I Corps soldiers return to JBLM
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The second in command of the United States forces in Afghanistan says progress is being made and our local troops are getting more help from Afghan forces.
Lt. Gen. Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti commands JBLM's I Corps, which just returned from Afghanistan on Wednesday.
It was a happy homecoming, but also a bitter sweet day as families and soldiers bid a sad farewell to a soldier who was killed in action.
Families could hardly wait as they watched an Air Force C-17 with the commanding officer of the 62nd airlift wing in the pilot's seat bringing home the commander of all of Joint Base Lewis-McCord and 60 of his soldiers.
A total of 600 members of I Corps have been directing the fight in Afghanistan for the last year, and Scaparrotti said the hand off to Afghan security forces is working.
"The Afghan security forces today are stepping up to the plate and they're taking hold of security in the south. So it's a big difference and we're making the progress we need to make to reach our objectives in 2014," he said.
But in the meantime, there's a surge of US Forces in the country, and many of them have come from JBLM. The base currently has nearly 10,000 troops in Afghanistan with the 2nd and 3rd Stryker Brigades. Another 4,000 troops form the 4th Stryker Brigade will soon ship out.
"Right now both of those organizations clearly have the enemy disrupted down there," said Sgt. Maj. John Troxell.
But under Scaparrotti's command there was trouble. First the riots after NATO forces accidentally burned Qurans, and then the murder of Afghan civilians allegedly killed by Staff. Sgt. Robert Bales.
Scaparrotti credits his Afghan counterparts with minimizing the harm done to US-Afghan relations.
"Those Afghan leaders stepped up when those incidents happened, these tragic incidents," he said.
Despite the progress, it's still a deadly fight, and the 2nd Stryker Brigade was recently forced to say goodbye to one of its own, 2nd Lt. Travis Morgado.
"What we're doing in Afghanistan is not without a cost and everybody understands that it's a great, great cost," Scaparrotti said.
Scaparrotti won't be back at JBLM for long, because he's heading for a new assignment at the Pentagon next month.
Lt. Gen. Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti commands JBLM's I Corps, which just returned from Afghanistan on Wednesday.
It was a happy homecoming, but also a bitter sweet day as families and soldiers bid a sad farewell to a soldier who was killed in action.
Families could hardly wait as they watched an Air Force C-17 with the commanding officer of the 62nd airlift wing in the pilot's seat bringing home the commander of all of Joint Base Lewis-McCord and 60 of his soldiers.
A total of 600 members of I Corps have been directing the fight in Afghanistan for the last year, and Scaparrotti said the hand off to Afghan security forces is working.
"The Afghan security forces today are stepping up to the plate and they're taking hold of security in the south. So it's a big difference and we're making the progress we need to make to reach our objectives in 2014," he said.
But in the meantime, there's a surge of US Forces in the country, and many of them have come from JBLM. The base currently has nearly 10,000 troops in Afghanistan with the 2nd and 3rd Stryker Brigades. Another 4,000 troops form the 4th Stryker Brigade will soon ship out.
"Right now both of those organizations clearly have the enemy disrupted down there," said Sgt. Maj. John Troxell.
But under Scaparrotti's command there was trouble. First the riots after NATO forces accidentally burned Qurans, and then the murder of Afghan civilians allegedly killed by Staff. Sgt. Robert Bales.
Scaparrotti credits his Afghan counterparts with minimizing the harm done to US-Afghan relations.
"Those Afghan leaders stepped up when those incidents happened, these tragic incidents," he said.
Despite the progress, it's still a deadly fight, and the 2nd Stryker Brigade was recently forced to say goodbye to one of its own, 2nd Lt. Travis Morgado.
"What we're doing in Afghanistan is not without a cost and everybody understands that it's a great, great cost," Scaparrotti said.
Scaparrotti won't be back at JBLM for long, because he's heading for a new assignment at the Pentagon next month.
