Merry Christmas From Kandahar City

Hello all,

It is now official, Mark and I only have ONE address and it is in Washington State! Feels great to have all of our belongings finally in one house. A friend (B.K.) and I left on the 15th and made the drive in my car (with the remainder of my belongings) out to WA. We stopped in South Dakota to visit an old friend that we met while studying abroad in Ireland for a day and then continued on our trip.

B.K. and Chip in South Dakota

Chip and I at Mt. Rushmore

We made it out to WA in 3 days which was pretty good! We had a small delay in our trip due to a snowstorm at one of the mountain passes, but at least the town we got stuck in- Coeur D'Alene, ID, had some fun stuff to do for a day to keep us busy. Once we made it home to Yelm, WA, that was when the troubles of the trip occurred. I went to do a load of laundry in the morning and we went to the grocery store to get some food for the day and when we got home, the wash machine had flooded on the second floor and thus we came home to water pouring out of the dining room chandelier on the first floor and and inch of standing water on the second floor. I called the landlord, placed a garbage can under the chandelier (which was 1/3-1/2 full by the time it stopped raining in the dining room) and soaked up pails of water off the second floor. A man came by later with a shop vac and hopefully there will be no water damage when we return back in January and the carpets are all dried out.

Onto the news and pictures from Mark! His R&R time (2 weeks of leave) is coming up quick! We are both getting quite excited. It will be great to have him home for a little while! He has been under the weather a bit the last few days with a runny nose, fever, and congestion. It has been going on for several days now and yesterday the Battalion Commander finally made him go get checked out at one of the medical centers at a different post. There, he had a 100.1 fever and was told it probably was a virus. He was happy to get to sleep at that post for the night where it was a bit warmer and said he is feeling a bit better today. He also sent some photos of him in Afghanistan for the holidays.

Mark is 4th from the right in the front row and looking very bald these days!

He stated that they have a Christmas tree at their post that is all decorated. Our family support group had sent holiday ornaments with a family picture in them to each soldier and I also know that the 3rd graders of Ms. B sent some holiday decorations as well that Mark put up. Enjoy the photos and have a blessed holiday season!

Love,

Angie

Christmas Packages

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Well it is that time of year. Snow and ice is here to stay in WI, college finals, getting ready to drive/move out to our house in Washington, and of course the hustle and bustle of Christmas time. I have two more final exams to take, the LAST two I will ever take in my life (which feels awesome) and a kitchen to pack up before Wednesday morning. Both my mom and Mark's mom will be coming down on Tuesday to help me figure out how to fit everything in the car. That should be a fun little game to play (not), especially considering the high temperature on the forecast is 14 degrees and a low of 0. I'm just grateful for the extra help! On Wednesday, me and B.K. (a wonderful friend), will be starting our road trip out to Washington in my car, with car top carrier and a bike- going through the mountains in the dead of winter. Got to love it. Please keep your fingers crossed that the interstate stays open and that we don't have to use our tire chains through any of the mountain passes.

Now onto Mark...

He sent me a photo from this September when the Afghan elections were being conducted. He was working with the ANP at one of the election stations at the time. They kept a pretty crazy sleep schedule he said. Below is the photo someone took of him sleeping in the truck. Not too comfortable looking!

I don't even want to know how his neck and body were feeling after a few days sleeping like this.

I also have some pictures to share from the wonderful Brown Deer 3rd graders Holiday Supply Drive. What a wonderful turnout they had! Ms. B's class did a wonderful job and the soldiers in Mark's unit will love it! They collected enough items to fill FOURTEEN huge care boxes!

Ms. B and the 14 boxes gathered from the supply drive

Below is a picture of some of the items that were gathered in her classroom before they were put into the boxes. Not only was I amazed at all of the items they gathered and were really touched by all of the generosity that was shown, I LOVED the bulletin board she put up in the classroom.

The sign above Mark's picture says "Getting to know LT Mark." The two maps point out where the students are and another map pointing to where Afghanistan where Mark is. Below the map of the US is the letter Mark wrote to the class. It truly has been a wonderful experience for Mark and hopefully it has been for the students as well.

Mark also sent a picture of him SMILING! Can you believe that! They somehow got him to wipe off his serious, stern face and exchanged it for the smile that I fell in love with back in high school! Mark said it was a wonderful night that they all got to laugh, share, and relax with some good company. They even shared their wonderful night (and photo) with one of the Afghan ANP (in the middle of the photo to the right of Mark).

On totally different note, I was blessed to chat (typing style) a little bit back and forth with Mark this afternoon. He is doing well and is getting excited for his upcoming leave. That seems to be something he brings up every time he writes or we are able to talk. I can certainly tell how much he is looking forward to it. In addition to that, he shared a little bit about getting to try some Afghan food. He said it was absolutely delicious and described eating some Afghan rice, some amazing bread, and some really good chicken which he thinks was some kind of rotisserie style chicken.

He also said that he got to talk with one of the Afghan interpreters for nearly an hour just on a personal level. He even shared with him one of the many brownies I sent- which the interpreter did enjoy. They each shared a bit about their family, thoughts, and work. The man has been an interpreter off and on since 2001 and originated from eastern Afghanistan. Mark said that the interpreter expressed to Mark his gratitude for him and the other soldiers being there and Mark expressed his gratitude for the interpreter's work. Mark realized that though they are from two different cultures and parts of the world, they had lots of similarities. Mark reiterated to the interpreter his belief that he thinks the majority of the world is interested in safety, peace, and a good future for their children. The interpreter certainly agreed that he shared that same interest as well.

Hearing that helped me to feel and understand how blessed and fortunate we are to live in this great country and how proud I am of Mark for trying to bring those same blessings and fortunes to the people of Afghanistan by training their police force to be able to provide public safety.

Love,

Angie

Mark's Job with the ANP

Greetings All,

I have more pictures to post to give everyone a better idea of Mark's living arrangements and a little more about Mark's new job. Though these pictures are not Marks, I am Facebook friends with a fellow 1LT (R.F.) working with him. The pictures in this entry are from R.F.'s Facebook album so first and foremost- THANK YOU R.F!

View from inside the tent- all the guys sleep on cots

Outside view of the tents

Arial view of their "home base"

Mark said he has been "loving" the new job. He does say that not having showers and not being able to talk as often sucks.... but otherwise it has been great. Temperatures in the evenings are dropping and Mark said he had to use all three layers of his sleeping system (bag). He did say that they did just get heat for their tent. Evenings are in the upper 20s and low 30s and during the day is has been in the upper 50s and low 60s.

So as I said in the last post- Mark is now working closely with the Afghan National Police (ANP). Mark is mentoring an ANP Colonel. The Colonel (and thus Mark's job) is responsible for ANP development. Together they will be coordinating training sessions including first aide, communication, etc for police in the entire Kandahar Province. Mark said he is looking forward to mentoring the Colonel. Mark also states that he can understand if the Colonel is a little hesitant to work with someone new- Mark said he will have been the 4th person to have mentored the man since their unit arrived last summer. Mark said the Colonel is in his 40's and seems to be very nice. He has been offered to a Afghan Lunch with the colonel in his office in one of the upcoming days- consisting of fish. Yeah, fish from the river.... the same river that the locals get their water from, bath from, and ultimately where all the sewage goes. I am hoping and praying he doesn't get cholera!!! Mark said he isn't really looking forward to the food part- knowing the fish will still have the head and scales on it and still look- well- like a fish! Pictures to come of that if Mark takes any- and he said he might.

Picture of ANP in formation

In other news, there was an evening that they had a BBQ. Where they got the hamburgers and hotdogs they cooked out... I'm not really sure. Mark did say he had a little 24 hour bug that set in that evening that knocked him back a bit on the 1st. Vomiting and diarrhea... hoping he used the Pedialyte I sent him that day to help keep him hydrated at least. He wrote in an e-mail that he got a bunch of extra sleep and felt much better the following day.

I talked with him a bit tonight on the webcam- first time in a while. It was definitely good to see his face. His spirits are high and he said he might have enjoyed shaving more than the shower that he got. He has been sharing often that he is looking forward to his fast approaching R&R and I know he has been counting down the days. I can't wait to have him home.

Another small update about the 3rd graders that have been writing him from Brown Deer. The class held a supply drive for the school for a week in November. The teacher just sent me a message today saying that they have collected 12 boxes of care packages and have sent them out in the mail today. What a treat for Mark and his unit he is with. I'm sure the package and the letters from the kids will be well accepted.

Love

Angie

Pictures from Afghanistan and Thanksgiving

The husband has finally sent photos! WOO HOO! (Good job Marky!) No, they are not of his promotion, though, I am happy to say that he has some- he just is unable to load them onto a computer in Afghanistan. In short- the promotion photos will be posted in January some time. In the mean time, below are pictures of Mark before going on a helicopter ride around Kandahar. Supposedly the helicopter ride was for "fun" and not work in early November. He said it was pretty awesome and was cool too see the region from a bird's eye view. As for the photos- as a highly concerned wife, I am happy to see he doesn't even remove his hand from his gun- even when taking photos!

Mark (right) and J.S. (another LT in Mark's unit) before the helicopter trip

Group of soldiers going on helicopter trip Mark is second from the left

In other news, Mark reports getting a Thanksgiving dinner in Afghanistan. And while the food was alright- the family and football was definitely missing. On Friday, he found out that his job is changing (yet again!). He has yet to have the same job for more than 2 months- so again, we'll see how long this one lasts. Mark had one day to train the guy taking over his old job of Battle Captain, and he is now back to working with the ANSF (Afghan National Security Force- aka their police). He will be away from the base that he has a bed and showers at and will now be sleeping on a cot, showering once a week, and living with the ANSF. If you plan on sending a care package anytime soon- Mark is requesting baby/wet wipes to help cut down his dirty and "stinkiness". Please keep him in your prayers a little extra- with this job he will not have the same security or comfort as living on post provided.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We kept Chip the Chimp (my "stand in Mark"- a gift that he gave me before he left) nearby for the holiday and Mark was definitely on many of our minds over this holiday.

Lamb Family for Thanksgiving

With love,

Angie

Promotion!

It is officially Nov 23rd in Afghanistan! This means Mark is promoted today to a 1st Lieutenant! Hooah! (Please remember to update the address on his letters/packages to 1LT Mark Kloiber.) The ceremony will happen sometime in the near future when it works its way into the schedule. I'm just crossing my fingers that he can get someone to take a photo of him at the promotion! He has had a camera over there since he left and has failed to take a single photo. I guess I can't blame him completely- I wouldn't want to necessarily remember all of the stuff he is experiencing nor does he have the time to simply sit and shoot photos. That I understand. However, I am hoping to re-live his promotion ceremony (which should be a happy moment) through the photos.

His job will continue to remain the same, though Mark did mention to me that he has a hunch his job will yet again change after he returns to Afghanistan after his R&R. Some things just fail to surprise me anymore.

On a different note- I heard from Ms. B's fiance (a fellow classmate of mine) that the 3rd graders received the first few letters that Mark had wrote back to them on an individual basis. My classmate told me that she announced to the class that they had received mail from Lt. Mark and the whole classroom erupted with excitement. She said that the kids' reaction to the news was as if it was Christmas morning. She explained that only a few will be getting letters today, but he will continue to write on an individual response to each of them. Not even that bit of info put a damper on the kids' mood. They were absolutely loving it!

Last week the school held a supply drive for the unit and will be sending the gathered items over to Afghanistan in the upcoming weeks. It really has been wonderful to know that teachers are taking the opportunity to educate children about current history and the wars that are currently happening but also taking an active approach to show them how they can show their support to the military and its soldiers. The support is always appreciated- and I'm sure the soldiers love hearing from the kiddos as well.

And on my end- only 3 more weeks of classes! I will be done with finals on Dec 14 and on the 15th I start my road trip with one of my best friends B.K. to move my remaining belongings out to WA. After the 15th, I will have no more rent to pay in WI and will officially be becoming a WA resident. B.K. and I will both be flying back for the holidays. In the new year, I will begin my last semester of graduate school which consists of two clinical rotations- both out in WA. All of this brings me one step closer to finally being able to live with my husband- when he gets home from this deployment. In the meantime- I have the fast approaching holidays and R&R time to look forward to!

Love,

Angie

Veteran’s Day with a Whole New Understanding

It is Veteran's Day today. All day I have had an absolutely hightened understanding of the significance of Veteran's Day and all of the sacrifices that those veterans before me have made. I am grateful for their service, grateful to be able to serve myself, and I am grateful for my Angela who reminds me what is great about America and why sacrificing for her and my other loved ones is so worth it.

Angie wrote me the very sweet words below. I might have been compelled to keep them for myself, but she already shared them with the world on Facebook. Thank you for your sweet words. Reading about your pride in me reminds me of the value in the sacrifices that I make and the reasons why I serve... and it fills me with love.

Thank you, Angela. I love you!

Angie's Note:

Veteran’s Day with a Whole New Understanding

I was proud of you,
when you were so excited about applying to West Point.

I was proud of you,
when you were accepted and left early that first summer to train.

I was proud of you,
when you earned your first award- the German Proficiency Badge.

I was proud of you,
when I got to see you interact with your leaders at West Point functions.

I was proud of you,
when I got to see your face after receiving your diploma.

I was proud of you,
when I got to see you in your dress blues for the first time.

I was proud of you,
when I got to see you lead for the first time as a Lt to the saber arch soldiers.

I was proud of you,
when I saw you after you got pepper sprayed- simply to know what it feels like.

I was proud of you,
when you told me you earned a coin while training in Hawaii for your stellar work.

I was proud of you,
when you told me you got another award while training in Colorado again for your work.

I was proud of you all these times for your service, work, and dedication to the military.
But I am most proud of everything you have given up these last 5 months for the sake of the military. I have been proud of you every minute you have been deployed and every minute leading up to this deployment. You never gave into my moments of negativity about the situation. You never wished that you wouldn’t be in Afghanistan even though you have given up so much to do so.

You are my hero, my veteran, my husband. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for people like you. You have said before that I have the harder job of deployment because I am not around people in a similar situation. But YOU, dear, have the hardest job. You are the one in harms way, you are the one eating pre-packaged food, you are the one who doesn’t have the leisure of sleeping in a little longer if you choose, you are the one who has endured 113 degree weather, you are the one who deals with the most monotone environment, you are the one a long way from ALL of your family and friends. You, Marky, are the soldier who does everything that is asked of him, to the best of his ability, no matter what it takes. You are the soldier I am most proud of. You are the soldier I am fortunate enough to call my husband. You, dear, are my own personal hero.

On this Veteran’s Day, thank you- for your sacrifice, your love for your country, and your bravery to serve.

I love you- and I am so proud.

Forever and Always,
Angela

Battalion Newsletter

Some of you may not know this, but Mark’s current job is to track and document where all of the companies in the battalion are, what they are doing, what they plan on doing, and what they need to be doing. He relays information up and down the chain of command and gets all this information to where it needs to be. NO simple task! Every month the battalion sends out a newsletter to family updating us on what they can share about what is happening in Afghanistan. Sometimes I welcome the newsletter openly to try and understand and relate to what Mark is experiencing and doing since he can release very little information to me about his day and what he does. Other times I dread opening the newsletter e-mail for fear that it will make me worry even more than I already do.

This month’s newsletter (which is based on the happenings of mid September to mid October I believe) were more than anything optimistic to me. It sounds like the soldiers are making a true difference in the lives of the Afghan people. This also seems evident from the pictures that were in the battalion newsletter (sorry I can't post them in the blog!). When I read each company in the battalions update I can not help but think it is Mark’s job to help track each companies busy schedule. Each company has multiple missions and tasks it is undertaking so Mark’s job is no easy task. While reading the newsletter, I also couldn't help but think what a difference Mark and the other deployed soldiers are making in the lives of the Afghan people that they are affecting. One of my last posts on the blog was about school kids here in the US that were sending letters to Mark. Both me and Mark's mom's commented on how Mark may inspire one of those Brown Deer 3rd graders. I couldn't help but think- I wonder how Mark and the other soldiers are inspiring the Afghan people they are so deeply affecting. Here are some segments of the newsletter from companies within Mark’s battalion. (Mark’s battalion’s name is the Dragon Fighters). 

Coalition Forces, particularly the 504th MP BN, were responsible for mentoring the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in their security plan leading up to the elections. Our military police directly partner with the Afghan National Police (ANP) and planned a combination of traffic control points, polling site security and roving patrols. All of our efforts had to have an Afghan face on it. “We put a tremendous amount of effort towards making sure that the we weren‘t solving the security problems for the Afghans, that the Afghans were solving Afgan security problems,” stated one soldier. Soldiers and leaders alike seem to be pleased with the way the Election Day concluded. There were over a hundred less SIGACTs‘ this year compared to last year. Not a single person was even killed this year. “The Taliban obviously tried to scare the people with violence but they failed,” remarked another.

170th MP company: “Dragon- slayer elements befriended local villagers who stated that they were happy and grateful for the presence of U.S. Soldiers. Primarily, due to the fact that they were unable to maintain their crops based on the overwhelming Taliban forces threatening their families. The presence of U.S. Soldiers provided security and safety for the Local Nationals to conduct normal, daily routines without the constant fear and threat of the Taliban, which greatly improved their way of life.”

202 MP Company: “The Soldiers have been busy assisting with the elections, mentoring the Afghan Police and various other missions.The Platoons have started building a good rapport with the Afghan National Police and they are working well together. The Soldiers are doing well and are still very motivated. I would like to thank the families and the FRG for the support that you have provided the Soldiers here. Please keep sending the care packages. The Soldiers truly love them.”

552nd MP Company: “As the weeks go by, Soldiers have begun to find a routine in their daily schedules and occasionally you can hear the question, ―what day is it today? Each Platoon has effectively and professionally created a relationship with each Police Chief and has partnered with the Afghan National Police on several mounted and dismounted patrols.”

Special Investigation Unit: 504 MP BN‘s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) partners with Investi-

gators from the Provincial Headquarters (PHQ) of Security to teach Afghan security officials how to use forensics and build a case-file to get criminals prosecuted.

Message from the Chaplain
“Let me ask you a couple of questions. First, who speaks words of life into your heart? When the going gets tough, beyond tough, who is in your corner telling you to keep going? I pray that you find people like that. People who share your good values, and encourage you to keep fight- ing the good fight. They may be in your worship community, the FRG, and working in places like ACS, CYSS, and the numerous organizations whose sole purpose is to serve those who serve.

The second question is this: whose heart are you speaking words of life into? Daily we cross paths with people and have the opportunity to lift someone‘s spirits. Simply thanking someone for doing something well is a good start. Try it out the next time someone takes your groceries out at the commissary. After you tip them, look them in the eye and thank them for helping you. If your kids are in daycare, the next time you pick them up, look the person in the eye behind the counter and thank them for taking good care of your child.

Know this, your soldiers here in Kandahar, whether they are your spouses, children, siblings, or friends, need you to speak words of life into their hearts. While there are a thousand things to be thankful for here, this place can also be discouraging at times. When the days are dark, a good word from someone who matters makes all the difference in encouraging the heart of the Soldier. Take the time to drop your Soldier a card with something positive written inside. It could be a quote from a movie or a song, but intentionally speak words of life to them. In fact, it might be a good idea to find a way to speak words of life into the heart of someone every day. You may find that it is contagious.”

From looking at the photos (which I unfortunately cannot post), I am so glad and fortunate to live and be a citizen of the United States. On this election Tuesday, I couldn't imagine or fathom the outside of the voting booth looking like the photo in the newsletter taken from Sept 18th (Afghanistan Election Day). The picture shows children, Afghan Security forces, and US soldiers all intermingling outside a building. US soldiers have guns in hand and ready, and the children do not seem phased at all. I know how I would feel in that situation and it doesn't match the faces of those Afghan children. I am so grateful for my freedom, protection, and for all those deployed soldiers trying to bring that small taste of safety to the Afghan people. 

I hope you enjoyed the update and that all is well. 

Love

Angie

E-mail from Mark: "It's been a great 24 hours!"

Hey All!

Well it has been a great 24 hours! Thanks so much for making it so. I got an update from Mom and Dad, Mom and Dad Lamb, Mama and Papa Klapproth, Nate, Dale, Brian, Wulf, and Angie. Dale sent me his second email in the last 4.5 months, the German half of my family sent me a birthday present (Haribo macht Kinder und MARK froh!), I received Halloween presents from mom and dad and Lamb mom and dad last night as well. I even got an update on Brian (although probably from Tuttles) and Riley (thanks mom). The only reason I leave Angie out is because I am still working on her birthday, halloween, and in between packages. (I think she's obsessed with me.) Anyways, it was great to hear from everyone. It sounds like everyone is doing well, which is great. I continue to be awesome and amazing in all that I do (that should come as little surprise). I am getting super pumped to come home for R&R (Urlaub). I cannot believe that it is already November!  Oh, and on top of everything else, the Packers won and the Bears still suck.

As of right now things are looking promising for me to be home for about two weeks in January. I hope things don't change. It's still pretty hot around here- upper 70s, low 80s every now and again. It drops to mid 50s during the night. Quite beautiful. It rained one night a week or so ago for the first time in 4.5 months. That was kind of cool. I slept through it, but it was neat to see water in the morning. I suppose it will be another month or two now before it rains again.

That's about it from here. I am slowly writing letters to those little third grade buggers who wrote me from Brown Deer (the teacher is a friend of Angie's). I have 3 done and probably 20 to go. I am hoping to have them done before Christmas. We'll see. I hope I didn't miss anyone or anything. Oh, and happy election day, all. I hope you got your vote in. I beat the rush and voted 3 weeks ago. Have a great day (like me).

Love you and miss you all.
Your, Mark