Sunday, May 19, 2013
A Fort Stewart military police unit recently held a memorial for a military working dog who was killed recently in Afghanistan.
By Staff Sgt. Roger RyDell Daniels Warrior Transition Battalion The bond between a military police and his military working dog is very close and special. This bond is built upon a high level of trust and companionship. When joined together, they become a working team that stretch beyond the battlefield. When an MP loses the other half of his working team on the battlefield, it can be very hard to deal with. On March 11, Staff Sgt. Bak, a military working dog, along with his handler, Sgt. Marel Molina, both assigned to the 93rd Military Working Dog Detachment, 385th Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade, were injured by enemy gunfire in a blue-on-green attack. Bak died later that day during surgery from wounds he received…
Saturday, May 18, 2013
A Fort Stewart soldier and two soldiers from Fort Bliss, Texas, were killed by an improvised explosive device.
A Fort Stewart soldier was killed in Afghanistan May 14, along with two soldiers from Fort Bliss, Texas, according to the Department of Defense. Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey C. Baker, 29, of Hesperia, Calif., was assigned to 766th Ordnance Company, 63rd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, Fort Stewart. Also killed were Spc. Mitchell K. Daehling, 24, of Dalton, Mass., and Spc. William J. Gilbert, 24, of Hacienda Heights, Calif. Both assigned to 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss. The soldiers died from wounds suffered in an enemy attack using an improvised explosive device, according to the Defense Department. Subscribe to the Fort Stewart Patch newsletter and get news, Patch …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Deputy defense secretary congratulates Afghan president on progress of national security.
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Tuesday, May 14
By Claudette Roulo American Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan -- Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter met Monday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at Afghanistan’s presidential palace. In a statement summarizing the meeting, Defense Department officials said Carter congratulated Karzai on the progress of the Afghan national security forces and expressed his admiration for their performance and professionalism. The progress they’ve made, he noted, is enabling them to take the lead in security in more 90 percent of the country. The deputy secretary also reiterated the strong U.S. partnership with Afghanistan and emphasized the continued U.S. commitment to support the Afghan forces into the future. Carter also continued his assessment …
Monday, May 13, 2013
Enlisting in the Army at the age of 35, Fort Stewart soldier Neil Hood wants to make a difference.
By Sgt. Tanjie Patterson 3rd Sustainment Bde. KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Many enlisted service members join the U.S. military right after graduating high school, but there are some who choose to join the service later in life. That is the case for Spc. Neil Hood, a health care specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade. Hood, who was born in Montclair, N.J., moved to Orlando, Fla., when he was 15 years old. After completing high school, he then attended the University of Central Florida, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in humanities. After completing college, Hood worked a number of different types of jobs -- ranging from a coffee shop to watering plants and gardening, to working at a …
Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter meets with senior U.S. and Afghan officials to praise them for their efforts on the transition to Afghan-led security.
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Monday, May 13
By Claudette Roulo American Forces Press Service KABUL, Afghanistan -- Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter met with senior U.S. and Afghan officials Sunday to praise them for their efforts on the transition to Afghan-led security, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said. Carter spoke with Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, the Afghan minister of defense, and Ghulam Mujtaba Patang, the Afghan minister of the interior, at their respective ministries. Carter congratulated the ministers on the progress made by Afghan forces as they move toward taking the lead for security throughout Afghanistan, Little said. The deputy secretary and the ministers “pledged to continue to work together on a number of important issues, including the sustained …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Fort Stewart soldiers in Afghanistan complete renovations on center for wounded troops to relax.
By Sgt. Sarah Bailey 4th IBCT PAO BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – Soldiers from the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, hosted the re-opening of the Task Force Vanguard Wounded Warrior Center Saturday at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. The Wounded Warrior Center allows soldiers who are under medical care at Bagram a safe place to relax, place a phone call home, watch a movie, play Xbox, or just share their experiences with a battle buddy. Second Lt. Ashleigh Sheets, the TF Maintain medical liaison officer, works at the Craig Joint Theater Hospital at Bagram Air Field, where she receives patients, monitors their status, and communicates their condition and progress to their respective …
Friday, May 3, 2013
3rd Infantry Division commanding general Robert Abrams and troops from the United States and other countries stood with their Australian comrades to support them in remembrance of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps Day.
By Sgt. Jessi McCormick DVIDS TARIN KOT, AFGHANISTAN - Military members from the United States, Slovakia and Singapore stood side-by-side with their Australian brothers and sisters-in-arms to support them in remembrance of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) Day April 25 at Multi National Base Tarin Kot, Afghanistan. Located in Uruzgan province, MNB-TK has been the center of Australian operations since 2006. The Australian Defence Force has lost 39 lives in the war in Afghanistan, almost all of which were lost in Uruzgan. “We remember lives sacrificed in blood that is soaked into the dirt and the sand of Iraq and here in Afghanistan,” said Australian Army Chaplain Damien Ellis during the dawn service. ANZAC Day is commemorated as…
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Marksmanship training will help Afghan National Army soldiers increase their security, says 3rd Infantry Division officer.
By Staff Sgt. Elvis Umanzor 4th IBCT PAO FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, Afghanistan -- The gray sky gave notice of rain showers, setting the wet and cold training conditions for 10 Afghan National Army soldiers who rode out to a firing range April 22 to conduct marksmanship training. The ANA soldiers arrived at the firing range, accompanied by their U.S. Army counterparts, eager to start training as they quickly put on their protective gear and listened attentively to the range instructions given by U.S. Army Capt. Nicholas Cherry, the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4-3 Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. Many of the ANA soldiers were firing for the first time since…
Sunday, April 28, 2013
'Difficult decisions' about the Army budget have eliminated the possibility that soldiers now in Afghanistan might have to stay longer, officials say.
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Sunday, April 28
Army News Service WASHINGTON -- Last month, the Army's senior-most officer told lawmakers budget cuts could result in a decrease in training readiness for follow-on forces to Afghanistan that could result in extended tours for soldiers already there. That is no longer the case. During testimony on Capitol Hill April 23, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that "difficult decisions" with regard to the Army budget have eliminated the possibility that soldiers who are in Afghanistan now might need to stay longer due to the training-related delays of follow-on forces. Chief among those difficult decisions are the 14 days of civilian furloughs the Army will implement later this year to…
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Mine-resistant vehicle can recover other vehicles damaged on the battlefield.
By Sgt. Sarah Bailey 4th IBCT PAO FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, Afghanistan -- U.S. soldiers from Company B, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, conducted mine-resistant ambush-protected recovery vehicle operator’s training during a one-week course April 8 – 12. Qualified mechanics, who graduated from the H8 Wheeled Vehicle Recovery Course, trained and operated the MRV in day and night conditions. The MRV can recover other mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles in the event they become inoperable on the battle field. Chief Warrant Officer 3 Troy Hope, a Waycross, Ga., native, and the officer-in-charge of the Service and Recovery Shop for 703rd BSB, attended the course in Texarkana, …
