Ward at War: Understanding 20 Years of Conflict in Afghanistan 

I was in Farah Province ‘07-‘08 with my Forward Surgical Team and my full-up Combat Support Hospital was in Salerno. We couldn’t do our mission without our Terps. One of the things I’m most proud of, is that our interpreters made it to the US with their families. All the other hard lost gains, as tragic as they still are today in 2023, pale in comparison to failing our counterparts in the ANA, interpreters, and Afghan Nationals whose own lives and the lives of their families are in the balance. Inshallah 😿💔🇦🇫🇺🇸

Another great story! Turns out you were 100% right about the withdrawal. We could’ve been there 100 years and I don’t think that it would’ve made any difference to the state of Afghanistan.

I'm a man. I"m strong. I'm a vet of the Iranian embassy hostage days.. (444) but I had to break down in tears when you described the young man with the mine injury. I'm so proud of the response and compassion of those I would be proud to call brothers. I know there are those like this out there with values such as mine..

As a non-military person, I love these type of stories and this one is among the best. I try to have a clue what life is like from as many perspectives as I can but military perspectives are often opaque to me. This channel is a God send, in that regard. Thank you for what you do and thank you for sharing what you have.

I’ve always loved your aircraft stories but never knew you could run an M4 proficiently or appreciated things on the ground and special operations the way you do. Very cool, Ward!

Ward, Sir. I’m a Vietnam Veteran. Flight Engineer in CH-47 Chinook’s. 242ASH Black Cats. I have been an avid supporter of your channel since the beginning or close to it. This ‘report’ or work of your journalistic skills is greatly appreciated. It’s not often that a retired Naval Officer goes afield and journals their experiences on the ground in an active war zone. Your truthful reporting of the incredible skills that the Army /Navy ground forces have greatly respected. These warriors aren’t often shown the respect you gave them in this report. And from a Naval Officer at that. Thank you Sir.

As a former Iranian air force brat, I just love watching a Tomcat pilot or RIO talk. And the story is a bonus, thank you.

I was in Kabul 2009 as a contract specialist for USACOE at Camp “Cupcake” next to Zama. I left the week after 4 July. Just before my departure terrorists hit an embassy….I think reports show this as later but I felt the explosion just after I left my room. It’s an unusual thing leaving because you dwell on unfinished business and want to go back and continue doing what you were doing - it took me several months to shake that and a good long hike into the Alaska mountains. I can’t believe we are still there.

Hey Ward, small correction here but that footage of you firing an “M203” at night is actually a belt fed, air cooled, crew served, open bolt, fully automatic, heavy grenade machine gun designated as the Mk 19. Although the M203 and Mk 19 both fire 40mm grenades, the Mk 19 uses a high velocity variant which is longer, and has much higher chamber pressures than the low velocity 40mm grenades used in the M203. The M203 is actually the grenade launcher you likely saw infantrymen carrying attached to their M4 during your time in afghan.

Rakkasan!!! I still have my hat, patches/etc from 2002 when Canada's PPCLI went to work with the US 101st and other SF forces. During "The Whale" operation back then, two of our snipers in fact set the record (at that time) for the longest shots in battle, picking off heavy MG gunners that were causing casualties and mayhem vs our US brothers. That team consisted of 2 Canadian snipers and a couple spotters, and some US Army SF soldiers. Bush ended up giving both our Canadian snipers bronze stars (rare for us Canadians), and the entire PPCLI infantry unit the Presidential Unit Citation. Our guys were VERY used to operating at high alts in the Canadian Rockies, and despite having to haul their own h2o, had not one exhaustion casualty on that operation on "The Whale". The US soldiers had helo support to haul most of their h20 and food, and took 1/3/33% casualties from exhaustion - not slagging them, just showing how brutal the conditions were in that fight, for airborne soldiers that hadn't gotten much time training at high altitude. Great video as usual Ward.

Dave Fivecoat is a USMA classmate and friend of mine. Great American and glad you had a chance to meet him.

Jesus. I watch all your videos and when I saw this one I just couldn't but finally I had to know what your mission was there. I spent two tours there and two years stateside learning the language and preparing soldiers for the Afghanistan mission. I'm glad you had this experience and it's a testament to your instincts as a journalist that you picked up immediately on the central challenges we struggled with. The notion of an "Afghan" national identity -- one that supersedes familial and tribal bonds -- is an utter fiction and the idea that the people living inside its borders should risk their lives for a concept forced upon them by the force of ISAF arms and USAID money is an outrageous example of mass delusion. The people of rural Afghanistan will go on as they always have, tolerating the occasional disruptions of their lives by the armed group _du_ _jour_ with the knowledge that all of them, including the Taliban, will soon tire and move on.

As a retired Air Force O-5 I appreciate your observations. I have been eating up your channel and do enjoy it. I left the service in 1988. A lot has changed in those 33 years.

Your comments were remarkably prescient. TY for speaking the “real-deal.”

Love how you flexed your rifle skills, Ward.

Great story. It’s sad memories that come thinking of HOW we withdrew. Although we were there to educate/help the Afghans to protect their own freedom, they did not avail. My grandmother would say, “Too soon we get old, too late we become smart.”

Ward, thanks for doing this one, although, extremely tough for me to watch. I completed 3 tours to Afghanistan, and I was in the Paktika prov on 2009. My unit provided medevac flights for the entire region from Bastogne. You touched on something we all realized once we deployed to Afghanistan, that the people have lived that way for thousands of years and they are not interested in joining our "western" way of life. They don't understand the constant presence of coalition troops in their country. U.S. policy should be one of a committed withdrawal of all forces with the understanding that we can and will commit U.S. forces back to Afghanistan if we should feel a threat of the Taliban.

Ward i was in Afghanistan in 2009 in most of the same places you were as part of my Army mission. When I was back working in the Pentagon I was a CAO for a Rakkasan soldier killed Dec 10, 2010 in LTC Fivecoats BN. Thanks for this post and the videos from that time. I will share w SPC Sean Cutsforth’s family.

My terps call sign was Hank and I swear to God he looked like a mini Richard petty! I still email him once and a while in Iraq. I did and still would trust him with my life any day. The unsung heroes of the war.

Great story Ward. I was flying cargo 747's into all the allied bases during that time you were there. Hauled many MRAP's among other necessary supplies. I saw all of Afghanistan from a different view than you did but made many friends with the Military crews. Bastion was as you described and for us jumbo's we started our approach from a holding pattern circling into the dust bowl. I don't have a lot of faith in the Afghan gov. being completely independent. Thanks.

I was a USN NFO at Bagram in 2008 supporting Task Force Paladin and can remember that land scape well. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. Very salient video in light of the events in Afghanistan over the last few weeks!

You are an excellent story teller Ward! I’m loving your content 😊

This is probably one of the most interesting aviation/Military channels on any platform, every time I jump in to see what your video is about I end up spending my time watching from start to finish lol

Great story Ward . I just finished a book The Origins of the Vietnam War , what you described as the population being less interested in taking care of business is exactly what I read in this book , and now we will be leaving Afghanistan in much the same way having spent much Blood and treasure .

I had a laugh at the photo of Ward in the windowless chopper. I'm guessing that's how happy he looked when the canopy came off the A4.

Great account, well told. Reminds me of my late father-in-law the RAdm. He was the top Navy officer in the advisory group to pre-revolutionary Iran in the mid-70s and spoke of attending many a "goat pull." He always briefed his staff on the proper etiquette and the need to eat whatever is presented to you. Of course, he made it a point to fortify himself with the vodka he had packed into country in cologne bottles. I always suspected the locals were inwardly laughing at getting the yanks to eat the things they'd never eat themselves. "Here! An eyeball for the guest of honor!"

Pretty prophetic, what you said, about your doubt, of the Afghanistan's ability to secure the land once we leave.

Its crazy to think i was in Afghanistan 18 years in 2003! I later went on to do two more combat tours in Iraq.

I was there 2006-7 with the Oregon Army National Guard. I was Infantry and was a turret gunner on countless convoys from Kandahar to Camp Phoenix in Kabul. Glad you made it back safe.

When the soldiers were treating the teenager, that shows the hearts of Americans.

In 2004 I was an American Contractor in Afghanistan. I worked for Louis Berger Engineering which was contracted to USAID supporting the Reconstruction of Economic Facilities and Services (REFS) program. Specifically as a Mechanical Engineer I was flying around the country in a Bell 212 constructing 1,300 Schools and Clinics in one year. I heald the further responsibility of "Nation Building". Not only did we build these Facilities we taught the Afghanis how to build them for themselves - the Biblical principal of feeding a man for a day with a fish versus feeding him for a lifetime by teaching him how to catch his own fish. I very much resonate with your experiences in Afghanistan. Flying the helo from Kabul to small remote villages like Gazni to meet tribal elders to win their hearts and minds by building schools and medical clinics for their village so they would feel a stake in this life thus not be so susceptible to the promises of Bin Laden types who preached their reward was in Heaven. All they had to do was strap on a bomb and walk to an American outpost. I never saw much promise in the REFS program. Afghanis were not serious about adopting education and modern medicine. They lived the same as their ancestors 3,000 years earlier and even though they only lived to an average age of 44, saw no reason to change. Each time we poured a concrete slab for a school/clinic then waited 28 days for it to cure, the Taliban would blow it up in the night. Getting themselves and their children out of pain and suffering was not as important as controlling power. I decided to leave Afghanistan after my helicopter was attacked at a small village south of Kandahar 22 February 2004. My Australian pilot was killed and colleagues severely injured when an AK-47 toting villager attacked our helicopter as we were departing after inspecting a slab poured recently. That was for a clinic to relieve their suffering. After that I lost hope that Nation Building could help these people. Shortly after this I departed Kabul on an Ariana Airways A-310 (donated by Air India) bound for Dubai. Two days there then Lufthansa to Frankfurt. After a week of decompression in Berlin I flew back to Dulles with a firm resolve never to return to Afghanistan.

Some of your comments turned out to be very prophetic in regards to this week's events.

I really enjoyed this insight from someone who had “boots on the ground”. I too fear that the 20 years of hard fought gains will be lost, much like the situation in Somalia, where I lost Brothers In Arms.

I spent roughly 48 months in AFG at various bases as a contractor performing different missions, including training military personnel. I am grateful for my time there but never believed that we were going to change anything in a meaningful way in the long run. I really feel bad for the military personnel who were injured or killed there for a war that we couldn’t win. Thanks God that the US is bringing some of the terps and their families to the US!

Hi Ward, this is Wendy hijacking Mike's (my husband) account. Thanks for sharing your fascinating stories. Best RU-vid channel out there in my opinion. We look forward to every video.

I deployed to that part of the world 2010/2011, as Air Force in Afghanistan and Kuwait. I was trained by the Air Force, but I also took college courses in Middle Eastern culture and politics, as well as Psychology. Doing that helped me immensely while I was over there. It was great to understand how the people think and behave socially, and politically. I developed a special form of respect for how people are over in that part of the world. While I was a load team chief for a mission departing Ali Al Saleem, Kuwait. That was actually the first leg of the mission that was the mission to take out Osama Bin Ladin. That mission inspired the movie "Zero Dark Thirty." In September 2012, I retired from military service after serving for 22 years, and that experience was bitter/sweet. As a former Pukin' Dog (1990-1994), I liked seeing the F/A-18 fly over. Great video!

I spent 2011 to 2014 in Afghanistan as a PMC. This brings back so many memories. Every time I got on a plane to go back it was like getting in a time machine.

Great video! As someone who spent 6 months on the gunline in Vietnam (68' & 69') doing H & I and call fire missions I was amazed at how familiar the vibe of your story matched my own feelings from that time. Thanks for sharing.

Hey rarely make comments on anyone's channel, but I did post a few comments on some of your videos. I have to say I respected you before, just hearing the Tomcat stories but my hat is off to you for having the balls to go back again on foot. Thank you for all you have done and this channel and all you are doing. It would be an honor for me, to shake your hand one day. Maybe I'll see you at the river. I have some pretty crazy unbelievable stories myself. People don't believe in UFOs or the God or the guardian angel so....my stories obviously did not become popular in this evil world. But much respect. Hooah. A man of men!

You remind me so much of my Grand Father-In-Law when he starts telling stories you can't help but stop and listen. Thanks for sharing! o7 xoxo

Hi Ward, I’m not a military person, but just thought I’d say that you do an excellent job of making your experiences understandable to everyone. I’ve now watched most of the videos on the channel. You must have been an excellent teacher.

Wow, Ward, your commentary was spot on - really prescient - thanks so much from Australia for sharing your practical insight and giving this topic the attention it deserves. Huge fan of your channel, keep up the good work!

Great story Ward. Glad to hear you have maintained those connections over the years

I worked at KAF from '09 to '12, TACSWACAA contract for ITT. I was the dep site lead, for mil comms support. Looking on from stateside today in horror, many co-workers stranded. Trying to keep family and friends hopeful we will get them all home! Could you imagine in '10 where we would be today? We all knew If and when the US left Afghan, it would fall immediately, no doubt! I'm heartbroken at the sacrifice of so many to watch it all be for nothing and now my friends.. family...be literally abandoned, left to either get to Kabul airport by Monday or be left at the mercy of the Taliban and having no way to get there, no comms! Absolutely horrifying! Two weeks of horrifying news. I hope maybe to see a follow up to this video on the current events! Thank you for your service!

This guy is a amazing story teller, I was listening to this laying down and I could imagine perfectly the tension during some parts of this mission, bravo man !

Fantastic episode, Ward! It was totally captivating and I was shocked how fast 45 minutes elapsed.

Ward - You’re a great storyteller. Thanks for taking the time to share this.

Remarkable and fascinating account, thanks for putting yourself out there to get the story.

I love hearing your commentary on your adventures!! You have had an amazing career and done so much and have so much to share and this insight as to the American battle in Afghanistan is very interesting and informative. Thanks for your service!

Excellent narrative Ward. I listened to the entire presentation, no fast forwarding....

Really enjoyed your story here and a huge thank you for going over to see the boys, I personally know how much it means to them. Thank you Ward.

Incredible perspective! Learned more listening to this than I got from 'news' sources. Keep up the good work...

Awesome video as usual. As I love military history the video was very informative. You’ve done everything it seems. Can’t wait for more stories. See you Friday for “Happy Hour “. Good day

Great video, Mr. Carroll! We were there at the same time. I was just down the road from Kabul at Camp Blackhorse. Glad you kept your head down and made it back to tell the troops' story.

Excellent recollection of your personal experiences in Afghanistan .Thank you for sharing them with us all !

Thanks, Ward. You’re an excellent storyteller! I appreciate your style, and your sense of humor. Keep up the great work! By the way, that pic of you all walking through the tall grass was very cool. Thanks!

What a great video and a wonderful channel. I first started watching because of the aviation aspect, but more so that you were in the tomcat which was as a kid and still to this day one of my favorite planes. What I think is really cool is you're stories and experiences of being REO are unique and fascinating!! But the way you go about sharing the experiences that you've had the opportunity to be apart of are top notch. Thank you for you service and you're awesome channel.

Love your storytelling skills and your memory detail. I was on Coronado last month watching the V-22s come and go on NASNI. They make a totally different sound than tipical helis. Glad to be a Patreon.

Sir, I really appreciate your outlook and vision in your escapades!! Very entertaining!! I’m sold and will be eyes deep in “Punk’s” shortly!! Thank you for your service and Thank you for this channel, can’t share it enough!!

Another great episode, thanks Ward. You have first class way of giving real insight into your experiences.

That was an absolutely amazing story! I'm so glad I found your channel a few days ago. You truly make some amazing and informative content.

Hello Ward, great story and account of your trip to Afghanistan. Thank you very much for this interesting and informative video. As always, I appreciate and enjoy your stories.

Thank you for your time and willingness to share

45 minutes I did not have... well spent. You've earned my subscription. Love the Tomcat videos as well.

Thank you Ward for your honest appraisal of what is truly the case in Afghanistan. Aussie Jeff Moore

Another amazing video/story by you. The experiences you had on the ground in Afghanistan have to be the furthest thing you could have expected to be in your future when you were training to be a RIO in an F-14 Tomcat.

Mooch, I left PMA275 in June 2008 (Budget shop) and was a Navy individual augmentee at Kabul international airport as the OIC of the air terminal. Great memories of flying the Casa212 to my other dets in Salerno, Sharana, and JBad. I had the honor of being on hand for the transfer service you mentioned in KAIA. The Brit C-130 was always fun to work with, they always came in late (after midnight) because the pub on the camp closed at 2300, that way their handlers didn’t miss last call. Great stories and thanks for reporting.

Excellent story Ward! You’ve had some really great experiences in your life. God bless and stay safe!

The depth of your remarkable experience becomes clearer with each video I've seen. You, sir, have lived, and survived an incredible life. Sincerely, thank you, and thank all those who have served!

Love how you nailed the feeling on the streets of Kabul. As a U.N. contractor 2003 -2004 we were on the streets of the city daily as we had to support ourselves and sort of got accustomed to it but were always very wary.

Very timely and relevant. Great content. Thank you for it. Thank you to all who have served.

The ‘WHY’ as to why I’m a subscriber to YOUR channel Ward. GREAT verbal, REALLY specific breakdown of your time incountry within that period of the GWOT. You obviously did (more than) justice to your time as an embedded ‘reporter’ posterity. Thanks for this..

Very prescient final thoughts, sadly. Thanks for the walk through, Ward. You share a story in a concise, yet also colorful and relatable way. Looking forward to giving the 'Punk's' series a try.

Superb content Ward. I felt as if I was there with you. You can paint a picture with your prose, and I’m a huge fan of your story telling style. Keep the content coming!

Great stuff, Ward. Thanks for the brief. Looking forward to reading "Punks War". Should be here from Amazon this coming week. Stay well.

Thank you for this Ward. l cannot imagine what it must have been like to be there in any capacity, reporting or serving. l really appreciate your style of delivery & factual down to earth reporting.

Watched this for the first time 3 days after the Taliban took over the country. It leaves a pit in my stomach thinking about the current situation even after the lives lost & lives forever changed over the past 20 years. I thought it was pretty telling when, in the middle of the video, the Afghan made the comment about the U.S. being there to fight the Taliban for them as opposed to helping the Afghans fight for themselves. Thanks for sharing your story, Ward.

This video felt like I was with you in PUNK'S FIGHT. It's amazing that you wrote PUNK'S FIGHT before actually going to Afghanistan and was fairly accurate in the book

I've enjoyed all of your videos, but I found this one particularly interesting. I spent 20 years of my 28 year Army career in the Infantry. When I attended the Joint Firepower er Control Course in 1983 the Army and Marine students missed the final week where the aviators went to the field. I always wondered how the pilots who were going to be FACs did in "our world". It looks like you did well. My son who is getting ready to retire from the Army next year did his Afghan deployment in Paktika Province in 2011. Keep up the good work, I love the insights into the world of Naval Aviation.

Talk about a journey down memory lane. My platoon was responsible for Yahyakhel, Yusufkhel and Omna during OEF VI when I was a mortar squad leader in the 173rd ABN, and then I took responsibility of the mortar platoon (as the platoon sergeant) in Iron Battalion (3-187 IN) shortly after they returned from this deployment. I haven't finished your video yet, but we knew back in OEF VI and VIII (I was in Paktika with the 173rd for OEF VIII also) that these little districts were far removed from Kabul and so deeply tribal that the central government would never really be able to gain any amount influence over the populace. I can attest to the inability to provide effective security in the region. We had a single infantry battalion (around 1,000 troops) to secure all of Paktika province (similar in area and population to Vermont). This was made worse between 2006 and 2007 when a unit built COP's all over the province which took away our ability to patrol and platoons due to the force protection requirement of each COP. The result was sqaud+ size patrols of limited reach and combat power. The amount of fighting we faced in the same area of responsibility just on year removed was incredible. The 2007-2008 deployment for the 173rd Airborne Brigade as a whole was a challenge. Even in 2012 when I retuned to RC East with the Rakkasans, the Afghan Army had little interest in defending the country. I am in no way surprised by what has happened in Afghanistan these past few months. ...I may comment again after I finish the video.

Super cool Ward, one of your best. Great pics, couldn’t hurt to have more but thankful for what you did. Videos were welcome. Even the wife sat in on this one. You DID get around didn’t you !

Thanks Ward, I have never been in the military and your insights are fascinating. Keep it up 👍

Ward! Thxs for sharing again! Great episode! Thxful for all those standing in harm’s way for us! :)

Outstanding as always, I am slowly viewing all of your previous videos!

I spent about 36 months in Helmand and Kapisa Provinces as a contractor, I miss it everyday. War was terrible but life was simple.

Hello Ward, I’m a new subscriber and love your videos. I was your brother Carson’s roommate at the 8th Engineer Support Battalion back in ‘87-‘88. I am sitting here with a huge smile because you remind me so much of him, with you mannerisms and expressions. I love what you are doing, keep up the nice work, and tell your brother I said “Hi”..Best regards.

Ward, keep up the great work!! I love your channel .. I’m a former CAG-6 Flight Surgeon on CV-62 1980-1982 with VF-33 and VF-102 F-4’s, and VA-176 A-6’s and VA-15 and VA-87 A-7’s. Our CAG was CDR (later VADM) Tim Wright. Your expertise is impressive. Keep up the great Work!!

I am a younger guy and I guess feeling my age, I was in a number of those areas in 2008 and a contractor in Kabul through a large part of 2009. Thanks for making this video, I feel like I could write a novel in correspondence with you about your trip, but I’ll save you the trouble! Again, wonderful content and fantastic chronology coupled with sage wisdom made this a great watch for myself! BZ

Wonderful story! Thank you for your service and keep the great content coming!

Great story telling as always! Having seen the sit on the ground, how do you feeI about the recent pull out? I think Churchill said it best about Afghanistan: “one hand is against the other, all are against the outsider.”

Thank you for including the information about the V-22. I was an avionics tech with VMX-22 through OpEval, so it does my heart good as well to see the aircraft performing well in combat! I would love to learn more about your role with the V-22 program and when you were there.

Watching this so much later (September 2022), there's a great deal of wisdom and foresight on display. Thank you for sharing your experiences and your thoughts with us!

We were on the ground at the same time in Afghanistan then. Was there from 1mar10- feb-2011 Was at Bagram briefly and then was at COP Tillman and Salerno briefly as well as part of TF Rakkasan. I was attached to B 1/187 as a signal team chief providing comms to that COP. We were out of Ft Hauchuca AZ though not fort Campbell. That road in Bagram you’re describing is Disney drive Damn man we may have seen each other and not even realized it

You've had such an interesting life, and done so much good. Good on you for that. 👍

Thank you for commitment and service to our great county, Ward. This was a great production with so much info, Thanks Mike.....l

Thanks for your enlightening coverage and erudite analysis of the situation there. I’m writing this in late August, 2021, and it seems your analysis of Afghan readiness to take over their own security was right on the mark.

Again another great story. I doubt there are many things I’ve ever done that I could remember in level of details that you relate in your stories. You are a Storyteller!

Ward: "I have my doubts as to whether the Country will be able to hold on to the hard fought gains of the last 20 years". I guess we found out.

Great stuff WC, glad you made it out.

Got Punk's War two Days Ago and am Loving it! Your descriptions are so right on I chuckle out load and have to explain to my wife the dynamics of ordering an Omelette through the Chow Line.