Tobey White - Army Strong Stories

10 years at war

Tobey White — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 19:35:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
Yesterday marked the tenth anniversary of Operation Enduring Freedom. When this war started I never imagined that I would one day be fighting in it. I was only sixteen at the time. It’s funny the paths life takes. Each seemingly small choice accumulates forming a clear line to the present day. Although I would not have thought I would join the military and fight in a war back then, now I could not imagine my life any differently. I thought it was important to take a moment to...read more

Eyes in the skies

Tobey White — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:56:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
This past week I embedded with the unmanned aerial systems crew at Forward Operating Base Sharana. It was a unique experience because I had the fortune to write several stories on their training back in the rear. I wanted to visit them while deployed and see how their experiences differed from being in garrison. What I found it is that they, like many military jobs, have extremely exciting experiences and extremely boring ones. A UAS Shadow is a...read more

Rest and relaxation then getting back to the grind

Tobey White — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:35:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
Since I arrived in Afghanistan, I have been counting the days until I could go on R and R. For those not familiar with the term it means rest and relaxation and amounts to what is a two week vacation from the stress of being deployed. The Army flies you anywhere you want to go and you get 15 days from the time you touch down to enjoy the comforts of home. The journey home can be stressful and full of long flights on cramped airplanes. In total I spent approximately four days...read more

Spera

Tobey White — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:20:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
During a mission to Spera, one of my friends and I shot video of the events taking place there. Spera is in a remote and mountainous area of Afghanistan. Despite that, it is also very beautiful. When we landed we had to wade across a small river and walk up a huge hill. It was very steep and by the time I got to the top I was thanking my lucky stars that I've been working out over the past couple of weeks. The view at the top was very worth it, however. I got a little camera happy...read more

Shaking in my boots

Tobey White — Sun, 15 May 2011 10:17:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
Earlier this month I went to the promotion board. I was told in the beginning of April that they were sending me and as a result I immediately started studying. I went to soldiers who had gone to the board previously and questioned them on what sorts of questions were asked. I found a lot of the questions they asked were things every soldier should know but many don't. One of the most important things a soldier must know before they go up for the board is the Noncommissioned Officers...read more

Life on FOB Goode

Tobey White — Thu, 05 May 2011 20:25:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Forward Operating Base Goode near Gardez City in Paktya Province. Based on feedback I received on my post about living conditions on FOB Salerno, I decided to share a few of my observations of the base. Forward Operating Base Goode is divided into two sections, and I've stayed in both. The first time I visited Goode I stayed in the base of a tower in what's called a Kualt. It literally looks like a medieval mud castle. An old Afghan...read more

Recreation on FOB Salerno

Tobey White — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:21:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
One of my favorite things about the military is how active people are in sports. They aren't content to just sit inside and watch tv or read a book. A lot of the people I work with find ways to be outside playing basketball, soccer, or volleyball even while in a war zone. Since joining the military I have been much more active in sports than I was in college. Several times I've walked by a basketball court and got pulled into a game and lost myself in the sport I love for a while. It...read more

Deployment Resolutions

Tobey White — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 20:29:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
Every year I, like so many others in the world, make a New Years resolution. It usually involves exercising more and eating less and I usually end up breaking that resolution within three months. This year is different, however. I told myself I wouldn't make a New Year's resolution. Instead I made a deployment resolution. I'm not unique in that goal. Many of my fellow Soldiers have made similar plans. Some are saving money to get a house or a car when they get home....read more

Taking a bite out of work

Tobey White — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 20:30:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
As a Public Affairs Specialist I have the opportunity to cover a wide range of subjects. Since becoming, essentially an Army journalist, I have ridden in a blackhawk, chinook, and a xenon. I have taken photos of mortars being fired and I was privileged to be invited to a women's shura in Jaji Maidan and Women's International Day in Khowst City here in Afghanistan. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to add one more cool thing to my resume. On Tuesday I attended canine...read more

Outside the wire

Tobey White — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:31:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
During my trip to an International Women's Day event a few weeks ago, I had the chance to shoot some video in an MRAP. It is surprisingly difficult to take video in there. For starters the windows are very narrow and have dust on the outside so any video I shot was had a thin film of dirt over it. However, I adapted and here is the video I made. Riding in an MRAP is very bumpy. It was my first convoy since I reached Afghanistan so I eager to see what it was like. The music is...read more

Celebrating International Women's Day

Tobey White — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:23:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
When I stepped out of our vehicle into downtown Khowst City in Khowst Province, Afghanistan to attend an International Women’s Day event, I wasn’t expecting to be the only Soldier in sight or having the interpreter freak out about being left behind when she doesn’t have a weapon. It was the first time since being in Afghanistan that my adrenaline really kicked in. I could feel my heart pounding in my throat and for once I set my camera aside and had my weapon at the low...read more

20 years later

Tobey White — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 21:32:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
Today as I put on my uniform I took a moment to think about those who had worn the uniform before me. Specifically my dad. For those of you who don't know, today marks the 20 year anniversary of the ground war for Desert Storm. On Feb. 24, 1991 my dad was sitting in a humvee preparing to drive through a minefield to Kuwait. His experience during war was very different than mine. He left the states, Dec. 15, 1990. They didn't know what to expect but were prepared for the worst. The...read more

The land of milk and honey

Tobey White — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:39:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
http://www.dvidshub.net/news/65303/womens-shura-convenes-first-time-2-years I was given the opportunity to attend the first women's shura in two years located in Jaji Maidan on Thursday, Feb. 10. A shura, for those of you who don't know what that is, is simply a formal way for Afghans to get together to solve issues in the community. For the U.S. it would be like a meeting between council members of a town. It was, quite simply, an amazing mission. For starters, the...read more

Blackhawk ride around Afghanistan

Tobey White — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 21:33:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
During a mission to a women's shura held in Jaji Maidan, I had the opportunity to take a ride in a blackhawk to another Forward Operating Base to meet with the other people going on the mission. Here is the footage from that ride. I thought some of you back home would be interested what it looks like here. It is very brown, but then you'll come across farmland that looks like a patchwork quilt from the sky. There are mountains and hills everywhere which provides a scenic backdrop...read more

First Impressions

Tobey White — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 21:34:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
I have read countless novels on war. Getting through high school practically demanded it. American studies featured books on the civil war, WWII, and Vietnam, just to name a few. In college, I sat on the couch and watched Generation Kill with my dad, a retired Marine, while he marveled at how accurately they portrayed the Army. So, to march off to war with M4 and Nikon D300 at my side is slightly surreal. I have been on Forward Operating Base Salerno for slightly more than a week and a...read more

Living on FOB Salerno

Tobey White — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:34:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
If pictures are worth a thousand words, I thought video might be worth even more. No matter how many ways I describe what living here is like, I will never be able to create a completely accurate portrayal through word alone. I created a video instead. This is my first time shooting video so be gentle with the critiques. For those of you out there who have friends or family here on Salerno, these are some of the conditions they may be going through. Since I seem to be having...read more

Traveling... with the Army

Tobey White — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:35:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
Whoever thought of the motto “hurry up and wait” obviously knew what they were talking about and had intimate experience with the Army’s version of travel. It seemed 80 percent of the time traveling was spent waiting for the next flight. When they have a layover in the Army, it can last days. I left Fort Knox, Ky. on Sunday, Jan. 16 and didn’t arrive on FOB Salerno until Sunday, Jan. 23. The plane ride over to the fuel point in Germany wasn’t too...read more

To new beginnings

Tobey White — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:35:00 GMT

By: Tobey White
As a public affairs specialist in the Army, I am used to telling other people's stories while letting mine stay in the background. For this blog, I guess it will have to be the opposite. I don't know how great I will be at telling my story, but here goes. A little bit about me I am a specialist in the Army preparing for my first deployment to Afghanistan. Although the thought of going to war is a little intimidating, it is also just the tiniest bit exciting. Exciting? War?...read more