# Putting names to the "faceless" fallen (RIP)



## bossi (30 May 2004)

The Things They Wrote (from NY Times):

Operation Enduring Freedom, the Pentagon's name for the military campaign in Afghanistan, began just 26 days after 9/11. Yet it has received less attention than Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began in March 2003.

This "forgotten war" is different from the Iraq conflict in other ways: its soldiers tend to be older and more experienced. Like Iraq, however, Afghanistan remains dangerous; the war there has claimed the lives of 85 soldiers as of Friday, according to the Pentagon.

The Op-Ed page has previously published excerpts from letters by men and women who died in Iraq. Below are excerpts from the letters home of some of those who lost their lives in Afghanistan.




Excerpts from letters to his wife from Sgt. Gene Arden Vance Jr. of the Army. Sergeant Vance, 38, of Morgantown, W.Va., was killed in eastern Afghanistan on May 19, 2002.

April 23, 2002 
We are near a small town called Shkin in southeast Afghanistan very near the Pakistan border. The "compound" here is surrounded by walls and lots of barbed wire. We can see for miles.

It was really weird the night we got here. We flew from Bagram to here in a British helicopter. After a very low-level flight lasting about one and a half hours, we were met on the ground by some Brits and some Special Forces guys. They drove us the rest of the way here, zigzagging through gates, walls and barricades. It was dark, but you could see the local militia types manning the checkpoints. We drove through a huge iron gate (almost like coming inside a castle or something) into a large enclosed fort.

It seems that the only decent room left was essentially an old stable or something. We had to sleep on the dirt and straw in a very dirty room. The building and compound itself are made from wood, mud and straw. It is impossible to stay clean!

We have two or three locals that feed us breakfast and dinner. Plus tea whenever you want. All the cooking is done over a brick oven they built the first day or two. The tea is really good (very sweet!) and the food has ranged from excellent to disgusting. Keeps you guessing!

We have a few generators around to keep things lit and to run our equipment but not much else. We didn't actually bring much. We were rushed and pushed down here without proper planning and coordination. We were told we could take 300 pounds, including body weight. 

I feel safer now that I'm here. The buildings and surrounding area are better than we thought before coming. Plus, there are some real "heavy hitter" guys here. It's been really strange. At each place I go to, I go through a phase when I have to adjust. I was afraid in Uzbekistan. Then a little more in Bagram. Then when I got here I was really scared. But you adjust.

April 24, 2002 
Did I mention this place sucks? We are so isolated. The guerrillas and the Northern Alliance are nice and easygoing. But we are tired of the food: yellow rice, beans, flat bread and daily "mystery meat." I've seen two chickens killed, but I've yet to see or taste anything like chicken served to us. Hmm.

I'll just be happy to get back home to you. I sure do miss you.

Excerpts from e-mail messages to her parents from First Lt. Tamara Archuleta of the Air Force. Lieutenant Archuleta, 23, of Los Lunas, N.M., was killed in a helicopter crash on March 23, 2003, a few weeks before she was scheduled to return home. Her son, Donnie, turned 4 years old the day after her funeral.

Jan. 29, 2003 
I am in country and doing fine. I tried to call you guys before I left and again this morning, but I realize that there is a serious time difference. I haven't been able to talk to Donnie because of the time changes, but I am mailing him a letter, too.

There is a decent gym here and the food is very good, even if it is only twice a day. I love you guys. I may not be able to call or get in touch for a while. Watch CNN and then you'll know what's going on.

Feb. 11, 2003 
Thanks for the goody package! It was really cool, especially the pictures of Donnie. I love you guys. Things are busy here so I can't talk long, but in the midst of all the commotion I found a way to open and enjoy a piece of home and that helped more than you can possibly know.

Feb. 13, 2003 
The jerky has made me very popular, but I don't share that as much as I do the trail mix. We only get one meal a day here, so it's Power Bars for breakfast, the Army's version of high-school cafeteria food for lunch, and for the last couple of days, jerky and trail mix for dinner.

Today I smoked a cigar and watched the moon rise. It was really nice to be able to relax. The days blend together here, I never know which day of the week it is. I totally missed the weekend. Every day I go to work, but work is the tent right across the lane. I work off and on all day, watch some movies, read some books.

Some days I get to fly training missions. Of course even training flights are dangerous. It is definitely interesting getting shot at for the first time. But don't worry â â€ they have really bad aim here.

I still write to Donnie every day. I have a really cute bear for Donnie that is in desert camouflage and a T-shirt that says, "My mom is a soldier in Afghanistan." I hope he likes them.

March 22, 2003 
I had my first mission today. It was a little hairy at some points, and the wounded were . . . were not pretty. I just wanted to let you know I'm O.K. I did it. There were a lot of things I could have done better, but the mission was successful and when we left everyone was alive. I will be able to tell you all about it someday. Right now I just wanted to say I love you.

Excerpts from letters and e-mail messages to his parents from Sgt. First Class Curtis Mancini of the Army. Sergeant Mancini, 43, of Lincoln, R.I., was killed on Jan. 29, when a weapons cache exploded.

Jan. 15, 2004 
I finally arrived here at Bagram Air Base in the early morning hours of Jan. 6. My transportation was an Air Force C-17 transport plane. The ride, as always, was incredibly smooth. At $300 million apiece, these C-17's ought to be smooth. You'd think for that price that they would come equipped with at least a flight attendant. But no! There we were, crammed into the aircraft like so much military hardware. I had some legroom, but the unfortunate soldier next to me had his knees pressed up against the rear wheel of an Army Hummer. The aircraft was full of soldiers heading back to Bagram. Some were coming back from leave while others, like my team, were making our first visit there.

Our mission here in Afghanistan is simple, really. We are here to deny Al Qaeda and the Taliban any safe havens during the winter months. We will pursue them into the mountains and valleys and villages until there is no place for them to hide. It should be a long, ugly winter for them.

The elements here can be brutal. The mountains routinely rise about 13,000 feet and are snow-capped for the better part of the year. Bagram stands at about 7,000 feet, so there is some acclimating still to come.

I sometimes have no idea what time of the day it is. The days of the week are completely irrelevant. The only thing that matters is the date and time. Since we work seven days a week, it doesn't matter if it's Monday or Saturday. It's kind of nice, I think â â€ one less thing to worry about.

Jan. 21, 2004 
Well, if the weather holds tomorrow I will be heading out of Bagram and into the field. I will be able to get regular mail when it is delivered but I probably won't have access to e-mail. I will probably be away from Bagram for three to five weeks. So if you don't hear from me, don't panic.


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