War is Hell.....but we make the most of it....with help

So, as you may or may not know, being deployed is tough. But, once in a while we get to treat ourselves with some goodies. There is an actual Pizza Hut at one of the bigger FOB's that we get to go to every so often, and we do enjoy the tasty treats. As you can see, I was busy stuffing some peperoni in my face when one of my guys snapped a photo of me. It was some very delicious pizza though. Oh, the dog, she is a new K-9 with us, and the handler went to eat, so we had a little fun. We didn't get to many offers, I don't think people thought she was a working dog. Well, it is getting hot again here, already sneaking into the 80's some days. I will be home soon though, so not to worry. Take care, and see you all soon. Russ

Graduation

So, we finally ended this interation of training with our ANP. It was a lot of fun, but I am glad it is over. I think that we accomplished some really good things during this training. We handed out certificates on the last day, (the hat look familiar?) and as you can see from the new video, some of my soldiers and I got interviewed. This story played on AFN in Europe a couple of times, so we were pretty excited to see it here. I got told that the Army press guys would be out at my station, so we just carried on like any other day. It was pretty cool to be on T.V. like this again. So on graduation day, we had a nice ceremony and handed out the nice certificates to all of my ANP that are at the station. It was a good day, and now it is time to check on my other stations. The ANP at this station took really good care of us, and they were always motivated to do training. I hope that they continue to work hard and implement the tools and lessons that we have taught them. Well, without reveling too much information, we are getting short on time here, which is a good thing. I can not wait to get back home to my family and spend some good quality time with the wife and kids. My little ones are growing up fast. I am working on some things that will keep me home for a few years, so that will be very enjoyable. Well, I will let you all know when to stop sending packages and letters and such. We all appreciate all the support that has been sent over here, and I am glad to know so many people are reading my blog and getting a new perspective on our lives and missions over here. Take care for now.....SSG Russell Miller

Welcome to the gun show!!

These are some of the weapons turned in as talked about in my entry following this one. As you can see, there was a wide assortment, some British, some Russian, some Chinese, and some from where ever. Man, I really wanted to take some of these home, but that wasn't going to happen. We all had fun checking out the goods, and wishing we had some rounds for them to conduct a test fire or two. It was good to see the people willing to turn in the weapons to help their community, through the programs that have been set up like DIAG. Well, check out my other post from today for more info on the fun. Take care for now, SSG Miller....

I think I just became Royality......

Well, this was quite a day. The ANP chief and the sub-governor of one of my districts had a Jurga, which is a meeting with tribal elders and government officals of the area on important issues. This particular Jurga was about a program to turn in weapons. It is called DIAG. The elders of the area have people turn in weapons, and they trun them into DIAG through the sub-governor and police, and the community gets money or projects for it. Some examples would be wells getting repaired, Mosques being fixed, schools, and other public places built or repaired. It is a great program for the people. There were guest speakers from the local area, as well as members from higher in the food chain. The turn out was great, and there were quite a few weapons turned in. Some of us would have liked to take some of the weapons turned in, if that was allowed. There were a few British Steins, a 9mm sub machine gun, Enfield's, AK-47's, and some other interesting stuff. The weapons are destroyed after they are turned in. As you can see, I got presented with a Lunguta, which is a traditional Afghan turben head wrap. The chief told me something about being a honarary member of parliment now. I asked how much it paid, and he just laughed. I don't know why..... Anyway, they fed us afterwards, and man what a spread. We had goat, lamb, beef kababs, and rice and bread. The meat was so tender and delicious. Well, I don't know if the Army will let me be in parliment while on active duty. Maybe I can come back in 20 years and when I retire and get the position again........

Time for some shooting....on the range

So, we have had some fun in the past few days. We got to teach our ANP how to shoot a little better then they have been taught before. It was alot of fun teaching these guys how to shoot properly. They really enjoyed it as well. It was fun because every time we caught a soldier with his weapon on fire, or holding it the wrong way, he had to do 10 push ups. It was a great motivator, partially because they can't do push ups, and also it taught them the right way of doing things. Most of the soldiers caught on after their first 10 push ups or so. As you can see from the photos, we let a few of them shoot our weapons, and we got to shoot theirs. Most of my soldiers have never fired a foreign weapon before, so it was a good experience for them as well. Even my terp got to shoot my rifle as well. He is a pretty good shot. Our training portion is getting closer to being done, and we all have had a great time. The ANP are very motivated every day to recieve new training. I made up a certificate of motivation to give out each day to one or two soldiers who do a great job during the training. It is a great tool, because now they all want one, including the sub governor. I told him he has to participate in the training....I will give him one anyway, as a good gesture. Well, duty calls, as does the chow hall, so I will update again soon. Keepin' it real, close to Pakistan that is....Russ.

Everybody loves a good magazine

So, during our immersion training with our ANP, we have been bringing the guys magazines and stuff to read. Some of them know english, and a couple can read it, but mostly they like the pictures. It is cool to see them get all excited about the pictures of places around the world, and especially from the states. We all try to show them pictures of areas that we are from, and they are just amazed. So, we are getting ready to have some ranges with the soldiers. We have been teaching them how to shoot better, instead of the "spray and pray" ways they have been using. We are all having fun teaching these guys some new and usefull tools to help them in thier jobs, and to also see the new confidence that we have instilled in them. I will keep you all informed of who the best shooters are. I have some special prizes for them. Well, it has been rainy here, but now the weather looks to be clearing up. It is still cool in the mornings and evenings. Well, gotta go for now, I have lots of paper work to do. Thanks for all the support from all of you out there, and keep reading as I will try to update as much a possible. Russ.