Here are a few pictures from our Combat Action Badge presentation (and if you click the picture it will link to the rest of the album.)
We started out by also reenlisting and promoting my Gunnery Sergeant, SFC Houston. Thanks goes out to SSG Martinez for taking these pictures with my camera. Now I can actually be in a few! Then I simply worked my post processing magic.

This was my first time reenlisting a Soldier. It was definitely an honorable day, and I’m glad I didn’t screw up the oath.

Below our …

Lately there has not been much to write home about, so to speak. The soldiers have worn into a comfortable groove with their force protection duties. More and more of them are getting cross trained in different positions to create depth in our battle rosters. But they remain as frosty as ever.

The hardest thing to do right now is find new things to take pictures of.

Here is our COP “pet”. He is both the mangiest, and heartbreakingly sad dog I think I’ve ever seen. There’s a group of birds that …

By 1st Lt. Matthew Spartz | Special to the Daily Herald
Editor’s Note: Army Lt. Matt Spartz, a lifelong Lombard resident, is a 2008 journalism graduate of University of Illinois. He recently was deployed to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division. From there, he will be submitting occasional reports for the Daily Herald.
The real problem with the war in Afghanistan has nothing to do with rogue generals or defunct, grandiose policy. The real problem has nothing to do with finding the Magic Solution and extolling COIN (counter insurgency) to the far …

By 1st Lt. Matt Spartz | Speical to the Daily Herald
Editor’s Note: Army Lt. Matt Spartz, a lifelong Lombard resident, is a 2008 journalism graduate of University of Illinois. He recently was deployed to Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division. From there, he will be submitting occasional reports for the Daily Herald.
The Army is a culture of validation. We walk around with our resumes on our chest: rank, airborne and marksmanship badges, even the perception of prestigious versus bland unit patches. But possibly the No. 1 validation of a modern …

Recently 1st Platoon did what is called a “calibration,” which is a fancy way to say we measured the speed that our new ammo travels at. This helps us fire as accurate as possible and maintain our first round steel-on-target reputation.

The best part about calibrating is that we get to shoot what’s called “direct fire.” Usually we fire “non-line-of-sight,” which means an observer tells us where to shoot, and once we fire we never see the rounds impact. With direct fire, we aim at the mountain side next to the …