I’ve been close to several IED blasts this past year, both spontaneous and EOD controlled detonations, and its always a awesome experience. I don’t mean that its cool or that I love it, but just that its literally something of awe. The power and destructive force of the blasts is not in their [...]

I mention in the video how this region is hot. About 20 minutes after we had to take off to provide support to an infantry group that was suppose to meet up with us. One of their MRAPs was flipped over by an IED. That was roughly a half-mile up the road. [...]

A few shots of this footage I got a while back when one of the vehicles was hit by a VBIED (Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device). What was left of the car and suicide bomber was nothing but a few scraps, but the vehicle took the hit like a champ and the guys were fine [...]

Chaplain Walker is hilarious. I wish that I could post all about this poor guy and his inept chaplain’s assistant. Its truly comical.

I really hope some of you make the connection to the famous film, The French Connection. Back in film school, I went on a trip to LA with one of my professors and classmates. One the best things we did while in LA was to get to watch a private screening of The [...]

The circumstances of the events that these Soldiers were awarded Purple Hearts and CABs are mostly unknown to me. I know that they were medevac-ed out of the area where the IED went off after their vehicle was disabled. Whats really cool here, is the speed with which the bird arrives… its [...]

It really crazy how on these remote FOBs, the Soldiers have to build there own recreation facilities. There is alot of gaming that goes on over here, but Soldiers really need to have some type of social and physical entertainment to balance out their lives. They come off these RCPs tired and often [...]

Afghans are uncomfortably friendly, especially if they get to know you. Phil Kirk trained them for several weeks late last year and found out that he’d almost rather they didn’t like him, as they did in the beginning of training. He developed good relationships with some of the company’s leaders. The [...]

I actually pissed off EOD at the beginning of my stay in Salerno. I was shooting footage of them doing their job while out on mission, and an eager Soldier decided to state over comms that I was doing exactly that. Well, I would never publish anything to endanger them, and in fact, [...]

Since the military had thrown everything except the kitchen sink at the Taliban in the South, the Air Force Research Lab decided to put this UAV prototype into action in a less saturated area. Luckily for the 1141st, they decided to hook up with them.
Captain Klatt showed me some of the classified [...]

I got this story near the end of my two week stay at FOB Salerno. I was hoping to get some more in-depth coverage of the RCP missions, but I ended up just getting more stories about other things instead. The first day I filmed the MRAP rollover trainer taught by a civilian. [...]

These South Dakota guys are awesome, haven’t met an unfriendly 211th Soldier yet. Early in the morning as everyone was getting geared up and readying their vehicles they all gathering to pray. I thought that this was a great way to start any day, especially ones where you’re putting your life out on [...]

“A ‘Route Clearance’ Company conducts its own humanitarian mission.”
I traveled with these active duty guys out to a Afghan National Police (ANP) compound in the middle of a stunningly beautiful Afghan countryside. We stayed for the night and were told to expect mortar fire, and accurate fire at that. So I huddled up [...]

“Mortars are typically more of a nuisance than a danger, but in one case the enemy got in one lucky shot.”
This event actually occured as I was coming back in the Forward Operating Base (FOB) after a mission with the 1141st “Sapper” Company from Kansas City. As we neared the entrance we begin to [...]

“The 1141st “Sapper” Company is an integral part to the mission in Afghanistan. On a daily basis they must deal with the dirty job of clearing the roads of Improvised Explosive Devices.”
This was an introductory piece on the 1141st “Sapper” Company, a group I will be with many times this year with the hope [...]

“The Foward Support Company of the 203rd Engineer Battalion resupplies the Route Clearance Patrols in its Area of Operations. Its a tough job, full of risk, which most people don’t recognize.”
Now in Afghanistan with Missouri National Guard’s 203rd Engineer Battalion I’ve had the opportunity to begin creating PKGs for media release back in Missouri [...]