In the War To End All Wars (World War I ended nothing), artillery barrages, poison gas attacks and trench offensives came at predictable times. Much of that war was fought just before and after sunrise and at dusk. To be ready for the war’s prime killing times Allied soldiers began a tradition that became known as “stand to”. Translated, it meant stand towards the enemy, and be ready before they attacked.

90 years later, at a small U.S. post in …

At long last we have arrived at Combat Outpost Lowell, but whatever relief I may feel at reaching our destination is tempered by knowledge of the certain danger we face here. Lowell is as far out as US forces go in this part of the world, and the degree of isolation faced by the soldiers here is something that anyone who has traveled here can attest to: my own experience in getting to Lowell certainly backs up this claim.

Our …

The sun had just set this evening when the alarm went off – “Condition Red”. Everyone, including us, ran to find our body armor and helmets. Mortars hit near Camp Bostick, where we are currently based, but three other locations were also attacked at the same time. Two of them were nearby small outposts. The last attack was against Camp Bostick’s Quick Reaction Force (QRF) shortly after it left the base to reinforce one of the smaller outposts that was …

The attack on Bariali did a great deal to diminish its infrastructure; much of the outpost had been burned, broken, or simply collapsed in the chaos, leaving little for International Forces to work with in the following days. This proved to be a matter of critical importance for the future of Bariali, as the infrastructure of any Observation Post  is a hugely important matter for the soldiers who live and work within its walls.

Towers and watchposts provide valuable sightlines …

It is an unfortunate fact that sometimes stories are lost in the maelstrom of information that seems constant and, at times, overwhelming. Events that should be brought to our attention are often buried, relegated to a series of words at the bottom of television screen, numbers without context or meaning. Such is the case of Bariali, an Outpost that was attacked and ultimately overwhelmed by Taliban forces on May 1st of this year.

3 Americans, 2 Latvians, and 5 Afghanis …

May 1st, Observation Post Bariali was overrun during a surprise attack by Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. Three American soldiers, along with two Latvians and five Afghans died in the fight. Little notice was made back home of the horrible battle here. Swine flu was the topic number one in the American media. Death on an Afghan mountain top was lost somewhere in that day’s events.

Situated along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, Bariali overlooks three river valleys that serve as …

In a region where isolation is the rule, meetings of any sort take on a special gravity. Such is the case with Shura councils, meetings of representatives from various villages that occur far less frequently than truly needed.

One of the greatest challenges facing Afghanistan is the lack of presence the elected government has in areas remote as the eastern mountainous regions bordering Pakistan. Major cities such as Kabul and Kandahar have the natural infrastructure to facilitate a significant government …