What a bad-ass day!!!

"Ok, here is how you put the round together to before you load it, this is how you aim. Any questions?" Said one of my ANP chiefs during a very wonderful class on the RPG (rocket propelled grenade) that he gave me and my squad. Some of us have been on the receiving end of these, so it was nice to finally be able to see it shot from the right side. The chief gave us a good class, and after ensuring the down range was cleared, I was allowed to shoot an anti-personnel round. It was better then I expected. I have had the opportunity to shoot many different weapons in the Army, but it is always fun to shoot something new, especially when it is a foreign weapon. It is good to have all of my soldiers knowing how to use one, just in case. It did not have much kick to it, but boy did that round travel fast. The chief shot a high explosive anti-tank round at the hill. I shot mine closer. The weapon is fairly easy to prep and aim, you just have to keep the front tilted upwards until you shoot. It was great fun, and if any of you ever get the chance to shoot one, take it. You will not be disappointed. SSG Russell Miller.

Merry Christmas....Santa's packin' heat....

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM SUNNY AFGHANISTAN!!! All of us here hope that it was an enjoyable holiday for all of you back home. We had the 82 Airborne singers come and perform some nice songs for us. I will try to get some of those pics up soon. As you can see, Santa made a stop here to pass out stockings and presents. It was pretty cool. He stopped to check out the RPK that the Afghan's use. Not as good as quality as our stuff, but it holds its own. So anyway, we had a pretty good dinner and passed out presents from different groups that sent them. From some wonderful lawyers in Portland, OR to the FRG and some 173rd Airborne supporters, and of course my wonderful wife and kids who handmade some delicious cookies and cards for the platoon. Everything was so great, except not being home with our families. Well, I have to get back to work, but I will up date again soon.

Thats some high speed looking ANP, and the food was good too...

So, that is a real high speed group of ANP soldiers. These are some of the soldiers that we have been training for the past 11 months. They are a good group of guys, and take to the training well. They are always excited to see us and do some new training. One good thing about doing the training is that they usually feed us lunch if we are there. As you can see, we had some lunch the other day and it was tasty. It was real simple, just rice, bread, and potatoes. They Afghanis just got done celebrating Eid, which is a big holiday for them. It is a 4 day celebration, kinda like Christmas or Easter for us. They kill sheep, eat alot, and just chill out for a while. But, things are back to normal for us and them. We are getting ready for Christmas here, and I have a bunch of stockings to put together for the platoon. We have gotten an overwhelming amount of support for the holidays and beyond. It is so great to know people are supporting us over here. I will get lots of pictures for everyone to see, and I heard that Santa Claus will be making a special stop here. We heard he will be coming in by helicopter with gunship support. We definitely do not want ol St. Nick getting shot down or anything bad like that. Well, a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all. I need to go prep some gifts, so enjoy, and more to follow in the near future.

busy, busy, busy

Well, it has been a while since my last post I just realized. We have been staying busy here with our ANP, training them and the like. It has really begun to look nice for the holidays around here. There is snow in the mountains, decorations around the FOB, and packages coming in by the truck load. And as you can tell from the blurry picture (sorry) it is getting colder as well. Just in the mornings and at night right now though. I am pretty sure that Santa will make his way here to pass out gifts and stockings to all. Some people here might get some coal, but most will get some nice treats, thanks to the great people who have been supporting us and sent stockings to us all. My wife and kids did make some yummy goodies for the platoon, and everyone was really thankful for the homemade goodies. There will be other gifts to come on Christmas, and I will get some nice thanks you letters out to those that are very deserving of it. i have a room full of boxes right now waiting to get passed out. Well, I need to get back to work, and also get some more holiday pictures taken for you all.

it's begining to look a lot like Christmas...

Well, as you can see, the first snow has arrived in the mountains in the not so far distance to us over here. Yes it is getting colder here as well. But never fear, as the Army has equipped us with some great new cold weather gear. It is a 7 layer system that will stand up to some pretty brutal weather and elements. It has everything from silk weight undergarments to water proof gortex outer shells and parkas. I personally like the fleece jacket the best, and wear it all the time when it gets chilly. We have been slowly starting to decorate around here for the holidays. The hardest part about it is not being home with our families and loved ones. But I try to keep my soldiers and myself busy and we always talk about what we would be doing if we were home or what we will do on leave. It is great to have all the support that we have been getting from the home front. It makes a huge world of difference to have the car packages coming in the mail. We have started to put up some Christmas decorations around here. Yesterday, I was able to give out some tarps to a local school that does not have a roof. It takes a long time for reconstruction projects to get going, so we help out as best as we can before they start. We will be doing a big H-aid drop soon at school that has a couple thousand kids. I will have lots of photos of that when it happens. Well, thank you all for the continued support and love. I do pass the thanks of all my soldiers on to you all. Well, I must return to the numerous reports i am always writing, so more to come in the near future. SSG Miller