Here's how you know
 **Official websites use .mil** .mil
 **Secure .mil websites use HTTPS** lock () https://


Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 Toggle navigation
            
            
            
            
            National Guard
                        Always Ready Always There
                    National Guard
            
            Search National Guard:
                        Search
                    Search
                        Search National Guard:
                            Search
    Home

    News
    
        Guard News

    Overseas Operations

    State Partnership Program

    News Features

    RSS Feeds

    Press Releases

    Transcripts

    Features
    
        Features by Year

    Posture Statement

    State Partnership Program

    Special Features

    About the Guard
    
        How We Began

    Air National Guard

    Army National Guard    
    
        DEERS Soldier Journey

    Leader Development Program

    History and Heritage

    I am the Guard

    NGB Official March

    Leadership
    
        CNGB

    VCNGB

    SEA

    DANG

    DARNG

    Joint Staff    
    
        J-1

    J-2

    J-3

    J-4

    J-5

    J-6

    J-7

    J-8

    Personal Staff    
    
        Inspector General

    General Counsel

    Public Affairs

    Executive Support Services

    Legislative Liaison

    Special Staff    
    
        National Guard Office of Special Victims' Counsel

    Office of the Provost Marshal

    Office of the Joint Surgeon

    Director of Acquisitions

    Small Business Programs

    Chaplain

    Senior Leader Management Office

    Diversity Equity Inclusion

    Comptroller

    Resources    
        National Defense Strategy Implementation Guidance

    Community Engagement

    FOIA

    Fact Sheets

    Helpful Links

    Image Gallery
    
        News Images

    Graphics

    Historical Paintings

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    Legislative Liaison

    Small Business Programs

    Social Media

    State Websites

    Videos    
    
        Featured Videos

    On Every Front

    2019 Videos

    2020 Videos

    2021 Videos

    Suicide Prevention

    Family Programs

    Environmental

    Trial Defense Service

    Holistic Wellness Challenge

    Contact Us  Home
  News
  Overseas Operations
 
 Download
 Details
 Share
 NEWS
 Kentucky Airman serves in Afghanistan for new friends and old By Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Paul Evans
                Kentucky National Guard
 FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan - Air Force Staff Sgt. Jonathon Stribling didn't originally travel to southern Afghanistan as part of the Kentucky National Guard's Agribusiness Development Team 4 just for himself. Stribling, 24, of Louisville, Ky., a member of the Kentucky Air National Guard's 123rd Aerial Port Squadron, came because of a friend from his previous deployment to Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base in 2011. That friend is fellow Airman and Louisville resident Staff Sgt. Austin McDonald. "It was pretty funny, actually. When word of this deployment came up, me and him (McDonald) made a deal that if one of us committed to it, then the other one would follow," Stribling said. "He committed and I followed." "Maj. (Walter) Leaumont came to our base and sparked our interest," Stribling said. Leaumont is ADT 4's Executive Officer. "I basically told Sgt. McDonald, ‘if you want to do this, I'll go with you.' He said he wanted to do it, we signed our names down, talked to Leaumont, and here we are." "Just packing, I knew how to pack for this deployment," Stribling said of what he learned from his first deployment in 2011. "The first deployment, I packed everything and the kitchen sink." Stribling offered his thoughts about deploying with ADT 4, a unit that is predominantly filled with Army National Guard members. "I think being around NCOs in the Army will make me a better NCO in the Air Force, just with discipline being stricter, dress and appearance, just everything in general," Stribling said. "Being away from home for this long is different," Stribling said. "We only deploy four-month deployments (in the Air Force)...we're here for a year. I think the time's a challenge just being away from family. "I definitely miss my parents and my sisters, and I'm real proud to be here serving with the Army. My father was in the Army for 14 years," Stribling said. "It makes me feel pretty good that I'm also somewhat following in his footsteps." "My father, he's kind of used to this being gone. My mother...it's going to hit any mother hard when their son goes off," Stribling said about how family is dealing with his deployment. "My girlfriend, she's not from a military family, so it's hitting her pretty hard. It's hard for her to cope without me being there," he added. "They're making it, though." Stribling recalled a few things he found surprising on his trip to Afghanistan. "Just the chaos you see. They (Afghans) drive crazy," he observed. "That's the best way to put it. It's kind of a culture shock, really. Just trying to compare it to home life--it's a completely different world." "Back home in the States, you don't see little six-year-old kids walking down the street carrying 30 pounds of water jugs," Stribling said. "But here, it's a normal thing." "How many aerial port guys can say that for a year they were in Afghanistan going outside the wire doing combat operations?" Stribling asked. "It's a great experience." "The question is ‘what haven't I learned?' Weapons is not part of our skillset in the Air Force...and I've just been trained on several different weapons, been to a MRAP (mine resistant ambush-protected vehicle) driving course for three weeks, it's the kind of stuff that I can't get in the Air Force," he said. Spc. Joseph Bucaro, an Army Soldier from Louisville, met Stribling during intial pre-mobilization training in December 2011. "He's an easy-going guy, easy to talk to," Bucaro said. "He's a good listener. When you're stressed out, he talks to you." "Stribling's a hard worker, he's there when he needs to be, and he's around when he doesn't need to be, but he's always there to learn and do his job," Bucaro said. "All I can say is he's helped out a lot of Soldiers with problems." "Relationships, I think they're what drive us," Stribling said. "As far as our security platoon, we're like brothers in our platoon. We'd do anything for any one of us. I think that's what keeps us going." Since arriving in Afghanistan in February 2012, unfortunate circumstances sent some of ADT 4's members' home. Among them was Army Sgt. David Spry of Winchester, Ky., who went home a few weeks after a knee injury while Stribling was at home on leave. "Losing Sgt. Spry was hard. He was a real good buddy of mine. Like I said, we're brothers," Stribling said. "But he's been keeping in contact with us on Facebook ... It kind of eases us a little bit to know he's doing all right, that he's getting the treatment he needs," Stribling said. Overall, Stribling had a positive recollection of his second Afghan deployment. However, he said he plans on taking time off deployments to attend the University of Louisville afterwards. "I don't regret a minute of it," Stribling said. "Certain areas, I feel like we're progressing. I don't feel like we're wasting our time, so that's a good thing."
 SHARE
 PRINT
 NY National Guard Strengthens Bonds with Allies in Morocco Overseas Operations • 6 days ago
 Alaska Guard Soldiers Honored Before Middle East Deployment Overseas Operations • 13 days ago
 29th Infantry Division HQ Heads Exercise Immediate Response Overseas Operations • 18 days ago
 134th Medical Company Joins Combined Resolve Exercise Overseas Operations • 19 days ago
 Guard Soldiers, Czech Partners Celebrate Victory in Europe Day Overseas Operations • 21 days ago
 2024 (24)  2023 (57)  2022 (71)  2021 (58)  2020 (41)  2019 (56)  2018 (55)  2017 (46)  2016 (31)  2015 (36)  2014 (48)  2013 (64)  2012 (134)  2011 (163)  2010 (179)
 Home
 Site Map
 Privacy & Security Policy
 Link Disclaimer
 Web Policy
 DOD Information Quality
 DOD Open GovernmentFOIA
 No FEAR Act
 Accessibility/Section 508
 Contact Us
 Army Guard Careers
 Air Guard Careers
 USA.gov
                    
Staying Connected
    XYouTubeFlickrFacebookInstagram
                 
                
                

Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil