Greg's notebook

These are the updates that Greg sends home.

Things are going pretty well for me. There aren't many things that I need here. If anyone is curious about things that I need, I will be happy to send let you know, as it does change from time to time. It will be interesting to see the weather change over the next 8 weeks, from 100 degrees to 30 degrees or less.

Until the next update...... have a good one

Greg

September 9, 2007

Just before a large mission with the team scattered all over Zabul Province, CPT Edson was officially promoted to the rank of Major. So far, there have been no new duties added to what he has been doing, but that is not too much as surprise, as he's already been doing the duties of a Major on the team. The team, and Greg, has seen some action in the last 2 weeks, but they are all ok.

Greg is Now a Major!!!

Patient in turret gunner position while engaging with enemy, humvee stopped abruptly to avoid RPG, patient struck right side of face on turret. Patient was wearing all issued PPE.

(Greg chiped a tooth and it was fixed using eastern European methods. They don't have any novacaine or other drugs. Greg said it is a new kind of pain!)

Quiet was too good to last. Last week the Taliban, and some foreign fighters attacked several places across the province, mostly unsuccessfully. My team, with our ANA, pursued one of the Taliban units into the mountains, and hunted them for several days. We had a couple small engagements with them, and did capture some useful stuff. No US personnel were injured in this operation. Additio

Additionally, all our internet was down for about 5 days, so was hard to let people know I was ok when we got back. But, other than being very tired, I am fine. The next 60 days are really up in the air for my team and I. Our Afghan unit is being transferred to another area, and we do not get to go with them. So we are to sure what we will be doing until our replacement unit arrives in D

December. Rumors abound. If I am sent to an outer FOB, I am likely to not have internet communications for quite a while. I'll try to let people know if that is going to be what happens.

November 2007 I got a call from Greg. He said that he was attacted on Thanksgiving but he was safe. Greg said that he performed well.

Anyway, this photo was taken of me while
                           I was teaching at the counter-insurgency academy in Kabul.

I took my class on a field trip
                           to the old "Queen's Palace" in Kabul to take in some of the history.

A Canadian Sargeant Major
                           that was in my class too this photo, and sent it to me. 
 
At the time it was taken, I was sitting in the attic of the
                           palace, watching my "students" scamper

about on the rafters thinking to myself "one of them
                           is going to fall through the cieling and

I am going to have a TON of paperwork to do....."

                            
 
oh, and we had our first snow at Massoud last night. It was 16 degrees. Very cold. 
 
The other thing that
                           happened. We had some Afghan contractors at our firebase building us something to live in other than the tent with no heat.
                           One of the contractors apparently stole the flea collar my mom sent and was wearing it as a bracelet. He will probably not
                           understand why it will cause his arm to break out. 
 
Anyway, no more news that I can tell right now. Will send some
                           more photos later.
 
Greg

Picture from when I was in Kabul