Ask A Woodbury Soldier

Have you ever wondered what life is like for American soldiers deployed overseas? Now's your chance to find out.

Greg Schlichting, a , is currently in training at Fort Polk in Louisiana and will soon with the U.S. Navy.

He will provide Patch readers an inside look at what he's up to in Afghanistan. If you have a question for Schlichting, email kris.janisch@patch.com or leave it as a comment below this story.

What is a typical day in the life of an American soldier in Afghanistan? (From Patch blogger Mark Wackerfuss.)

There may be as many answers to that question, as there are NATO soldiers on the ground. 

Some live in very harsh environments while serving in combat operational roles, while others live rather comfortably on mammoth bases performing support functions. 

The combat soldier that lives with his Afghan partners on the frontier, may see a “Meat Loaf MRE” and celebrate his good fortune, while the soldier on Bagram or Kandahar Air Field may complain if the Starbucks closes early.

It’s an odd war sometimes.

Like me, most soldiers spend their time at neither extreme. Many are assigned to “FOBs” or Forward Operating Bases that are spread throughout the countryside. These bases are often located adjacent to Afghan Army bases to facilitate good partnerships, while maintaining a degree of security. 

Life in the camp is generally pretty good, with plenty of food, TVs that are stuck on ESPN, and perhaps even a small gym. FOBs may not have the luxuries of the large bases, but they give a much greater chance to interact with the Afghans we serve.

In Afghanistan, the workweek starts on Saturday, and extends through Thursday. Friday (Jooma in Dari) is the Islamic holy day and a day off.  Afghans head to the mosque on Jooma, while U.S. soldiers spend the day cleaning and inventorying weapons and other equipment to prepare for the coming week. Officers scurry about trying to catch up on endless reports and overdue PowerPoint presentations.

For those assigned as mentors and trainers for the Afghan security forces, the work day begins early. 

Joint meetings to discuss enemy activity and ongoing operations usually start the day, often accompanied by several cups of tea.  Throughout the day, U.S. soldiers train their Afghan counterparts in a broad range of military skills (included photo shows marksmanship training with my counterpart, the 201st Corps Deputy Commander).

Senior officers work with their Afghan counterparts to develop operational and campaign plans, and ensure logistics are aligned with those plans. 

This training partnership extends to the field as well.

Side by side, U.S. and Afghan soldiers execute operations in full partnership in a high stakes O-J-T program. Engineering projects, humanitarian assistance and counterinsurgency operations are all part of the program. 

Success is sometimes difficult to see day to day, but generous portions of patience, flexibility and persistence is often rewarded. Sufficient progress may be seen to raise hope that the Afghan security forces will one day have the capacity to defend their nation, and U.S. troops can come home.

So there isn’t really a “typical” day in Afghanistan.   

Every soldier’s experiences may vary, but each one has a chance to start each day with the unique opportunity to make a profound difference for a grateful nation.