Valley soldier in Afghanistan sends his thanks

Editor’s note: Capt. Hardy’s address is TF 30 MED, Bagram, APO AE 09354.

STAFF REPORT

POLAND — Capt. Thomas Hardy is one of 35 area soldiers serving overseas and featured last month in The Vindicator’s second annual Operation: Holiday Cheer.

OHC provides our readers with the soldiers’ names and addresses, as submitted by their relatives and friends, so everyone can send them — our troops — cards, letters and gifts in thanks for the sacrifices they’re making on our behalf.

Thursday, Christmas Eve, Capt. Hardy, a 1999 graduate of Poland Seminary High School and the son of Tim and Jean Hardy of Poland, wrote back to express his appreciation for our readers’ response and to share a little bit of his life with all of us back home.

Here’s some of what he said:

Hello, I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season in Youngstown. I was one of the soldiers featured in The Vindicator a few weeks ago. Thank you for spotlighting my name and address. I received MANY cards, letters and packages from home. I’ve attached a picture of what my corner in Afghanistan looks like thanks to you! Here is a note that I ask you publish since it would be impossible for me to reply to everyone in any decent amount of time:

Merry Christmas Youngstown,

Thank you! As you can see, your thoughtfulness was literally overwhelming! As I counted down the days to Christmas on the Weihnachts Calendar that my lovely wife Julia sent, I received more and more cards, letters, and care packages. Not a day went by that something didn’t arrive.

Originally I wanted to write everyone back personally, but there’s a war to fight! So I hope you all will accept these few words as a well-deserved response.

Everything that was sent was put to good use — decorating the area or letting soldiers enjoy some food and hygiene products from home. For items that we could not possibly use (dress socks?) we created some special packages and shared the Christmas spirit with our Afghan friends.

Most of the letters asked some of the same questions. “How long will you stay in the Army?” “What is it like?” “How’s the weather?” “What do you do?” “How will you spend Christmas?” “Do you have a wife?”

I am the company commander of the Theater Medical Command in Afghanistan. I am responsible for about 100 military medical professionals and administrators who are in turn responsible for over 2000 medical personnel and the medical care of all the US Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines in the country. I make sure my people have everything they need to do their job.

Here’s an example of what I did today (Christmas Eve). I met with the Command’s chief of staff to coordinate flight arrangements for the staff. I worked with my executive officer on the layout for our company’s new storage yard. I briefed the Command’s lawyer on a plan to publish and distribute Afghan community health education materials throughout the country side-by-side with the Ministry of Public Health. I ordered ammunition for the new Combat Support Hospital deploying in a few days. I arranged with the company to “farewell” a Corporal that was leaving country tonight and “hailed” a Civil-Military Affairs Navy Lieutenant who was new to the unit.

If that wasn’t enough, I also volunteer to coordinate Masses for the Catholic community on Bagram. So tonight I’ll be setting up the chapel and welcoming people to Midnight Mass.

The weather here is mild compared to Youngstown in the winter. Afghanistan, especially this area near Kabul, is known for its 300-plus days of clear blue skies. It gets to freezing temperatures at night, but warms up to around 50 degrees during the day. There is no snow here in Bagram, but other soldiers a little higher in the mountains are enjoying a white Christmas.

I am married to Julia, a lovely German lady from Bonn. We met two years ago and got married last July. I flew back from Afghanistan to Ohio to marry her in Columbus’ Saint Joseph Cathedral. We don’t have any kids yet, but we do have a crazy Vizsla named Clifford.

I will spend Christmas day sleeping in after Midnight Mass and seeing the redeploying Corporal take off from the airfield at around 0230 in the morning. Then I will go to the bazaar in the afternoon and drink tea with Hamid, the Afghan who sells carpets there. The command already had an austere holiday party on the 18th. We made the best of it with the chief of clinical services dressed as Santa Claus in red stretchy pants — unfortunately a scary sight!

The hardest thing I have to do here is be away from my wife. However, she would say “that’s not hard at all! Try being away from you Thomas!”

Merry Christmas, Heri za Kwanzaa, and Eid Mubarak,

Tom Hardy

Captain, US Army