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	<title>The Spartzine</title>
	<link>http://www.mattspartz.com</link>
	<description>Doing something with my Journalism degree since 2008</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:37:22 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Lombard soldier returns to civilian life this Veterans Day</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Lombard soldier returns to civilian life this Veterans Day
Editor&#8217;s note: Army Lt. Matt Spartz, a lifelong Lombard resident, served a one-year tour that ended in May with the 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan. From there, he provided reports for the Daily Herald on topics ranging from his own wounding to our troops&#8217; reaction to the killing of Osama bin Laden. His final day on active duty is Saturday. Spartz is a 2008 journalism graduate of the University of Illinois.
Last Veterans Day my hands were shaky. I sat in the concrete ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/11/14/lombard-soldier-returns-to-civilian-life-this-veterans-day/</link>
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		<title>ABU video</title>
		<description><![CDATA[At last, I present to you&#8230;
The epic ABU VIDEO!
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[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]
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		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/07/08/abu-video/</link>
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		<title>Lombard soldier asks: What if soldiers shut down like government?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ 
Editor&#8217;s note: Army Lt. Matt Spartz, a lifelong Lombard resident,  was deployed to Afghanistan a year ago with the 101st Airborne Division.  A 2008 journalism graduate of University of Illinois, he is submitting  occasional reports for the Daily Herald.
Last week, six more soldiers were killed in one of our deployment&#8217;s hardest battles.

This week, the government looks set on losing a battle with  compromise, probably resulting in a freeze of government — and in turn,  military — paychecks.
Imagine telling our boys before last week that ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/04/10/lombard-soldier-asks-what-if-soldiers-shut-down-like-government/</link>
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		<title>A Grip n&#8217; Grin</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week we had a hasty visit from the top of the food chain when GEN Petraeus stopped by for the standard &#8220;grip n&#8217; grin&#8221; session with ABU company. After our battalion finished closing another base here in the Pech he flew in to solidify our reputation as the biggest BAMF&#8217;s in Afghanistan.

Here my CO gets a COIN from the bosses bosses bosses boss&#8230;I think&#8230; He gave out coins to guys for various things, including having three years or more deployed. One of our guys was even in the 101st ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/04/07/a-grip-n-grin/</link>
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		<title>War takes toll on Lombard soldier’s column</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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.
For some time I have thought if I were writing something, it should  be worth reading. During the past few months I hadn’t written much, and  in fleeting moments I simply figured I didn’t have anything left worth  reading. I also had a shadowy fear that I ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/03/22/war-takes-toll-on-lombard-soldier%e2%80%99s-column/</link>
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		<title>Afghan Inception</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Here&#8217;s the scenario:
A C-17 holds 158 passengers. There are over 500 people waiting for flights to Bagram. This place averages two flights a day. One flight from last night was canceled.
I believe this is an ACT question in which the answer is: Not getting out of Kuwait anytime soon.
Getting here was relatively straight forward but anything but painless. The jumbo jet the government commandeers for cost-effective military transport is probably the oldest, most cramped in any modern fleet. It&#8217;s like flying in that old, broken down jet from Transformers 2. ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/03/10/afghan-inception/</link>
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		<title>Rain rain, go away&#8230;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A curiosity of living in a mountainous valley I had not experienced was living within a cloud. From our outpost I can see thick mist roll across distant peaks, slowly fogging them from our view. Slowly the days dim without you fully realizing the weather is coming, not that the day is leaving. Soon the uppermost peaks are shrouded in thick white cloud and mist begins to fall lightly on your sleeves. Finally the sun sets to impenetrable darkness while the clouds continue to fall lower and lower. You think ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/02/14/rain-rain-go-away/</link>
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		<title>January Daze</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Well I&#8217;ve been much busier than I bargained for, so here&#8217;s the first 2011 update:
We had a few (possibly too many) guys on R&#38;R the last month, so I&#8217;ve been filling in for nearly five different jobs. It wasn&#8217;t terrible, just that taking the ball while running was a lot like drinking from the fire hose.
The only real update in the past few weeks, however, is that it has finally gotten cold enough to show some snow. I realized I hadn&#8217;t really updated any photos since, like, October. I&#8217;ve gotten ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2011/01/16/january-daze/</link>
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		<title>Merry Christmas!</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Download Here
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		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2010/12/24/merry-christmas/</link>
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		<title>Lombard soldier serves as ‘pallbearer in spirit&#8217; for grandfather</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Matt Spartz couldn&#8217;t attend his grandfather&#8217;s funeral in person, but  Lombard soldier serving in Afghanistan found a way to pay his respects
By 1st Lt. Matt Spartz 
Editor&#8217;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.
When I was a boy, I loved watching my grandpa, John Spartz, lead his  VFW post during the Memorial Day parade in ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.mattspartz.com/2010/12/24/lombard-soldier-serves-as-%e2%80%98pallbearer-in-spirit-for-grandfather/</link>
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