In my two months as an embedded journalist with the Nebraska and Iowa National Guards, I met dedicated soldiers who worked relentlessly to improve Afghans’ lives. The soldiers often told me that their efforts were aimed at winning the hearts and minds of the people. It wasn’t like war video games. Rather, their mission was humanitarian.
People often ask if I feared for my life during that time. Though my heart pounded hard a time or two, I never felt more safe than in the company of those soldiers.
In recognition of Veterans Day, I’ve gathered a collection of images showing the Nebraska and Iowa National Guards, numbering more than 3,300 strong, serving in Afghanistan during the spring of 2011.
Many soldiers labored patiently to train Afghan police and army members, while others coordinated funds to assist locals, whether that meant building a bridge or delivering food and supplies. Female soldiers were key in reaching out to local women, and I knew several service members who brought medicine to injured locals, especially children, who otherwise had no access to treatment.
No doubt, though, these men and women were in a war zone, and danger was a genuine threat. They risked their lives daily and, when called to action, were prepared and professional.
It’s important to recognize their service, not just for Americans at home but also for the people whose hearts and minds the soldiers won during deployment. Take a moment to remember the commitment, risk and personal sacrifices made daily by members of the armed services. Thank them when you have the opportunity. They served for you.
I’ve posted some of my favorite images below with a few personal notes.
Sgt. Heather Eberly was struggling — I could see it in her eyes and posture. Two days earlier, the medic from Altoona, Iowa, at right, had been part of an Iowa National Guard team that treated 19 trauma patients at the aid station at Forward Operating Base Wright. Initially, she handled the stress well, but it hit her later on. “Unfortunately, with residual effects of trauma, sleep is not easy to come by,” Eberly told me. Despite that, she went out on a mission to the women’s center in a nearby town with the rest of the 734th Agribusiness Development Team’s female engagement team, led by Maj. Mary Parmenter of Perry, Iowa, at left. They waited in a private room to speak with an Afghan teacher. Sensing Eberly’s struggle, Parmenter leaned over and hugged her. The gesture was familiar, like something that would happen between family back home.
Second Lt. Sean Polson of Chadron, Neb., who plans to attend medical school, was eager to get a head start while working as a medic in Afghanistan. He had met this young girl and her family earlier while working at the nearby Shahrak-e Pamir Girls School in Kabul. She had apparently been shocked by a live wire. That, along with open flames, is a common cause of injury there. By the time she saw Polson, her infection had nearly turned gangrenous, but he was able to treat the burn with what he had in his medic kit. On this visit, he was checking on her progress. Polson was concerned about her loss of some feeling and dexterity, but there wasn’t much more he could do.
The terrain outside Bagram Air Field felt eerily similar to the foliage in Nebraska and Iowa, especially along lakes and rivers. This shot juxtaposes the familiarity of the landscape with the young Iowan with his rifle and “battle rattle.” Spc. Kyle Graber, of Kalona, is pulling security duty while members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division’s personal security detail talk with local villagers about a flooding problem.
Afghanistan is a difficult country to inhabit. The climate is harsh, the terrain is punishing, the culture can be jarring — and it is very hard for locals to improve their prospects. Still, it is a beautiful country with astoundingly beautiful people who have great hopes for their future. Here, a member of the Iowa National Guard’s 1-113th Cavalry Squadron pulls security duty at the end of the day near the village of Pacha Khak. The day included a mine explosion, a weapons cache discovery and a firefight.
