Even after the 2nd class, the FET said improvements were noticeable. Both the Soldiers and the local girls were more comfortable with each other, in comparison to their 1st meeting. “We're at a starting point; when they start understanding, they smile and get excited. This time there was more interaction, and the girls were less shy and tried to communicate more,” said Pvt. Erin Murphy.
“We're excited that we're learning English from other women, who are Americans,” agreed many of the Afghan girls. The interaction between the FET and local women is special. "Because of cultural differences men are not allowed to directly interact with women, losing the ability to effectively communicate with half the population," said 1st Lt. Denise Quigley, FET member. “I volunteered for the FET, because I was asked by Quigley if I wanted to participate. I said 'yes,' because I want to give something more than I have to. I’m trying to better Afghanistan a little bit before I leave,” said Murphy, who also volunteers teaching a younger group of girls, aged 4 to 12 years, on Saturdays. The Soldiers said they believe bonds created through tutoring are starting to bridge cultural and language barriers. They said they hope, that with time, these bonds will grow into a true friendship.Garrett is based out of FOB Kalagush in Nuristan Prov., which borders Pakistan and operates near the Alingar Valley. Taylor is based out of COP Najil in Laghman Prov., which borders Nuristan to the SW. Taylor mainly operates in the Alishang Valley.
It's a long way from a small town in Iowa, where the brothers were raised. "Where we're from, it’s all small-town farming communities,” said Taylor. “If anyone needed any help with manual labor, they would always come and ask for the Gingrich boys.” Both brothers credit their parents for setting the standard and passing along a strong work ethic. Deb, their mother, is the director for an emergency room back in Iowa, and their father, Craig, serves in the same hospital as a paramedic. Garrett added, “Among the values our parents passed along were, 'do the right thing and get to know people.'” For Taylor, doing the right thing means not cutting corners. “You can never cut corners; as leaders we must do the right thing every time to ensure the safety of our Soldiers, and the citizens here in our area of operations (AO),” said Taylor. On a recent mounted convoy to Mehtar Lam, Taylor dismounted elements of his plt. to clear several danger zones of IEDs. Though no IEDs were found, he admitted it must be done every time. “You can't let the enemy dictate your next move. I will dismount every time, because the one time you don’t is the one time you may end up losing a Soldier due to complacency.” Those same values are what Garrett said served him well in a recent conflict in the village of Do Ab. Over the course of about 7 hours, Garrett and approx 40 U.S. servicemembers and 20 of their Afghan counterparts thwarted an ambush, and killed more than 200 insurgent fighters. It was the largest conflict for the Iowa NG’s “Red Bulls,” since World War II.(Joanna: To read more about this battle, please refer to the June 27 Update at: http://www.troopscoop.typepad.com/)
Garrett said his unit could not have done what they did that day in Do Ab, if they'd not gotten to know their Afghan counterparts, and trusted one another to do the right thing.
Both brothers call and keep up with one another as much as possible - sometimes seeking advice, other times just to make sure the other is all right. “When Garrett was up in Do Ab, I monitored the situation here at COP Najil; needless to say, I was worried,” said Taylor.“When we were in Iraq, Garrett lost one of his squad leaders to small-arms fire. Garrett still wears a bracelet with the Soldier’s name on it. We still pray for that Soldier and his family every Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Taylor. “I saw how it changed Garrett, and I hope I don’t have to go through the same thing.” Garrett has passed a lot of what he has learned on to his younger brother, Taylor. “Garrett has been a mentor for me. If I have questions, I'll call him,” said Taylor. “He's why I became an infantry officer; I’m his biggest fan.”“I'm proud of Taylor. He has truly established himself as an outstanding leader in his plt.,” said Garrett. “As we’ve grown older, we’ve gotten a lot closer. He's as much of a role model for me.”The main objective of Sarak Basta was to find where insurgent fighters were crossing the border, coming into and leaving Afghanistan, and stop them. “Denying the flow of fighters across the border through illegal border crossing points, has a direct impact and correlation on the number of attacks throughout the interior of Afghanistan,” said Capt. Christopher Tanner, cmdr. for Co C. “Every fighter we stop at the border is one that does not reach the interior to disrupt the GoA’s peace and security efforts.”
Tanner commanded the main element, whose mission was to spread itself along roughly an 80-km section of the border, and stop insurgents as they attempted to move personnel and supplies from Pakistan into Afghanistan. The harsh terrain made it difficult for CF to maneuver and obtain a tactically advantageous position.“We had to move from the valley floor at night, while using Night Optical Devices, to the high ground, in order to be able to provide overwatch for the element clearing the villages,” said Tanner. "On this particular mission, the ANSF had the ability to witness first hand what the elite Afghan Commandos were capable of doing," Tanner said. Afghan Commandos are the equivalent to the U.S. Army’s SF.
“It was very empowering for them to see the commandos, to see their competence and capability, and to want to emulate that,” said Tanner. “We lead our ANA counterparts through personal example every day, but it's much more powerful to see one of their own providing that model to look up to for them.”
"This mission was important for several reasons, the more immediate being to work with the ANSF to improve their capability to move in this harsh terrain, and out maneuver the enemy," said Tanner. The broader importance of the mission was for the U.S. forces to continue to teach their Afghan counterparts to successfully use their internal logistic and support systems, to sustain themselves as they transition from the support of U.S. forces. “CF will not be in Afghanistan forever, so it's vital that the local populace sees and believes that their govt and their military is quite capable of providing for their welfare and security,” said 1st Lt. Andrew Campbell, a plt. leader from Co C. Even though this particular mission did not see direct action with the enemy, Tanner said that he feels like progress has been made. “Locals were initially scared and distrustful, due to the continuous insurgent intimidation in this area, but once they realized we were here to help, they began to open up and provide info about insurgents and their movements,” he said.“You heard something fall, and you knew she was near,” said Staff Sgt. Vincent Vetterkind, a squad leader, with a smile. “You’d laugh at her, and she’d start laughing too.” The MPs said she was as good-natured about her clumsiness, as everything else in her life.
“She would walk into barriers, or trip over little rocks, or just her own feet and then kind of smile, look behind her and act like there was something there she tripped over,” Enlow said. “She was always the first to smile.”“She was someone who was always able to bring a smile out from everybody else, too,” Vetterkind added. “She had the ability to make people laugh, or make them feel better if they were having a bad day.”In reality, the 5-foot-10, tall, thin, Snyder, who some in her platoon nicknamed “Olive Oil”, was an excellent athlete. She was a star soccer player and a high school track champion. Her friends also described her as superstitious (she would never use a white lighter because she thought it was bad luck), and a bit paranoid, especially after she once found a bug in some Afghan food she was eating.The other MPs recalled how Snyder fought to go on the deployment with them. She had a physical profile dealing with a circulation condition, but was able to convince the doctors that the condition would be no more of a problem overseas than it was in Alaska, and eventually got it lifted. “She would not give up on coming on this deployment,” Vetterkind said. “She would fight tooth and nail.”“She always cared more about what was right, rather than what was more convenient,” Enlow added. “She wanted to be a good Soldier, and she was.”The Soldiers remembered how she had a tough time adjusting to the weather in Alaska, where the 164th is HQ. “She wasn’t an Alaska person,” Enlow said. “She hated the cold and the snow, and said she wanted to move to Georgia.” Still, Enlow and the other Soldiers said she always found a way to have fun and do things with her fellow Soldiers, such as buying a pink four-wheeler to ride with them.She was born in Virginia Beach, Va., Aug. 7, 1990, and joined the Army as an MP in 2008 immediately after finishing high school. She served as a team leader, driver, gunner and patrolman with the 164th, which deployed to Afghanistan in March.
Her awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.She is survived by her mother and father. It was clear that Snyder was loved by her fellow Soldiers.Thinking of her friend, Pfc. Stacey Jordan stared down at the table before her with eyes filled with sadness. “She was my best friend,” Jordan said. “We were always together; she was like my sister. She'll be missed."
More than 15 Afghan professional women, mostly lawyers, doctors and professors attended the shura.
Each participant addressed the assembly on subjects such as education, hygiene and health. They shared experiences, explained daily issues, cultural differences, and the progress in the prov., and the country. CF also warned the guests of an increasing trend of the insurgency to use children in fights in Kapisa Prov.
One recent project improved security at the Gov’s Compound, by extending the surrounding wall and modernizing the irrigation system within the compound, which allowed for the planting of flowers, shrubs, trees and grass.
"In addition, a fountain will be repaired and sidewalks will be constructed. These improvements will give the compound a more professional appearance for visitors of the Gov. of Ghazni," said 1st Lt. Laura Childs, an ADT member. Another stop for the patrol was Malika Jahan H.S., where the ADT built a guard post for the female security guards. “Approx 5,000 students learn in our school; there are more than 70 classes, with about 90 children each. Mostly girls learn here, although there are several classes of younger boys,” explained school Dir. Kariman Mangel. CF didn't visit Malika Jahan H.S. empty-handed. They brought dozens of school kits, backpacks, pencil cases, books, notebooks, and other supplies. The patrol also meets with the District Development Group (DDG) reps, deputy provincial Gov. Ahmadi, and the head of provincial education dept, Hussini Mubarak. "We learned how many schools are in the prov., how many children attend them, and what the main problems are for these institutions," said education consultant, Polish army Agnieszka Hejduk. "These types of meetings are extremely important, because the DDG can obtain info about the real needs of specific environments. Later, the ADT or the PRT can carry out related aid projects," said Hejduk.