The Army Times has an interesting, behind-the-scenes look at a recent Special Operations screw-up in Afghanistan. And it involved a unit from Joint Base Lewis-McChord:

From the story:

[T]he Army officer said the battalion-level command was SOTF 12, formed around 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, and based at Kandahar Airfield.

…

It is unclear what orders, if any, Benton or Lt. Col. Brian Petit, the SOTF 12 commander, gave in relation to the convoy as it was tracked by the Predator.

But after a lengthy delay, the A-team leader eventually decided to call an airstrike on the

…

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We’ve published the final articles Joe and I sent in from our trip to Iraq. Both are profiles: one of Capt. Junior Tupuola, a chaplain whose like took a long, twisting path to the service. The other is on Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Grippe, the top NCO in I Corps who is, to say the least, quite a personality.

Other local links:

3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
2-19th Iraqi Army Division, Task Force Wings Conduct a Large-scale Partnered Air Assault [DVIDS]

4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Soldiers Gain More ‘trigger Time’ at EST 2000 …

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If you get a chance, check out the photo slideshow from Menton Week at Fort Lewis on the Northwest Guardian’s Web site. The hypertalented Ingrid Barrentine compiled it, including the stunning shot above.

I’m catching up on almost a week’s worth of links (I was out of town), but obviously the biggest story while I was gone was the memorial service for the seven fallen Fort Lewis soldiers. Vice President Joe Biden was in attendance.

Other local links:

5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division:
Injured Fort Lewis soldier back from the brink [The News Tribune]
Two more from Fort Lewis confirmed killed in Afghanistan [The News Tribune]
Fort Lewis Memorial: Going back to Louisiana [The News Tribune]
Fallen Stryker soldier: ‘Not once did he quit or complain’ [The News Tribune]
‘Faith will help us out,’ Fort Lewis soldier’s family says [Bellingham Herald]
Biden: 7 Wash. state soldiers were extraordinary [AP]
Vice President Lauds Fallen Fort Lewis Soldiers [KPLU-FM]
7 fallen Stryker Brigade soldiers honored at Fort Lewis [Seattle Times]
Roadside bomb kills two Fort Lewis soldiers [KOMO-TV]
Soldier from Ocala killed in Afghanistan [Orlando Sentinel]
West Bank soldier killed in Afghanistan mourned at service in Harvey [Times-Picayune]
Ferndale Graduate Killed In Action In Afghanistan [KGMI-AM]
Memorial for Vancouver Soldier Killed in Afghanistan [KUOW-FM]
SF units to get latest Land Warrior kit [Army Times]
Fallen soldier was to return for Thanksgiving [ocala.com]
Custer soldier killed in Afghanistan explosion [Lynden Tribune]
Biden honors fallen Fort Lewis soldiers [KOMO-TV]
Vice President Biden Honors Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan at Ceremony at Fort Lewis [ABC]
My husband is at war [San Francisco Chronicle]
On The Scene In Afghanistan: A Deadly Day For U.S. Soldiers [NPR]
Funeral Procession for Spc. Kyle A. Coumas [thepinetree.net]
Combat Advisors See Afghan Troops in Action [DVIDS]
U.S. combat injuries rise sharply [Washington Post]
Perdue visiting soldiers in Iraq [Jacksonville Times-Union]
Crossroads of Afghanistan-Contested Province Is Vital Link [DVIDS]
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Fort Lewis soldiers, their families and civilian employees are working around the South Sound area on community projects as part of Make a Difference Day.

Here’s what’s going on, according to the public affairs office:

42nd Military Police Brigade: More than 30 soldiers will expand walking trails, refurbish a walking bridge and clean out a ravine in Steilacoom. Another 25 soldiers will rebuild decking at Weber Court Park.

4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division: Soldiers from the brigade’s rear detachment will help with landscaping and clean-up at Fort Steilacoom Park.

593rd Sustainment Brigade: Twenty-six members of the 80th Ordnance Battalion will …

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Stars and Stripes has a nice piece about soldiers of 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division and the challenges they face in multiethnic regions of Diyala province.

The story doesn’t mention too many Fort Lewis soldiers (though it’s an important topic for any reader), but the story also offers a nice photo slideshow.

(Hat tip, strykernews.com)

I was gone a few days last week. So here’s catching up on the other local links:

Fort Lewis:
Were soldiers’ rights violated on Fort Lewis? [The News Tribune]
Attorney: 2 Soldiers Jail …

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The Seattle Times’ Hal Bernton has two good dispatches from Afghanistan, where he’s embedded with Fort Lewis’ 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division while on assignment for McClatchy Newspapers. He writes about the grueling pace of counterinsurgency in the Arghandab Valley and a slice-of-life blog post about a mutton feast.

Other local links:

5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division
Kandahar NATO base: hockey, discos and funerals [Agence France-Presse]
Army 10 Miler Held at Kandahar Airfield [DVIDS]

446th Airlift Wing
Tuskegee Airman takes part in promotion ceremony of next generation Airman [446th AW]
…

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Hal Bernton of the Seattle Times, whose embedded with Fort Lewis’ 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division while on assignment to Afghanistan with McClatchy Newspapers, provides this nice snapshot of life on the front lines for a platoon of 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment.

Other local links:

1st Special Forces Group:
Rebel group claims responsibility for the killing of 2 US anti-terrorism soldiers in the Philippines [Mindanao Examiner]
New group BNLA claims responsibility for killing US commandos in Jolo [Manila Times]

I Corps/Multi-National Corps-Iraq:
Iraqis, Americans seeking a new relationship [McClatchy]
Service …

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