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KABUL, Afghanistan – U.S. Ambassador to Germany, Philip D. Murphy, visited the U.S. Army’s 4th Combat Aviation Brigade Jan. 12 during his recent trip to International Security Assistance Force Regional Command-North Headquarters in Afghanistan.
The 4th combat brigade conducts aviation operations and provides support to coalition forces within the German-led RC-North. The visit included a briefing on 4th CAB’s history, current operations and future plans, which gave Murphy the chance to let the brigade know that their work has not gone unnoticed in Germany.
“I want to let you know that the Germans are appreciative of everything you are doing,” said Murphy. “The German people are very aware of the outstanding work you are doing and the importance of 4th CAB to the mission in northern Afghanistan.”
The 4th CAB’s leadership appreciated the opportunity to provide the ambassador a deeper understanding of the brigade’s capabilities and impact on coalition operations in RC-North.
“We’re a significant force multiplier for all of our allies,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Greg Applegate, deputy commander, 4th CAB. “We’ve made a huge impact with limited assets providing combat support and medevac capabilities. The cooperation between 4th CAB and all of the nations operating in RC-North has been outstanding.”
An example of that cooperation occurred in October 2010 when 4th CAB medevac crews evacuated German casualties. This particular mission resonated deeply with the German military according to German Army Maj. Gen. Hans-Werner Fritz, commander, RC-North, who spoke about the mission during a recent press conference.
“As we say in German, there was a lot of iron in the air,” said Fritz. “They (4th CAB Medevac) came down, they recovered the wounded, and then they started again. And obviously, being in the air again, they became aware that there's a dead soldier on the ground. And they came back, under fire, and they recovered the soldier and they said, ‘we are taking home a fallen hero.’ I can promise you, the German paratroopers will never forget that.”
Following the briefing with 4th CAB’s leadership, Murphy had lunch with soldiers from the unit. Having one-on-one time with 4th CAB’s soldiers provided an opportunity for the ambassador to get a ground level view of operations in Afghanistan, according to Applegate.
“It was important for the ambassador to hear how things are going from our soldiers’ perspective,” said Applegate. “They’re the ones in the air and on the ground making things happen. It was great for him to have time to speak with them and for them to get some recognition for all they’ve done.”
The visit with 4th CAB was one of many stops during the ambassador’s three day visit to RC-North.
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.15.2011 19:44 |
| Story ID: | 63623 |
| Location: | KABUL, AF |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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