Hey Roadies!

It’s been a tough time over here. First the crash of an OH-58D which resulted in the loss of one US Army Warrant Officer and then the shooting in Kabul which resulted in 9 US killed.  That's 10 in 4 days. As long as we have been in Afghanistan it is easy for those at home to see these numbers on TV and move on with their daily routine, but I can tell you first hand these losses are very heavy on those of us on this side. That is not to mention the families of those that were lost. The loss of not one person is acceptable. In a military operation it is understood that the loss of a team member is a possibility and maybe even a likely hood, but never acceptable. Measures must be taken, tactics changed, and procedures manipulated to do whatever conceivable to try and prevent the same type of events in the future.  

Finally the most important thing is that we continue our work. We cannot stop or be deterred.  We must ensure that those that have fallen did not fall in vain. Many feel the guilt of “why not me”, many have seen things no one should see, but all must go on. Trust has been lost and a once stable relationship is now less solid, but still we must continue in order to honor the dead.

I am safe, I am confident in the purpose of our work, and I feel your prayers and concern. May I take a moment to speak to all the Roadies who may have this type of work in their future? Study Hard! Get far away from the “Rucker University” mentality and understand that the training you receive at Ft. Rucker is life and death stuff. I know many of you may have heard this before, but the “Instructor Pilot and the less experience pilot arrive to the crash at the same time”. What that means is that you are responsible for you! Know all you can, ask all the questions you can, study all you can; and come over here as prepared as you can.
God bless you guys. I am still in austere conditions right now until we can get back to operations normal. I will be back soon. Go to the link to read details of what happened in Kabul.
Thanks again for all your prayers and concern.
Matt