Tom Negovan reports from Kabul after spending time with the troops in Kandahar. Continue reading From the front lines »

-Kabul, Afghanistan

-June 1, 2009

 

Just back from another crazy Afghan road trip.

Returned to Kabul late, and was looking at spending the night at the airport until a kindly photog from ABC took pity on me. No, not that ABC-- the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which is doing some great work over here. He had a serious, SERIOUS-looking private security team taking him into the city -i mean, armed to the teeth- and they wouldn't let me out of their sight until I was where I needed to be and had secured safe passage. Terrific guys. Fitting that I was mooching a lift from the Australians, because it was one of their Hercules transports that brought me back from Kandahar- complete with tactical takeoffs and landings--fast climbs and steep dives that bring you to the ground fast and hard.

We had picked up my Australian friend at a spot called Tarin Kowt. He had just finished filming an intense four-day firefight with the Taliban. I haven't been seeing that kind of action.

 

That's not to say it hasn't been an interesting few days.. but mostly, it's been the hurry up and wait ritual of travel in this country.

I wish I could cover more ground.

There are a lot of great hometown stories here -as I keep mentioning-- and word that a local reporter's in-country spreads surprisingly fast. Here's an email from a group near Jalalabad that I couldn't get to:

 

 

"We are a Chicago-based Infantry Battalion who deployed to Afghanistan late October 08...

...this is the first combat deployment

under our colors as The 1st Battalion 178th Infantry Regiment (from the GEN Jones Armory, 5200 Cottage Grove in Hyde Park) since world war II.

Our Task Force, TF Bayonet, not only supplies Security teams all over Afghanistan to the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) but we are also area managers over the Laghman Province.

Our element manages 2 Combat Out Post (COPs) and a Forward Operation Base (FOB) located on the outskirts of Mehtar Lam. We would very much like to share our experience here in Afghanistan with our families, co-workers and friends from the Chicagoland area.. "

 

 

...and I would love to help, but my time here is quickly running out. There are several other groups I just couldn't get to, although I tried very hard.

 

I did get to Kandahar, though, then south.. within 50 miles or so of the Pakistan border. Spent time with a couple of groups of Chicago-area guys. My day with Team 'War Hog' was especially interesting. While we were talking, and I was filming, there was this 'WHUMP' not far off that could only have been a mortar round. It was an interesting moment that I'm trying to feed back to Chicago right now. They're a pretty fascinating group of young guys -sort of an Illinois 'Band of Brothers'- patrolling the wilds of southern Afghanistan.. easily the toughest, most dangerous part of the country right now.

Back to work. Lots to do before I can go home- and a couple of other stories I want to share a little later on.

 

Can you believe I wish I had more time in Afghanistan?

I can't.. but it's actually how I feel.

I've found some great stories, but find myself wishing I could get them all done- then go out and get more.

However, after two weeks that feels like two months, I am dying to get home to Chicago and my wife.

I honestly can't believe she let me do this- and frankly, when I get back and share a few details with her -some stuff I haven't shared yet- she may not do it again.

I'll chance it. A friend over here who's been doing this a long time says, "Always tell your wife everything." Sounds like a good policy.

We've only been married since November- and while she knew I'd been to Iraq and liked to do stuff like this- I couldn't have blamed her had she been less than supportive.. but she's supported me 100%.

Who gets to have a life like this and a wife like that?

Me- that's who. I don't take it for granted.

So, Sus- I'll see you soon.

This note is for the rest of the wives.. who won't have their husbands home quite so quickly.

Many of you have written-in via email or the comments section of this blog. You know that I've been talking to your husbands about what they're doing in Afghanistan.

What you don't know is that I've also been hearing a lot about you. I'll ask a question about the work or the conditions or the mission and the conversation inevitably comes around to the wives left to deal with the kids and the bills..the parents left to wait and worry..or the three-year-old daughter who wants to know who she has to call so her Daddy can come home.

I've heard story after story like that. I've seen your pictures, and tough guys loaded down with guns and body armor have shared some extremely personal thoughts that are all about you.

If your husband, father, son or daughter is called to serve their nation, is your sacrifice any less real? When they are called- is your calling any less important?

It may feel like it sometimes, but it's not- and the soldiers know it.

Because you fight your own battle, don't you? And while the war at home is so much different from the war here- it can be the tougher of the two. Not knowing can be the hardest part for the ones left behind- and they know that, too.

So, just as many of you have asked through my blog that I thank the troops- many of the troops have asked me to thank you.. and to tell their wives and girlfriends, parents, sons and daughters that if you feel like you're forgotten sometimes, you're not. And if you feel like your sacrifices aren't appreciated- please know that they are.

I'm coming home. And, God willing, so are they.

Filling-in on the Morning News today, and we'll be talking about the trip to Afghanistan.


Almost have the first story written; we're going to start editing when I get off the air. The piece on my trip with Illinois soldiers to the village of Khaki Jabbar will run on the 9:00 news Sunday night and will be posted online immediately thereafter.

It's coming together pretty well, and kind of shows in a nutshell what some of these soldiers are up against. They hand-packed over a-thousand packages of school supplies for kids in this remote village, brought them out there, let locals hand them out to children who lined-up to receive them, only to find many of their gifts burning in a pile on the ground not five minutes later. It's pretty dramatic imagery, and the frustration these soldiers feel is very apparent.

"Taliban" is an expression I feel may be overused. I'm not sure it's an accurate way of describing the insurgent forces at work in Afghanistan-- and has become more of a convenient catch-all name for the insurgency.

If I was ever going to use that word, this is a good place. The Taliban still has a strong hold on outlying areas like Khaki Jabbar.. and while for the most part we were welcomed by villagers there- you could see the hatred on the faces of some of the older kids. Make no mistake- we were not welcome, and they sent that message very clearly.

I fed some of the tape back from Afghanistan right away, so some of it has run on WGN already -- but there's much more to the story, and you can see it Sunday at 9.

After that- I'm planning a piece a night for the rest of next week, and working on a half-hour special to broadcast in early July. Watch for details here on our blog.

We did a great half-hour of radio with my good pal Dean Richards on WGN-AM yesterday. Dean tells me the response was terrific, and we're hoping to get on the air together again soon.



My phone has already started ringing after last night's report. Some people are wondering who these soldiers are when they're not deployed with the Guard in Afghanistan.. Others are calling to tell me.

We're on that angle, too.

Part 2 of this series airs tonight- on the guys I refer to as sort of an Illinois "Band of Brothers," bringing law and order to some of the most lawless and dangerous regions of southern Afghanistan.

I talked to their boss, Col. Bill Hix, this morning. It's not an overstatement. He's very proud of these guys. As I write this, our story on them is in editing. I hope you like it- but watch out for that mortar round!! That's tonight at 9.

Tomorrow: Who they are.

I encountered some amazing people over there.. and yes- I'm aware that I have said that before. What I want folks to know (the ones who don't already) is who these people are back here at home. You'll be stunned, I think. And very, very proud.

So that takes us through the next couple of days. I'll be doing stories until Friday. Believe me, I have plenty of material.

If you missed last night's report, it's here on the website and has also been picked up for broadcast by CNN, so you may catch it there.

 

In the meantime- do you have questions? Something you want to say to the men and women serving over there?

I know a lot of them have been checking-in.. And they have enjoyed reading your thoughts here.. So feel free to weigh-in.

Tonight WGN News continues its reports from Afghanistan. If you've missed any of the reports from Sunday or Monday night, you can watch them all here (as well as view photos and watch additional video).


Assignment Afghanistan

Tonight we take a closer look at who these men and women truly are. Tune in to the WGN News at Nine on Ch. 9 on WGN-TV.

wgntv.com/newsatnine

Talk about giving a story time to breathe...

Last night's "Assignment: Afghanistan" ran about 5 minutes. It could have gone much longer, as it was all about the soldiers-- who they are and what they do back here at home. There are some fascinating people serving over there, with amazing stories to tell. Kudos to the powers-that-be here for seeing the value in this and letting me have the freedom to put those stories out there. First, it's- "Sure, Tom, why don't you take off to Afghanistan for a couple of weeks. Here's some money and camera equipment. Wear your body armor. See you when you get back."


Now, it's essentially all the time, resources and behind-the-scenes talent you could ask for to get the job done right. You don't get that everywhere, let me tell you..

Speaking of which- the guys editing these stories are amazing. Steve Scheuer spent a very long day chopping tonight's piece, while I worked on a print story for the Tribune. He and Mike D'Angelo are two of our best and have been relentless about turning the hours and hours of video I shot with my two little camcorders into some pretty compelling television. So thanks, guys. We've got a few more to go.

 

The response to this also continues to amaze. Lots of calls and emails from viewers who have a wide range of views on this war, but unanimous support for the men and women called upon to wage it. God forbid we ever have a popular war..

When they have to go to battle, America and Poland like to go together. It's been that way since the end of the Cold War. There is, of course, a very strong connection between Poland and Chicago. We have a very large and vibrant Polish community here, and tomorrow night's story focuses on the amazing connection that exists even in Afghanistan. Getting to work on that one now. It's gonna be another late night. Doing Roe Conn's show tomorrow afternoon. I love me some Roe Conn.. always enjoy talking to him.. look forward to sharing a few more stories about my two weeks in Afghanistan.

Every one of your thoughts -whatever your views on the war- adds to the dialogue that we should be having at a time like this.. This trip and these stories were always a small part of a much bigger picture; not about politics or the war or one branch of service, but about the people who serve-- whether in the National Guard (like the troops I spent so much time with), the Army, Air Force, Marines, 3-letter agencies.. I even ran into folks from the Navy over there!

WGN TV's Tom Negovan stops by to talk with Dean about his recent embed with the IL National Guard in Afghanistan.

I'm away with family for Father's Day and a little break from all the work that's still going on around this story.

Ever since I got back from Afghanistan, I've been scanning the headlines for the story I hoped I wouldn't see. I saw it today.

From the Tribune:

Two Illinois soldiers have died in Afghanistan after their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Kandahar, according to the Illinois Army National Guard. 

Twenty-six-year-old Staff Sgt. Joshua Melton of Germantown and 43-year-old Sgt. Paul Smith of East Peoria died Friday, according to the national guard. Two other soldiers in the vehicle were injured. 

It was Melton's second deployment after serving with Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2006. He graduated from Central Community High School in Breese in 2001 and enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in November 2000. 

Melton was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry based in Marion. 

Smith graduated from East Peoria Community High School in 1984 and enlisted in the Guard in April 1993. It was his third deployment, and he was in Iraq from 2003 to 2004 and from 2005 to 2006. 

Smith was with Troop C, 2nd Battalion, 106th Cavalry based in Aurora. 

Both soldiers had been in Afghanistan since October. 

"Staff Sgt. Melton and Sgt. Smith were true patriots, answering the call to duty and supporting their fellow Soldiers during multiple deployments," said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, adjutant general of the Illinois National Guard. "They are remarkable, devoted Soldiers who will always be our heroes." 

No funeral arrangements have been announced.

From the things they brought with them to the soldiers from Illinois, Tom Negovan's specials from Afghanistan bring new perspective to the daily occurances happening abroad.

If you missed any of Tom's specials, you can still watch them on the wgntv.com website:
http://www.wgntv.com/news/wgntv-negovan-afghanistan-reports-storygallery,0,2642785.storygallery

Also, be sure to catch the full 30 minute special on Afghanistan, airring in early July. We'll post specific airdates and information on the blog as soon as we have them.

We're hard at work on a very special project that has me re-living my experience in Afghanistan. I've spent the past week trying to boil down the best of what I shot into a half-hour program that will air this Thursday night, July 2nd. The second half of our 9:00 news will be devoted entirely to the trip..and the troops.

It might be easier to do a full hour. I have so much amazing material- and so many great interviews. I'm thrilled we're getting a chance to give the story more exposure. While the big challenge has been getting it down to a half-hour, the great part of that is it leaves us with only the best elements- and hopefully a half-hour well-spent.

The special will run at 9:30 Thursday night and again on the 4th of July between 7:30 and 8pm CST.

Given the timing, expect something that strikes a patriot tone and incorporates material we couldn't include in the 6 earlier reports.

I really want to thank everyone again for their kind thoughts, calls, letters and emails. I'm a little overwhelmed.

Many, many people have asked if they can buy a tape or DVD, and while that's not really something that we do, we will allow the material to live on-line for as long as possible. When the half-hour show is complete and has broadcast, it will be available here as well. And it's free..