Preparing to Deploy on Embed

Me (Gordon Cucullu) and Warrior Police co-author Avery Johnson on a Humvee obstacle course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri (September 2009)

"Boots and saddles!" - Getting ready to move out yet again! In recent years I've spent time in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay - two big theaters in the current war. Although I now qualify for senior discounts at restaurants and movie theaters, I'm determined to wear out rather than rust out.

So, my co-author Avery and I are heading off to Afghanistan for the final research phase of our "Warrior Police" book project. By this time next week we'll be well-ensconced with headquarters of the 95th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, in Gardez, Afghanistan.

The area of operations for the 95th includes the Paktia, Paktyka, and Khost provinces, tucked into that part of Afghanistan that borders the volatile Pakistan border where much of the Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists take refuge. We will be working alongside Soldiers as they interact with Afghan counterparts, ride with them on patrols, and interview them at rare moments of relaxation.

The topic and realities there are dead-serious, although this blog will reflect the adventurous personal side of our work that will probably not be covered in the book. As internet connections permit we'll be updating these blogs with what we hope you will find interesting observations from "downrange" as Soldiers refer to a deployment.

It promises to be an interesting two months or so. As a retired Special Forces officer and Viet Nam veteran who also embedded with the MPs in Iraq I have some ideas of what to expect, whereas Avery will be covering the experience from a decidedly non-combat, "tourist-in-a-warzone" perspective where everything is completely new and unexplored.

We'll both be posting to this blog so anyone who's interested can read what will undoubtedly be very different perspectives on the same experience. Whether you're a Soldier, a soccer mom, a college student, a concerned citizen, a counter-terrorism analyst, or whomever, through this blog our goal will be to find out and reveal the on-the-ground situation in Afghanistan today in an interesting, informative, yet also entertaining way.

Out Take of the Day: Getting There

While getting there may be half the fun on a cruise ship, the administrative hurdles associated with an embed can be daunting. Since we intend to fly with Soldiers from Germany, we needed to secure permission from authorities to accompany them. We got it, thanks in large part to persistent support from the commanders and staff of the 95th and the excellent work of CPT Martyn Crighton, the 18th MP BDE public affairs officer.

Just getting an Afghan visa turned into a comic opera. When trying from Barcelona we found that the Madrid embassy was in the process of relocating - closed for three weeks! Then we hit the States just in time for the Blizzard of the Century to close Washington, DC down for two weeks -- argh!

We finally got visas, have sore arms from requisite immunizations (typhoid, polio, tetanus, Hep A & B etc.), and have our deployment gear (what Soldiers call "battle rattle") all positioned in Mannheim for pickup. Also, a US Army memo in hand to get us through any suspicious European Union immigration officials since we're traveling on one-way tickets with little more than the clothes on our backs.

Whew.

Stay tuned for more as our adventure unfolds!