Category Archive for 'War on Terror'

First Lt. Timothy McCormick, assistant operations officer, Brigade Headquarters Group, Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, drinks freshly-purified water with locals. The water was cleaned with the solar-powered water purification system assembled here, Feb. 16. The system cleans out bacteria and diseases in the water, making it safe for locals to drink.

The system requires little to set up and is very efficient. The water purification system can filter water at a maximum rate of 60 gallons every minute.

Its ability to run with very little effort from the user makes the system simple. Because it is low maintenance and runs on solar energy, the only thing the user needs to do is change filters as they get dirty.

“The simplicity of the system makes this a great opportunity for these people to have clean water,” said McCormick. “The clean water will be rid of most of the bacteria and diseases it [typically] contains.”

Soldiers from Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment emplace an Unattended Ground Sensor during a nighttime operation Feb. 25. The sensors allow the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement to track potential smugglers and their routes, making sure their illegal cargo does not enter Iraq. Photo by Cody Harding

Here are two articles from the military illustrating our efforts to help the Iraqis secure their long border with Iran.

Lt. Col. Kyle Lear, the deputy commanding officer of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, presents Gen. Khatol Mohammadzai, the first female parachutist and general in the Afghan national army, with the title of honorary Sky Soldier. Photo by Spc. Daniel D. Haun

Prayer and hard work pushed her forward, she said.

“I had to work very hard; sometimes I was even scared for my life. I still went ahead and did it,” she said.

Mohammadzai said she grew brave because of all her hard work.

“If you receive, or get, or achieve something difficult, then you are so proud and always happy. If you get something easily, then you are always looking to the ground, you don’t think that you worked hard for it, you just got it. I’m so proud and I can talk to anybody bravely because I worked hard,” she said.

Afghan National Army soldiers board their C-17 cargo plane for their flight to Turkey at the International Security Assistance Force airport in Kabul. These soldiers are flying to Turkey for training in leadership and the military skills required to operate as a special operations unit. The transportation and training is part of joint cooperative training and funding agreement with Turkey and Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class David Quillen

Afghan National Army troops boarded a C-17 cargo plane at the International Security Assistance Force airport for a flight to Turkey to take part in the first of a series of extensive training opportunities in securing the development and defense of Afghanistan.

The 119 ANA troops are the first group to take part in military training for several weeks of specialized operations. It will be conducted primarily by Turkish forces with assistance from American forces and includes courses in leadership along with the skills necessary to perform in the capacity of a special operations force unit.

Photo Montage by MCC(SS) David Gordon

“No one will give your rights to you as a gift, you have to take them. Who is saying women can’t do anything. We can do everything, anything you want,” she said. “We have to fight against corruption and those who are against women working.” It is with speeches like this, given at the Ministry of Interior’s International Women’s Day recognition ceremony March 4, that it’s easy to see why Shafiqa, an Afghan National Police officer, was selected as a 2010 International Woman of Courage.

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Every week, military members, contractors, DA and DoD civilians, coalition members, local vendors, and people from the embassy and the State Department, come together and prepare donated items for distribution to our poverty stricken Afghan brothers and sisters. We’re used to that “miracle.”

At the graduation ceremony, Brig. Gen. Abd Al Kareem, commander of the school, presented each student with a certificate of completion for the course and congratulated them on being the first students to graduate from the class.

The students were enthusiastic about returning to their units to put their new knowledge and skills into practice.

While in-port training for the 2010 APS mission has concluded, international shipriders will continue at-sea training aboard the Nicholas. Shipriders from Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Mauritius deploy for extended periods of time and spend their day not only learning basic watch-standing principles, leadership skills, damage control and engineering, but also building relationships with sailors from around the globe.

Marines from the Marine Corps Security Force Company ready vehicles for a simulated casualty evacuation during a site security exercise at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. Photo by Staff Sgt. Blair Heusdens

With the variety of uniforms, customs and courtesies and quirks of the different branches, one of the most difficult things about working in a joint environment, at least at first, can be something as simple as knowing who to salute.

“You see something shiny and your hand goes up,” said Army Sgt. Daisy Glass, Joint Detention Group non-commissioned officer. “What you don’t realize though is you’re saluting an enlisted Navy chief. The little things like that are the first hurdles to overcome. Once you’ve moved on from that, it becomes [natural].