USA Patriotism! ... "Showcasing Pride of America"USA Store! ... American / Patriotic themed gift products at USA Patriotism!

Home - Articles - USA's Birth - Great Patriots - Heroes - Honor Halls - Music - Photos
Poems - Quotes - Reference - Speeches - Stars for Troops - Stories - Student Patriots
Videos - New Content
- About - Contact - Submit - Press
- CureNow - Donate
- Privacy

Click Here To Google Search
 For USA Patriotism! Content
USA Patriotism! YouTube Channel Join / Like the USA Patriotism! Facebook pagePinterestLinkedInUSA Patriotism! Instagram ChannelUSA Patriotism! On TwitterUSA Patriotism! at Flickr

Patriotic Article
Military
By Army SFC Jon Soucy

Collectibles, apparel, and other gifts ... for Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and veterans! Checks with USA, military, and other patriotic designs Free Gifts from The Bradford Exchange Online
 

Green Mountain Boys Make A Difference In Afghanistan
(June 13, 2010)

USA as flag

USA, military, and other patriotic themed pullover and button down Polo shirts

Vermont Army National Guard Capt. Stephen Iaquinto from Berlin, N.J., and a member of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, shows Afghan children a picture from his camera in Bagram, Afghanistan, May 24, 2010.
Vermont Army National Guard Capt. Stephen Iaquinto from Berlin, N.J., and a member of the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, shows Afghan children a picture from his camera in Bagram, Afghanistan, May 24, 2010. U.S. Army photo
  ARLINGTON, Va., June 10, 2010 – The soldiers of the Vermont Army National Guard's 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have been working hard to make a difference during their deployment to Afghanistan, the brigade's commander told reporters recently.

“Across the board, our soldiers are extremely happy about what they're doing,” said Army Col. Will Roy. “They know it's a very important time in Afghanistan for both our country and the Afghans and they really see the difference they are making on a daily basis.”

The Guardsmen, Roy said, have been working hand-in-hand with Afghan security forces.

“We work with the chiefs of police, we work with policemen and we work with Afghan battalion commanders and company commanders,” he said. “So, our focus is on helping to increase their overall capability and work with them as
they go throughout the villages to help protect [the villagers] from insurgents.”
Vermont Guard soldiers were among the first forces to respond to the May 19, 2010 attack on Bagram Airfield when insurgents attempted to breach multiple barriers around the base at about 3 a.m. local time, Roy said. Eighteen insurgents died and five were captured.

“In the end, it was an extremely futile attempt to break into an extremely secure base, a base that we continue to improve our security on and continue to rehearse how to respond to attacks of this nature,” he said.

One of the results of the attack came as a surprise to the Vermont Guardsmen, Roy said.

“We had a local Afghan walking toward our front gate with a weapon, all by himself,” the colonel said. “He walked up to the front gate and turned around and sat down. When we asked him what was going on, he said that no one was going to attack Bagram again while he was here.”

The lone villager felt compelled to help out at the base, because the Vermont soldiers were working with local Afghan security forces to make area villages safer.

“They [are] out, dismounted, going through the villages and they were out in those villages time and time again building relationships with the village elders and the people to the point where they were pointing out insurgents to us so we could capture them,” Roy said.

The incident is an example of the greater role of the Guard unit's mission.

“This just goes to show that this mission is not just about conducting military operations against insurgents,” Roy said. “But it's about working with the Afghan people and the Afghan security forces in creating a safe and secure environment for the next generation of Afghans.”

The brigade is roughly halfway through its deployment, and morale continues to be high, Roy said, thanks in part to support from those back in Vermont.

“You have much to be proud of your soldiers,” he said. “We've got a long road ahead, but we're making steady progress. Your Green Mountain Boys are making a difference here every day.”

By Army SFC Jon Soucy
National Guard Bureau
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010

Comment on this article

USA Gifts Store! ... over 1,000 American / Patriotic themed products at USA Patriotism! USA / Americana theme ... polo shirts, t-shirts, shorts, hats, caps, swimwear, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, jackets, under garments, and other apparel items American Pride: Poems Honoring America and Her Patriots! by David G. Bancroft