173RD AIRBORNE 1-503RD ATTACK CO-UPDATE FROM AFGHANISTAN

1LT VAN DOAN UPDATE FROM AFGHANISTAN 1-503RD ATTACK CO. 173RD AIRBORNE

09 Apr 2008:

Hello From Afghanistan!

My company just got back from a great mission, so I will start with that. It began as a short one, only nine days, but soon got expanded to 24, 31, and finally 40-some days due to the sheer effectiveness of our presence. We killed multiple high level bad guys, halted a major infiltration route, improved relations with allies, and best of all established a permanent coalition presence in a formerly black area. The bad news was we went 40 days without a shower. It was well worth it. I want you to know that we do make a difference out here, this is not some pointless un-winnable war, and that there is progress made every day. Setbacks also, but mainly progress. I counsel patience.

Surprisingly, while we were out there, we were able to receive a shipment of mail during a rest at one of our remote perimeters. What a great feeling to get some mail, and clean socks, and dry sacks etc. The DVDs we had to put on hold for a while. What I really enjoyed were the little dramatic stories of everyday life that some of you wrote. Sometimes we forget that life goes on back home, forget what a normal life is. And for those of you that have are financially stressed, don’t worry about sending any of the big things, a letter or a magazine are appreciated. Remember, you are already funding us through taxes, these are perks (great perks that make life and missions much easier).

After we returned, I was then swamped paperwork. Ah, the life of an Lieutenant. So, I apologize that I haven’t written back to most of you yet, the tempo has picked up. In fact, just as I was writing this, my company got spun up for a mission on extremely short notice. I am writing this on standby.

OK, on to the wish list. Leaders just got issued some surefire headlamps that mount directly onto helmets. Super sweet. I’d like to get each one of my Joes one of these. The red/white ones are preferable. The therm-a-rest ridgeline sleeping pads are highly sought after, and one of my guys is dying for a g-shock. What I am positive we need is Protein powder. My guys are highly motivated, and in fantastic shape. What they experience is are dramatic gains and losses in weight due to being out there for so long. When we get to work out we do the best we can. Cytosport Muscle Milk and Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard are the most popular brands, and anything chocolate is good. Finally, DVDs are great for the long slow days. We get hooked on TV seasons so easily. In terms of reading, I believe that magazines are the best thing for those amounts of time where reading works. Everything from GQ and Esquire to Vanity Fair and Cosmopolitan to celebrity gossip to current events is read. Just about any magazine is welcome.

Included are some pictures of my guys working out at that “prison gym” and some nice pictures of the area I got on mission. Hopefully I can write sooner, but with how our missions go, who knows!

Attack!

LT Van Doan

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