ON TOUR — Lt. Col. Michael Reed visits a village in Afghanistan.

By DEBORAH A. MILES
Recalling what life was like in Afghanistan and Bosnia, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Reed advises other PEF members in the military reserves or National Guard who may be deployed overseas to maximize time with family and friends before leaving, stay in contact once you’re there, and be very careful.

Reed is the acting commander for the 8th Brigade in the U.S. Army Reserves, a part of the 98th Institutional Training Division in Rochester. His brigade is located in West Hartford, CT and supports the Reserve Officer Training Corps programs at colleges and universities throughout New York and New England.

“The 98th Division is currently mobilized and has a large number of personnel deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom,” Reed said. “It’s vital for new soldiers to understand a foreign environment and seek guidance from those with experience.”

And that’s something he has. 

Reed was stationed in Afghanistan from November 2002 through July 2003, after attending an arduous 16-month training course to learn varying levels of Arabic to communicate in a country where people speak up to 40 different non-Arabic dialects. 

Overseas, he became acquainted with other New York state workers including some PEF members. Reed’s civilian job is acting regional landscape architect for the state Department of Transportation in Binghamton.

Utilizing skills
Reed, a U.S. military civil affairs liaison, said his deployments to both countries focused on humanitarian assistance. His civilian career also played a role in his overseas duty.

“Reconstruction was a major part of my duty and a lot of my civilian job skills relate directly to that type of work,” Reed said. “In both places, we were doing reconstruction of infrastructure such as roads and bridges.”

Reed planned and led missions to conduct comprehensive assessments of more than 100 cities and villages for input to the Afghan Information System database. He supervised and worked on 49 construction projects valued at $1,687,000 that included wells, schools, medical and veterinary facilities. In Bosnia, Reed also planned reconstruction of homes.

“It’s a two-way street,” he said. “The organization and management skills I use in the military benefit my civilian job. Experience gained in one realm can be applied in many respects to the other realm.”
MY BODYGUARD

In harm’s way
During his tour in Afghanistan, Reed said working in a combat zone hampered his work.
“There was always the potential for people to try to kill us. We frequently heard the sound of small- arms fire and explosions. Some of my comrades were killed and others wounded,” he said.

He described the experience as “being transported back in time.” 

Reed lived in a walled residential compound in a remote location in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. The outlying villagers lived in an almost biblical setting, relying upon farm animals and camels for their livelihood and transportation.

“The people in Afghanistan were extremely appreciative,” Reed said. “They were grateful for our help, and realized we left families and jobs to support them.

“Throughout the country, villagers would offer us hot green tea and insist we stay for a meal. Food was dished-up on a makeshift tablecloth spread on the floor. 

LUNCH

“We sat on cushions and four or five people would share a rice mixture, pilau – rice with raisins, pine nuts, carrots, lamb or chicken. It was delicious and accompanied by very fresh flat loaves of bread,” he said.

Bosnia, a different culture
Reed spent six months in Bosnia during 1999 and said the experience could not be compared to his tour in Afghanistan. “Each tour was a lifetime experience within itself,” he said. “Bosnia has more of a European culture.“

Reed was there during the bombing of Serbia. Bosnia was a hostile fire zone. 

“We had to adhere to force protection requirements, meaning we wore body armor and traveled well-armed, often with rounds chambered in the weapon,” he said. “There were remnants of war such as land mines and unexploded mortar shells. We had to follow very specific guidelines. You couldn’t step off the road for a nature call without scrutinizing every step because of the land mines.”
AFGHAN VEHICLES

Benefits extended
The worst part of his deployments, according to Reed, was being apart from his wife and two young children, although he could communicate with them through the Internet and by satellite phone.

He applauded PEF and the Governor’s Office of Employee Relations for their joint efforts to protect the benefits of mobilized and deployed military personnel. 

“PEF’s support has been a positive experience,” he said.

PEF signed a memorandum of understanding in December that extends military leave benefits to PS&T unit members who have been or will be activated for military duty related to the war on terror. Details can be found on the PEF Web site, www.pef.org.

BLUE MOSQUE

BIG BITE

The Communicator May 2005
Inside This Issue
Features
PEF launches GO PUBLIC

Departments
President's Message
Nurses Station
Member's Mailbag
Retirees In Action
Member Highlights
Back Cove Ad: DOCS
PEF Membership Benefits &Travel

Union Matters:
Financial Supplement - pdf

Other Links
Professional Directory
Members' Classified
Member Communicator Feedback
Do You Prefer The Online Edition?
How To Advertise Here
The Communicator Staff
Questions on this site?
Email the Webmaster