“There are a range of things that we know we have to do,” the president told CBS correspondent Chip Reid recently. “At this point, it’s a matter of fine-tuning a strategy that we can be confident will be successful and also won’t be open-ended.”

The president also cited his anger about the recent information leaks regarding the Afghan strategy discussions, calling them inappropriate because of the seriousness of the matter and the lives at risk. The source of the leaks will “absolutely” be fired, he said while in Beijing November 18, 2009.

“We have these deliberations in the Situation Room for a reason, because we’re making decisions that are life-and-death, that affect how our troops are going to able to operate … At the end of this process, I’m going to be able to present … in very clear terms, what exactly is at stake, what we intend to do, how we’re going to succeed, how much it’s going to cost, how long it’s going to take,” he told Chuck Todd with NBC. “I think that’s what is owed the American people, because frankly, over the last several years, that’s not what they’ve gotten.”

President Obama is expected to deliver this plan within the next few weeks. Meanwhile, on November 19, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urged international forces to help President Hamid Karzai realize the vision for Afghanistan. This is good – everyone pulling together for the troops. We can win this. (Anyone remember any other slogans we can pull out and re-use? Leave a comment below if so…)

Also, what are you doing to help support the troops in Afghanistan? I’d love to hear your thoughts and plans and even better – your actions to support the troops.

Sgt. Stryker out.

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Obama: In America, no dream is impossible

For the first time in Afghanistan, a taped video message from President Barack Obama was shown, congratulating the newest citizens of the U.S. “This is now officially your country,” said Obama. “In America, no dream is impossible. Together we can keep the beacon of America bright enough for all the world to see.” Photo by Senior Airman Felicia Juenke

Secretary of State Hillary Rodman Clinton Visits ISAf Joint Command, Kabul

Secretary of State Hillary Rodman Clinton shakes hands with United States civilian and military personnel after a speech she gave at the ISAF Joint Command located at the Kabul International Airport. Clinton talked about the sacrifices of the service members and thanked them for their service. She wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Photo by Master Sgt. Matthew Millson

Garmsir Leaders, 2/2 Discuss Bazaar Security, Joint Efforts

Pfc. Bryce D. Andrade, a rifleman with Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, patrols the Balaclava Bazaar in Garmsir, Afghanistan, following a security shura at the Garmsir district governor’s office, Nov. 19. Leaders from the Afghan national security force, along with Lt. Col. John E. McDonough, commanding officer of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, met with Garmsir District Gov. Haji Abdullajan to discuss security issues and concerns throughout Garmsir. Photo by Staff Sgt. Luis Agostini

F-15E Weapons Systems Officer Shatters 1,000 Flight Hour Mark

Capt. Ryan Bone, a weapons-systems officer from the 335th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, exits an F-15 Strike Eagle Nov. 22, 2009. Today marked a very important day for Bone, he reached the 1,000 flying hours. “It feels good, reaching 1,000 hours in my first assignment,” he said. “Not a lot of guys do that.” Bone is deployed from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., and hails from Gainesville, Fla. Photo by Senior Airman Felicia Juenke

Last week, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced that the military will be looking into the Fort Hood shooting more carefully, which is a good thing. The military is so large today that people sometimes get lost in the system. That doesn’t mean that the whole military system is bad, however. Oh no, that’s not what I’m saying. It’s good that the military can look at itself closely when tragedies like this do occur.

As you know, the incident happened on November 5, 2009 at Fort Hood, Texas, and left 13 dead and dozens injured.

“In light of the Fort Hood incident and unique challenges, the Army will conduct a more in-depth, detailed assessment of whether Army programs, policies and procedures reasonably could have prevented the shooting,” he said. The Army’s findings will be submitted as part of the Army’s contribution to the departmental review, Gates added.

“Its results will inform and largely shape a departmentwide follow-on examination of any systemic institutional shortcomings, an examination I expect to be completed within four to six months,” he said.

“There is nothing any of us can say to ease the pain for the wounded, the families of the fallen, and the members of the Fort Hood community touched by this incident — pain I saw vividly and firsthand yesterday in Mountain City, Tenn.,” he said. “All that is left for us to do is everything in our power to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.”

Sgt Stryker (respectfully) out.

Dead are:

– Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman, 55, of Havre De Grace, Md. She was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.

– Maj. Libardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Detachment, Madison, Wis.

– Capt. John P. Gaffaney, 54, of San Diego. He was assigned to the 1908th Medical Company, Independence, Mo.

– Capt. Russell Seager, 41, of Racine, Wis. He was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.

– Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, 32, of Plymouth, Ind. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.

– Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis. She was assigned to the 467th Medical Company, Madison, Wis.

– Spc. Jason Hunt, 22, of Tillman, Okla. He was assigned to the 1st Brigade at Fort Hood.

– Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn. He was assigned to the 16th Signal Company at Fort Hood.

– Pfc. Aaron Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.

– Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolinbrook, Ill. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.

– Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn. He was assigned to the 510th Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, at Fort Hood.

– Pvt. Francheska Velez, 21, of Chicago. She was assigned to the 15th Combat Support Battalion at Fort Hood.

– Michael Cahill of Cameron, Texas, a Fort Hood civilian employee.

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Army Reserve Honors Fort Hood Fallen Soldiers

First Sgt. Mark Demers gives the final roll call at a remembrance ceremony for the five Army Reserve Soldiers who died in the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The ceremony was held at the Headquarters, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort McPherson, Ga., Nov. 18, 2009. Killed in the shooting were: Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, Maj. L. Eduardo Caraveo, Cpt. John Gaffaney, Cpt. Russell Seager and Sgt. Amy Krueger. Photo by Timothy Hale

A memorial display honoring the five Army Reserve Soldiers who died in the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, sits in front of the Headquarters, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort McPherson, Ga., Nov. 18, 2009. Killed in the shooting were: Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, Maj. L. Eduardo Caraveo, Cpt. John Gaffaney, Cpt. Russell Seager and Sgt. Amy Krueger.

Maj. Gen. James Sholar, deputy commanding general, U.S. Army Reserve Command, pays his respects at a remembrance ceremony for the five Army Reserve Soldiers who died in the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The ceremony was held at the Headquarters, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort McPherson, Ga., Nov. 18, 2009. Killed in the shooting were: Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, Maj. L. Eduardo Caraveo, Cpt. John Gaffaney, Cpt. Russell Seager and Sgt. Amy Krueger.

Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, commanding general U.S. Army Reserve Command, gives his remarks at a remembrance ceremony for the five Army Reserve Soldiers who died in the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. The ceremony was held at the Headquarters, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Fort McPherson, Ga., Nov. 18, 2009. Killed in the shooting were: Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, Maj. L. Eduardo Caraveo, Cpt. John Gaffaney, Cpt. Russell Seager and Sgt. Amy Krueger.

Here’s the thing about Afghanistan. We can have the strongest military, but we also have to have the smartest. And I’m not talking about smart bombs. I’m talking about education. To really have a lasting positive effect in Afghanistan, we’re going to have to spend a lot of time on education in that country – for men AND women.

This has started to happen already (not that you would know it by listening to mainstream media), but there’s more to come. This is why Afghanistan is going to be different this time. If you take a look at the numbers, it’s easy to see. But when you step back and take a look at the human element, that’s when change really becomes possible.

An educated Afghanistan is good for the world. Now, I’m not saying we should stop kicking “butt” over there with our military, but I want to say that all the work that’s going into rebuilding Afghanistan (like Iraq) is going to really pay off in the long run. If you take a look at history you’ll see this is true. Heck, if you look at Iraq you can see this is true. This is why America and the coalition of the willing is going to have different results in Afghanistan.

After that, who knows. Terrorists are running out of places to hide. That’s for sure. The US military is ever vigilant – even when it comes to non-military things like education. I’d like to hear your thoughts on this, though. Do you think we should just bomb them and let them worry about their own government and things like education? Or should we help them? If you have an opinion, leave some comments below and share them with the world.

You know where I stand by now, I hope. If not, you need to read more posts!

Sgt. Stryker out.

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First All Girl High School in Qalat

An Afghan elder from Zabul Province attends the ground breaking ceremony of the first all girl’s high school in Qalat, Oct. 22, 2009. Photo by Staff Sgt. Angelita Lawrence

1st Air Cavalry, Iraqi Army, Iraqi Air Force Conduct Joint Air Assault

After completing a search of a small village north of here, U.S. Soldiers from the 1st Air Cavalry Brigade move out towards a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter to return to base, Nov. 12. Photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski

Patrol in a small village north of Taji, Iraq

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Austin Huckabee, from San Angelo, Texas, hands a small bag of candy to a young Iraqi girl during a patrol in a small village north of Taji, Iraq, Nov. 12. American Soldiers and the 34th Iraqi Army Brigade performed a joint air assault mission and patrol to check on living conditions of the small village. Photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski

U.S. Medics Train Polish Infantry

Members of a Polish army infantry unit, assigned to Forward Operating Base Ghazni, load an injured service member onto a UH-60 helicopter during training, Nov. 4. The training was conduct by General Support Aviation Battalion flight medics assigned to FOB Ghazni, Afghanistan. The medics conducted training on procedures for proper loading and unloading of causalities onto waiting aircraft. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Corey

B-roll of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visiting service members stationed in Iraq. Scenes include Gov. Schwarzenegger entering a building, Gov. Schwarzenegger addressing service members about his visit and Gov. Schwarzenegger shaking hands and taking photos with service members.

Another Veteran’s Day has come and gone. I hope you had some respect for all the fallen veterans on November 11, 2009. As you may have noticed, I’ve been posting a little less frequently. This isn’t because there is less happening in the world – there couldn’t be anything further from reality – but I’ve been thinking a lot. I made a decision to come back and pick up the pace with some more solid posts, including the pictures and videos taken by military men and women all over the world. I hope you’ve come to enjoy what you’ve been seeing on this site and will continue to visit and even tell your friends about this site.

Okay, enough of that. On to the action. I have a video today of a Firefight in Waterpur Valley, Afghanistan. In the video, a U.S. Army Platoon has a firefight at Qatar Kala, Kunar province in Afghanistan with anti-Afghan forces. The video includes the platoon firing towards the mountains where they were being attacked from and more. It’s a short video, but unlike what you see on the media, it’s not just a short snippet that is negative toward the military. (That happens ALL TOO OFTEN in the media. You should write to your local television station or newspaper and let them know that they should start to support our troops more. If we all talked they would listen…)

But I digress. This video is just one small slice of what our brave military men and women are facing in Afghanistan right now. Things are still going over there and it’s more important now than ever before (especially with the holidays coming up) to really show our support for the troops and all they’re doing in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the world to keep us safe and spread freedom. That’s a mighty big task, but luckily we have the best military in the world armed with the best military equipment. That’s a force to be reckoned with. Russia gave up on Afghanistan, but I see us staying the course (like in Iraq) and really bringing about a good change. What about you? I want some comment love!

Sgt. Stryker out.

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Delivering Morale to Airmen in Afghanistan

Master Sgt. Roque Fuentes (left) hands a box to Airman 1st Class Jericks Silver (right) as they load mail onto an aircraft Nov. 15, 2009. Both of the Airmen are air transportation members from the short take off and landing office of the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron. The STOL office is in charge of delivering personnel and mail to different forward operating bases. Silver is deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and hails from Hamilton, Mo. Fuentes is deployed from Lackland AFB, Texas and hails from Corpus Christi, Texas.  Photo by Senior Airman Felicia Juenke

Troops Get Culture Shock Before Deploying to Afghanistan

Women take their meals in a separate room from men during this traditional Afghan luncheon coordinated by the 189th Infantry Brigade here through Indiana University. Troops with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams participated in the luncheon as part of their cultural awareness training Saturday Nov. 14 at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center. Photo by T.D. Jackson

Ghazni Provincial Reconstruction Team Visit City Orphanage

Children from an orphanage in Ghazni City watch as Mark Smith, Army Corps of Engineers technical advisor for Ghazni Provincial Reconstruction Team generates power to one of the hand crank radios that were handed out to the kids that day. Members from Ghazni PRT were at the orphanage delivering school supplies donated from their friends and family back home.Photo by Master Sgt. Sarah Webb

University Fo Ghazni Visit

Sgt. Nicholas Carlson, Medic for the Texas Agribusiness Development Team, assigned to Forward Operating Base Ghazni, Afghanistan, stands guard while other members of the Texas ADT perform a site survey at the Sanaee High School in Ghazni City, Ghazni, Afghanistan. The team was visiting the high school to check the status of a storage shed and garden area for the Agriculture students of the high school. Photo by Tech. Sgt. Rebecca Corey