LTC David M. Duehring, a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Brunswick, Maine, is currently serving in Afghanistan with the Maine Army National Guard’s 240 Engineer Group. David had been scheduled to retire in June of 2006 from his full time position with the Guard, but was mobilized this past January. David’s e-mails home have been filled with wonderful insights on faith and daily life, and we have compiled portions of some of these messages to share with readers of The Link. David's wife, Carol, was elected to serve on the Synod Council at the 2006 Synod Assembly.

April 2006: It’s been almost two weeks since I arrived in-country. It is so hard to believe it is almost Easter as the days just seem to run together here. The only way I realize that time is marching by is by the calendar I am marking off as each day passes. The days are long and filled with many activities. When the time finally comes to get to bed the sun has long set. I start my days by running the perimeter of our base, just as the sun is rising over the mountains in Pakistan. It is absolutely breath-taking as the sun is reflected off the hills and snow-capped mountain peaks. The temperatures here have ranged from the 40s at night to the high 70s during the day. Almost like a good Maine summer day. Last week, we had a few days that we had some wind and heavy rain, but nothing to cause any flooding concerns. When I returned from dinner this evening, the moon appeared to be almost full. Never have I seen the moon and the stars with such clarity and definition – it’s as if you could reach out and touch them. I am in awe of God’s beauty in this land that has experienced so much war, poverty, disease and terrorism. It is almost hard to believe these things are happening when one witnesses God’s creation in ways I have been shown in the time I have been here. …. We are here to make a difference …so that (the Afghan people) may one day enjoy just a fraction of the joys and liberties we take for granted. As we move into Easter and the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, let’s all pray for the same miracle of peace in the world.

May 2006: Things are very busy here as you can see by the news. We celebrated Memorial Day here yesterday with a service to remember the lives of 10 soldiers we lost here three weeks ago in a helicopter crash. It was also a time for us from Maine to remember the two soldiers we lost from the Maine Army National Guard that were deployed to Iraq and who were killed by a roadside bomb a day after we lost the soldiers from here. Always a grim reminder of the terrible price of freedom. “All gave some…and some gave all.” …I have been gone from home now over four months and in country for two months. Every day is like the movie “Ground Hog Day” with Bill Murray – every day is the same as the day before. No real time off except to eat … and get a few hours of sleep. I am in charge of a TAC (Tactical Operations Center) for our headquarters located at a FOB (Forward Operating Base) near the Pakistan border. I have a small team with a requirement for 24/7 operations. Whereas our headquarters cover their 24 hours with three eight- hour shifts, we do it in one shift of a 16-hour day and then one person remains at night to answer any calls on the phone or radio. They are able to sleep, albeit it in our office. Right now I spend on average every third night sleeping in our work area. I just received authorization to have a phone put in my quarters so no one will have to stay at work after the duty day as I will have all calls forwarded to me. It means I’m basically working or on-call 24/7 but it will free my team and myself from having to stay at work any longer than we already do. Thank God for the technology of today with the Internet and phones. However when we lost 10 of our soldiers from the 10th Mountain the day before we lost our soldiers in Iraq, the phones and Internet were cut off for several days until the casualty notification could be made. We all worried about what our families and friends might have feared back home when they did not hear from us. It was a double slap of reality for us in theater. May God be with the families and friends of our fallen comrades.

June 2006: …yesterday morning, just after speaking with Carol on the phone we learned of CPT Pat Damon's collapse and death at BAF (Bagram Air Force Base) from a heart attack. I was with LTC Andy Gibson, our chaplain, when we got the word that Pat had died. It was like running into a brick wall for Andy and I. We have both known Pat for most of his military career. He was only 41 years old and in excellent physical condition. Andy was here for several weeks covering for the Chaplain of our FOB who was on leave, but returned immediately to Bagram to conduct a Memorial Service there for our unit. Finally when checking e-mail this morning I received an e-mail from Carol stating that she had heard about Pat's death. …. The families at home are reeling from the news. Everyone is doing alright here and I make sure that we talk daily in order to get a reality check on each other. A memorial service is being planned for Pat on Saturday (June 24) at BAF, which will help bring closure for the unit. Unfortunately, for those of us out in the FOBs, we do not get the opportunity to participate in any of the events at BAF with our unit. However, I make it a point to always do something here for our soldiers to feel included. I will ask Andy to do something for us upon his return from Bagram to memorialize Pat. Well, I need to get back to writing up my findings and recommendations for an investigation I have been tasked with doing surrounding a suicide bomber, an IED and one of our convoys. Thank heaven we did not suffer any deaths this time, and the wounded are all expected to fully recover. I must say, I am so very proud of our young soldiers, and I make it a point to tell them every opportunity I have. They truly are America’s best and I would trust my life with them any where, any time!

July 2006 Independence Day

This year, I am spending Independence Day in a different manner than what I was expecting a year ago. I remember remarking to Carol last year that this year we would be celebrating not only Independence Day, we would be celebrating the fourth day of my retirement from the military.

Who would have known then that a year later I would find myself deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom? The road of life certainly has its different turns and bends. I started this 4th of July out by getting up at 0330 (3:30 a.m.) to get ready for the 2006 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree 5k/10k Road Race (Afghanistan Division) here at Salerno. There were around 300 of us runners that started out with the sun at our backs as it rose over Pakistan to our rear. As we came around the western end of the airstrip, I could feel the heat of the rising sun on my back and most runners were beginning to perspire. Then, as we made our way back along the other side of the airstrip, we had villagers waving to us on the other side of the perimeter fence, and a dog ran along barking at those "crazy Americans". It was great to be running with such a large crowd of Soldiers sprinkled with a few Airmen, Sailors and Marines. (I loved it when I passed a Marine.) As I passed a few young Soldiers that had not been pacing themselves, I made the comment that they should not be letting an old Soldier about to turn 57, pass them. I couldn't help but chuckle when I heard one say to the others: "Damn, he's almost as old as my grandfather!" That gave me the incentive to "kick it up a few notches" and pass a couple more Marines before finally crossing the finish line. Did I mention I love passing Marines? I felt great! What a way to start a day!

Over the last three months I have become very familiar with this small FOB (Forward Operating Base). I like to start my day with a pre-dawn run. (Sometimes I walk.) Things are generally quiet except for our Engineers heading out in advance of a convoy, patrol or construction element in order to clear a route. What a great bunch of Soldiers! As I make my way around the perimeter road and as the sun begins to rise over the mountains, I am reminded of the beauty of this part of the world. The nearby mountains and the orange groves I pass remind me of California. Then there is the calling of the crows which remind me of most any other place in the States. As I near sections of the perimeter that are adjacent to villagers, I hear a rooster crow and, suddenly, I am transported back to my boyhood home in Wisconsin. As familiar these sights and sounds are, I am constantly reminded of the vast differences. I see the different variety of trees, plants, and giant lizards that lumber along under a hot summer sun that we might only see in southern and southwestern states. I see the local villagers with their darkened skin, traditional clothing, worshiping in public or at a local mosque. I see the children running along a convoy or approaching our Soldiers in a village or project site, seemingly with out a worry in the world. Yet in their world, there is the constant reminder of the evil that lurks within and those that would not think twice to explode a bomb in a school to intimidate the villagers into not cooperating with the new Government of Afghanistan.

You really have to wonder where these terrorists place their values and honor when they operate in this manner. These are the realities here that we strive to change. As we celebrate another year of our Independence, let us not forget the cost of freedom. May we always cherish it, protect it, and honor those who gave their lives to ensure it lives on. My hope, as most of us here, is that one day the great people of this country can enjoy the freedoms we take for granted every day. We hope that their children can live without the fear of their parents or themselves being the target of a ruthless terrorist. That they can enjoy reasonable health care and have an infrastructure that provides clean water, proper waste disposal, lighting, power, communications, education, and a good transportation system. I sincerely hope that one day these people will be able to look back on their history as we do with ours, remember their struggle, and reflect on the costs of their freedom and those that helped them attain it. Most importantly, I hope that they can cherish their freedom and way of life and not let anyone or anything take it from them.

With Love and Prayers for Peace, (Husband / Father / Son / Brother / "Opa" / Godfather / Uncle / "Pop" / Friend and Engineer

August 2006: David Duehring is at FOB Salerno near the town of Khowst, Afghanistan

As Americans, we continue to give to Afghanistan every day so that they may know a better life free from terrorism, war, poverty and disease. As soldiers, we see daily the outpouring of shoes and clothing for school children that comes from a variety of Americans both as individuals and groups that care about the Afghanistan people. We see it in the foreign aid that is received to help rebuild roads and critical infrastructure in order to provide clean water, power and sanitation. We see the medical missions to provide basic exams, immunizations and health care that most have never seen. And yes, many of our Americans are giving "everything," as our military personnel give of their lives which I see lost and shattered each day that I am here in order to provide a terror-free environment for the citizens of Afghanistan.

Many folks back home might say that the price is too high and we should not be involved. However, I think if the opinion of the Soldier, Airman, Marine, and even Sailors here "on the ground" were asked who are making these sacrifices everyday, the American public might get a different perspective. However, it seems that those that experience life here, those that see the difference they are making in the lives of these wonderful people, those that are giving of themselves, are seldom asked their opinion. I can't tell you how many times I see stories that the media tells that are so far from the actual truth. Sometimes, even with embedded reporters, I wonder if they "see" the same things the military personnel see. It is just so unfortunate that more of the "good" is not reported, instead of the "bad" which seems to make the headlines.

Signed: "An old and proud Soldier"