Two messages

A compiled excerpt of recent messages from Alex and Marcus in FOB Blessing, Afghanistan:

Things are crazy, but just fine. Things are somewhat picking up here. We got a local the other day claiming to have been caught in the crossfire between us and the taliban.  He had very minor wounds but when we swabbed his hands and face, we picked up a lot of gunpowder residue, which indicates that he was firing at us. we turned him over to the ANP, but he was probably released that same day...The guys are doing well too.....I feel very lucky to have some very quality soldiers at all ranks. We are very busy taking care of patients, making aid station improvements and growing as medics....Other than that, we're making progress and seeing positives in many small ways, which in this environment you can never take for granted.

Its always gratifying when you get to take down some bad guys. Recently, we got to be part of an operation (which included some special operations units) that ended up netting several enemy detainees. These men were part of an RPG cell, responsible for numerous attacks against coalition forces...so hopefully their capture will make this valley a safer place for us in the short term, and more stable for Afghanistan in the long term.

Besides that bit of excitement, we've continued doing our normal patrols. One of the biggest enemies a deployed unit always fights is complacency. It becomes easy to take things like security for granted. "Getting lulled into a false sense of security" is how many people put it. Bottom line, its easy to lose the edge. Just as units that see constant combat become attrited, so do units that see sporadic combat. In fact, the sporadic nature of the fighting here makes it more dangerous, again, because it is easy to get complacent. So we fight this by changing up our patrols, doing things a little differently, trying to keep our minds fresh and the enemy off balance. Also, the squad leaders, platoon sergeant and I make sure that the platoon is as physically fit as possible, and we use these mountains to our advantage, fitness-wise. Staying physically strong keeps us mentally sharp.


In the meantime, we're thinking about all of you back home, and we hope that you are doing well. We just got another shipment of mail in, so I'll just go ahead and say a collective "Thank you" from all of us.