KUNAR PROVINCE – From left, Army Pfc. Dustin Riedemann and Pfc. Dustin Wade, with 1st Plt, Co A, 1st Bn, 327th Inf Regt, TF Bulldog, help move materials at a mountaintop observation post, Sept. 21. The unit visited OP Rocky to help prepare for transferring the base from the ANP to the ANA by the end of Oct. The handover will allow more police officers to be placed at stations closer to more heavily populated areas.
An ANA Soldier climbs a mountain, revealing a breathtaking vista.
An ANA Soldier climbs a mountain, revealing the fertile valley below.
Pfc. Claudio Wilson, a grenadier, scans a nearby ridgeline at OP Rocky, as mortar shells rain down against an enemy sniper. A sniper fired numerous shots at the ISAF and ANA during the Sept. 21 visit, but no troops were injured in the attack.
Afghan contractor, Amin Kapisa Construction and Road Building Co., and Kapisa PRT hosted the Malikar High School ribbon cutting ceremony, Sept. 20, to celebrate the completion of Malikar High School. The school was built to accommodate 700 boys from the area, and as a result, the village’s current coed school will be used to provide more girls with an education. (Photo by Army Spc. Kyle Coleman, Kapisa PRT)
"This school will bring opportunity for future Afghan leaders, and the PRT is happy they were able to work with Amin Kapisa Construction Co., to build this project for the people of Koh Band," said AF 1st Lt. Amanda Huffman, civil engr.
The PRT’s civil engrs have completed many projects, including a 28-km road, 4 schools, a recreation field, a mosque, 2 health projects, and a flood protection project.
Kapisa PRT assists the GoA in providing a secure, stable environment for reconstruction efforts, by increasing govt officials’ capabilities and capacities. The Malikar High School project is an example of the development projects the PRT is using, to connect the govt to the people, and to improve quality of life in the prov.
GHAZNI PROVINCE -- TF Gambler and TF Iron Rakkasan combined forces to kill 3 insurgents in southern Deh Yak District, Sept. 27.
During a morning patrol, Soldiers of 1st Plt, Co A, 3rd Bn, 187 Inf Regt, received small arms fire, which prompted them to return fire. Two AH-64 Apache helicopters with 4th Attack Recon Bn, 4th Aviation Regt, known as TF Gambler, arrived to provide support for the Soldiers on the ground.
As the Co. A Soldiers engaged and maneuvered on the enemy, TF Gambler pilots identified an armed individual fleeing on a motorcycle. The individual on the motorcycle met up with 2 other armed men. TF Gambler pilots engaged the insurgents, killing all 3 and destroying their weapons and the motorcycle.
After arriving at the engagement site, 1st Plt and their ANA partners found a motorcycle nearby with an IED attached to it. The ANA destroyed the IED material. During a follow-on search near the engagement area, 1st Plt and the ANA captured a significant cache of weapons.
Three separate engagements resulted in 3 insurgents killed; 7 AK-47s, a PKM medium machine gun, 2 ICOM radios captured, and a motorcycle, IED material, and an RPG were destroyed. It was one of the bn’s biggest successes of the deployment.
Remnants of a motorcycle remain after the armed driver tried to flee.
Numerous weapons and ammo that were captured.
PANJSHIR PROVINCE – Army Spc. Allison Cherkosly, Panjshir PRT civil affairs member, hands out humanitarian assistance to the village elder of Sange Khan Village, Sept. 22. Flashlights, winter clothes, school supplies, and arts and crafts items were part of the humanitarian drop, donated by friends and families of deployed servicemembers of FOB Lion.
The Panjshir PRT civil engrs and civil affairs’ members have lunch with an Afghan contractor at a school construction site in Perengal in the Dara District, Sept. 22. 1st Lt. Jason Adams, a Panjshir PRT civil engr, said "dining with the local people is a great way to build trust and develop relationships." The 8-classroom school will accommodate up to 600 students and is scheduled to open mid-Nov.
KUNAR PROVINCE – 1st Lt. William Hooper, platoon leader, discusses area security issues with an officer at the Dag Afghan National Police checkpoint.
Spc. Kermit Scott, a team leader, greets children in Samatan village.
A child from Samatan village, shows a toy to Pfc. Trevor Stein, a forward observer.
Louella Simonetti, with the U.S. State Dept’s Babil PRT, passes out shoes, donated by schools in the States to children in Babil prov., Sept. 16, 2010. (Army photo by 1st Lt. Johnathan Roland)
“There's nothing better than seeing the look on a child’s face when you give them something they need,” said 1st Lt. Jonathan Roland, 2nd Bn, 69th AR Regt. “Even though we don’t speak the same language, you can see the excitement.”
The project, in coordination with the U.S. State Dept’s Babil PRT, started with a modest goal. “It's an idea based on the partnership between Brookstone School and 2 local Iraqi schools,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Boston, HHT, 3rd AAB. “When we started, Cindy Sparks [Brookstone School] estimated 50 to 70 pairs of shoes would be donated, but through the efforts of our supporters in the tri-city area and Brookstone School, nearly 1,000 pairs of shoes were donated.
“For the brigade, it's another example of our enduring partnership,” Boston continued. “This project takes it one step further; it shows the enduring partnership that exists between Americans and Iraqis. The children of Iraq are the future. Our commitment begins with them.”
Two Iraqi girls are all smiles after receiving shoes donated by Brookstone School in Babil province, Sept. 16. Nearly 1,000 pairs of shoes were collected by Brookstone and distributed throughout five provinces in southern Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Johnathan Roland)
Capt. Andrew Hubbard, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, smiles as shoes donated by Brookstone School in Columbus, Ga., are distributed to Iraqi children in Babil province, Sept. 16. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Johnathan Roland)
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Since the WHAM Project’s creation, about 5,000-lbs of donated soccer equipment has been shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan, to be distributed by USACE officers. This month, D’Alessandro’s son, Pfc. Dominick Skompski, and his fellow Soldiers with Co D, distributed more than 30 donated soccer balls to children living on farms, on the outskirts of the Iraqi capital.
Skompski, who’s played soccer since he was a child, said "it felt good to hand out soccer balls to the children. The children don’t really have a lot out here,” Skompski said. “You might as well give them, at least, a soccer ball. It’s not much, but it’s something for them.”After receiving their soccer balls, the Iraqi children practiced their dribbling, kicking, and heading skills. One boy celebrated receiving the gift by doing a 5-minute-long handstand to the applause and cheers of all assembled.Skompski said that his father’s mission with the WHAM Project—to build trust and mutual respect with the Iraqi children—has been accomplished. “He's always been one to help others when they’re going through a rough time,” Skompski said of his father. “I’m glad he’s helping me.”
Cpl. Jonathan Holloway (left), with Co D, 3rd Bn, 69th AR Regt, 1st AAB, 3rd ID. Here come the soccer balls.
Pfc. Dominick Skompski (right), an armor crewman distributes soccer balls.
Pfc. Dominick Skompski (bottom left), poses with happy children.
