VICENZA, Italy -- July has been a month of homecomings for Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team as they return here from a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan.

Spc. Jesse A. Murphree of Destined Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), reversed that Afghanistan to Italy airflow July 22 when he traveled from the United States to rejoin his unit as they arrived at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

The "Rock Battalion" infantryman was among the first to greet the approximately 400 Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173rd ABCT and the 503rd's 1st and 2nd Battalions, on the air base flight line.

He shook their hands while standing on two artificial legs, steadying himself with a cane.

Murphree, 22, served as a gunner on an up-armored Humvee. His platoon was overwatching another platoon during a mounted patrol in the Korengal Valley, near Ali Abad, Afghanistan, two days after Christmas 2007. As his convoy was preparing to move, his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.

Murphree said he has few memories of the explosion. He lost his legs below his knees and suffered minor burns in the incident. Two other Soldiers were also injured in the attack.

Medically evacuated from Afghanistan, he arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Dec. 30.

"I was hit on the 27th and woke up in Walter Reed on New Year's Day," he said as he awaited the first of two aircraft bringing his comrades home.

Murphree arrived in Italy July 20 and said he plans to stay until the first week of August to welcome the remaining 173rd Soldiers. Upon arrival at Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, he was greeted by other Destined Company Soldiers, including his former platoon and section sergeants and two other Soldiers who were wounded in earlier incidents.

"I was looking forward to that feeling you get when you see everyone all happy because they just got done with a deployment. I came back for that feeling," he said. "I've always been thinking about what is going on and worrying. I definitely miss being around all of the guys."

He is staying in the Caserma Ederle Warrior Transition Unit quarters.

"It is pretty hooked up," Murphree said of his lodging at the WTU. "They are accessible; there are ramps and a shower that works for me."

Murphree says this is the longest trip he has taken since arriving at Walter Reed. He has made three other three-day trips in that time -- to his hometown in Colorado, a Texas fishing trip hosted by the 173d Airborne Brigade Association, and a Memorial Day celebration in Pennsylvania.

He said he continues his routine of frequent stretching exercises and walking on his prosthetic legs here, adding that his two-week stay in Italy does not interfere with his treatment. In fact he says it's a plus.

"This is actually better for me," Murphree explained. "That's pretty much what I am doing here. I am walking around a lot. Being on my legs is doing more than therapy would do."

"I'm well past the critical stage of therapy," he said. "You have to keep your core strength up. You have to build tolerance and confidence in your legs."

The reunion night's agenda included going into town with friends and around the Vicenza military community, he said. "We'll have some drinks and stuff, go hang out and have a good time."

Later plans include returning to Vicenza in September for the 173rd's formal welcome-home ceremony and celebration, he said.

Murphree, who is still on active duty, said he will continue his treatment at Walter Reed while undergoing the Medical Evaluation Board process. He expects to be medically retired from the Army in February 2009.

"You can never predict how long you are going to be there, because there are always bumps in the road," he said.

He said he is considering attending college and studying counterterrorism, English or public speaking, and possibly psychology. Plans also include taking up competitive mono-skiing, a sport that resembles snowboarding.

Murphree's return to Italy, where he spent his first and only Army assignment, is an inspiration and strength for all 173rd ABCT Soldiers and the Vicenza military community, said Capt. Matthew J. Heimerle, the 2-503rd rear detachment commander.

"To see him in person lifts everybody's spirit," he said. "Murphree will never quit on his ambitions and goals and will forever be a source of inspiration for the Soldiers of the Battalion."

Heimerle said there were no difficulties in arranging for Murphree's reunion. Community and battalion leaders cleared the visit with doctors at Walter Reed and ensured there was a place for him to stay in the community and that his medical needs were met.

"This has been an extremely tough deployment for all in this battalion," Heimerle said. "Every one of us has lost close, close friends, and to see someone like Murphree get hurt the way he did and recover the way he has, and will continue to do, gives everyone a huge morale boost."

"To me his attitude, motivation, and character epitomize the young Soldiers that are in today's Army and it also reflects our core Army values," he said. "Guys like Murphree are the ones that should be talked about in the news."

"It was good to see that he is alright," said Sgt. Nathan Thomas, the emergency medical technician who treated Murphree in the Korengal Valley.

It's also good for Murphree to see his friends, Thomas added. "He has been in Walter Reed for so long," the medic said.

The entire Destined Company -- especially his friends -- are boosting Murphree's morale, Thomas said.

"I'm not helping him. We are helping him," Thomas said. "This is our little band of brothers sticking together."

Scout team members Spc. Mitchell Raeon and Spc. Jay Liske, who witnessed the explosion, said they plan to get together with Murphree during his visit.

"He looked good," Raeon said. "We have not seen him in about 10 months, so we did not know what to expect."

"I can't wait to drink a beer with him tonight," added Liske.

"It's been incredible to see my buddies come back. It is one of the feelings I've been waiting for," Murphree said as 18 busloads of Soldiers pulled away from the flight line for the two-hour ride from Aviano to Vicenza. "You sit there at the hospital and you think constantly about your guys and what is going on. And when you finally get to see them and you know that they are OK, it is definitely awesome."

BLACKFIVE: For the hell of it

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2008/07...

To all those who asked, yes my friend was one of the 2/503 guys.  None of what I'm about to pass on is classified but its info civilian channels sometimes get wrong.  The American FOB (forward operating base) was not over run, the attack was repelled.  The enemy raiders out numbered our guys 2 to 1.  Nine American soldiers died for their country, over 100 enemy died for theirs (their country, beliefs, cause they were bored, whatever).

Posted By Driven

To all those who asked, yes my friend was one of the 2/503 guys.  None of what I'm about to pass on is classified but its info civilian channels sometimes get wrong.  The American FOB (forward operating base) was not over run, the attack was repelled.  The enemy raiders out numbered our guys 2 to 1.  Nine American soldiers died for their country, over 100 enemy died for theirs (their country, beliefs, cause they were bored, whatever).

You can look at this two ways, being sad and depressed, or realizing that out numbered 2 to 1, our guys still kicked some *** **** terrorist ass.

Let us not remeber how they died, let us remember how they lived.  On my last deployment one of my very dear friends was killed from my platoon.  It was the most vivid horrible day of my life, but when someone mentions my friend that's not what I remember.  I remember the good times, the shared hardships, the laughs.  We remember our fallen comrades by the lessons they taught us, the smiles we shared and the brotherhood we formed, not the sadness and grief of the end.  When soldiers mourn, we crack open a bottle of the Fallen's favorite beer and sit around telling stories about him.  I can think of no better way to be remembered.

So over a shot of cheapest tequilla, no salt, no chaser, I offer a toast.  "For God?  For Country?  For the Hell of it!"

Tuesday July 15, 2008 12:59PM Sports Illustrated -Peter King-Monday Morning QB

Roger Goodell sounded totally spent over the phone from Afghanistan, but he also sounded totally exhilarated at the same time. That's what taking a one-week trip to the twin war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan last week did for him.

"A life-changing experience,'' he told me Friday, late at night his time, and early afternoon my time. "I'm absolutely exhausted, but it's one of the most rewarding things I've ever gotten to do.''

Friday is when Goodell, Osi Umenyiora and Drew Brees helicoptered into FOB Tillman, a base just 700 meters from the Pakistan border, and a base close to -- and very similar to -- the one that was attacked by Taliban extremists early Sunday morning, resulting in the deaths of nine American soldiers.

This Tillman base, as with many others in the Afghan war, is invented and built to gain a foothold in an eastern area of the country that sees an attempted daily influx of Taliban. The American troops must intercept the Pakistanis, then determine whether they're either harmless (Bedouin tribesman, perhaps, or simple shepherds), or militants invading the country to try to drive out the Americans.

It's not always easy to tell, and it's not always easy to prevent the Taliban from secretly crossing the border and engaging in firefights with the Americans. On Sunday morning, somehow, the militants crossed the border, gained access to the small base and used grenade launchers and machine guns to kill nine and wound 15 American troops.

All of which made the will-Brett-Favre-play-or-won't-he stuff dominating the football news rather insignificant to the Goodell party, back on American soil Monday.

"The news was a lot more personal than it would have been a week ago,'' said Goodell, back at his Manhattan desk Monday afternoon. "And my first thought was: 'Did I just meet these kids?'

Goodell said at FOB Tillman, 10 troops stood lookout on one hill near the base and 14 on another hill close by. These sentries were charged with securing the border and stayed atop the hills for days at a time. The base commander told Goodell that about eight kilometers away on the previous day, 70 soldiers from the base engaged insurgents in a firefight with no American casualties. On Sunday, men and women from the nearby base weren't so lucky.

"What impressed me so much,'' Goodell told me, "is of all the men and women we met at so many different bases, not a single one complained about anything -- not their missions, not about how long they were there, nothing. It's inspiring. We are so fortunate to have so many great people in service to our country. And I felt how meaningful and important the NFL is to these people.

"One of the most sobering moments of the tour was our return to Bagram Airbase [the main U.S. base in Eastern Afghanistan] from FOB Tillman. Shortly after we landed we were driven to an area on the flight line to take part in a Fallen Comrade Ceremony for two of our soldiers. Our entire group stood in a line on the airfield along with hundreds of other soldiers, paying our respects as the coffins were loaded into a cargo plane. It was absolutely quiet and emotional. My heart goes out to all the families as well as their fellow soldiers."

I saw one of those on my USO trip to Afghanistan in March. Unforgettably emotional. I get choked up thinking about it four months later. I've got to applaud Goodell, Brees and Umenyiora for taking this trip, particularly so close to the season. I felt a searing gratitude from everyone I met in the military in my week overseas; I can only imagine how a marquee quarterback, a Super Bowl champion and the commissioner of the game were made to feel.

Not to get on my flag-waving soapbox here, but I'd really love to see a couple of coaches and more high-profile players go next year. Regardless of your feelings about these conflicts -- and I admit I'm a card-carrying dove if there ever was one -- we cannot do enough to show the men and women risking their lives how much we appreciate what they do. Stepping outside the cocoon of the NFL to do that is something more of our football heroes should do.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Insurgents who squared off with U.S. soldiers in a major battle in eastern Afghanistan overran a military observation point just outside a coalition outpost, but failed to take the base, a U.S. military official told CNN.

"It was heroic fighting," said another official, NATO spokesman Mark Laity, describing the U.S.-led troop performance.

"They wanted to overrun that base," he added, referring to the militants. "They failed."

The fighting left nine U.S. soldiers dead and 15 wounded. It marked the most fatalities in an attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years. An Afghan official estimated that 100 militants died or were wounded in the fighting.

A U.S. official told CNN that as many as 200 insurgents were involved in the strike, which NATO said occurred at an outpost in Dara-I-Pech. However, other officials could not put a figure on the number of insurgent casualties at this time.

The official said militants didn't get into the outpost but they did overrun a small U.S.-led observation point outside the base, where it is believed most of the American and Afghan fatalities and injuries occurred. Watch more about the attack on the coalition base »

Laity described the insurgent strike as a "major attack" by a "large group of insurgents."

"What there was was a combat outpost had a major attack on it by a large group of insurgents. They had infiltrated a neighboring village and they fired on the base from that village and then they attacked the base itself."

He said severe fighting followed, resulting in the American casualties and the wounding of four Afghan service members.

"They attempted to break into that base. They did make some penetration. But overall they were repelled and they took very heavy casualties themselves," Laity said.

He indicated that the penetration or breach that media reports about the strike referred to was the attack on the observation post.

"We brought in air power to stabilize the situation in a fight that then lasted for several hours," he said.

There have been occasional strikes on coalition bases in recent months -- Laity noted that the practice "is quite common."

"This was a larger-scale attack than normal," he said, but added, "This was not a new tactic. They usually get defeated. We are very, very sad that we lost some people but again, their attempt to take that base failed."

Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, an Afghan Defense Ministry official, had different initial numbers than the U.S. official. He said the attack involved 400 to 500 militants, and at least 100 were killed or injured, he said.

In June 2005, 16 U.S. troops were killed near the same province when their MH-47 helicopter was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. {OPERATION REDWING}

Since the start of coalition operations in Afghanistan, 470 U.S. troops have died, including Sunday's casualties.

The battle illustrates the escalating war in Afghanistan, where since May U.S. and coalition troop deaths have exceeded those occurring in Iraq.

Defense sources said the request could include between 600 and 1,000 MRAPs -- Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, many originally destined for Iraq but not needed there as much now because of the dramatic drop in violence there.

The MRAPs, which are the newest armored vehicles, have a V-shaped hull that helps deflect the blast of a roadside bomb.The troops in the east have been quite busy and they are using all of the equipment they have on hand to conduct their fight, officials have said.

For example, when Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in the east's Korengal Valley recently, the helicopters that dropped him off at a base immediately left to join in a firefight on the other side of the valley.

Kandigal Village Celebrates Girls’ School

The first girls’ school in Kandigal Village celebrated an opening ceremony with elders from all over the river valley June 14, in Konar Province, Afghanistan.

The new $200,000, 400-seat Kandigal Girls School was funded by the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, also known as Task Force Rock.

Gov. Hajji Sayed Wahidi, Konar, and a number of other Konar provincial government officials were joined by Lt. Col. William Ostlund, Task Force Rock commander, and Navy Cmdr. Daniel W. Dwyer, Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team commander.

“Girls schools are the first priority for the government because unfortunately when Afghanistan was in the hands of the Taliban, the women were kept in the dark, and not allowed to come out of their homes for learning,” said Wahidi. “The women are in a very bad situation; therefore we believe now we need to do more for women, we should have some positive discrimination to increase activities for women.”

The Kandigal Girls School is a community success story, said Dwyer. The school was only possible through the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, the district and provincial government, the elders, and the Coalition forces working together.

“The community recognized and stated its number one priority for Kandigal Village was a girls school,” said Dwyer. “The government is addressing the needs of the people.”

Five schools are currently under construction in Konar province, and in the next several months the provincial government plans to build 15 more, according to Wahidi.

“We always try to make more facilities for girls in Konar province, we have 140,000 students going to school, and fortunately 40,000 are girls,” said Wahidi. “The number is still not bad, but I think if you provide the facilities, the number of girls and boys will be [50 percent of each].”

The Konar PRT, in conjunction with the ministry of education, will continue to fund the construction of new schools throughout the province, according to Dwyer.

“Konar province has 315 schools with only 115 buildings,” said Dwyer. “The Konar PRT will fund schools only along roads with already existing locations, whether it is a tarp, tent, or open air school.”

“A year ago Kandigal District had only two schools,” said Army Capt. Louis B. Frketic, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “The schools consisted of two teachers, and a collection of children sitting under trees in the village center.”

“Afghan’s believe when you send a child to school, the education process ‘“the tailm”’ is a cleansing process,” said Frketic. “Where you wash away all the bad things from the children’s minds, you wipe away the 30 years of fighting from their minds.”

According to Frketic, building schools is only part of a grander scheme. The coalition forces are also building roads, power stations, health clinics, pipe schemes, bridges, and wells, in support of the Afghan government.

U.S. Dept. of State representative Alison Blosser, spoke on behalf of the Konar PRT, and in their native language, Pashtu. She addressed the elders during the celebration ceremony about the importance of women’s education. It is a good step for the Afghans to be educating Konar’s future women doctors and provincial council members, she said.

“The Kandigal Girls School celebration was actually a fantastic event,” said Blosser. “The bulk of the time was the Afghanistan government officials speaking about the importance of community participation in government, and they really stole the show.”

According to Blosser, Kandigal Village is a strategic village because it sits between two decisive valleys, the Korengal Valley and the Pech Valley. Now that coalition forces have built strong relations with the elders by giving them something to develop their children, and develop their future.

“The significance of Kandigal Village is that it sits at the mouth of the Korengal Valley, and the Korengal Valley is the place in Konar province where probably our toughest fight has been for the last five years,” said Blosser. “One important thing about the Kandigal Girls School is over the past two years we’ve been trying to gain the trust and confidence of the Korengalis, and what we have been trying to do in Kandigal Village is demonstrate all the benefits development can bring.”

DVIDS
By Spc. Gregory J. Argentieri
173rd Airborne Brigade Public Affairs