Community Corner

Planning Director Beyard Sends New Year's Cheer from Afghanistan

Westminster's Planning Director Thomas Beyard is serving in the military, he expects to be home this summer.

Westminster's Department of Planning, Zoning and Development Director Thomas Beyard, 56, departed for a 400-day rotation with the Maryland Army National Guard in late summer.

Beyard joined the Guard in 1997 after years with the Army Reserve. He has worked for the city of Westminster for close to 24 years.

Until his return, his position is being filled by interim Director Steve Horn.

Find out what's happening in Westminsterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Beyard sends occasional correspondence to Patch and we will post his letters and photos as we receive them.

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Find out what's happening in Westminsterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Greetings!

2012 is here and the first part of my deployment is over. The holidays always come and go very quickly when you are deployed, so this year was no different for me than last time.  The thing that continues to overwhelm me, as well as other Soldiers, is the generosity of the American people. Families, friends, significant others and co-workers simply made the holidays very special with their gifts, home-baked goodies and more. It was also nice to read the very personal thank you letters from people you never met or may never meet that often come in gift boxes. The words “thank you” – from the American people to our Soldiers – is awesome.  

As I am sure you read in the media, many units that served in Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn re-deployed and were home for Christmas. Of course, my unit was not one of them. We have a new mission, or better yet, series of missions, that will continue until the end of our deployment in the Summer of 2012.  Much of our work will be here in Kuwait, but due to some changes we also have a unit working in Afghanistan. This brings back memories from my last deployment in 2006-07, when my unit was split between Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. Just moving around to see all of our Soldiers was a big challenge and continues to be a challenge to this day.

Just last week I made my first visit to our “new” Soldiers in Afghanistan. Our unit runs airfields at remote locations in southern and western Afghanistan. As a leader, when we visit units we call it battlefield circulation”. It is an important concept to better understand Soldier and unit issues by seeing things first-hand. When you can talk to Soldiers face-to-face, you can better appreciate their concerns and needs.  

It was a long trip, taking about 4-5 hours each way. We left Kuwait, flew over Dubai and took a fuel stop in United Arab Emirates. The number of oil tankers waiting off the coast to load is very high. It is obvious that oil is the heart and soul of the Middle East economy. We left the United Arab Emirates and landed in Kandahar. On the way, we flew near the Straits of Hormuz, where the Iranian Navy conducted naval exercises the past few weeks, and flew around Iran. Kandahar is in southern Afghanistan and is a large hub for aerial transportation and related support. We spent the night in Kandahar and then left by helicopter the next morning for a remote location north of Kandahar. We stopped at a number of FOBs (forward operating bases) along the way, transporting Soldiers and supplies as we went.

Let me say to you that a Soldier’s life in Afghanistan is not an easy one. One thing you notice very quickly about Afghanistan is the huge mountains. Mountains limit movement and make transportation a challenge. Road movement is limited by relatively poor roads. The weather is also quite cold and the bases are very basic. Most are subject to enemy fire and related matters on a daily basis. In the midst of these challenges, Soldiers do their jobs with great pride and satisfaction. I talked to Soldiers and they see their work as important in supporting the war effort. I want you to know that America’s Soldiers are committed and morale is high, and I saw it first-hand.

I wanted to show you some photos I took to give you a better feel for Afghanistan. First, I took a photo of the high mountains that you typically see in all directions in Afghanistan. Second, is a photo that says “keep Afghanistan beautiful”. Third, me in “full battle rattle (our slang for combat gear) as we left Kandahar. Fourth, me standing in front of a memorial to Soldiers killed in action at a remote airbase in Afghanistan. Fifth, me returning to Kandahar after our battlefield visit.

I wish you a great 2012. I know we are now closer to returning home.

Regards,

Tom


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