FLAG DAY 2012

It is right and just that we have a day to honor our Flag.  A symbol of Liberty around the world and one that has been defended by millions who wore the uniform of our military since the first flags in the 1770's.  It has taken many shapes and has changed but OLD GLORY bows to no one.

The picture of  our flag at right was taken at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan while I was there.  The flag shown was being flown in honor of a highschool classmate who perished at the World Trade Center on 09/11/2001.

Celebrate Flag Day by remembering all she stands for today and all those who stood up for her in the history of our great land.

 

I am the Flag

by Ruth Apperson Rous

I am the flag of the United States of America.

I was born on June 14, 1777, in Philadelphia.

There the Continental Congress adopted my stars and stripes as the national flag.

My thirteen stripes alternating red and white, with a union of thirteen white stars in a field of blue, represented a new constellation, a new nation dedicated to the personal and religious liberty of mankind.

Today fifty stars signal from my union, one for each of the fifty sovereign states in the greatest constitutional republic the world has ever known.

My colors symbolize the patriotic ideals and spiritual qualities of the citizens of my country.

My red stripes proclaim the fearless courage and integrity of American men and boys and the self-sacrifice and devotion of American mothers and daughters.

My white stripes stand for liberty and equality for all.

My blue is the blue of heaven, loyalty, and faith.

I represent these eternal principles: liberty, justice, and humanity.

I embody American freedom: freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the sanctity of the home.

I typify that indomitable spirit of determination brought to my land by Christopher Columbus and by all my forefathers - the Pilgrims, Puritans, settlers at James town and Plymouth.

I am as old as my nation.

I am a living symbol of my nation's law: the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights.

I voice Abraham Lincoln's philosophy: "A government of the people, by the people,for the people."

I stand guard over my nation's schools, the seedbed of good citizenship and true patriotism.

I am displayed in every schoolroom throughout my nation; every schoolyard has a flag pole for my display.

Daily thousands upon thousands of boys and girls pledge their allegiance to me and my country.

I have my own law—Public Law 829, "The Flag Code" - which definitely states my correct use and display for all occasions and situations.

I have my special day, Flag Day. June 14 is set aside to honor my birth.

Americans, I am the sacred emblem of your country. I symbolize your birthright, your heritage of liberty purchased with blood and sorrow.

I am your title deed of freedom, which is yours to enjoy and hold in trust for posterity.

If you fail to keep this sacred trust inviolate, if I am nullified and destroyed, you and your children will become slaves to dictators and despots.

Eternal vigilance is your price of freedom.

As you see me silhouetted against the peaceful skies of my country, remind yourself that I am the flag of your country, that I stand for what you are - no more, no less.

Guard me well, lest your freedom perish from the earth.

Dedicate your lives to those principles for which I stand: "One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I was created in freedom. I made my first appearance in a battle for human liberty.

God grant that I may spend eternity in my "land of the free and the home of the brave" and that I shall ever be known as "Old Glory," the flag of the United States of America.

A big case of Karma catches up to an Afghani Terrorist

Schadenfruede - (German) scha·den·freu·de. noun, often capitalized \ˈshä-dən-ˌfrȯi-də\ - Deriving pleasure from the agony of others

In most cases, "schadenfreude" is not something one should enjoy....in a case such as this, it is a richly enjoyed case of " Sux to be you Dude..."

Karma has a way of happening, and it looks like it caught up to this Terrorist. Awesome.


Suicide bomber strikes near US base in Afghanistan
Internatioanl Times

KABUL: A suspected suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle detonated Sunday while driving towards Afghanistan's biggest US-run military base, authorities said.

The explosion appeared to have happened prematurely on a road about five minutes' drive from Bagram Air Field, 50 kilometres (31 miles) north of the capital Kabul, the interior ministry said.

"Again the enemies of Afghanistan failed to achieve their goal. A suicide bomber with his bomb-filled car detonated before reaching his target," the statement said.

The Taliban claimed credit for the bombing but said it targeted a convoy of "American spies".

THE BIG PICTURE - AFGHANISTAN

The Boston Globe features stories told in brilliant pictures called " The Big Picture"

This photo essay is a few years old but displays some startling pictures of Afghanistan. Click on the enclosed link for a closer look.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/recent_scenes_from_afghanistan.html

Many have asked me, what does it look like there ??

This will show you in esquisite detail....

From Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, we honor those who paid the ultimate price for freedom

Yesterday at the same moment the rest of the world was focusing on the tanking of the stock market, the dedicated professionals of Bagram Air Field's Mortuary Affairs Detatchment went about the important work of caring for and preparing the remains of 31 US Military members who perished in the Helicopter crash in Wardak Province over the weekend. I have been to the facility where they work and have met these soldiers whose mission is the dignified recovery and preparation of the remains of their fallen comrades.

Two C-17 Aircraft were parked and the transport carrying the 31 flag draped coffins arrived. The process of preparing these splendid warriors for their return home is one that has occurred before and will be repeated in the future as there are two constants that prevail here:

1. Young men die in war
2. Commanders, NCOs, Doctors, Nurses and all others are unable to change item #1.

Each of the men on that fated helicopter knew the risk, was doing what they wanted to and had trained for. It was the misfortune that the enemy also was well trained, aware of where they would be and what could cause the greatest loss of life.

The US Military will prevail against those who are unwilling to allow freedom in this stark and dangerous land. Like many before them, these warriors will be remembered and revered for their selfless service to our nation and the cause of freedom.


Afghan Crash Remains On Way To US
Flights Expected In Delaware On Tuesday
By David Ariosto - CNN
August 8, 2011

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Two military transport aircraft bearing the remains of the 38 U.S. and Afghan personnel killed on board a helicopter shot down Saturday have departed Bagram, Afghanistan, and are headed to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Pentagon spokesman Col. David Lapan said Monday.

The flights are expected to arrive at Dover sometime Tuesday.

Everyone inside the CH-47 Chinook was killed, marking the worst single-day loss of American life since the beginning of the Afghan war, NATO reported.

The inbound helicopter -- loaded with 30 U.S. service members, a civilian interpreter and seven Afghan troops -- crashed after being "reportedly fired on by an insurgent rocket-propelled grenade," the statement said.

Twenty-five of those on board were U.S. special operations forces, including 22 Navy SEALs. Five air crew members were also on board.

"Their loss is a stark reminder of the risks that our men and women in uniform take every single day on behalf of their country," U.S. President Barack Obama said Monday. "Day after day, night after night, they carry out missions like this in the face of enemy fire and grave danger."

Obama said he has spoken with U.S. military officials in the field and with Afghan President Hamid Krazai. "We will press on and we will succeed," he said. But the president added that "now is also a time to reflect on those we lost" and on the sacrificies of all who have served, as well as their families.

The president discussed the incident at the end of televised remarks focused on the economy.

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, speaking earlier, said, "The thoughts and prayers of the entire nation are with the families and with the loved ones of those we lost in Afghanistan over the weekend. They were far from home, but we know that they were also where they wanted to be."

"As heavy a loss as this was, it would even be more tragic if we allowed it to derail this country from our efforts to defeat al Qaeda and deny them a safe haven in Afghanistan," Panetta added. "Instead, we will send a strong message of American resolve from this tragedy, we draw even greater inspiration to carry on the fight."

Until Monday, military officials had been largely tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the crash, which occurred in the rugged Tangi Valley area of Wardak province, about 60 miles southwest of Kabul.

The events leading up to the crash began when insurgents -- armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and AK-47 assault rifles -- engaged in small arms fire with coalition forces on the ground, NATO reported. ISAF forces were carrying out an operation targeting a known Taliban leader in the area.

Several militants were killed in the gunbattle, officials said. Coalition troops called in additional forces to assist in the operation as the firefight continued.

"Those additional personnel were inbound to the scene when the CH-47 carrying them crashed, killing all on board," NATO said.

The troops on the ground immediately left the scene of the insurgent firefight "to secure the scene and search for survivors."

NATO spokesman Brigadier Gen. Cartsen Jacobsen said the crash site has been cordoned off while recovery efforts continue.

An investigation is under way, he said.

"The recent fighting season has not materialized as the insurgents had predicted," Jacobsen told reporters in Kabul. "But the insurgents are resilient and far from defeated."

Jacobsen told reporters there was no indication of newer, more sophisticated weapons, responding to rumors that Taliban insurgents may have been the beneficiaries of better equipment during the exchange.

Saturday's crash represents the second downed NATO helicopter by insurgent fire in recent weeks. A helicopter was shot down in eastern Afghanistan in July, though no casualties were reported.

Despite Saturday's loss, Afghan and NATO operations do not appear to have relented.

On Monday, more than 100 demonstrators in Ghazni province protested over what they say is the killing of two people during a NATO raid, according to provincial council chief Hamid Ullah Nawroz.

ISAF spokesman Capt. Justin Brockhoff confirmed that there was a joint Afghan-NATO raid late Sunday evening in the area that killed two insurgents, uncovered a munitions cache and detained "numerous suspected insurgents."

Meanwhile, NATO says one of its helicopters made a hard landing Monday in southeastern Afghanistan.

The Navy transport helicopter went down in Paktika province, though "initial reporting indicated there was no enemy activity."

No casualties were reported.

CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report
Copyright CNN 2011

The Things You See in Kandahar....Part Deux

I posted about the odd things one comes acorss in the war zone, especially in a place as whacky as Kandahar Air Field or more commonly known as "KAF" - I wrote a piece about it here at the following link:

http://usnavyjeep.blogspot.com/2009/12/things-you-see-in-kandahar.html

Well we got a whole new version of " The Things You See In Kandahar " courtesy of a friend who is working there. A good friend tells me that the operator of the CONEKAF Ice Cream Truck makes about $4K a week pedaling soft serve ice cream to the denizens of KAF....not bad coin for the effort....

As I am at Bagram Air Field (also known as BAF), I can tell you that we don't have as much "whackiness" here....only the occasional sight such as the one enclosed below...go figure.

The man behind the raid to get OBL - His requirements for mission success were " surprise, speed, security, simplicity, purpose and repetition."

Pride in our military has been riding high since the killing of OBL and was at a pretty high level for the past two decades....it is well deserved as we have the finest military in the history of the world.

Anyone who has served in the US Navy can take pride that a team of NAVY SEALS took out the "head cockroach" of Al Qeada. The US NAVY SEALS are the best of the best...

Here is a profile of the man who devised the raid and pulled together the teams who made it happen...BRAVO ZULU to all who shared in this success as it was a true team effort.


Adm. William McRaven: The terrorist hunter on whose shoulders Osama bin Laden raid rested
By Craig Whitlock, Washington Post

As U.S. helicopters secretly entered Pakistani airspace Sunday, the Joint Operations Center at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan was under the control of a square-jawed admiral from Texas who had labored for years to find Osama bin Laden’s elusive trail.

Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, one of the most experienced terrorist hunters in the U.S. government, had tapped a special unit of Navy SEALs for the mission two months earlier. A former SEAL himself, McRaven had overseen weeks of intensive training for a covert operation that could cripple al-Qaeda if it worked, or strain an already troubled alliance with Pakistan if it went awry.

The search for bin Laden was led by the CIA, which painstakingly pieced together scraps of intelligence that eventually pointed to a high-walled compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. But when President Obama gave the authorization to invade the site, CIA Director Leon Panetta delegated the raid to McRaven, who had been preparing for such a moment for most of his career.

He has worked almost exclusively on counterterrorism operations and strategy since 2001, when as a Navy captain he was assigned to the White House shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. The author of a textbook titled “Spec Ops,” McRaven had long emphasized six key requirements for any successful mission: surprise, speed, security, simplicity, purpose and repetition.

For the especially risky bin Laden operation, he insisted on another: precision.

“He understands the strategic importance of precision,” said a senior Obama administration official who worked closely with McRaven to find bin Laden, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the operation. “He demands high standards. That’s why we’ve been so successful.”

As leader of the military’s highly secretive Joint Special Operations Command, McRaven has overseen a rapid escalation of manhunts for Taliban leaders in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda figures around the world. Although he’s a three-star admiral, the muscular 55-year-old still sometimes accompanies his teams on snatch-and-grab missions.

On Friday, McRaven received the green light from Panetta to launch the raid at the earliest opportunity. Later that day, he met with a six-member congressional delegation that was coincidentally visiting Afghanistan. He gave the lawmakers a tour of the Bagram operations center that — unbeknownst to them — was gearing up for the critical mission.

“Little did we know he had already given the order to take out Osama bin Laden,” said Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), who led the delegation.

McRaven had been just weeks away from leaving Afghanistan for a new assignment. He had led the Joint Special Operations Command since 2008, when he succeeded Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, whose team helped turn the tide of the war in Iraq by relentlessly targeting insurgent leaders, including al-Qaeda’s chief in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Zarqawi was killed by a U.S. airstrike in 2006.

“Nobody thought it would be possible, frankly, to take that command beyond what Stan McChrystal did, but he has,” said Michael G. Vickers, undersecretary of defense for intelligence. “He has taken what was already a very integrated, interagency organization and taken it to another level.”

Vickers has known McRaven since he was a Navy SEAL lieutenant commander and Vickers an Army Special Forces captain. They’ve worked especially closely over the past four years, when Vickers served as the Pentagon’s top civilian official overseeing Special Operations forces, including units hunting al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders.

“Bill is a great leader but also a pretty big thinker,” Vickers said. “It’s a rare balance of these two skills.”

McRaven returned to Washington after bin Laden’s death and briefed lawmakers in a closed session Wednesday on Capitol Hill. He declined to be interviewed for this article.

He grew up as the son of an Air Force colonel who flew British Spitfires during World War II and played briefly in the NFL. McRaven graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied journalism, in 1977. His 1995 book analyzed eight famous moments in special-operations history, including the Israeli raid to free hostages on a hijacked airliner at Entebbe, Uganda.

Unlike some high-ranking military officers, McRaven is “definitely not a yeller-screamer,” said a former Special Operations official who has known him for years and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the clandestine nature of their work. “He’s a guy that I think you can look at as a modern-day SEAL, a post-Vietnam-era SEAL — guys that are quiet, humble, smart.”

Under his leadership, the Joint Special Operations Command has expanded its reach beyond Afghanistan and Iraq. In September 2009, McRaven negotiated an agreement with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to conduct secret missions with Yemeni troops against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an affiliate of bin Laden’s network that some officials say has become the primary terrorist threat to the United States.

But McRaven has spent most of his time in Afghanistan, where JSOC efforts have greatly intensified. His forces have killed or captured hundreds of insurgent leaders over the past year, primarily in nighttime raids, according to U.S. military officials.

They have portrayed the raids as a cornerstone of their war strategy. Although they acknowledge that such raids alone cannot defeat the Taliban, “the results have been staggering,” said the senior Obama administration official.

But the nighttime operations have strained relations with the Afghan government, which says that the raids often target the wrong individuals and that U.S. forces are not held accountable for lethal mistakes.

In October, Special Operations forces accidentally killed a kidnapped British aid worker with a grenade during a botched mission. U.S. officials at first blamed the death on the Taliban but were forced to retract the assertion.

Also last year, after Special Operations forces killed five innocent Afghan civilians in another bungled raid, McRaven admitted that his team had committed “a terrible mistake” and visited the victims’ relatives to ask for forgiveness.

Paying homage to tribal honor codes, McRaven took two sheep to the village in Paktia province and offered to sacrifice them in a mercy-seeking gesture. Village elders spared the sheep but did accept a cash payment of about $30,000, according to an eyewitness account reported by the Times of London.

“I am a soldier,” McRaven told the father of two of the victims. “I have spent most of my career overseas, away from my family, but I have children as well, and my heart grieves for you.”

In an attempt to minimize further casualties, McRaven ordered the reinstallation of bright-white spotlights on AC-130 gunships that often accompany assault forces on the nighttime raids. Military officials describe the lights as an intimidating factor that encourages insurgents to give up, or at least not to flee and grab a weapon.

In March, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he was recommending McRaven for promotion to four-star admiral and leader of the U.S. Special Operations Command, based in Tampa.

The move is subject to Senate approval. But Shuster, the congressman, said that given McRaven’s role in bin Laden’s capture, “they won’t be able to confirm him quickly enough.”


Staff writers Greg Miller, Dana Priest and Karen Tumulty and staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report

455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation, Bagram - “Ultimately, what we do is about those soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines...is for the warrior"

The mission to save those wounded in battle is imperative here in Afghanistan. The care & dedication shown by our medical corps and those who fly the medivac flights brings great credit and distinction to the US Military. They respond 24/7/365 to any and all persons in need of their services.

BRAVO ZULU to those working the mission in Evaci-stan...

Aeromedical Evacuation Saves Lives in Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 6, 2011 – An aeromedical evacuation capacity unrivaled anywhere in the world is saving the lives of wounded warriors in Afghanistan, said the officer here who oversees the effort at the combat theater’s busiest aeromedical evacuation point.

Air Force Lt. Col. Kathleen Flarity, commander of the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight’s operations at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, said better equipment and processes are improving the way the military moves wounded warriors to increasingly more advanced levels of care.

Equipment and procedures are being improved continually to move wounded warriors to progressively more sophisticated levels of care in Afghanistan and ultimately, in the United States, said Air Force Lt. Col. Kathleen Flarity, commander of the 455th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight’s operations here.

During the Vietnam War, it typically took more than a month to move wounded troops to advanced treatment facilities in the United States, she said. Today, it’s down to as little as three days.

“That’s not the goal, to get them home,” she said at her office in her unit’s compound, known as “Evac-istan.”

The goal is “to get them what they need, when they need it,” said Flarity, an Air Force Reserve nurse practitioner deployed from Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. “That is huge, and that has changed a lot.”

Flarity attributed much of that change to initiatives adopted since 9/11: the use of multiple air platforms to move wounded warriors; state-of-the-art medical equipment able to operate in demanding conditions and high altitudes; and critical care air transport teams specially qualified to transport even the most critically wounded warriors, among them.

Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, operated by elite Air Force expeditionary rescue squadrons, have joined Army “Dustoff” helicopter crews -- nicknamed for their motto, “Dedicated, Unhesitating Service to Our Fighting Forces” -- to evacuate wounded warriors from remote forward operating bases and combat outposts.

And gone are the days when aeromedical evacuation crews had to wait for a specific air platform to fly patients for care at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and then on to facilities in the United States. Now, they can use a variety of aircraft: the C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules and KC-135 Stratotanker.

“We are universally qualified” on the different platforms, Flarity said. “So essentially, any time there is an aircraft available, we can take our teams and our equipment and jump onto any aircraft. … This opens up a lot more aircraft availability.”

The C-17, with its large cargo bay and ability to move the most patients, is a favorite among aeromedical evacuation crews. Specifically designed to include aeromedical evacuation in its mission set, “it’s big, bright and spacious,” Flarity said, with many built-in amenities such as medical-grade oxygen and buttons patients can push to call for assistance.

Although built for air-to-air refueling, KC-135s have become aeromedical evacuation workhorses in Afghanistan. They don’t provide the temperature control of C-17s and require crews to carry aboard green boxes of liquid oxygen that converts to gaseous oxygen, Flarity said, but the KC-135s offer much-welcomed and much-needed capacity.

New medical equipment has improved the process. A pump introduced during the initial stages of the Iraq war enables patients to administer their own pain medication, within prescribed limits, and locally administered anesthesia is provided through strategically placed catheters.

A new liquid oxygen system is among new technologies being explored to give aeromedical evacuation crews additional capability.

In these and other improvements, Flarity said, the emphasis has been on common systems across the services that don’t need to be changed as patients move through different levels of care. “That way, I can take your pump and give you back mine, instead of changing out all the tubing and pieces and parts,” she explained.

The presidentially mandated electronic health record system is another development making steady progress across the aeromedical evacuation system. The transition has been relatively smooth for long missions to Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Flarity said. But during 20-minute flights between forward operating bases in Afghanistan flown under low-light conditions, she acknowledged, it poses more challenges.

Challenges are nothing new to aeromedical evacuation crews, Flarity noted. Operating in conditions that include noise, vibration, air-pressure fluctuations, turbulence, and sometimes enemy fire, today’s crews are the most experienced and battle-tested the Air Force has ever seen, she said.

Flarity called these “rainbow crews” -- a mix of active-duty, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members -- the backbone of the system committed to doing what it takes to get wounded warriors home safely.

“Ultimately, what we do is about those soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines [and] Coast Guardsmen … is for the warrior at the battlefront,” she said. “And because we are here, it allows them to focus on their mission, … knowing we have their backs.”

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Latresia Pugh, the mission management technician on a recent aeromedical evacuation flight to Andrews, said she feels honored to be able to provide that support. “These are our brothers and sisters, and we want to take care of them,” she said.

“These guys are risking their lives for us, and we have to get them back to their families safely,” agreed Air Force Staff Sgt. Napolean Gifford, a critical care air transport respiratory therapist from Douglas, Ga. “That is the very least we can do for them.”

Air Force Maj. Gerry Martinez, a flight nurse deployed to Ramstein from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, said he’s often touched to hear his patients express appreciation to the aeromedical evacuation crews.

“They are so grateful that we are here taking care of them,” he said. “But what I say to them is, ‘Thank YOU.’ These guys are the ones making the ultimate sacrifices.”

Air Force 1st Lt. Donna Olson, a Mississippi Air National Guardsman who served as medical crew director during a recent mission transporting 24 patients from Ramstein Air Base, acknowledged that transporting wounded warriors, many younger than her own children, can sometimes be emotionally tough.

“But I love this job, and wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” she said. “I have the gratification of helping them through all this and returning them home so they have the opportunity to live full lives.”

Happy Easter ! A message of Hope, Rebirth & Faith from Afghanistan

Happy Easter from Bagram Air Base!

It is early on Easter Morning here and the sunrise is beautiful.

It was ten years ago on Easter 2001 that I sent the enclosed message to my son James who was out to sea on the carrier USS John C. Stennis, CVN-74.

Easter was my Mother's favorite holiday and to her it was the message of hope, rebirth & faith that made it special. Enclosed is the message I sent my son, and I send you with best wishes from Bagram.

All here is well and I'm getting used to the place. I'll be here for a bit and hope all enjoy a good Easter Day with Family.


COPY of E-mail sent Easter 2001 -

Happy Easter!

My son - It was too much for the Easter Bunny to swim out to meet your ship, but I want to wish you a Happy Easter - Like other holidays, I think Easter has gotten too far from what the true meaning of what it is really about - We are truly blessed with God's love - We are not together on this day, but we know you are safe - We are together in spirit, and united in our faith - The Lord has watched over us, and has guarded us through the past years - and He will be there as our Shepard as we go forward into an uncertain future -

We are very proud of the sacrifice you make to protect us each day - It is a honorable and noble cause to fight for our country & our way of life - In a world where our way of life and faith is under siege, we must continue to hold on to our faith, courage and honor - It is what separates us from the cowardly and despicable bastards that murder innocents in God's name - We will fight these villains, and Justice will prevail -

Enclosed is a passage from John 20:1-18 - it tells the story of the discovery of the Resurrection - Know that we await your safe return, and hope that your time will pass quickly -

We love & miss you - We are truly blessed by Jesus' & God's love.

Love -

Dad & Karen

John 20:1-18

20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.

20:2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."

20:3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.

20:4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

20:5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.

20:6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,

20:7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

20:8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;

20:9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

20:10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

20:11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;

20:12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

20:13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."

20:14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

20:15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."

20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher).

20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her

Greetings from Bagram Air Field Afghanistan....

Arrived yesterday evening just as dusk was setting in - the place is pretty big and the mountains that surround it are impressive...kinda looks like they could have shot a Coors commercial here.....Just got to check in, get some chow and find my new home away from home.....Place is congested, and that's saying quite a bit as I thought KAF and other places over here were so but Bagram takes it hands down...packed in real tight

Qtrs are very basic - B-huts which are plywood - Everything is within walking distance (showers, chowhall, MWR ctr.) - I'll get a chance to tour around the base later on as the day get going......it is early here (330 AM) and I couldn't sleep (still on east coast time) so I headed down to the MWR

Hope all is well stateside......more later on - glad to see the Boston Red Sox have won three in a row....there may be hope for these guys yet.....

This will go on someone's permanent record...

My Daughter likes the movie " Cars " and there are some funny lines in the movie including a line where Sally the Porsche tells off Lightning McQueen after he dumps on the little town of Radiator Springs saying: " Even here in "Hillbilly Hell " we have our standards...."

Well it seems that a reporter from Iowa found out that there are rules even at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan...

Bringing order to a lawless land -one Parking Ticket at a time
Mar 25, 2011 by Tony Leys
Desmoins Register

Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan - This place is just like a real city – in the most annoying of ways.

Our National Guard guide got smacked with a pink ticket for parking his clunker pickup truck inappropriately on “Warrior Loop” today. It looked like an OK spot to us at the time, but I guess not.

The base officer who filled out the ticket did a lovely, efficient job. The boxes are neatly checked, and the spelling is perfect. You have to appreciate a public servant who displays such craftsmanship.

But here’s the question: What’s the punishment?

As soldiers here like to say, “What are they gonna do, send me to Afghanistan?”

33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron Guardian Angel Team makes a difference by rescuing civilians in Afghanistan

Just so no one thinks we are only focusing on the "fight" out there in Afghanistan, I'm glad to have discovered this story of a different mission.....

There is a large humanitarian effort that goes on far from the watchful eye of the US Media....The story happened in February 2010 and demonstrates that without the assistance of the US military in Afghanistan, many civilians would be w/o rescue in very perilous circumstances....Good Stuff.


Combined efforts save lives in Salang avalanche
by Staff Sgt. Richard Williams
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

2/18/2010 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Imagine minus 40 degree temperatures. Add 35 mph winds and waist deep snow.

Tack on an elevation of 11,500 feet and this is the frigid scene that greeted members of the 33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron Guardian Angel Team when they arrived to render assistance to survivors of multiple avalanches that occurred in Salang Pass, Afghanistan, Feb. 9, 2010.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jonathan Grant, a 33rd ERQS pararescue team leader, said the initial notification of an avalanche in the area came around 12:30 a.m. The team began to streamline equipment and arrange transportation to render assistance to more than 1,500 people, most of whom were Afghans trapped in the snow.

"The initial reports we received on the area were pretty accurate," he said. "We were told that there were thousands of people trapped and multiple vehicles with people still inside had been pushed off the road."

Their equipment included extraction equipment and hypothermia kits to assist people who had been exposed to sub-zero temperatures, trapped in vehicles and in some cases buried in the snow for more than 12 hours.

The GA team loaded their equipment and personnel on U.S. Army CH-47 helicopters assigned to Task Force Knighthawk and started an approximately 30 minute flight to the avalanche site.

The team wasn't sure what they would find when their helicopters approached the scene. Sergeant Grant's team was on the first aircraft that arrived in an area with no defined landing zone; the pilots were going to have to clear one for themselves.

"The helicopter hit the ground; we were cleared so we grabbed our gear and began to secure our area and assess the situation," said Sergeant Grant, who's deployed from the Patrick AFB, Fla.

"It was a chaotic scene when we first got there," said Capt. Gabe Hensley, 33rd ERQS combat rescue officer. "There were frozen bodies lying on the road, vehicles were turned over, and it looked like someone had literally taken snow and pushed it into the vehicles.

That was an eerie feeling given the fact that we didn't see anyone moving. Once we got on the ground, we were greeted by a crowd of people coming out of the tunnel."

The first thought that ran through Sergeant Grant's mind as he saw the crowd was, "This is going to get crazy pretty quick."

The team began to organize a reverse triage process. Typically, in an evacuation situation, people with the most severe injuries are taken away first. The reverse process allowed the most healthy to clear the area and the team could focus on more serious injuries and freeing trapped individuals.

Captain Hensley's team stopped everyone, organized them, secured them and began loading them on the aircraft, said Tech. Sgt. Blain Morgan, 33rd EQRS pararescue team leader. "It was really amazing how smooth the organization was."

Sergeant Morgan added, "We had to ensure the safety of those people and the Tactical Air Control Party controller's and pararescuemen, and we began directing traffic so we could get those people out of there safely."

Once the initial rush of about 80 avalanche survivors was loaded onto helicopters and sent to Bagram, the team returned to the area to render more assistance.

Upon arrival, the team again set up a perimeter and secured the area. Staff Sgt. Greg Predmore and Airman 1st Class Eric Gray, 817th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Squadron TACP controllers, gained contact with air assets. The team organized individuals in a casualty collection point in one of the tunnels to keep them out of the elements and prepare them for evacuation, said Senior Master Sgt. Mike Ziegler, 33rd ERQS pararescue superintendent.

"We have had situations in the past where people have injured themselves trying to get on the aircraft and a helicopter with a moving tail rotor can be very dangerous," said Sergeant Ziegler.

Sergeant Ziegler added, "We don't really receive formal training on crowd control and in this situation we had a learning curve of about 15 seconds to decide how we were going to protect and reassure these people who are frantic and at the same time ensure we are safe and able to do our job."

"It was pretty difficult in the beginning," said Airman Gray, who is deployed from Aviano Air Base, Italy. "We had people all around us and we were trying to secure everything and maintain our radio antennas to contact the air assets and get the air traffic flowing to get the people out of there."

After organizing the landing area, Captain Hensley, deployed from Patrick AFB, Fla., broke his teams into small groups so they could begin to rescue trapped individuals.

"Once we saw one of the sites and did the initial survey of the area where the avalanche had pushed vehicles off the road, we grabbed the people who were right there, removed them and began assisting people who were trapped," said Sergeant Morgan.

Sergeant Ziegler explained the team descended 600 meters into a valley in waist deep snow with about 45 pounds of equipment on their backs to a vehicle resting place.
Once they made it to the base of the valley, Sergeant Morgan, also deployed from Patrick AFB, surveyed an area of land and created a landing zone for helicopters to drop off additional equipment, said Captain Hensley. "This was essential to their success, because it allowed them to use all of their equipment and not just what they had carried down."

The team began to dig with snow shovels and use heavy extraction equipment to cut through a metal bus framing to free as many people as possible. Sergeant Ziegler added that the team was literally digging tunnels through the vehicles and completing an on-scene triage to assess medical conditions of any survivors.

The evacuation worked as smoothly as possible with air traffic, said Sergeant Predmore. "We had helicopters waiting in line. As one moved out with survivors, we had another moving in to take its place and that allowed everyone else to focus on assisting people."

"I didn't have to worry about anything when I was on the ground," said Sergeant Morgan. "I had my weapon and I was ready to secure myself if I needed to, but the TACPs were in constant contact with aircraft in the air and the pilot's eyes on the area allowed me to focus on my job and that was to save lives."

Sergeant Morgan explained that the primary job of a TACP is kinetic in nature. They guide weapons to a target. On this mission, their primary objective was to get information from the air about any possible threats to mission success and coordinate the aircraft accomplishing the rescue effort. That capability was key to enable the PJ's to do their job.

With equipment and daylight exhausted, Captain Hensley and his team prepared to return to the airfield. They completed 12 flights in a seven hour period and assisted more than 300 people.

The key to mission success: training.

"We receive a variety of specialized training," said Sergeant Ziegler. The team is primarily made up of Florida natives who are used to sea level conditions and to go from there to an elevation of more than 11,000 feet in those conditions presented many different challenges.

"We are so specific yet so broad with the scope of our mission here," said Sergeant Morgan. "We have scuba gear here because we may perform a rescue in a river. We receive mountain rescue training and collapsed structure training because we are trained to rescue people no matter what the situation."

"This was an extremely dangerous mission," Captain Hensley said. "We found out that there were 36 avalanches in the area that day. The road was used for enemy activities regularly and there was potential for these elements to be mixed into the crowd of people. Additionally, we encountered some of the worst weather conditions imaginable. If we made it there, the helicopters may not be able to return and we may have to complete an overland movement to get in and out of the avalanche location. The team accepted the risk."

On this day, 10 pararescuemen, two Tactical Air Control Party Airmen and members of U.S Army Task Force Gladius, reaffirmed the PJ motto, "That others may live."