Elk County Forum

I asked Teresa if this might be something people back home would like to hear and she told me it would be okay.

Just some background - Paul Paolozzi was the Executive Officer of my unit during Operation Desert Storm back in 1991. At that time, he was a First Lieutenant. We went our separate ways after we returned and it wasn't until earlier this year that I found out that he was stationed back here at Fort Lewis, Wa but now he is a Lieutenant Colonel and is the commander of the 864th Engineer Battalion. I called him and we talked about old times a bit and I then found out that he was due to be deployed to Afganistan in just over a month. I went by to see him off on the day of their deployment and had a wonderful time seeing him again. Since their arrival in Afganistan, he has been sending updates on their mission progress. It really makes me proud to hear of what he and his soldiers are doing and I thought it would be nice to share with all of you. The first few messages will be rather quick and then I will send the rest on as I get them.

I hope you enjoy them.

Subject: Notes from Afghanistan - 8 MAY 05


Dear Family & Friends,



Another week passes and I can't think of anything I would rather do than be in command of Soldiers in Afghanistan.  It's truly a blessing to be given this opportunity to lead our Nation's finest.  Each day I spend time with these great Soldiers and see their devotion to their mission, regardless if it's on a bulldozer, in the motor pool, on the staff, or in the mess hall, I'm amazed. 

 

We've had some interesting weather in the last week.  Imagine a dust storm coupled with lightning and rain.  It doesn't take an engineer to figure out that you get falling mud.  When we first arrived here the dirt and dust make you feel filthy because we're so accustomed to a clean environment in the US.  Now we don't even think of it.  We all feel like pig-pen in the Peanuts comic strip.



I was truly honored this week when my Command Sergeant Major was offered an opportunity to return to Fort Lewis and become the Command Sergeant Major of our higher HQ and he refused.  He had no desire to leave Task Force Pacemaker and wants to retire from service when I depart my command tour in June 2007.  In his words, "sir, we're going out together."  All I could say was that I'm honored and "thank you."  The bonds of war-time brotherhood are tough to break.  He'll have 30 years of service when he retires – I couldn't ask for better.



It's been a bit strange to be in Kandahar.  I remember as a young officer reading about the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and specifically the Kandahar region.  Now we're here and we see remnants of their occupation.  Large machine guns, helicopter hulks, and enormous twisted steel trash piles are pushed into areas that I'm sure we'll be responsible to clean up in the future. 



We've had some recent success on our road project - we're pushing past the areas that are supportive of our efforts and now we're moving into the Taliban staging area.  We're also getting great support from Army Special Forces and the Afghan National Army.  Everyone here recognizes that a road build through the heart of Taliban and Al Qaeda country is an enormous information operations success and will help will win hearts and minds.  Of course we've had a few problems along the way with IEDs and local village elders who are uncooperative.  One village leader shocked me when he offered 100 goats and the water rights to his village to for one of my female Soldiers.  She was performing her duties as a surveyor in his village and he thought she could be bought.  Obviously I had to explain that she's a valued Soldier just like any other member of my unit and she wasn't for sale.  It's remarkable how cultures can clash.



I often think of how what I'm doing now is so different from what I was doing six months ago.  Going from the US Senate to cutting road through the most remote areas of Afghanistan illuminates how many opportunities exist in the Army to do great things. 



During the last week I took 13 Soldiers from my Task Force to Baghram to participate in the Transfer of Authority Ceremony for my higher HQ.  We now fall under the 18th Engineer Brigade and my new commander is COL Michael Flanagan.  I'm thrilled that he's here with his team.  We're getting great support now and our mission is recognized by the CJTF76 commander as the most important engineer effort in Afghanistan. 



I'll do my best to write more next week.



Happy Mother's Day to my wife, mom, mother-in-law, aunts, and friends back in the US.



All my best,

Paul


LTC PAUL M. PAOLOZZI
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field,  Afghanistan
DSN (318) 841-1209  or  9180 c

Subject: Notes From Afghanistan - 15 MAY 05

Dear Family & Friends,

It's beginning to get hot.  Have you ever been in the bathroom on a hot steamy day and someone hits you in the face with a hot blow dryer?  OK, you've got the picture.  I think we've all become a bit accustomed to this place.  Yesterday we moved our HQ on Kandahar Air Field; we now have much more space and the ability to work more efficiently.  It's a bit cooler in the new buildings too.

Our week started out on a dark note.  We had a construction mission in a remote area and two civilian vehicles ran through our checkpoint and refused to stop for the NCO directing them to stop.  One of the vehicles followed our directions and took the bypass road we created, the other continued forward toward our construction crew.  One of my officers shouted and directed them to stop and take the bypass just as the other vehicle did.  The vehicle refused to stop and continued to approach.  The officer, fearing that the vehicle was trying to launch a Vehicle Borne IED because he saw a cylinder with a cord coming from it, fired three shots at what he thought was the driver (steering wheel on the other side).  Sadly, he killed the passenger in the front seat.  After an investigation, it was determined that the vehicle had no ill intentions but failed to stop and heed warnings resulting the tragedy. The officer followed the rules of engagement but feels horrible about the event, he only wanted to protect his Soldiers while they were working.

I had an interesting opportunity mid-week to travel with Governor Sherzai of Kandahar Province to a last week-held Taliban town of Gumbad.  The 173 Airborne Commander here wanted to take all of the senior level Afghani commanders and American commanders with the Governor into Gumbad and let the people and regional leaders know that the Taliban is gone.  I've never had a meeting with so many local village elders and mullahs. 

During the next week we'll be starting a new phase of our construction operation with the expectation of being in some difficult areas normally frequented by the Taliban.  My Soldiers are ready and excited to start the mission.  We're even expected to start working with some Afghan National Army Engineers in two weeks.  We're happy to start putting an Afghan face on the missions we're conducting.  It's a major information operations campaign that will help everyone in the long run.

It's also nice to be among allies here on KAF.  We routinely work with the British, Romanians, and Dutch on this post.  The Romanians love to talk to Americans and see this deployment as an opportunity to be familiar with all things "American."  It's great to see their country go from a Soviet Satellite to a member of NATO in less than 15 years.

...until next week.

All my best,
Paul

LTC PAUL M. PAOLOZZI
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field,  Afghanistan
DSN (318) 841-1209  or  9180 c

Subject: Notes from Afghanistan - 29 MAY 05

Dear Family & Friends,


The last two weeks seem like on continuous day.  It's been an exceptionally wild ride and filled with challenging experiences.  Each week I think I've had a remarkable experience but it gets eclipsed by the following week.  I'm holding on tight to see what the last months of this deployment will look like if the first two were supposed to be the ramp-up.


I didn't write last week because I had a few unending days.  I set a plan to redistribute heavy equipment assets in my area of operations (AO) to ensure I had the right effort working on the road in the north and the south.  In order to do that I had to have engineer assets cut a rough road or repair sections of the existing "road" to get those main assets redistributed.  The mission going from south to north went fine.  When I tried to return the route clearance team: infantry, civil affairs, and heavy engineers south they ran into another IED.  Four of my Afghan National Army Soldiers were injured and their vehicle needed recovery.  Immediately after the hit they started taking direct fire from the enemy who command detonated the IED.  We called in A-10s and artillery while the infantry opened up with everything they had.  It ceased the direct fire and we took 6 detainees.  I sent a team from the south to recover them and as they proceeded north, they hit an IED.  Now I had two teams in need of recovery.  Next I sent another team from the south to recover both in darkness.  As they proceeded north, the wrecker flipped injuring two Soldiers.  Yes, now three units needed recovery.  Finally, I sent my A company commander to recover all assets.  He was successful and all units arrived at FOB Tiger safely.  It was a night without sleep and many haggard Soldiers rolled in the gate exhausted.


I left the next morning to FOB Tiger to see the injured and conduct a negotiation with a village elder accompanied by an angry group who didn't want the road on their property.  I was able to negotiate an agreement with the leaders with the help of the district police chief.  It wasn't easy and I ended up using medical assistance, alternate electric power and the opportunity to work for us as bargaining points.  It's remarkable how much you can do with no sleep.  I thought I was going to fall asleep in the elder's face.


I got some sleep and decided that I would lead the full distribution of 62 pieces of heavy engineer equipment (bulldozers on trucks, scrapers, graders, rollers, etc) through the IED area the next morning.  After a 13.5 hour convoy we arrived safely at FOB Ripley with no enemy activity.  Most of the convoys get hit going south and I started to plan for direct action with the enemy as we prepared for southern movement.  I took a day to put together a plan to feign a break-down just before the IED area, allow the enemy to get into position, and then we would fan out and attack them from the north as an AH-64 gunship came up from the south.  We arrived safely back at FOB Tiger but disappointedly didn't get a chance to destroy the enemy detonating the IEDs on my Soldiers.   I felt like I went fishing and didn't catch anything.


I sincerely appreciate all the gift of pens and paper.  I have plenty now and should be able to make a great distribution to the children of the villages we enter.  That's always the first thing they ask for: "pen backsheesh?" This means, I want a gift of a pen.  We figured that out pretty quickly as they pretend to write on their hand with their finger.  I'm a bit more organized now handing them out.  The first time I did it, I almost had my arm ripped off by 50 kids pushing to get a pen and paper.  I'm learning the Afghani way. 


The task force continues to work at a 7-day a week schedule.  The Soldiers are doing a phenomenal job each day and have made enormous strides in getting the road and airfield missions complete.  Soon we'll be making a new FOB for us to occupy as the road moves further north.  There's no question that we'll be greeted by the enemy again and next time I pray we have great success in destroying them before they injure any more of my Soldiers.  The Taliban desperately want this road to fail because it's their best means of keeping the people isolated.  If the people don't know about the central government and remain dependant on local Taliban, then Taliban can keep it's stranglehold on the people.  When we succeed, we will have driven a dirt and asphalt spike right through the heart of the Taliban and connected two large populations.


I've attached a few pictures.  One is me in a secure meeting that I attend 3 times a week.  I'm several hundred miles from my HQ and therefore I have to use a secure connection to speak about our current operations while briefing my commander.


All my best,

Paul


LTC PAUL M. PAOLOZZI
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field,  Afghanistan

Carl,

I am so glad that you have shared those letters with us.  It was really great to hear from someone who is actually doing something in Afgan.  We don't seem to hear much of what is happening there as the media seems to concentrate on Iraq.  I have a nephew in the Army in Iraq and Jim's son-in-law, Becky's husband, is in Qatar with the Air Force.

Keep the letters coming as I did enjoy reading them.

Janet Harrington

Notes From Afghanistan - 19 JUN 05
Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 08:47:31 +0000


Dear Friends & Family,



Happy Father's Day to all the dads reading this note.   Another special day passes with little note here except that we move further along in our construction progress on the road and other smaller projects.  The day of the week or year matters little to me except in determining if I'm on schedule to deliver the road before the national parliamentary elections.



Our advances on the road continue to impress me.  I traveled to FOB Tiger by ground last week and spend four days monitoring progress.  The Soldiers of Task Force Pacemaker work every day carving out a road from terrain that has never received foreign support, only invasion and destruction.  It's inspiring to be a part of the long-term success of this nation as it breaks the bonds of the Taliban and those who whish to rob these great people of their freedom.



Even our routine days are filled with events that we would never experience in the United States.  Two days ago we sent a team into one of the villages to discuss the path of the road through their area.  After a short period of time one of the leaders came out with goat's milk and tea.  One of my captains refused the milk but the translator drank it with several of the police who accompanied us.  Shortly after the event, the locals told us that the Taliban beat many of them for talking with Americans and ordered them to put a white power in their drinks.  Within 15 minutes the translator and police were very sick and later the translator had to receive Narcan (a drug that counters the effects of other drugs) because his lower extremities were immobile.  The next day the police searched the whole village for the drugs put in the drinks and for signs of Taliban support – no success.



Every inch of progress on the road brings us that much deeper into Taliban areas with those who want to ensure we don't succeed in building the road.  We have two very large bulldozers contracted with a local firm to assist us.  Each night we leave the bulldozers with local security on site.  Three nights ago the security team was told that if they left the bulldozers there one more night they would be blown up and the drivers killed.  Refusing to be threatened, we collected all of the males in the small town and tried to identify those who made the threat but now believe they came from another village.  The bulldozers haven't had any problems in the last two nights but we remain vigilant.



I was thrilled last week to start receiving some of the Up-Armored HWMMVs.  The ones we received are the latest version with all of the special features to improve survivability and situational awareness.  It's the first time in my career that I pulled the plastic off the seats and had the luxury to receive a brand new vehicle (built in March 2005).  It had 55 miles on it when I received it and it's the best vehicle I've used since I entered the Army Reserve in 1985.  There's a certain level of comfort with 12000 pounds of American steel, transparent armor windshield and side windows, .50 caliber machine gun in the turret, friendly unit tracking systems, smoke grenade launchers on the roof, and a talented crew inside.  Because most of our IED attacks are from the bottom, I didn't want any of my convoys departing without up-armor protection.  We received several of the "add-on-armor" kits but those are more effective in Iraq where they get side-attack IEDs.  In the last week we received almost 30 of these life-saving vehicles.  Christmas came early in Afghanistan!



Please change my home address at Fort Lewis.  Rae Ann, Aaron, and Sarah moved into a larger set of Army quarters.  We now live at 2361 South 5th Street, Fort Lewis, WA 98433.  Rae Ann is a real trooper to tackle this mission by herself.  I admire her ability to make all this happen and sustain the Family Readiness Group while I'm away.  She's my Army hero!  We're also very thankful to have her mom, friends from our home church in Lacey, WA, and members of our brigade at Fort Lewis there to help her – what a team!  It's great to have a strong church and Army family there to help.



All my best to you,



Paul


LTC PAUL M. PAOLOZZI
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field,  Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 12 JUN 05
Date: Sun, 12 Jun 2005 09:19:07 +0000


Dear Family & Friends,

I wish I had more time to write but there's a daily competition for each hour in a 24-hour day.  I have my staff working on a plan to get 28 hours into a day (I'm kidding).  Last Sunday I was escorting my commander on the Kandahar to Tarin Kowt Road project and didn't get a chance to write; he was pleased with our construction progress.  The Taliban reinforced the point that we're often under attack by providing a rocket attack while we were sleeping in FOB Ripley.  None of us were injured - sometimes the best place to be is exactly where they're aiming because of their accuracy.



Last week I had a little reflection period from my last job after escorting a Congressional Delegation (CODEL) consisting of REP Costa from CA, REP Davis from TN, and REP Sodrel from IN.  I enjoyed traveling with them, giving them a short brief on our efforts on the road, and then flying over the road work with my Soldiers below.  They enjoyed waving to the Soldiers and seeing how much earth my Task Force can move.  It's the first CODEL I've ever received and look forward to showing others what we're doing to break the strangle hold of the Taliban on the Afghani people. 



We should complete the last construction project on Kandahar Air Field in the next few days.  As soon as it's done, I'll devote my whole Task Force to construction of the road to ensure we complete the mission on time.  Since I've been in the Army, I've never seen a full Task Force dedicated to one engineer project – It's a massive undertaking!  While I was recently flying over the construction area I was thinking about the way we're going to change the lives of the people in each of the small country villages we go through.  These villages use the same method of constructing their homes since biblical times.  Often I'm stunned to see the disparity between our construction on the road and the ageless construction techniques used to make their homes.



Our progress on the road continues to be challenged.  We had another IED attack on one of my Afghan National Army vehicles traveling with several other US vehicles.  Two of the soldiers were seriously injured: one lost his lower leg and the other has a serious fracture.  After dismounting, the soldiers were able to find the initiation device and then chase the terrorist who initiated the IED.  He ran into a tunnel and wouldn't come out.  After several threats, my Soldiers threw three grenades into the tunnel with no response.  One of my NCOs volunteered to go into the hole with a pistol and shotgun but found nothing. When he went back into the hole to place explosives so the tunnel couldn't be used again, the terrorist started toward him from deeper in the hole.  The NCO shot him several times and then safely crawled out of the hole; I'm serving with a brave crew.  After removing the body, he detonated the explosives placed in the tunnel.  Finally the recovery team brought back the damaged vehicle and the convoy returned to FOB Tiger.  I'm sure we have more of this waiting for us as we proceed north into IED Alley.



The summer heat has really begun to bake us while working.  Temperatures above 100 degrees coupled with high winds make it tough to do some of the most basic road construction because of blinding conditions.  I've taken a few pictures from high hilltops of small "dirt-devils" or mini-tornados on the ground.  I've also been on the ground when one smacked right into me – dirt bath! 



The pictures are from some of my recent missions, Purple Heart presentation, CODEL, construction over flights, and FOB Tiger.



Until next week or when I can write next.



All my best,

Paul


LTC PAUL M. PAOLOZZI
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field,  Afghanistan

Notes from Afghanistan - 26 JUN 05
Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2005 12:38:17 +0000


Dear Family & Friends,



Afghanistan is really starting to heat up – both in temperatures and insurgent activities.  We routinely experience 110-115 degree temperatures coupled with winds and dry conditions.  It's hard to believe how much each Soldier does without complaining or expressing discomfort, even though they sweat through every thread of their clothing and eat dirt and dust all day.   We've finished all other missions on Kandahar Air Field and now have every Soldier in my Task Force working on the Kandahar to Tarin Kowt Road.  We're starting to draw attention to our mission because of it's importance to the provincial elections and because we're within 100 days of finish. 



For the last few days I was in Baghram to brief the Chief of the Engineers and attend a quarterly commanders' conference.  It's a nice break to see something different, be away from the daily events in Kandahar, and get a different perspective.  Flights into Baghram are easy to get but getting flights out are very difficult.  My Sergeant Major and I consider Baghram the rear area with little insight to real combat operations in the hills where we're building our road.  Many well-intentioned officers and NCOs shuffle around reports and messages without every understanding how tough it is working 12-14 straight hours in 115 degree temperatures while insurgents try to kill you.



While we were in Baghram I had three IEDs in one day.  Two were detected by my route clearance teams and one went off right after the last vehicle went past the point of detonation.  No one was hurt but large hunks of twisted steel flew past the turret gunner without injuring him.  I'm sure you recall me mentioning our brand new HWMMV's we received two weeks ago – well now the Sergeant Major's vehicle is battle damaged.  It has less than 300 miles on it with some damage on the rear tailgate.  All Soldiers are safe and we finished all three missions.  The two detected IEDs were double stacked anti-tank miles.  If we had hit them, it would have ripped any piece of my equipment in half.  You never know when the IEDs will go off – I've transited the same area no less than 10 times and never had a problem.  It's obvious that all of you praying for us are making a strong impact over the miles.



In addition to our route clearance teams we're joined by one of the newest units in the Army, the mine dog detachment.  The dogs are trained to sniff out explosives buried underground and then alert the handler.  One of the dogs attended his handler's reenlistment by the Chief of Engineers, LTG Strock, in the Tillman USO Center - Baghram.  While waiting for the Chief, I took some time to play with Ronny – I love dogs.  One of the pictures is of me with LTC Al Rosende, battalion commander of the Engineers in the east of Afghanistan.  His reserve unit is from North/South Carolina.



Baghram's weather is 10-15 degrees cooler than Kandahar.  We enjoyed the pleasant winds and 95-100 degree temperatures for 3 days before coming back to our dusty duty location in the south.  It's strange to see the snow capped mountains surrounding Baghram while walking in 100 degree temps.



We're almost at the three month mark and some of my Soldiers have started flowing back to the US for R&R leave.  It's a great program that the Army uses to keep morale high for forces deployed in a combat zone.  I look forward to my opportunity to see my family and the location where they now call home.



Until next week or when I can write next...



All my best,

Paul


LTC PAUL M. PAOLOZZI
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field,  Afghanistan

Notes from Afghanistan - 10 JUL 05
Date: Sun, 10 Jul 2005 14:14:13 +0000
 
Dear Friends & Family,

I happily report this week that my unit has not received direct fire or encountered another IED.  Although it's good news that we haven't been attacked since last week, it's critical to keep Soldiers sharp and ready for anything.  Our unit motto is "Aliquid Expectavit" or "anything expected" serves as a great reminder that Afghanistan is a dangerous place.  We're making great progress since my last report even though we creep deeper into the Taliban staging areas.  There won't be a day that goes by without me marveling at the skill and tough-minded determination displayed by my Task Force during the construction of the road.

During the next week the Task Force will be joined by Mr. Ian Klaus as an imbedded reporter.  My construction officer was his roommate while studying at Oxford.  During the last few months he expressed interest in the progress of the road and how he could tell the American people this good news story.  We were able to get him into the Department of Defense public affairs pipeline and soon he'll be with us writing stories about the Herculean effort to create this road.

As the time passes in this deployment there are times when it starts to drag on.  It's remarkable how around each corner there are points of inspiration.  I ate dinner a few nights ago at a remote FOB with one of my Soldiers from A/391st Engineer Battalion.  I found out that he didn't belong to this company five months ago but knew a fellow reservist in the unit.  When he found out the unit was deploying to OEF, he transferred units from TX to NC and deployed with us.  It's inspiring to work with great patriotic Soldiers like this.

I finally visited by B Company in the east of Afghanistan.  They're attached to another Task Force and I haven't seen them since I left Fort Lewis.  The Soldiers were thrilled to see me and the Command Sergeant Major.  They've made the Pacemakers very proud as they work for another unit with their construction skill on any mission.  I look forward to getting them back in my Task Force in December.  The climate and culture are very different in the east.  We saw trees, green grasses, a different manner of dress, and even heard some different dialects.  We stayed at FOB Orgun-E at 7450ft and had a difficult time running during morning Physical Exercise.  I only ran four miles and I though I was carrying a full rucksack.  Not only were we visiting B Company but we were doing a recon to determine where we'll be working on the next road.  We were happy one night to have a lightning/thunder/rainstorm of biblical proportion.  It came down so hard the door of the room we were in flung open four times.  We haven't received rain in Kandahar since late April which made the rain a welcome change to us – I wish we could bring it to the South where my Soldiers are working on the road.  It was also nice to have very cool temperatures of only 85-90 degrees at the higher elevation.  Sadly we returned to the south with our common 115-120 degree temperatures and dust sandwiches at each meal.

On the Friday the 7th I was able to fulfill the third of four promises I made to two local village elders.  In order to cut the road through village farmland I offered to bring them medical supplies, pipes for irrigation, waste water trenching, and finally generators.  The north and south portions of Wech Bachtu have been feuding since the beginning of time.  The old portion of the road runs through the south but in order to widen it and make it straight I would have had to destroy homes, trees, local walls.  I refuse to do anything to destroy local infrastructure no matter how primitive.  My worst nightmare is to have a Taliban insurgent taking a picture of my bulldozers, widening the road by removing a home, and forwarding it to Al-Jazera with the caption below reading "American bulldozers destroy Afghani homes as punishment for cooperation with the Taliban."  Instead, I chose to build the road in the north and bypass the old road.  Too simple – now I had to contend with the northern village protesting the new route.  The promises I made mollified their concerns and we were able to put the road in the north.  The generators brought great cooperation, smiles, and the elder in the north proclaimed me to be his "friend for life" and that we could call on his help anytime of day for assistance.  He further offered to slaughter a lamb for a feast and then have me sleep in his house as a gesture of thanks.  I had to humbly ask for an opportunity in the future.  While we were enjoying chai under a tree I noted that all of the trees over my shoulder were fig trees.  I told him that figs have been a favorite treat of mine since I enjoyed them as a child during the holidays.  Within my passing comment, he found his opportunity to present a gift to me – in two weeks, after the figs have ripened; he plans to present me with a gift of figs in a special ring.  I was very humbled and look forward to each occasion to meet with village leaders. 

I still marvel at the role water has in this country.  Those who control it have power and prestige.  I still can't comprehend that while we're passing through a part of Kandahar I can see a child urinating in the water, a person taking a drink, men bathing, a cab driver washing his car, and women washing dishes all within a quarter mile – in the same water!  It's remarkable how blessed we are in the United States.

A final thought – since I've traveled through a moderate portion of Afghanistan I've noted most large buildings or locations are named for America's killed in action Soldiers.  The names on chapels, mess halls, airfields, camps, and gyms remind me of the high cost of freedom.  There's no doubt that we're needed to help the people of Afghanistan to defend themselves and shake the yoke of the spiritually-twisted Taliban and their partners the Al-Qaeda.

Until next week,

Paul


LTC PAUL M. PAOLOZZI
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field,  Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 17 JUL 05
Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 13:30:30 +0000

Dear Family & Friends,

We're making great progress on the road mission.  We were a few percentage points behind schedule but with some hard work and efficiencies we worked into the schedule we were able to reduce it to 1.5% behind.  I foresee us completing on schedule, 15 SEP 05, to the disbelief of many others who said it wasn't even close to being possible.  I have full faith in my Task Force we'll have a great ceremony in the middle of the road celebrating in the center of Taliban Country.

We've created some large long stretches of road that the locals have never seen.  In addition to their construction duties, my Soldiers are becoming traffic cops too.  Local villagers are speeding over 60mph on the gravel road with no regard for safety.  When we stop them and ask why they're driving so crazy, the routine answer is "because we've never been able to go this fast in our lives."  Sadly, we had a motorcycle come screaming down the road directly in the path of one of my construction convoys.  The driver of the motorcycle was going too fast to move into his own lane or even steer the motorcycle.  When the first US truck swerved, the motorcycle continued straight into the trailer of the second vehicle.  Both riders of the motorcycle were killed instantly.  We found out later the riders were the only two brothers in one family.  The Soldiers did everything right and we're driving safely but there was nothing they could do.  No helmets, no regard for safety, no control, no life... 

I had a great time with the cicada in the northern VA area that come every 17 years.  This year on the northern end of our construction site we have cicadas all over.  They don't do anything but it can be a bit startling when one of these large insects smacks into the side of your head. 

If you're not familiar with how to build a road there's two essential items you need beyond the obvious construction equipment and hard-core Soldiers - water and gravel.  We're constantly on the hunt for water sources locally to build the finish grade on the road.  No water, no road.  We found a great well location and asked if the owner would sell us large quantities of water for the road.  He eagerly offered the water for free because he desperately wants the road through his village.  He plans to open two businesses as soon as we finish.  I can't think of anything more inspiring - we're making a great impact on the Afghani people.  When we're done, there's no going back.  The people will be connected and won't be dependant on the Taliban.  We finally figured out why the well owner didn't want the money for the water - he received life-threatening beating from the Taliban when US Marines were in the area last time and he sold them water.  He's allowing us to take the water even though he's being threatened by the Taliban.

The heat of the summer doesn't dampen the spirit of my Soldiers even though they're in levels of dirt unimaginable in the US.  I'll include a few pictures to give you and idea.

All my best,
Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes from Afghanistan - 24 JUL 05
Date: Sun, 24 Jul 2005 11:59:03 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

I'm pleased to report that the Kandahar to Tarin Kowt Road is now 0.77% ahead of schedule.  We're moving at a rate that no one expected and have made significant progress in the last week.  I recall back in April when we first heard that we would have to crash the project from a FEB 06 completion to SEP 05, most including my higher headquarters at the time, didn't think it was even close to being possible.  In fact, the e-mail quotes were - "All the stars would have to align, and you'd have to have support never achieved in the history of OEF."  It's remarkable how little vision and passion some have when it comes to doing something extremely difficult.  The mission isn't complete yet, but as soon as we get 2.00% ahead, I'm going to give my constructing units one full day off - something they haven't had since May.  We're also going to review some safety issues that have reduced our productivity because we're pushing so hard.

My Physician's Assistant (PA) held another medical assistance visit in one of the villages in what we refer to as "IED Alley."  She attended to 54 very needy people and did her best within her level of medical capability on site.  Every second you see things like this you can't help but think of how blessed we are to be Americans.  I told her and the medics on the mission that they're making as big an impact as the Soldiers building the road because the Taliban can't fight against what they bring.  Fathers who bring their small children for treatment can hear the lies of the Taliban about our intentions, but my PA's medical visits easily eclipse their lies in these small villages.

The people in Garlungi aren't bad, they're strangled by Taliban who threaten them and use their villages as safe haven to plant IEDs in the road.  At the conclusion of the medical visit, the village elder wanted to know who was in charge and how he could provide information about the Taliban activities.   One step closer to breaking the strangle hold!

            This deployment hasn't been without it's significant challenges.  It's a difficult task to ask our front-line leaders to be able to counsel young Soldiers, who received notice from their spouse that they want a divorce, while they're working with very few breaks.  My Task Force Chaplain noted a few days ago that he's doing as much counseling with those who just returned from the two-week leave period in the US, as those who are still working in Afghanistan.  Several of the Soldiers are coming back with unexpected news or with a different experience than the one they hope would be waiting for them at home.  Regardless of the heavy personal sacrifice, they return to their duty and push to the limits of man and machine day after day.

            Tomorrow I'll officiate the change of command of C Company, 864th Engineer Combat Battalion.  Since we're in Afghanistan the ceremony will be much different from what a company commander might expect back home.  Normally family, friends, VIPs, and special guests are present.  They get to see the company pass and review on a parade field, hear the band, and feel as if a special moment in the company's history has taken place.  Tomorrow only the company and a very small group of adjacent unit members will have a ceremony in the early morning partial darkness.  They'll see the passing of the guidon to symbolize the change of command and then hear some special words from me and then both the in-bound and out-bound commanders.  As soon as the ceremony is complete, the Soldiers will mount their enormous earth moving equipment and return to the road they've carved into the Afghani countryside.  I wish it could be different but we have a mission to complete on time and there's little time for anything but work.

Until next week.

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 31 JUL 05
Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 08:45:36 +0000

Dear Family & Friends,

Today marks the 1/3rd mark of our deployment.  On all other deployments I've been on Soldiers seemed preoccupied with how many days we have left before going home but this deployment seems different.  I still expect that there are some counting the days but we're so busy that most seem to be focused on completing our mission and investing in this nation.  It's common to speak to some Soldiers and note that they have no idea what day of the week it is.

I spent most of this week visiting each location where I have Soldiers: Kandahar Air Field, FOB Tiger, Construction Base (CB) Kodiak, FOB Pacemaker, and FOB Ripley; several locations - one mission.  In April we received the first IED attack a few kilometers south of a village know for its Taliban activity, today CB Kodiak sits on that ground.  We carved Kodiak right in the middle of where the enemy considers home.  It was especially heart-warming to see the shiny blades of my bulldozers start to work the mass grade through the town.  We've communicated, in very deliberate terms, that we're making this road through enemy strongholds and there's nothing they can do about it.

Two days ago one of my convoys traveled from FOB Tiger to CB Kodiak and received small arms fire.  Three vehicles were hit as they moved but no one was injured.  Unfortunately, the heavy machine gun on the lead vehicle jammed after firing four rounds.  It was an opportunity to destroy the enemy that rarely chooses to fight on symmetrical terms and we missed it.  The lesson learned was that all weapons get test fired before each movement out of the FOBs.  My Command Sergeant Major and I both have heavy weapons on our HMWWVs (.50 cal MG and MK-19 grenade launcher) and we test them before each mission.  Each time they need some TLC to ensure they fire properly because the dust and dirt is so thick.  There's no time to let your guard down or not be vigilant with weapons maintenance.

We only have one platoon of infantry to provide security over 117 km of road so all of my engineers have to be combat Soldiers first and engineers second.  I like to be brutally frank with them and preach often that "dead engineers build nothing."  Now that we're firmly entrenched in the Taliban's staging areas we've seen additional attacks on the local nationals contracted to bring us supplies.  Four days ago I received a report that the Taliban ambushed a "jingle truck" convoy destined for KAF.  I sped up to the location with a heavy weapons platoon and found the Taliban killed four and wounded four.  The trucks were still burning and we knew we were being watched from the hills.  I've trekked up into the hills above CB Kodiak and I can now see how easy it is to hide hundreds of fighters without being seen.  The Taliban now know that we have IED detection equipment from South Africa and have focused their attacks on our supply lines and support units because they don't carry the firepower we do.  Now we need to work to protect our supporting local national elements.

On Thursday I spent time in one village with an elder who gave us a well so we had water for our road construction.  He also convinced the other village leaders that the road was in the best interest for all.  Of course I had another few cups of chai (tea) and some small sugar candies to remain social.  As a gesture of good faith as neighbors I presented the elder with a generator for his village.  After the conversation he took me aside with the translator and explained that he was my friend and would do all he could to help us but he didn't want us to tell anyone in the village he was openly helping us.  He explained that if others in the village found out they would tell the Taliban and have his family killed.  It was a sobering conversation and we assured him we'd keep him as a quiet ally to ensure no harm came to his family. 

Another week passes in Afghanistan and I know we're very blessed to no have had any serious injuries since we've arrived.  The summer remains hot but bearable - 105 to 115 on most days.  I'm sure it will be a shock when my unit moves to the east, after the road is complete, where they get over seven feet of snow during the winter.

Until next week,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Carl,
I appreciate so much you  taking the time to put all of the letters and the pictures in here so we can read them . I don't know if folks know that you can click on the thumb print pictures at the end of the letters, and it will make them big on your screen.
It is so interesting what is going on there through an active person.. instead of only what the media wants us to hear.
Thank you again.

Teresa

Carl, here is the Pacemaker Newsletter you sent us.

Folks,
These are PDF files and might take some time to download on dial up.

The Pacemaker Volume 1, Issue 5 (http://www.cascity.com/howard/Pacemaker_5.pdf)

The Pacemaker Volume 2, Issue # 7 (http://www.cascity.com/howard/July_2.pdf)

The Pacemaker Volume 1, Issue # 8 (http://www.cascity.com/howard/August_1.pdf)

I want to thank Kjell for adding the newsletters - Here are the latest news

Notes From Afghanistan - 7 AUG 05
Date: Sun, 7 Aug 2005 11:12:23 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

     There are few sights that can inspire me as much as seeing large quantities of heavy equipment operating at the same time, carving the Afghani soil into a road. I'm sure this has something to do with my interest as a child to be a construction worker and then as a became a college student I wanted to be an Army officer.  It seems logical that I'd be right where I am right now.  We're approximately 91% complete on the Kandahar to Tarin Kowt Road and now over 5% ahead of schedule.  I think I'm going to miss this project when we move to the east to start another road during the winter cycle.

    The commanding general in Afghanistan, Major General Jason Kamiya, came to visit my Task Force and was deeply impressed by our blistering pace on the road and the steely-eyed Soldiers building it.  I proudly told him I have the toughest, dirtiest, and hardest working Soldiers in Afghanistan.  He had no choice but to agree after seeing what we've been doing for seven days a week since the end of April.  He wanted to recognize a few soldiers on the ground directing construction but I asked him to stand-by while I stopped construction on the road and in the borrow pit to collect all of the Soldiers on site.  After he and his Command Sergeant Major said a few inspiring words he presented each of my Soldiers with a commander's coin for excellence and then took a pictures with my Soldiers.  It was a great day for our engineers as they were recognized for their hard work.

    It's very hard to explain in an e-mail how austere the conditions are in the construction camps and how the Soldiers live.  I'll include a few pictures in the tents where the Soldiers live.  Many of these hard working heros finish a 14 hour shift in dirt and dust, eat at evening meal, and then collapse into their cot until they get to do it again the next day.  On 2 AUG 05 I had a Safety Day to address some of the safety issues we've had while working at a break-neck pace.  The second half of the day I directed some recreational activities: cookouts, volleyball, horseshoes, and one company had a talent show.  It was the first time each of the units had been together as a whole since the end of April when we started seven day a week operations.  Our Hawaiian brothers created a special seasoning for the steaks and shared it with everyone.  What a collection of characters - America's best!

    I'm concerned that we're starting to break these Soldiers.  My unit deployed to Iraq for a year, came home for 13 months, is now deployed for a year, will return home for 10-12 months, and now there's a plan to redeploy the unit again for another year.  I have some of the best NCOs and Officers that planned to make a career in the Army planning to get out when they return.  It's hard to encourage them to remain in the Army when they get stationed at Fort Lewis for a three year tour only to spend two of those years deployed.  Families just can't take that and remain whole.  Most units in the Army don't deploy as much as we do because we only have six Combat Heavy Engineer units left in the active Army.  I'm in suspense wondering how our Army will come through this period and remain a highly professional force.

     We had our first church service on Wednesday in the new chapel we built.  There's no such thing as Sunday service - Soldiers have it when the Chaplain rotates to their FOB.  It was a great service with no empty seats.  Looks like we'll have to cut the back end off the chapel and start building additional seats.  I strongly encourage my Soldiers to exercise spiritual fitness and attend the services of their choice.  My Command Sergeant Major and I attend chapel services at every location we can to ensure the Soldiers see their senior leaders in church when it's available.  We've missed it for weeks at a time and attended three times in one week - both ways we've been blessed.

    I've been circulating to each of the FOBs for the last 10 of 12 days.  It's good to be seen at each location where I have Soldiers.  I finally came back to Kandahar two days ago after spending seven days in one uniform in thick moon-dust and 110 degree temperatures - I smelled like old vinegar and felt like a walking dust cloud.  I think I lost five pounds and washed a large portion of Afghanistan down the drain after my shower.

I think of all of you often and look forward to the day we all get back to the United States.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 14 AUG 05
Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2005 11:07:54 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

Each week brings a new rush of emotions - from the excitement associated with being greeted by literally hundreds of waving children to the horrible news that we had an Engineer Soldier in our brigade killed in an ambush this week.

            I drove nearly six hours last week to visit large portions of the road construction and still can't believe how much most of the people appreciate us being here.  It's an emotional roller coaster - I've traveled over five miles straight and get tired of waving and giving the "thumbs up" to the children on the roadside only to find out when I arrived back in my HQ that my support platoon had a Soldier injured by a group of rock throwing teenagers.  My CSM's vehicle had two maintenance problems and while on the road side we heard clapping, beeping horns, and flashing lights - all in support of us.  You never know what you'll get in Kandahar.   In a few towns the people are near catatonic - no emotion and no interest in our movements.  I'm always a bit more on guard in these locations.  I also consider it entertaining to see children flying kites.  That might be routine in rural America but in Afghanistan the Taliban outlawed that activity.  Each time I see a kite I'm thankful for the freedoms we enjoy in the United States.

            Earlier this week our sister Task Force, TF Wildcat sent a recon through a known Taliban staging area.  The recon was fired on by small arms fire and three rocket-propelled grenades.  At the conclusion of the fighting one young sergeant was killed and one with minor injuries.  Although the Soldier wasn't in my Task Force, it doesn't make it any easier.  He was a reservist from Easley, SC, married with a one-year old child.  It was a tragic loss. 

            In the future if you hear that and engineer was killed or wounded in Afghanistan, please don't immediately assume that the Soldier was from my Task Force.  I promise to keep you informed when I can.

            I also had the honor in the last two days to reenlist three soldiers (each Soldier gets to choose the officer they'd like to have administer the reenlistment oath).  Soldiers enter the Army with their own goals and aspirations but reenlist because they like what they're doing, enjoy working with the unit they're in, and feel it's the right thing to do for their family and Nation.  Before the oath ceremony I always publicly tell the gathered Soldiers that the American people truly appreciate the sacrifice they make.  I'm talking about you!  All the notes I get from family and friends communicating how much you appreciate the service of Soldiers is communicated in the most passionate way to the Soldier reenlisting and those present.  I want them to get the impression that the American people are standing in the crowd - clapping and cheering because of the commitment they make to support and defend our Constitution.

            Finally, I had the below web link sent to me.  It's one of the articles that ended up in several Washington newspapers and a few web links.  This week we have a Stars and Strips reporter covering the road mission.  I expect additional coverage in the next few weeks and will forward what I get as I see it.

http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/aug2005/a080305la3.html

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Here are more pictures

I was reading the newspaper this morning and saw some disturbing news. Two soldiers from the Task force that my friend is in command of were killed by a roadside bomb and two others were wounded. The article mentioned the names of the two soldiers that had been killed and I immediately recognized one of he names as the Lieutenant who published the "Pacemaker" newsletter that Kjell had added to the forum for me. I didn't know the other soldier was until I sent a message to my friend expressing my sorrow to hear the news of their loss.
His reply shocked me even more than the initial news. It seems that the vehicle that was hit was HIS vehicle and the other soldier that had been killed was his driver. The driver was killed instantly but the Lieutenant died in his arms as he was attempting to stop the bleeding. My friend and his gunner were the two that were wounded in the attack. They had a memorial service in Afganistan for thier fallen comrades today. He didn't mention how badly he was hurt so I con only hope for the best since he was able to reply so quickly.
I will let you know more as I get more information.

Notes From Afghanistan - 21 AUG 05
Date: Sun, 21 Aug 2005 18:44:09 +0000
 
Dear Family and Friends,

I wish this letter started with mundane information about the weather, how much road we completed, or our weekly interaction with the villages in Afghanistan - it can't. This week my mind is completely overwhelmed with the fact that on 18 August 2005 my vehicle was hit by a remotely detonated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that killed my driver Sergeant Robert Davis and one of my staff officers, 1LT Laura Walker.  The blast also injured my gunner, Specialist Bradley and me.

My Task Force is overwhelmed with grief.  These weren't two unknown Soldiers who kept to themselves and rarely interacted with anyone, these two were loved by all.  Two Soldiers - both died on the same day, both loved their fellow Soldiers, both lived to serve others, and both dedicated themselves to their daily missions as if they were working for God himself.  I admired both of them.  They possessed the most positive attributes of what all of us wish to be.


Task Force Pacemaker is in mourning and shock.  We'll continue the mission and get the road done on time but the Taliban is mounting their strongest attacks against us now because they know they can't fight us directly.  It's the last attempt of a dying virus because we're winning on the road and in the delivery of the elections.  Our Nation has not been attacked in four years because of the heroic sacrifices of 1LT Walker and SGT Davis. 

As you go to sleep tonight, know that your freedom and your safety was bought with a heavy price.  I wore the blood of my Soldiers and my heart would break if it thought it was in vain.  Ensure that others know that these two weren't just minor CNN and FoxNews headlines as two American KIA.  As you read the attached web stories, realize that my gunner and I are the two wounded in action.  We'll be OK and in a week should heal fully.

It was more traumatizing to hear from my wife that she received a call from the Department of the Army telling her that I was seriously injured but was now stable.  It's standard protocol but I was a bit upset that they didn't get my status initially correct.  The only part of me that was seriously injured was my broken heart (I guess the Department of the Army was right); the rest of my body will heal.

Some of the pictures attached are the last photos of SGT Davis (he was promoted posthumously) and 1LT Walker on 17 AUG 05.  Treat them with honor and respect.

Paul

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/08/18/afghan.conflict/index.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166073,00.html

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=31064
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=30174&archive=true

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Tue, 30 Aug 2005 09:36:08 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

Although our Task Force suffered two monumental losses, we've been focused on forging forward and completing the road mission on time.  The last week started will sadness and grief and now, a week later, Soldiers are smiling again and doing their best to carry on in the model of two of our fallen leaders.  I was able to arrange for a special flight that took a team of us to each of the locations where we have Soldiers affected by the two deaths.  I originally thought that having the memorial ceremony four times would make it rote and less personal but at each location there were special memories discussed, different thoughts and comments of condolence, and very different ways of expressing grief.  I'm very pleased by the way each FOB recognized our heroes.

I arrived back to Kandahar after the memorial ceremonies and received an impromptu visit from the local Afghani National Army battalion commander with his staff.  LTC Hassan Shugari expressed his deepest sympathy over our loss and explained that he considered the loss to be an Afghani one too.  He wanted us to know that his unit was grieving with us and that the sacrifices of our fallen Soldiers would not be forgotten.  He presented me with two enormous Afghani flags with 1LT Laura M. Walker and SGT Robert G. Davis gilded in gold on the bottom.  I promised him that the flags would be folded with honor and presented to the families.  LTC Shugari asked to see pictures of 1LT Walker and SGT Davis.  I presented him with the two memorial photos that we used during our ceremonies and he told me he planned to place them in their headquarters so all of his Soldiers would know the two killed on 18 AUG 05.  Two days later I was presented with smaller versions of the same flag for a memorial in our unit.  We plan to place the flags, their pictures, biographies, and the American flag in a special setting to commemorate their lives.

The memorial ceremonies brought healing but the flag presentations by the Afghani brought meaning to the sacrifice made.  It was good to know that the Afghanis wanted to memorialize our leaders and to share in our grief.  The following day I attended a Shura with the 173 Airborne Commander, COL Owens, to speak with all of the village elders along our road.  The group of at least 200 gathered no less than 800 meters from where my vehicle was hit three days earlier.  COL Owens and I expressed our anger that the local people aren't doing enough to protect the road and themselves when they know the Taiban operates frequently in and around their villages.  I brought pictures of 1LT Walker and SGT Davis to ensure they had their faces clearly in their minds as I spoke.  I angrily explained that I knew the Pashtu ways and that their inaction dishonored them and their villages.  I've shared chai with many of them and urged them to make a difference - take action, and kill those who would place IEDs in the road that brings liberty.  I made it clear, if they saw Taliban placing IEDs in the road, the best way to change the behavior of those who found this activity successful was to send a message to others by killing them.  We purposely did not share chai or eat with them during this meeting (this can be considered an insult in Pashu culture).

During the last few days I've had the hard duty of selecting another driver.  SGT Davis was more than a driver; he was my aide, confidant, sounding board, brother-in-arms, and the one who took most of the photos with me in the picture.  I was surprised to have several unsolicited requests to be my driver and my new gunner.  I quickly made it clear that moving with me is very dangerous; my frequent flights and ground moments would significantly increase their risk.  My comments were almost considered an insult to most - they wanted the job to honor their fallen friend and the risks were obvious.  Those who wanted to be my gunner are looking for a chance to be in a position of action and possible focused revenge.  I've readjusted all of my patrols to have designated killer teams.  If we get hit by another IED, the designated vehicles (with alternates) would deploy to find the triggerman and kill him. 

As we continue to focus on the mission our Family Readiness Groups (FRG) are preparing a Welcome Home and Memorial dinner for when we return.  In the midst of all they do, these great volunteers are holding bake sales and doing all possible to raise the funds needed to hold a first-class event when we return.  I find it hard to believe that our battalion FRGs support families across the country with information, assist local families with issues of concern, help during times of tragedy, and then have time to prepare and raise money for a Welcome Home and Memorial dinner.  I'm honored to work this great team of volunteers.

Late this week I was able to exercise a few times this week which significantly improved my morale.  My left side seems to be healing quickly.  I don't limp any longer (one of my CPTs thought I looked like an old pirate), my left arm is fully functional again, and I should regain most of the hearing in my left ear (unless I'm hearing something I don't want to hear). 

Finally after many days filled with private and public tears, sleepless evenings, and many well wishes and prayers, I'm excited to continue the work we started to make a lasting impact on Afghanistan.  I pray we don't have any other fallen Soldiers.  Thank you very much for your notes of support.

Army Warrior Ethos:

I will always place the mission first

I will never accept defeat

I will never quit

I will never leave a fallen comrade


All my very best,

Paul



LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

You are doing a great job keeping us informed Carl.
I know it takes a lot of time to post all of that with the pictures and I want to tell you again
that I enjoy them and I hope everyone else does too.

Teresa

Well, I'll agree with Teresa.  I have so enjoyed the letters and pictures that Carl has posted.  It makes me feel as if I am there and I so wanted to cry when Paul lost two of his team.  Keep up the good work, Carl.  I love the pictures and the letters.

Notes From Afghanistan - 4 SEP 05
Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 11:40:24 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

The Kandahar to Tarin Kowt Road is finished!  When I was presented the challenge of completing this road on such an aggressive schedule I knew it could be done.  The naysayers at several levels thought the task was impossible and that I was trying to be too aggressive.  I even received an e-mail from my higher headquarters in April [Note: our BDE headquarters since May has been the 18th Engineer Brigade] telling me I was attempting an impossible task and that "all the stars would have to align" to make this happen.  I brought that e-mail in paper copy to my command and staff meeting back in April, read it to my leaders, spit on it, crumpled it up, and mashed it into the ground.  I made it very clear that we were given a mission and the mission would be complete on time.  Little did I know that the hard work and dedication of my Soldiers would have us complete the road on 2 SEP 05, two weeks ahead of my schedule.

I felt great many times in the last week because several NCOs and officers came up to me and gave me their true thoughts.  Most of them were honest and said "I never thought it was possible."  Their quick follow up was "you never stopped believing it could be done and wouldn't let us think or speak in any other manner."  It was true; I was a bit draconian and wouldn't allow anyone to speak as if it were impossible.  I just wanted them to fulfill their potential and I knew it could be done because of the support we were given and the quality of the Soldiers and leaders in the Task Force.  1LT Walker and SGT Davis would be very proud.

During the week I was able to visit each of the locations where I have Soldiers along the road.  Many of them still are stunned that we lost two very special Soldiers but most are still driving forward.  I have a new vehicle (my other vehicle was beyond repair but had some valuable donor parts), new driver, Corporal (CPL) Mercier and new gunner, Private First Class (PFC) Goodsell (aka Gunner Goodsell).  Each of our vehicles has a name and the day after I was hit I made it clear I wanted my vehicle stenciled with SGT Davis' son's name "BRAYDEN."  When I arrived in the new vehicle at FOB Pacemaker on of the officers had some tears in her eyes and I asked her if she was okay.  She softly told me that she just saw the name on my vehicle and couldn't hold back the tears.  I'm sure SGT Davis would be honored.

Our weekly journey to the FOBs previously took me close to 12 hours to get to each location.  Now I can reach the northernmost location in three hours.  I was tough to travel through the location where I was hit two weeks ago.  We travel in larger units now and have specific plans to seek out triggermen and kill them if part of our unit is hit.  During a private moment with my Command Sergeant Major I mentioned to him that I felt very unsettled as we transited through the blast location.  He immediately came back with the same comments I had.  I knew I had to get right back into traveling by ground but I only felt comfortable telling him that I was holding my breath in each area that we knew had higher risk.

While we were at FOB Tiger, I was counseling one of my company commanders and heard a loud explosion.  Immediately we all though we were under mortar or rocket attack.  Instead of running into the bunker, I ran into the operations center and asked what's going on.  I found out that the two artillery guns positioned at Tiger started firing in support of US troops in contact to the west [Note: this was the first time this happened in five months from this location].  The firing continued and I prayed each round accurately found its target and rained steel on the enemy.  I was told by the doctor that I'd have some hypersensitivity after the attack on my vehicle but I didn't feel anything until that moment.  I continued the counseling but realized my T-shirt was soaked in sweat.

I know what you've read in the newspapers about Army recruiting and retention - it's not good.  But I can tell you a different story; my unit just completed the fiscal year requirements for 2005 with over 140% of our required retention.  During the last week alone I reenlisted three additional Soldiers.  They love what they do and haven't retreated from their Army goals after our losses, they've been emboldened by them.

The tragic loss in New Orleans affected us too.  I have several Soldiers in that area and haven't heard from family.  As you can imagine, it's tough enough to be in combat but some Soldiers have had their life complicated by wondering if their family might be among the dead.  It's been very difficult because the Red Cross and most reporting agencies are trying to get their bases established after being degraded. Please keep these Soldiers in your prayers.

The week closes on a high note - the road is complete and we're going into a rest and refit period after we retrograde all equipment and Soldiers from the FOBs.  I'm almost completely healed except for the hearing loss in my left ear; I don't think that will ever come back.

Last week I mentioned that I went to a Shura and spoke to a large mass of village elders but I forgot to attach the pictures.  This week I've included those pictures along with others.

All my very best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Carl - thank you so much for sharing your letters.   His letters are treasures and I can't wait to read the next.

Marla Ware

What a wonderful feeling Paul and his troops must have had when they finished that road before deadline.  WOW.  Please tell Paul that he and his soldiers are in our prayers as they continue to work to rebuild Afghanistan.  God Bless them and the USA.

Notes From Afghanistan - 11 SEP 05
Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 10:21:07 +0000

Dear Family & Friends,

The weeks pass and I have a hard time figuring out where the time goes.  At times it seems as if the time drags on and another part of me is getting excited to have the half way point pass at the end of this month.  One thing for sure, there's no time to focus on what we've done, there's only room to focus on what remains to be done to ensure we succeed for 12 months instead of six.  The plan that we've designed for the last few months may take a sudden turn because of different missions that need to be complete.  Frankly, I don't get concerned about that.  I have a limited number of engineers and days in a year - I'm excited to tackle whatever needs to be done.  It's somewhat flattering to know that after we finished the road we've had several requests for my engineers to work on the projects others think are impossible.

Early last week I had an impromptu escort mission with an Afghani general onto the road remediation near FOB Pacemaker.  The general wanted to see his Afghani engineers working with my engineers and congratulate them on their new found engineering skill.  I was happy to escort the general and show him the partnership between our forces.  We don't even use translators on site - all engineers seem to understand the language of "dirt."  Hand motions and very close individual instruction are the recipe for success.  When the general arrived, he saw American leaders and supervisors but 100% of the equipment was operated by Afghanis.  He spoke with the formation of 10 Soldiers and told them how they're making a tremendous impact on how their nation will be able to build for itself in the future.  At the end of his comments he allowed them to ask questions.  I was touched to hear that one of the first questions was from an Afghani Soldier who wanted to be deployed to the United States so they could help with the Hurricane Katrina relief.  Near the end of the visit I gave the general, his chief of staff, and one of his battalion commander's our unit crest - which they immediately put proudly on his uniform (one more Pacemaker).

I was also moved when I received a letter from a retired police inspector from Brussels, Belgium.  He didn't want anything except to express his condolences over the Task Force loss of our two Soldiers.  It helped me to understand that there are millions of people across the world that support what we do and just want to express themselves in small ways.

I think you all know that all Soldiers are authorized two weeks of leave during this deployment.  Many of them heard of the news of the attack on my vehicle through e-mail or phone calls and had to grieve their own way while at home.  It felt awkward seeing many of them as they returned to Afghanistan wanting to know more about what happened and how I was healing.  It caught me off guard - everyone else in the Task Force seemed to be moving forward at a similar pace and now we had many Soldiers arriving back from leave wanting some form of closure for the event.  Many just innocently came by my office just to know I was okay - they're a very thoughtful bunch.

I finally received the figs I wrote about a few months ago.  I'm accustomed to getting figs in a small ring with about 20-30 figs in the ring from a grocery store.  The ring I received had approximately 200 figs in it.  They're absolutely delicious.  I tried one the first day and just let it sit in my system to ensure they wouldn't make me sick.  Now I'm enjoying figs in the office.  I keep offering them to others but these poor timid souls continually refuse - they're really missing something special.

I also had a special Hawaiian breakfast prepared by our Hawaiian National Guard Soldiers.  It was a delicious meal of Spam, fried eggs, seasoned steak, and sticky rice.  Most importantly, it was made with love and it tasted great.  When I started to load up in my vehicle one of the Hawaiian Soldiers slipped me a small bag filled with fish jerky he received from home.  He was so excited to give it to me that I couldn't refuse his generous gift.  It was another occasion where I attempted to share but ended up having the whole bag to myself because of the unique odor. 

We had a remembrance ceremony early this morning for the September 11th attacks of four years ago.  I recall telling one of my young lieutenants, as we received the news that day in Kosovo, that our lives as Soldiers would forever change after this date.  Today we stood in formation in Kandahar Afghanistan, bowed our heads in prayer and I realized I was more correct in that statement that I could have imagined.

...until next week.

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

I received a phone call last night that was from the father of one of the soldiers in my friend's unit in Afganistan. He had some words to pass along about 1Lt Walker and a photo to show everyone. It was very enjoyable to talk with him and he has visited this site to see some of the updates. He is new to the "Army Family" and was touched by the way 1Lt Walker influenced her soldiers. Please take time to read his message and pause to reflect on what our soldiers are doing for us no matter if you agree with the mission or not.  Also to let everyone know that both LTC Paolozzi and his gunner SPC Bradley have fully recovered physically (the emotional trauma is taking a little longer).


Thank you for taking the time to chat with me last night.  Here is the photo that I was referring to.  My son is in the back next to the left post.  It is a small, low res version for emailing and web use.  If you want t higher resolution version just let me know.

My son, PFC Christopher F. Day was under 1Lt Laura Walker's command in Afghanistan.  Before the 864th deployed in the end of March 1Lt Walker assigned Chris to be her driver.  His vehicle never arrived and he was able to do the MOS for which he was trained.  Carpentry/masonry.  His lastest job was installing aluminum matting at the airfield at Salerno. 
When the job was finished he called me to tell me that the airfield was going to be named for 1Lt Walker and that there would be a dedication ceremony the next day.  I asked him to be sure to take a picture or get one taken so that I could present it to Mrs. Walker.

1Lt Walker graciously volunteered herself AND her Mother as contact people for those family members left at home while our loved ones are serving.  My wife and I took full advantage of their generosity and contacted both on many occasions of fear and discomfort.  Both Mrs. Walker and 1Lt Walker ALWAYS addressed our concerns with very prompt and comforting responses.  My wife had received a compassionate email from Laura two days before her death.

My hope is that this photograph will find its' way to the internet and the people who richly deserve to know that Laura has been honored by having the airfield that her charges finished named after her.

Please "put me in the loop" of testamonials from Afghanistan.

I pray a speedy recovery both physically and emotionally for all those blessed to have 1Lt Walker and Sgt Davis in their lives and those also injured in the attack.

Clark W. Day
301-351-6228

Carl, thank you for posting my note to you. If anyone is interested in contacting a soldier here is the information for my son:

Friends of Chris Day...

Just talked to Chris.  He was exhausted.  He's moving from the 5 star FOB in Salerno to a VERY primitive base called Sharona PRT.  Once there (in 4 days) he will be sleeping in tents until they build themselves better accommadations.  Right now he is working on a road that links Orgun-E to Sharona.  Orgun-E is on the map without the -E.  He says there is no PX or ANY nice things.  It is VERY DIRTY and VERY SMELLY.  There are hot showers but he says they are DISGUSTING.  There is NO SNACK FOOD so PLEASE get the care packages moving.  There is no landing strip so the mail, etc arrives by chopper.  Food is MRE's.

He's working "outside the wire" now so please keep the prayers coming.

Here's the address:

PFC Day, Christopher F.

TF 864th Eng. Bn.

Sharona PRT

APO, AE  09354



Thanks,
Clark

Clark, could you please post an idea of how to send a care package, and what chris likes for snack foods.  I would like to do something like that, but would want to make sure it was filled with the right goodies, if you know what I mean.

Thanks,
Dan

Notes From Afghanistan - 18 SEP 05
Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 10:43:59 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

Our Nation hasn't had blood shed over the right to vote in nearly 150 years.  We struggled in the 18th Century to win our independence, fought against our selves in the mid-19th Century over states rights and to determine if we would truly allow all men the ability to vote, and then in the early 20th Century women won a bloodless victory and were allowed to exercise their right to vote.  Today is the most important day in our year-long deployment.  The week started out slow but as we closed within three days of the National Provincial and Assembly Elections the amount of IEDs we discovered increased.  The last thing the Taliban and Al Queda would want is for the Afghani People to express themselves freely in an open election.  Today the people will elect the leaders that will fill their lower house of their legislative body, similar to our US House of Representatives. 

We casually go to the polls in the first week of November - sometimes deterred because of disinterest or foul weather.  Afghan People will exit their homes today with one thought on their mind - they want to vote.  They want to exercise their right to elect their representatives.  I spoke to a few men and asked them if they would vote.  They looked at me as if I was crazy - of course they would.  It's the first time they've been allowed to vote in their lifetime and nothing would stop them.  Would you go to the polls if you knew there was a chance you would be killed or your family killed because you voted?  Coalition Soldiers no longer fight to win the right for Americans to vote; today we fight to win the right for others to vote.  I purposely wrote "Coalition" instead of American Soldiers because this morning a French Soldier lost his life in a direct-fire engagement.  We are not alone in this fight. 

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050918/D8CMIF2G3.html

My Command Sergeant Major and I attended Catholic Mass this morning.  Father (Chaplain) Lanuevo had a special Holy Mass to recognize our Task Force.  We've been very supportive of all the Unit Ministry Teams (UMT) and he wanted to honor our unit in the Mass today.  It was humbling to bring up the elements of communion and then have both Chaplains pray over us.  I was requested to say a few words at the conclusion of the Mass.  Like it or not, I get asked to speak often and I feel pretty at ease about it now.  It never seemed to bother me but now I can come up with something quickly without too much preparation.

I've done quite a few interviews since I've been here but they were short and rather easy.  Earlier this week I had a 45 minute interview with the Tacoma News Tribune regarding the completion of the Kandahar to Tarin Kowt Road.  I enjoyed speaking to the reporter and he was very interested in what we did, how we did it, and the monumental effort it took to make it happen.  I look forward to seeing the article in the paper. 

During this week my Task Force received some special equipment.  I can't say too much here about capabilities or technology but I was very humbled to know that my unit was the first unit in the United States Army to receive this specialized equipment used to not only jamb IED signals but it gives us some additional capabilities that we didn't have before.  I'm sure we'll put it to good use as we transit the roads throughout Afghanistan.

A special "thanks" goes out to the Army NHRA racing team for the special gear they sent for my unit.  It goes without saying that Soldiers and fast cars just seem to go together.  Receiving the large box of the hats, shirts, golf items (that will wait until we get home), and coins was a real blessing.  Our Army race teams have represented the Army in more ways than just recruiting opportunities and I appreciate the gear they sent.  Thanks Tom!

I wrote Mrs. Davis, SGT Davis' wife, last week to check up on her and see how she's doing.  I would understand if she was bitter, unwilling to talk or write, or just angry with the Army but she would have none of that.  She was very open to write and made sure I knew that one of the last letters she received from her husband included his desire for her to send him some sandals because most of the children he met had no shoes.  She told me that she's sending a big box of sandals because that's what Bob wanted.  No bitterness, no remorse, just personally focused on fulfilling her husband's wishes - not for himself but for others.  I'm not surprised.

I've included a few pictures of us having fun.  As most of my Soldiers flow through KAF to rest and refit before moving into the next mission they're getting some well deserved time together.  It felt like I was at a reunion - many of my officers haven't seen each other in almost six months.  I took the opportunity to have dinner with many of the lieutenants (I have 30); contributing to the development of my most junior officers is crucial to them being strong officers of the future.  I enjoy some social conversation, speak to them about the mission and working with Soldiers, and then allow them to ask about anything on their mind.  We also had some time for Officers Physical Training (OPT).  It's never about who wins the ultimate football game but more about enjoying the spirit of being together, embellishing the events of the game in conversation afterward, and getting some exercise.  I wish I had more opportunities to get them together like this but because we're often to the "four winds" it doesn't happen nearly enough.

I look forward to next week.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Here is a link to an article that was in the local paper that tells a little more about the mission that the 864th Engineer Battalion is working on in Afaganistan.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/5196101p-4722355c.html

Here is a very nice tribute to the two soldiers (1Lt Walker and Sgt Davis).  It may take a while to load, but I think it is worth it.

http://www.heaterfamily.com/TEST/Memorial.html

Notes From Afghanistan - 25 SEP 05
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 10:07:05 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

It's a blessing to have a bit of a break, to see the majority of my Soldiers in one place, and to take time to reflect on what we did and what we are preparing to do.  I haven't had the luxury of seeing even half of my Soldiers in one place at one time in the past.  We've been spread out for months and on 27 SEP 05 I'll have a chance to see nearly three-quarters of them at KAF.  We're preparing for an awards ceremony to recognize many of the superior performers during the last six months and to present combat awards.  The commanding general, Major General Jason Kamiya, will present the awards.

Last night I even had a "Hail & [no] Farewell."  We routinely have one of these casual dinners every six to eight weeks in the United States but haven't had one here since the second month of our tour because we weren't together and didn't have anyone leaving. While we're deployed no one is allowed to depart the unit except for emergency situations.  It's a fun event to recognize new people and say good-bye but it's also a time for me to speak to all the officers and senior NCOs.  Now that we're half way in our deployment I wanted to make it clear that I'm not impressed by what we've done.  I want them to run full speed to the finish line in March 2006.  I explained "there's only one competition in America where you get a prize for coming in first place at the half-way mark - it's the Iditarod in Alaska - and in case you haven't figured it out, this isn't Alaska!"  I've watched units come in excited and full of energy only to loose momentum and have the unit that replaces them look around and ask if anything was done for the last few months.  We'll finish at full speed and make our Nation proud.

During this week I had a chance to see on the new road projects we'll be working on.  It's a relatively flat section of road, 80 km long, with long open terrain for a large portion of it but one very large mountain pass that separates the open areas.  As you can guess, the Taliban like to make attacks in the mountain areas and we have some very rough areas ahead: very tight switchbacks, narrow mountain passes, and logistical challenges.  Cap this off with the fact that we'll be racing against the weather.  If we don't get to the pass by snowfall I may have a unit isolated on the far side of the pass, which will be a transportation nightmare.  Of course this gives me a new opportunity to travel on the roads and in the air to see each of the different projects. 

We're also preparing to chance the task organization of engineer companies.  Near the beginning of December I'll be getting back my B Company from Task Force Wildcat and I'll release C Company, 926th Engineer Battalion.  I can't wait to get the Soldiers from my B Company back.  I took command in January 2005 and deployed 60 days later.  Other than two visits, I haven't had a chance to work with them at all because they've been attached to another unit.  The Soldiers of B Company are great and they've made a huge impact on Eastern Afghanistan.  I purposely sent B Company to the east because I know they have the strength and maturity for independent operations.  Instead of them coming to us, we'll be coming to them as we reset our forces in the east, closer to Pakistan.

Each week that passes the food becomes a bit more tiring.  Kellogg, Brown, and Root (KBR) provide the contracted food service in the main locations like KAF but in the remote FOBs we prepare and serve food way we did when I came in the Army.  Although the food selection is good and no one goes hungry, there's little flavor.  Growing up with Italian dishes made by my mother and carried on by my wife make the KBR chow very bland.  I don't have any complains except that I'm looking forward to some dishes made with love and spice.  We also get ice cream bars pretty often except that all of them arrive expired 2-10 months ago.  In the US the freshness date meant things were thrown out - here it means "Serve to Soldiers, they'll eat anything." 

There are also some highlights in the chow hall, I like to remember the names of the KBR employees and call them by name when I see them.  I met Frank several months ago and he enjoys our light conversation but in August he saw me limping and asked what happened.  I told him and his face grew somber.  I haven't seen Frank in a few weeks but finally saw him a few nights ago.  He went home on leave and came back refreshed.  When he saw me he immediately stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a set of rosary beads and two prayer cards from his home church where his mother had them blessed by his priest (he had been carrying them for several days in Afghanistan until he saw me).  He told his mother what happened to me and he wanted to bring back the beads so I knew his family was praying for me.  I was touched and couldn't thank him enough for his thoughtfulness.  Somehow the bland chow didn't seem that bad that night.

I pray for all of you often as we continue the mission here.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Sun, 2 Oct 2005 10:17:54 +0000

Dear Family & Friends,

It's remarkable that our fall weather still has not begun.  October still has highs in the 90s here in Kandahar with much lower temperatures in the locations we plan to move to in the east.  We still haven't had one drop of ran in Kandahar since the last week of April.  Every day brings bright sunshine with no clouds with only our prayers for just a bit of rain.  I'm sure in the next few months the rain will begin coupled with winter snows in the mountains and I'll be wishing I was in Kandahar with days filled with cloudless sunshine.  I included a picture of the ground here - it breaks into tile-like chunks that are as solid as kiln dried clay.

The Commanding General of Operation Enduring Freedom, Major General Kamiya was our special guest at an award ceremony we had on the 27th of September.  He wanted to present awards to my Soldiers for combat, wounds received, and meritorious achievement (overall 109 awards).  Overall it was a great event to recognize the efforts that I've been writing to you about for the last six months.  Our Army recently decided to add a badge to the list of awards to recognize Soldiers who aren't infantry who engage the enemy or are engaged by the enemy in direct combat.  Forty-seven of the new Combat Action Badges were first awarded in Afghanistan to my Soldiers in this formation.  I received the Purple Heart for wounds, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Combat Action Badge. 

Today I returned from two days in Baghram.  My Command Sergeant Major and I attended a commanders' conference to discuss the important topics of the deployment.  It's a quarterly two-day event that gives us an azimuth check on operations, intelligence, senior-level planning, and Soldier issues.  I enjoy just getting away for two days to be with the other senior leaders.  We had a BBQ last night complete with the small packages of Heinz Ketchup.  I haven't had American Ketchup since March so it tasted like a slice of home.  We get Middle Eastern ketchup that has a bold vinegar taste but it tastes horrible (an insult to American beef). I asked the cooks if I could have a bag of the ketchup packets to take back to KAF and they offered the whole box.  Yes, I took it - all 1000 packets, for a total of 20 pounds of ketchup.  That should last me at least a week (just kidding).

Going to Baghram has its drawbacks too.  I like going there and I like leaving too.  It's crowded and filled with Soldiers who never get off the base.  We all serve in our own way and make contributions but I'm much more comfortable being on the road eating dirt sandwiches with my Soldiers as they carve road into the Afghan terrain.  Two days of Baghram is a belly-full and I was happy to get back. 

It's interesting to study the motives of our enemy: some fight for religious reasons, some fight purely for monetary rewards, and some here fight for warlordism (come on my turf and I'll fight you no matter who you are).  We tend to lump the enemy all together and treat them the same.  Not understanding why they fight leaves us fighting with not much of an end.  We need to affect the hateful madras centers (most are in Pakistan) with a clear understanding of why we are here, cut off the financial support and give other opportunities to those motivated by money, and integrate the warlords into the legitimate governmental organizations such as the Army and the Police.  It's a long term job but not much has changed in Afghanistan in several centuries but we're doing our best while we're here.

This week is the first week to be over the hump.  We're officially closer to going home than arriving here.  Part of the planning conference included redeployment home operations.  Frankly, I can't wait.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 9 OCT 05
Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2005 11:17:36 +0000

Dear Family & Friends,

Seven Soldiers fire three volleys into the air, bagpipes start playing "Amazing Grace," and the flag-draped casket carried by eight paratroopers marches by my position.  We render last honors to the four fallen paratroopers killed this week in combat and pray this will be the last but realistically know there will be more ceremonies in the future.  2005 is now the year with the greatest amount of American wounded and killed in Operation Enduring Freedom.  Although I've attended several ramp ceremonies, it's still hard to quietly hold back the emotion as the casket enters the aircraft.  Looking at a casket is somber but seeing one with a flag on it contains special significance - this Soldier died defending our Nation and world-wide freedom.  It's permanent and has a bitter sting that we've experienced too many times since we've arrived in March.  One of my fellow commanders came over to my position after his fallen Soldiers were placed onto the aircraft and said "Paul, I never wanted to join your club." He hadn't had any Soldiers killed in combat up to that point and sadly joined a group that has more included than hoping they don't join.  The ceremony last week honored five aviators.  They died when they're CH-47 Chinook was shot down by and RPG.  It was especially hard to watch the Nevada National Guardsmen carry their friends that they've know since kindergarten onto the aircraft.  I pray don't have to be in the honor party ever again.  [It's called a ramp ceremony because we do it at the ramp of an Air Force aircraft that will carry the body of the fallen Soldier back to his or her family in the United States]

On Monday I was interviewed on live National Radio in front of an audience of 1.2 million people.  The broadcast was a part of "America at Night" with Kate Delaney.  I'm not sure who's listening to the radio at the wee hours of the morning but I enjoyed speaking about what we're doing in Afghanistan.  Frankly, I think there are several news sources looking for the "good news" stories that make the American people feel good about what were doing over here.  We're ready to meet the enemy and defeat him in close combat but those opportunities aren't presented very often because you can't sneak up and shoot the enemy in a bulldozer.  Engineers make a lasting impact on the Nation and how people are connected and we've been contacted several times to tell the story.

During mid-week I was invited to attend a high-level meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) of NATO.  The whole council of 26 ambassadors came to Kandahar to survey where the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) would be taking over the operation in Afghanistan.  American forces will shift to the southeast quarter and continue the fight in OEF where the enemy contact is more likely.  Although I didn't speak during the working luncheon, I was honored to be there to get the same brief and hear their questions as they spoke about the military interests of NATO.

The following night I was invited to Task Force Storm (the aviators) Combat Dining-in.  It's normally a formal military event complete with large quantities of alcohol consumed.  Drinking alcohol in the combat theater is against standing regulations so TF Storm improvised.  The aviation TF and my TF have had a great relationship and I was honored to attend with my CSM.  The evening came complete with Germany party hats, plastic beer mugs, and good company.  Events such as this really add to the special time we're having in this desolate country.  During the night I met several other TF commanders from the east that I haven't met yet.  When I grew up my name was quickly recognized because of my father's business, now my family name is recognized in Afghanistan because my unit builds quality roads - FAST.  Many times I heard "Oh, you're the commander of the guys who built that enormous road so quickly - great job - what are you doing next?"

Our weather is starting to feel very nice.  High temperatures in Kandahar hover in the low 90s and evening temps get no lower than 62.  It's very comfortable but I know it's going to change soon.

I've included a few construction photos from KAF, dining in photos, the CSM at an NCO induction ceremony, and a few of today's baptism after church.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 16 OCT 05
Date: Mon, 17 Oct 2005 10:08:18 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

A full year's worth of special events and holidays will pass by before we get home.  Today is my son Aaron's Birthday, he's 16 today, a licensed driver, and now on the fast road to more than just driving a car.  I look forward to seeing my family in person and celebrating some past events and forthcoming activities.  Hopefully at the end of next month I'll be able to take some leave.

During the last week we've been very busy addressing the issues we knew we had planned and responding quickly to the events we didn't have planned.  Last night and six nights earlier we received in-coming fire at KAF.  The attack almost a week ago didn't injure anyone but it did damage two aircraft.  The attack last nigh landed in a subcompound on KAF but only lightly injured one Soldier.  We've been blessed so far in that we haven't had anyone killed by the rockets and mortars - all marked "to whom it may concern."  There's no telling where these indirect attacks will land and no one enjoys being smooshed into a concrete bunker during the middle of the night.  There's something eerie about hearing the wailing siren in the middle of the night.  It brings back memories of hearing the SCUD alerts in the Gulf War in '91 except that once the sirens go off here all of the rounds are complete.  In 1991 when the sirens went off it meant the rockets were about to arrive but we didn't know where.   

In addition to our unexpected rocket and mortar attacks  my Task Force received a Warning Order (WARNO) to be ready to deploy to Pakistan in 96 hours.  Everyone looked forward to getting everything ready for a three day convoy through the historic Khyber Pass into Pakistan to help millions of people in need of heavy construction equipment.  No military unit in Afghanistan has more or larger equipment than I do.  My Soldiers went into action working into the night to repair every piece of equipment, pack connexs, and prepare to load out for a change of mission.  Disappointingly we were told two days later we would not go.  The presence of American combat troops crossing into Pakistan was more than the three governments could handle, regardless of the human tragedy involved.  Our presence could make the Musharif Government look weak and generate some of the more militant population to revolt.  I explained to my Task Force that we wouldn't be going in a large formation and received quite a few disappointed looks.  Our battalion motto of "Aliquid Expectavit" or Latin for "Anything Expected" seemed so applicable.  I translate it more appropriately to "We're ready, bring it on!"

Instead of going to Pakistan we're resuming our previous course to build two new roads.  My companies are starting to depart in large groups to the remote FOBs eager to begin the final chapter of their deployment in Afghanistan.  It's sad to see them go; we've had quite a few Task Force wide events include a Task Force Run, awards ceremony, several formations, and unit social events.  I've included some of the photos from the run.  Since we've been here no unit has had a run this large.  I heard quite a few moans and groans that some of the units not accustomed to formation running, after several months of construction, would unable to keep up.  They all did fine and after the run I spoke to all the Soldiers congratulating them on their successes thus far.  I even received a few comments from Soldiers explaining how much they enjoyed having our unit wake up the whole post with our enormous presence and cadence calling.  It's good to be bold at times.

My final comments come from an Infantry company commander and his first sergeant - "The road allows us to quickly interdict the enemy and now gives the people in the remote areas between Kandahar and Tarin Kowt the opportunity to come to Kandahar in less than three hours when it took them more than a full day before.  People in the isolated areas that have never been to Kandahar can now see what's available to them so they can improve their lives."  It was great to hear from our infantry brothers who use the road how important the road is to them as the fight the enemy and the local people as they improve their lives.  It couldn't be a better reward.

My God Bless all of you,
Paul

Notes From Afghanistan - 23 OCT 05
Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2005 09:17:13 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

It felt great to get back on the project site.  It's been almost a month since we closed down all road operations to Tarin Kowt and now we're back in full swing - working the road from Qualat to Shinkay across a large mountain pass and creating a FOB out of a small outpost in Sharana.  Soon after we create all of the living arrangements in Sharana we'll begin the Sharana to Gardez Road.  It's another road that will connect two provincial capitols and increase the amount of interaction between provinces that rarely work together.  The best way to bolster the morale of my Soldiers is to give them a though job that they came into the Army to do and then let them do their very best.  Soldiers will always complain a bit but all of us enjoy a good challenge.

I had a humorous Article-15 appeal this week.  In the military, company commanders are authorized to administer Non-judicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice.  One of my company commanders punished a Soldier for leaving his weapon unsecured three times in open locations.  The first two times the Soldier was counseled and orally reprimanded.  The third time the commander had enough and administered what I thought to be light punishment.  The Soldier then decided to appeal the commander's decision to me, the next higher level commander.  I reviewed the punishment, decided that the commander was fair and within his bounds, and that I would not overturn the decision of the company commander.  Instead of just denying it I asked the Soldier to report to me so I could explain my reasoning.  Before I spoke I allowed the Soldier to bring any additional evidence to show why I should overturn the company commander.  He explained several times how he was normally responsible, that these were isolated incidents, and he was being singled-out.  After I listened to him I then started to explain my reasoning for upholding the company commander's punishment.  While I was speaking, the Soldier started breaking out in a sweat, seemed very nervous, and finally couldn't control his anxiousness any longer.  He asked to be excused from the proceeding.  I asked why and his response was, "Sir, I forgot my weapon in the bathroom."  I excused him, paused for a brief moment after he left, and then couldn't help but burst out laughing.  This Soldier was trying to make a point that he was being singled-out for leaving his weapon unsecured yet during the proceeding he did the same thing.  When he returned (he left it in a bathroom in another building) I briefly looked at him and asked "Do we need to continue this?"  He sheepishly said "no."  There's a first for everything.

I passed a bit of a personal milestone this week.  I turned 40 on 17 October.  Thank you all for your birthday e-mail wishes and cards.  My senior NCOs and officers had a special dinner for me to include a beautiful cake to include a musical candle.  The Afghani bakery that made it translated "over the hill" to "over the hump" in the cake writing. Although the cake looked nice, its taste left much to be desired.   Rae Ann to the rescue; on 18 OCT I received a big box complete with a yellow cake, tub of chocolate frosting, small plates, napkins, forks, and a plastic knife.  I iced the cake and brought it to dinner the next night.  Needless to say, it disappeared in seconds after dinner - each of us had two pieces.  It was the best tasting cake I've had in years.  Rae Ann froze it at home after taking it from the oven, wrapped it several times, and then sent the frosting separately.   The last time she did this I was in Kosovo in 2001 - same cake, different year.  Simple things seem to mean the most.

The officers of the unit recall our departure ceremony where I was quoted to say "I had a brief moment of pity for the insurgent fool enough to attack my Soldiers."  They decided to twist that into the old "Mr. T" line that always starts with "I pity the fool..."  One of my gifts was a caricature of me with Mr. T features.  It proudly hangs in my office in KAF. 

I did quite a bit of driving this week.  I wanted to travel with one of my large convoys going east to ensure Soldiers see me in the same convoy with them, sharing the risk of driving the roads where the enemy knows we transit.  It took us 11.5 hours to go from Kandahar to Ghazni.  The following morning it took us 8.5 hours to go from Ghazni into our new FOB at Sharana.  Twenty hours in a car is bad but 20 hours in body armor inside a Humvee is back-breaking.  When we arrived in Ghazni the first night my route clearance team came from Sharana to guide us into the new FOB the following morning.  As the came up to meet us they detected four IEDs: three 107mm rockets buried in the ground and one Italian plastic anti-tank mine.  The rockets would have delivered serious damage but the mine would have ripped any of my vehicles apart.  Thank God the route clearance team did their job with such professionalism; plastic anti-tank mines are very hard to find.  Each time I take one of these large movements I breathe a sigh of relief we made another one without a Soldier wounded.

Not a day goes by where I don't think of enjoying relaxing conversation with each of you in a more pleasant location.  I never want to wish a day away but I do look forward to a rapid return to my family.  It appears that I'll be able to take leave near the end of November for two weeks.  I pray nothing changes so I can take a bit of a break with my family.

I included a few photos of the convoy, our new home in Sharana from my helicopter seat (doors open), the birthday, and FOB construction.

Happy Birthday Dad!  He's "over 40" again today.  I wish I was there to celebrate his special day.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 30 OCT 05
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2005 11:05:28 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

The road building machine is in full swing and the vertical constructions teams continue to move forward at a rapid pace.  Now instead of just being on KAF I get the chance to see Pacemaker Soldiers working in Sharana and FOB Sweeney.  Last week I enjoyed a few days with the teams in Sharana and this week I spent four days in FOB Sweeney so I could see the B-hut construction, road building, and maintenance teams.  Sweeney is a busy location.  It's commanded by an infantry company commander with approximately 150 Afghan National Army (ANA) Soldiers.  Now that my 160 engineers arrived we've almost overwhelmed the place.  The vertical platoons started construction of 18 B-huts for living areas, a new mess hall, and several additional structures to support the infantry.  Members of Charlie Company have had to run their own FOB for the last eight months with all of the less desirable duties too: burning feces from the latrines, guard duty, KP, and general FOB maintenance.  The Infantry hires local contract labor to do many of the daily tasks and has asked that my engineers stay completely focused on engineer tasks.  Obviously, Soldiers who get to build structures all day long are very happy and love FOB Sweeney because they get to do what they came into the Army to do.  It's a very strong symbiotic relationship.  While I was visiting I spent a full day working with one of the squads on the roof of a B-hut.  After eight hours of carpentry I was exhausted and happy that I had to cut the day short because of my staff meeting.  The Soldiers work no less than 13 hours with a half hour for lunch and two breaks during the day.  One of my surveyors mentioned that night "Sir, I've never seen you working like that before.  For an old guy you can hang on the rafters just like the young guys."  I didn't tell him I'd be sore in the morning, I just smiled and said "thanks allot." I didn't know if I just received a slam or a compliment.  Either way I had a great time and enjoyed the company of Soldiers while showing that I had a bit of carpentry skill.

Sweeney is also the location where our next road begins - just 30 miles from the Pakistan border.  The Charlie Company earthmovers and the Equipment Platoon from the Headquarters Company are task organized to attack the third section of this road that leads into the Dab Pass and then toward the Ring Road.  I drove the whole road with the Charlie Company commander so I could see each foot of where my Soldiers would be working.  It's one thing to fly over it in a helicopter and quite another thing to ride each mile of it so you truly know the path of the road.  In recent months we've had several IEDs, direct fire engagements, and many attacks on the ANA in the same pass so when we transit the area we like to have as much firepower as possible.  We're racing against time and weather on this mission.  If we don't get the road and bridge done in time the weather may close the pass and I'll have a full company's worth of equipment stuck on the wrong side.  The borrow pits that we find along the route are plentiful and make an excellent sub base course for traffic here in Afghanistan.  Several of the Soldiers comment that it's a quick moving project as long as the borrow materials, maintenance teams, and parts/tires hold out.  Tires get chewed up like no place I've ever seen.

It's enjoyable to eat dinner at FOB Sweeney.  Both groups of my Soldiers come into the same location - some covered head to toe in dirt from a full day on the road and the others sun drenched and sweating from 13 hours on a ladder swinging a hammer.  All of them talk as if they're having the best time of their deployment even if they're so far from home.  It's quite a collection of characters that love to do their job but are eager to see their families.

FOB Sweeney comes with a few other friends too.  They have three camp dogs and one kitten.  The kitten keeps mice out of the living quarters and the dogs just seem to hang around the mess hall and entertain the Soldiers.  You can quickly tell who grew up with pets and who's afraid of dogs.  We're also accompanied by the ANA.  They have their own mess hall and worship areas.  I ventured into their bread baking area and asked for a few flats.  The bread makers were amused that an American would ask for their bread and took pictures of something so simple as baking bread in an oven buried in the ground - something they've done since the time of Christ.  They flatten the dough on a flat pan and then throw in against the wall of the oven in the ground.  The dough sticks to the wall, cooks, and then is picked off by long metal tongs for placement on a cooling mat or into the hands of an ignorant American officer taking pictures.  Ouch, it tasted great.

We're now 9.5 hours ahead of the East Coast and 12.5 hours ahead of the West Coast.

...until next week.

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 6 NOV 05
Date: Sun, 6 Nov 2005 05:30:34 +0000
 
Dear Family & Friends,

We're in the middle of the holidays.  No, not the Christian holidays but the Muslim ones.  It seems as if very little gets done during Ramadan or the feasting period afterward.  The Afghan people are very industrious and waste nothing but when the holiday period arrives most work comes to a near halt. 

We have several projects in Sharana contracted by local Afghan companies using Afghan construction techniques.  We've tried to blend the best of Western construction techniques with the time-tested skills of the Afghan culture - it's an interesting blend.  Most Afghan craftsmen in our region are very unskilled with woodworking.  There are so few trees that they just don't get the experience.  Conversely, they're very skilled in masonry and earthwork.  They've shaped clay into every shape possible and use it almost all construction in most regions in Afghanistan.   

I had another visit from my brigade commander this week.  He really enjoys coming to see my Task Force because there's so much going on and my Soldiers really work harder than any unit I've seen before.  He gets to leave his headquarters, be away from the telephones, e-mail, and routine trappings of an office so he can see hard-work engineers working in the dirt or on vertical construction - how could a profession get any better?  He enjoys coming to visit me and I enjoy going to visit my companies just as I'm going to do this afternoon.  I should be gone for another six days.  Somehow childhood activities of using Tonka toys and building crude tree forts seemed to have had a profound effect on me; not much has changed except now we have those who would enslave others with their thinking trying to kill my Soldiers while we enjoy our construction missions.

The IED and mine threat is surging at this time of the year.  Most of the Taliban and AQ cells use this period to get their final attacks in before the weather is unsupportive.  Roads harden in the freezing weather and combat operations at high elevations make the enemy opportunity for attacks less frequent.  Frankly, after stationing in Alaska, bring on the cold weather if it means there's less of a chance my Soldiers will receive an attack during their construction.  My route clearance teams equipped with South African vehicles have done a great job of finding not only the new IEDs that the enemy emplace to attack us while working but several old Soviet-era mines in the road.  The old mines never actuated but if prompted properly will explode.  Each day they take pictures of explosive treasure they find in the roads, all placed to ensure we don't succeed in our mission to connect the Afghan people.

We're now in the period of our deployment when commanders start going on leave.  No commander wants to go on leave before the majority of their Soldiers have had a chance.  Now that we've had over seven months here we're seeing commanders take a break.   I'm optimistic that I'll be able to come home in the last week of November.

I'll include a few pictures of me with my B-hut building squad.  When I came back to FOB Sweeney with my commander I collected the squad for a picture and gave each of them a Task Force coin.  I think they enjoyed me being with them almost as much as I enjoyed working on site.  I'll also include a picture of the tires we remove from our heavy equipment after they run on the rugged roads of Afghanistan. I also inserted a picture of an Afghan "cookie." When I first saw it I thought it was an ant-tank mine.  One of our translator's mother made it for us.  It tasted like a rock but we all smiled and told him how delicious it was.  I didn't think it was a good idea to share the truth at this point.  There's also a picture of Chaplain Beauchamp giving a blessing and word from the Bible before we went through the mountain pass.  We really appreciated the 173rd Airborne Chaplain taking the time to share his message with us and pray with us before we again went into harms way.

I should be back in KAF on Sunday next week - until then...

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 13 NOV 05
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 09:41:09 +0000

Dear Family & Friends,

Another dynamic week passes in Afghanistan.  Immediately after writing last week I rode a Blackhawk helicopter to Sharana to see the vertical and now horizontal construction in the east.    It's a constant routine of working ahead of the weather so we don't have freezing water lines before we can put them in the ground.  It sounds like a simple task of digging and burying but after digging six inches of ground we run into rock.  My Soldiers end up using jack-hammers to get into the ground below the frost level.

Before we begin our next road from Sharana to Gardez I wanted to ensure that we had solid political support from the provincial and local level.  I had a very good meeting with Governor Mengal, the deputy Governor, the Mayor of Sharana, and the owner of the only radio station in town.  I brought members of my staff to discuss the issues surrounding our activities in the Paktika Province and how we would be initially restricting traffic but in the long run providing a much better road to Gardez.  The Governor is a refined gentleman with a respectable command of the English language but still uses a translator to ensure he doesn't embarrass himself.  This means no sidebar conversations in English because every word is understood.   The meeting was very productive and concluded with us taking the Mayor in one of my armored vehicles to ensure that the bypass road we wanted to use was an acceptable route for the heavy equipment.  Instead of just taking about the route the Mayor went with us and even offered to show us the borrow pits in the area.  I think we're going to have a very good relationship with the local leaders. 

Governor Mengal is noted to be a politically savvy leader who has a respectable chance of following President Karazai in the Afghan Executive Office.  I enjoyed his company and told him I look forward to building a strong road and an even stronger relationships in his province.  The next step is to get the Afghan National Army Soldiers incorporated with my Soldiers on this road to put the Afghan presence in road building.

Since my Task Force took over many of the duties at FOB Sharana we've noted some problems.  One of the biggest issues in a high elevation location is the use of fuel during the winter and now it's especially important because my heavy equipment tends to use fuel at a rate never experienced at this location.  One of my captains couldn't figure out why we were using so much fuel and not even filling our enormous bladders.  The 5000 gal locally contracted fuel trucks came with Army seals intact so no one checked the amount of fuel, they just inserted it into the bladder.  What he found was that the 5000 gal truck drivers were skimming 60-70% of the fuel out of the truck without tampering with the seals.  Bottom line, the Afghan contractors were stealing more than half of the fuel from each truck.  I instructed my leaders to immediately take the keys from the truck drivers, impound the trucks, and only pay them for what they delivered.  This had a huge impact on our fuel deliveries - many fuel trucks now won't deliver to our location for fear their half-full truck will be impounded.  The American taxpayer in me is very tight with each dollar.  We have a criminal investigation team investigating the situation and I expect we'll get reliable operators in the near future.

I traveled 8.5 hours this week on our next road.  We went to a school to deliver humanitarian supplies to the principal.  Many of the notebooks and pens you provided went directly into his hands for use in the schools.  We also brought food, winter coats, sandals, and girls' clothing.  He was thrilled and wanted us to come into the school but I didn't have much time.  I ensured that he knew that the sandals and much of the clothing was sent by American families who wanted to honor my driver, SGT Davis's last request in a letter.  The principal was very humbled and wrote all of this information his notebook.  He assured me that if anyone put explosives in the road he would tell us to ensure we were protected.  It's nice to make an impact one heart at a time.  At the conclusion of our meeting to gathered the children and told them to study hard and listen to their headmaster.

As I traveled from Sharana to Baghram Air Field it seemed as if the helicopter was capable of time travel.  We flew over homes made with the same techniques used in the Biblical era near Sharana, moved to a semi-medieval era, further shifted to a semi-modern area with two-story structures interlaced with steel and lumber, and finally a 20th Century area with some western construction and cell phone towers.  It's remarkable to see such a difference in a 1.5 hour flight.  No, there's nothing similar to a 21st Century US city.  Most areas are struggling to get the simplest developments such as electricity and running water.

I'm somewhat amused with some of my Soldiers.  The cold-weather gear is already in use and many from southern states and Hawaii are already freezing.  I have many senior NCOs in my Hawaiian unit who will experience their first snow and true winter.  I still walk around with the same gear I did in the summer and wonder how my guys will survive in the middle of the winter.  At times I think it's more of a mindset and less cold temperatures.  I think we'll all have to adjust a bit.

[Note: I lost my whole contact list and e-mail box during the period of 5-12 NOV while I was away from KAF.  If you sent an e-mail during this period, please resend.]

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 19 NOV 05
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 12:43:49 +0000 

Dear Family & Friends,

I'm in the process of visiting each of my unit locations before I go on leave 26 November 2005.  I should be home a few days after than.  I visited FOB Sweeney this week to review the vertical construction projects and the road development.  It's a nice opportunity to get away from e-mail, phones, and nearly constant knocks on the office door.  While I'm on the road I get to ride where I see my Soldiers working, get completely filthy, and see massive amounts of rock and fill crafted into a road.  Yes, I love it.

As I've explained, the road from Shinkay to Qulat includes a high mountain pass that I need to transit before I can get to the other side and see the second of my units working on the road.  It required some deliberate planning before we transit that area because of the enemy activity and likelihood of IEDs.  Both of my companies on this road want to complete their portion before 20 DEC 05 and I think it's possible.  The weather plays a major factor and so far it's cooperating.  I'm tired of hearing the hand-wringing stories of last year's winter and following spring – the worst in the last 10 years.  I'm not planning for failure or restrictive weather; I want my team focused on doing all they can when the weather is good and have a plan for foul weather we can execute. 

Tomorrow I'm flying back to Sharana to review the construction projects there.  We still have quite a bit to do on the FOB and now we're working on the road to Gardez.  The Chief of Engineers, LTG Strock, plans to visit us for Thanksgiving and stay a night with us at the FOB.  I'll give him a tour of the new location and a brief on all of our Engineer activities.  When he departs I'm going with him back to Kandahar so I can catch the flight back to the USA a few days later.  It should be an interesting few days.  The first time I met him was in Senator Clinton's office when he came for an office call.  It's a small Army and it's great to have senior leaders such as him visiting us for the holiday.

Yesterday we had a long instructional period on the Law of War and how it may conflict with the cultural uniqueness of Afghanistan.  Our Commanding General attended with all of the provincial governors in the area.  Three and a half hours of instruction brought out many issues, mostly by the governors and instruction, trying to ensure we don't have additional events that possibly disrespect Islamic Law.  Although the instruction was of value I was interested in the cultural dynamics during the instructional period.  American military leaders wanted to ensure all leaders understood the importance of cultural, religious, and civil law in Afghanistan; Afghan leaders wanted to speak in traditional jurgah (jur-GAH) format.  This means that each of them stand and speak at length about whatever they wish to discuss, no limitations, and sometimes no point or results.  The only point may be discussion for the sake of expressing opinions instead of getting action.  This leaves many American military leaders feeling as if the jurgah is useless but it's a part of Afghan culture.  I found the exchange interesting because I knew what was going on but others became frustrated because they didn't see why it had to last so long. 

The one point that all Soldiers, especially leaders, really have a hard time with is that the governors spoke at length about our need to respect elders, men, women, and children but at times our recognition of their customs can lead to the enemy using our respect as a way to attack us.  No one wants to create enemies because we were culturally ignorant but I don't want to loose one Soldier because I let down my guard for cultural awareness.  It's a fine line we walk everyday and there's no room for mistakes – "tactical decisions can have strategic implications."   

I also find it interesting to hear the terms "respect for women."  From what I've observed in my military experience you can tell quite a bit about the development of a nation by the role women play.  I'm sure someone more erudite said this in a more eloquent manner. I have a hard time hearing about respect when I see men in this country treating their women like livestock – or worse.  I'm not referring to inside Kabul where women hold places of prominence; my experience is in the countryside where more progressive attitudes don't exist.  Afghanistan is fragmented but they're trying to forge a national identity and I'm sure the disparity in the way women are treated will be a major issue for them for years to come.

I expect that I won't be writing for the next two or three weeks while flying to the US, enjoying my family, and returning to duty.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving with your families and remember the price paid for your liberty comes in many forms.  We'll eat Thanksgiving dinner with our Army family with hopes that we'll be reunited with our own families soon.  We're all very blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 27 NOV 05
Date: Sat, 26 Nov 2005 14:37:05 +0000

Dear Family & Friends,

Hopefully by the time you read this I'll be in the midst of traveling from Kandahar to Kuwait, Dallas, and then finally Seattle.  I've spent the whole last week working on all the things I don't want to leave undone for a three week period.  My Executive Officer (XO), Operations Officer (S3), and Command Sergeant Major are great leaders and I have absolutely no concerns while I'll be away for a few weeks.  The Task Force couldn't be in better hands.

Earlier this week I spent four days in the east at Sharana.  It's good to get back onto a road construction site again.  It's dirty, dusty, and filled with diesel-belching equipment but I enjoy seeing the Soldiers and the great work accomplished each day.  There's always a large gathering of Afghanis who are amazed at what we do and even more amazed that I have women as Soldiers operating the enormous equipment.  The encounters I enjoy the most are with the children.  It seems that every place in the world I go children are the same: they love Soldiers, are amazed at what we do, and have a natural gravitational pull to our helmets or hats.  It's the part of being a Soldier that always puts a smile on my face.

Later that day I had a promotion ceremony with five lieutenants and two NCOs.  It's great to be able to share in their special event by promoting them in front of their Soldiers. 

The Chief of Engineers, Lieutenant General (LTG) Strock, came to visit on the 23rd, stayed overnight in our VIP quarters (two cots and two desks made out of 2X4s and plywood) and departed on Thanksgiving morning.  Of all places in the world where we have Engineers it's an honor to have him spend time with us.  One Soldier mentioned to me that he was amazed that a three-star would spend so much time with us when most just come for an hour and depart.  I told him that the Chief understood where the most important work was being done by the best Soldiers. Obviously that placed a smile on his face but when the Chief walked out of the mess hall I told him what the Soldier said – which brought a smile to his face.  LTG Strock is the kind of leader that Soldiers love.  They instinctively sensed that he's not just interested in a smack on the back and a trite question "where's your hometown son?" He's the kind of senior officer that can represent the Corps of Engineers in Congress and speak with Soldiers equally well.  Eventually we had to pry him from the table because we had a room full of officers and NCOs waiting to hear his "State of the Regiment" brief.

The Chief also honored us by reenlisting three Soldiers in my unit.  Not only did he perform the ceremony but he spoke about each Soldier as if he knew them for years – detailing some personal facet of their career.  I was very impressed with his ability to honor the Soldiers in a personal way with just a very short amount of time.

Finally, I took the Chief with a small party on a walking tour of FOB Sharana to show him what our engineers accomplished.  I'm very proud of my Task Force and I'm sure it came through at each location where he stopped to see Soldiers working.  The only time he caught me off guard was when he asked if I lost any Soldiers while deployed.  Explaining the combat loss of any Soldier is hard but giving a brief explanation about my vehicle hitting an IED and having two very special leaders die was hard.  He understood and quietly apologized later for not realizing how close I was to this action.

I flew out with the Chief's party late morning on the 24th.  The aviators packed everyone in his helicopter with their luggage only to leave me, my driver, and gunner in an open Blackhawk that seats 11.  We enjoyed the two hour flight with our feet extended and understood that most likely wouldn't happen again. 

The Thanksgiving dinner in Kandahar was nothing short of remarkable.  Although the queue to get into the mess hall was long, the food was excellent and the presentation was simply awesome.  There was no shortage of turkey, ham, steamship round, shrimp, lobster tail, and every trimming you could imagine.  We had two periods for food service and I went to both to because I arranged to eat with Soldiers at each occasion.  I ate for 10 minutes with each group of Soldiers so I could circulate to as many tables as possible.  I've never had Thanksgiving dinner and played musical chairs at the same time.

One last note, our e-mail service has been erratic at best.  I strongly recommend that you always use my paul.paolozzi@us.army.mil address for all correspondence.  All other addresses are temporary and could change as we continue to change servers and service providers. 

"Thanksgiving" happens everyday with the right perspective.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Here are some pictures from the Thanskgiving meal

I had quite a nice surprise last Wednesday - I got off work a little early and decided to go to Fort Lewis to renew my vehicle registration there. It went quicker than I expected so I decided to check to see if LTC Paolozzi was home yet (since I knew he was coming home soon, but didn't know the exact date). I was pleasantly surprised to see him out in the yard with his son so I stopped to say "Welcome Back". We only talked for about 10 minutes because I didn't want to intrude on his quality time with his family, but he expressed his pride in everything that his soldiers were accomplishing there in Afganistan. He has visited this website and has read your comments and he was happy to hear of your support. I told him how proud we were of him and his soldiers and that we truely enjoy getting his newsletters. I don't know if I will get to see him again before he goes back, but it was such a pleasure to see him for just a short time. I told him that we all were hoping for their safe return.

I am including a few more pictures (I had a little problem attaching pictures the last couple of times)
Most people don't know that some of the cooks in the Army are selected and have the opportuniy to attend a culinary arts school wich enables them to make carvings and displays like the ones they did for Thanksgiving.  Most of them do a fantastic job and the Holiday meals are their chance to "Strut their Stuff".

Sunday, December 18, 2005 4:47:50 AM

Dear Family & Friends,

I had an absolutely tremendous time while on leave.  It was great to reunite with my family and spend some uninterrupted time with them.  I'm very blessed to have strong competent leaders in my Task Force who allowed me 15 straight days without having to get into unit requirements during that period.  I called back to Afghanistan every other day on my satellite phone but just asked "Is everything OK, are all the Soldiers safe, any pressing issues for me?" Each time I hung up the phone with less than five minutes of talk time.

My flights to the United States went fine.  I departed Kuwait rather quickly and flew to Shannon, Ireland.  I've been there no less than eight times so I know where everything is.  I picked up two very nice Celtic scarves for Rae Ann and she wore them immediately. 

The reception in Atlanta from Ireland was muted.  There's hundreds of Soldiers there but absolutely no recognition by the people of Atlanta.  Conversely those Soldiers who travel through Dallas told me they receive a royal welcome with their names mentioned and many congratulatory remarks.  It seems as if Atlanta is too busy to recognize Soldiers as they bustle through the busiest airport in the nation.  I was honored to have the flight attendant on our flight from Atlanta to Seattle ask that everyone on the flight remain seated while another Soldier and I deplaned to meet our families.  I rose to move to the door and the whole plan burst out in applause and cheering.  I shook quite a few hands and felt very embarrassed when I got off but happy that the attitude in Atlanta didn't carry over to all flights.

We did quite a bit while on leave and also had some relaxing time at home.  It seemed strange to come to a house that I've never been to before a call it home.  My family enjoyed giving me the grand tour as I saw it for the first time.   The next day we took a family picture which we were all pleased with.  I hope to get a copy scanned in so you can see it next week.

It was important to spend some individual time with the kids too.  I went to the rifle range on post with Aaron and to breakfast at Starbucks with Sarah.  It's nice to get their individual perspective on things.  We really enjoyed each moment.

On Friday we departed for the Cascade Mountains and took a mini-vacation to a cabin in the woods.  It was magnificent – sleeps eight, no neighbors, plenty of snow, three floors, brand new and exactly what we wanted for our get-away.  I've included some pictures of our snowmobile trip, sleigh ride, cabin, back porch, snowy roads, and ping-pong table in the basement.  We loved it.  We're hoping to go back in the late spring if it's available. 

Washington has a German village in the mountains called Leavenworth (not to be confused with the great town in the eastern portion of Kansas).  Leavenworth had all types of Christmas activities, music, sledding, great restaurants, and special tree lighting events.  We loved it and look forward to a summer visit.  The pictures you see in the village are from Leavenworth.

We also took some time to celebrate three events (in person): my birthday, Thanksgiving, and a bit of Christmas.  Rae Ann had a delicious turkey with all the trimmings on a Thursday before we went to a special showing of the "Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" with our Church family.   Its remarkable how blessed my family is for being plugged into a great church family.  I first went to Faith Assembly of Lacey in 1988 before I was married and now we're back with a full family.  My Pastor, Dan Secrist and Deputy Pastor Dan Kaiser were a part of the church 17+ years ago and they're still there.   I look forward to be being a part of the church when I return in March.

The remainders of the 15 days were quiet and enjoyable.  I had my official Army photo taken for my board on a Friday and did some car and home maintenance.  Rae Ann and I also enjoyed a dinner night with one of my old West Point cadets, now a Captain, in Olympia.  My family, church family, and Army family all in one place – it was great!

My return flight was long and tiring.  I spent three full days flying with layovers in Atlanta - five hours, Ireland – one hour, Kuwait – 20 hours, and Baghram – 12 hours.  I was amused by a comment by one of the flight attendants in Seattle, she told us we'd be delayed for 20 minutes because we were waiting for deicing equipment.  I thought that was a very short time but the rest of the plan groaned because 20 minutes was too long for them.  I guess flying for three full days will give you a bit of patience.  I enjoyed meeting the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps in Kuwait as he escorted a few Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, Al Franken, Traylor Howard (she's the new co-star on the TV series MONK), and few country music stars.  I enjoyed speaking with Traylor about the series and then mentioned to Al Franken that I met him in Kosovo when he entertained the troops in 2001. Most people/Soldiers associate him with a strong political opinion but I appreciated him being on this USO tour with his comedy act to entertain the troops in Afghanistan.

The Hawaiian company made a snowman from shredded paper and other local supplies and the mine clearance company decorated a tree with defused anti-personnel mines, grenades, anti-tank mines, and candy canes.  They had to have candy canes!  I received another engineer company last night and as they passed the tree they marveled at how they turned a festive tree into a training aid so Soldiers could identify mines and munitions.  I love Soldier humor.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 1 JAN 06
Date:  Sunday, January 01, 2006 12:22:58 AM   

Dear Family & Friends,

Happy New Year!  We didn't have too many special celebrations to bring in the New Year but we did have our infantry unit on our FOB fire several 120mm illumination rounds at midnight.  If all of my Soldiers weren't awake before the rounds went off they unquestionably were after.  We also woke up to a light snow cover that continues to fall now.  I pray each of you has a blessed New Year.  2006 now holds less than 90 days before we redeploy.

My guard shift on Christmas night was uneventful.  I enjoyed being outside with my S3, a .50 cal, and a set of night vision goggles.  The night was uncharacteristically warm – around 40 degrees.  We talked for the duration of our shift as we scanned the are to our front and then flopped back into bed.

Sharana is definitely my favorite location in Afghanistan.  My Task Force is the largest organization on this FOB and we have the responsibility of all facets of how it's run.  It's great to be able to take a small location and change the layout and construction to exactly what you want.  We're also trying to ensure that we do all the right things for our replacement unit the 37th Engineer Battalion.

The Airborne Soldiers of B/37th are now in full-swing in our Task Force.  They're working with the Soldiers of B/864th on the road in Sharana and with our carpenter/mason specialists in Kandahar.  They're just as excited as we were when we arrived in March.  When I was an S3 (Operations Officer) in the 11th Engineer Battalion in Kosovo we had B/37 as an attached company then too.  The Soldiers are tough and ready for this deployment.  It's great to have them in Task Force Pacemaker.

As Sharana grows-up new facilities such as a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) building, Chapel, Laundry, aide station, gym are all being added.  I expect each of these facilities to be complete next week.  I've also been working with my CSM very hard on getting the Soldiers a small PX so they can purchase small convenience items during the deployment.  My intent is to make the selection much larger for the next unit when they arrive.  I'm doing my best to have my unit focus on making everything we touch better for the next units in Sharana.

Overall this week has been quiet.  The weather is great for building road but it's also favorable for the enemy to continue placing IEDs.  Each day I try to think of new ways to keep my Soldiers focused on tough standards and alert procedures so they don't get complacent in the last 12 weeks of this deployment.  Finally, I allowed my last driver to go back to the company because he was promoted to Sergeant and I hired a new driver from B/864th; I'm sure he'll do a great job.

Happy New Year!

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 8 JAN 06
Date:  Sunday, January 08, 2006 3:30:08 AM   

Dear Family & Friends,

Two worlds have emerged in Task Force Pacemaker – one in Sharana where the snow and wind bite through you with no mercy, the other in Kandahar with milder temperatures, no snow, and brief periods of enjoyable temperatures.  I'm doing my best to rotate between two weeks in Sharana and then one week in Kandahar to ensure I get to see all of the great work my Task Force is doing.

On the first day of the year we received eight inches of snow in Sharana complete with drifts and freezing temperatures throughout the full day.  The only thing this means to an engineer is that there's no road building.  Without the ability to scarify, grade, spread gravel, and compact with water, road building comes to a halt.  The snow doesn't stop vertical construction but we're doing our best to keep the road building crews busy with missions on the FOB.  Yes, you assumed correctly, snowballs started flying on the first day of snow.

Starting the New Year right is important.  I was honored to have two great Soldiers from B/864 ask me to reenlist them on the first of the year in front of the Sharana Flagpoles.  It's very humbling to speak about Soldiers who choose not just to enter the Army but to continue their service during a time of war.  I spoke a few minutes about the patriots of 1776 as their enlistments ended in the Continental Army.  General George Washington knew that if he maintained a corps of veterans then the Army would remain strong.  He pleaded with to remain in the fragile Nation's service and two-thirds did.  I told those assembled that I saw no difference between our patriot ancestors of 1776 and the two great Soldiers I reenlisted on the first of January. 

One of my lieutenants came by my office to give me a large bag of Kettle Korn.  I love kettle korn and didn't realize half the bag was gone as I devoured it in my office.  His mom and dad make it in Wisconsin and sent several boxes of it for his platoon to enjoy.  I was touched as these great Americans made a special shipment of the heavenly tasting treat to all of us.  www.originalkettlekorn.com  Bright moments like this always make it a bit easier to be away from home for such a long time.

I flew from Sharana to Kandahar on 2 JAN 06.  It was most likely one of the coldest flights I've ever had but I had a private laugh with myself as I though of flying with the doors open to get some cooler air during the 125 degree summer.  Frankly, the winter change is welcome.   On my second day here I met with the Commanding General of I Corps and Fort Lewis, Lieutenant General Dubik on a Video Teleconference (VTC).  LTG Dubik met with me for a full hour as we discussed the historical implications of what my unit was doing, how it will change the way Engineers will organize and fight in the future, and the lessons learned from our experience.  Throughout the meeting it was apparent to me that LTG Dubik in genuinely interested in Soldiers, their well-being, and what he could do to help my unit transition back into the Fort Lewis Community. 

The Kodiaks of C/864th had their Transfer of Authority (TOA) Ceremony with B/37th.  It's a simple ceremony signifying that one unit is released to go home and the other is now in charge.  C/864th did monumental work while they were here and deserve a rest when they get to Fort Richardson, Alaska.  Now B/37th from Fort Bragg, North Carolina has the helm as they attack the vertical and horizontal construction projects in KAF and Sharana.

I also receive a visit from the Deputy Chief of Chaplains, Brigadier General Carver.  He was touched by our loss of two Soldiers and had read a letter from my Chaplain explaining the circumstances.  It was clear to me that this man of God was humble, strong, and had a great heart for Soldiers.  I was a bit surprised that the Soldier he wanted to have a pastoral call with was me.  He was concerned about my recovery, mental adjustment, and if I had someone to share with so I could be a strong commander.  I was particularly humbled when this general got down on his knees and prayed with me as he departed.  I'm proud of our Army because they've obviously selected senior officers with the right priorities to be the leaders of our Chaplains' Corps.

As I close, yesterday I had a chance to celebrate 17 short years of being married to the love of my life, Rae Ann.  It's remarkable to think of how much the Army asks of our spouses as they support from afar.  I have quite a bit of catching up to do when I get home.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 15 JAN 06
Date:  Sunday, January 15, 2006 2:32:10 AM 

Dear Family & Friends,

A good sense of imagination and ingenuity seems to be the recipe for success during the winter months as we continue our construction efforts.  On fronts, vertical and horizontal we're experiencing challenges because of weather and material shortages. Snow cover makes it hard for the local gravel contractor to harvest large rocks that get crushed into gravel so we can continue building the road.  Similarly, the vertical construction teams continue working in the snow and rain but after the wooden structures are complete there's limited tar paper and corrugated metal to cover it.   Our logisticians are working the issue to get these items into Afghanistan now but again we're in a race with the weather.

I spent some time on the construction site with B Company yesterday.  A full day of working in an office, attending meetings, and addressing issues that my company commanders bring to me makes eager for opportunities to slip out of the office and work on one of the construction squads.  I put my helmet on, sneak out of the office, and spend an hour swinging a hammer or helping in some other way in a squad working on one of the ubiquitous construction sites.  Yesterday I enjoyed building trusses and carrying lumber.  It's a great way to know the Soldiers as they interact with their squad.  Most have a curious stunned look on their face when I show up but after a while their normal conversation continues and I get to silently hear what's going on in their lives.  There's always a healthy dose of Soldier humor, cussing, and good-natured harassment coupled with hard work and dedication.  I'm happy that the projects on Sharana won't end before we redeploy, which allows me the liberty of leaving the office and being on the construction site in less than five minutes.

I was surprised to hear from my rear detachment (the unit that manages unit issues back at Fort Lewis) that we received seven second lieutenants (2LT).  All of them eager to receive a platoon of Soldiers and deploy immediately so they can be a part of what our unit is accomplishing before we redeploy home.  The worst time to join a unit is immediately after returning from the combat theater.  Veteran Soldiers carry their stories, experience, and bonds formed during the deployment that makes it hard for a new member to understand.  No one wants to hear the "remember when we were in Afghanistan" stories without end after you've just joined the unit.   I'm going to ensure they all join us before we redeploy even if it's just for seven or eight weeks.  I have so many officers that young lieutenants have to wait up to almost a year to get a platoon leader's job.   Conversely, when I was a new 2LT I became a platoon leader immediately because we didn't have enough lieutenants for each platoon.  I had 24 months of coveted platoon leader time and my young officers feel fortunate if they get 10-12 months in the job.

I'm now in the process of having secure video teleconferences with the unit that will replace us.  It's somewhat exciting to know that we're going home in 10 weeks but there's quite a bit to do before we depart.  We're doing all we can to establish a helpful environment for our replacement unit and ensure they're able to seamlessly assume each of the missions we're working.  I'm confident that we've done the right things to make them successful – immeasurably beyond what we received when we arrived in March 2005.  It's hard to redeploy home knowing that my unit is to return to Afghanistan in February 2007 to replace the unit replacing us.  A year in combat and "less than a year rotation at home with families" schedule is driving many good Soldiers out of the Army (the next deployment will be our third in five years).  The Army has developed a reasonable cycle for maneuver units so that most do not deploy more than once every three years.  This works well for the large new brigades that make headlines when the Department of Defense speaks about the subject to Congress but units with high-demand and low-density in the Army, like mine get shuffled back and forth with little notice.  Soldiers don't complain about the deployment but they do "vote with their feet."  I'm stunned that I continue to reenlist American patriots at the highest rate in all of I Corps and Fort Lewis.

Regardless of weather or logistical challenges we're forging forward toward the completion of this deployment.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 22 JAN 06
Date:  Sunday, January 22, 2006 3:53:31 AM   

Dear Family & Friends,

I recall writing many months ago about having dynamic weeks, wondering if the level of interest and excitement would continue.  Clearly, there are enough activities in command and Afghanistan to keep me busy and interested beyond belief.

            My week started with my third company change of command since we've been in Afghanistan.  Bravo Company (Bulldogs) had a simple and respectful ceremony with short speeches, proud Soldiers, and a reception to welcome the new commander.  I try my best to give a short speech that honors the company, the out-bound commander, and welcomes the in-bound commander.  The Bulldogs truly loved having CPT Emery as their commander so his departure was somewhat emotional as he left the company.

            I think I've spend half my week working officer management.  I recall watching my past battalion commanders working this issue intently but now realize just how important it is.  Each move has second and third order effects on how the total organization works.  With over 65 officers in my Task Force this takes some time to ensure it's done right, especially because I'm now working the summer assignments for those who will naturally depart the unit when we get home.  Although I've had remarkable success reenlisting over 200% of my Army directed enlisted quota for last fiscal year, I'm expecting a hemorrhage of officers when we get home.  An alarming amount plan to depart the military for many reasons but I'm sure that our demanding deployment schedule has to have a major impact on their decision-making.  I try not to think of their decision from my perspective with over 20 years of federal service (18+ active), but from a young lieutenant or captain's perspective.  I'm not sure if I would have continued an Army career if I knew that I would not see my family for a year at a time, several times throughout a 20 year career.  I think that's quite a bit to ask of anyone.  Any new Soldier who joined the 864th before we departed Fort Lewis is guaranteed 24 months in combat overseas and possibly as little as 12-13 months in the United States.

            At times I wonder what portions of my duties since I've been here have been devoted toward being a diplomat.  Yesterday I attended a conference with three governors to discuss the Afghan Nation Strategy and how the three provinces, all aligned by tribal affiliation, will move forward to encourage prosperity in this region.  The United Nations civilians lead the briefings and encouraged participation as we discussed some weighty issues regarding the development of Afghanistan.  After more than three hours of briefings (in both Pashto and English) we adjourned for lunch.  I entered the large room for the meal and didn't know where to sit and didn't want to violate political or cultural protocol.  Governor Mengal saw me standing aside and asked me to sit at the head of the table next to the three governors.  Although he can uncomfortably pronounce "Paolozzi," he calls me my affectionate first name "engineer."  He knows that the infantry will help him secure his Nation but the engineers will bring them into the global community.  Humbly I ate with the three governors and found that the others two governors' had an excellent command of the English language.  I had a great conversation with both of them, a Korean Lieutenant Colonel working for UNAMA, and the minister of energy.  The food was great: rice, lamb, bread, and several items I couldn't identify but they tasted good.  At times I just marvel at the unique opportunities here.  I had to leave after lunch but I shoved a flat of the bread under my arm so I could share it with my driver and gunner – a great team. 

            Of course each meeting is a master's level education in international diplomacy.  I've noticed that I'm in the small group of people that the mayor and governor give a hug to when they see me.  Coming from an Italian background, that's fine with me but it's funny to watch others feel a bit uncomfortable with this expression of warmth.  Conversely, at times I'm a bit stunned by the lack of cultural sensitivity by other American officers.  Comments are made which show ignorance and a lack of respect for other cultures, especially as these gracious people presenting their very best for us.  I wince as I hear comments made openly in English that I consider insulting can be openly heard by many Afghan leaders who are very well educated.  Afghans may have a long way to go to ensure their own security and prosperity but we have a long way to go with regard to respect.

            I'm sure you've read some of the stories in the paper that Kandahar has become a high IED area, similar to Iraq.  I read an editorial forwarded to me from a reporter questioning if we've "lost in Afghanistan too."  What a joke!  I'm entertained by these educated fools who make comments from the United States having never been to Afghanistan.  The death-dealing terrorists who come to Kandahar because it's close to the Pakistan Border are using techniques they learned in Iraq.  If they knew anything about Afghanistan they'd realize that the Pashto view suicides like Catholics do.  They don't blow themselves up in order to kill others – especially other Muslims.   These imported terrorists will not have success in Afghanistan; the people here won't tolerate it like they do in Iraq.  As I send supply convoys through Kandahar and retrograde our equipment back to KAF I pray that each mission ends up there safely. 

I've included an article forwarded from Rae Ann that I enjoyed.  It's about Engineers in Iraq but the same passion and dedication is displayed in Afghanistan.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan




New York Post                                                         January 20, 2006

Heroes With Bulldozers

By Ralph Peters

America's soldiers are always good for a surprise: The enthusiasm the Army's combat engineers show for our mission in Iraq would dumbfound even our military's most fervent supporters.

Privileged to speak with officers and NCOs from the Army's Maneuver Support Center in Missouri last week, I came away proud to have worn the same uniform as those men and women. Every one of them had served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Now they were briefly back home, working hard to incorporate combat lessons-learned into doctrine and training the young soldiers they'll lead during their next Mideast tours.

All that nonsense about a "broken Army"? What I heard was the conviction that we're not only doing the right thing in Iraq, but doing it far better than the media tell the American people.

Along with those combat engineers, the audience consisted of infantry, military police and chemical corps leaders — veterans all. Not one was discouraged by the political tempests blowing in Washington (where the hot air is a prime cause of global warming). The best word for what our soldiers displayed is zeal.

I only wish my fellow citizens were given an honest view of our troops, their morale and their accomplishments — along with a fuller sense of our military's complexity. Yes, the infantry leads the way, along with the other combat arms. But who hears about the combat engineers? Even though they often lead the infantry?

Well, here's to the heroes who clear the minefields, defuse the improvised explosive devices (IEDs), blow open the doors, dig the trenches, build the defensive barriers, renovate the schools and clinics, plunge into the tangle of wires that passes for an electrical grid — and fight as infantrymen when the need arises.

When you see those dramatic photographs of infantry teams taking down an urban target, the soldiers up front are often combat engineers, opening a path for the grunts to go in.

Every branch of our Army makes its own unsung contributions, but a glimpse at the combat engineers offers a sense of how complex the Iraq mission really is — and how bravely those in uniform have faced up to the challenges. So here are a few anecdotes from the officers and NCOs I met last week:

* All a soldier has to do to make headlines is to whine to a reporter. But we don't hear about the NCO lying in a stateside hospital ward who, after losing an eye defusing an IED, begged his visiting commander to help him get back to his unit in Iraq.

* In the past, active-duty leaders often dismissed the National Guard as "weekend warriors." Not anymore. The highest praise I heard was for a "dump-truck" outfit, the 1457th Engineer Battalion from the Utah National Guard, that served in Baghdad and central Iraq. A colonel described them as remarkably brave and resourceful. Operating at as low as 65 percent of their authorized strength, those mountain lions from the Rockies never ducked a high-risk mission — whether they'd been trained for it or not.

* When the highly paid contractors failed to show up with the bullets flying, combat engineers often were thrown in to get the electricity working out in the boonies. And they did. But all we heard about were the problems in Baghdad — where the contractors were responsible.

* Having just returned from Iraq, one officer said, "I'd give up my promotion to go back." Even allowing for the moment's enthusiasm, that family man believed that his sacrifices made a vital difference. Why don't men like him make the evening news?

* Even during an occupation, the Army has to train for its full range of missions. At a division commander's request, our engineers built a tank-gunnery range with 64 miles of protective berms to keep the main-gun rounds from going astray. One example among many — all in a day's work for the bulldozer boys.

* That day's work includes some of the most dangerous missions in Iraq — defusing IEDs. The equipment and techniques have gotten better, but it remains a nerve-wracking challenge. Combat engineers volunteer to do it.

* As in the Army's better-known units, our combat engineers see impressive re-enlistment rates. Soldiers sign up knowing they'll be sent back to Iraq. Tough as it is, they love what they do. As one command sergeant major put it, "This is what they signed up for, this is what it's all about."

Of course, no list of this sort can begin to capture the courage of these soldiers. They have families they love and the prospect of long lives in the greatest country on earth. Yet, they continue to risk death or mutilation because they will not quit on America — or Iraq — in the middle of a war.

At a time when we're bombarded with so much doom-and-gloom nonsense from those who'd like to abandon the world to terrorists, it's a shame we don't hear more about the men and women who stay in uniform, who do our nation's toughest work and receive so little credit from the know-it-alls safe at home.

Harvard and Yale? Keep 'em. The finest Americans are those who have gone through the School of the Soldier. A "broken military"? Nope. Anyway, if it was broken, the combat engineers would fix it. Under fire.

Ralph Peters's latest book is "New Glory: Expanding America's Global Supremacy."

Notes From Afghanistan - 29 JAN 06
Date:  Sunday, January 29, 2006 12:29:17 AM   

Dear Family & Friends,

There's never a dull moment.  Early this week we were awakened during the night by the infantry 120mm mortars on our FOB firing in support of a mission.  Governor Mengel's compound was targeted by enemy mortar fire, receiving several rounds.  No one was hurt on the compound and as soon as our 120s starting firing illumination their tubes fell silent.  The enemy knows they only have a few seconds to fire and egress – if they don't our mortars will start firing HE (high explosive) rounds on their position followed by some type of ground and air support.  Better to be waked up by out-bound rounds than in-bound rounds.   

I wonder if the Afghan people think about this as I do.  The insurgents target the people who are trying their best to bring governance and economic prosperity to the province instead of my FOB.  The government is not fragile but it does need assistance – that's why we're here.  I see signs of advancement each month we're here.  The only thing the Taliban can provide the people is isolation and enslavement of their minds.  There's more work to be done here.

As you know I was on leave 28 NOV – 17 DEC 05.  During this period I recently found out that one of the District Police Chiefs that I worked closely with on the Tarin Kowt Road was killed.  On 2 DEC his vehicle hit by an IED less than 500 meters from where I was hit on 18 AUG 05.  He died with four other policemen with three seriously wounded.  Whenever a municipal leader like him is targeted it's because he's doing the right thing for the people.  It's a great loss and tragedy for the people of the Shawali Kowt District.

I'm still in Sharana – enjoying being away from the US main bases near the population centers.  My road construction platoons are getting an unexpected blessing of good weather.  Six or seven hours of bright sunshine coupled with temperatures just above 32 degrees allows us to build road during a period no one would have expected.  If the temperatures dip just a bit then we have to divert the platoons to other missions on the FOB but they'd rather be on the road.  Last year at this time Sharana was covered in a thick blanket of snow.

I've completed several interviews on radio and in newspapers since I've been in Afghanistan but this week I had my first interview with my hometown newspaper, the Observer Dispatch.  When I was in high school I delivered the newspaper now I get to tell the people of Central New York about the progress their Army is making in Afghanistan.  After I gave the interview with the OD one of the local radio stations asked to do a radio interview.  They're interested in a person with local roots doing something that they read about.  I'm interested in letting them know about the great Soldiers serving our Nation and our progress in weaving the threads of a Nation together.

It's routine that local merchants set up a bazaar outside the front gate of US locations of reasonable (200+) size.  When Sharana expanded to over 700 Soldiers the bazaar came to our gates on Thursdays so Soldiers can purchase some of the local goods.  Shopping at the bazaar is nothing like a simple purchase at the local mall.  The merchants give a price after quickly doing his assessment of how quick-minded the purchaser may be and how much money he thinks you have.  Each price quoted is high, if you pay it, then you've missed the experience of haggling with the locals and a portion of your cash.  I went to the bazaar for the first time in Sharana on Thursday.  The merchants were friendly and extremely people savvy; they know this business much better than the Soldiers.  One of my Soldiers purchased gemstones from a merchant and had them appraised when he went home on leave - $25 purchase - $350 value in the US.  I'm sure I'll go a few more times before I leave.

            If you've send boxes or mail during this deployment, I thank you very much.  Please do not send boxes after 15 FEB and mail after 28 FEB.  Sometimes I think our mail is delivered after a swimmer with a waterproof satchel swims across the ocean with it.  Needless to say if you mail something after these dates there's a good chance I won't receive it.

I included a picture Rae Ann and I had taken when I was home on leave, a few pictures from an award ceremony, two pictures taken specifically for the newspaper, my gunner, and several others of Soldiers doing what they do best.

Until next week,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Carl..
I can't tell you how much I am enjoying reading these. I went back and reread all of them from the beginning.
What a nice gift you are giving us all here in the states by sharing these..
And give my thanks also to Paul for taking the time to write these long and informative letters.

When I  look at the pictures... I REALLY look.
I look beyond the faces.. I see the area ..the conditions.. and all that is in the pictures..
and also..what is behind each and every set of eyes staring back at us.

I pray that Paul and all those there continue to be safe.

(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/60.gif)
Teresa

Me, too, Carl.  I so like Paul's letters and appreciate you sharing them with us.  When Paul gets back to the States, I think this forum is going to miss his letters.  I enjoy the pictures and I hope that you will extend our thanks to Paul and his soldiers for the great job they are doing.

Notes From Afghanistan - 5 FEB 06
Date:  Sunday, February 05, 2006 4:52:58 AM 

Dear Family & Friends,

It took 10 months for the enemy to finally figure it out.  I've been writing to you about the importance of connecting the people of Afghanistan through road building and the enemy now understands the impacts.  During this last week my adjacent Engineer Task Force further east was attacked by a homicide bomber on the construction work site.  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183528,00.html  He drove the vehicle up to the Afghan National Army (ANA) check point before the US engineer work site and detonated an enormous VBIED in his vehicle.  He killed three ANA soldiers and one farmer on his tractor, sadly too close to the blast.  I saw what this looked like: hunks of burning flesh, mangled body parts everywhere, and pools of the farmer's blood underneath his tractor.  Images like these don't go away quickly.  The very next day my security element, a platoon from the Michigan National Guard, received a blast that missed the last vehicle by 10 meters but left a crater in the road that, had it hit the armored humvee, would have ripped it to pieces.  We've recently learned that the enemy now wants to target the road builders – it took them a while to figure out where this war was being won.

            As my platoons transit Kandahar they're much more vigilant because of the recent escalation in Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs).  The media simply refer to them as "bombs" but we can't be so casual.  We've seen VBIEDs, Pressure plate IEDs (PPIEDs), Suicide vest IEDs, and believe it or not, Bicycle-borne IEDs (BBIEDs).  With each of these different means of attack each convoy is very aware of all movements around them.  Two days ago one of my platoons transited Kandahar and a vehicle came barreling directly at the first vehicle.  The gunner attempted to flag the vehicle off with hand motions and then the barrel of his .50 Caliber machine gun but the vehicle continued to close.  He opened fire placing four rounds into the engine and two rounds into one of the tires – exactly as he was trained.  The driver of the hostile vehicle was very fortunate he didn't become the next target.  No lives lost, no explosives in the vehicle, and a proper graduated response by the gunner.  I told my leaders that I'll underwrite errors of action but refuse to underwrite errors of inaction – I don't want my junior leaders afraid to do what's right.  In retrospect there's a vehicle shot up because of aggressive driving (we'll end up reimbursing him for the vehicle) but I know my Soldiers are safe.  So when Soldiers come home and they're hypersensitive to all stimuli on the road and in local places, realize they're on overload, trying to adjust to a safer world. [I'm still trying to figure out how to mount a .50 cal on my personal vehicle at home for I-5 traffic]

            Of course there's always the joy of reenlistments during a week too.  I did two rather different ones this week.  One NCO wanted to be reenlisted during the church service and one last night wanted to be reenlisted in a helicopter while in flight.  OK, no problem, I had my reenlistment team arrange both and we did them.  I've done reenlistments in some different places such as in the bowl of an enormous scraper but never in church or in a helicopter.  I think the pilots of the helicopter had a great time too – I presented them with my unit coin in order to express appreciation for our unorthodox activity.

            Mine clearance activities continue in Kandahar.  I know I don't mention this much but in the last two weeks my mine clearance platoon found over 230 Soviet anti-personnel mines on one stretch of the airfield.  These guys have nerves of steel as they conduct the same precarious mission each day.  We haven't had an injury because they stop periodically to retrain and recertify. There is no room for error here. With over 60% of the mission complete I can't wait until they get off of this section of the airfield.

            Earlier this week I had my radio interview with a station in my home town.  I enjoyed it but didn't feel like I was in my best form - I could have done better.  I was invited to visit the station when I bring the family to Central NY this summer for another interview.   Each interview has its own flavor and I'm sure I'll do a bit better next time.

            Finally, there's always time for a bit of fun.  I had a physical training session with the lieutenants of the Task Force and then a professional development session.  I coordinated a scavenger run – the young officers had to collect construction materials, rocks spray-painted orange, sandbags, and a grader tire from around the FOB.  At 7300 feet of elevation, carrying heavy construction materials can be pretty hard.  They enjoyed it and then we had a session focused on how they plan to keep their Soldiers safe when they get home.  Another adventure will begin then...

Until next week,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Sure do enjoy those letters Carl.  Thanks again

Notes From Afghanistan - 12 FEB 06
Date:  Monday, February 13, 2006 12:07:27 AM 

Dear Family & Friends, 

My vision of what winter would look like in Afghanistan is wildly off the mark.  We received one week of light snow and frigid temperatures followed by moderate weather.  Now is an average of 45-50 degrees during the day and around 30 at night.  Surprisingly the weather in Kandahar is in the mid-70s during the day.  I flew to Kandahar last night and already I can't wait to get back to Sharana.  It's to have your own FOB in the middle of the highlands.  Frankly, I think it's the best place in Afghanistan – we have our own gym, chapel, mess hall, aid station, headquarters, mini-PX, and the Soldier living areas are very nice.  We work hard there and don't have any outside encroachment.  I call it the "Palace of Paktika."

I'm sure you've seen some of the protests in Afghanistan, outraged over the cartoons of Muhammad.  This week the protest in Qalat turned violent while my Support Platoon convoy was transiting the same area.  I had to turn the convoy back to it's origin after waiting several hours to get it through the violent area.  The news teams covered the event, explaining how the police shot four people but failed to cover a very critical part of the story.  The mob burned one building – which one was it... it was the school in the town!  No Afghan would burn their own school where their children learn.  I'm completely convinced that the rioting people were incited by Al Queda or the Taliban.  These two Salafist-type organizations have no interest in Afghan children learning anything other than that the twisted message they teach.

Of course the other story that didn't make the news comes in the form of pride in Afghan Soldiers.  We started the first construction skills training academy and graduated 11 ANA soldiers.  The certificate I sign is their diploma that they can now show certifying them as construction engineers.  We now have 60 local villagers in our current class that graduates on the 15th.  No weapon of the Taliban can defeat the investment we're making in these industrious people.

This week I also had my fourth company change of command; this one in Alpha Company, 864th Engineer Battalion.  I've had 11 company commanders while in this Task Force giving me plenty of opportunity to develop young commanders as they lead Soldiers in combat construction. 

Connexs are littering our motorpools and work areas as Soldiers start to pack all of their equipment and personal belongings for the sea and air trip home.  Of course Soldiers are thrilled to be in this position but we still have about 5 ½ weeks to go. 

It's been a month since I was at KAF last and it's remarkable how much has changed.  New tents, buildings, wash racks, and a population explosion.  This is the first time in my Army career that I've been deployed and American Soldiers are not in the majority.  We now have more Canadians on KAF than Americans and they're numbers continue to grow.  I'm happy to see another freedom-loving nation assist with the duty of helping Afghanistan in a combat role instead of sitting on a well defended FOB with restrictions on their use by their Minster of Defense, as other nations have done.

I sincerely appreciate all the boxes and letter of support sent during this deployment.  I respectfully request that you not send any other boxes because we are now in the process of moving so much that having additional material come in at the same time is difficult. 

A few of the pictures are from a reenlistment I did this week on a 5000 gal fueler.  The reeenlistee is a refueling specialist.

Until next week,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 26 FEB 06
Date:  Sunday, February 26, 2006 5:45:20 AM 

Dear Family & Friends,

Last week we were in the middle of getting a new communications package on our Forward Operating Base (FOB) and didn't have e-mail for four days.  The last unit providing communications had a great group of technical experts with experienced equipment we've had in the Army for a few years.  The new group has a new unit configuration, less technical experts, and new equipment that the Soldiers are very unfamiliar with.  The convergence of these factors made communications across unclassified and secret phone and e-mail very difficult.  It seems as if we took as significant downgrade in capability when promised an upgrade.  I'm sure we still have some growing pains before we realize the full capability of our current system.  I was honored again as the platoon sergeant of our new communications team, from the 10th Mountain Division in NY, asked me to reenlist him for six years - it's always a thrill. 

Last week I was in Kandahar for a few days to visit the Soldiers I still have there.  More and more of them are flowing into Kandahar to make room for the new engineer unit coming into Sharana.  We've had quite a bit of rain, for Afghanistan, in the last few days which limits our flights back and forth.  Even though I spend four days there I couldn't wait to get back here.  I saw a friend of mine I haven't seen in three years.  I last saw him in the halls of the Pentagon as we parted ways.  He became a Special Forces battalion commander and I command and Engineer Battalion.  I wish I saw him again under better circumstances.  Four of his Special Forces Soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit an enormous IED in the road.  It killed all four of them instantly.  I went to the ramp ceremony and waited until all of the units paying their respects to depart.  Jim exited the front of the aircraft, came down the stairs, and gave me a hug – "It's good to see you Paul." There's just something about service to our Nation that can't be put into words or equated to money.  The bonds of Soldiers never seem to fade, only get stronger with time.  His unit has only been in Afghanistan two weeks and already they have four flag-draped coffins entering aircraft bound for the USA.  I'm glad I was there for him.  Commanders have no friends in their unit, only other commanders who understand their grief at times like this.

I was emotionally touched by one of my Soldiers who recently got a tattoo while on leave.  He had 1LT Walker and SGT Davis's name put into a memorial tattoo.  He showed it to me and almost brought tears to my eyes.

I was happy to return to Sharana and get back to my little slice of Afghan heaven.

One of my Soldiers in Bravo Company saw me running around the FOB last week and asked me from the guard tower how far I ran.  I yelled up to him "six."  He told me six miles was pretty good – "No, I ran six laps" (12 miles).  Now he was impressed.  Yesterday he asked me to run with him; of course I couldn't turn him down.  I ran six miles the day before and ended up running eight miles with him that day.  Frankly, at 7300 feet this is no fun.  He was fast – I'll have to choose my running challenges a little more carefully in the future.

On the first of March I have another radio interview with a station in Hartford, Connecticut.  There's always something profoundly uplifting to the American People when they hear a real voice coming from a land they only read about in the newspaper.  I enjoy telling them the truth about what we're doing and how we're making a significant impact with the construction of roads and on the hearts of the Afghan people. 

I had another radio interview with an Afghan radio station after the graduation of our second "Winter Workshop." I was the graduation speaker, congratulating 62 Afghan men who came several hundred miles to attend the first ever workshop to teach them carpentry and masonry.  One of the seasoned gentlemen told me he'd been a construction worker all his life but learned more in the two weeks than he did in 20 years.  Of course no celebration could be complete without me attending a meal with them.  I ate dinner with some of my senior staff and the student leader of the workshop.  Another Afghan meal without getting an upset stomach – I call that success. 

General Griffin (4-star), the commander of Army Material Command, visited today.  He specifically wanted to go to a remote FOB with extensive maintenance operations; that lands him squarely in my world.  Heavy engineer operations can't happen without robust maintenance support.  Most other units can accomplish most of their maintenance operation by themselves – heavy engineers, with double the amount of equipment in a battalion, need help.  Frankly, I think he was a little stunned.  My brief to him went great, he enjoyed meeting my great Soldiers, and reviewed all the maintenance facilities but was surprised by how remote my location is and how much gets accomplished.  The fact that he noticed this made me very proud. My boss, COL Flanagan was very pleased with the visit – which always makes life easier.

Yes, excitement is building.  We're almost in March, we know the day we're supposed to fly out of Afghanistan, and families are getting very excited to have us return home.  At times a year seems like a year went by very quickly and at other times (especially in June – August) it seemed to drag on forever.  It won't be long now – only less than 30 days left.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

This is the tattoo - I couldn't resize it without losing the detail

Notes From Afghanistan - 5 MAR 06
Date:  Sunday, March 05, 2006 1:10:16 AM 

Dear Family & Friends,

The tide of rotational change is upon us.  Our Division-level headquarters changed a few weeks ago and now we're starting to see other units transfer around us.  Next week we'll receive the advanced party of the 37th Engineer Battalion as they surge in to replace us.  I must admit, I'll miss this place.  Getting a chance to lead Soldiers in combat for a year is a distinct honor that I'm sure won't feel the same in the United States.

Regardless of the location, Afghanistan or the United States, I'm always thrilled to be asked to perform a reenlistment.  This week one of my NCOs in KAF wanted me to reenlist him but he was half a country away.  He flew on one of the rotational flights to Sharana, we had the US Flag and battalion colors present, performed the reenlistment, and he got back on the Chinook for a flight back to KAF.  He experienced five hours of helicopter flying to have me reenlist him for six more years of service to our Nation – what an honor.  Next week I have two more.  One NCO wants me to reenlist him on the roof of one of our high-rise pole barns.  He helped construct them so we'll have the oath there next week; never a dull moment.

As the week progressed my security chief noted that I've limited my activity to just visiting Soldiers on the road and on the FOB.  He asked to set up a lunch meal with a mayor and district police chief of one of the poorer districts that we're pushing the road through and I agreed.  Our engagement was excellent; we discussed road security, Taliban activity in his district, and issues of a political flavor with Pakistan and Afghanistan as the centerpiece.  Of course a 40 minute conversation turns into an hour and a half with translation.  Again, I enjoyed the traditional Afghan meal of rice, meat (source unknown), flat bread, and one of the strangest foods I've had – red carrots.  I immediately tried them and asked where they came from.  This small district raises their own unique carrots that have a distinctive color and flavor.  The mayor was thrilled to have lunch with an American commander, especially the one who builds roads. 

I know my Soldiers are getting excited to prepare their equipment for departure and then fly home.  I told them in a Task Force formation this week that it's my plan to have everyone working until the final days before we get on the aircraft bound for the United States.  Although an unpopular comment, I know that the most miserable Soldier is the one just waiting to go home without a purpose.  I've coordinated for a hip-pocket list of construction missions on KAF with borrowed tools from American contractors (KBR).  I think they'll see the wisdom of my action when they get home – regardless, it's the right thing to do.

We're now preparing two DVDs that have pictures and videos that capture the whole year's worth of events.  It's a massive undertaking but I think each Soldier and family member will cherish the disk for future viewing.  We asked our Hawaiian unit for a few more pictures of their Soldiers; be careful what you ask for.  I attached one of them.

Yesterday Lieutenant General (3-star) Eikenberry visited Sharana to receive a brief from one of the tenant units on the FOB, the provincial reconstruction team (PRT).  I attended the brief as a "potted plant" in order to answer any questions about the road construction effort if the general asked.  No questions during the brief but the general asked me to ride in his vehicle to the governor's compound.  His questions were remarkably insightful and he stunned me with how aware he was of the impact of road building effort.  He knew about my unit accomplishments since we arrived and even knew of the attack on my vehicle in August '05.  He asked some personal questions regarding my health and if I have any flashbacks from the explosion in the vehicle – I was truly moved that he was genuinely interested.  It's not something that I speak about openly.  At the end of our ride to the governor's compound he asked me to engage the National Security Advisor of Afghanistan, Dr. Zalma Rassoul, about the impact of roads on good governance and commerce during lunch.   

We arrived in the large meeting room for lunch and I experienced the standard mass movement into the room.  I don't bustle into anywhere – I assume the senior leaders will seat me where they wish or I'll sit anywhere to include the floor.  While standing aside LTG Eikenberry asked me to sit beside him so I could engage Dr. Rassoul.  At this point I'm thinking to myself I didn't plan on even going to the first meeting and now I'm engaging Afghanistan's national leaders with the highest ranking officer in theater. The conversation was insightful: I spoke with Afghanistan's Minister of Communications, Mr. Amirzai Sangin and Dr. Rassoul while LTG Eikenberry masterfully engaged each of them with a balance of social conversation and mission related issues.  It's remarkable how much you can learn in short meeting such as this.

After the meal, LTG Eikenberry spoke to the room full of Afghan leaders explaining that we have common goals and enemies and that we're pursuing both together.  He's obviously the right senior leader for the mission in Afghanistan.  I was somewhat embarrassed as he introduced me to the group as "his engineer" building roads throughout the country and then detailed the events of 18 August telling them I was fortunate to be with them because I was almost killed but would not be deterred in building roads for the people of Afghanistan.  It was a remarkable experience.  As we drove back to the FOB I asked him about his tour, how he was doing, and about his family.  I think someone as senior as he is, is unaccustomed to anyone caring to ask.  Sometimes I'm amazed at how blessed I am to have opportunities such as this.

I plan to write two more letters after this one: 12 MAR and 19 MAR.  After that we'll be in transit back the Fort Lewis and I'll be completely focused on getting my Soldiers settled and enjoying my family.

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi

Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 12 MAR 06
Date:  Sunday, March 12, 2006 2:05:00 AM 

Dear Family & Friends,

There's an ebullient excitement in "Pacemaker Land."  Soldiers know that they'll see their families in the next two weeks and the deployment is coming to a close.  As I stand in formations and speak of the accomplishments throughout the year I always make sure that I do as promised; I always say "thank you" for you – the people who've diligently support all that we've done this deployment year.

Even though we're coming to the end of the deployment there's still quite a bit going on.  We now have over 100 Soldiers from the 37th Engineer Battalion in Sharana working hard to transition with us.  Our mission now is to ensure that they know all that we've learned in the last year, have no degradation in mission, get them quickly proficient with the terrain and enemy, and to introduce them to the leaders in the Sharana Province.  I'm confident they'll learn quickly and make a great impact during their year.

My recent visits with Governor Megal have been very warm and productive.  He recognizes the impact we've made in his province and how much we care about his people.  I'm very proud of him.  Almost monthly he receives an attack in his compound and has to have heavy security with him constantly because he's doing the right things for the development of his province and country.  Any governor who's fired his last five police chiefs for the right reasons is a man of the people.

I'm also very proud of the dedicated translators who worked with us during our year deployment.  The bounty for killing an American Soldier is high but killing a translator is almost double.  They normally remain regionally based but after we finished the Kandahar to Tarin Kowt Road they saw the monumental impact on commerce and wanted to remain with us.  They're a great group and I couldn't ask for a better.  When they see me two of them salute like soldiers and two make the appropriate Afghan gesture of placing their hand on their chest as a form of respect.  I'll truly miss them.

Annually the Army Engineer Regiment recognizes the accomplishments of engineer units and individual Soldiers with four awards.  We have to compete at two levels before getting to the final Awards but so far at the FORSCOM-level (one below Army) we took two first places (national competitors) and two second places.  It's a remarkable sweep of the awards and I look forward to the final competition announcement in May 06.

I'm in Kandahar for two days so I can present Awards to the Soldiers that I won't see again.  I'm going back to Sharana tonight and not returning until after the Transfer of Authority (TOA).  It's remarkable how international KAF has become with the Canadians as the predominant force.  I was stunned to hear that a Canadian lieutenant drove up the road that we built to the town of Borwaghana.  While sitting with a village elder drinking chai a Taliban sympathizer came up behind him and put an axe in his head.  The Canadian soldiers with the lieutenant put 14 rounds into the man with the axe but it didn't help the lieutenant.  The Canadians don't agree with the American way of ensuring security in strength and at times let their guard down in social settings.  I can only imagine, as I had chai several times in Borwaghana during the summer, if I'd be dead now if I didn't surround myself with a ring of security.  The bounty on an American commander is much higher than a translator.

My international experience continued this week during an interview with a Dutch newspaper reporter.  The article (attached) was circulated to 17 Dutch newspapers to help the Dutch people understand what it's like in Oruzgun Province – a place we lived in for two months.  I never expected to be able to assist the people of a European Nation to understand life in Afghanistan.

Finally we had another excellent visit; this time from Major General Freakley, the 10th Mountain Division Commander from Fort Drum.  He's now in command in Afghanistan and my unit belongs to his command.  He enjoyed meeting my Soldiers and was astounded by the amount of work we did in one year.  It's great to see generals like him who still relate well with the most junior Soldier and can in the same breath speak about strategic vision for Afghanistan.  I briefed him and then he spoke about his vision for the future during his rotation.  It was inspiring to hear him clearly articulate his main tenants and expectations.  I also enjoyed introducing him to my reenlistment NCO.  He asked a quick question to SGT Bolich "What's your percentage for the year?"  SGT Bolich replied "sir, we're at 100% across all categories."  MG Freakley marveled that we already filled our reenlistment goal for the whole year and were at 211% for last year – the highest unit in I Corps.  He immediately pinned an Army Commendation Medal on SGT Bolich and gave him a 10th Mountain Coin.

It's great to be part of this super team. 

All my best,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana & Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan

LTC Palozzi -

Been following your mission success for months now due to this site.  This site has given me and my men a better understanding of what lay in store for us as we prepared to replace you and are assuming the fight now.  I've been with the 37th Engineer Battalion for a year and know that there is no better unit that could be replacing yours.  The Soldiers of the 37th are rock solid, a different breed, fired up and motivated to take over the fight and road building from your Soldiers with enthusiasm that I have not seen since my time with 2/75 in 1992.  I couldn't be more proud of my own as we transition your Soldiers out after a long year of success and some sad moments.  It was great to actually meet you the other day in your office after being introduced by one of your LTs.  It's not surprising that you are so liked and admired by the Afghan leaders you've spoke of meeting with over the last year.  I can see why.  Over the last 10 days I've heard so many 37th Soldiers talk of how nice it is here at Sharana and that they like what you've done with the place.  I've reminded others exactly what the 864th has accomplished here and the fact that at one time a simple box of ketchup was a luxury here.  The food here has been great.  We are definitely lucky to be here at Sharana.  It's been nice over the last week and a half to see this place change from DCUs to ACUs as the Eagle Battalion has taken Sharana by storm and prepped itself for assuming the fight.  Each day I've seen more and more of my Eagle engineer brothers come in.  Familiar faces are always nice, especially in a land as hostile as Afghanistan.

Sir, it's time for you take yourself and your Soldiers home to join your families after a long year.  Your families deserve it and you deserve it.  You guys deserve one hell of a Hero's Welcome when you return to Fort Lewis.  I wish that our paths cross again in the future, whether it's in garrison or on the battlefield.  I hope you don't mind if I look you up in a couple of years for a potential job on your staff somewhere.  It's leaders like you that stay in my memory year after year.

The Eagle Battalion is now perched in its nest and ready to fight!  AIRBORNE!

1LT Steven Adams
RCP Charlie
C Company, 37th EN BN (C)(A)
FOB Sharana, Afghanistan

Notes From Afghanistan - 19 MAR 06 (FINAL EDITION)
Date:  Sunday, March 19, 2006 1:37:12 AM   

Dear Family & Friends,

    This is my last letter to you from Afghanistan and sadly another very painful one.  About five hours after I sent my last letter four of my Soldiers in an attached company were killed in an IED blast near Jalalabad.  Four families had two uniformed officers knock on their front door and notify them that their husband or son was killed in action in Afghanistan.  In any unit this is very hard news to accept but in a Reserve unit it's especially hard because many of these citizen-Soldiers have been together for many years and maybe have known each other since childhood.  Words best said by one of my Soldiers "It's not where you are on the calendar; it's where you are on the ground that matters."

Of course the only mention in the news sites is that four nameless Soldiers were killed in a strange-sounding location in Afghanistan, but to us they were our brothers. 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/12/AR2006031200456.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,187583,00.html

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/12441107.htm

    Tomorrow we have a Transfer of Authority ceremony (TOA).  My unit will return to being a battalion after having the honor of being a Task Force for a full year in combat.  My S5 said it best, "Sir, you were really fortunate be able to command this unit at this time."  I couldn't have said it better.  Being an Army officer is a distinct honor and I look forward to continued service as long as the Army will have me but being in command is something special that can't be described. 

    This morning's mission to visit local officials was my last.  I took my replacement to visit with leaders that he'll work with during the next year.  Governor Mengal moved to another province so we're working with another set of Afghan leaders too.  LTC Degidio and his battalion are wearing the new Army uniforms, the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) and we wear the Desert Combat Uniform (DCU).  It's apparent to everyone now who the "old team" is and who the "new team" is. 

    As you can imagine we're excited beyond belief to see our families.  We've completed our duty, the new unit is in place, we've set them up for success, and the mission is continuing without a pause.  We're extremely proud that the unit replacing us is operating us is continuing all missions the way a fluid transition should be.  When we arrived in March 2005 I was enraged when it took us no less than 30 days to untangle the mess that was handed to us - I swore it wouldn't be the case when we left Afghanistan.  Now I'm proud to say we made it better for the next group.

    I included a few pictures of a reenlistment, me with a carpet salesman, and cooking kabobs at the bazaar.  Events are starting to slow, so there aren't that many pictures.  I look forward to a period of relaxed operations instead of constant hyper-sensitivity to all forms of external stimuli. The reenlistment picture is from SPC Schum's reenlistment.  He wanted me to reenlist him in the Davis Memorial Chapel because SGT Davis was his best friend.  SPC Schum is the Command Sergeant Major's driver and was inseparable from my driver, SGT Davis.  It's touching to see a church service end and watch Soldiers touch SGT Davis's picture as the exit the chapel. 

    I spoke to Amanda Davis, SGT Davis's widow, during this week; she's one of the most inspiring people I've met in my life.  She's not bitter, loves the Army and our unit, and chooses to help others around her.  It's remarkable!  Instead of being focused on herself and her terrible loss, she's focused on her family, her toddler, and how to better herself.  I'm humbled and proud to know her.  She's starting college in the next semester just like SGT Davis wanted her to.  In my opinion she's an American heroine.  Don't mistake her ability to persevere for casual disregard; she met her husband in elementary school, started dating him at 14, and married him at 17.  They've been together their whole life.  Brayden is starting to walk and received his first haircut this week - he looks more like is dad than ever.

    If you wish to keep in touch please do not use any of the e-mails that I've send these notes from - all of them will be deleted in the next week.  Please only use paul.paolozzi@us.army.mil for all correspondence.  My home address is 2361 South 5th Street, Fort Lewis, Washington 98433.

    Thank you all very much for your prayers, notes of encouragement, gifts for children that I've distributed, and goodies that came with perfect timing throughout this year.  I pray that next week I'll be with my family.  My God bless all of you.

http://www.25id.army.mil/article.asp?artid=5783

Very Respectfully,

Paul

LTC Paul M. Paolozzi
Commander, Task Force Pacemaker
Sharana, Afghanistan

Well, our friend is apparently back in the United States.  Yeah.  But, do we miss his letters?  Yes we do.  We hope that he is getting some rest, being with his family, enjoying life as we in the United States enjoy life.  Thank you, Carl Harrod, for sharing with us the "Notes From Afganistan."  We have enjoyed those letters and learning about Afganistan and our soldiers who work there.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I too miss the letters but I'm glad our friend is back in the United States.  Thank you for serving our Country and ensuring our Freedom.

I'm sorry that I took so long to get this posted, but when Janet asked me for an update I thought it would probably be better to get it directly from the source. Paul was getting ready to go back over to Afganistan in preparation for the unit to ga back next year and I thought it would be nice to get his thoughts on how things were going over there rather than depending on the news. So, here it is:

Notes From Afghanistan - PDSS
Date:Tuesday, November 14, 2006 7:59:06 AM

Dear Family & Friends,
      Many of you know that I recently returned from Afghanistan.  I had mixed emotions about going back so soon but in the end I was pleased that I made the visit.  I went on what the Army calls a Pre-deployment Site Survey (PDSS) otherwise known as a reconnaissance.  Several members of the engineer brigade coupled with the two engineer battalions went to review the latest operations in Afghanistan in order to ensure the deploying units are prepared for the year-long deployment.

       The travel plans in both directions was very tough.  Our aircraft had maintenance issues in Germany so we had to spend a night in Frankfort.   The following day we departed and finally ended up in Baghram, Afghanistan for two days before we took a helicopter to Sharana.  If you recall, Sharana was the forward operating base we built up in order to create a road network from the Paktika Province.  Only 30km from the Pakistan boarder, it's a very remote location that held 750 Soldiers comfortably.  Now the FOB is on it's way to having over 2000 Soldiers, a full airfield capable of receiving C-130 and later C-17 aircraft, and a massive housing infrastructure.  It's great to see our initial work from last year forming the nucleus of a FOB that will be one of the five major locations in Afghanistan.     

            I heard the question several times since I returned in the second week of October, "How's it going over there?"  I'm watching the same news channels that you are and my opinion based solely on what I watch is unfavorable but having recently been on the ground allows me to be much more objective.  Obviously the news that new roads are being built daily by Army Engineers and the international community won't make any of the news networks – "no blood = no news."  Anytime a vehicle born IED goes off in Kandahar you'll be sure to hear every gory detail. I'm not trying to present a false perspective that it's stable and prospering throughout Afghanistan but it takes quite a bit of time to go from one of the five most impoverished nations in the world to a nation with a functioning Army and established civil government.  IED detonations are on the rise and more Soldiers were killed in 2006 than in any other year since 2001 when we arrived.  We have a long way to go.

            I leave command of the battalion on 1 DEC 06; most likely one of the most difficult actions I'll take in my Army career.  I've worked very hard to ensure the unit is ready for the next deployment in February, only 11 months after we came home, and there's still so much more to do.  I'm confident they'll do an excellent job but I'd like to return with them simply because they're going and I feel like it's my duty.  Many of my Soldiers have been on two or three year-long deployments and they're tired – there's no denying that.  But we're joined my many new young Soldiers and leaders who bring inexperienced excitement to the battalion.  As the battalion continues to train in combat and construction skills for another deployment, their confidence grows and the families begin to accept another deployment.  It's never easy.

            I'll transition to another position on Fort Lewis for a few months until Aaron graduates high school in June.  Soon after that the whole family will boomerang back to the east coast to attend the War College.

May God Bless you,

Paul

Thank you, Carl, for asking Paul to give us an update.  Since you have shared his letters with the forum, I feel like the soldiers and him are family.  May God Bless our troops today and every day.

Amen to that.