DISPATCHES FROM AFGHANISTAN
Schofield soldiers on the job beyond Iraq, Afghanistan

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

KARSHI-KHANABAD, Uzbekistan — Not all Schofield Barracks soldiers deployed overseas are spending the year in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Lt. Julian Perez Jr., left, and Capt. Shawn Ross of Logistics Task Force 524 are at work in one of the large warehouses on Uzbekistan's Karshi-Khanabad base, which is a supply hub for forces in Afghanistan. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

Bricker has no problem with being sent here. He just wasn't sure at first where he was going.

"Uzbekistan — first I had to get a map and find out where it was planted on the planet," the 39-year-old California man said. "Once I found out where it was, I was more than happy to come over and do my part."

The air base, shared with the Uzbek air force, is a food, water, fuel and parts supply hub for Afghanistan to the south. Another contingent from Hawai'i's 25th Infantry Division (Light) is in Manas, Kyrgyzstan.

There are a "couple of folks" in Islamabad, Pakistan, acting as liaison officers, plus soldiers in Qatar, Kuwait and Germany, Schofield officials said.

That's in addition to about 4,000 Hawai'i soldiers in Iraq, and 5,000 in Afghanistan on yearlong tours.

"We've got a pretty impressive footprint in this part of the world," said 25th Division commander Maj. Gen. Eric Olson, who's now in charge of Combined Joint Task Force 180 in Afghanistan.

Logistics Task Force 524 at Karshi-Khanabad supports the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, particularly in the north. It provides bottled water, food and supplies, jet fuel for the Air Force, and feeds several thousand people a day at the base.

The base, built by the Soviets, also is home to dozens of Uzbek air force Su-27 Fulcrum fighters.

"It's really amazing walking around here," Bricker said. "When I first came into the Army, the Berlin Wall was still standing and our biggest threat was Communist Russia. I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd be standing on the ground in Uzbekistan watching my former enemy's aircraft taking off and flying into the sky."

The Hawai'i soldiers have been at K2 for only several weeks, "so we're still taking it all in," he said.

There's a gym, PX, volleyball and karaoke. The nearest village is about five miles away on the surrounding plain, but soldiers don't generally get to go off the base.

"If you drive out the front gate, they're herding cattle and goats," said Bricker, the support operations noncommissioned officer in charge for "Class 1" items, including food and water.

Spc. Elliott Valerio, 31, an intelligence analyst from the Bay Area of California, said "unless you want drama, it's very calm, very mild."

The United States added bases in countries such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan after 9/11.

When the war began in Afghan-istan against the Taliban and al-Qaida, Karshi-Khanabad was a big logistics hub in support of the U.S. offensive.

New warehouses and other facilities are being added at K2, and Lt. Col. Brian Haebig, commander of Logistics Task Force 524, said, "I think the base is going to continue to expand. It's a great platform for the Army or the Air Force. As for long-term, I have no idea."

Standing next to one of several grass-topped hangars built by the Soviets, Capt. Ben Asis, 33, from Virginia Beach, Va., noted Cyrillic lettering on one of the three-foot-thick, 40-foot tall hangar doors.

"To me, it's fascinating because you can actually see the Russian people were here, and Russia and Afghanistan were at war for so long," said Asis, an ordnance officer.

He just doesn't know how much people know about the latest chapter in that history.

"I was wondering if anybody in Hawai'i is thinking about us in Uzbekistan," Asis said, "because the story is all about Iraq and Afghanistan."