Here is the view from my new “office.” Also I have included some shots of my new room, which family (mom) always want to see but soldiers never think about. As always, click on the photo to see the entire album and the full-size pic (Britt).

Sun streaking over the Pech Valley mountains are breathtaking in the morning. But winter is truly setting in; the sun used to rise at 0430 and now doesn’t make it up until after 6 a.m., and is gone by 6 p.m.

Here is our awesome front …

Last week I walked into the heart of Taliban country, controlled Kiowa and Apache helicopters, slept in an aquaduct to the sound of an AC-130 gunship destroying the enemy, traded with local Afghan kids for hot chai, fought side-by-side with navy seals and prevented them from killing some stupid Afghan soldiers, and called for 155mm artillery while pinned down by sniper fire.
Now that’s a hell of a way to get your feet wet in a new job.
Everyone always wonders how they act in these types of situations, hoping they’ve had …

Editor’s note: Army Lt. Matt Spartz, a lifelong Lombard resident, was deployed to Afghanistan in May with the 101st Airborne Division. A 2008 journalism graduate of University of Illinois, he is submitting occasional reports for the Daily Herald.Walking out the gate of an outpost for the first time is what I imagine an inmate feels like during his first steps outside of prison; a more literal translation may paint the American outpost more like freedom and the war zone I walked into as more like the prison. But my first …

I am officially at my new place of duty, COP Honaker Miracle, in the infamous Pech Valley, where I’ll be taking over as the Fires Support Officer for Alpha Company “Abu” (a-boo), 1st Battalion, 327 Infantry Regiment “Above the Rest.” It’s amazing how the Lord continually weaves his mysterious way in my life. I reasonable did everything in my power to prevent switching to this job, and then when it finally happens, it turns out to be the best thing that could have happened to me. This COP is larger, …

Well I’m officially ending my time as platoon leader this week. Duty calls, and it’s time for me to move on to my next assignment as a Fire Support Officer in Alpha Company, 1-327IN.
I feel so blessed to have had a great platoon, and gotten the chance to lead them in combat. Through all of the late nights delivering hot fire support, served to order, and the early mornings in the gym, I will definitely miss my time in 1st Platoon. After I leave I hope they feel I was …

By Lt. Matt Spartz | Guest Columnist
Published: 8/25/2010 12:02 AM
Editor’s Note: Army Lt. Matt Spartz, a lifelong Lombard resident, was deployed to Afghanistan in May with the 101st Airborne Division. A 2008 journalism graduate of University of Illinois, he is submitting occasional reports for the Daily Herald.
Life on a combat outpost is a modern day Sparta. Far from the “flagpole,” or larger bases with high ranking officers, daily life revolves around one maxim – training for battle.
Without delving too deep into the existential, the …