Dear Interested Reader,
Chinese immigrant chooses to become a soldier. PRT Kunar SECFOR patrols in Kandaroo. First regional "Jirga" to talk about peace, prosperity and the rehabilitation of Afghanistan. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Gary Mishoe keeps vehicles rolling.
Iraq: An inspiring story of former Army Staff Sgt. Joe Beimfohr, where "failure is not an option." Forces join for air assault near Camp Taji. U.S. medics train Iraqi counterparts. Insurgents arrested and weapons cache seized in rural Kirkuk.
Joanna
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November 2, 2009
Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO
Chinese Immigrant Chooses to Become a Soldier, Defend Her Adopted Nation
Story by Spc. Eugene Cushing
Spc. Meirong Wang, a human resources specialist for the 4th BSYB, assigned to TF Mountain Warrior, hands out mail during her day-to-day duties on her FOB in Nangarhar prov. Wang was recently selected as the Soldier of the quarter for TF Mountain Warrior, after training and preparing with her unit for the competition.
Spc. Meirong Wang, a native of China's Fujian prov., was about to finish her college degree and start teaching high school physics, when she was granted the opportunity to leave China and travel to the U.S. "When you see a different country, it's not about the country or the area, it's about the people," she said about her decision to leave China.
Wang, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was not in America long before she volunteered to serve her new country. "People are brave to stand up for the things they want to fight for," she said about her fellow Soldiers. Wang said she is proud to be here, and cited the discipline required in the military as something that makes it different from any other career. "As long as you maintain discipline, you want to do better," she said.
"Specialist Wang makes my job easy," said Army Sgt. 1st class Jason Coulter, Wang's NCO-in charge. "Her work ethic, attention to detail and the willingness to take on responsibilities make her the type of Soldier leaders want, and the Army needs." Coulter said that the language barrier is one thing he sees that bothers Wang. "Specialist Wang has identified that as a weakness and has improved her English tremendously," he said. "As leaders, we identify our weaknesses and seek self improvement. Wang has many characteristics of a leader and that is just one of them."
Wang attributes much of her success to her fellow Soldiers and leaders. "I really appreciate my unit," she said. To earn Soldier of the quarter, Wang had to face many challenges. "So many people stood behind me and supported me," Wang said. "Specialist Wang and her co-workers pulled together as a team; they went to the gym together, woke up early and did physical training; and the team drilled her with evaluation board questions daily," Coulter said.
"There's no way I could win this board without everyone here," Wang said. Coulter said it was typical of Wang to give credit to her leadership and fellow Soldiers. "She's an unselfish Soldier who exemplifies selfless service," he said. Wang said she felt her unit has helped her outside of the "Soldier of the Quarter" competition as well, working to shape her into a leader. "I'm so lucky to have good leadership," she said. "I've learned so much from them."
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Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO
Patrolling in Kandaroo
Photos by Tech. Sgt. Brian Boisvert
Army Spc. Ronald Gaines, PRT-Kunar SECFOR heavy weapons gunner from the 1-221 Cav Nevada NG and currently assigned to Camp Wright in Asadabad, keeps a watchful eye while on patrol in the village of Kandaroo, Oct. 24, 2009. The security team, along with engrs from the PRT, was in the area checking on the condition of a road that was recently completed and to assess a local micro hydro dam that's no longer working.
Two PRT-Kunar SECFOR members keep a watchful eye.
Navy Lt. Wade Buick, PRT-Kunar ops chief, helps with security.
A local Afghan distributes free newspapers to others in the village of Kandaroo. The newspapers were delivered to remote villages by Army Psychological Ops members assigned to Camp Wright in Asadabad, and report Afghanistan news in Pashto and English.
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Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO
Jirga for Peace
Photo by Capt. Tony Wickman
Fazlullah Wahidi, Kunar provincial gov., gathers Kunar Province elders prior to the first regional Jirga to talk about peace, prosperity and the rehabilitation of Afghanistan. The provincial govs. of Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan and Langham, and elders representing tribes, villages and districts, gathered at the Nangarhar gov.'s compound to lay out their homegrown plan to improve the security and development of the 4 easternmost Afghanistan provs., Oct. 22, 2009. More than 300 leaders and elders attended the Jirga, which has an overarching purpose to engage anti-govt elements and the local population, to bring them closer to the govt, while maintaining a close relationship with CF.
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Special to American Forces Press Service
Face of Defense: Marine Keeps Vehicles Rolling
By Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Luis Agostini
HELMAND PROVINCE, Oct. 27, 2009 – Within a week of arriving, Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Gary Mishoe is preparing his motor pool for his unit’s takeover of counterinsurgency ops in the prov.
From preventive maintenance to headlight and tire checks on the unit’s Humvees and 7-ton trucks, Mishoe works to ensure his fellow Marines will have safe and operable vehicles throughout their deployment. Mishoe, a 27-year-old Marine is deployed as a motor transport operator with RCT 7, which will conduct counterinsurgency ops in support of Afghan forces throughout the prov.
Within a year of graduating from high school in 2002, Mishoe secured a spot on the assembly line at a car assembly plant in Norfolk, Va. His job was simple: assemble drive shafts. The task earned him about $75,000 a year. Life was good. But 4 years later, the assembly plant couldn’t survive a weakened economy and its effect on the auto industry. He received 3 months notice that the plant was shutting down. “I got a $100,000 severance package, but I still needed a job,” said Mishoe, who had a wife, toddler and baby on the way.
It was in Atlanta that he decided to accept a commitment he’s always had on his mind: to enlist as a U.S. Marine. Mishoe knew he was enlisting in a wartime Marine Corps, and was fully aware of the chance that he may deploy to either Iraq or Afghanistan. “I wanted to come out here and do what Marines do,” he said. “I’ve been training since boot camp to do this, and here I am.”
Mishoe enlisted Aug. 11, 2007, and learned how to become a motor transport operator. “Working for Ford was tougher, not because of the job itself, but because of the lack of a team attitude. I was doing the job by myself,” he said. “There’s a lot more pride in the Marine Corps. If you’re struggling, there’s always someone to help. There’s always that team spirit.”
Mishoe looks forward to heading out of the FOB and onto the country roads, driving convoys and leading Marines. “I want to learn about the Afghan culture, what they’ve been through,” he said. “I believe that we're helping them in a turning point in their civilization. It’s good that we're here.”
He also hopes to do some soul-searching. “The Marine Corps has helped me become a better father, husband and person. Now, I want to learn about myself, about my limits,” he said.
After completing his yearlong deployment, Mishoe said, he hopes to secure a spot at the Marine Inspector/Instructor staff at Chesapeake, Va., about 15 miles from the Ford plant where he used to work. The days of the lucrative assembly line are a distant memory, and the plant’s closing may have been a blessing in disguise. “I’m thinking about the here and now, and the future,” Mishoe said. “My prayers were answered. I got what I wanted. I’m a Marine.”
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Special to American Forces Press Service
Wounded Warrior Diaries: ‘Failure is Not an Option’
By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Former Army Staff Sgt. Joe Beimfohr used the example of other wounded warriors to re-adapt after losing his legs in an explosion in Iraq. Now he's helping others with disabilities.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2009 – Believing faithfully that failure is not an option is a guiding philosophy for a former Army staff sgt who, despite his injuries in combat, applies it to his life daily.
Staff Sgt. Joe Beimfohr advanced in his military career, serving as a recruiter, then as section sgt in charge of the health, welfare and training of soldiers. In January 2005, he was assigned to 1st Inf Div’s 2nd Bn, 34th Armor Regt, at Fort Riley, Kan., and was deployed to Baqouba. He was severely wounded on July 5 of that year, when an IED exploded on his patrol north of Baghdad.
Beimfohr’s 25-vehicle convoy had stopped to investigate a possible IED, and he led a team to inspect the site. The team found and cut a wire that led to the road, disabling the IED, but terrorists were watching, and detonated another IED. Army Spc. Christopher Dickison was killed instantly. Beimfohr lost both his legs, fractured his pelvis and right hand, and suffered abdominal injuries. His team’s sacrifice in disabling the first IED directly contributed to saving the lives of other soldiers in the convoy.
Beimfohr spent nearly a year at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in recovery. He became involved in many sports-related activities, from mastering martial arts to excelling in hand-cycle marathons. Beimfohr says he’s stubborn by birth, and that he believes his internal drive to persevere and overcome helped him to move past his injuries. “When I woke up and I was alive, that is what changed everything -- that was the last thing I asked God,” he said. “When I woke up and realized I was alive, everything else didn’t matter, because I was alive.”
During recovery, Beimfohr was different from most of his fellow wounded warriors in that he had less family support to assist him through his recovery. He said he believes this propelled him to move forward and to not feel sorry for himself. In the absence of family support, he relied on the staff at Walter Reed, peer mentors and his comrades in arms, who all helped him recover. “During that time when I was by myself and didn’t have anyone, it was probably the hardest times, and I just had faith that things would work out,” he said. “I had faith in myself, and I knew that I wasn’t going to call it quits.”
Beimfohr drew inspiration from the countless peer mentors, many of them amputees themselves, who came to sit by his bedside to share stories of their own recovery. Another role model he drew life lessons from was champion bicyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. He recalled reading Armstrong’s book, and remembering a passage in which Armstrong recalls an e-mail he received from a cancer survivor welcoming him to the “club.”
Beimfohr said he identifies with Armstrong, because his injuries have welcomed him into a unique club as well. “We're a unique club -- we're a unique band of brothers,” he said. Wounded warriors have choices during their recovery, Beimfohr said. “You can sit in your hospital bed and complain about your injuries,” he said, “or you can accept what happened to you and move forward in a positive direction.” Beimfohr said that wounded warriors forge their bond of brotherhood when they are first injured on the battlefield, lasting through the recovery and beyond. But, healing from those wounds takes some warriors longer than others, he acknowledged.
Beimfohr noted his unit’s efforts the day he was injured that resulted in locating 3 other hidden explosives. “I think Dickison’s sacrifice and my sacrifice are what led to 18 other guys being alive,” he said. “I went back to Fort Riley and got to see some of the soldiers who were near the explosive that day. One of my soldiers that I knew very well, his wife just had a baby. I think to myself, ‘Well, what would have happened if we didn’t find that device and disabled it? Then he wouldn’t be here.” That, he said, makes his sacrifice worth something. “If I have to go through life without legs, it was worth it,” he said.
Beimfohr currently works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Offices, but during his off time he doesn’t seem to slow down. He is co-founder of the Able Warrior system that teaches self-defense to people with various disabilities – including many wounded warriors who have amputations of the legs and arms.
He also has acquired the passion of hand cycling. He has participated in the Marine Corps and N.Y.C. marathons, and is preparing for the Palm Beach, Fla. marathon in Dec. Beimfohr is setting his sights high, looking at possibly qualifying for the U.S. Paralympics team for hand cycling.
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MNF-I
Iraqi, U.S. forces join for air assault
By Pfc. Adam Halleck
American Soldiers sprint up to a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter during a combined air assault mission with the IA and AF, Oct. 26, north of Baghdad.
(Photo by Pfc. Adam Halleck)
TAJI — After hours of swift and rigorous searching in a small village, Iraqi and American Soldiers hustled to a small field to meet helicopters from the IqAF and the U.S. Army's 1st Air Cav Bde. Within minutes of locating the Soldiers on the ground, the helicopter pilots picked up the ground troops and lifted back into the air, en route to Camp Taji.
American Soldiers from the 1st Bn, 82nd FAR, 1st BCT, 1st Cav Div, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, combined with their Iraqi counterparts to execute the historic air assault mission, Oct. 26. With transportation provided by the 1st Air Cav Bde and the IqAF, the combined air assault mission was the first to use pilots and helicopters from American and Iraqi forces.
"The ISF are expanding their repertoire of tactics, and the local people are seeing it," said Maj. Lee Overby, the bn's ops officer. "A lot of the local leaders were enthusiastic about the mission; they feel that it will keep al-Qaeda out of their area, knowing the capabilities of the ISF." The mission went off without a hitch. It only took a couple of hours for the Iraqi and American forces to search through roughly 4 square miles. The search yielded valuable info about the local area and afforded local residents an opportunity to see their SECFOR at work.
The purpose of the mission was for Iraqi and American ground forces to patrol the rural area to search for weapons and remnants of the insurgency. "As we walked through the villages, the locals were very willing to talk to us," said 2nd Lt. Robert Coombs. "The Iraqi Soldiers took the lead when it came to asking the local people about security and insurgency in the area. It definitely gives the locals the right impression."
Joint missions breed confidence in the ISF, and strengthens the relationship between the local population and the Iraqi troops. "The Iraqi Soldiers seemed to enjoy partnering with the IqAF during this mission," said Coombs. "It's great to see the amount of growth that the SECFOR have gone through since when we first arrived this tour."
The IqAF and IA learned from each other during the mission and definitely gained confidence in the abilities of each SECFOR, added Overby. Once the area was completely searched, the American and Iraqi Soldiers hurriedly ran to a rally point to meet their air transportation.
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Special to American Forces Press Service
U.S. Medics Train Iraqi Counterparts
By Army Capt. Steve Johnson
AL ASAD AIR BASE, Oct. 28, 2009 – U.S. Army medics are taking a major step forward in normalizing the training of medical personnel at the 7th IA Div’s Camp Mejid clinic by matching the training curriculum to the clinic’s real-time needs.
“I looked through the clinic’s records and noticed 90% of their patients were diagnosed with influenza,” said Army Staff Sgt. Tiari Ventura, NCO-in-charge of a medical training team, of the 82nd Abn Div.’s 307th BSB, 1st Advise and Assist Bde.
Previous medical training teams focused almost exclusively on trauma injuries, such as those from IEDs, said 1st Lt. Jessica Larson, officer-in-charge of the medical training team. Although trauma is important for Iraqi medics to understand, 98% of health care demand at the Iraqi clinic will be for common conditions such as colds and minor injuries, Larson added.
Al Asad is located in Iraq’s Anbar prov., once a hotbed for the Sunni insurgency, and the site of some of the most intense fighting following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Since the drop in violence resulting from local tribes switching their allegiance from al-Qaida to cooperate with U.S. forces, the need to treat trauma injuries at local clinics has diminished.
“We’re devoting more time to give IA medics the skill sets they’ll need once we leave Iraq,” said Army Lt. Col. Andrew Danwin, 307th BSB cmdr. Pfc. Mohammad Shaker, a training team member fluent in Arabic, recently taught a class to Iraqi medical personnel on diabetes. “The Iraqis were very interested and asked lots of questions,” he said. “Some had family members affected by diabetes.”
On one occasion, Larson used an Iraqi soldier with a foot injury who visited the clinic for a follow-up to make a teaching point. The soldier’s toe had been infected for more than 3 weeks because Iraqi medics had prescribed the wrong treatment. Larson explained how to properly treat infections with antibiotics. “Iraqi medics have a stocked pharmacy, but don’t understand how to best use their medicine,” Larson said. Ventura noted the training is changing that situation. “After our first few classes,” she said, “the Iraqis grabbed medicine from their pharmacy to ask us what it was used to treat.”
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Multi-National Division - North PAO
Combined force arrests six, finds cache in rural Kirkuk
FOB WARRIOR, KIRKUK - A combined team of IP, IA and U.S. Soldiers detained 6 individuals wanted on warrants for attacking SECFOR and private citizens in Tal al Raba in Kirkuk prov., Oct. 26.
The police, supported by IA Soldiers, also discovered a weapons cache consisting of a 57mm projectile, blasting caps and mortar charges.
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