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HomeNewsTask Force Thunder provides logistics link between Americans, Afghans

Task Force Thunder provides logistics link between Americans, Afghans

Written by Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Carl
Combat Aviation Brigade Public Affairs

Fort Campbell KY, 101st Airborne Division159th Combat Aviation BrigadeKandahar Airfield, Afghanistan – Pathfinders from Troop E, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment (Task Force Palehorse), along with air crews from Task Force Lift’s Black Widows, provided the critical link between humanitarians in the U.S. and Afghans in need March 18th, when they joined forces with the Afghan National Police to distribute supplies to the people of Deh Gholaman in Kandahar province.

This wasn’t the first time coalition forces have tried to help the farming community, but it is the first time they actually made it into the village.

Sgt. Thomas Bohall, a Pathfinder with Task Force Palehorse, helps Afghan National Police load humanitarian relief items onto a truck in the village of Deh Gholaman in Kandahar province, March 18th. The ANP officers distributed the items to the people in the village who are facing a difficult year due to poor crops. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Carl)
Sgt. Thomas Bohall, a Pathfinder with Task Force Palehorse, helps Afghan National Police load humanitarian relief items onto a truck in the village of Deh Gholaman in Kandahar province, March 18th. The ANP officers distributed the items to the people in the village who are facing a difficult year due to poor crops. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Carl)

“We tried to get out here about a month ago,” said Patrick Pendergest, a member of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations who participated in the mission. “The ground was too muddy – there aren’t really any defined roads going in – and we got stuck.”

The village is only about 10 kilometers from Kandahar Airfield, but ground conditions made it impossible for Pendergest and his team to make it in. Instead, they coordinated with Task Force Thunder to have the goods transported by helicopter.

After two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters deposited the team of Pathfinders and OSI representatives outside the village, the birds made the brief trip back to Kandahar to pick up the two large bags filled with school supplies, shoes, blankets, hygiene items and books. Meanwhile, the troops on the ground maintained a security perimeter around the landing zone and coordinated with local leaders, including the local commander for the ANP.

Afghan National Police distribute humanitarian assistance supplies to villagers in Deh Gholaman in Kandahar province, Afghanistan March 18th. The goods were donated by individuals and companies in the U.S., shipped to Kandahar Airfield, then flown to the village by helicopters from the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Carl)
Afghan National Police distribute humanitarian assistance supplies to villagers in Deh Gholaman in Kandahar province, Afghanistan March 18th. The goods were donated by individuals and companies in the U.S., shipped to Kandahar Airfield, then flown to the village by helicopters from the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Carl)

“We’re not the ones distributing the humanitarian assistance,” said 1st Lt. John Runkle, the Pathfinder platoon leader. “We help unload it off the aircraft, but the ANP are the ones who will actually distribute it.”

Runkle explained that coalition forces are really just serving as a logistics conduit for the Afghans.

This coordinated effort helps to further legitimize the Afghan government amongst a group of people who enjoy a peaceful, albeit difficult, existence.

“The area around here is predominantly farmland, and the villagers are typically poor,” said Pendergest. “They rely heavily on their crops … and this year was a horrible year for rain, so the crops aren’t going to do so well. This, in turn, means they won’t have too much money.”

The villages that depend on farming for their survival are often more susceptible to bribery from the Taliban and insurgent forces.

“The Taliban try to use this as a way to influence them to support their efforts by supplying them with the money they’ll miss from their crops,” Pendergest explained. “Humanitarian aid provides a way for them to make it through the year without having to rely on the Taliban.”

Pathfinders from Task Force Palehorse, which is part of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade (Task Force Thunder), pull a large bag containing humanitarian assistance supplies out of a UH60M Black Hawk helicopter in Deh Gholaman village in southern Afghanistan, March 18th. The supplies were donated by individuals and companies in the U.S. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Carl)
Pathfinders from Task Force Palehorse, which is part of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade (Task Force Thunder), pull a large bag containing humanitarian assistance supplies out of a UH60M Black Hawk helicopter in Deh Gholaman village in southern Afghanistan, March 18th. The supplies were donated by individuals and companies in the U.S. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie Carl)

All of the humanitarian aid delivered to the village is donated by individuals and companies in the U.S. through non-profit organizations.

After the goods are collected, they’re shipped off to HA yards – one in Kandahar, one at Bagram Air Field in eastern Afghanistan and one in Iraq. There, the goods are sorted and distributed according to needs. Some humanitarian missions focus on personal needs like clothing and hygiene, while other missions focus on distributing seeds, grains and other food or crop items.

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