Outta here.
Well folks, I'm off on another adventure. This time it's Kandahar City, which I understand to be lovely this time of year. As I may have mentioned, I postponed the inevitable downward spiral into becoming a staff weenie by volunteering to become an adviser to Afghan National Security Forces. I'll be headed out with a small team to live with and train a battalion of Afghan Uniformed Police, which is sort of like a paramilitary national guard unit. Despite the greatly increased risk of the job, it's bound to be more fulfilling than creating staff products at home station and dodging the PT-belt police on some mega-FOB. Really, for those of you who know me, would you ex...

Outta here.
Well folks, I'm off on another adventure. This time it's Kandahar City, which I understand to be lovely this time of year. As I may have mentioned, I postponed the inevitable downward spiral into becoming a staff weenie by volunteering to become an adviser to Afghan National Security Forces. I'll be headed out with a small team to live with and train a battalion of Afghan Uniformed Police, which is sort of like a paramilitary national guard unit. Despite the greatly increased risk of the job, it's bound to be more fulfilling than creating staff products at home station and dodging the PT-belt police on some mega-FOB. Really, for those of you who know me, would you expect anything less?

I'm not happy to leave, but like any other challenging or painful event, it's time to get it started. Hopefully I'll be ridiculously busy, since it's a 9 month tour without R&R. I did nearly 10 last time before I could come home, and that's a long time.

I'd like to believe that I've better prepared the kids this time around. They're all strong, independent personalities--a reflection of their parents--and I expect they'll weather this better than I will. My wife is the strongest woman I know, and I'm intensely proud of her and Lex and Nate and Carl for their resilience and poise. This has to be harder for them than it is for me.

To all the amazing folks I know here, especially the guys I've met in person, thanks for your friendship and support. I don't know that I'll get on RvB too much, but I'll hit Facebook when I can. Hard to tell how often that'll be, based on the shifting mission profile and uncertainty in pairing up with a unit that's never had American advisers before.

With that, I'll talk to you all soon. Hey, if you happen to find yourself on FOB Walton or in that vicinity, let me know. I'll have free run of pretty much the entire city.

If you're truly bored, here's my address for random packages. The more random and entertaining, the better.

MAJ Brian C. Englund
TF Lancer 2-2ID
S-TT 10
FOB Walton
APO AE 09367

Hit my old man, DadHavoc up for updates--I'll be sure to feed him news regularly.