Wars are still being fought everyday by American Troops.
Sacrifices are Being Made Everyday, In Many Forms, by American Troops.
Remember and Pray For All our Military Personnel
But Say a Special Prayer Our Deployed Troops Who Are In Harms Way.
Send a Care Package To A Deployed Soldier, Marine Sailor or Airman Today
With the Political circus going on, it is easy to forget we still have TROOPS IN CONTACT all over the globe. Do what you can to Help, like becoming a Morale Booster or sending a nice, fat Care Package. -SF
Five U.S. Special Operations troops, fighting alongside their Afghan counterparts, were wounded recently while battling Islamic State militants in Afghanistan’s Nangahar province, the top U.S. general there said Thursday.
Speaking to reporters from Kabul, U.S. Army Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr. said that the troops had been wounded from small-arms fire and shrapnel in the past week. He did not specify when exactly the injuries occurred. Two of the service members have already returned to their unit, while the three others had been evacuated out of Afghanistan, though their injuries are not life-threatening, Nicholson said.
He added that the wounded troops are “in good spirits.”
The troops came under fire during what Nicholson called “clearing operations” as U.S. and Afghan troops pushed into southern Nangahar following a series of airstrikes.
In January, President Obama gave additional authorities to ground commanders in Afghanistan, allowing them to target the growing cell of Islamic State fighters in the country’s east. At the time, their presence was estimated to be around 3,000 fighters, though Nicholson says he believes that number has been cut in half in the past six months following Afghan-led offensive operations supported by U.S. troops and airstrikes.
“It’s a very dynamic battlefield down there … but we think we’ve reduced their numbers very significantly,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson added that a majority of the Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan, roughly 70 percent, are former Pakistani Taliban members who had joined the Islamic State earlier this year.
Despite shrinking numbers and a loss of territory, the Islamic State carried out a suicide bombing in Kabul over the weekend that killed more than 80.
The joint U.S.-Afghan offensive operations against the Islamic State are just one part of a broader 2016 battle plan in Afghanistan, Nicholson said, one that involves widespread offensive operations against the Taliban, the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in the country.
Because of the uptick in operations, Afghan casualties are trending 20 percent higher than they were in 2015, Nicholson said. Additionally, U.S. forces have taken advantage of new authorities granted by Obama that allow for more leeway when it comes to advising and clearing airstrikes to better assist Afghan forces on the offensive. Nicholson said that since Obama approved the new authorities in June, the U.S. coalition in Afghanistan has conducted 40 airstrikes in support of their Afghan allies.
Read the Original Article at Washington Post
Having served in the Military, almost all of it overseas, I know firsthand the absolute JOY a soldier gets when they receive a care package from home. It not only provides them with items to make their life a bit more tolerable while in the “suck”, but it also let’s them know somebody back home is thinking of them and appreciating what they are doing. That is huge folks!
Another thing too is you do not have to have an enlisted family member in the military to send care packages; their are several organizations that collect and ship care packages to our troops and sailors who may not have anybody back home to send them things.
Listed below are a few charities of this type:
Please visit the sites above and do what you can; believe me when I say this that a small gesture like this goes a LONG way in helping out troops keep their morale up, which in turn, keeps their fighting spirit up, which in turn, can ultimately save all our asses one day!! Gotta think big picture here!
For those of you that have a family member deployed, or maybe you just want to get together a small or large “Thank You” package to our troops and sailors, I ran across this post that list some of the top items soldiers and sailors deployed overseas are asking for. Of course, families of deployed military members know better than any website what their soldier needs and likes, but this is just a general guideline.
The big thing when you are packing up a care package like this is consider WHERE they are going to be stationed. Is it Hot, Cold, Dry, Wet? Having been stationed in the “sand box” (Middle and Far East) for most of my time, I can tell you things like lip balm, cooling packs, good sunscreen and extra cotton socks are HUGE!
So get to packing and in the meantime,
Stay Alert, Stay Armed and Stay Dangerous!
