POWERGRAMS

8 Taylor said. "That was really scary because we didn't always know where the enemy was hiding. But we were lucky. We didn't lose anybody, and there were only a few injuries." New ground Finally, Taylor's unit was sent to Afghanistan for 26 months in 2009 as part of a major surge of thousands of soldiers to support a military action that had begun eight years earlier. U.S. troops had been engaged militarily in Afghanistan since October 2001 – three weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on Americans. Taylor's transportation company was helping move equipment for the U.S. Navy and Marines, which were building American military outposts throughout the country. "It was a challenging time," Taylor said. "The Afghan people were afraid of us because they had been ruled by the Taliban for so long. We had to show them that we were there to help them, not to harm them." After Taylor returned home in 2011, he became a heavy equipment instructor and was sent on short-term assignments to train soldiers at bases across the U.S. Taylor retired from the Reserve last year, saying that he was ready to stay home. "I'm proud of what I have accomplished on behalf of my country and what I have helped other people accomplish," Taylor said. "I love helping people, especially those who can't always help themselves. But I've missed a lot of birthdays, Christmases and family events over the years, and that has been hard. It was time to step down and let somebody else take over so I can spend more time with my family." By Carla Davis Taylor Taylor operated heavy equipment during overseas duty. U.S. Army during operations in Afghanistan. Taylor served in Afghanistan and Iraq

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