Sgt. -then Cpl.- Dakota Meyer while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Ganjgal Village, Kunar province, Afghanistan. Meyer will be receiving the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor, from President Barack Obama in Washington, Sept. 15, making him the first living Marine recipient since the Vietnam War. Meyer was assigned to Embedded Training Team 2-8 advising the Afghan National Army in the eastern provinces bordering Pakistan. He will be awarded for heroic actions in Ganjgal, Afghanistan, Sept. 8, 2009.

Removed from an ambushed platoon of Marines and soldiers in a remote Afghan village on Sept. 8, 2009, his reality viciously shaken by an onslaught of enemy fighters, Cpl. Dakota Meyer simply reacted as he knew best — tackling what he called “extraordinary circumstances” by “doing the right thing … whatever it takes.”

Nearly two years later, the White House announced Aug. 12, 2011, the 23-year-old Marine scout sniper from Columbia, Ky., who has since left the Marine Corps, will become the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in 38 years. Retired Sgt. Maj. Allan Kellogg, Jr. received the medal in 1973 for gallantry in Vietnam three years earlier.

Meyer is the second Marine to receive the medal for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Cpl. Jason Dunham was awarded the medal posthumously for covering a grenade with his body to save two Marines in Iraq in 2004. President Barack Obama will present the award to Meyer at the White House, Sept. 15.

“The award honors the men who gave their lives that day, and the men who were in that fight,” Meyer said. “I didn’t do anything more than any other Marine would. I was put in an extraordinary circumstance, and I just did my job.”

Though bleeding from shrapnel wounds in his right arm, Meyer, aided by fellow Marines and Army advisors from Embedded Training Team 2-8, braved a vicious hail of enemy machine-gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire in the village of Ganjgal to help rescue and evacuate more than 15 wounded Afghan soldiers, and recover the bodies of four fallen fighters — 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, Gunnery Sgts. Aaron Kenefick and Edwin Johnson Jr., and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class James Layton.

ETT advisor Army Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., Oct. 7, 2009, from wounds sustained in the firefight.

Meyer charged through the battle zone five times to recover the dead Marines and injured Afghan soldiers, risking his life even when a medical evacuation helicopter wouldn’t land because of the blazing gunfire.

“There’s not a day — not a second that goes by where I don’t think about what happened that day,” Meyer said. “I didn’t just lose four Marines that day; I lost four brothers.”

Sgt. Dakota Meyer with a DShK machine gun.

Author Bing West, a retired Marine infantry officer and combat veteran of Vietnam, detailed Meyer’s actions in the battle in “The Wrong War,” and praised Meyer for taking command of the battle as a corporal — the most junior advisor in this firefight.

West said Meyer should have been killed, but he dominated the battlefield by fearlessly exposing himself to danger and pumping rifle and machine gun rounds into the enemy fighters.

“When you leave the perimeter, you don’t know what’s going to happen, regardless of what war you’re fighting in,” Kellogg, who lives in Kailua, Hawaii, said. “Once you get to a point where you make the decision — ‘I’m probably going to die, so let the party begin’ — once you say in your mind you aren’t getting out of there, you fight harder and harder.”

Beginning his career with the same regiment from which Kellogg retired in 1990, Meyer deployed with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, to Fallujah, Iraq, in 2007, and earned a meritorious promotion to corporal in late 2008 after returning from the deployment.

Before leaving for Iraq, Meyer completed the Marine Corps’ 10-week Scout Sniper Basic Course, and committed himself to preparing himself and his snipers for combat. They attended lifesaving classes taught by Navy corpsmen and honed their skills with myriad weapons systems, such as light machine guns. Meyer also spent time in his battalion’s communications section learning how to call for mortar and artillery fire.

“I devoted my whole life to making the best snipers in the Marine Corps,” Meyer said. “They’re a direct reflection of your leadership. If you fail them in training, it could get them killed on the battlefield.”

In February 2009, Meyer volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan’s dangerous Kunar province and mentor Afghan soldiers as part of an embedded training team, the type of role usually filled by U.S. Special Forces.

“A Marine who seeks the challenge of joining his unit’s scout sniper platoon has to have a lot of drive and determination,” said Col. Nathan Nastase, commanding officer of 3rd Marine Regiment and formerly Meyer’s battalion commander at 3/3. “Being assigned to the ETT was a huge vote of confidence in his abilities.”

Meyer deployed to Afghanistan on the ETT in July 2009.

“Our mission was to help prepare the Afghans to take over their own country and provide security for themselves,” Meyer said. “ETTs make a huge impact on the outcome of the war.”

In Kunar province, Meyer and another ETT advisor would lead squads of 15 Afghan soldiers on patrols. Since he could speak Pashto, the local language, so well, Meyer often separated from the element with his Afghan trainees.

When his patrol fought to rescue another from an ambush Sept. 8, 2009, Meyer’s focus on advising gave way to surviving, and on what he had to do to keep himself and his men alive.

“I lost a lot of Afghans that day,” Meyer said. “And I’ll tell you right now — they were just as close to me as those Marines were. At the end of the day, I don’t care if they’re Afghans, Iraqis, Marines or Army; it didn’t matter. They’re in the same shit you are, and they want to go home and see their family just as bad as you do.”

Thrown into unimaginable circumstances, Meyer said the Afghan soldiers and his sniper training “saved my life” during the battle.

Jacody Downey is a close friend of Meyer’s from Kentucky. He’s seen his friend grow from a fun-loving “jokester” in high school to a driven Marine who deeply respected both elders and subordinates.

“Dakota has always cared more about others than he does himself,” Downey said. “Even if he’s not with his Marines now, he’s still constantly thinking about them, worrying about them and calling to check on them. He still considers them brothers.”

Cpl. David Hawkins grew as a Marine under Meyer’s leadership in 3/3’s Scout Sniper Platoon.

“Meyer was an ideal leader,” Hawkins, from Parker, Colo., said. “He knew everything about the Marines underneath him — how they’d respond to every situation, not only on a Marine Corps level but also on a personal level.”

Hawkins said he was deeply humbled by Meyer’s concern as a friend, especially after being injured in Afghanistan last year. Hawkins was severely wounded by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan Sept. 24, 2010. Four days later, he lay static in a stark hospital room, riddled with shrapnel. After groggily emerging from anesthesia into a blurry reality, Hawkins’ phone rang — the first call from a friend. Without fail, Meyer’s jovial drawl broke through the speaker.

“In the Marine Corps, you always hear that if something’s broke, you’ve got to work to fix it, but you never really see the Marine who does it,” Hawkins said. “Meyer is that Marine. If he had something to say, he’d say it, and he wasn’t really afraid of repercussions for what he said. If it needed to be changed, he changed it.”

Hearing his friend would receive the Medal of Honor didn’t surprise Hawkins. In light of the “character” and “country boy” Hawkins knows, Meyer’s actions were simply the manifestation of how he lived and led.

“Meyer was destined for the Medal of Honor,” Hawkins said. “If you got to work with him, you’d see it.”

At the conclusion of his speech to 350 faculty and staff in Green County High School, Greensburg, Ky., Dakota Meyer, 23, watches them as they leave, Aug. 3. Photo by Sgt. James SheaSmall RSS Icon

Meyer completed his tour on active duty last June. He went home to Kentucky, where he’s found purpose working with his hands in a family business.

“Pouring concrete is kind of like the Marine Corps,” Meyer said. “When you wake up in the morning, you’ve got a job … like a mission. There’s no set standard on how to do things, but you just have to go out there, make decisions and get it done — and that’s like the challenge of the Marine Corps. Once you’re satisfied with what you’ve done, you stop getting better.”

Meyer is the 86th living Medal of Honor recipient, and he joins a small, elite group of heroes, a reality that will often require him to conjure up haunting reminders of the battles he has fought, the friends he has lost and the painful regret he bears.

“I’m not a hero, by any means — I’m a Marine, that’s what I am,” he said. “The heroes are the men and women still serving, and the guys who gave their lives for their country. At the end of the day, I went in there to do the right thing … and it all boils down to doing the right thing … whatever it takes. All those things we learn stick in your head, and when you live by it, that’s the Marine way.”

Though Meyer will receive the Medal of Honor for what he did in Ganjgal, he insists he will wear the five-pointed medallion and blue silk ribbon to honor his fallen brothers, their families and his fellow Marines.

“Being a Marine is a way of life,” Meyer said. “It isn’t just a word, and it’s not just about the uniform — it’s about brotherhood. Brotherhood means that when you turn around, they’re there, through thick and thin. If you can’t take care of your brothers, what can you do in life?”

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Story by Cpl. Reece Lodder

An Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban improvised explosive device expert and several other militants in Kandahar province this morning.

The security force searched a compound just west of Kandahar City after intelligence determined militant activity. During the search the security force captured the IED expert heavily involved in IED manufacturing, emplacements and attacks throughout the Kandahar area. Several other militants were also captured.

This capture may degrade the Taliban’s IED capabilities in the Kandahar area. Because of his links to other militant networks coalition forces believe this IED expert could also provide information on other Taliban leaders.

Also in Kandahar this morning, a joint force searched a compound in the town of Bazar-e Pannivai, in the Kandahar district, after intelligence information indicated militant activity. During the search the joint force detained several suspected militants for further questioning.

In the Zharay district of Kandahar this morning, an Afghan-international security patrol found a booby-trapped cache containing two suicide vests, six grenades and eight AK-47′s. The cache will be destroyed.

In Wardak last night, an Afghan-international security force searched a compound west of Yusof Kheyl, in the Sayed Abad district, after intelligence information indicated militant activity. During the search the security force captured a Haqqani heavy weapons facilitator, responsible for the sale and distribution of weapons ranging from heavy machine guns to sniper rifles. The Haqqani have used indiscriminate bombings, small-arms attacks, murder, kidnappings, and intimidation to achieve their aims.

Another militant was also captured during the search.

The combined force also found several automatic rifles and Taliban propaganda. This capture is likely to hinder weapons procurement by militant networks in the area.

No shots were fired and no one was injured during any of these operations.

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It’s not every day that you see a miracle, but we had one at Camp Eggers this week. 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.” This time we had a miracle of loaves and fishes.

Bottom line up front, this week we did not receive enough donations to make 50 bags of mixed items for poor families; we needed 100 for a mission to a large refugee camp. Somehow, by the end of our weekly preparation, we had enough to make over 100 bags. We added some shoes and some women’s clothes from previous donations, but we finished with enough of those left over to store them again for another day. I don’t know how it happened. No angels appeared. No waters parted. We did not run screaming down Gator Alley rejoicing in an unexpected blessing. People here on Camp Eggers have no idea what happened.

No doubt some of the volunteers came to different conclusions regarding our surprising bounty. But that’s a miracle for you. There were probably some who ate miraculous fish and bread and did not know from where it came. Some may have thought there was a rational reason, like the fish and bread came from their neighbors, or they just didn’t see the delivery porters. Some may have known it was a miracle and told no one. But I saw this one, and I don’t know what happened. But I know what I think happened. And I pray that all of the bags distributed at our next mission bless their recipients in miraculous ways.

And if anyone reading this wants to help desperately poor Afghans, please send donations of gently used clothing, blankets, coats, shoes, socks, sundries, toys, and school supplies to:

CH Albertson
VCR Program/ Chaplain Section
NTM-A/CSTC-A APO, AE 09356

NTM-A

ISAF and Afghan forces have recently observed militants using infants as human shields during hostile acts against Afghan and international forces operating throughout Afghanistan.

During an operation Feb. 12 in Farah province, a combined Afghan-international force attempted to arrest a Taliban commander. During the operation, the militant commander exited a compound surrounded by women and children and was carrying an infant. Repeated demands by Afghan members of the combined force to put the infant down were ignored and his response to repeated warnings was to hold the infant between him and members of the combined force. The man was eventually arrested and the infant returned unharmed to its mother.

In a separate Feb. 12 operation also in Farah, an individual was observed on top of a nearby compound using a radio to report on the combined force’s movement and activity. After spotting the joint force closing in, he went into the compound and returned to the roof carrying an infant. He continued to use the radio to report on the force’s movement for the rest of the operation with the infant at his side.

On Feb. 17 in Helmand’s Washir district, two suspected militants fled from a vehicle into a nearby compound. After the compound was surrounded, one of the men emerged holding an infant in front of him. He repeatedly moved the child so that it was between him and the combined force. The man was eventually arrested and the child returned unharmed to its mother.

“The Taliban’s actions that endanger civilians, especially children, show complete disregard for the people of Afghanistan,” said ISAF Joint Command Deputy Chief of Staff for Joint Operations Maj. Gen. Michael Regner.

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Local Afghan laborers lay the foundation of a new shura hall Feb. 24 in the governor's compound of the Nad'e Ali district center. The shura hall is scheduled to be completed within the next four months and will have a capacity of up to 2,000 people. Photo by Pfc. Luke Rollins

When the Royal Engineers of the 11th Light Infantry Brigade first arrived in the Nad’e Ali district center, they came to a stagnant area run down from insurgent control. The population was afraid to leave their homes. The bazaar – the center of local economic life – was little more than a ghost town. A local health clinic, built by Americans in the 1950′s, was destroyed by an insurgent decree against Western medicinal practices.

Now, the bazaar streets are full of the noises of bargaining shoppers and idling motors. Children shriek on the way to and from school. Not only has the local health clinic been rebuilt, but improved and expanded.

In the wake of Operation Moshtarak, the largest operation since the arrival of coalition forces in Afghanistan, the engineers are redoubling their efforts to bring a functioning public life to the citizens of Nad’e Ali.

The focus of current construction efforts is in the district governor’s compound, said Staff Sgt. John Marley, a member of the Nad’e Ali Military Stabilization and Support Team.

“The construction could start under the security and safety this bubble created,” said Marley, referring to a set of walls enclosing the compound.

Work on the compound includes 26 offices for departmental ministers and their staff and a shurah hall planned to hold up to 2,000 people. It is scheduled for completion within the next four months.

Staff Sgt. John Marley, a member of the Nad'e Ali Military Stabilization and Support Team, talks with local Afghans about issues at the local health clinic. The clinic, which was recently rebuilt after being destroyed during insurgent control of Nad'e Ali, now serves the region with a midwifery. Photo by Pfc. Luke Rollins

Outside the compound the effects of International Security Assistance Force-aided reconstruction yield their results, said Marley. New shops opened in the bazaar, and old shops have had concrete roofs attached. They have been regrouped by type in order to maintain public health standards. Also, the mud roads within the bazaar area have been covered in gravel for more consistent accessibility.

A new district mosque is planned for the area as well, and walls have already been built around the site.

The local residents comprise the work force for the area construction projects, said Marley. This encourages the local population to invest their time and effort in the construction and maintenance of their local infrastructure.

Soon, he said, the Afghan government will fund the construction projects within the districts. The engineers will play an intermediary role between the contractors and the local government.

As the current projects make their way toward completion, Marley said he has witnessed first hand an attitude shift on the part of the local population from apprehension to acceptance.

“Slowly, now, we are seeing the construction and all the people that are now employed, the shops are all open again, the health clinic, the children are going to school and getting taught. The local Afghans have welcomed us with open arms now, and they’re realizing now this is what all of Afghanistan should be getting and should have had for a long time.”

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Story by Pfc. Luke Rollins

Special Air Service Corporal Bill Apiata

Not Apiata.

He’s back in the ‘stan with his lads.

Victoria Cross recipient Willie Apiata is one of the SAS members photographed in Afghanistan, Prime Minister John Key has confirmed.

Images emerged today of members of the New Zealand Special Air Service on patrol in Kabul shortly after they were involved in a battle in the centre of the Afghan capital.

Corporal Apiata became the first New Zealander since the Second World War to be awarded the Commonwealth’s highest military award for his actions with the NZ SAS in Afghanistan.

Mr Key told reporters Corporal Apiata had volunteered to return to Afghanistan.

“We gave Willie Apiata the choice about whether to return to Afghanistan or not and he made it quite clear he did want to return and he was one of the first to return.”

Stuff.co.nz and Dominion Post

Air Force 1st Lt. Rebecca Bucher, 777th Expeditionary 'Prime BEEF' Squadron; Army Capt. Sarah Comeau, 45th Sustainment Brigade; and Navy Lt. j.g. Monica Rojas, 30th Naval Construction Regiment, routinely pool their experience and skills to address expansion and sustainment-related challenges. Photo by Maj. Sheldon Smith

Three women from different services have come together to make a difference in the expansion and sustainment of U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Naval supply officer Lt. j. g. Monica Rojas with the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, Air Force civil engineer 1st Lt. Rebecca Bucher with the 777th Expeditionary “Prime BEEF” Squadron, and Army logistics Capt. Sarah Comeau with the 45th Sustainment Brigade met each other while deployed here. The three service members have formed a bond, and now work closely in all matters regarding procurement, logistics and construction projects.

“It’s rare for all the services to work together to accomplish what we are accomplishing: expansion and growth of [Regional Command - South] in a deployed environment,” said Comeau of St. Paul, Minn. “Between the three of us, we are creating, building, and supplying both existing and new [forward operating bases] in southern Afghanistan.”

Comeau supplies FOBs with all classes of supply, orders what they need for sustainment, and ensures supplies and materiel get to the FOB in a timely manner. Shortages of supplies and equipment can hamper FOB construction during a time when U.S. operations in Afghanistan are intensifying.

The 45th Sustainment Brigade is an integral part of Joint Sustainment Command – Afghanistan, which provides command and control for units that provide a wide range of sustainment services to combat forces belonging to or sponsored by the U.S. The Prime BEEF Squadron executes projects planned by the 30th NCR at FOBs and combat outposts where subordinate units work.

“We work together in building up RC-South and sustaining our current units located in RC – South,” said Rojas of Arlington, Texas. “I am the logistics side for the regiment, Sarah is the transportation and supply side for our Army Contacts, and Becky is the Air Force officer that plans projects for the 30th NCR.”

The 30th NCR is the Seabee unit from Port Hueneme, Calif., that has overall responsibility for all FOB construction projects in RC-S.

“Each [of us] brings a separate set of experiences to the table,” said Rojas. “The fact that we are all from different services, backgrounds, and MOS’s [military occupational specialties] or designators gives a huge opportunity for growing from each other. We all have the same mission, and are in the same location, but need each other’s varying education and backgrounds in order to accomplish that mission.”

Although all three U.S. military members work in different services, they all help each other in some way on KAF, and also all know the importance of keeping fit especially while deployed.

“I’ve always loved to workout and it’s even more important to stay active while deployed,” said Bucher of O’Fallon, Ill., following the strenuous workout. “The operational tempo can become quite stressful and staying active keeps you not only fit, but alert and lets you clear your mind for at least a little while. It definitely recharges the batteries.”

The United Kingdom’s indoor soccer field at KAF is home to circuit type exercises five days a week. This particular training consists of several games ranging from tag to races and circuit training.

“It’s like Elementary Physical Education except 100 times harder,” said Comeau. “In the middle of the workout, I would’ve rather have run a marathon then finished the seemingly endless amount of sprinting and drills! But, in the end, it was definitely worth it!”

Lt. j.g. Monica Rojas, 30th Naval Construction Regiment rides the back of Capt. Sarah Comeau, 45th Sustainment Brigade compete with a team consisting of 1st Lt. Rebecca Bucher, 777th Expeditionary 'Prime BEEF' Squadron, and a female British officer during piggyback relays in an indoor soccer field. In addition to physical activities, the three women are linked by the logistics-related work they do. Photo by Maj. Sheldon Smith

“The UK soccer gym is the perfect place to conduct circuit training,” said Rojas. “They have a new routine every week and focus on every part of the body.”

People attending the class are primarily from countries outside the United States, making it a good networking opportunity for the U.S. military on base to expand their scope of knowledge and contacts, said Rojas.

All three female officers ran the Nov. 7 Freedom Run half marathon on KAF.

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Story by Maj. Sheldon Smith

Army Spc. Zachary Boyd, 19, who hails from Fort Worth, Texas, said he was in his sleeping quarters at Firebase Restrepo in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan’s Kunar province when the Taliban attacked, forcing him to take up a defensive position while clad only in his helmet, protective vest, a T-shirt and his pink “I Love NY” boxer shorts, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Thursday.

A wire service photographer snapped a picture of Boyd rushing into action in his undershorts and the snapshot wound up on the front pages of the Star-Telegram and The New York Times.

UPI

Raziqullah laid motionless on the green stretcher as blood oozed across his forehead, dripping onto the floor of Forward Operating Base Blessing’s aid station.

Army Maj. Durren Hightower, a physician’s assistant, looked up from the massive head wound that exposed the 15-year-old boy’s brain, and sighed, “You know he isn’t going to have a good outcome, right?”

One of the medics, fighting to keep the boy breathing by pumping oxygen into his lungs, replied quietly, “Yes sir.”

Raziqullah, a shepherd, who like many Afghans has only one name, left home early on the morning of April 23 to tend to his flock in the mountains around his village of Gosalak. His family found him hours later at the mountain’s rocky bottom. He had fallen.

The boy’s two uncles rushed him from his tiny village to FOB Blessing, an American military outpost manned by Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, in the remote Konar province of Afghanistan.

“The call came in over the radio that we had an Afghan boy at the front gate with a head injury, so our medics rushed down there,” said Maj. Paresh R. Patel, the aid station’s physician. “It was bad.”
According to Patel, the tiny aid station sees levels of trauma like this almost weekly. Local villagers flock to the aid station seeking Western medical treatment they can’t normally get from their local clinics.

As they rushed Raziqullah to one of aid station’s two stretchers, the medical personnel immediately began surveying the unconscious child, his small bruised frame covered in blood.

“What happened?” one of them cried to the interpreter.

“He fell off a mountain,” the interpreter replied.

Raziqullah’s breathing was failing, he was fading quickly. The Soldiers placed an oxygen tube in the boy’s throat, which became his lifeline.

Racing against time, the doctors and medics pumped Raziqullah’s body with medication and treated his wounds, using an ultrasound to check for internal injuries.

Hightower looked at the boys crushed skull with worry.

“This sucks,” said Army Spc. Jeremy Shepler, combat medic, shaking his head in concern as he pumped oxygen into the boy’s lungs.

A fellow medic looked up from Raziqullah and frowned. “Yeah,” he said.

After two hours of fighting to keep the boy alive, Patel called for his interpreter, “We need to go talk to the family,” he said. His face was grim.

With tears streaming down the face of one of the boy’s two uncles, Patel explained that Raziqullah was brain dead, and was kept alive only by the breathing tube that pumped oxygen into his lungs. “What do you want to do?” he asked them.

The young shepherd’s uncles had to make a difficult decision.

Finally they asked to have their nephew’s breathing tube removed.

A Muslim chaplin from the Afghan national army was called to the aid station to pray for Raziqullah, as the two uncles grieved for their fading nephew.

Less than 10 minutes later, Raziqullah died.

His body was wrapped in a white shawl, with strings tied around his toes and chin according to Muslim tradition, and then his family took him home to be buried.

“In the States, you would have a less than 5 percent survivability rate for this type of injury,” said Shepler. “Here it’s almost nonexistent…All we can do is try every time.”

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Story by Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller

Cpl. Jason Jones earned the Silver Star Medal for his actions during a firefight in which he went above and beyond the call of duty while attached to Embedded Training Team 5-3 in Afghanistan. Photo by Lance Cpl. Paul Zellner

The day started like any other day in eastern Afghanistan, moderate temperature, sunny; hardly a cloud in the sky.

But for three Marines, a platoon of Afghan national soldiers and a platoon of Soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne, July 13 would turn to bloodshed, sacrifice and one Marine’s tale of heroism.

The U.S. – Afghan team was attacked by more than 200 enemy forces firing small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

Many members of the team became disorganized and discouraged facing the overwhelming odds.

Cpl. Jason Jones, one of three Marines embedded with the two platoons of soldiers, seized the initiative and began firing his weapon at the enemy while encouraging and guiding his comrades to organize a counter attack.

Jones’ actions grew bolder as casualties mounted and the firefight intensified.

He sprinted across the terrain under heavy enemy fire to a wounded Afghan soldier and pulled him to safety as rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire exploded around them. But the fight was not over. Members of the U.S. Army platoon were pinned down.

“We got a call on the radio saying ‘we’re dying, we’re dying and I’m the last one left,’” said Jones, the 24 year-old native of San Angelo, Texas. “I figured we needed to do something about it.”

With bullets still flying, Jones again crossed 130 meters of fire-swept ground wielding a M-240B machine gun. Jones, with fire support from other members of the team, suppressed the attackers long enough to allow him to reach the wounded soldiers and provide life-saving aid.

For his valor, heroism and bravery under fire, Jones was awarded the Silver Star, the third highest decoration a U.S. service member can receive.

Jones is a four-year veteran of the Marine Corps. He graduated from Grape Creek High School, class of 2003, in San Angelo. He works in the logistics field with Headquarters and Service Company, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

However, while in Afghanistan, Jones was serving a 10-month auxiliary billet as a mentor to the Afghan National Army while attached to Embedded Training Team 5-3.

According to Jones, he developed a bond with his Afghan and U.S. Army counterparts – a bond that was tested under fire and survived through resolve.

“Whether it’s a Marine, Sailor or Soldier, you can only hear suffering for so long before you have to do something about it,” said Jones.

Cpl. Jason Jones is pictured July 13 in the Kunar province of eastern Afghanistan just hours after a firefight where he earned the Silver Star.

Jones said he took it upon himself to do exactly what Marines are taught – lead from the front.

It is easy to say Jones’ actions saved lives that day, but they may have had another lasting effect.

“His actions built confidence and motivation in the Afghan national army,” said Sgt. Maj. Samuel Schmidt the sergeant major of 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division. “He was essentially a catalyst in changing the tide of the battle.”

Though his actions are looked at as heroic by some, Jones was a bit more humble in describing his actions following an awards ceremony on Camp Schwab on April 2 where Lt. Gen. Richard C. Zilmer, III Marine Expeditionary Force commanding general, pinned on his Silver Star.

“We were just taking care of business,” Jones said. “A firefight that big opens your eyes to what war is really like. I wouldn’t call myself a hero. The real heroes are the ones that gave their [lives] – and I’m wearing this medal for them.”

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Story by Lance Cpl. Paul Zellner

Army Spc. Danielle Lafoille, a combat medic from Manistique, Mich., places a bandage on an Afghan boy at Forward Operating Base Blessing, April 7. The boy is one of the more than 4,000 Afghans treated by 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division Soldiers at FOB Blessing’s aid station since July of last year.

Every morning outside Forward Operating Base Blessing, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, combat medics comb through a crowd of sick or injured Afghans desperate for medical attention.

“This is their ER. If something happens, this is where they are going to come,” said Army Spc. Danielle Lafoille, of Manistique, Mich.

In fact, since arriving at FOB Blessing last July, the 1st Infantry Division Soldiers have treated more than 4,000 Afghans, some walking as long as two days for treatment.

Although handling mostly minor ailments, such as cuts and runny noses, the aid station has seen its fair share of major injuries.

“We see burns, lacerations; we do get gunshot wounds, major bone breaks. Just a huge variety of things you see in the local U.S. trauma room,” said Army Spc. Timothy Lickiss, a combat medic from Chester, Calif.

“Right now we’re treating two patients who had hot tar spilled on them during an industrial accident,” said Army Spc. Jeremy Shepler, combat medic.

“He was only wearing sandals,” one of the station’s two physicians said. “If this was the U.S., he would have been required to wear rubber boots and gloves. Now he’s just lucky he’s going to keep his feet.”

Many ailments the Soldiers treat are not seen in the U.S. because of occupational safety regulations and vaccinations.

“If they had a higher standard of hygiene or healthcare, a lot of these illnesses would be removed,” Shepler said.

Although service members have been working with Afghan physicians since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, many local clinics in Konar province still do not have the knowledge to properly treat these types of injuries, causing many villagers to turn to the U.S. for help.

“[The local clinics] are great at some things, but then they’ll miss some simple things,” Shepler said. “They may have the technology to do X-rays, but they end up applying bandages like tourniquets.”

A major concern for FOB Blessing’s aid station is bone setters, practicing what the medics call “old remedies.”

“A person will have a broken bone, and they go to the local bone setter, who will put eggs on it. As crazy as it is, that is some of the stuff we have seen,” Lafoille said.

With only one surgeon and one physician’s assistant, the aid station is not always able to provide higher levels of care. If necessary, the Soldiers will evacuate the injured Afghans to other FOBs with better facilities.

“We treat them the best we can here,” Lickiss said. “But we won’t hesitate to push them out to other FOBs with larger facilities if we need to.”

As the end of their deployment nears, the Soldiers know they have made a difference among the Afghan people.

“The locals have learned to trust our medicine, because we bring the standards that [we have] in the U.S.,” Shepler said. “They come to us knowing that we have the knowledge and experience to make sure that they get better.”

CJTF-101
Written by By Army Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller,
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Latvian army Cpl. Deniss Makarous, from the combined U.S., Latvian Observer, Mentor, Liaison Team, shows an Afghan National Army Soldier how to use a sniper rifle at Observation Post Bari Alai near the village of Nishagam, in Konar province, Afghanistan, March 18. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller)

In Regional Command-East, a group of Michigan National Guardsman and Latvian Soldiers recently formed the command’s first multi-national training group, known as the Observer, Mentor, Liaison Team at Forward Operating Base Bostick in Konar province, Afghanistan.

The mentoring and advising the Afghan National Army is usually lead by U.S. Military’s Embedded Training Teams. An OMLT, pronounced omelet, differs from an ETT because it is multinational, and can vary in its size and purpose.

The idea for the combined OMLT with Latvia stemmed from the National Guard’s State Partnership for Peace Program, a concept designed to pair Guardsman from different states with former Cold War adversaries.

“The state of Michigan and Latvia have been working together since 1995,” said Army Capt. Dan Voss, OMLT team member and Michigan National Guardsman from the 119th Field Artillery Battalion. “We’ve done training together in the past, they have come to Michigan for two-weeks during our [annual training] and it always went well, so the idea for an OMLT started getting kicked around.”

For three months the Guardsman trained with their Latvian army counterparts, including training at the U.S. Army’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany.

“We did joint tactical and technical training,” said Voss. “That way we will all be on the same page, not just an American way or a Latvian way, but an OMLT way.”

The combined team arrived at FOB Bostick in November, where they absorbed members of the existing ETT, made up of active duty service members from the Army and Navy.

According to the former ETT commander and current OMLT U.S. team leader Army Maj. Jim Hickman, OMLTs and ETTs both seek in guiding the ANA, but the current OMLT is able to provide better support for the area. “Most ETTs are 16-20 people,” he said, “we’re 47, so we’re able to cover down on a lot more.”

Afghan National Army Soldier marches with Latvian army Maj. Juris Abolins, leading Latvian officer in the Observer, Mentor, Liaison Team, and members of the U.S. Army and Afghan National Police, after returning from Observation Post Bari Alai near the town of Nishagam in Konar province, Afghanistan, March 18. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller)

The team is helping establish the 6th Kandak, a battalion sized unit covering some of Afghanistan’s most remote and hostile areas along the border with Pakistan. It not only mentors the ANA Soldiers on combat skills, but also administrative tasks, such as establishing supply and training programs.

“We are here to support the ANA in their development, so that one day they can take over all security for their country,” said Latvian army Maj. Juris Abolins, leading Latvian officer in the OMLT. Once they [accomplish this], then I am done, and I can go home.”

CJTF-101
Written by Army Sgt. Matthew C. Moeller,
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment