PFC Theodore Matthew Glende

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Pfc. Theodore M. Glende, 23, of Rochester, N.Y., died July 27, in Kharwar, Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire. Glende was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy.

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ISAF via DVIDS

An Afghan-international security force detained several individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Logar province last night.

The individuals were detained as the combined force searched a compound in Padkhvab-e Shaneh, Pul-e ‘Alam district, after intelligence information revealed militant activity.

Another Afghan-international force used aircraft and ground forces to stop two vehicles and detained multiple individuals suspected of insurgent activity in Zabul province yesterday.

The security force was pursuing a Taliban commander in the village of Zakuri, Shah Joy district, after intelligence information revealed insurgent activity.

The vehicles were stopped without incident, and several women and children in the vehicles were protected.

Individuals suspected of insurgent activity were detained by a separate Afghan-international force in Zabul province yesterday.

The combined force detained two suspected insurgents while searching a compound in the village of Jonubi Garay, Shah Joy district, after intelligence information found insurgent activity.

No shots were fired and no one was harmed during the above operations.

An Afghan-international security force found a large amount of explosives and detained an individual suspected of insurgent activity in Kandahar province last night.

The security force searched a series of compounds near the village of Zarif Kheyl, Zharay district, after intelligence information verified militant activity.

A Russian-made anti-aircraft weapon, several artillery rounds used for making improvised explosive devices, completed IED’s and automatic rifles were found.

A number of insurgents were killed and large weapons caches were found by a separate Afghan-international security force during a two-day clearing operation that ended in Khost province last night.

The operation took place southwest of Kowte Kheyl, Shamul district, after intelligence reports confirmed insurgent activity in an area known for extensive Haqqani network involvement and facilitation.

The security force came under fire several times over the course of the operation and returned fire, killing a number of insurgents.

Several of the insurgent strongholds were mined with IED’s and precision air strikes were used to eliminate weapon storage areas. The security force also recovered multiple rocket propelled grenades, mortar rounds, hand grenades, automatic rifles and IED components.

Dr. Richard R. Boone of Wimberley, Texas is a psychologist and Department of Defense civilian deployed to Afghanistan as a member of a Human Terrain System. Boone's mission is to interview local Afghans about their attitudes and daily lives. Boone says that by gathering this information from average people, HTS members can save lives on a civilian-oriented battlefield. Photo by Staff Sgt. Donald Reeves

Dr. Richard R. Boone, of Wimberley, Texas, is in the valley of Baraki Barak, Logar Province, Afghanistan, creating a map.

For his map he will ignore the rugged mountains that spring up on the sides of the valley, and the roads that criss-cross through it. Boone is part of the Human Terrain System, and his job is to create a map of the map of the Afghanistan people to give to commanders so they can navigate the complex Afghan culture.

“We’re looking at the regular people, the average people and we’re trying to figure out how they view their own lives, what issues do they think are important, what attitudes do they have toward their own national government, what attitudes they have towards the enemy,” Boone said.

Boone says that by gathering this information from average people, HTS members can save lives on a civilian-oriented battlefield.

“Our purpose is to get the information in the hands of commanders to help them determine what their actions will be. That will help them reduce the lethality of what we have to do,” Boone said.

Human Terrain Teams and HTS have been operating for years in Iraq and more recently in Afghanistan. The teams are made up of civilians who usually have a degree in Social Sciences and military background.

Boone’s degree is in Psychology, and he has served in both the Army and the Navy in his field. Boone served two tours in Iraq as part of a combat stress team.

Now, he finds himself deployed to Afghanistan on patrols with Stryker teams and Airborne Brigade Combat Teams.

“I was with a Stryker Brigade, and we were always out in Stryker vehicles. It was always a mounted patrol. We’d drive to a village and we would come right up to the edge of the village, get out and walk into the village,” Boone said.

“In Logar and Wardak we do dismounted patrols much more frequently,” Boone said.

Currently embedded with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Boone sleeps in the desert valley alongside the Soldiers. They conduct long foot patrols into villages where Boone gathers data.

Boone, at age 55, has to keep up with Soldiers who are sometimes more than 35 years his junior. “I’m inclined to exercise anyway to stay physically fit,” Boone said.

As the Soldiers conduct key leader engagements, Boone interviews ordinary citizens.

Part of the HTS mission is to “collect information on people who are typically overlooked by military collection teams,” Boone said. By doing so they hope to, “increase the cooperation that we get from some of the average people.”

In the Baraki Barak valley, he found a major concern to be roads. “Here, what I’ve discovered is that a lot of people want their roads to be improved,” said Boone. According to Boone, this concern was often overlooked before because of the demographics of the village.

As a psychologist, Boone looks to children as the future of Afghanistan. He hopes that some of his findings may lead to children centered operations.

“The kids are curious and they’re also interested in pens and notebooks, and it tells me, unless they’re selling them, that they have some interest in the resources that you would associate with going to school,” said Boone

“And, most of the parents that I’ve talked to want that for their children, and it seems like that’s lacking,” Boone said.

Boone hopes this will lead to a change in the cultural terrain.

“I think that if there was some way to reach them culturally and socially and get them to embrace some of our values while still holding true to their own cultural values the country could go a long way toward achieving some sort of democratic system,” said Boone.

Boone says his mission is not to come up with programs and plans. He will chart his piece of the map and leave it to others to find the way.

DVIDS
Story by Staff Sgt. Donald Reeves

Cpl. Jonathan Irwin (left center) and Staff Sgt. Dwaine Hood, both with Able Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, relax with local Mullahs, or religious leaders, and villagers at the Baraki Barak District Center while they wait for the last of the Mullahs to arrive, Sept. 16. The Soldiers of Task Force Spartan delivered Mosque refurbishment supplies and humanitarian aid packages to the Mullahs to distribute to local families. (Photo by Spc. Jaime’ De Leon, Task Force Spartan Public Affairs)

Mullahs, or Muslim religious leaders throughout Baraki Barak in Logar Province, Afghanistan, gathered at the local District Center to receive Mosque improvement packages, distributed by Soldiers from Task Force Iron Titan, September 16-17.

The Mosque kits included several large rugs, a smaller prayer rug for the Mullah, paint, a new speaker system, and light bulbs. Possibly, the most important part of the kits was solar panels to provide electricity for the Mosque.

Local families also received humanitarian aid packages including blankets, sweaters, rice, peas and other goods. Several humanitarian aid packages were also given to each Mullah to distribute to the neediest families within their local outreach.

“We gave away $85,000 worth of stuff in two days,” said Staff Sgt. Dwaine Hood, a forward observer with Able Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, who helps plan many of the troop’s humanitarian efforts.

Local villagers gathered alongside their Mullahs, ready to help transport the goods. With the hot Afghan sun beating down, everyone gathered in the shade while the paperwork was completed. With the help of an interpreter, Hood went down the list and identified each Mullah. Interpreters made last-minute calls to the few who were running late.

“I’m like the middle man,” Hood said. “I set up a meeting and make sure people are who they say they are. I also make sure the people who need to get stuff get it.”

Once everyone was identified and accounted for, the Mullahs each stood by their pile of goods. One at a time, the Mullahs brought in trucks and had the villagers from their area assist in loading the goods.

“The reason these packages are so important is because it upgrades the local Mosque, which in turn, shows we care about their religion and lifestyle and are here to help in any way we can,” Hood said.

“We gave away the Mosque packages to gain the support and trust of the people and to improve their lives,” said Army Cpl. Jonathan Irwin, infantryman, who also serves as Combat Outpost Baraki Barak’s COP Mayor.

Completing the paperwork and loading the trucks took several hours, but the recipients didn’t seem to mind as they each left in jovial spirits signified by their wide smiles.

“They seemed really happy,” Irwin said.

The Mosque refurbishment kits were only one of the many projects Able Troop has planned.

“We still have a lot of projects in the works,” Hood said. “We’ll be giving out more food, clothing and other goods in the near future.”

CJTF-82
Written by Army Spc. Jaime’ De Leon
Task Force Spartan Public Affairs