KUNAR PROVINCE – In 2002, he moved to the U.S. with $500 his pocket. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He had spent his whole life living outside of Kingston, Jamaica, in a small town called John John.
With a thick Jamaican accent and a hoarse laugh, Phillip explained that he worked at a few menial jobs, but wasn’t making enough money to send back home, and take care of his son, Micheal.
“So, I was watching a commercial one day and it said, ‘Sign up for the Army and get a good bonus.' He told the recruiter, “If I’m going to do anything in the military, I’m going to do the grunt infantry.” At the time, there wasn’t a bonus for that job, but he joined anyway.
Back on the mountaintop, roosters started to crow, and Phillip got silent. He quickly turned his head and used the scope of his rifle to search a threatening draw. “We’re trying to see if there’s any movement out there,” he explained after a few moments. “The insurgents like to use this area to move equipment and personnel.”
Phillips added that he thought there was a sniper out on that hillside somewhere, and began comparing tactics with what he learned at sniper school in Fort Benning, Ga. He got quiet again and looked off into the distance darkness.
“When I go home sometimes, it’s kind of strange,” he continued. “My friends are still doing what they’re doing; selling drugs, hustling, ya know, just trying to get by to the next day. It’s like night and day with me ‘cause 8 years ago I was doing the same thing; just trying to get by.”
Yet, being here Phillip said that he can see the poverty Afghans deal with, and can relate.
“What they do and how they live here reminds me of Kingston,” he said.
Phillip attributes his relative success to his attitude. “I was the only Joe at Fort Campbell, Ky., who got his expert infantry badge when the time came,” he recalled, “so they pushed me to a lot of schools, like air assault and airborne.
As the sun began to crest the highest peak in the Pech River Valley, Phillip and his Soldiers walked down from their observation post with their ANA counterparts. They reached a local school and spoke with some teachers, before moving on to a small village where children came out to greet them.
This patrol was similar to a patrol a few weeks ago, where his platoon was in a draw farther up the valley. “We went up to do a normal patrol,” said his plt leader, 1st Lt. Alex Pruden. “When the shooting started, Staff Sgt. Ramos, my other squad leader, got hit immediately, and Staff Sgt. Phillip was pinned down in a building at the bottom of a draw.” Next, Pruden said he witnessed the most heroic act he’s seen during the most harrowing firefight his platoon has been in this deployment.
“I remember the volume of fire being real thick. I saw Phillip come running out of the building to Ramos, then come running down with Ramos on his shoulders,” said Pruden. “Honestly, the first thing I thought was, ‘I can’t believe he’s not shot, too.’”
Under intense enemy fire, Phillip ran from his covered position to pick up his fellow Soldier, who was shot in the foot and carry him on his back to safety. “I thought, ‘How are we going to do this?’” said Phillip. “I can’t take off his gear. There aren’t any birds (medevac helicopters) coming because of the weather. I have to carry him.”
Phillip picked up the wounded Soldier and sprinted more than 40 meters down the hillside toward safety. “It was steep, and everyone was waiting for us to tumble,” Phillip continued. “I was thinking if we fall, he’s going to fall down on me, and then it’s going to be 2 injuries. We got to the bottom and I threw him down. He was in pain, but there were still rounds plunging down on us, so I dove on top of him,” Phillip said, then laughed a little bit.
“You see these movies where people do that, and I was thinking, ‘would I really do that?’ But, after the fact I was thinking, ‘dude, people really do these things,’” he said with a smile.
"After they returned to base that day, people were congratulating him," Phillip said. But, he doesn’t think he deserves the praise. “It was just plain and simple, because I wanted him or anybody to do the same thing for me.”
Coming from barely surviving in Jamaica to providing a comfortable living for him and his son, Phillip hasn’t done too badly. He credits the Army with allowing him the opportunity to shine.
He wants to make this a career and try to become the next Sgt. Maj. of the Army. “Why not?” he said, after peeling off his sweaty body armor, and changing into a comfortable physical training uniform in his room at FOB Blessing.
“The completion of the 2 clinics show how GoA can step up to the plate and take control of their country,” said AF 2nd Lt. James Elliott, Nangarhar PRT civil engr. “They're projects the Afghans can take pride in. Furthermore, after speaking with the doctors who will inherit each of the clinics, they're thankful and appreciative of support provided by the PRT.”
Afghanistan’s health system ranks 173 out of 190 countries, according to the World Health Org. in 2000 (the most recent year ranking occurred). Because of this, the PRT placed an emphasis on improving the healthcare infrastructure in Nangarhar. Over the past 6 years, the provincial govt worked side-by-side with the PRT on about 40 different projects related to healthcare in Nangarhar.
"These 2 clinics will serve roughly 25,000 people in Dari Noor, and assist in delivering approx 75 children per month," said Dr. Baz. Mohammad Shirzad, provincial public health dir.
Shirzad also praised the PRT for their assistance with the clinic, citing the location of the centers as the main advantage of this project. Because the clinics are built in a highly rural area, the people of Dari Noor who are rarely able to use the more advanced urban hospitals now have a viable, sophisticated healthcare option readily available.
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RC-East, Bagram Media Center
The system operators require an extensive background of qualifications. With few exceptions, everyone working with the PTDS has prior military service. Additionally, most of the crew has civilian knowledge working in defense programs and contracting.
“Lockheed Martin ensures everyone working with the PTDS has a lot of experience and versatility,” said Henderson. “Each operator is fully capable of operating this system, as well as handling the difficulties that come with living and working in a combat area.”
The “eye in the sky” has proven to be a great asset. The operators are able to watch the Soldiers on patrols, and provide them with a view they would otherwise lack. Viewing the area from above eliminates the enemy’s ability to hide behind a wall or in a ditch.
The blimp has the ability to view the area using three different camera views, as well as seeing at night and during bad weather. “The camera lets us see more than the enemy wants us to see,” one of the operators said.
Insurgents in Andar District seem to be quite aware of the impact the new blimp will have. Almost immediately after the blimp took flight, insurgents unsuccessfully attempted to shoot it down.
PTDS system ops Michael Baumgartner, and Robert McGuire, both served previously in the AF. “This is a great way for us to continue to serve our country,” Baumgartner said. “We can help the Soldiers to be more effective on the battlefield, and perhaps even help to save a life. Any job that supports the troops is worth working hard for.”
“We look forward to increasing the security bubble in Andar District with the help of the blimp,” said Army Lt. Col. David Fivecoat, cmdr of 3rd Bn, 187th Inf (TF Iron), 3rd BCT, 101st AD. “The insurgents will have a hard time hiding when the PTDS is up and watching.”
LOGAR PROVINCE – The 3-kilowatt generator lay dormant, except for the periodic clicking of the starter, as the radio station’s staff worked feverishly to restart their needed electric power source, thereby restoring an equally needed info source for the people of Baraki Barak.
Lal-Mohammad-Trabi is an Afghan radio station that offers news, as well as social and traditional Islamic talk radio to Afghans. “It’s the only radio station in the area,” said 1st Lt. Orlando Quinones, a fire support officer assigned to C Co., 2nd Bn. "Also, the station’s staff hopes to distribute a local newspaper in the future," he said.
The local community has an active role in the station’s content. “Local officials are often interviewed in the studio including the provincial governor, and ANP chief,” said Quinones, a Yauco, Puerto Rico, native. “The local people call in and ask the officials any questions they have.”
After replacing equipment and splicing and cutting wires, Weaver flipped a switch and the sound of the diesel motor returned, along with smiles on the faces of the station’s staff who were gathered around the focused mechanic.
“I like mechanical work and am glad I can do something I enjoy in the Army,” Weaver said as he packed his equipment in his Humvee and grinned. By the greasy hands of a silent mechanic, Afghans in Baraki Barak are once again able to stay informed.