bring an otherwise friendly 

conversation to screeching 

halt. It seems that many 

have either seen rampant 

corruption and are afraid to 

talk about it, or that they 

have partaken in the corruption themselves. 

 Corruption has a destabilizing effect on the country as a whole and undermines the efforts of Coalition Forces to counter the 

insurgency here in Afghanistan. 

 Former International 

Security Assistance Force 

commander General Stanley McChrystal said in a 

Nov. 2009 memorandum, 

“The Afghan people will 

decide who wins this fight, 

and we, the Government of 

the Islamic Republic of 

Afghanistan and ISAF, are 

in a struggle for their support.” 

 Obviously, if the average Afghan continues to 

see corrupt officials grow 

rich while the government 

itself fails to provide basic 

services for its people, any 

efforts on the part of Coalition Forces to help legiti-

(Continued on page 2) 

In a Sept. 10, 2010 

speech, President 

Barrack Obama said that 

the United States is going 

to encourage "an Afghan 

government that can deliver services for its people." 

 But while helping President Karzai establish a 

widely accepted and legitimate government, Obama 

said he would pressure the 

Afghan President to address corruption. 

 Obama commented that 

he frequently tells Karzai, 

“The only way that you are 

going to have a stable government over the long term 

is if the Afghan people feel 

that you're looking out for 

them, and that means making sure that the tradition 

of corruption in the government is reduced.” 

 On that same day, The 

Washington Post ran an 

article that stated, “After 

nearly nine years of nationbuilding in Afghanistan, 

experts said, the U.S. Government faces mounting 

evidence that it has helped 

to assemble one of the 

most corrupt governments 

in the world.” 

 The article goes on to 

say that “There is no authoritative estimate of the 

toll that corruption has taken on the Afghan economy,” and that “U.S. officials acknowledge that they 

are still struggling to plug 

large leaks. An estimated 

$1 billion a year, for example, is leaving the country 

in bags of cash carried out 

of Kabul airport. Authorities suspect that much of 

the outflow is diverted foreign aid.” 

 Having only been on the 

ground in Afghanistan for 

a little over a month now, 

the members of ADT IV 

have not yet seen the corruption first hand. 

 However, we have seen 

signs of it such as large 

mansions being built in the 

middle of Jalalabad slums 

where an average worker, 

if he is lucky enough to 

even have a job, makes 

only about three dollars per 

day. 

 And while there have 

been exceptions, I have 

personally found that the 

mere mention of the subject of corruption to a government official tends to 

C omm a n d e r ’ s C o r n e r 

 How the ADT will address corruption

The Muleskinner Report 

Mo Agri-Business Development Team IV 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 S E P T E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 0 

D R I V I N G 

T H E T E A M 

Commander 

 Col. Fortune 

Deputy Commander 

 Lt. Col. Charles 

 

Senior Enlisted 

Senior Master Sgt. 

Blankenship 

I N S I D E 

T H I S I S S U E : 

Corruption cont. 2-3 

Campaign 

Planning 

4-5 

Self Governance 6-7 

Nangarhar U 8-9 

Muleskinner 

Team 

10

Senior’s Space 11

Building Trust 12

Ramadan and 

Iftars 

13

SECFOR 14

Meet the Team 15-20

Pictures from 

the Field 

22-23

Resources and 

Contacts 

24

www.facebook.com/

MONG.ADTIV 
How the ADT will address corruption

P A G E 2 

mize the government will be fruitless. 

 So what can the U.S. Government and military do to address 

corruption in Afghanistan? For 

starters, we can develop and emplace transparent, auditable, and 

controlled processes to help ensure that every dollar we spend 

gets to its intended recipient. 

 Second, we can let Afghan 

officials at all levels know that we 

are watching them and that we are 

going to work with their superiors 

to hold them accountable. Third, 

we can train and possibly even 

inspire these officials to be better 

leaders and managers. 

 As the Nangarhar ADT, we 

work closely with officials at the 

lowest level of government; 

namely the Agriculture Extension 

Agents who interact directly with 

local farmers. So it is at this level that we can best address the 

corruption problem. 

 On Sept. 15, we conducted an 

all-day training session with the 

AEAs on how to manage small, 

agriculture-related projects and as 

part of this training, introduced 

them to the concepts of transparency, management controls, and 

auditable systems. 

 Our next step is to provide 

them the opportunity to manage 

some small projects and to closely 

monitor them to ensure they can 

apply these principles. 

 To get a better idea how these 

concepts will translate into practice, let’s take a detailed look at 

the mechanics of the process we 

will require the AEAs to follow. 

(Continued from page 1) Suppose an AEA has determined 

that by extending an irrigation ditch 

in a small village by 200 meters, he 

can improve the water supply in that 

village for 15 farmers. He then goes 

through a project approval process 

which requires him to get signatures 

from the village elders, the ADT, the 

district sub-governor, and the director of agriculture, irrigation, and 

livestock. 

 This requirement to get approval 

from multiple parties is considered a 

“management control.” It helps ensure that all the stakeholders are 

aware of the project and that the project is not intended to be self-serving 

for its originator. 

 Once he has obtained approval, 

the AEA works with the ADT to 

solicit bids and select an Afghan 

contractor to perform the technical 

and administrative tasks associated 

with the project. When the selection 

process is complete, the newly hired 

contractor goes to the village and 

through an interview process, hires 

local personnel to perform the work. 

In addition to skilled and unskilled 

laborers, the contractor may also hire 

one or more supervisors depending 

on the size and complexity of the 

project. 

 In conjunction with the ADT and 

contractor, the AEA next develops a 

pamphlet that briefly describes all 

aspects of the project so the villagers 

and workers know what to expect 

once the work starts. When this has 

been completed, he calls a meeting 

with the people of the village, passes 

out the pamphlet, and along with the 

ADT and contractor, explains in detail the purpose and scope of the project, its total cost, who will work on 

it, when, how, and how much they 

will be paid, when it is expected to 

be completed, and how all of the individual costs add up to the total 

cost. 

 T h i s i s a n e x a m p l e o f 

“transparency” in that it allows all 

stakeholders to see and monitor the 

inner-workings of the process. The 

AEA also explains to the villagers 

that the ADT’s phone number is 

listed on the pamphlet and that they 

can call at any time if they see that 

the process described is not being 

followed. 

 Once work begins, the contractor 

handles many of the technical and 

administrative functions ranging 

from preparation of engineering 

drawings to tracking of days and 

hours worked by each employee. 

 During the course of the project, 

the ADT conducts independent quality assurance inspections and makes 

periodic payments to the contractor. 

As the administrator for the project, 

the contractor also serves as the pay 

(Continued on page 3) 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 

1st Lt. Jeremy Berendzen inspects an Agriculture 

Extension Center currently under construction in 

Acheen district to ensure it meets the specifications outlined in the Statement of Work. QA/

QC inspections help ensure that a contractor 

does not “cut corners,” or he risks not being 

paid, or even having the entire project cancelled. 
How the ADT will address corruption

P A G E 3 

agent and disburses cash to the 

workers on a pre-determined payday. 

 The AEA’s role in the disbursement process is to oversee 

this activity and make sure that 

the contractor keeps accurate records. These records then provide 

an “audit trail” which allows the 

AEA and ADT to ensure that 

none of the funds associated with 

the project were embezzled along 

the way. 

 When work on the project has 

been completed, the AEA and 

ADT generate another pamphlet 

for the village that summarizes 

what actually happened in terms 

of the outcome of the project and 

all associated cash disbursements. 

 Again, the AEA and members 

of the ADT meet with the villagers to distribute the pamphlet and 

review it with them in detail. This 

last step closes the “transparency 

loop” in the sense that the villagers knew what was supposed to 

happen before the project started, 

and here they are told what actually happened now that it is complete. This further reinforces their faith and confidence 

that the project was conducted in an uncorrupt manner. 

 Although time consuming and labor intensive for 

the ADT, we believe that 

forcing AEAs to manage 

projects in this manner will 

accomplish a number of 

important goals. 

 First and foremost, it 

will begin to give the Af-

(Continued from page 2) ghan people a sense that their government, at least at the AEA level, is 

not stealing from them and on the 

contrary, is working hard to fight 

corruption. 

 Second, it will teach both the villagers and the AEAs what transparent, accountable government looks 

like; our hope is that at some point 

down the road, maybe the Afghan 

people will begin to demand this 

kind of transparency and accountability in other areas. 

 Finally, it will demonstrate for 

the AEAs the concept of selfless 

service and will hopefully make 

them better leaders. 

 Winston Churchill once said, 

“You can always count on the 

Americans to do the right thing – 

after they’ve tried everything else.” 

 Our experience in Afghanistan 

has proven Mr. Churchill right once 

again. During the last nine years 

we’ve tried doing the things that 

were easy for us like throwing money at Afghanistan and assuming 

most of it would trickle down to the 

people. We’ve tried to find the one 

crop or one industry or one technology that would take hold and spark 

growth and development here. 

We’ve tried setting up a democratic 

process. We’ve tried killing insurgents. But none of these things have 

had the desired effects and to some 

extent, many of our efforts have set 

the country back even further. 

 Now it’s time to roll up our 

sleeves and do the hard work. Success here will come, not from spending money and digging wells, but 

from instituting robust, transparent, 

and auditable processes. 

 To achieve this, we must take the 

time to understand how Afghans 

think. We must train government 

officials about leadership, management, and stewardship. We must 

look over the shoulders of these officials every step of the way and hold 

them accountable. We must fight the 

corruption problem at all levels of 

government all the time. We must 

show the Afghans what “right” looks 

like. 

 If we do these things, we can 

leave this country with our heads 

held high, knowing that we have set 

them up for success. If we don’t do 

these things, all of our money and all 

of our brick and mortar projects will 

not save the Afghan government 

from itself. 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 

Mr. M. Hussein Safi, Nangarhar 

DAIL, presents a certificate of 

training to agriculture extension 

agents, after completion of Project Management Training conducted at FOB Finley-Shields. The 

training was prepared by the ADT 

but Mr. Safi went through rehearsals with the unit prior to the 

training and then participated as an 

instructor in the classes, explaining 

the concepts to his extension 

agents, (Photo by Capt. Marie Orlando) 
P A G E 4 

On Aug. 27, ADT 

IV issued our 

campaign plan. This 

plan articulates the commander’s vision for how 

we will accomplish our 

m i s s i o n h e r e i n 

Nangarhar Province. 

This article briefly explains how ADT IV leaders developed and produced the campaign plan. 

 The Army’s current 

operational framework 

for full spectrum operations contains four elements: offense, defense, 

stability operations and 

civil support operations. 

Conducting agriculture 

reconstruction is a component or a subset of a 

stability operation. 

 Field Manual 5-0, 

“The Operations Process,” provides guidelines for planning Army 

operations, including stability operations. The 

March 2010 edition of 

FM 5-0 introduces the 

two key concepts that are 

especially important for 

planning during stability 

operations. First, illdefined problems are 

“complex, nonlinear, and 

dynamic... involving 

multiple military (joint 

and multinational) and 

civilian organizations 

over extended periods.” 

 Second, design is a 

“methodology for applying critical and creative 

thinking to understand, 

visualize, and describe 

complex, ill-structured 

problems and develop 

approaches to solve 

them.” ADT IV employed the concepts of ill

-defined problems and 

design to produce our 

campaign plan. 

 Five significant challenges combine to make 

agriculture reconstruction 

during stability operations an ill-defined problem. 

 First, no Army, joint 

or interagency doctrine 

exists to guide units conducting agriculture reconstruction. 

 Second, currently nine 

National Guard ADTs 

operate in Afghanistan 

and each team faces a 

unique operational environment in their area of 

operations. No one-sizefits-all approach has 

emerged. 

 Third, a wide variety 

of governmental agencies 

and non-governmental 

agencies conduct parallel 

agriculture reconstruction 

efforts to varying degrees 

or with different emphases. 

 Fourth, agriculture 

reconstruction is a protracted operation requiring long-term solutions. 

 Finally, the academic 

and government institutional body of knowledge 

does not offer a consensus or fixed solution set 

for agriculture reconstruction. These factors 

combine to create a 

seemingly intractable 

problem set, a classic illdefined problem. 

 Design, as defined in 

FM 5-0 and exercised by 

ADT IV, centers on three 

components: the ability 

to view an ill-defined 

problem from many angles, an understanding of 

the current situation and 

access to subject matter 

experts. ADT IV tackled 

the challenging problem 

of agriculture reconstruction in Nangarhar using 

each of these components. 

 Previous Missouri 

National Guard ADTs, 

local USDA and USAID 

staff on FOB FinleyShields, USAID implementing partners, and our 

higher headquarters all 

provided perspective on 

the problem. ADT IV 

g a i n e d s i t u a t i o n a l 

knowledge through meetings with the Nangarhar 

DAIL, Agriculture Extension Agents, village 

(Continued on page 5) 

By Lt. Col. North Charles 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T

Campaign Planning for Stability Operations:

“Five 

significant 

challenges 

combine to 

make 

agriculture 

reconstruction 

during 

stability 

operations an 

ill-defined 

problem.”

Applying design to ill-structured problems during agricultural reconstruction 
elders, Nangarhar University faculty, and farmers 

throughout the province. 

 In addition to academic 

a n d i n s t i t u t i o n a l 

knowledge, subject matter 

expert advice came from 

our Missouri “strategic 

partners” (University of 

Missouri, Lincoln University, Missouri Department 

of Agriculture, Missouri 

Farm Bureau, and Association of Missouri Electric 

Cooperatives to name a 

few). 

 Two additional key 

subject matter expert resources included: Roland 

Bunch’s “Two Ears of 

Corn” and the Naval Postgraduate School's Center 

for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies' 

workshop "Agriculture: 

Promoting Livelihoods in 

Conflict-Affected Environments.” 

 The results of shaping 

the ill-defined problem 

and applying the principles 

of design narrowed what 

had initially appeared to be 

seemingly endless options. 

ADT IV considered and 

eventually rejected concepts ranging from emphasizing high-value market 

crops (saffron or soybeans, 

for example); to encouraging co-ops; to revitalizing 

the large, state-run, Sovietera farms; to building extensive brick-and-mortar 

construction. 

 As a result of our analysis, it became clear that 

increasing the legitimacy 

of the Government of the 

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and building the 

capacity of GIRoA were 

the keys to success. As 

articulated in previous 

Muleskinner articles, Col. 

Fortune, with input from 

the rest of the team, envisioned and defined the end 

state. ADT IV also developed and tested a number 

of assumptions to ensure 

our framework rested on a 

solid foundation. 

 Following this analysis, 

four requirements emerged 

as our focus: increase the 

capacity of the province’s 

AEAs, increase agricultural capacity in the province 

(with an emphasis on employing military-aged 

males in the process), increase the capacity of the 

DAIL and increase agricultural education opportunities. These emerged as 

ADT IV’s four Lines Of 

Operation: Agriculture 

Extension, Agriculture 

Economics, Agriculture 

Administration, and Agriculture Education. 

 Before assigning tasks 

to the team, ADT IV considered the capabilities of 

other coalition forces, governmental agencies and 

non-governmental agencies operating throughout 

the province. Col. Fortune 

also determined how ADT 

IV would incorporate anticorruption and public information efforts. Only 

then did ADT IV array the 

team’s available resources 

against these lines of operation to establish our priorities of effort. 

 Finally, the campaign 

plan includes an operational timeline requiring formal assessment checkpoints to ensure the team’s 

efforts are having the intended effect. Formal assessments are especially 

important during stability 

operations when units are 

conducting non-standard 

missions to achieve effects 

against ill-defined problems. The end result was a 

campaign plan that details 

all this analysis and turns 

these concepts into executable tasks. 

 Planning non-standard 

missions – for example, 

agriculture redevelopment 

during stability operations 

– presents a number of 

significant challenges for 

commanders and their 

staffs. The Army’s existing planning doctrine is 

more than adequate, but it 

requires extensive preparation, tough analysis, creative thinking, and followthrough. 

(Continued from page 4) 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 5 

“These emerged 

as ADT IV’s four 

lines of 

operation: 

Agriculture 

Extension, 

Agriculture 

Economics, 

Agriculture 

Administration, 

and Agriculture 

Education.”

Agriculture Extension 

Agent Project 

Management Training 

conducted on Sep. 15, 

contributes to all four 

lines of operation. 

Below, Dir. Safi and 

Col. Fortune jointly 

field questions from 

the attendees.
P A G E 6 

Steps toward self governance 

O n e o f t h e 

challenges faced by the 

United States in its 

counter-insurgency 

c a m p a i g n i n 

Afghanistan is the 

creation of a stable 

functioning governance 

system that responds to 

the needs and desires 

of ordinary Afghans. 

Many programs and 

processes have been 

initiated by Coalition 

Forces in Afghanistan 

to address this pressing 

need. 

 O n e o f t h o s e 

p r o g r a m s , t h e 

P r o v i n c i a l 

Development Council, 

s e e k s t o c r e a t e a 

process where Afghans 

can identify projects 

and issues they wish to 

be addressed by the 

provincial government 

a n d w h e r e t h e 

provincial government 

can utilize a formal 

systematic method of 

e v a l u a t i n g a n d 

p r i o r i t i z i n g t h o s e 

issues and projects. 

T h e t o p i c s r a i s e d 

t h r o u g h t h e P D C 

p r o c e s s i n c l u d e 

agriculture -related 

projects which directly 

impact the mission of 

ADT IV. 

 The PDC process 

was initiated a little 

o v e r a y e a r a g o 

t h r o u g h t h e j o i n t 

efforts of USAID and 

t h e P r o v i n c i a l 

Reconstruction Team. 

 T h e P D C i s a 

formally structured 

process with identified 

members who review, 

recommend and act 

upon the issues and 

p r o b l e m s b r o u g h t 

before it. 

 T h e r e a r e f o u r 

supporting, lower-level 

organizations which 

push up issues and 

projects to the PDC. In 

addition, the process 

allows some projects, 

identified at the PDC 

level, to be pushed 

down to the lower 

levels for resolution. 

 The PDC and its 

s u p p o r t i n g 

organizations meet 

once a month in order 

to ensure they remain 

responsive to the needs 

and desires of the 

people at large. 

 The process starts at 

the village level where 

a p p r o x i m a t e l y t e n 

villages are clustered to 

form a Community 

Development Council. 

Members of the CDC 

are selected by the 

people who live within 

that cluster of villages. 

 After an issue or 

project is identified by 

t h e C D C i t i s 

f o r w a r d e d t o t h e 

District Development 

Authority. Each CDC 

c h o o s e s a 

representative to the 

D D A . T h e D D A 

prepares those requests 

f o r p r e s e n t a t i o n , 

e v a l u a t i o n a n d 

preparation b y the 

appropriate Technical 

Working Group. 

 Not every district 

t h r o u g h o u t 

A f gh a n is t an h as a 

f u n c t i o n a l D D A . 

Nangarhar province is 

unique in the scope and 

effectiveness of the 

DDA program in that it 

p r o v i d e s t h i s 

functionality in all 

t w e n t y - t w o o f i t s 

districts. 

 In conjunction with 

the DDA, USAID has 

s p o n s o r e d t h e 

Afghanistan Social 

Outreach Program. 

A S O P i s a r e c e n t 

addition to Afghan 

g o v e r n a n c e 

d e v e l o p m e n t , 

b e g i n n i n g i t s 

operations a little over 

three months ago. 

 ASOP works at the 

d i s t r i c t l e v e l i n 

conjunction with the 

DDA. While the DDA 

f o c u s e s o n 

development within the 

(Continued on page 7) 

By Sgt. 1st Class Earl 

Eisenbacher 

“ With the 

advent of the 

O&M budgeting 

process, Afghan 

government 

officials will 

rapidly move 

into the “run 

phase” of 

responsive 

governance by 

being directly 

responsible for 

financing and 

maintaining 

PDC approved 

projects.” 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T
Steps toward self governance 

P A G E 7 

d i s t r i c t , A S O P f o c u s e s o n 

governance and security issues. 

ASOP members are elected by the 

residents of the district. ASOP 

has 45 members and at least five 

are required to be women. 

 Nangarhar Province has seven 

TWGs. Those seven TWGs 

include Agriculture and Rural 

D e v e l o p m e n t , H e a l t h a n d 

Nutrition, Infrastructure and 

Natural Resources and Education. 

T h e N a n g a r h a r F a c u l t y o f 

Agriculture and Facult y of 

Veterinary Medicine have their 

own TWG which does not include 

a CDC or DDA component. Each 

TWG is chaired by its respective 

line director. If a TWG covers the 

area of two or more directorates, 

the chair is either reached by 

consensus of the line directors or 

rotates among them. 

 As an example, the Agriculture 

and Rural Development TWG in 

which ADT IV participates, 

i n c l u d e s t h e D i r e c t o r o f 

Agriculture, Irrigation and 

Livestock, the Nangarhar Valley 

Development Authority and the 

Director of Rural Development. 

The TWG is officially co-chaired 

by all three line directors of these 

agencies but in practice, Mr. 

Mohammed Hussein Safi, the 

DAIL, generally chairs TWG 

meetings. 

 ADT’s first involvement with 

the process begins with the TWG. 

ADT members attend the TWG to 

observe the proceedings and begin 

to assess which projects they will 

consider funding. However, 

military Civil Affairs units will 

occasionally push down ideas 

originating from the TWG to the 

DDA. 

 Projects evaluated at the TWG 

may originate with the DDA or 

the respective line directors for 

that area of government. The 

TWG not only considers and 

approves development projects 

but also discusses and makes 

decisions on urgent issues within 

their purview. 

 Projects that are approved by 

the TWG are forwarded to the 

PDC for final resolution. The 

PDC is chaired by either the 

provincial governor or deputy 

governor. PDC meetings are 

attended by all the TWG chairmen 

or their designees. The PDC 

meets monthly at the governor’s 

palace to discuss projects, 

proposals and issues affecting the 

entire province. The members 

also vote to approve or disapprove 

specific projects and proposals. 

 If a project or proposal is 

approved by the PDC it is eligible 

for funding and implementation. 

As a practical matter, most project 

funding is currently accomplished 

by donor organizations such as 

USAID, USDA, DoD or nongovernmental organizations. 

 In order to facilitate moving 

the Afghan government away 

f r o m r e l i a n c e o n d o n o r 

o r g a n i z a t i o n s , t h e c e n t r a l 

government has instituted a new 

Operations and Maintenance 

Budget process. Under this 

process each provincial line 

dir e cto r r e cei v es a ro llin g 

$100,000 budget for each quarter 

of the fiscal year. Each individual 

line director will be responsible 

for allocating that rolling budget 

to prioritize and fund proposed 

projects and proposals and to 

maintain existing infrastructure. 

 The Afghan government has 

learned the bureaucratic PDC 

process well. Within a little over 

a year, they have moved from the 

“crawl” to the “walk” phase of 

responsive governance. With the 

advent of the O&M budgeting 

process, Afghan government 

officials will rapidly move into 

the “run” phase of responsive 

governance by being directly 

responsible for financing and 

maintaining PDC approved 

projects. 

 George Roemer, the USAID 

field program officer at Forward 

Operating Base Finely-Shields, 

said, “It is very rewarding to see 

Afghans discover they can govern 

themselves through the PDC 

process.” 

(Continued from page 6) 

Engineer Safi leads a discussion with members of the Sheshembah Agriculture Research Station Technical Working Group 

concerning flood damage throughout 

Nangarhar Province. (Photo by Lt. Col. North 

Charles) 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 
P A G E 8 

Nangarhar U 

N angarhar University 

is the second largest 

and second oldest university in Afghanistan, and 

plays an important part in 

educating the country’s 

future leaders. 

 With a campus and 

faculty devastated by thirty years of warfare and 

lack of effective governance, ADT IV has initiated plans to help rebuild 

the intellectual foundation 

for the School of Agriculture and the School of 

Veterinary Medicine. 

 ADT IV has established relationships with 

Nangarhar University’s 

Dean of Agriculture, Dr. 

Mohammad Asif Bawary, 

and Dean of Veterinary 

Medicine, Dr. Sayed 

Rafiullah Halim. As 

Nangarhar University 

rebuilds, ADT IV will 

assist Dr. Halim and Dr. 

Bawary in facilitating the 

expansion of knowledge 

by establishing personal 

relationships and professional contact with selected faculty at Lincoln University and the University 

of Missouri-Columbia. 

 Nangarhar University 

was originally established 

in 1962 as a college of 

medicine. In 1978, the 

university expanded its 

curriculum to offer degree programs in engineering, agriculture, and 

education. The university expanded again in 

1994 to include schools 

in literature, economics, 

political science, and veterinary medicine. 

 Nangarhar University 

sits on about 400 acres of 

land just outside of Jalalabad, the capital of 

Nangarhar. 5,900 students, including 200 female students, currently 

attend Nangarhar University. Approximately 

1000 students graduate 

from the university every 

year. Students at the 

University can elect to 

pursue degrees in agriculture, engineering, 

medicine, theology, economics, political science, 

and veterinary medicine. 

 Nangarhar University 

plays a pivotal role in 

educating the future leaders of not just Nangarhar 

Province, but all of Afghanistan. As Afghanistan’s future doctors, veterinarians, agriculture 

extension agents, government officials and other 

professionals, these leaders face the daunting 

challenge of rebuilding 

their nation. 

 According to Dr. Gary 

Hart of the United States 

Department of Agriculture, Nangarhar University’s biggest problem is 

getting the students practical experience because 

there are no laboratories at 

the university and almost 

n o op p ort u niti es f o r 

“hands on” work. Another major issue is getting 

the people, once they finish their education, to stay 

in Afghanistan. 

 W i t h n o l a b s a t 

Nangarhar University, the 

ADT is working to establish internship and externship programs that will 

provide the students practical, real world experience. These experiences 

will provide a good substitute for the practical 

hands-on learning a laboratory program normally 

provides at universities 

like those in the United 

States. 

 As Afghanistan continues to stabilize and offer 

greater opportunities to its 

people, we believe that 

more graduates will remain in the country to 

develop the programs and 

businesses that will lead 

Afghanistan back to peace 

(Continued on page 9) 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R R E P O R T

By Capt. John Paluczak 

“Nangarhar University plays a 

pivotal role in 

educating future 

leaders of not 

just Nangarhar 

Province, but all 

of Afghanistan.”
Nangarhar U 

P A G E 9 

and prosperity. 

 Two Lincoln University 

professors, Dr. Todd Higgins, 

an expert in agronomy, and Dr. 

Frieda Eivazi, an expert in soil 

science, chemistry, and fertility, have agreed to provide 

Nangarhar University with research data and other information on plant life and soil 

health. Lincoln University’s 

historical role in providing agriculture extension services to 

small scale farmers will be ins t r u m e n t a l i n h e l p i n g 

Nangarhar University’s Faculty 

of Agriculture begin to support 

agriculture extension here in 

Nangarhar. 

 At the University of Missouri-Columbia, Dr. Craig 

Roberts, a specialist in forage 

crop management with the College of Agriculture, Food and 

Natural Resources, and Dr. 

Craig Payne, a veterinarian 

specializing in beef cattle production from the College of 

Veterinary Medicine, have 

agreed to provide information 

products regarding animal feed 

and animal health. Dr. Roberts’ 

and Dr. Payne’s expertise will 

assist both Nangarhar University’s Faculty of Agriculture and 

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine 

improve animal health and 

productivity for both subsistence farmers and the few commercial animal production facilities in Nangarhar. 

 The goal of establishing 

relationships between these 

institutions of higher education 

is to encourage the sharing of 

research information and best 

practices. Afghanistan may not 

be ready for the cutting edge 

agriculture technology utilized 

in the United States. However, 

the ability to share intellectual 

information, including current 

agriculture research results 

from around the world, is the 

next step forward toward 

reestablishing Nangarhar University as a leading educational 

institution in southwest Asia. 

 In addition to linking the 

Nangarhar University faculty 

with Missouri’s land grant institutions, ADT IV plans to 

encourage the development of 

a symbiotic relationship between the University and the 

Nangarhar Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock 

(DAIL). We believe that this 

r e l a t i o n s h i p w i l l a l l o w 

Nangarhar University students 

to obtain hands-on experience 

while, at the same time, providing free labor to the DAIL and 

promulgating the latest agriculture technologies out to the 

field. 

 In addition, we hope to see 

the development of a continuing education program for the 

DAIL’s Agriculture Extension 

Agents which would provide 

them training on the latest agricultural technologies such as 

row cropping, irrigation techniques, pasture management, 

animal husbandry and other 

agriculture subjects directly 

affecting Afghan farmers. 

 Nangarhar University faces 

some significant problems that 

must be overcome before it can 

take full advantage of the ADT 

initiatives. For instance, the 

University does not have 

enough computers to service 

the entire faculty and this limits 

access to email. This problem 

is exacerbated by rotating power outages which have no set 

schedule. Although several 

Nangarhar University professors speak some English, the 

language barrier also poses 

some challenges. 

 A s A D T I V a s s i s t s 

Nangarhar University in resolving some of these issues, 

we believe the University will 

become one of the shining stars 

of Nangarhar and Afghanistan. 

As it develops into a healthy 

and fully functional learning 

institution, the University will 

be instrumental in leading this 

nation into a long-term future 

of prosperity and peace, making the world a better and safer 

place. 

(Continued from page 8) 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 

Give us an “N”

Give us an A”... 

“N!” 

“A“....

Give us 

books! 

Give us a lab! 
O ur first full month in 

Afghanistan has come 

and gone and I think we are 

starting to make some 

headway in empowering the 

Afghan government’s 

Agriculture Extension 

Agents (AEAs) and in 

addressing the corruption 

problem here, at least in our 

little sphere of influence. 

 We are also helping 

Nangarhar’s Director of 

Agriculture, Irrigation, and 

Livestock develop an 

Operations and 

Maintenance budget which 

will allow him to sustain his 

agriculture-related assets 

once the Missouri ADT 

mission is complete. 

 The threat situation here 

in Nangarhar seems to be 

slightly worse now than it 

has been during the past 

couple of years. However, 

the team’s SECFOR platoon 

has done an outstanding job 

planning and conducting 

missions, and ADT IV has 

not been attacked and has 

not had to fire even a single 

shot in self defense. 

 I believe that one of the 

keys to our success has been 

outstanding judgment and 

decision making on the part 

of our senior NCOs. 

 We have taken the long 

way around on several of 

our missions, but it has kept 

us out of harm’s way. 

 While we haven’t been 

attacked, we have had 

unruly teenage boys throw 

rocks at our convoy on a 

couple of occasions. Many 

of these kids give us what 

appears to be a friendly 

“thumbs up” as we drive by, 

but they throw rocks at the 

last vehicle once it has 

passed. 

 This makes me think that 

they are not necessarily 

being hostile, but rather, 

that rock throwing is an 

Afghan national sport of 

sorts. 

 In one particular village, 

there was an older man 

yelling at some kids for 

pelting us with rocks, but 

when they still wouldn’t 

stop, he motioned to our 

turret gunner to go ahead 

and shoot them! 

 Whatever the case, we 

are working with 

government officials in the 

districts to spread the word 

that we are there to help, 

and that throwing rocks at 

us is not in their best 

interests. 

 On behalf of the entire 

ADT IV team, I want to 

thank the families back 

home for their support of 

our Airmen and Soldiers 

since our arrival here at 

Forward Operating Base 

Finley-Shields. 

 Thanks to your emails, 

letters, and care packages, 

unit morale is high and I see 

a lot of happy troopers. 

 I know they would all 

rather be enjoying your 

company back home, but 

they realize that we have an 

important mission to 

accomplish here in 

Nangarhar Province. 

 Knowing they have your 

love and support allows 

them to focus on that 

mission. Please keep up the 

great work! 

Commander’s Comments

I N S I D E T H I S 

S E C T I O N : 

Senior’s 

Space 

11

Learning to 

trust 

12

Ramadan and 

Iftars 

13

Days of our 

lives: SECFOR 

14

Meet the 

Team 

15-20

Pictures from 

the Field 

22-23

Back at the 

homestead 

24

The Muleskinner Team 

Mo Agri-business Development Team IV 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 S E P T E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 0 

 Thanks to the 

sponsors of our 

unit that have sent 

care packages to 

the unit members 

and to the children of Afghanistan. 

 USO 

 Maloney Family 

 Cronk Family 

 Jim and Katie 

Roberson 

 Dennis O’Leary 

Local 136 Fenton 

 Rick and Mary 

Rutledge 

 James Tinder 

 

Sgt. 1st Class Dana Squires, Personnel 

Sergeant, unloads packages to deliver 

to members of ADT IV. 
P A G E 1 1

 A D T h o l d s b o a rd s

I n early September, 

Missouri ADT IV 

conducted a board to 

select its first Soldier/

Airman and NCO of the 

month for the month of 

August. 

 F o r s o m e o f t h e 

Soldiers and Airmen 

nominated, this was their 

f i r s t t i m e b e i n g 

interviewed by a group of 

senior enlisted personnel. 

Even though they knew 

all the board members, 

some were still a little bit 

nervous going into the 

interview. Despite the 

butterflies, they all did a 

great job. 

 We believe this was a 

good experience for these 

Airmen and Soldiers as it 

should serve to make 

them more comfortable 

next time they have to go 

b e f o r e a b o a r d t o 

compete for an award or 

position. 

 Prior to conducting its 

first board, ADT IV 

d e ve l o p e d a f o r ma l 

process for selecting the 

Soldier/Airmen and NCO 

of the month. To be 

considered, the section 

leader had to first submit 

a nomination packet to 

the awards board. 

 T he board, which 

consists of three senior 

enlisted personnel, then 

reviewed all the packets 

and picked the top three 

c a n d i d a t e s i n e a c h 

category. 

 T h e b o a r d 

subsequently interviewed 

t h e s e c a n d i d a t e s 

individually and asked 

t h e m s i x q u e s t i o n s 

r a n g i n g f r o m t h e i r 

definition of leadership 

to what one thing they 

would change about the 

ADT mission if they 

could. 

 The candidates were 

then scored on their 

responses, appearance, 

communication skills, 

and professionalism. 

 While this process 

will be repeated each 

month, similar boards 

will also be conducted to 

select Soldier/Airman 

and NCO of the quarter 

and of the entire tour. 

 As the winner of the 

mo n t h l y a w a r d , t h e 

Soldier/Airman and NCO 

receive a Certificate of 

A c h i e v e m e n t , a 

c o mma n d c o i n , a n d 

bragging rights. 

 They also get a steak 

dinner at the DFAC on 

the following Friday and 

a round trip ticket home 

for 15 days. 

 F o r t u n a t e l y a l l 

Soldiers and Airmen get 

these latter two benefits 

regardless of whether 

they were selected or not. 

The winners for the 

month of August were: 

S O L D I E R O F T H E 

MONTH: 

SPC ROBERT TERRY 

NCO OF THE MONTH: 

SGT ERIC FIZER 

T h e d i s t i n c t i v e 

accomplishments of all 

six Soldiers and Airmen 

nominated reflects great 

credit upon themselves 

and the United States 

Military. 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M 

By Senior Master Sgt. Jerry 

Blankenship 

 

 

 

AUGUST 

BOARD 

NCO of the 

month: 

Sgt. fizer 

Soldier of 

the month: 

Spc. terry 
Learning to trust 

P A G E 1 2

T hink back to the 

first day on your 

first jobeverything seemed 

foreign to you. There were 

unfamiliar people, all 

speaking about things you 

did not understand. You 

were out of your comfort 

zone but eventually, you 

adapted to your new 

surroundings and coworkers. 

 Working with the Afghan 

Local Nationals is somewhat 

like that first day on the job. 

To compound the difficulty, 

these people speak little, if 

any, English and you quickly 

find out that your three days 

of Pashto language training 

doesn’t get you very far. If 

you paid close attention in 

class, you might be able to 

say hello and tell them your 

name in broken Pashto, but 

that’s about it. 

 Many of the locals carry 

the infamous Kalashnikov 

automatic rifle, 1947 model 

(the Soviet-Made 7.62mm 

assault rifle, AK-47) and at 

least for a little while, most 

of us found this a little 

disconcerting. 

 I had the pleasure of 

working with several LN’s 

that assist in guarding the 

FOB from the perimeter 

towers around our Forward 

Operating Base. U.S. forces 

use the catchy acronym 

“ASG” (Afghan Security 

Guard) to describe these 

individuals. The ASGs are 

non-military and work for far 

less money than Soldiers in 

the Afghan National Army. 

 They take great pride in 

ownership of their AK’s and 

each one I have met made 

certain that I understood they 

purchased them with their 

own funds and they are not 

property of the Army. I 

might add that they pay, on 

average, seven hundred 

dollars more for these 

weapons than you would in 

the U.S.; they do however, 

strive to buy the higher 

quality Soviet made versions. 

One cannot help but see the 

irony of them utilizing Soviet 

weapons. 

 It is entertaining to see 

what intrigues our 

counterparts. For instance, 

one of the ASGs I worked 

with quizzed me on my 

weapons systems, asking me 

how far my rifle would 

accurately shoot; I explained 

it was good for a point target 

at 500 meters. He then asked 

how far I thought his would 

shoot and I told him 400 

meters, but that would be 

stretching its accuracy. He 

agreed. 

 He then insisted that I 

demonstrate my flashlight 

and show him how it worked. 

It was an enlightening 

experience working with this 

fine fellow. 

 One morning at two a.m. 

another Afghan brought my 

comrade a tea kettle and a 

bowl of rice and meat, along 

with a large piece of bread. 

He graciously offered some 

of his food to me. I declined 

as I knew we were in the 

middle of Ramadan and 

he had fasted all day; one 

of the things I’ve learned 

since I’ve been here is 

that Afghans can only eat at 

night during this holy month. 

It was a kind gesture and he 

did not seem insulted by my 

declination. 

 It’s only natural that 

initially, a U.S. Soldier or 

Airman might question 

where this individual’s 

loyalty really lies. Just how 

dedicated is this person to 

defending this property full 

of Americans? But what I 

have come to realize is that 

these people work here on 

the FOB alongside U.S. 

forces at great risk to their 

families and themselves. If 

an offensive operation is 

directed against our FOB, 

they will be standing tall, 

right next to me, doing 

whatever is necessary to 

thwart the attack. 

 I have been told of many 

accounts where the Afghan 

people will go the distance 

and display high levels of 

loyalty towards those they 

consider their friends. 

 In this country the enemy 

wears no distinctive clothing 

or uniform, so you cannot 

pick him or her out of a 

crowd, and they often play 

one side against the other as 

a matter of survival. So 

while I may have been a little 

bit uncomfortable working 

with the ASGs at first, I am 

learning to trust them more 

with each passing day. 

“If an 

offensive 

operation is 

directed 

against our 

FOB they will 

be standing 

tall right 

next to me, 

doing 

whatever is 

necessary to 

thwart the 

attack.”

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 

SECFOR MEMBER 

Spec. John Brody in 

the tower on guard 

duty with an ASG. 

(Photo by 1st Lt. Miciah 

Pyatt) 
P A G E 1 3

T he holy Islamic 

month of Ramadan began 

just two days after our 

team arrived here in Afghanistan. 

 For Muslims around 

the world, Ramadan is 

the month of renewing 

their commitment and 

relationship with God. 

Muslims believe that 

God revealed the first 

verses of the Quran to the 

Islamic prophet Muhammad during Ramadan. 

 As a result, it is 

viewed as the spring season for goodness and 

virtue when righteousness blossoms throughout Muslim communities. 

 Ramadan is celebrated 

during the ninth month of 

the Islamic calendar. 

Unlike that of the Western world, the Islamic 

calendar is based upon 

the lunar cycle rather 

than the solar cycle. As a 

result, the Islamic year is 

ten to twelve days shorter 

than that of the West and 

the beginning of Ramadan therefore migrates 

throughout the seasons as 

the years pass. 

 Ramadan is celebrated 

by fasting. The daily fast 

begins at 4:00 a.m. and 

lasts until 7:00 p.m., for 

thirty days. During the 

day, Muslims are not allowed 

to drink, eat or inject anything into their bodies. The 

fasting is intended to teach 

Muslims patience, humility, 

and spirituality. 

 During this time, Muslims 

pray more than usual, asking 

forgiveness for past sins, for 

guidance, and for help in refraining from everyday temptations. Muslims seek to purify themselves through selfrestraint and zakat or charity 

which is good deeds toward 

those who are less fortunate. 

Fasting is also intended to 

redirect the heart away from 

worldly activities by cleansing the inner soul and freeing 

it from harm. 

 Fasting in Ramadan is 

obligatory for those who are 

capable. Nursing mothers, 

travelers, the elderly, and the 

chronically and mentally ill 

are exempt from fasting, although the first two groups 

must practice fedya or penance instead. 

 Fedya consists of paying 

double in charity to the poor. 

Any days missed are made 

up at a later date. As long as 

they are healthy, Muslims 

usually start observing Ramadan when they reach puberty. However, young children 

are usually eager to complete 

as many fasting days as they 

can to practice for later life. 

 Every evening at sundown, families break Ramadan by hosting a dinner 

called Iftar. The ritual starts 

by eating one date, followed 

by prayer, 

and a big 

family 

dinner 

that traditionally 

consists 

of rice, 

lamb, seasonal fruits, cheese 

and chai tea. After the dinner, 

Muslims go to the Mosque 

and offer prayers of thanks 

for the meals they have been 

provided and for their family. 

 Overall, Ramadan is a 

time to 

give and 

reflect on 

one’s life 

by looking inward and 

sharing 

individual wealth with those 

less fortunate. It’s a time to 

make peace with friends and 

neighbors, a time to spend 

with families and loved ones, 

to let the body heal, and most 

importantly, pray and worship God. Praying is one of 

the most import aspects of 

Ramadan because it is believed that God is one who is 

incomparable, and the purpose of life is to worship 

Him. 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 

“ Overall, 

Ramadan is a 

time to give 

and reflect on 

one’s life by 

looking inward 

and sharing 

individual 

wealth with 

those less 

fortunate. It’s 

a time to 

make peace 

with friends 

and neighbors, 

a time to 

spend with 

families and 

loved ones, to 

let the body 

heal, and most 

importantly, 

pray and 

worship God.” 

By Sgt. Guadelupe Rios 
V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 1 4

“Although the 

Soldiers and 

Airmen would 

probably 

rather be 

hangin out 

with one of 

their buddies, 

most of them 

have enjoyed 

getting to 

know their 

ASG 

counterparts 

and now have 

a better 

appreciation 

of Afghan 

culture.”

A day in the life of a 

Soldier or Airman 

assigned to the Security 

Force Platoon is a busy 

one since SECFOR is 

considered the backbone of 

the ADT. Without a strong 

SECFOR, the Agricultural 

specialists cannot complete 

their mission. 

 T h e A D T I V ’ s 

SECFOR platoon is doing 

an outstanding job in 

everything from manning 

g u a r d t o w e r s , t o 

c o n d u c t i n g m i s s i o n 

preparation, to executing 

missions, to maintaining 

assigned equipment, to 

attending and conducting 

ongoing training . 

 ADT is responsible for 

ma n n i n g t h r e e g u a r d 

towers on FOB FinleyShields as part of our 

c o n t r i b u t i o n t o b a s e 

defense. The majority of 

those manning the towers 

are from the SECFOR 

platoon. All sergeants and 

specialists are assigned a 

rotation and periodically 

man one of the guard 

towers. 

 Manning consists of 

either a four or eight hour 

shift. Up in the towers, 

Soldiers and Airmen use 

night vision goggles and 

thermal imaging optics to 

scan their sectors and look 

for anything out of the 

ordinary. 

 A local Afghan Security 

Guard augments ADT IV 

troops in the towers. Some 

of the ASG speak pretty 

good English while others 

only know a few words. If 

they can communicate 

with ADT Soldiers, some 

of the Afghan guards talk 

for hours about their 

r e l i g i o n a n d l i f e i n 

Afghanistan which helps to 

pass the time. Although 

the ADT Soldiers and 

Airmen would probably 

rather be hanging out with 

one of their buddies, most 

of them have enjoyed 

getting to know their ASG 

counterparts and now have 

a better appreciation for 

the Afghan culture. 

 In a d d i t i o n t o t h e 

guards themselves, all staff 

sergeants and sergeants 

f i r s t c l a s s s e r v e a s 

“Sergeant of the Guard” on 

a rotational basis. This 

means that for a week at a 

time they are in charge of 

all the guard towers on 

F O B F i n l e y - S h i e l d s , 

responsible for ensuring 

that the towers are manned 

a t t h e p r o p e r t i m e , 

conducting radio checks to 

e n s u r e r e l i a b l e 

c o m m u n i c a t i o n s a n d 

handling any issues that 

may arise. 

 For those not on the 

towers there are missions 

to conduct; but before 

anyone can leave the FOB, 

a lot of preparation must 

take place. First, everyone 

going out must attend a 

mission briefing the night 

p r i o r t o e n s u r e a l l 

participants understand 

where we are going and 

why, and who are the truck 

commanders, gunners, 

drivers and passengers for 

each vehicle. 

 After the briefing, the 

S E C F O R p e r s o n n e l 

i m me d i a t e l y s t a r t t o 

prepare for the next day’s 

mission. They ensure all of 

the vehicles have the right 

radios and they conduct 

communications checks to 

verify that all equipment is 

functioning properly. The 

gunners also draw the crew

-served weapons and stage 

them for mounting in the 

MRAP gunner’s turrets the 

next morning. At the same 

time, drivers and truck 

commanders work together 

to enter the route of travel 

into the MRAP’s on-board 

navigation system known 

as the Blue Force Tracker. 

This is a time-consuming 

(Continued on page 20) 

Days of our lives: SECFOR 

By 1st Lt. Miciah Pyatt 
P A G E 1 5

Weber mixes it up- Air and Army 

T he phrase “been 

there, done that” 

was coined for the likes 

of senior noncommissioned officer in charge 

of the Security Force Platoon, Air Force Master 

Sgt. Robert (Bob) C. Weber. 

 Weber is assigned to 

the 131st Bomb Wing at 

Whiteman Air Force 

Base, Knob Noster. But 

he has also served in the 

Marine Corps and the 

Army Reserve. He has a 

total of 32 years of military service with the last 

23 years served in the 

Missouri Air National 

Guard. It is not known if 

he has any plans on joining the Navy before he 

retires, but he seems pretty happy with the Air 

Guard for now. 

 For the past 19 years 

Weber has worked as an 

aircraft maintenance supervisor for the Missouri 

National Guard. 

 Weber said he has 

been deployed seven 

times just with the Air 

Guard. “I deployed on 

Aircraft Carriers as a Marine. I have been on a 

Mediterranean Cruise, 

West Pacific Cruise, sent 

to Turkey three times, 

Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iceland, Iraq, Denmark, 

Spain, and Guam. For 

most of these, I worked 

in aircraft maintenance 

working on F-4 Phantoms, F-15 Eagles, and 

the B-2 Stealth Bomber.” 

 This deployment is 

something new for him. 

“I think this deployment 

is going to be good for a 

lot of people because 

they are doing different 

things other than their 

MOS/AFSC [military 

occupational specialty/

Air Force specialty 

code]. We are not deployed with our respective units so this is a new 

venture for everyone. I 

think we will be able to 

learn a lot, and to make 

new friends.” 

 The SECFOR platoon, 

made up mostly of Army 

personnel, is new territory for Weber, but his objectives are reflective of 

an experienced NCOIC. 

 He said, “My goal is 

take on and complete all 

the missions that are given to us, to make sure 

everyone stays safe, and 

to help the younger Soldiers and Airmen in any 

way that I can. My personal goals are to finish a 

couple of classes needed 

for my CCAF 

[Community College for 

the Air Force], and to get 

in better shape.” 

 He calls Kansas City 

home, where he lives 

with his spouse of nearly 

24 years, Thomasine. 

They have a son, Zachary 

that Weber says he hopes 

to see graduate from the 

police academy and celebrate his 21st birthday in 

April when he goes home 

on R&R. 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M 

“I think this 

deployment 

is going to 

be good for a 

lot of people 

because they 

are doing 

different 

things other 

than their 

MOS/AFSC.”

By Capt. Marie Orlando 
P A G E 1 6

Z o o m i n g i n o n M a t t h e s 

S pec. David M. 

Matthes is 

assigned to the 

SECFOR platoon. He has been in the 

Missouri National Guard 

for five years with the 

1035th Maintenance 

Company, Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis where he 

serves as a light wheeled 

vehicle mechanic. 

 He said this is his first 

overseas deployment but 

he has performed duty 

during a couple different 

state emergencies. For 

instance, he was in 

Clarksville during the 

floods of 2008 and he 

was all over the state during a large ice storm in 

January of 2009. 

 Matthes may seem 

quiet at first, but just get 

him talking about cars, or 

anything with an engine, 

and he gets pretty fired 

up. In his spare time, he 

likes to work on cars and 

commented that his favorite car he has owned 

was a ’71 Chevelle. 

 “There’s not a lot to 

do around here,” he said 

about the deployment, so 

he intends to look for a 

job while he has the time. 

Matthes has worked for 

Florida Pool and Spa in 

St. Louis for the past four 

years as a pool and spa 

technician. The experience has taken him to 

some of the swankest 

pools in the St. Louis 

area, including one 

home in Wildwood 

which he reports has a 

slide about 100 feet long 

down a steep hill that 

passes under fountains 

before landing in the 

pool. “But the work is 

seasonal,” he points out. 

 He attends Vatterott 

College and is working 

on his certification for 

the Combination Welding Program. He said his 

National Guard duties 

during the ice storm interfered with some of his 

final examinations but he 

intends to complete the 

program when he returns 

from his current deployment. 

 His enlistment is up in 

2011 and he would like 

to explore some new opportunities within the 

Guard, including an air 

crew chief position 

which would combine his 

love of engines with flying. One of his dreams is 

to fly, and he has looked 

into getting his private 

pilot’s license. He said 

he is a regular in the recruiting office, helping 

out when he can, so he 

knows that aviation slots 

are hard to come by. 

 Matthes said he likes 

to duck hunt, but he hasn’t gone in a couple of 

years. He said he mostly 

likes to go in Illinois 

where a family friend has 

land. 

 He is native to the St. 

Louis area, attended high 

school at Riverview Gardens Sr. High, and grew 

up in Bellefountaine 

Neighbors, St. Louis. 

His mother, Tina, still 

lives there and his dad, 

Daniel, lives in Ste. Genevieve. 

 When he goes home 

for his mid-tour leave he 

says his only plans are to 

stay out of trouble. After 

hearing a few of his stories about his time driving some of the hottest 

cars on the market as a 

valet for an annual event 

in St. Louis, it seems his 

plan is indeed a pragmatic one. After all, they say 

it’s the quiet ones you 

have to watch out for ... 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M 
P A G E 1 7

“Every day that I 

work with Staff 

Sgt. Beydler, she 

teaches me 

something I never 

knew before.” 

Sgt. Mosier 

prepares for 

a SECFOR 

mission. 

Beydler Promoted 

Mosier, gone fishing 

A bridge crew 

member with 

a multi-role 

bridge company might find himself 

feeling like a fish out of 

water in Afghanistan, 

where the SECFOR platoon may occasionally 

cross a bridge over a 

large body of water, but 

certainly doesn’t build 

them. 

 But Sgt. Elijah L. 

Mosier is adaptable to 

both environments. He is 

a member of the 1438th 

E n g i n e e r C o m p a n y 

(MRBC) and has served 

in the Missouri National 

Guard for six years. 

 Mosier also served in 

the Army Reserve and 

has a total of 14 years in 

the military. 

 He may be comfortable over fast, open water, 

but Mosier, a member of 

the security force platoon, can work on dry 

land as well. 

 In Iraq, he deployed 

with the 1438th Engineers as a bridge crewmember, but they ultimately took on more of a 

security role while there, 

covering down on site 

security and performing 

convoy security. 

 Mosier has worked at 

the Chillicothe Correction Center as a corrections officer the past two 

years. 

 He says he enjoys 

golfing, fishing and hunting and looks forward to 

spending time with his 

family during his R&R. 

three years. 

 Sgt. Nelson Bunch 

works with Beydler in 

the co mmunications 

section for ADT IV. 

 He says, “Every day 

that I work with Staff 

Sgt. Beydler, she teaches 

me something I never 

knew before. Staff Sgt. 

B e yd ler i s a hi ghl y 

intelligent, dedicated 

NCO, and her promotion 

is well deserved.” 

 In her civilian job, she 

recently started working 

as a mail processing 

equipment mechanic with 

the U.S. Postal Service, 

where she has worked for 

a total of four years. 

 Beydler says that 

S ergeant Jodie 

B e y d l e r o f 

L i b e r t y w a s 

p r o m o t e d t o 

Staff Sergeant by Col. 

Michael Fortune, on Sep. 

15th. 

 Beydler is the Local 

Area Network manager 

for the ADT and plans to 

serve as an information 

systems analyst 

w i th t h e J o in t 

F o r c e 

Headquarters in 

J effers on Cit y 

when she returns. 

Beydler served 

f o u r y e a r s o n 

active duty with 

the Army and has 

been in the Army 

National Guard 

being away from home is 

d efinit el y har d, b ut 

working with Sgt. Bunch 

has made each day a little 

easier. 

 “Working alongside 

Sgt. Bunch makes each 

day here a rewarding 

experience.” 

 She says she looks 

f o r w a r d t o h a v i n g 

Thanksgiving dinner with 

h e r f a m i l y , e a t i n g 

vegetarian turkey – or 

Tofurky as they call it, – 

a n d c e l e b r a t i n g 

Christmas early on her 

mid-tour break. 

 She is also looking 

forward to a family 

vacation in California 

w h e n h e r t o u r i n 

Afghanistan is over. 

Staff Sgt. 

Jodie 

Beydler 

is the unit’s 

newest E-6.

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M 
Artilleryman, medic and teacher 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 1 8

I n the National Guard 

each person has a 

unique skill set that is 

a combination of 

milit a r y an d ci vili an 

training and experience. 

This characteristic of the 

S o l d i e r s a n d A i r me n 

serving in the Guard is the 

reason units like the ADT 

can be so adaptive and 

responsive to today’s 

operational environment. 

 S p e c . T h o m a s 

L o h m a n n i s a p r i m e 

example of a National 

Guard member that brings 

more to the fight than 

expected. 

 D u r i n g p o s t -

mobilization training at 

Camp Atterbury, he made 

it all the way to the finals 

of the unit ping pong 

tournament, which duly 

impressed the commander, 

who played him there. 

 However, he brings 

more to the game than just 

ping-pong. 

 Lohmann is a medic 

with the ADT and with his 

unit back home, the 205th

Area Support Medical 

Company, in Kansas City. 

 Like others, he has tried 

the National Guard more 

than once. 

 He originally joined the 

128th Field Artillery in 

B o o n v i l l e a s a n 

a r t i l l e r ym a n . A f t e r 

finishing his enlistment, he 

l e f t t h e s e r v i c e b u t 

returned in 2007 as a 

medic, thinking it would 

provide him some good 

experience if he decided to 

go to nursing school. 

 Overall, he has served 

about 14 years in the 

military. 

 On the civilian side, 

Lohmann is a special 

education teacher with the 

St. Louis Public Schools, 

Nottingham Community 

Access Job Training Hgh 

School. The school is a 

c o mp os it e o f sp e c ia l 

education students from all 

over the district and its 

m i s s i o n i s t o t e a c h 

students basic job skills. 

 Lo h m a n n s a ys t h e 

school has contracts with 

companies such as AT&T, 

Washington University, 

and Goodwill Industries, 

to hire students upon 

graduation. Unlike most 

high schools, some of the 

students remain until age 

21 when necessary. He 

says he enjoys the work he 

does with the students. 

 Lohmann earned his 

undergraduate degree in 

P s y c h o l o g y f r o m 

Southeast Missouri State 

U n i v e r s i t y , C a p e 

Girardeau, and received 

his master’s in Education 

from the University of 

Missouri-Columbia. 

 L o h m a n n l i v e s i n 

O’Fallon and attended 

M c C l u e r N o r t h H i gh 

School in St. Louis. 

 “I volunteered for this 

deployment, but I hope 

time passes quickly. My 

goals are to get in shape, 

work on a promotion, and 

gain new experiences,” he 

says. 

 Lohmann likes sports, 

b i k e r i d i n g , a n d 

barbequing recreationally. 

 He said when he goes 

home for mid-tour leave in 

November he plans on 

attending the MU-KU 

football game in Kansas 

City. 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M 

By Capt. Marie Orlando 
P A G E 1 9

Twins rejoined at Bagram 

 “Congratulations on 

your promotion, sir”, a 

Soldier said as he approached an open truck 

window and greeted a 

face he recognized. 

 The officer in the 

truck had been hearing a 

lot of that since his arrival at Bagram Air Field 

about 48 hours prior. He 

had made the trip to 

Bagram from Forward 

Operating Base FinleyShields to see his twin 

brother. 

 “Thanks”, said Capt. 

John Paluczak, an agriculture specialist for the 

Missouri National Guard 

Agri-Business Development Team IV, as he 

took the remark in stride. 

The Soldier then enthusiastically proceeded to 

embark on a conversation 

about his unit’s upcoming re-deployment back 

to the United States. 

 “Well, that would be 

good, if I was actually 

going home,” said Paluczak, in response to a 

comment about the anticipated return. The Soldier stumbled but kept on 

going. He seemed a bit 

confused as he tried to 

work out a reason why 

one of them wouldn’t be 

leaving the country, 

which they were all eager 

to do. At this point, 

Paluczak decided to cut 

the guy a little bit of 

slack, and told him, “I 

think you are talking 

about my twin brother, 

1st Lt. Paluczak,” as he 

chuckled. 

 “I would have kept 

going but we had someplace to be,” he said to 

the driver, Capt. Charlie 

Ledgerwood, the headquarters and headquarters 

company commander, 

203rd Engineer Battalion, and to the passenger 

in the truck with him 

who were both playing 

along with the charade. 

 He said, “We aren’t 

identical, but you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.” 

 His brother, 1st Lt. 

Michael Paluczak of the 

Missouri National Guard 

203rd Engineer Battalion 

headquartered in Joplin, 

was expected to travel 

through Bagram Air 

Field from FOB Sharana 

with the Missouri National Guard 203rd Engineer Battalion as part of 

his redeployment home. 

 However, 1st Lt. Paluczak was still at FOB 

Sharana when Capt. 

Paluczak arrived at 

Bagram Air Field. While 

Capt. Paluczak waited, 

everyone he met that 

knew his brother assumed he was Michael. 

He and Ledgerwood, 

who is a teacher for the 

Jefferson City school 

district as a civilian, had 

fun with the mistaken 

identity that inevitably 

occurred. 

 “It was a lot of fun 

playing with people. I 

was waiting at the ALOC 

[the Administrative and 

Logistical Operations 

Center] and I’ve known 

Capt. Ledgerwood forever. So we just played 

along with it. I don’t 

know how many times I 

was congratulated on my 

promotion.” 

 When 1st Lt. Paluczak 

finally arrived at Bagram 

a little after midnight, it 

was nearly time for John 

to leave; he was scheduled to fly out the same 

morning. So the twins 

stayed up until 3:30 a.m. 

talking about their experiences and catching up, 

knowing that it would be 

another six months before they would see each 

other again. 

 As it turned out, Capt. 

Paluczak’s flight was 

cancelled, and he had to 

wait a couple more days 

before he could return to 

Finley-Shields on what 

the military calls a “space 

available” flight. 

 1st Lt. Paluczak said, 

“The last time I saw him 

was in March when I was 

home on leave and if I 

didn’t see him now, it 

would be February before he is scheduled to 

come home on leave. We 

just hung out. We went 

to eat and went to the 

shops. We swapped stories about what we were 

doing; we [our battalion] 

had a route clearance 

mission in his area.” 

 John and Michael 

(Continued on page 20) 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M 

“The twins 

stayed up until 

3:30 a.m. 

talking about 

their 

experiences 

and catching 

up, knowing it 

would be 

another six 

months before 

they would see 

each other 

again.”
V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 2 0

process but is critical to the success of the next 

day’s mission. 

 On the morning of the mission, SECFOR 

converges on the MRAPs at least two hours 

prior to the start of the mission to finalize their 

preparations. About half an hour prior to the 

scheduled departure time, they attend a second 

convoy brief to review the details of the mission 

one last time. 

 Afterward, the team dons their gear and 

everyone loads into the MRAPs. Once outside 

the gate, the lead truck navigates to the 

destination. Gunners stay busy scanning their 

sectors looking for threats as well as controlling 

civilian traffic. 

 Drivers have to be extremely 

focused throughout the mission 

b e c a u s e o u r v e h i c l e s a r e 

enormous and have very limited 

visibility due to the small 

windows; often the driver and 

gunner have to work as a team to get around 

corners and, on occasion, back the vehicle up to 

turn around. 

 Upon arrival at the destination, all SECFOR 

Soldiers and Airmen except the drivers and 

gunners egress from the vehicles to serve as a 

dismount element to patrol the area and provide 

security for the agricultural specialists while 

they conduct their 

p o r t i o n o f t h e 

mission. The drivers 

and gunners provide 

additional security 

from the vehicles themselves, repositioning as 

necessary to maximize their coverage of the 

area. 

 After the agricultural specialists have 

finished their business, everyone gets back into 

the vehicles and we navigate back to FinleyShields. 

 But back at the FOB, the work still isn’t 

finished. First, the entire team conducts an After 

Action Review to determine 

what they can do better next 

time. Next, the vehicles are 

unloaded, cleaned out, and 

preventative maintenance checks 

and services are performed on 

the vehicles to make sure they 

will be fully operational for the 

next day’s mission. 

 Even on days when there are no missions 

scheduled, the SECFOR platoon keeps busy 

with classes on radios, vehicles, first aid, 

weapon systems and a number of other topics 

intended to make the deployment as safe as 

possible for not only the ADT, but for all those 

resident at FOB Finley-Shields. 

SECFOR (continued from page 14) 

both enlisted into the Missouri National Guard Feb 8, 2001 under the Buddy Program with the 

128th Field Artillery in Kirksville. They attended different Missouri colleges; John went to Webster University in St. Louis and Michael attended Truman State in Kirksville, but both joined Reserve Officer Training Corps and were commissioned with the Missouri National Guard. 

 Capt. Paluczak said it was good to see his brother. “It was very nice of my command staff to 

let that happen. My brother didn’t arrive until midnight and we stayed up until 3:30 in the morning talking. I lucked out and my flight was cancelled. It was also good to see others from the 

203rd Engineer Battalion that I knew.” 

 1Lt. Paluczak was ready to get home and said, “It was awesome seeing John but I’m also looking forward to going home and seeing my family.” 

 Capt. Paluczak lives in St. Louis, with his wife Michelle, and works for Safety National as a 

Premium Audit Supervisor. 

Twins (continued from page 19) 

SECFOR conducts an AAR. 
By Sgt. Kostron and Roshan 

 As if the Army and Air Force acronyms weren't already a foreign language enough, the ADT 

members have incorporated some new Pashto 

words and phrases into their daily vocabulary. 

We thought a list of some of the more common 

ones would help the families decipher our new 

vocabulary. 

 The Pashtuns have their own alphabet and language called Pashto. Translations into English 

are based on phonetic spellings, so words are often times spelled differently, depending on who is 

doing the translation. Also, regional differences 

change the pronunciation, and therefore the 

spelling. For example, have you ever noticed on 

the news and maps Kabul and Kabol are used interchangeably? 

 This is the same as someone from Missouri (or 

is it Mizzurrah?) spelling “hill” as “h-e-e-l”, or 

from Georgia spelling “hill” as “h-a-i-l”, because 

they say it differently. 

 Pashto has some letters with sounds we only 

hear in letter combinations in English; dz, ts, kh, 

and zh for example. It seems complex, but several 

of the members have become fairly proficient in 

communicating with the native speakers. 

 With that said, our interpreters are the most 

important resource available to our team. 

Waderega - stop

Imam , Mullah - priest, holy man 

Malek - village leader 

Wadi - Seasonal stream or streambed 

Kariez - underground canal or irrigation tunnel 

Asalaamu alaikum - I wish you good health (have 

a good day) 

Sangai ee- How are you? (singular) 

Kh em- I’m fine

Za kha em - I am fine 

Oh, Ha - yes, okay 

Na- no 

Nishta- negative, don’t have it

Sahi sho-It’s alright

Sahar de pa khyr - Good Morning 

Za ma noom____dey = My name is____ 

Zah! - Go Away! 

Pa khyr raghlee - welcome 

Delta raa sha- come here 

Shurrah, jirga - council meeting 

Kharhana - agriculture 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 

P A G E 2 1

Learning the Lingo 

T H E M U L E S K I N N E R T E A M 
P A G E 2 2

Pictures from the field

Staff Sgt. Jodie Beydler is promoted 

in formation on Sep 15. 

On 15 Sept, a formation was held to recognize the accomplishments of ADT members. SSG 

Beydler received her promotion; SGT Fizer and Spec. Terry were recognized as NCO and 

Soldier of the Month; LTC Charles was presented an MSM for an article he had published 

the Military Review, July-Aug issue; SSG Sekscinski, SPC Berryman, and SPC Lackey were 

awarded the Army Physical Fitness Badge; and the entire unit received their 101st Airborne Division combat patch. During the ceremony, ADT leaders affixed “Screaming Eagle” 

patch with Airborne tab to unit members’ right shoulder. 

For more photographs of our activities and some video clips, visit us on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MONG.ADTIV 

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 
P A G E 2 3

Pictures from the field

V O L U M E 4 , I S S U E 4 
Name (NO RANK) 

MONG ADT IV 

FOB Finley-Shields 

APO, AE 09310 

The Muleskinner is an unofficial publication authorized by AR 360-1. It is published monthly 

by the Missouri Agribusiness Development 

Team IV to provide important information related to their deployment for the Soldiers and 

Airmen, their Families, units and commands, 

the Army, DOD and the public. 

Views and opinions expressed in the 

Muleskinner are not necessarily those of the 

Department of the Army or DOD. 

 If you would like to receive this publication to 

your email or have questions or comments 

concerning ADT IV please contact: 

marie.orlando@us.army.mil 

Give us a holler! 

MONG 

ADT IV 

Celebrating Birthdays in Oct Anniversaries 

● Stephen and Tess Counts 

● Dannie and Debra Thomson 

Celebrating Birthdays in Oct 

• Family Readiness Group Leader Paula Ann Maloney 

 417.250.1703 or 417.683.3711 

• ArmyOne Source 800.342.9647

• Family Program Office 800.299.9603

• Family Assistance Center 877.236.4168

• Deployed Pay Issues 877.276.4729

• Employer Support of Guard and Reserve 573.638.9500 ext. 7730

• 131st Fighter Wing Coord. 314.527.6362

• 139th Fighter Air Lift Wing Coord. 816.236.3511

• Military Family Life Consultants

 - Child/Youth (Amy Bledsoe) 573.418.3588 

 - Adult (Phil Pringle) 573.418.3588 

• Chaplain Gilmore 573.638.9618

SPC Armour Debra Thompson 

LTC Legg Thomasine Weber 

Sara Eisenbacher 

Gary Squires 

Jessica Rios 

www.facebook.com/MONG.ADTIV 

Back at the homestead 

Call me...call me...

Where do I go?

Who do I call?

Kaylen Berendzen Derek Legg 

Dean Berendzen Hayden Legg 

Elizabeth Buell Nate Squires 

Logan Campbell Brittany Travis 

Angel Kostron Ariel Rios