Regardless of politics, we cannot take our freedom lightly. In appreciation for those who serve, GFAF continues its ongoing mission of providing military care packages. To date, GFAF has donated 28 care packages. Spearheaded by Lisa Gorham, GFAF receives correspondence from our two main contacts, SFC Bruce Lyon and SGT Waine D. Haley.

For a full list of items being collected, please click here. All items may be dropped off at Jean Peterson Design or brought to any of the GFAF meetings this year.

 

A copy of “What Dreams May Come” was autographed by Kevin Mack, visual effects artist, 1998 Academy Award winner for the visual effects on this movie. Signed especially for Waine, our thanks to Tonia Young, fellow visual effects artist who made this magic happen on behalf of GFAF.

 

FROM SFC Bruce Lyon (introduced in our last LOUPE)

Hello Lisa,

The answer to your question about the missing soldier is yes, he is one in the same. The important thing to remember is that the news media does not always obtain their information from reliable sources. What you hear back home on CNN does not always reflect the truth of the situation, as is the case here. Perhaps someday soon, I will be able to speak to you when OPSEC (operational security) is not an issue.

On another note, today we learned that we will be transferring to another outpost, the ANA will be the sole occupants of this FOB. Therefore, our mailing address will change by the end of the week. When I get our new mailing address I will send it along, with a picture of course! I apologize for any inconvenience.

This week should be a down week, as we will be resting and preparing to move to our new location. With that in mind I will have more time to correspond, so please feel free to write anytime, it is always good to hear from people back home.

 

Hello Lisa,

Well, we moved into our new home and they wasted no time putting us to work. We have been busy with the election and the Taliban has been as busy as ever trying to disrupt it, they have been emplacing IED’s, attacking FOB’s with mortars and threatening the local population trying to keep them from the polls on election day. This has kept us very busy these past few days.

Yes, I’m allowed to tell you what I do here. I’m part of an ETT (Embedded training Team), we work with and train the ANA (Afghan National Army) to fight, win, and survive on the battlefield. We also teach them what is called COIN ( COunter INsurgency) because that is what we are fighting here. We also try to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people and try to put an Afghan face on the missions and operations that we conducted here so they will have confidence in their government to protect them from the taliban. We send the ANA out on these missions and stay in the background to observe and provide support should things go wrong (as they often do).

I call Michigan my home. I was raised on a cattle farm in the northern lower peninsula, about 25 miles south of the Mackinaw Bridge. I’m an avid outdoorsman, I hunt (sorrry, I know your (sic) an animal lover), fish, scubadive, ski, and snowmobile in my free time. I’m not one to sit indoors and watch sports on TV, I make my own sport.20I make my living as an Infantry Instructor by traveling to many states in the US that have an RTI (Regional Training Center), I teach soldiers how to fight, win, and survive on the battlefield. I also teach future army officers at the Michigan Military academy in Ft. Custer, MI. and at the Alabama Military Academy in FT. McClellan Alabama. So now you know a little about me and where I come from.

If your group wants to send a package, there are a few things we could use, we have 3 guard dogs here that help provide us security, they could use flea collars and worm medicine. we could also use a few CDRW’s because we have to submit reports to higher. We have to write them on our own computers and submit them on whats called a SIPR line, it is a secure internet by satellite and we cannot use flash drives in SIPR computers. We are down to our last 2 CDRW’s and our normal supply chain is terribly inefficient and slow.

We realize that you don’t want us to be shy and to ask for whatever we want, but we are perhaps for the lack of a better term….too proud to ask for any more than the basic necessities. Don’t get me wrong, we are extremely grateful for your groups generosity in sending items to us here, but we pride ourselves in enduring adversity…..it builds character.

Please extend our sincere thanks to your PS team and the others who donate items for packages you send to us troops here in Afghanistan, we are grateful that people back home that don’t even know us, care enough to take the time and expense to send much needed items.

Well, it is after 10pm here and I have to be up at 0500 tomorrow morning and do it all over again. So, I will close for now, write if you get a chance, like I said before, it’s good to hear from people back home.

FROM SGT. WAINE D. HALEY

Megan,

Your email is sweet; I’m glad we made your day because you did the same forus. Yes we love DVDs that is one of the main things we do when we get downtime. If you would like to send some, we would love to get some (I have amovie I’d love to get. It’s kinda of girly but it’s my favorite. “What dreams may come” starring Robin Williams) other than that anything would be great.

I’m sending some photos; the black and white is me. The rest are some of theguys we sent your package to also a letter from a Washing Post writer thatwas embedded with us. He tells the story of how it is over here right now.It’s a lot different than the last time I was here. Take care and tell everyone “Hello” from the front lines.

Oh yea a T-Rat or as we call it MRE (meals ready to eat) The are aprepackaged meal that has a shelf life of about ten year. They are awful…but better than going hungry. If you’d like I can send you a few, so you cansee what they are like.

 

Hello Ms. Gorham,

Yes, I’m back in The wonderful world of Iraq. (sarcasm)(same post) Congrats on your award, from what I’ve experienced you and you team deserves every kudos and more. Thank you for your support. It means a lot to us.

Things are starting to heat up again but nowhere near as bad as they are in Afghan. I’ll be there in 2011. Hopefully in the field not behind this desk.I love field work. I¹m hoping to get on with a U.S. News station, if not I’ll go with the Army again. I love being a photographer.

I call Nashville, Tenn. home. I went to college there and had a studio when I first got into the biz. I¹ll be living in Ft. Meade, Md when I get back.There is an Army school there I’ll be attending for nine months. (CombatCamera)

Well I hate to cut it short but I have to get back to work, but I do enjoy taking a break and shooting you an email.

Thank you for the support of Any Soldier program. I shipped your box out toa small Joint Security Station. I’ll get feedback from the troops there in acouple of days, but I can tell you up front that they will love everything.

JSS troops don’t have much. The bases have the bare minimum shower,bathroom, and small living quarters. There job is very important to theoverall mission in Iraq right now. A short explanation is they are the earsand eyes on the front lines of today’s battle field while workinghand-in-glove with the Iraqi Army.

If you like to know more I’m in charge of a Public Affairs team. I can send you all kinds of stories and photos.

DVIDSHUB.net you can search 30th HBCT or just email me back and I shoot some stories and pics.

Thank you again

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