Not finding the time to blog I had hoped to. All I ever do is work! Not much else to do around here.
Communication issues abound. The military internet is a bit overtaxed, the private broadband only slightly faster. Satellite's rarely an option for getting stories out -although we're working on that- and if you've seen any of my Skype reports, you know they can be kinda hit-or-miss.
Heading out again in a few minutes, this time by Blackhawk helicopter, with the guy who runs the show over here- and yes, he's from Chicago.
Brigadier General Steven Huber hails from Lincoln Park. He was born and raised in our town, went to high school there, then joined the Army.
Brigadier General Steven Huber hails from Lincoln Park. He was born and raised in our town, went to high school there, then joined the Army.
He's a rare breed, and in today's military, becoming even more so. The General began his career as an enlisted man, working his way through the ranks from the very bottom to the very top.
Here in Afghanistan, this Chicagoan commands just over 8-thousand soldiers. I caught up with him in his office in Kabul yesterday, and we fell upon the topic of the ones he's lost. It seems to be topic number one among the brass here; I'll ask them about something related to their mission, or to home, and the conversation somehow comes back to those who aren't going home. The reason may hang outside the General's office. The American flag here at Camp Phoenix was hanging at half-staff when I arrived a few days ago, went back up for a day, and is back down again now. I know the General expects it to be down a lot this spring and summer. He hopes it will be otherwise, is working to make it so, he says, but his face is grim when he says it.
Next to General Huber's office is that of his number two, Col. Scott Thoele, a huge Cubs fan from Quincy. See what I mean about this deployment- this war? We think because it's far away it belongs to someone else, but take it from me- it's definitely ours. The top two guys in this operation are sons of Illinois. They're our neighbors, true patriots and a couple of the most competent guys you'll ever run across. They lead thousands of others.
Col. Thoele was telling me about the Guard's new body armor. He likes it. It's heavy, though. He gave it to me to lift, and it must have weighed 120 pounds.
"It's not just the vest," he explained, "There's 300 rounds of ammunition in there."
He smiled a soldier's smile. "When you need it- you really need it."
Here's hoping he doesn't need it anytime soon.
I have to go. We taking off in a few minutes and won't be back for two days. Where we're going's not that important- and not knowing when these post, not worth mentioning right now. But I know the General from Chicago's looking forward to this trip, and so am I.
Glad to see your blog again-stay safe, and thanks again. Julia
Wow...I want to commend you for televisting from this country......My grandson & son in law are at Phoenix..............Forristall is names.......say Hi from granny if you run across them.....thanks for what you are doing.
hey tom how its every thing going on afganistan well currently im in afagnistan im part of the 33rd brigade to im in camp eggers i woild like to meet you on person
Dear Mr.Negovan: I haven't had much time in the last couple of days to check your blog but you have obviously been pretty busy yourself. I hope all is well with you, and will continue to pray for your safety as I pray for my son and all his fellow troops. Thank you again for the effort you're going thru to bring this war home to all of us, especially the families of those who serve. Julia Dahlstrom.
Tom: I have a dear friend at Camp Phoenix. Thank you so much for showing us back home what it is like there. It is difficult to think that all of this fighting is worth it in the end but according to my friend, this is a necessary fight. I hope and pray for our soldiers to make it home safe and I hope it is soon. These year long deployments are difficult for our soldiers and their families. My friend has a wife and three children and I see the toll it takes on each of them, especially his little girl. I just want to thank you for doing this segment. I will continue to watch, hope, and pray for each of your safe returns, yours and the soldiers!
Thank you to the soldiers for all that you do every single day, no breaks, no holidays, just day in and day out the same things, defending our nation.