Afghanistan Through My Eyes - preparation

Progress has been made.

I don't have a difinitive date, but have been contacted. It shouldn't be long now.

I have ordered my flak vest...and it should arrive on the 18th or thereabouts. I ordered my helmet and that should arrive on the 22nd. There has been a lot of documentation needed. Apparently, you just can't buy ballistic vests and helmets...which seems very silly to me. But the government is always retroactive. In LaGuardia Airport after the fact over Thanksgiving it was posted all over that ink cartridges and printers weren't allowed on flights.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - preparation

Getting my equiment isn't easy. It's taken numerous phone calls and documentation to CAVUSA for my ballistic helmet, which is obviously out of date compared to the video I've posted here. I have ordered my vest but who knows where that is.

It's not easy to go to war when you're not a soldier and it's really expensive. I look forward to seeing exactly what is US winter issue for soldiers.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Col Jeffery E. Lay - Veteran's Chapter

Who is the person when they take the uniform off?

I'd like to introduce you to Jeffery E. Lay: Lieutenant Colonel Jeffery E. Lay was a Top Gun fighter pilot, who fought back from the dead after a long battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After that he flew another 1,000 combat hours in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia... supersonic speed 50-feet above the desert floor, under the radar, with 4,000-pounds of high explosive aboard.

Jeffery will always be a Lieutenant Colonel in his soul and he has taken what he learned and applied it to a new life.

Congratulations Jeffery.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - freedom

I got to thinking about the person that gives up their life and puts on a uniform to go out and fight for freedom. I belive that the soldiers who fights in the US Forces is the only soldier who does that.

Other soldiers fight for property, or religious beliefs or to conquer, but the US soldier fights for freedom.

Freedom is the most powerful entity because with freedom you can believe in what you belive. Isn't belief what we teach our children is the crux of their life? Isn't belife what happiness is founded upon?

Our citizens, give up their families, the comfort of their homes, their jobs and all that they value for the core of what they hold dear...freedom. Who are these people and what kind of person does this for strangers? Would you do this?

It's quite amazing when you think about it. I don't know a lot of people who would risk their life for me even though they know me and love me, much less a stranger.

These soldiers, our soldiers are the real heroes.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes

I'm getting nervous.
I guess it comes with the territory.
When I had the idea of going to Afghanistan to hug soldiers, it was July and it was hot and sultry. Now it's cold, but freezing in Afghanistan.

I still am determined to go. How can I write about soldiers and not see them in action? When I think about my heroes, mostly combat photographers, I know I have to go.

I can't write about something when I haven't seen it firsthand. I'm not a hypothetical writer.