugee village near his base at the Kabul Military Training Center, he organized a clothing drive for the villagers.

The response was enthusiastic and generous. Within a few weeks, Delius had received more than 200 boxes of clothes, shoes and supplies at Camp Alamo, the American base at KMTC—all labeled and sorted by size and gender.

The contributions from colleagues and friends in Atlanta, Tennessee, New York and elsewhere were enough to fill a 7-ton truck. Boxes collected by Camp Alamo’s commander, Col. Jim Lyman, filled another 7-ton truck.

On Friday more than 50 soldiers at Delius’ base volunteered to help him transport the donations to a nearby village and distribute them to the Afghans. Since Friday is a Muslim holiday, it is the soldiers’ day off at the base.

Delius wrote on the blog that he’s keeping of his tour, Afghanistan JAG, that it took him about two weeks to plan the trip. He checked out the village three times, then planned the route and organized the personnel before Friday’s expedition off the base.

Crowd control was the soldiers’ biggest task; the villagers jockeyed for better spots in line for the clothing and shoes. Delius writes that there were no women or girls in the line because the men and boys kept pushing them aside—so the soldiers moved the girls to the front of the line, where they received all the clothes they could carry.

“We were able to put shoes, pants, shirts and jackets on over 500 people and size them correctly. That is a massive undertaking,” he said on his blog, where he also has posted pictures of the humanitarian mission. Delius, who was promoted to captain in April, is due to return to Atlanta later this month. He and his colleagues and family are working with a humanitarian organization to keep the aid effort going after his return and send shoes and clothes to Afghans in other villages.

HUMANITARIAN MISSION PICTURES

2007-05-05T00:10:00.000-05:00

More pictures from yesterday's successful mission to deliver clothes to a needy village.

This shows me giving the convoy brief. More importantly, you can see the size of a 7 ton truck. We completely filled two of them with boxes of clothes, from top to bottom.

I didn't get a chance to pose with the kids, as I was handling the logistics outside the school. The photographer did catch me at the entry point as a child is getting a bag for her clothes.

This is me talking with some of the ANA MPs at the front gate.

The rest of the photographer's pictures tell their own story about the impact that we made yesterday. Enjoy.

HUMANITARIAN MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

2007-05-04T06:05:00.000-05:00

Today we packed two 7 ton trucks filled from floor to ceiling with boxes of clothes and took them to a village outside Kabul for distribution. One truck was filled entirely of clothes that I collected from around the U.S. The other one was filled with boxes collected by the Alamo commander, COL Lyman.

It's hard to describe the size of the interior of a 7 ton truck, and we had two of them filled with large boxes. This was the largest distribution of clothes that I have ever seen. We were able to put shoes, pants, shirts and jackets on over 500 people and size them correctly. That is a massive undertaking.

I was the convoy commander for this mission. It took about two weeks to plan. I reconned the village three times, planned the route and organized the personnel. However, it's a lot more detailed than that and there were many people that volunteered their time. I don't want to give the impression that I did it all myself.

As a matter of fact, this mission would not have been possible were it not for the generosity of my family and friends back home who collected, packed and organized the boxes of clothes for shipment. The clothes were sent to us pre-sorted and labeled. That meant we only had to unpack the boxes and set up stations for the clothes.

This is a "must" for anyone organizing this type of endeavor. Make sure the boxes are pre-sorted and labeled before they are shipped out.

Of course, this mission would not have been possible without the 50+ volunteers who selflessly helped today. This picture shows the line of American and British soldiers formed to unload the goods. It's the largest turnout I've ever seen. Remember, this is everyone's "off" day. They are donating their personal time to do this.

Here we are setting up the stations. Shoes on the left, coats in the back, shirts on the right, etc.

Baby clothes being unpacked.

Look at all the shoes. Someone even donated football cleats.

Here the villagers are lining up. Crowd control became the biggest task. This is where I spent most of the day, helping to placate the villagers and assure them that there was plenty for everyone. They understandably jockeyed and tried to push to the front of the line because they're desperate.

Note the sign outside the school where we distributed the goods. It was built by the French.

As most of you know by now, females are treated quite poorly in Afghanistan. You will notice that there are no women in line. Young girls showed up, but they had to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, they couldn't do much. The men and boys kept pushing them aside.

Well, we fixed that problem. We moved the girls to the front of the line! You'll be happy to know that the girls got all the clothes that they could carry.

The inside of the courtyard as we're distributing goods. We had a controlled entry point, which was key. A soldier escorted each person through every station to make sure they got a fair amount of clothes that fit them.

The kids are fascinated by the digital pictures of themselves.

Some of the bags were bigger than the kids trying to carry them.

We took good care of over 500 people today, sizing them all up with shoes, pants, shirts and coats to fit. It was great.

This is the last humanitarian mission that I will lead and organize. All of the clothes that I have collected have now been distributed. I will also be coming home soon.

Mobilizing and getting to Afghanistan has been difficult. But these missions have made it all worthwhile.

THE RUSSIAN CAVE

2007-05-03T07:37:00.000-05:00

There is a huge cave not far from our FOB. It was used by the Russians during their war here in Afghanistan to hide tanks. Hence, it is called the "Russian Cave." Yes, I know, it would be more accurate to call it the "Soviet Cave" but most people are not as picky as I am about historical facts.

Unfortunately the cave was locked today. Why does a cave need a lock? I don't know, but this thing is truly massive and supposedly goes back quite far into the mountain.

Me in front of the locked cave.

It's interesting to be this close to a piece of history, to imagine the USSR soldiers laboring to construct this tunnel and driving their tanks in and out. I wonder what they thought, what they felt about being here and what ultimately happened to them.

You can almost feel the presence of all the people who have struggled here in the past. It's like they're silently watching you.

The Afghans call these spirits "ghents." They firmly believe that they are all around us.

Sometimes I think they're right.

MINEFIELDS IN AFGHANISTAN

2007-04-30T05:41:00.000-05:00

According to statistics released by British de-mining agency the Halo Trust, Afghanistan is the most mined country in the world. They also estimate that over 500,000 mines still lie dormant in this country.

Other agencies estimate that the number could be as high as ten million.

An anti-personnel land mine is generally designed to maim an adult. The theory is that you tie up an army's resources when you wound a person instead of killing him.

It is believed that approximately 100 Afghans are injured or killed by land mines each month. I have seen some statistics that say up to seven children a day are killed by land mines in Afghanistan.

I have personally seen many people without legs. I have little doubt that they were maimed by land mines.

I recently passed by a de-mining operation. Here are a couple of pictures.

Much of the work is done manually, with workers probing by hand in the dirt looking for mines. To make matters worse, the Taliban often attack the de-mining teams. See http://www.afghanistannewscenter.com/news/2007/april/apr82007.html#3

If you would like to donate to the worthy effort to remove landmines from Afghanistan, please visit http://www.halotrust.org/help.html

ARTICLE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE ALUMNI MAGAZINE

2007-04-27T00:31:00.000-05:00

eTorch Archives May 2007

Good Samaritan Guardsman Will Leave Afghanistan a Better Place

Life doesn’t just happen to Scott Delius. He shapes it to a purpose, which is how he finds himself in Afghanistan.

Delius (’91) temporarily shelved his law practice in Atlanta to serve with the Army National Guard, which is part of the NATO coalition training the Afghan National Army.

The events of 9/ll inspired Delius to join the National Guard. “Our country was attacked, and I felt a responsibility to help defend it,” he says.

“My father is retired military, so I’m sure that contributed to my patriotic feelings.”
He tried to enlist in the Army Reserves but wasn’t accepted because of a knee problem. Eventually he got into the National Guard and volunteered for the NATO mission.

His official duty is at the judge advocate general office at the Kabul Military Training Center. But he spends a lot of his free time on humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people. Recently, he spearheaded an effort to supply clothing, shoes, and tents for Afghanis whose living conditions are like nothing he’s seen before. The results pleased and astounded him.

“I was overwhelmed by the response of my family, friends, and complete strangers.” Colleagues in the Atlanta legal community and his wife, Allyson Garnett, took the lead in responding to Delius’s call.

“I have received 200 large boxes of sorted clothes,” he told eTorch in early April. “We have received almost $4,000 in donations. Much of that money was used to ship the clothing to me.”
On his blog, Delius described a mission on Easter Sunday to deliver aid packages.

“This particular mission evolved after a flood devastated a section of downtown Kabul. We were told that over 6,000 people lost their homes. A police chief contacted our intelligence officer and asked for assistance,” Delius said. The troops delivered food and clothing as well as shovels, tarps, saws, and hammers the residents needed to rebuild their homes.

But humanitarian assistance has to be delivered with an eye to constant security threats.

“These missions take a lot of planning,” Delius said. “You can't just roll out to a neighborhood and drop stuff off. There is a constant threat level in Kabul. In addition to getting the goods organized, you have to pick personnel, vehicles, weaponry, plan routes, plan for attacks, and develop strategy.”

At the end of the white knuckle convoy though, the supplies finally reached the people—a gratifying experience for Delius and his colleagues.

“I helped one woman and a beautiful little girl carry their packages,” he said. “After I put them down, this sweet little girl turned to me and said ‘tashakur’ - which means ‘thank you.’ This was the highlight of my day, and maybe the greatest moment of this entire deployment.”

Delius’s “day job” of training the Afghan army finds him working directly with Afghan officers to develop their legal system.

“We are building an entire court system from the ground up. Most days are spent working with them, helping them with current cases, developing training programs, and building their legal system.”

He also is the command judge advocate to the American commander at his base, Camp Alamo, helping with investigations and disciplinary issues and giving legal assistance to soldiers.

Delius’s record at UT foreshadowed his desire to serve others. He received the Chancellor’s Citation for Extraordinary Campus Leadership and Service. He was a student orientation assistant, a resident assistant, a student senator and a member of the All Campus Events committee.

“I have a great love for the University of Tennessee that was inspired by my grandfather, John J. Delius Sr. (’39),” he says. The elder Delius earned both undergraduate and law degrees from UT. “He was a lifelong Vol and was buried wearing the UT tie I gave him when I was a freshman,” Scott Delius said.

The Memphis native plans to be back in the States in June and says he’ll resume his law practice after some “decompression” time.

Delius said his time in Afghanistan is making him a more tolerant person. During a recent three-hour wait to mail packages back home, he got a chair and a book to make the time more pass more quickly.

“I will add post office wait times to the growing list of things that will no longer bother me when I return home,” he said. “This list currently includes cell phone service, internet speed, and potholes.”

COMMAND SERGEANT MAJOR'S COIN

2007-04-26T02:32:00.000-05:00

Today I was one of seven Training Assistance Group members at Camp Alamo who were awarded the Command Sergeant Major's (CSM) Challenge Coin. This was an honor. The CSM is the highest ranking enlisted man in Task Force Phoenix. He awards his coins to enlisted servicemembers and officers who have provided excellent service. I was not expecting this, but it was very nice to be recognized. These are pictures of both sides of the coin.

Challenge coins have a unique history in the United States military. During World War I, American volunteers from all parts of the country filled the newly formed flying squadrons. Some were wealthy young men who left colleges in order to enlist in the military. In one squadron, a wealthy lieutenant ordered solid bronze medallions embossed with the squadron emblem for every member of his squadron. He carried his medallion in a small leather sack around his neck.

Shortly after acquiring the medallions, the lieutenant's aircraft was severely damaged by ground fire during a mission. He was forced to land behind enemy lines where he was captured by a German patrol. In order to discourage his escape, the Germans took all of his personal identification except for the small leather pouch around his neck. He was eventually taken to a small French town near the front lines where he managed to escape during a night bombardment. During the attack, he donned civilian clothes and fled without personal identification.

After escaping, the brave pilot succeeded in avoiding German patrols until he reached the front lines. With great difficulty, he crossed no-man's land and stumbled into a French outpost. Unfortunately, the French in this sector had been plagued by German saboteurs, who sometimes masqueraded as civilians and wore civilian clothes. Not recognizing the young pilot's American accent, the French thought him to be a saboteur and made ready to execute him.

Just in time, the American remembered his leather pouch containing the bronze medallion. He showed the medallion to his would-be executioners. When the French captors recognized the squadron insignia on the medallion, they gave the pilot enough time to confirm his identity. Instead of shooting him, they gave him a bottle of wine. Eventually the pilot made it back to his squadron, where it became a tradition to ensure all members carried their medallion or coin at all times.

To make sure that everyone carried their coin, the tradition of a "challenge" emerged. A service member would ask to see the other servicemember's coin. If the challenged servicemember could not produce his coin, he was required to purchase a drink of choice for the member who had challenged him. If the challenged member produced his coin, then the challenging member was required to pay for the drink. This tradition continued through the war and for many years after while surviving members of the squadron were still alive.

Today, military service members often trade these coins while deployed. Only persons in high ranking positions have coins. Generals all have coins. Command Sergeant Majors have coins. Coins are earned meritoriously for a job well done.

This is my first coin and I'm proud to have received it.

ANA CONDUCT THEIR OWN HUMANITARIAN MISSION

2007-04-25T08:08:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I wrote about our recon of a village in downtown Kabul that we deemed too dangerous to stop and assist. The more I thought about those people, the more I realized that we couldn't abandon them just because it wasn't safe for U.S. personnel. Those people were in desperate need of assistance. Something had to be done.

I considered the fact that the village was discovered by my Afghan National Army (ANA) counterpart in the first place. He had visited it many times and had compiled a detailed list of their needs. Then it hit me. He could visit the village any time he wanted. He wasn't worried about security. After all, isn't this his country? Shouldn't he be handing out relief supplies, helping his own people and creating good will for the Afghan Army?

So that's what we decided to do. The ANA loaded up all of the food, some clothing and they performed their own humanitarian mission. As far as we know, this is the first of its kind to come out of the Kabul Military Training Center. It was even more unique because it wasn't managed by a public affairs officer. Instead, it was organized by my counterpart, who is a colonel in the law department.

Here are some pictures of the ANA loading up the truck.

Bags of food being loaded.

A string of portable stoves that have been banded together for easy transportation.

More portable stoves.

My counterpart tells me that the mission was a great success. I've seen some of their pictures that they took, but I wasn't able to get copies yet. The people were indeed needy and it looks like the ANA did a great job.

This needs to be a recurring theme. We should give the Afghans the goods and let them distribute them. Although they don't have the resources such as abundant food and clothing, they do want to help their fellow citizens. We should therefore strive to let them organize the mission and conduct the delivery more often in the future.

This will generate good will among the Afghan population towards their own Army. If their Army has popular support, it will be able to stand on its own.

Then we can all come home.

HUMANITARIAN MISSION RECON

2007-04-22T06:50:00.000-05:00

Today we reconned a village for our next humanitarian mission. As usual, the kids were great.

There was a pretty strong dust storm this afternoon. Either that's to blame for the fuzzy pictures or my camera is on its last leg. Probably the latter. It's been through a lot.

A smart soldier brought along some candy. The kids loved scrambling for it.

This village looks like a good spot. We are going to make this mission very "hands on." Instead of handing out a bag of random goods, we are going to have a personal fitting for each child. This will take a lot more time, but it will be much more beneficial for the recipients.

When we started this campaign, I asked for the clothes to be sorted by gender and age. Lots of generous people devoted a great deal of time doing just that. They also made sure that each box was labeled, identifying its contents. This will enable us to simply unload the boxes, set up stations for each clothing item and have people visit each station to receive their clothes.

Without your help, we could not be certain that we will be meeting each child's individual needs. Because of your hard work, we can now put the right sized shirt, shoes and pants on each child.

Although it says otherwise on my orders, this is why I came to Afghanistan.

BAZAARS AT THE ALAMO

2007-04-17T09:20:00.000-05:00

These are pictures of the bazaars that we have every so often at Camp Alamo.

The bazaars are frenetic affairs. As you walk through the grounds, vendors come up to you and literally pull you into their shopping area, begging you to see their wares. They know our symbols of rank, so they get your attention by hollering "Captain, come see my shop" or something similar.

Once you decide that you want to buy something, an intricate procedure begins, because there are no pricetags on any of the items.

You begin by picking up something you don't want. The vendor says, "What price you want to pay?" You start at an absurdly low number, the vendor acts offended, you haggle with him a little more, and then you put the item down, acting like you can't afford it. Then just as you appear ready to leave, you pick up the item you want and negotiate with the vendor over that one. If the vendor thinks you are going to leave him, you can usually get him down to a reasonable price.

The vendors bring things like fur coats, rugs, antique (maybe) firearms, jewelry, and pottery. I say "maybe" about the firearms because most of them are reproductions. The Afghans are very good at taking parts of old weapons and putting them together to make them look like antiques.

Don't let anyone tell you that the Afghans don't understand capitalism.

I personally hate the haggling process. I always leave the bazaar feeling stressed out and like I just got taken to the cleaners. My wife would love it. She's a good shopper. Me, I just want to get what I want in the least amount of time.

Afghan tailors also come to the bazaar. So far I've purchased three suits, about four pairs of pants and two sportcoats. All of the clothes are custom made, and you can get a suit for about $60.00. I've heard people say that U.S. tailors tell them that a similar suit in the states would cost $400.00+. They look pretty good to me.

On the other hand, my perception of fashion and clothing is probably somewhat skewed. After all, I've been wearing the same thing for five months straight!!

LETTERS FROM HOME

2007-04-16T02:19:00.000-05:00

I am the oldest sibling in my family. I never had a big brother, although I always wanted one.

I got my wish when I went to college.

College fraternities generally match freshmen pledges with an upperclassman to be their "big brother." Phi Delta Theta at the University of Tennessee was no exception.

For most guys, this is a temporary arrangement that doesn't last beyond graduation. My situation was different. My big brother, Stephen Young of Nashville, was and always has been a friend and mentor to me. Stephen helped me choose my major in college. I have visited his family farm many times. He showed me how to ride my first horse. Stephen convinced me to attend law school and choose his alma mater, the University of Memphis. He's always shown me the right path (excluding some of our fraternity parties).

Stephen and Mandy's boys, Adam and Haynes, were sweet enough to send some of their own clothes to contribute to our clothing drive. They also wrote me these great letters. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Adam and Haynes, I have posted pictures of your letters and I have written back to you underneath each of your letters. Thanks for writing me.

Dear Haynes,

I am fine. Thank you for asking. I will be in Afghanistan for about one more month. I am looking forward to going home. Yes, I have fired my gun many times. I have been here for almost five months.

It is hard to describe life in Afghanistan. It is very different than what we have in the United States. Most everyone here is very poor. Many people don't have enough to eat or good clothes to wear. I have seen many boys and girls who don't even have any shoes! Most of their homes are made of mud. They have no air conditioning or heat in the winter. Many kids do not have a school to attend. I know that is hard to imagine.

You should thank your mommy and daddy for working hard and providing you with a good home, plenty to eat and good clothes to wear. I know school isn't always fun, but you should be thankful for that too.

Thank you for writing me.

Love, Scott.

Dear Adam,

It is good to hear from you. I am trying hard to stay safe here in Afghanistan. I have made many friends. Everyone here is very nice. The other soldiers are very brave and they work hard. They also miss their families and friends. Some of them are away from their children for a year or more! Can you imagine your mommy or daddy being gone that long? It is very difficult and we should be thankful for all that they do. I am only here for six months.

As I told your brother, I have fired my gun many times. It is dangerous, so you have to be careful.

I will be home very soon. Thank you for writing me.

Love, Scott.

AIR FORCE PICTURES OF HUMANITARIAN MISSION

2007-04-12T04:51:00.000-05:00

Air Force photographers were on the scene at our humanitarian mission in Kabul on Tuesday. Here's the link to the story and all the photos that they took:
http://www.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?id=123048432

The AF took this photo of me and Navy CDR Evers carrying boxes of tools to be unloaded.

Glad we got more coverage.

More Humanitarian Assistance Mission Pictures

2007-04-11T10:32:00.000-05:00

These are more pictures from Tuesday's humanitarian mission.

These show me giving the mission briefing to the entire convoy.

Note the British soldier in the right foreground.

This was a successful mission. No casualties, very few complications and we got the goods delivered fast.

I'm looking forward to the next one.

HUMANITARIAM MISSION IN DOWNTOWN KABUL

2007-04-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

A few days ago I posted a story about our humanitarian mission preparation on Easter. We delivered those clothes and that food today.

Before I go any further, I want to thank everyone involved in sending clothing donations and helping pay to have them shipped here. There will be more missions to come, and I promise to post many pictures so you can see the fruits of your kindness.

It's hard to describe the humanitarian assistance program here at Camp Alamo. So many people contribute in so many ways. Unfortunately, it's hard to have a lot of coordination because all of us have full time jobs mentoring the Afghan National Army.

This particular mission evolved after a flood devastated a section of downtown Kabul. We were told that over 6000 people lost their homes. A police chief contacted our intelligence officer and asked for assistance.

Our intelligence officer took the lead as the Mission Commander. He asked me to be the Alternate Mission Commander and assist him.

Last week we visited with the police chief and assessed his needs. Based on his request, we put together 100 bags of food and clothing. We also obtained shovels, tarps, saws, hammers and other tools that they could use to help rebuild their homes.

As I've tried to explain before, these missions take a lot of planning. You can't just roll out to a neighborhood and drop stuff off. Obviously there is a constant threat level in Kabul. In addition to getting the goods organized, you have to pick personnel, vehicles, weaponry, plan routes, plan for attacks and develop strategy. We worked late into last night putting all of this together.

Perhaps the most difficult task I had was giving the pre-mission briefing to the convoy. For security reasons, I can't go into the composition of the convoy, but it was significant. During this briefing you tell every person what their task is going to be during the mission, what they are expected to do during any contingency and make sure that every person has water, weapons, communications equipment, etc.

There was added pressure (probably self imposed) because I am a JAG. In the past, we haven't been tacticians. But in an asymmetrical war, everyone is expected and trained to be a warrior and a leader. So I felt confident.

On the way to the distribution site I was the commander of my convoy. This is a tense experience because you are responsible for all vehicles and all personnel in those vehicles. We have constant communication between all vehicles and we are always coordinating how to deal with perceived and real threats. I have headphone communication with my driver, gunner and all other vehicles to make sure we target and steer clear of all threats. This is "Top Gun" in a humvee. "Watch your six!" "Motorcycle at two o'clock!" "Pedestrians entering road at eleven o'clock!"

The H.A. mission itself went real well. We cordoned off the street in front of the Olympic Stadium. Here's a picture of the outside of the stadium.
The barbed wire was a strange contrast to the Olympic rings.

This is me behind the trucks where we're distributing food and supplies. It's a little difficult and embarrassing to ask someone to take your picture when you're trying to run the mission and keep an eye out for threats. So this is all you'll see of me.

The Afghan police did a good job of lining the family members up to receive the aid. My only regret is that we didn't bring water for the villagers, but they didn't have to wait long and they seemed to do ok. Of course, with 80+ degree heat and about forty extra pounds of gear on me, I thought it was quite warm. I had a camelback of water so I was alright.

Here you get a feel for how much of the area we had cordoned off.
The Afghan Air Force flew by while we were downtown. There were MIGs, HIND gunships and more. Quite impressive. I have some video but it would take too long to upload.
A shot of our folks distributing goods. Note the British troops off to the left. It was great to have them along and they were a tremendous help.
People carrying their food and clothing back home. The man on the cane had a badly disfigured foot. There were several amputees in the crowd with missing legs. No doubt victim to the many mines in this country.

The mission was a great success. The problem was that we couldn't take everyone who got up early on Easter to sort the food and clothing. Security was just too tight. We only had about ten percent of our personnel helping distribute while everyone else handled a security function.

Some of our people got their feelings hurt by the fact that they couldn't go. We are having a meeting tomorrow so that we can make sure that everyone can go out on the future missions that we hope to organize very soon.

This is a good picture of some women in burkhas picking up supplies. Since the bags were so heavy, many of us helped the women, children and frail men with the packages. I helped one woman and a beautiful little girl carry their packages. After I put them down, this sweet little girl turned to me and said "tashakur" - which means "thank you."

This was the highlight of my day, and maybe the greatest moment of this entire deployment.

EASTER SERVICE

2007-04-08T00:14:00.000-05:00

Today is Easter Sunday.

We just got word that there was a village of thousands that was washed out by a flood. The priority for them is food, blankets, and essential clothing. We got a rush delivery of food and blankets last week. I was part of a group yesterday that reconned the area and formulated our distribution plan.

The next step was to get the items separated and loaded onto trucks for delivery. That's the hard part.

I posted signs all around the camp telling volunteers to report at 0700 if they wanted to help organize the goods. I set the time so early because there are several activities planned for Easter, such as a basketball tournament, movies, etc.

Of course, there were many "nay-sayers" who told me that no one would ever show up that early on their day off. I silently crossed my fingers and hoped that I was right and they were wrong.

As you can see in the pictures below, I was right. About thirty people showed up. Air Force, Army, Navy and coalition all chipped in to help.

Above you can see the 200 bags of food that we have prepared. The metal cylinders in the foreground are portable stoves. Thanks to my mom for sending me the extra strong trash bags. They were perfect for the heavy sacks of wheat, flour, rice and beans.

Here's another view of the food. As you can imagine, this can be a daunting task. Organization and manpower are the keys to getting this done efficiently.

This picture shows the bags of clothing that we prepared being loaded onto the truck.

Volunteers filling up the truck.

This entire operation took 2 1/2 hours. Not bad for unloading the connexes, sorting the food, sorting the clothing, putting them in separate bags and loading the trucks.

We are now ready for our mission. We should be able to help at least 100 families.

Unfortunately there was no chapel held at Camp Alamo today.

Nevertheless, I think we had the best Easter "Service" ever.

GOING POSTAL

2007-04-06T02:48:00.000-05:00

Americans hate going to the post office to mail packages. The long waits can be painful.

But I will never complain about the post office at home again.

Today I spent over THREE HOURS waiting to mail packages home. I finally went and got a chair, a book and a hat to make the time more bearable.

The outgoing mail man is only at Camp Alamo on Fridays, so people can only mail packages home once a week. This creates a significant backlog. There is just one clerk to handle everyone, and each package must be inspected, weighed and paid for before shipping it out. This takes lots of time.

Like everything else in the military, complaining will get you nowhere. You have to simply adapt and be patient. Hence the book and chair.

I will add post office wait times to the growing list of things that will no longer bother me when I return home. This list currently includes cell phone service, internet speed and potholes.

Happy Easter everyone.