12 Sep 2007:
Support,
    We have completed our tour in Afghanistan. I want to say Thank You to all of our "New" friends that have supported us over the last 6 months. The support we received was Outstanding! I really want to thank "Rose and the Girls" at Country Cut and Curl in California and Sari Joseph from New York. These ladies went "Above and Beyond" the call of duty.

Have a wonderful day and please keep supporting our troops... they need you!

V/R,
Richard

18 Aug 2007

Hello!

   First, I want to thank everyone for all the support you have provided over the last 5 months we have been in Afghanistan. You would not believe all the excitement every time a box arrives. As we are almost done with our stay in Bagram, I want to ask everyone to continue to support all of our troops. The dedication these young men and women would amaze you all.

   The biggest thing we need is support! Cards, letters or just postcard telling everyone that you are thinking of them. I try and hang some of the correspondence up in our Hooch for everyone to see. If you have anything you want to add to our "Support From Home" wall, feel free to send it our way. We will be leaving everything up on the wall for our replacements to see!

Have a wonderful day!

r/
ITC Cooper

27 Jun 2007
For most Sailors, life on deployment means long, arduous days on a ship at sea. For a handful of U.S. Navy Sailors, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at a different type of deployment was too hard to pass up: as an individual augmentee (IA) to an Army unit at XXXX, Afghanistan.
    The individual augmentee program was established in the Navy as a way to more directly support the efforts of the Army and Marine Corps on the ground, from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to the Horn of Africa, in the battlefields of Iraq and to units in Afghanistan.
    Nearly all of the Sailors who are part of the 2109 had never received training quite like this before. The Sailors received their orders to deploy in January, and by March they were headed off to a Navy Mobilization Processing Site (NMPS) in San Diego, Calif., or Norfolk, Va., to ensure their medical and service records were in order before deploying.
    For the Sailors who spent their week in San Diego preparing to deploy, a cross-country flight was in store for them, but not on a cushy commercial aircraft. There were no flights available on a passenger aircraft, so the crafty Sailors who run the NMPS site coordinated a flight for the 2109 on a C-130 cargo aircraft. Eight hours of flight time later, these lucky Sailors arrived in Columbia S.C., at 3:00 a.m., ready to begin Army Combat Training. The Sailors who went through the pre-deployment screening in Norfolk were treated to an hours-long bus ride to Fort Jackson.
    Army Combat Training was a new concept for the 2109, but all in all, it turned out to be not so bad. Two weeks of humping around in desert camouflage uniforms, individual body armor (IBA), Kevlar helmet and the ever-present personal weapon system could have been much worse. The Army drill instructors put the Sailors through the necessary training evolutions to prepare them for deployment into a combat zone, and the Sailors were up to every task.
    Following the two weeks at Fort Jackson, the Sailors prepared to make the long flight to Kuwait, a small nation on the coast of the Arabian Gulf. On a chilly Saturday night, the 2109 was finally ready to go and do their part in the war on terror. However, it was not to be. After loading up all their gear, the flight was cancelled and they would have to wait for the next available one. So, being the Sailors that they are, the 2109 brought together their skill sets and ingenuity and put together a command picnic the following day, complete with steaks, burgers, hot dogs, pork chops, cold beverages and good company.
    Finally, the 2109 was ready to go. On that Sunday evening, the Sailors boarded a flight that would take them to stops in Canada, Ireland and finally to Kuwait for convoy training and in-theater processing. The Sailors were put up in MASH-style tents and were treated to the best galley food just about any of them had ever seen. After about two days of getting pay and personnel issues in order, and also recovering from the jetlag, the Sailors spent three days on Udairi Range, near the Iraq border, receiving intensive weapons and combat training, in preparation for the Afghanistan deployment.
    The training was run by a company staffed by retired Army senior non-commissioned officers and consisted of a full-blown convoy exercise that would pit the Sailors against simulated terrorists, local nationals and IEDs. The eight-vehicle convoys made it through the realistic training in about three hours, and suffered only a few simulated casualties.
    Upon returning to Camp Virginia, the Sailors were officially on stand-by to report to the airport for a flight to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Once flight arrangements were made, the Navy staff in Kuwait packed up the Sailors and they headed to the airport. Alas, it was not meant to be, that day. After many false starts, the 2109 was forced to shack up in tents at the airport, but were treated to many creature comforts, including a McDonalds, a PX and a world-class dining facility.
    Finally, after a fitful night's sleep, the Sailors were ready to go. They boarded the hulking military aircraft and were prepared to make the trip into a real-life war zone. After midnight, the aircraft touched down at BAF, and the Sailors were greeted by the Navy staff at the Central Command Det. for inprocessing. Once the briefs were complete, the 2109 finally met their compatriots from the Joint Logistics Command (JLC), the ultimate duty station for the Sailors. The 2109's gear was loaded onto buses and brought to their new home. No one knew what to expect when it came to the living spaces the Sailors would have. Sailors are used to tight spaces aboard ship, and so they were pleasantly surprised to find that their quarters would consist of huts that house six people. Each Sailor's domain would be about nine feet by five feet and included a bed.
    The first few weeks were very busy, while the Sailors integrated themselves into the JLC and their jobs. Information systems technicians, personnel support specialists, culinary specialists and other specially trained Sailors fit right into their new workspaces and got straight to work.
    The 2109's time is halfway done, and it has gone by quickly. There are many amenities on BAF, including a handful of dining facilities, laundry services, two full-service PXs and other creature comforts. Yet, in the end, no one forgets what's outside the fence line here at BAF: the Taliban is out there. It's easy to feel relatively safe here on BAF, but everyone knows that our Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors are out there everyday fighting those who are trying to bring down the newly formed government of Afghanistan.
    The 2109 Sailors are ready to do their part to assist in the mission of the JLC, knowing that the Army Soldiers who are stationed here will be at BAF long after this group of 2109 is gone.

Very Respectfully,

ITC(SW/AW) Richard Cooper

08 May 2007
Hello from Bagram Airfield Afghanistan!

    I would like to start this letter by first saying "Thank You" to everyone who has taken the time from their busy schedule's to send our Sailors cards, letters, pictures, snacks and books!

    You can't imangine the smiles and laughs that are expressed each day when a letter or package comes to us. Every day the Sailors come by my office to see what "new" letters have arrived. I am in the process of putting up a bulletin board that I will post all letters, cards and pictures for everyone to see! If you have anything you want to add to the board, just send it our way and I will be sure to include it on the board. I will be taking pictures of our Sailors and our "Support from Home" board and include it in further correspondence.

Very Respectfully,

ITC(SW/AW) Richard Cooper

17 Apr 2007
Hello everyone from Afghanistan!

   I am ITC Richard Cooper from San Diego Ca. I am the Navy representative for our unit. We have Sailors from San Diego CA, Seattle WA, Washington DC, Norfolk VA and Yokosuka, Japan. We have been assigned with the 42nd Airborne Division as part of the Joint Logistics Command.

    Our unit is comprised of many young married sailors. Some with very young children or children on the way. Items that can make them feel like they are at home will be helpful. We live in small huts with 6 men or women to a hut. We are allow to hang pictures, posters and even paint a Mural to make things a little better. Anything to cover up plywood walls would be outstanding.

    Gum, crackers, energy bars or anything like that makes the days go by when you miss a meal. We will even take a smile on a piece of paper!

    Thank you so much for caring for our Sailors. Sometimes we get caught up in our jobs and forget to stop and say "Thank You". You would not believe how good a letter can make you feel when you are so far from home!

Thanks again,

ITC Richard Cooper
JLC J6 NCIOC