Off to Afghanistan

[Guest imported_GeorgeCagle]

Greetings all,

I have been posting a little here since I returned from Afghanistan in December, 2002. I found out at drill this weekend that all of us who have been home for 12 months or longer are now going back for our second year. We had a lot of shocked soldiers, as we have been told for several months now that we would not be going back any time soon. I belong to a Civil Affairs unit and unfortunately there are not enough of us. We get deployed a lot. This will be my fifth deployment oversees.

Pat: we were there at the same time in 2002. I was with CJCMOTF in Kabul and did a lot of work with the Ministry of Communications to get Radio Afghanistan rebuilt and back on line.

I have a couple of weeks before I have to report to Bragg. I have an incredible list of things my wife put together that have to be done before I leave. And I am a Scoutmaster of a Boy Scout troop. I also have two children and we are involved in lots of activities. And to keep this car related, over the last year I took my '37 Studebaker apart and I just got the engine parts back from the machine shop, so in the next few days I need to put the motor back together before it rusts, and put a lot of primer on the body where I removed the paint. So, I have a lot to do and very little time to do it. I will get all the really important stuff done and not worry about the rest.

Once I get in country I will try and continue to post when I can and let you all know how things are going there.

I would like to ask that you all remember me and my unit in your prayers.

Thanks

[Dave@Moon]

You got it, George! Hang in there and come back safe!

[Steve Moskowitz]

George, all of us will be praying that you and your family get thru this troubling time safely. Let us know if we can be of any help.

[Guest imported_56BuickSuper]

God's speed. Thank you!

Dan

[Guest JT]

Good luck George and thank you. Our thoughts will be with you and your family.

[Guest BillP]

Thank you for your service, George.

Prayers up for you, your family and your unit.

[kuhner]

Thank you George!

You and all of the soldiers will be remembered in our prayers.

[R W Burgess]

Good luck George. Your post does upset me though. I hate to see the Reserves of this country used for an ongoing situation overseas. I'm a taunch believer in the draft. I think my own youngest son should serve his country for 2 years while he is young, so reservists can be used here in this country for emergencies only. Serving your country is the best way to pay back everyone for the freedom that we enjoy. Besides it instills pride and disipline that is sorely needed in the US. 'Nuff said, post often. We'd love to hear from you. Wayne

[Guest BruceW]

Good luck George

We'll all be thinking about you.

We hope you return home safely

[ex98thdrill]

Yeah George we definately were. I spent a lot of time there myself. I was at Bagram airbase and at K-2. I never saw Kabul. I worked with the Facility Engineer Team building the installation, and ocassionally we went into town and made arrangements to have work done on the Special Forces safehouses that are scattered around some of these villages. With you being Civil Affairs, you'll be spending a lot of time out on your own away from everyone else. STAY SAFE. The Civil Affairs guys we worked with were mostly the 401st out of Rochester, NY. It blew my mind when I was walking down Disney Drive at Bagram and ran into two of my old company commanders, and even ran into a few people who I had as trainees back when I was a drill sergeant.

....So far I'm on solid ground until October. After October if I don't get sent away, I will be on the top of the list to rotate back. So far we've been told that we're not going back to the same theater that we've been to, so with that in mind, we're looking at Iraq or Kuwait. With the hostile fire allottments, familty separation, and tax free income the money will be good for your projects, but you got to stay safe. If you decide that you want a Harley or a new car, you can darn near get them at cost through AAFES. If not, you'll definately make the money to make sizable progress on your project. I know when I head back, I'll have the money to finish my current project, and I already know what my next project will be (I haven't bought it yet).

[ex98thdrill]

You're right Wayne.....and we can all thank the wonderfull eight years spent with having the former governor of Arkansas and her husband for living in the White House. During their eight year tenure they screwed over the troops and cut back the military so bad that there isn't anyone left but the reserve forces .

FOR SALE: One NYS senator, free to good home

[6219_Rules]

God speed, George Cagle. May you stay safe, work diligently and return home whole. My heart goes out to you for all you have done and are doing, and to your family.

[Guest imported_GeorgeCagle]

Pat,

The guys from the 401st were there with my unit, the 489th out of Knoxville, TN. They were great to work with and helped make our rotation a great success. I arrived in Bagram the first week of Feb, 2002. The place needed a lot of work. I spent my first night sleeping on the dirt floor of a tent next to the runway. We went to Kabul the next day and I spent most of my 9 months in country there. I did get to go to Bamyan (where the Budda statues were) for about 6 weeks and that was a great experience. That part of the country is still "Old Testament". I made quite a few trips to Bagram, but only when I had to. Our compound in Kabul was much nicer. When I left in November of 2002, the 18th Corps had turned Bagram into "Braggram". There were lots of crazy rules. Soldiers were getting tickets for not wearing helmets while driving SUV's.

I was promoted out of the 489th after we got back (I am now a LTC) and I transfered to our higher headquarters. I am not sure what I will be doing on this rotation. Battle rosters tend to change daily.

A couple of the guys that I was with before took advantage of the Harley offer and they are very happy with their deals.

The worst thing about being deployed is being away from my family. Email access helps a lot. We will have to spend some time at Ft Bragg before deploying. The conditions there are very bad. Congress needs to spend a little money on their troops and improve the facilities. One of our older soldiers had his picture made in front of the building we were staying in and wanted the angle of the picture taken a certain way to show the building number. He told us that he had the exact same picture of his dad at this building during WWII. It is amazing that buildings that were designed to be temporary are still being used over 50 years later.

[R W Burgess]

Strange thing about Bragg, Dictator. I actually trained troops down there in the early 70's and all I ever saw or used were the old WW2 wooden barracks. While in basic at Fort Ord in Monterey, Ca, they had some very nice buick barracks that trainees called "home", boy, did that leave a lasting impression! At any rate, Fort Ord is no more, even though it was top notch in'68, a victim of base closings. I'll just bet politics were involved. Sad how this country is giving up it's defense systems. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Wayne

[ex98thdrill]

LTC Cagle? If you knew many of the guys, Dave Young, Steve McAlpin and Kristo Mietenin had all been my company commander at one time or another. MAJ Hughes was also in my Battalion at one time, plus MSG Juan Morales, SFC Jim Stopfel and SFC Coville were drill sergeants back when I was a drill. My unit lived in Viper City, and our office was in Motel 6. Towards the end of the deployment our unit moved into the Primer Power building. For those who haven't been there, this is jibberish, but George knows exactly what I'm talking about.

As for the crazy rules, yes I remember...

Let's see.... Stop signs at the intersections, Reflective belts worn after dark, 5mph speed limit, Kevlar worn while riding a John Deere Gator. If you have a crash at 5mph, you are an idiot and shouldn't be driving anything. The only thing a kevlar is going to do is help you if someone shoots you in the head, because with a crash, it's worthless. As I was getting ready to leave, my fuse had gotten very short due to some of the mickey mouse rules that these sergeant majors were inventing so that they could justify their existence. Because of their blatent incompetence and stupidity, I will never become a Sergeant Major and be classified and associated with that type of ignorance. I will retire as a brash and bold E-8 who can be trusted, and isn't afraid to tell people where the bear craps in the woods (most drill sergeants are like that).

As for Fort Bragg, they're probably keeping you in those nasty World War II barracks over by the runway where they fence you in like prisoners. Being assigned to a unit from Fort Drum, we mobilized out of there, and got issued the same gear as what the 10th Mountain gets, and didn't get treated like dirt.

You're right, being away from the family is the worst thing. As much as I enjoy that Harley, I'd give it up tomorrow to have that year of my life back. But the good part is that the Harley served as my motivation to take care of myself and to stay safe while I was over there. To be able to come home and sit on a bike that you've never seen, you've paid for it, yet never ridden it is quite the rush when the engine fires and you put it in gear. The day I went down the road I was able to do something that was once only a dream.

[Guest imported_GeorgeCagle]

Pat,

It's a small world. I know all those guys. I first met Dave, Steve and Kristo when we were in Bosnia back in '96. Kristo was my assistant team leader in Afghanistan. You couldn't ask for a better guy on your team.

I put my motor back together yesterday and today I worked on a fence in our yard and did other yard work. I have 13 more days at home.

[ex98thdrill]

Those guys were after me to go into the 401st Civil Affairs when I decided to step down as a drill sergeant. NOT INTERESTED. Of all of the reserve units that I know of, the civil affairs units spend more time downrange than anyone else. One trip is enough for me. I'll do two if I have to, but one will suit me fine. I almost think that if I wanted to deploy as much as those guys, I'd have been active army. Godspeed sir, Stay safe, and keep in touch.