When I first deployed in July of last year I told the story of the Vietnam vet who approached me at the Louisville airport and inquired, “Just getting back?” At the time, I shook his hand and I simply replied “Going.” Well, I hope to see the old warrior soon because this time I am coming back – for good. My current command, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan and my gaining unit, the United States Army Recruiting...read more

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We stand out like American tourists in Afghanistan. Our convoy of two up-armored SUVs skulks through the Kabul traffic cautiously like a tortoise crossing a highway. Our driver, a young Airman, cranes his neck as he maneuvers around Massoud Circle. He slows and swerves to avoid a woman in a blue Burkha crossing the street. She doesn’t acknowledge the near accident and floats by us like a phantom. Our Suburban’s array of antennas and Soldiers in full kit, sitting two...read more

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One would think it would be impossible to put on weight during a deployment, but it’s pretty darn easy. Consider a Meal Ready to Eat, or MRE, contains 1200 calories per package. If you eat the entire contents, three times a day, you consume the equivalent of one pound. On Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan, we have cafeterias that are open 24 hours a day and, in most cases, they have incredibly tasty selections. You can easily go through a year-long deployment and never eat a...read more

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It’s March Madness 2007 in Baghdad. We come off Caughman Range on Forward Operating Base Liberty near the Abu Gharib Palace and the neighborhood of Monsour in Baghdad, Iraq. With the firing stopped we can hear the noontime call for prayer from a nearby mosque. More than the 15 foot concrete wall that surrounds Liberty separate us from the people in Monsour, but for me the stirring rhythm of the call makes the...read more

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I peeped at the race course through an opening I made in my sleeping bag while my car heater took its blissful effect. My eyes fluttered, like a window shutter, between closed and barely open. I came to my car at 4:50 p.m. to get warm. I called my good friend Gary Griffin, one of my running mentors who first put the idea of running for 24 hours into my head. I told him I was still in the race but was taking a break. I hoped I sounded convincing telling him that I would return to the course...read more

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Who is this man carrying our flag? He joined the service for the same reasons American Soldiers do. No one forced him. He volunteered to serve his country. Afghanistan has been at war for 30 years; he is tired of the fighting and wants there to be peace so he can raise a family. Most likely he can barely read. 70% of Afghans are illiterate. He might have gone to religious school or even a public school, but he probably only made it through the...read more

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“It’s not bad. There are a couple grammatical errors I highlighted. You see Fred, ‘to’ in this instance should be ‘too,’ but overall it’s okay.” I took notes as General Karimi provided feedback on a speech I wrote for him recently. The irony, of course, is that English is his third language and he speaks and writes my native tongue better than me. Never failing, he concludes with, “Thank you very much. It’s...read more

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A Command Sergeant Major had the audacity to give me an on-the-spot correction for a uniform violation recently. It was the best thing that has happened to me in a long while. General Karimi and I were accompanying the commander of the warfighting Corps, Lieutenant General Scaparrotti, to Torkum Gate, a beautiful place of historical and strategic significance on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. We recently experienced an incident where our Soldiers received fire from...read more

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It’s a typical day at the office. LTC Khanullah Shuja, General Karimi’s senior aide, is explaining his military genius to everyone within earshot. In excruciating detail he recounts one of the hundreds of battles he fought during his six years of company command. I’ve heard the story about a dozen times and each successive account his exploits are more superhuman. However, the ending never changes - Shuja ultimately saves the day with a brilliant...read more

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The best leader with whom I have served in my 27 year career in the Army is my wife. I’ve learned more about leadership from Laura than any General I know. And, I know some really good ones. We met when she was commanding her third company at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. She led a complex organization that guarded a special population of military criminals that included death row inmates, She took those experiences into civilian life where she...read more

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