Subscribe FeedRed Bulls patrol area around COP Najil
LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Capt. Jason Merchant, the company commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman from Dysart, Iowa, hands out cards Dec. (click for more)
64th MPs: Brothers, sisters in arms
KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Spc. Lauren Hyman of Texarkana, Texas, armored vehicle driver for the 64th Military Police Company based at Combat Oupost Fortress, says hello to an (click for more)
Iowa town showers small Afghan school with supplies
LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Taylor Gingrich, an infantry officer from Cedar Falls, Iowa, with Task Force Ironman, draws a smile from an Afghan boy as Gingrich (click for more)
TF Knighthawk Soldier prepares for recording contract during deployment
LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Spc. Brian Stowe, a human resources specialist from Elkmont, Ala., with Task Force Knighthawk, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, sings a ballad he wrote and (click for more)
Guard team partners with Afghan security forces
PAKTYA, Afghanistan – Servicemembers defend the wall after an improvised explosive device detonates on Forward Operating Base Lightning Dec. 5. (click for more)
French forces support Afghan troops in Kapisa
KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghan and French military chiefs conduct a briefing before deployment during a security operation. Afghan National Security Forces and French Task Force Richelieu conducted Operation Montevideo (click for more)
Panjshir PRT engineers inspect Paryan road
PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Phil Compton, Doty, Wash., Panjshir PRT engineer, and PRT local Afghan engineer Abid Wardak check the structural integrity of the retaining (click for more)
TF White Eagle saves lives of mother, infant
GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – An Afghan family looks at their new family member after she was delivered by the Polish Army medical team at Forward Operating Base Warrior Jan. 3. (click for more)
1st Bn., 187th Inf. Regt., patrols Sabari District
KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan -- Soldiers from 2nd Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, maneuver through Sabari District during patrols to disrupt insurgent activity in the (click for more)
Freedom Restoration Center helps troops get back to duty
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Sgt. Shawn Fouste, Decatur, Ill., noncommissioned officer in charge of the Freedom Restoration Center with the 455th Expeditionary Wing, Task Force Med, plays with (click for more)
LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Some 19-year olds bond with their fathers by going fishing. Some bond with their fathers by just calling home and having a conversation. But very few will ever share the bond that comes from pinning on a fathers purple heart in a combat zone
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Brian Willette, Foxtrot Company, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team squad leader, had the chance of a lifetime to have his son U.S. Army Pvt. Kevin Nieves, Laghman Provincial Reconstruction Team security forces member, pin on his Purple Heart during a ceremony on Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam here Oct. 28.
“I was so proud and honored to have been here for my dad to award him his Purple Heart,” said Nieves who hails from Springfield, Mass.
Willette, also from Springfield, earned his Purple Heart when his truck was hit by an improvised explosive device during one of his regular missions.
He was finishing his nine-month tour at FOB Mehtar Lam as Nieves was gearing up to start his time at the same FOB, allowing them the opportunity to spend some quality father-son time together for a few days.
“I’m just so amazed that he was 10 when the towers came down,” said Willette. “And now, nine years later, he is proudly serving his country. I’m so happy we got to do it together.”
Nieves joined the Army 16 years after his father and had the privilege of his father coming home during leave to put on his blue infantryman cord at basic training.
“I saw how honored and proud my father was to be in the Army and how he would carry himself, and I decided that, that is what I want to be like, that’s what I want for myself, to live out the Army values, just as my dad does,” said Nieves.
Not only does he have a son serving in the military, Willette has a daughter, U.S. Air National Guard Staff Sgt. Christine Willette, serving in public health for the 104th Fire Wing of the Massachusetts ANG.
“She was the first of us to have seen indirect fire,” said Willette. “Needless to say, we were all a little envious of her.”
Willette will be heading back to the States to resume his role as an Army parent, supporting from the sidelines.
“I’m glad to be heading home,” he said. “Now I’m just another concerned parent who knows my son will probably be driving over that same spot where my truck got hit many times before he comes home.”
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| Afghan forces, TF Bastogne continue operations in Sherzad District |
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NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces and Soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Bastogne, continued operations in the Sherzad District Jan. 8 clearing the village of Toto of insurgent fighters to reinforce a foundation of security in the area. |
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| TF Iron eliminates insurgent IED team |
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GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers form Task Force Iron Rakkasan and members of the Afghan Uniformed police, using the Precision Threat Detection System blimp at Forward Operating Base Andar, identified a group of insurgents with weapons and explosives Jan. 3. |
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| TF Iron Rakkasan uses PTDS to prevent highway robbery |
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GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Recently, Soldiers from Task Force Iron Rakkasan watched a member of the Afghan Uniformed Police conduct an illegal checkpoint on the route between Ghazni and Sharana. Using the camera system on the Persistent Threat Detection System, Soldiers observed a man standing in the road collecting money from vehicles. The practice is common by insurgents who fund their attacks by taking money from locals. |
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| Joint operation helps clear Sherzad of insurgent activity |
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NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Afghan National Security Forces and Soldiers from Task Force Bastogne began operations in the Sherzad District Dec. 23. |
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