Schofield commander returns to Hawai'i
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
With its mission over in Iraq and winding down in Afghanistan, the 25th Infantry Division (Light) will uncase its colors in Hawai'i today with the return of command staff from Afghanistan, including Maj. Gen. Eric T. Olson.
The division had not deployed to a combat zone since the Vietnam War. It was 33 years ago during that war that the Tropic Lightning division last uncased its colors back in Hawai'i, officials said.
Olson
A ceremony will be held at 2:45 p.m. at Wheeler Army Airfield for family and friends to welcome home Olson, who commands the 25th Division; Command Sgt. Maj. Franklin Ashe; and their staff.
About 5,200 Schofield Barracks soldiers deployed to Iraq early last year; another 5,800 left for Afghanistan shortly thereafter.
The Iraq soldiers have returned, and many from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team and division command are returning from Afghanistan this week. Receptions for flights of returning soldiers are scheduled through Thursday.
Olson was the No. 2 U.S. commander in Afghanistan in charge of 18,000 mostly U.S. troops. At a March 7 press conference in Kabul, Olson said in the past year, the number of clashes with the enemy has decreased.
"We've gotten to the point now where since the beginning of the New Year, violent contact or troops in contact situations are the rarity," said Olson, who was in charge of Combined Joint Task Force 76.
Attacks still occur, though, and two Marines were wounded on Sunday north of Jalalabad close to the Pakistan border in a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire ambush.
But Taliban and al-Qaida insurgents remain a grave threat to Afghanistan, Olson said in late February. He warned against policy-makers cutting the strength of U.S. forces in the face of successes because the Afghan government still is "very much dependent on the support of the coalition."
The United States has spent millions of dollars over the past year on reconstruction projects including new schools, government buildings and wells, and there are now 19 "Provincial Reconstruction Teams" spread throughout the country, Olson said.
"I would say that personally speaking, as I reflect back on the year that I've spent as the commanding general of CJTF-76 that my own proudest accomplishment is the close connection we have established with the Afghan people and the bonds of friendship that have been formed, plus the cooperation with the institutions and organizations of the Afghan central government."
Hawai'i will continue to be represented in Afghanistan with significant numbers of troops. Some 25th soldiers will return in coming weeks, and units that deployed late in the spring last year have months to go.
"Between now and even the July and August timeframe, we're still going to have soldiers trickling in," said Sgt. Kendrick Washington, a Schofield Barracks spokesman.
The 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment of about 900 Marines from Kane'ohe Bay have passed the halfway mark on their seven-month deployment to Afghanistan that began in November, and are expected to be replaced by the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment from Hawai'i in May.
The commander who replaces Olson has Hawai'i ties. Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya, a 1972 St. Louis High School graduate and commander of the Vincenza, Italy-based Southern European Task Force (Airborne), recently took command of Combined Joint Task Force 76.
Olson said in the spring of 2004, when he took command, there were 10 to 15 attacks against coalition forces a week. A year later, that number is usually less than five attacks a week.
He said the number of U.S. soldiers killed was between 20 and 25. Thirteen were from the 25th Division. An equal number were killed in Iraq.
Significant challenges remain in Afghanistan. The trail of Osama bin Laden has grown cold, officials say, and fugitive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has issued a rebuke to Olson, saying his fighters will increase attacks on government and foreign forces in Afghanistan once the harsh Afghan winter gives way, Reuters news service reported.
A recently released presidential report found, meanwhile, that Afghanistan has been unable to contain opium production and the country is on the verge of becoming a narcotics state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5459.
