Made it back to the states yesterday!!! Only the Army would have us arrive 36 hours early for the plane ride back and then locked down in a fenced in area 13 hours prior to takeoff. but, there is a lot of administration to take care off and customs and other things to go through. Exhausted but glad to be back and looking forward to seeing family and friends soon! At Ft.. Benning this week outprocessing.

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In a recent NYT story, the SecDef, Mr. Gates, made some new rules and clarifications in regards to the military dealing with the media. I picked out some of my favorite quotes and insights from the article and pasted below. To read the entire article just click here I think this is one of those cases where it is important for the reader to take their time and read the entire article and quotes. It probably is a good idea to read other articles...read more

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This is a great video compiled by the Pentagon Video channel that chronicles the heroics of a 25th Infantry Division unit fighting from a Combat Outpost in Afghanistan, July 4th, 2009 on the Pakistan border. Awards received include a Silver Star and Bronze Star with valor. Combat outposts are much more austere and spartan than Forward Operation Bases or FOB's. This video is one of the best representations of conditions on a combat outpost and actual...read more

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I wanted to re-post a story that I published on DVIDS. The link is here Army Lt Col Dean Huard wrote the article and is our branch chief in charge of the U.S. National Airflow Authority. I work with him over here and the USNAA mission is to synchronize airflow into Afghanistan's airfields. Prior to its inception this year, management of the airfields was done on a more ad-hoc basis and slot times were not prioritized and organized in advance. The...read more

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Great article in the Army News Wire on this topic! I caught some of the testimony on the Pentagon channel. The crux of the issue is how to stop Taliban and other elements from demanding money and bribing contracted convoys that carry supplies into Afghanistan. In addition, how do we protect those convoys? Currently, it is with private armed security contractors much of the time. Although there are many great contracting companies out there, we...read more

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Wow, what an incredible game! Many thanks to AFN (Armed Forces Network TV) for broadcasting this game to all of us deployed all over the world. Everyone over here is into the USA games during this World Cup, even non-soccer fans - nobody is more patriotic than soldiers! Just pandemonium when they scored, really looking forward to Saturday's game. USA Today Photo. Team USA's Landon Donovan celebrates his late goal against Algeria with teammate...read more

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Great piece at foreignpolicy.com Link Eggs for sale: Last year, a group of teenagers at Afghanistan's Marefat School were given cameras as part of a photography project with teens at Philadelphia's Constitution High School. The students snapped away, and what emerged from the Afghan side were images of culture, friends, and daily life -- not car bombings and kidnappings. Above, a smiling boy sells eggs at an outdoor market, as photographed by Qasim Moradi, 18....read more

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Neat looking vehicle! We definitely need a replacement for the humvee! JLTV prototypes roll out on Army testing sites Yahoo News By Matthew Cox - Staff writer Posted : Sunday Jun 13, 2010 10:26:33 EDT ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — Both the Army and Marine Corps intend to begin fielding the JLTV in 2015 as a replacement for the venerable Humvee in combat operations. Link The four-seat Category A...read more

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As a logistician, I have pondered this question a good deal. In the U.S., qualified truck drivers can make a nice living if they are willing to put in the miles. A recent article in Yahoo News attempts to discuss this question. The article intimates that drivers are fairly desparate, poor, and have few options. I wish that wasn't the case. Highlights from the article Fearful NATO supply truckers curse their jobs by Sajjad Tarakzai Sajjad...read more

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Awesome news!!!! The World Cup is on AFN! FIFA grants permission to carry 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ Riverside, CA, June 10, 2010 -- Through the cooperation of a host of international television licensees, the American Forces Network Broadcast Center (AFN-BC) has been granted permission by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to distribute the full complement of matches of the 2010 FIFA World Cup...read more

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