Gearing up for the 5th Annual Blankets of Hope Marathon in Bowie, MD

The annual "Marathon" was created by Soldiers' Angels Lisa Dodson and Matt Dick of Bowie, MD who are now well underway with preparations for the 2010 Marathon. Mark your calendar if you're in the area, because you won't want to miss this terrific event! If you cannot attend, there are others ways to help - contact information can be found below.


The 2009 Blankets of Hope Marathon in Bowie, MD. Last year 200 volunteers made about 350 fleece blankets for wounded and ill service members medevaced from Iraq and Afghanistan to Landstuhl hospital in Germany.

Calling all Angels!

5th Annual Blankets of Hope Marathon

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Ascension Catholic Church
12700 Lanham-Severn Road
Bowie, MD

8 Hour Marathon
8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
(or until we run out of fleece!)

Drop in anytime and stay as long as you like!

Angels of ALL ages are needed - boys, girls, teens, adults, seniors, scouts, everyone! Blankets are needed for our wounded soldiers. If you can tie a knot, you can make a Blanket of Hope. Volunteers will be on hand to show you what to do.

What is a Blanket of Hope?
A “Blanket of Hope” is simply that - a blanket created from love to provide hope and comfort to a wounded hero during one of the most difficult and vulnerable times of their lives. These Blankets of Hope are sent to Combat Support Hospitals in the Middle East, major medical facilities in Germany and around the world, and to some military hospitals here at home. It is a powerful thing for a wounded hero to know that someone cares.

Please bring the following supplies:
1. Material: 2 pieces of Fleece - MUST be 45"- 62" wide x 60"- 80" long. Bright colors are good, but patriotic colors and patterns work well. The front panel should be a pattern and the back panel a solid.
2. Ruler
3. Pair of Scissors (please label with your name).


If you would like to make a blanket but aren't available that day, here’s what you can do: Contact us for "How to" instructions. Complete your Blanket of Hope at home and then deliver it to Bates Hall the day of our Blanket Marathon or to the Parish Office by September 24th, 2010.

For more information, to request "how to" instructions, to let us know you are coming, or to make a donation (either monetary or fleece), please contact:

Lisa Dodson @ 301-805-1085 or lisa.dodson@verizon.net, Matt Dick @ mattdi1022@gmail.com, Valerie Potter @ 410-562-9480 (vpotter3@verizon.net), Maureen Barber @ 301-928-0603 (maureen167@msn.com)

Event organizers Lisa Dodson, Maureen Barber, and Valerie Potter.



More photos of last year's Marathon can be seen here.

Medical Airmen inspired by their patients

U.S. Air Force Aeromedical Evacuation Technicians Senior Master Sgt. Tony Staut, (right) and Senior Airman Nicole Caldwell, 332nd Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight, prepare supplies for a mission out of Joint Base Balad, Iraq, July 17. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Andy Kin.

Medical Crews with the Air Force's 332nd Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight talk about their job:

JOINT BASE BALAD - Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines – too many to remember all of their names. But each service member to pass through the medical evacuation area here plants footprints in the memories of the medical crews, while some leave a little piece of their spirit and legend behind.

Those few are the inspirational, the proud and the patriotic – the ones the U.S. Air Force’s 332nd Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Flight remember as they transport patients from forward operating bases through Joint Base Balad and, finally, to a medical facility outside of Iraq.

Though she has been a nurse in other capacities – working in neonatal, recovery rooms, intensive care units and emergency rooms – for many decades, Maj. Marty Maddox, 332nd EAEF flight nurse, is relatively new to the aeromedical evacuation mission, having only two years experience as a flight nurse. Before arriving at JBB for her current deployment, Maddox’s first deployment experience as a flight nurse was a short stint transporting patients out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

A reservist deployed from the 36th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., Maddox and her medical crew transported some patients through Germany before taking them back to the U.S. for advanced medical care.

While flying from Germany to the U.S. with 57 patients during her first deployment, Maddox and the rest of the crew were able to chat with their patients throughout the long flight.

The medical crew really got to know the patients – where they came from and what they did, she said. One patient in particular, a 23-year-old Soldier, helped the major see that being a flight nurse was her calling.

The patient had already lost one leg, and “they were trying to save his other leg. He was missing some of [his] fingers, and we were trying to save his thumb,” Maddox said. “He was just the bravest young Army Soldier.”

The Soldier’s mother flew to Germany for her son then managed to get on the flight with him back to the U.S.

“We got to know him; we got to know his mom... He cried, I cried, his mom cried,” Maddox recalled. “That really got to me. That’s when I knew I had gotten into the right line of work - that being a flight nurse was truly going to be something I wanted it to be because we’re doing something good. Because we’re getting these Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines back home.

“I will never forget him,” she said of the Soldier she saw that day.

There's much more at the link.

The Yellow Bowl Bakery Returns!

Last week we once again we had the pleasure of welcoming Katy Gunderson and Molly Greenwood of the Yellow Bowl Bakery in Lafayette, Indiana to Germany. They spent a very busy week shopping, prepping, and cooking at both the Landstuhl Fisher House and the USO Warrior Center.

Not only that, in their "spare" time Katy, Molly, and Tom Amenta of Ranger Up participated in our routine SA Germany volunteer activities like unpacking and sorting donations, stocking dnations shelves, making deliveries to the hospital, and visiting patients on behalf of their families.


Tom Amenta of Ranger Up learns the fine art of cupcake piping at the Landstuhl Fisher House. He was a good sport and did a great job! Thanks to Tommy and the guys of Ranger Up for donating some of our favorite Ranger Up t-shirt creations for the patients and SA Germany volunteers!

Even I was enlisted to help with the piping. It's not as easy as it looks!

Some of the finished products - Katy and Molly baked literally hundreds of cupcakes during the week. And they were YUMMY!!!

At the USO Warrior Center we prepared spaghetti and chicken & rice casserole to go with the deserts. As always, we delivered some treats to the hospital staff working that night.

I guess that's one way to eat a cupcake!!

Molly and Katy with some of their creations at the USO Warrior Center at Landstuhl hospital.

Thank you so much for coming over and brightening the day for our Wounded Warriors and the Fisher House families at Landstuhl! It's not easy for a small business owner to take time off, not to mention the planning and fund raising activities ahead of the event. We appreciate your initiative, thoughtfulness, and your efforts. It was great to see you again and we hope you'll be back soon!

Last US Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq, Part 2

From yesterday's Wall Street Journal Opinion page.

Victory in Iraq

American arms created a republic, if Iraqis can keep it.

When the men and women of Fourth Brigade, Second Infantry Division deployed to Iraq in April 2007 as part of President Bush's surge, American soldiers were being killed or wounded at a rate of about 750 a month, the country was falling to sectarian mayhem, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had declared that the war was "lost."

On Wednesday, the "Raiders" became the last combat brigade to leave Iraq, having helped to defeat an insurgency, secure a democracy and uphold the honor of American arms.

The classic lament about the war in Iraq is that it achieved little at a huge cost in American lives, treasure and reputation. That view rests on a kind of amnesia about the nature of Saddam Hussein's regime, his 12-year defiance of binding U.N. resolutions, the threat he posed to its neighbors, the belief—shared by the Clinton and Bush Administrations and intelligence services world-wide—that he was armed with weapons of mass destruction, the complete corruption of the U.N. sanctions regime designed to contain him, and the fact that he intended to restart his WMD programs once the sanctions had collapsed.

Those were the realities when the coalition marched into Iraq. In supporting the war on the eve of that invasion, we noted that "the law of unintended consequences hasn't been repealed" and that "toppling Saddam is a long-term undertaking," while warning that "liberal pundits and politicians are fickle interventionists" who were "apt to run for moral cover" when the going got tough. As they did.

Their opposition might well have led to defeat had not Mr. Bush defied Congress and the recommendations of his own Iraq Study Group in favor of the 2007 surge, which history will likely recall as Mr. Bush's finest hour. To his credit, President Obama has also delivered on the "responsible withdrawal" he promised in his campaign.

This admirable American effort has now given Iraqis the opportunity to govern themselves democratically. We supported the Iraq invasion primarily for reasons of U.S. national security. But a successful war also held the promise that it could create, in a major Arab state, a model for governance that would result in something better than the secular or religious dictatorships that have so often bred brutality and radicalism—which has increasingly reached our own shores. The fact that Iraq has a functioning judiciary, and that Iraqi voters have rejected their most sectarian parties at the polls, is cause for hope that the country is moving in that direction.

This is true despite the five months of political stalemate that have gripped the country since March's parliamentary elections resulted in an effective tie between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his principal challenger Ayad Allawi. Political gridlock is frustrating, but it is sometimes a function of democratic politics. We will soon learn if Iraqi politicians can meet the responsibilities of the democratic moment that American and British blood and treasure have given them.

They will have to do so despite the continuing spoiler role played by Iraq's neighbors—Syria, Saudi Arabia and Iran—who fear a democratic, or Shiite-led, state in their midst. The withdrawal of U.S. combat forces will only increase their ambition to create more trouble.

That makes the mission of the 50,000 U.S. troops that will remain as trainers, advisers and special-ops forces until the end of 2011 all the more crucial. It should also provide incentive for Washington and Baghdad to negotiate a more permanent U.S. military presence, both as a balancing force within the country and especially as a hedge against Iran. Having sacrificed so much for Iraq's freedom, the U.S. should attempt to reap the shared strategic benefits of a longer-term alliance, as we did after World War II with Japan and Germany.

On the eve of war in 2003, we wrote: "About one thing we have no doubt: the courage of the Americans who will fight in our defense." Along with all of their comrades in arms, the men and women of Fourth Brigade, Second Infantry have fully vindicated that conviction. Somewhere down the road, we trust that August 18, 2010 will be remembered as Victory in Iraq day.

The 2010 Presidential Citizens Medal

Now that I've recovered somewhat from the shock of all this, I thought I'd finally do a post and share some personal photos. Having been informed a just a little over two weeks before the ceremony that I'd been selected, I didn't have much time to get used to the idea.

Before I knew it, I was here.


All of us recipients were picked up at our hotel and brought into this beautiful room in the East Wing of the White House upon arrival. At first we stood around and talked (it was great getting to know everyone!)... but then when we wanted to rest our feet we were afraid to use the furniture. Fortunately someone finally got up the nerve to ask if we could sit down.

What a view!

I took this photo during the rehearsal for the ceremony.

Me and my friend, the Senior Army Aide to the President, who read the citations. He knew it was called "Landstuhl Regional Medical Center" and not "Landstuhl Air Base", which was originally in the script. Good man. RLTW!

After the rehearsal we requested a pit stop. Here we are in the room leading into the room that leads into the ladies' room taking pictures of each other taking pictures :-)

When we came back upstairs, the foyer was being prepared for the guests - complete with a Marine Corps string quartette. My mother thought they were from the Salvation Army :-/


Another beautiful room. At one point the door to the foyer opened and some of the recipients noticed their family members had arrived. Chaos ensued, with the awardees going out or bringing family members in. As the President was expected to come in and meet us any minute, the room needed to be secure with all of us in it. The poor military aides deserve a lot of credit for making order out of anarchy - getting us to follow the rules must have been like herding cats.

Another anarchy moment: My sister took this photo in the East Room before the ceremony started and long after photos were prohibited. It was a small and intimate ceremony including the President, the recipients and their families, a few Senators, and the press. Just perfect.

The entire family together with "my" two senators from Wyoming, John Barrasso and Mike Enzi. Meeting them was one of the highlights of the day. I very much appreciated them taking the time to attend the ceremony and to chat with us. Senator Barrasso actually took my Mom for a little spin right there in front of the stage so she could say she'd danced in the White House! They are good people and great Americans, and we're lucky to have them working for us in DC.

Here I am with my very proud parents.




It was an incredibly exciting day and a once in a lifetime experience to spend the afternoon in our beautiful White House with its rich and proud history. It was tremendous honor for me to accept the Citizens Medal on behalf of ALL of us at Soldiers' Angels.

The award is a wonderful acknowledgement of the volunteer work carried out by many thousands of Angels over the years who have been and continue to send care packages to our deployed troops, make blankets for our Wounded Warriors, write condolence letters to the families of our Fallen Heroes, visit our VAs, send donations, and many, many other activities that embody the motto of Soldiers' Angels: "May No Soldier Go Unloved". It was an honor and a privilege for me to accept the Citizens Medal on behalf of our founder, Ms. Patti Patton-Bader, and all of my fellow Angels and our donors.

Last, but not least, I am deeply grateful for the thoughtfulness and effort of those who nominated me for the award. You know who you are. Thank you.

7 Special Forces Soldiers Awarded Silver Stars for Afghan Valor

Seven Special Forces Soldiers received public recognition for their actions during a Silver Star ceremony at Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Monday.

From CNN:

The medals - the third-highest award for valor in the Army - are being awarded for five separate battles over a span of more than two years.

Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Gonzalez and Sgt. 1st Class Mark Roland were part of Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha (SFODA) 732.

On June 11, 2007, their unit was sent to help a group of Afghan soldiers who had been pinned down by an enemy attack. When the unit arrived, they and their fellow soldiers were immediately enveloped in the same ambush by a much larger enemy force.

Even though the enemy was firing from just 10 feet, Roland immediately climbed out of the relative safety of his armored vehicle and started attacking enemy fighters in a nearby wadi, or dry streambed.

He and his fellow soldiers killed two of the enemy and cleared the rest of the wadi of enemy attackers, all while under fire from snipers. Their actions meant the enemy was no longer a threat to his unit's rear flank.

About the same time, Gonzalez saw that four Afghan soldiers were pinned down by enemy fire. He jumped out of his vehicle and ran nearly 40 yards through enemy fire.

"Without regard for his life," the Army account read, "over the course of three trips through enemy fire, he rescued all four soldiers and brought them back to the safety of his armored vehicle." He did it all while under fire from enemy sniper and machine gun fire.

After clearing the wadi and getting back in his vehicle, Roland saw eight Afghan soldiers who were pinned down by enemy machine gun fire. He got out of his vehicle, ran through enemy fire and moved four of the Afghan soldiers back to his vehicle and directed the other four to another armored vehicle.

All told, the actions of Roland and Gonzalez - both of whom had already received the Bronze Star for past battle - and their fellow soldiers defeated the ambush and led to the death of 60 enemy fighters including two Taliban commanders, according to the Army.

Staff Sgts. Mario Pinilla and Daniel Gould also had Bronze Star medals to their name, and Gould had also received the Silver Star for past heroics. They were both serving with Special Operational Detachment Alpha 7134 near Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan.

The two were checking reports of Taliban movements near the village of Faramuz when they were ambushed near a river. Pinilla saw one of his fellow soldiers pinned down by enemy fire and already shot twice. Pinilla grabbed a large machine gun, ran through enemy fire, shooting back the entire time, then dived to the ground to block the enemy fire from his wounded colleague, according to the Army

During a 10-minute firefight, he was shot twice. Eventually, more soldiers showed up to help Pinilla and the other wounded man. The Army account says even though he was wounded, Pinilla didn't stop fighting.

"While his fellow detachment members fought to get to him back to safety, Sergeant Pinilla drew his 9mm Beretta and continued engaging the enemy's ambush line, despite being critically injured," the account reads.

Gould also put his life on the line to save a fellow soldier.

When the Taliban ambushed the unit, he got into an intense half-hour gun battle with the enemy. His helmet was shot off his head, and he was hit once in his body armor.

During the fight, he saw one of his teammates, who was much closer to the enemy, get shot and critically wounded. According to the Army, he used a large machine gun to neutralize the enemy that was the greatest threat to the wounded man, giving a medic a chance to go help the soldier. Then, knowing then man need to be evacuated, Gould joined the medic first in dragging the wounded soldier through nearly 50 yards of enemy fire, and then carrying the wounded man the last 40 yards on his shoulders until they all reached safety.

An enemy unit ambushed Master Sgt. Julio Bocanegra's convoy on August 26, 2008. During the attack in Paktika province, Bocanegra noticed that a group of four Afghan national policemen were pinned down by the enemy, their pickup truck blocking the route for the rest of the unit. According to the Army, Bocanegra jumped out of his vehicle and ran through a hail of fire to reach the Afghan police, all but one of whom was wounded. The Army account spells out how he helped get them to safety.

"Sergeant Bocanegra then disregarded the enemy fire and picked up one of the wounded and placed him into the vehicle which [was] continuing to receive effective fire. Continuing to ignore the danger to his life, Sergeant Bocanegra then picked up a second policeman with multiple gunshot wounds to both legs and placed him into the vehicle," the account said.

Bocanegra, with the help of the one policeman who had not been shot, got the third wounded officer into the Afghan police pickup truck and moved them all to safety. All three Afghan police officers and three soldiers who had been wounded in the fight survived their injuries.

Sgt. 1st Class Jonathan Clouse, an Army veteran, was working with a Marine special operations unit and was walking along a boulder-strewn path when one of his teammates was badly wounded. He immediately provided medical attention to that man. Then, according to the Army, another teammate was wounded.

"SFC Clouse ran through the kill zone to render further medical attention under head machine gun fire that struck the back of his body armor," according to the Army summary of the battle. The second man's life couldn't be saved.

The summary says Clouse continued providing advanced combat first aid amid intense enemy fire.

"Reacting to the calls for assistance from other wounded, SFC Clouse again ran through the kill zone to provide medical assistance," according to the report.

One enemy sniper bullet destroyed Clouse's weapon, but he kept on. All told, Clouse provided medical assistance to four American wounded and one Afghan soldier who'd been wounded in the attack and helped moved them to safety.

Sgt. 1st Class David Nunez was in a convoy of U.S. Special Forces and Afghan national army soldiers traveling through the village of Shewan in Ferah province on May 29, 2008.

As many as 60 insurgents attacked the convoy, disabling Nunez's vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade. The vehicle started burning, and Nunez was worried that other soldiers were still in the vehicle, according to the Army.

"Without regard for his own life, [Nunez] began to discard ammunition and explosives from the rear of the vehicle in order to ensure others were not injured. During this entire period of time, SFC Nunez was engulfed in flames. Ignoring his wounds and the intense concentration of enemy fire, he continued to assist the convoy pinned in the kill zone until he eventually succumbed to his injuries," the battle account reads.

Nunez's obituary noted that he had already received a Bronze Star, an Army commendation medal and numerous other decorations.

After Monday's ceremony at Fort Bragg, his record will be upgraded to include the Silver Star for "his bravery in keeping with the finest traditions of military heroism and reflect distinct credit upon himself, this command and the United States Army."

Remembering Mike Stokely

SGT Mike Stokely
KIA 16 AUG 2005 near Yusufiyah Iraq
USA E 108 CAV 48th BCT GAARNG

My thoughts are with you and your family today, Robert. We'll always love and remember Mike.




Part of Mike's legacy - Hughes, Ark., native, Staff Sgt. James Robinson, Company C, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, hands out school materials donated by the Mike Stokely Foundation at a school in Mullah Fayad, March 27. (U.S. Army photo/Staff Sgt. Tony M. Lindback)

Departure Ceremony for the Last US Combat Brigade in Iraq

Col. John Norris, commander, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, gives a speech alongside his counterpart, Staff Maj. Gen. Ahmed, commander, 6th IA Division, during the brigade’s farewell ceremony at Forward Operating Base Constitution, Aug. 7, 2010. USF-I photo.

Last American combat brigade departs

FOB CONSTITUTION – Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of United States Forces – Iraq, and the Iraqi Minister of Defense, Abdel Qader Jassim, and other U.S. and Iraqi leaders watched yesterday as a joint color guard marched crisply across the parade field here to where their unit and national flags were displayed.

The U.S. Soldiers, members of the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division “Raiders,” knelt and removed the American flags from the display. After executing a left face, the detail marched off the field from the direction they came, leaving only the 6th Iraqi Army Division and Iraqi flag remaining on the field.

This gesture — symbolizing the departure of the Raider Brigade and the commitment of Iraqi Security Forces to the people of Iraq — brought the 4th SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. one step closer to the end of their yearlong deployment as the last combat brigade to serve here in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

By Aug. 31, all U.S. combat missions in Iraq will end, and the 50,000 U.S. troops remaining in country under Operation New Dawn will move toward stability operations, advising, training and assisting the ISF in building civil capacity.

The Aug. 7 departure ceremony, hosted by the 6th IA Div. served as both a farewell to the Raider Brigade and a look at the capabilities of the Iraqi Soldiers who will be assuming full responsibility for the area.

Col. John Norris, commander of 4th SBCT, stood alongside Staff Maj. Gen. Ahmed, commander the 6th IA Div., and thanked the guests in attendance for joining him in celebrating what he called, “a new chapter in the ongoing story that is Iraq’s strategic partnership.”

“Together, we have forged strong bonds of partnership and unity of effort, where the Iraqi government, the Iraqi Army and Police are connected to the people, partnered with the Federal Police, as well as the Traffic and Patrol Police forces, Sons of Iraq, [and] along with the United States Military and Department of State, created irreversible momentum toward a peaceful and prosperous Iraq,” Ahmed said.

The 4th SBCT Soldiers’ focus in Iraq was on building a strong partnership with the ISF to ensure the security of the March 7 Iraqi national elections and improving the overall quality of life for the Iraqi people.

Arriving in country in September 2009, the brigade immediately began partnering with local ISF leadership to gain a sense of their Iraqi partners’ capabilities and relationships with community leaders and other Iraqi security organizations.

Among their many achievements, 4th SBCT Soldiers introduced military working dogs to the ISF — a program that had been unsuccessful until the Raiders’ arrived — improving their ability to uncover weapons, explosives and other illegal items during raids and searches.

The latest in evidence collection and other forensic techniques was also taught to the ISF, allowing for improved site exploitation after terrorist attacks and led to the first warrant using DNA evidence to be issued in Iraq’s history.

Raider Soldiers, in conjunction with two embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and partners in the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Army Corps of Engineers, strived to continue the development and reconstruction of western Baghdad, Abu Ghraib, Tajiand and Tarmiyah.

A few hundred feet away from where the departure ceremony took place was the FOB Constitution Joint Operations Center, where Norris and his ISF partners monitored the Iraqi national elections, accessing the latest on-the-ground information from polling sites throughout western Baghdad.

Another key achievement during the deployment was helping the IA expand the JOC concept to include the Iraqi Police, where they could share the latest intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance information in a centralized location.

“Together, this collective group has more successes than I can list here today, but one that I will highlight as a prime example of the strength of this partnership is the national election conducted in March,” Norris said. “After weeks of detailed preparation, long hours and security in place ... the Iraqi national elections commenced with a record turnout.”

Norris said more than 60 percent of Iraqi citizens went to the polls to cast their ballot, showing solidarity against violent extremist groups.

“I am confident that the Iraqi government will move forward, and that the hopes and the dreams of a free and stable Iraq will become a reality,” he said.

In a display for gathered dignitaries, 6th IA Soldiers presented several demonstrations showing their capabilities in handling a variety of real-world situations they may encounter.

Iraqi Soldiers cleared and secured a building, set up a traffic control point, neutralized an improvised explosive device using a remote-controlled robot and partnered with Raider Soldiers to show off hand-to-hand combat techniques.

For the Raider Soldiers, the departure ceremony marked the end of a job well done that will have a lasting impact on the people of Iraq.

“We depart having accomplished our mission to the fullest of our ability, with honor and respect [and] the Raider Brigade’s legacy and reputation intact,” Norris said. “This is only the beginning of Iraq’s continued success and forward progress.”

Well done! We're so proud of you all and eagerly await your return home!

Grim's thoughts at Blackfive. And more from Greyhawk.

DUSTOFF

Crew Chief CPL Jaimeson Bard (left) and Flight Medic SGT Adam Connaughton of Company C, Sixth Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment in a moonscape-like scene caused by the rotor wash of their MEDEVAC helicopter in Afghanistan. Courtesy photo.

On the Front Lines in Afghanistan

Sean Smith of the UK Guardian has just spent five weeks in Afghanistan, first with an Air Force Pararescue team, and then with the Marines. This extraordinary footage was shot during that time, and the units with which Smith embedded were involved in two events you're likely familiar with. The USAF PJs subsequently lost four men in a helo crash, and the Marines discuss the death of Cpl Larry Harris.

Warning: Video contains strong language and distressing MEDEVAC scenes.

Smith's diary of the embed can be found here.