10 MAY

Hi everyone!

I have been super busy lately. My troop has made an OP. I have also experienced combat since the last time we wrote. It's easy. No sweat. It's going well. Trying to get through May.
Talk to you guys later

-Michael

20 APR

Hi Everyone! I hope you all are doing well. The tempo has picked up a lot these last two three weeks. I earned my combat action badge a few days ago.Thank you all for all the packages recently! I am getting used to the life here. My Soldiers are doing fine as well. The weather is also getting hotter.

-Michael

01 APR

Hey Everyone! I hope everyone is doing well! I apologize for not responding in a while. Everything is good here. The weather is warming up. I am enjoying working with the Afghans, Czechs, and Jordanians. I am enjoying the increased paychecks as well. Thank you to all those who have been sending me packages. My platoon is set in a groove now. 8 more months! lol I am staying busy during my free time with going to the gym and reading. The Kindle is a great invention. E-mail me if you have any questions!

-Michael

23 MAR

Hi everyone! I'm sorry it has been a while! On the 21st, I received my right shoulder patch. It basically means I've been deployed to a combat zone for at least thirty days. Nothing significant has happened. We've made some personnel moves in the troop, which involved one of my NCOs getting switched with another NCO from second platoon. This has been an extremely tough month for me so far. However, everything is fine. I know everyone is wondering. No combat yet. We've found some IEDs before they found us so that's a good thing. Hope everyone is well.

-Michael

13 MAR

Hi everyone! I've been really busy doing all kinds of missions. My vehicle rolled over into a ditch, but everyone is fine. The vehicle was damaged though.  The weather is getting warmer here. Mail has started to arrive here. If you would like to send packages to my Soldiers they would love it. They like sports and car magazines, any kind of video games, all kinds of movies (DVDs), and of course any kind of candy or sweets. Please let me know if you would like to send stuff to my Soldiers. Hope everyone is well!

-Michael

09 MAR

Hi everyone! I'm sorry that it's been awhile! So my platoon has officially taken over. We are running missions all the time. Everyone is getting very familiar with our area of operations. Today, we had some down time so my Soldiers finally got a chance to explore the base. So far, the Afghan people and the Afghan army have been very nice. I really enjoy the work that I'm doing here and I really love having the ability to lead Soldiers in Afghsnistan. Hope you all are doing well. Email me if you have any specific questions!

-Michael

05 MAR

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been super busy. I have done all kinds of missions so far from route clearance to security for advisors to the Afghan army. I also signed for all my platoon property so my platoon is officially conducting operations in Afghanistan. I hope you all are well. I am fairly exhausted. My Soldiers are pretty beat as well, but we'll be fine. Thank you all for the constant support. The Platoon Leader I replaced leaves tomorrow. I have one of the best interpreters in the province. It is cold here at night but the sun is extremely bright. I am going to need to put sunblock on my face. The Afghan army I have worked with are very friendly. I enjoy working with them.

-Michael

02 MAR

Hi everyone! The platoon showed up last night and today except for three of my guys. Everyone is good! We started doing missions today with the platoon we are replacing. It feels good to have my guys here! We climbed the highest mountain today in logar! It was such a beautiful sight at the top. I put the picture on Facebook! Email me if you want the pic. I put it on Facebook. Hope everyone is well!

-Michael

28 FEB

Took some pictures today of the snow capped mountains. Went to the gym. Standard day. Platoon should come tomorrow. Miss you all.

-Michael

27 FEB

Hey everyone! My platoon shows up in two days I think. There has been a lot of snow here again. Nothing else going on really!

-Michael

24 FEB

Hey everyone!! So if you have an iPhone or iPad you can FaceTime and iMessage me anytime! Some big events happened today in Afghanistan. Y'all might want to check some of that out. I started setting up my room today. I also sat in on the squadron's weekly update brief today. It was pretty cool to see how proficient the unit we are replacing is. Anywho, it's still pretty cold here. More snow tomorrow apparently.

-Michael

23 FEB

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is having a good weekend! I met the platoon leader I am replacing yesterday. He actually did my training at Fort Benning with me. He is an ROTC grad from Indiana University. We get along really well. Today, we discussed tactics, equipment, vehicles, etc. I got to see where he lives (I am actually staying with him), works, eats, etc. The living conditions here are extremely nice. I am very surpised. They are a lot nicer than the nasty places I had to live in while I was training at Camp Buckner at West Point as a cadet. Not too much to say about the fighting here. Not much happens in winter. My platoon will arrive in about a week. The unit we are replacing is a great unit. They really did a great job the last 9 months and had a very fulfilling deployment. My platoon will arrive in about a week. I was able to meet some Afghan Army Soldiers today. They seem pretty good. There is also a Jordian battalion staying on my FOB as well. It's pretty cool. The mountains are beautiful here. They are snow capped. It reminds me a lot of the mountains surrounding Lake Tahoe in Nevada. As always, thank you for all the prayers and support. It is much appreciated and needed.

-Michael

22 FEB

Hi everyone! Sorry it took me awhile!! I arrived into Afghanistan yesterday. I am going through different briefings and will meet up with the guy I am replacing tomorrow! Will write more when I get a computer! The local time is 1:45 on friday

-Michael

17 FEB

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your love and support! I am safe and sound in an Eastern European country! We will be leaving here in a few days. The flight was nice and smooth last night. I slept the whole way. I am with good friends. Once again, I just wanted to thank everyone for your interest, love, prayers, and support for me. I look forward to continue sharing the latest news with all of you!

-Michael

14 FEB

Hello Everyone! I have decided to make a blog for when I am deployed to Logar Province, Afghanistan. I have been blessed with so many great people in my life and I know you all want to know about the deployment so I figure I can just write about it as much as I can.

First, Fb message me if you want my mailing address! My e-mail is lifeeleader07@live.com
I am a Cavalry Scout Platoon Leader for 3rd Platoon, A Troop, 6-8 Cavalry Squadron out of Fort Stewart, GA. E-mail me if you have any questions and I will respond in my future blog entries!