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