February 17, 2009
American Forces Press Service reporter Fred W. Baker III spent
a month on the ground with U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. Here is
a collection of his in-depth articles, photos and journal entries detailing his experiences.
a month on the ground with U.S. Forces in Afghanistan. Here is
a collection of his in-depth articles, photos and journal entries detailing his experiences.
Stories
Combat Outpost Serves as Front Line
WASHINGTON, March 31, 2009 – Next to a small village in Afghanistan’s fertile Jalrez Valley, a platoon of U.S. soldiers make the most of their small outpost on the front lines. StoryTask Force Takes Troubled Valley
FORWARD OPERATING BASE AIRBORNE, Afghanistan, March 9, 2009 – Coalition forces along Afghanistan's Logar River are sending a forceful message to insurgent fighters that the coalition will go wherever, whenever it wants. StoryAfghanistan Fight Turns to
Economy, Governance
FORWARD OPERATING BASE AIRBORNE, Afghanistan, March 6, 2009 – The 10th Mountain Division troops in Afghanistan are building infrastructure, helping legitimize the provincial government and pumping much-needed money into the barren economy. Story
Team Brings Hope to Paktia Province
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 27, 2009 – Coalition reconstruction teams are planning road construction to open eastern Afghanistan to trade, education and healthcare. StoryNew Roads to Open Up
Eastern Afghanistan Province
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 27, 2009 – The work of a coalition reconstruction team is bringing hope to an Afghan province where people rarely have anything to look forward to. Story
Security, Development Intertwine in War
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 26, 2009 – The Paktia Provincial Reconstruction Team works to separate Afghans from the insurgency that attempts to undermine coalition efforts. StorySecurity Forces Provide Safety Net
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 25, 2009 – A security force keeps the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Paktia province safe as it travels around the region meeting with local leaders and helping to rebuild communities. StoryTeam in Afghanistan Looks to
Double Health Care Access
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 19, 2009 – A provincial reconstruction team is working to double villagers' access to medical care in Afghanistan. Story
Reconstruction Team Aids Effort to
Oust Taliban from Patkia Province
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 16, 2009 – Afghans are working with the Paktia Provincial Reconstruction Team to help convince villagers to reject the Taliban. Story
Stories
Building Projects Boost Efforts to
Remove Insurgents from Stronghold
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 12, 2009 – Paktia Provincial Reconstruction Team engineers are overseeing nearly $100 million worth of projects. Story
Reconstruction Team Serves
On Front Line of War on Terror
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2009 – Members of the U.S.-led provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan's Paktika province have found themselves in "the center of gravity" on the war on terror. Story
Reporter's Notebook
Eatin' Good in Afghanistan
![](images/th_olivegardez1.jpg "Army Spc. Kiana Mealey serves up lobster tails and crab legs at an Army-run dining facility nicknamed "e;Olive Gardez,"e; Feb. 21, 2009, at Forward Operating Base Gardez, Afghanistan. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker III")
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, March 2, 2009 – I've eaten more lobster since I arrived here than I have in the past decade in the states. Don't tell my wife. She thinks I'm suffering. Story
Eastern Afghanistan Needs Roads
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 27, 2009 – To say that Paktia province needs better roads is a bone-rattling understatement. Story
MRAPs Provide Safe Feeling
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 11, 2009 – I took my third trip off of the forward operating base here yesterday, and my third trip in a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle. Story
A Forward Operating Base View
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 11, 2009 - I’m not sure what the difference is between a forward operating base and a combat outpost, except maybe the size. Story
Forward Operating Base Gardez
‘Feels’ Like Afghanistan
FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARDEZ, Afghanistan, Feb. 10, 2009 - My journey started when I left Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28 on a weeklong intercontinental trek to Afghanistan where I would embed for 45 days U.S. forces. Story
