Army Chief of Staff visits troops in Afghanistan

News: Army Chief of Staff visits troops in Afghanistan

American Forces Network Afghanistan

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Story by Senior Airman Christine Collier Subscribe To This Journalist

Staff Sgt. Christine Collier

Gen. George Casey Jr., Army Chief of Staff, salutes Pfc. Clinton Reese, a Virgina Beach, Va., native, and presents him with a coin during a ceremony, Dec. 17, at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E.

By Senior Airman Christine Collier
American Forces Network-Afghanistan

Gen. George Casey Jr., Army Chief of Staff, visited troops in Afghanistan, Dec. 17, to thank them for their continued service and answer questions from the Soldiers.

"Our troops are out here making a difference in a critical time in our country's history," Casey said. "And today's Army is the most professional force I've seen in 37 years in the Army. I thank them for that."

During his visit to Forward Operating Bases Ghazni and Orgun-E, Casey stressed the importance of taking care of Soldiers and meeting their needs during the ongoing transformation of the Army.

"We are absolutely committed to sustaining our troops and their families," Casey said. "We are also committed to providing our Soldiers with the equipment and training they need. We will take no shortcuts. We will make sure our troops are prepared."

Taking time to personally address Soldiers on the front lines was a key part to Casey's visit.

Sevice members had the opportunity to meet Casey during the general's trip to FOB Ghazni. Casey presented Capt. Torrance Conner, Spc. Karen Tzi, Pfc. Jarad Spurgeon, Pfc. Clinton Reese, Cpl. Earl Grater, Spc. Torrie Brandt and Sgt. Deon Turner with a coin. He also presided over Spc. Ian Sweeney's re-enlistment and presented him with a re-enlistment certificate.

In addition, Casey also addressed the current 15-month deployments, stating that the extension past 12 months is temporary, and the Army will resume one-year deployments as soon as possible.

"We recognize the need to have our Soldiers reorganize and recuperate," Casey said.

Soldiers, upon redeployment to their home stations, will go through a six-month "reset" period where they will have more downtime to readjust to being back from a deployed environment, said Casey.

Casey also responded to Soldiers' questions about the overall mission length in Afghanistan.

"We will succeed in our mission in Afghanistan when the Afghan security forces can sustain themselves," said Casey. "It is going to take time, but the Afghan national army and the Afghan army Chief of Staff do want to make that happen."