A friend of mine was injured by this blast, and as you read it, my old division lost some more Screaming Eagles....
copied from here:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/101st...ssage-to-the-lifeliner-family/216988904984791
Kill these fuckers
To my fellow Lifeliners,
By now, many of you have heard about the tragic attack at Forward Operating Base Gamberi that claimed the lives of four our fellow Lifeliners. I would first like to start by saying how deeply saddened we are by this terrible loss. The Soldiers who were killed in this cowardly attack were among the best in the Army, and certainly among the best in our brigade.
There are no words that can truly express the range of emotions that you might be feeling … that certainly is true for the Soldiers here on the ground. The Soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice are the first casualties we have suffered since we were re-designated as a Sustainment Brigade in 2004.
These Soldiers were killed while conducting their morning Stand up meeting. A man dressed as an Afghan Soldier came into Stand-up and detonated himself. When the smoke cleared, a total of five U.S. Soldiers (including one from the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion out of Alaska) were killed and 10 others were wounded. One civilian contractor also lost his life in the incident, as well as four Soldiers from the Afghan National Army. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families as well.
As a sustainment brigade, it is not uncommon for us to worry about our fellow Soldiers who daily braved the dangerous, treacherous terrain that is Afghanistan as they conduct routine convoy missions to ensure that our troops have the necessary resources they need in order to conduct their mission. It’s also not uncommon for any Soldier who ventures outside the wire in an MRAP or a plane to say a prayer asking for success in not only completing the mission, but for their safe return back to base.
But it is not common to be attacked in our makeshift home, where we feel the safety and security of our fellow brothers and sisters, our family, while we are away from our loved ones.
This is the ugly side of our grand journey as Soldiers. For all its rich traditions, its customs and courtesies, and sense of pride in unit, the other truth is that we risk our lives daily in a combat zone, in which nothing is guaranteed, and that everyday could possibly be our last on Earth.
This is why I am heartened by the actions of our brave Lifeliners immediately following the attack – Soldiers injured, bloody, bruised – coming to the aid of those in worse physical condition to render aid to them and provide a secure perimeter to ensure no further harm came their way.
I am also heartened by our fellow ANA comrades, who, while also injured, came to our aid and helped many of our Soldiers who were in need. The phrase, “Shona Ba Shona” – shoulder to shoulder- never meant more between us than at that horrific moment.
And I am heartened by the fact that the Lifeliners have re-engaged FOB Gamberi and will continue the mission of mentoring our Afghan partners as they develop their security forces and economic prosperity to self-sufficiency.
To our families back home, know that we love you and miss you. Your courage sustains us through the difficult times, and knowing that we are in your hearts and minds give us the strength to carry on.
To our Soldiers here, know that your overall health and welfare is very important to us, and we continue to monitor you well being here. We recognize that they will respond to events at hand in a variety of ways, and we ask that you seek our chaplains and your friends in dealing with your grief and feelings.
This is a sad day for the Lifeliner family, but know this: the enemy has not won. The Soldiers we lost to this tragedy cannot be replaced. We will however, continue to honor their memory and do what we know they would expect us to do: continue the mission until its completion. The enemy did hurt us, but they did not destroy us. They did not destroy our will to fight, or our will to survive. We Soldier on because that is what we do. We honor our fallen brothers and sisters by not caving in to the enemies’ wishes, but by driving on until our mission is accomplished.
Lieutenant Colonel Robert J. Davis
copied from here:
http://www.facebook.com/notes/101st...ssage-to-the-lifeliner-family/216988904984791
Kill these fuckers
To my fellow Lifeliners,
By now, many of you have heard about the tragic attack at Forward Operating Base Gamberi that claimed the lives of four our fellow Lifeliners. I would first like to start by saying how deeply saddened we are by this terrible loss. The Soldiers who were killed in this cowardly attack were among the best in the Army, and certainly among the best in our brigade.
There are no words that can truly express the range of emotions that you might be feeling … that certainly is true for the Soldiers here on the ground. The Soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice are the first casualties we have suffered since we were re-designated as a Sustainment Brigade in 2004.
These Soldiers were killed while conducting their morning Stand up meeting. A man dressed as an Afghan Soldier came into Stand-up and detonated himself. When the smoke cleared, a total of five U.S. Soldiers (including one from the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion out of Alaska) were killed and 10 others were wounded. One civilian contractor also lost his life in the incident, as well as four Soldiers from the Afghan National Army. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families as well.
As a sustainment brigade, it is not uncommon for us to worry about our fellow Soldiers who daily braved the dangerous, treacherous terrain that is Afghanistan as they conduct routine convoy missions to ensure that our troops have the necessary resources they need in order to conduct their mission. It’s also not uncommon for any Soldier who ventures outside the wire in an MRAP or a plane to say a prayer asking for success in not only completing the mission, but for their safe return back to base.
But it is not common to be attacked in our makeshift home, where we feel the safety and security of our fellow brothers and sisters, our family, while we are away from our loved ones.
This is the ugly side of our grand journey as Soldiers. For all its rich traditions, its customs and courtesies, and sense of pride in unit, the other truth is that we risk our lives daily in a combat zone, in which nothing is guaranteed, and that everyday could possibly be our last on Earth.
This is why I am heartened by the actions of our brave Lifeliners immediately following the attack – Soldiers injured, bloody, bruised – coming to the aid of those in worse physical condition to render aid to them and provide a secure perimeter to ensure no further harm came their way.
I am also heartened by our fellow ANA comrades, who, while also injured, came to our aid and helped many of our Soldiers who were in need. The phrase, “Shona Ba Shona” – shoulder to shoulder- never meant more between us than at that horrific moment.
And I am heartened by the fact that the Lifeliners have re-engaged FOB Gamberi and will continue the mission of mentoring our Afghan partners as they develop their security forces and economic prosperity to self-sufficiency.
To our families back home, know that we love you and miss you. Your courage sustains us through the difficult times, and knowing that we are in your hearts and minds give us the strength to carry on.
To our Soldiers here, know that your overall health and welfare is very important to us, and we continue to monitor you well being here. We recognize that they will respond to events at hand in a variety of ways, and we ask that you seek our chaplains and your friends in dealing with your grief and feelings.
This is a sad day for the Lifeliner family, but know this: the enemy has not won. The Soldiers we lost to this tragedy cannot be replaced. We will however, continue to honor their memory and do what we know they would expect us to do: continue the mission until its completion. The enemy did hurt us, but they did not destroy us. They did not destroy our will to fight, or our will to survive. We Soldier on because that is what we do. We honor our fallen brothers and sisters by not caving in to the enemies’ wishes, but by driving on until our mission is accomplished.
Lieutenant Colonel Robert J. Davis
