Michael's Dispatches

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Published: Wednesday, 31 August 2011 11:01

Afghan Soldier caught by infrared flash with specially modified camera.

31 August 2011
Afghanistan

A Soldier sleeps in a body bag to keep off the bugs.

American and Afghan Soldiers share an Afghan family compound overnight in the heart of Taliban country.

During the dark nights, the infrared flash with modified camera brings out detail.  The green light coming from the doorway is the improvised HQ for 4-4 Cav, from Task Force Spartan.  4-4 Cav was conducting combat operations in Zhari District of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.  The mission lasted about 48 hours during which there were about twenty firefights.  Some enemy seemed to be killed but we got lucky with only some close calls.

A 4-4 Cav Soldier is on guard using his night vision gear.  He has a machine gun to the front and keeps a rocket behind him.  Many casualties occur on rooftops due to gunshots.

Satcomms and sniper rifle on the roof.  In our new world, we often use satcomms to communicate just a few miles away.

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• This commment is unpublished.
  
  Rich · 8 years ago

  Love the KW pics, and the focus on the crews. I think you are the only journalist who does. They do amazing work and deserve to have their stories told. Keep up the good work.
  
  Air Cav!

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  Peter · 8 years ago

  Michael, what is the blue flame in front of the Kiowa helicopters? As always, thank you for doing this. I am sure there are many military people who are very grateful for you on scene reporting. I am very glad you are there, in a "safe spot", relatively, but I sure wish you could give us up front news from Libya!!

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  Gerald Steward · 8 years ago

  Mike, I have been reading your dispatches for several years now and I always enjoy what you have to say in your dispatches.
  My son is finally back in the states after having served 9 months as a blackhawk pilot over there in Afghanistan. If it were not for your dispatches telling all of us the truth about what goes on there, it would have been VERY difficult to weather the time that my son was there, knowing that he was potentially in harms way. The main stream media are such fear mongers and you "tell it like it is" and that is very comforting to us parents of our troops. If we had to rely on JUST the MSM for info, I think most of us would be hard pressed to rest at night.
  
  Thanks for everything that you do Micheal and keep up the good work!
  
  BTW: I really like all the photos that you post as that is stuff that the MSM isn't showing us either....

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  Cary Baumgartner · 8 years ago

  Mike:
  
  Just receved your book yesterday. It's better than expected, GREAT job. The IR pics are really great.
  
  Keep up the great work, and keep you head down.
  
  S/F, CB

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  Wayne Philpot · 8 years ago

  Mr. Yon, thank you for sweating the smallest of details in your reporting. The nuggets you expose - lack of ladders, pants that won't stay together, the gumption of the Kiowa crews - would never be made known by anyone else or any other organization. Great job, sir.

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  Keith Stone · 8 years ago

  Very good writing and pics. Best friend's son injured today, don't know details yet but he's alive.
  
  Stay safe and return home all!

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  Violette · 8 years ago

  make GREAT "underwater" Mosquitoes photos.
  Taliban BE CURSED ! !

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  Tom Braund · 8 years ago

  I want to donate a recurring amount but have no guidelines and it doesn't say how often the deduction will be made. What can you tell me?
  Tom

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  Matthew · 8 years ago

  So the first time I saw your flash I was a bit surprised, but it only took a second to realize it was from a friendly position we had already marked and then that it was a camera. It was pretty quiet during that block so I had no problem coming around often for you to try to get a good shot while fulfilling the area recon requests. I thought it was a Soldier trying to shoot through NVGs though...Death Rides!

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  Matthew · 8 years ago

  Well, maybe it was a Soldier on one of those nights after reading about your gear..and looking at my logbook.. either way, keep those stories coming and we'll keep on doing what we do.

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  Marcus · 8 years ago

  I hope the Taliban curse everything we've got- it means it's working. Excellent pictures! Stay safe!

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  Dick Sherman · 8 years ago

  Great photos, Michael: thanks for your continued coverage of the war. I've written to your publisher about the book I ordered and paid for last year. I have not heard back from him. How can I follow up on my order?
  
  Stay safe,
  Dick

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