Feb. 28, 2012

Afghans refurbish mosque with help from Marine

KHAN NESHIN, Helmand province, Afghanistan (February 28, 2012) — Afghan construction workers, contracted in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and coalition forces, refurbished a grand mosque which was once a crumbling ruin in the secluded village of Khan Neshin. It has now been returned to the village as the centerpiece of the local government.

Feb. 27, 2012

Spearhead aircrews play key role in rescue mission of stranded AUP personnel

GHOR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (February 27, 2012) — Soldiers from Task Force Spearhead, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, teamed up with coalition special operations forces to conduct a search and rescue mission near the village of Cabalaq, Feb. 22.

Feb. 24, 2012

Afghan, Marine leadership lay groundwork for Basulan School in Nawa

COMBAT OUTPOST JAKER, Helmand province, Afghanistan (February 24, 2012) — Nawa District Governor Haji Abdul Manaf and Lt. Col. Matthew T. Morrissey, the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment commanding officer, participated in a brick laying ceremony at the Basulan school construction site here, Feb. 13.

Feb. 23, 2012

Hawaii Marine locates enemy caches on third Afghanistan deployment

SRE KALA, Helmand province, Afghanistan (February 23, 2012) — Through the sacrifice of Marines from 1st Marine Division, the islands of Palau were liberated from the grasp of over 25,000 Japanese troops during World War II.

Feb. 23, 2012

US adviser aids Afghan military hospital’s lab staff

KABUL, Afghanistan (February 23, 2012) — Laboratory staff assigned to the National Military Hospital in Kabul are on track to meet Coalition benchmarks for success, according to a NATO adviser.

Feb. 22, 2012

AUP takes the reins from US soldiers in Gardez

PAKTYA PROVINCE, Afghanistan (Februrary 22, 2012) — The city of Gardez is located at the junction between two important roads that cut through a huge alpine valley. Surrounded by the mountains of the Hindu Kush, which boil up from the valley floor to the north, east and west, it is the axis of commerce for a huge area of eastern Afghanistan, and has been a strategic location for armies throughout this country’s long history of conflict. Observation posts built by Alexander the Great are still crumbling on the hilltops just outside the city limits.

Feb. 21, 2012

Promise and hope through school opening in Deh Dadi

DEH DADI DISTRICT, Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan (February 21, 2012) — In the landscape of northern Afghanistan, the challenges of educating the growing population has been a concern for many years. The issues range from a lack of educational opportunities to the cultural roadblocks of gender. With illiteracy and female education in the forefront of the everyday challenges of the Afghan population, the opening of a new school has provided solutions to overcome these obstacles.

Feb. 16, 2012

Operation Shahem Tofan: Afghan Border Police, Marines extend reach toward Helmand border

GARMSIR DISTRICT, Helmand province, Afghanistan (February 16, 2012) — The thunderous clap of low-flying helicopters reverberates off an endless desert landscape. Inside the mechanical fortress, rows of Afghan Border Police and U.S. Marines stare out the open back hatch, calmly watching the wilderness rapidly retract beneath them.

Feb. 14, 2012

Never a Bridge Too Far: Combat Engineers increase mobility in Garmsir

GARMSIR, Afghanistan (February 14, 2012) — During the last week of January, fifty-five Marines of Bridge Platoon, Alpha Company, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) traveled nearly 80 miles through the central portion of Helmand province in order to reach Combat Outpost Rankel, a small base located in the district of Garmsir, Helmand province. Their mission consisted of removing a medium girder bridge and replacing it with a more permanent and cost-efficient structure that would increase the mobility of the Marines and Afghans in the area.

Feb. 13, 2012

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visits Bulldog soldiers in Afghanistan

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan (February 10, 2012) — Soldiers with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, known as Task Force Bulldogs, were treated to a visit from the top. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey visited his old unit – this time in a different war, where the snow-capped mountains instead of the deserts form the main backdrop.