Airmen throughout the AOR supported efforts to bring a wounded Peace Corps American home. Thanks from her sister-in-law here on her blog. Thanks Manas.
February 2, 2010
Some crazy cargo shipments from the Afghan war
I’ve come across an amazing function in WordPress, the ‘Drafts’ section. Really though, I’ll write about some of the items from Afghanistan that I couldn’t write about while there, or just never got around to for one reason or another.Some people mail the weirdest things to and from combat via the Post office, FedEx and DHL (yes, for a price I guess even the major carriers will get items to Afghanistan. You’d expect the obvious, sunscreen, warm clothes, eye drops, candy, snacks, etc…. But, as we’re waiting in line for mail, you see the craziest things. All these items are being shipped from the States or to the States on personal money, not government money (disclaimer for all the hate mail that will flood my comments box).
I’ve seen some odd things. In no random order they are:
- A large bouncy castle; not the large one an adult can get in, but a child-size one. Didn’t have my camera, but thought it was slightly odd, just slightly. Was this some new form of special operations warfare?
- The following photos are packages.
Not really mailed, here's a thank you from a Texan on the side of a JDAM.
US Air Force Airmen download Humanitarian Assistance to ship it out to the people of Afghanistan.
January 27, 2010
Commandos, ISR support Haiti relief effort
Photo from CNN.
My day-to-day work has shifted from Afghanistan to Haiti relief ops and day-to-day Air Force operations and one area I’ve found interesting is how America and allied nations are employing military assets for the massive relief effort.
In light of the terrible tragedy in Haiti, Air Force officials are using Cold War-era systems in new ways to aid in a massive humanitarian relief effort. Thanks to Wired and CNN for the story on Commando Solo, one of the Air Force’s airborne radio platforms in a highly modified cargo plane.
A U.S. Air Force Combat Controller prepares to radio back to the Special Tactics Operation Center on January 24, 2010 in Port au Prince, Haiti during Operation Unified Response. U.S. Air Force Combat Controllers and U.S. Army Pathfinders are U.S. Air Force Combat Controllers and U.S. Army Pathfinders land in a field and talk with the local Haitians while conducting Drop Zone surveys for future air delivery sites on Jan. 24, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti during Operation Unified Response. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock)
“Commando Solo broadcasts guidance, in Creole — the most common language in Haiti, for about 10 hours a day. The broadcasts include Voice of America programming and announcements from Haitian officials,” according to the article.
Even airborne systems designed to scour the countryside of nuclear nations, fly over providing support for humanitarian relief operations providing updated and realtime information to decision makers on the ground – invaluable tools for an island devastated by the quake. Photo below.
Latest reports show Air Combat Command has even sent a Predator to the islands to help decision makers with realtime updates to help with the disaster.
Colonel Todd Wall, a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane pilot, takes time out from his job to hold a Haitian baby for a mother who was asleep from exhaustion. Col Wall was enroute from Port-au-Prince International Airport, Haiti for Operation Unified Response. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Alvin Johnson,172 AW)
See more here on the Air Force Facebook page, and here, as well as the Department of State’s blog. See a photo slideshow here from the Air Force Haiti Flickr site containing photos from Air Force photographers on the ground.
See more from the Commander of US Southern Command here. He says:
”The airport has been running approximately five times its pre-crisis capacity, with roughly 120 flights landing and taking off 24 hours a day.”
A C-130 Hercules makes a final approach into Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 16, 2010, as viewed by an OC-135B Open Skies aircraft. The OC-135B used 10,000 feet of film at an altitude of 15,000 feet to photograph the devastation caused by the 7.0-earthquake. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Perry Aston)
January 27, 2010
Bloggers Link: Joint Task Haiti for real stories
Encourage other bloggers to join and become a fan of Joint Task Force Haiti’s Facebook profile 
and see updates, videos and photos of real-life rescues and heart warming stories from the terrible devastation. Thanks to the men and women of the Armed Forces from all the nations around the world supporting this.
December 27, 2009
Send a video message to troops; Airman on WH blog; tips for DOD family members
Folks interested in expressing their thanks or Happy Holiday wishes to Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen (yes, they’re here t00), can film the thank you and upload it here.
Thanks to Air Force Sgt. Gallahan who wrote about folks serving in Afghanistan on the White House blog.
Also, check out some deployed servicemember tips for social media here. Good common sense information for servicemembers.
And there’s even an area friends and family members should take a look at to consider knowing exactly what you’re posting on how it could affect the mission. Some may balk at this, especially outsiders to a DOD family, that’s ok, the don’t quite understand the same level of security and necessity to the protection of information that many spouses do.
December 24, 2009
Air War: Logistics of the Afghan war
Afghanistan is about airpower (one word) as much as it is about the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, nation-building and ground troops. The American way of warfare relies heavily on a massive logistic support provided now, not three weeks from now and that can only come from the air. Good logistics in this region goes back to Alexander the Great and the Macedonian army who found it difficult to manage their war of tens of thousands. He could move miles and miles a day with great logistics support and little reserves.
As the Air Force finds and develops the air bridge narrative and the cargo delivery narrative more, this will surely tell the Air Force’s efforts more to the world.
Bagram is home to a not-so publicized war that isn’t a whole lot about bombs and bullets but one of a small and elite group of Air Force Reservists conducting a logistics War. This modern form of warfare is nothing new to America, but is surely new to Afghanistan. Young men speaking Dari and Pashtun must have had to catch their breath as the saw the hulking C-5 slowly take flight above the Parwan bowl for the first time. The people here may remember the Antonov 124s, once working for their Soviet invaders some 30 years ago, now they’re returning as contracted air support for ISAF.
But, as Bagram is busting at the seems, now the news stories will start to focus on the 30,000 surge recently announced. Two recent reporters covered some of these events and one, from McClatchy newspapers is still in country. A recent story from her on the blog Nukes and Spooks shows some of the world we live day-to-day here. She mentions our first sewer system. Yes. That has been a big deal here. Imagine the day, flush….. Her next missions: JTACs. She’s on the ground and on patrols with Airmen who call the in the rain.
The other reporter, from Politics Daily, wrote about the fighting spirit of Airmen and how we’re meeting the requirments of the Surge. He’d recently covered a story about General Conway from the Marines on how his Marines would gladly and “happily” come to Afghanistan without infrastructure and live in holes. Well, I don’t think the Air Force is at that point, but this isn’t your dad’s Air Force. Tent cities, an Afghan bitter cold and a shower that if is lukewarm is a good day. So, not the Air Force of the 1990s,but one that’s adaptive and reflexive in the Airmen on the ground. Operators and Maintainers alike, living closer to their mission should they be needed.
December 17, 2009
Think twice when shipping to the troops overseas
Ordering directly online? Consider this. Items shipped to APOs (military overseas addresses) are shipped to a collection point in the States, typically New York City, then usually arrive to the places like Bagram Airfield via large U.S. Air Force cargo jets where they are processed and sent to a cargo yard, then put on smaller C-130 and other aircraft to the remote regions of Afghanistan. Makes sense, right? You’re not going to get a FedEx jet, or a Postal Service truck delivering to the a mountain top on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
So why are companies charging more to ship to troops overseas? Check out this Stripes story about Wal-Mart. Now I love Wal-Mart, but come on.
December 12, 2009
A few photos from Afghanistan
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- Hmm, why is the rain coming in? Well, there’s your problem, you have no roof.
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- Airmen assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron take a break from their duties here, Oct 20, 2009.
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- Do you think these two women had any idea what in the hell they were looking at?
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- Well, I guess that’s one way you can plug the hole in an old Soviet Barracks.
