POWERGRAMS

Ensuring Freedom Soldier hangs up boots after latest deployment An atmosphere of danger permeates much of Afghanistan, said Jeremy Dennis, who served his final deployment for the U.S. Army National Guard in Kandahar Province from August 2012 to May 2013. To Dennis, Afghanistan seems a world away – a land of "dirt and rocks," with boulders and little vegetation except for palm trees in some areas. Many Afghans live a nomadic life: Some are farmers, and many make a living as camel, goat and sheep herders. Dennis was an infantryman for Delta Company - Alabama 167th Infantry Division out of Sylacauga. Delta Company provided weapons training to Afghan National Police and helped train the Afghan Army for convoy security. Dennis performed personnel security detail missions for doctors, escorting them and their medical teams into the base so they could train Afghan doctors in American surgical procedures. He also provided security to dignitaries, bringing them from Kandahar Air Field to satellite bases in the area. In Afghanistan, Army personnel are in danger anywhere they go, Dennis said. Improvised explosive devices (IED) and roadside bombs are everyday threats for U.S. soldiers in the Middle East. "The biggest danger to us was vehicleborne IEDs and devices in trees," said Dennis, who joined the guard in May 2000. "There were suicide bombers on the road and rocket attacks. I never got hit with anything, which was pure luck." Other Army units were hit. "They lost some of the guys in the attacks," Dennis said. When Delta Company first arrived, rocket attacks on the base came frequently – once or twice a week during the first month or two. The attacks gradually declined, Dennis said, with the approach of cold weather. Dennis photographed wagon on street during patrol. Dennis, right, with infantryman Robert Bradford, left, and Afghan children at Kandahar Regional Military Hospital.   "In winter, the fighting decreases," he said. "Then the attacks came about once every two weeks." For their safety, Army personnel must be constantly on guard and aware of their surroundings. "There was always the chance the Afghans would turn and shoot you," he said. The enemy was within. "You never know if the Taliban is holding someone's wife or children Dennis, who has worked six years as a Steel Shop mechanic at the General Services Complex, decided to leave the guard when his obligation was finished. The years he spent in the military, carrying heavy backpacks weighing up to 80 pounds, took a physical toll. "Your body takes a beating over the years," he said. "After that last deployment, I felt like I'd served my time." Dennis' family needs him at home, and he plans to be there to see his daughter, Morgan, 14, and son, Mason, 12, grow up. Still, Dennis could reconsider the decision to hang up his Army boots. "If another huge war broke out, I'd probably sign up," he said. By Donna Cope Dennis on guard in the Kandahar Mountains. hostage, and they blackmail that person so they'll shoot Army personnel. It's happened a lot over there," Dennis said. "There are a lot of good people over there. Sometimes you don't know the reason why." Despite the dangers, Dennis enjoyed his military service. "I had family members in the service," he said. "I'd wanted to do it, so I tried it out." During his 13-year career with the guard, Dennis served in Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Iraqi Freedom campaigns 3 and 4, and Enduring Freedom. 5

• Cover