Thirty-nin
e members of Task Force Medical in the Craig Joint Theater Hospital on Bagram AB. Afghanistan, decided to make a difference by reaching for the paintbrush instead of the sword, and their results speak for themselves. The group painted a mural in the in the hospital’s conference room to honor the local Afghan culture and capture the wonder of the scenery around Bagram. Given the fact that such art was banished under Taliban rule, their work had deeper meaning. “I thought this was going to be a quick paint job, but it turned into part of the GWOT mission because of the Taliban’s ban against art,” said MSgt. Cruz Torres Jr., who is deployed from the 710th Medical Squadron at Offutt AFB, Neb. Nearly 290 man-hours later, the entire conference room wall space is full of vibrant color and culture. “When the locals come in here, they are speechless,” said MSgt. Al Greig, a medical logistics superintendent deployed from the 1st Special Operations Squadron, Hurlburt Field, Fla. He led the project. “I believe this painting is absolutely significant to the Global War on Terror. Culturally, it’s that important,” he said. (Bagram report by MSgt. Demetrius Lester)
After years of describing to lawmakers and Pentagon leaders the nature of that threat and the key role spacepower plays in deterring conflict in the domain and enabling the rest of the joint force, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters during AFA’s Warfare Symposium here that the message appears to…