Guinan's "Cadet Brad" - Now "LT Brad" in Afghanistan

Here is an update on one of my favorite readers - a young man named Brad Hoelscher III who I met while he was still a West Point cadet. He wrote an email to me in 2005 after reading Little Chapel, and came to Guinan's for his first "legal" beer after turning 21. He was also quoted in the New York Times about religion and the military.

"Cadet Brad" is now "Lt Brad," and he left about a month ago for deployment in Afghanistan. Between graduation and deployment, he was married to Aleece Mihok. I asked Lt. Brad's father - also a West Point graduate, also named Brad - for an update and he wrote this on Halloween:

"Lt Brad left 27 days ago from Ft Polk LA, arrived in Manas, Kyrgyzstan on 7 Oct, spent a few days waiting for lift to Bagram AF in Afghanistan, making his way through Logar Province, finally making the final 15 miles from Altimur to COP Kherwar by road convoy in 9.5hrs!!??on Thursday afternoon, 14 Oct. LT Brad is in the advanced battalion force..readying all for the battalion's arrival.

He's settled in his post which is at 8500 feet and near the Pakistan Border. Their mission is the 'usual' - provide security for the local populace, training Afghan police and army forces, nation building.

Check out Delta Company 2-30 Facebook page. Includes new photos of COP Kherwar. Or as they refer to it..Fort Apache.

They had to change their unit patch from the Rock of the Marne w/the wild boar (apparently Afghans have don't understand it) to Dark Angel - designed by LT Brad.

Brad's birthday is Nov 2nd. Packages have been taking three weeks to reach him.

Just in case, his s-mail address:

LT Hoelscher WB
Delta Co/2-30IN/4BG/10MD
TF Storm
COP Kherwar
APO AE 09364


Comments

Unknown said…
Wendy,

Thanks for doing this!

And just to clarify for everyone, the Dark Angel is the Delta Company mascot, while the Battalion went from the "wild boars" to Task Force "Storm" with a lightning bolt as their new emblem. When they get back to Fort Polk, they will return to the "Wild Boars."

Check out the Battalion facebook page too, if you want. Just search for "2-30 Infantry Battalion."

~Aleece
November 8, 2010 at 11:08 PM
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