He’d trained hard for four months, and the day finally had arrived for the 745th Forward Surgical Team orthopedic surgeon to run the 26.2-mile Miami Marathon -- thousands of miles from Florida amid the concrete barriers and concertina wire that line the perimeter of Forward Operating Base Fenty in eastern Afghanistan.As he arrived at the start line, a few stars still shone through the clouds and dotted the sky. Soon, the sun would begin to crest over the snow-capped mountains.As Smock and the other marathoners took off down the dusty hardtop road, they soon came across a group of up-armored trucks getting ready to roll out on a convoy. “That really puts things in perspective,â€Â Smock said later. “You see that and you think, ‘This [race] is just for fun.’ By the second lap, those guys were already gone, doing their job.â€Â At the halfway mark, Smock said, he was doing well, but the going got tougher with about five miles to go. “I hit my wall about 21, 22 miles,â€Â he said, “and started to need to take a break -- walk it out and make sure I keep fueling myself up. I used that finish line as my motivation.â€Â Smock, who lives in Liberty Hill, Texas, said he and his brothers, Michael and David, had planned to run the Miami Marathon together for almost a year “We are all doctors, all went to the same school, and are all very active, but have never run a marathon together,â€Â he said. “When I found out that I would be deployed and unable to run with them in Miami, it was disappointing, but I decided that it would not stop me from running ‘with’ them, even if it was from halfway around the world.â€Â Shortly after arriving at Fenty, Smock said, he contacted the Miami Marathon race directors and inquired about a satellite run. They were receptive and were happy to sponsor the run. “They also sent T-shirts, medals and several other goodies to pass out to all the participants,â€Â he added. Smock said he wore out three pairs of track shoes running laps around the airstrip to train for the event. The soles on the pair he wore for yesterday’s race, in fact, were starting to separate. Though Smock missed an opportunity to be with his brothers when they ran the marathon in Miami just 10 hours after he finished his, he said he plans on running in future events together with them, barring another deployment. “I don’t know if we will run Miami together in the future -- that will most likely depend on how our schedules work out -- but we are already tentatively planning to sign up this summer for the Ironman Triathlon in Lake Placid [New York] in 2012,â€Â Smock said. “Hopefully, no deployments interfere with those plans. I don’t think I could find a place to swim in Iraq or Afghanistan.â€Â The 26.2 miles of the satellite course at Fenty comprised eight laps around the airstrip. Smock finished the race in 3 hours, 27 minutes. “I crushed my goal,â€Â he said. “I had run two marathons before, and I did each of those in just under four hours. I wanted to run 3:30 today. I think my official clock time was 3:27 and some change. I’m so excited right now!â€Â Jan. 31, 2011: By Army Sgt. 1st Class Paula Taylor- Task Force Bastogne

His energy and ear-to-ear smile can brighten even the darkest situations, the soldiers here say, describing him as sincere and caring, loving to all and judgmental to none. Army Chaplain (Maj.) Randal H. Robison has committed his life to answering his calling and is happy being a source of optimism and positivity for soldiers during deployment. “I look at the position I hold as the brigade chaplain as a calling,â€Â said Robison, brigade chaplain for the 101st Airborne Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team in Task Force Currahee. “I believe I am here, appointed by the Lord, to be present to provide pastoral care ministry and to be present for the services of our soldiers and for our chaplains.â€Â His responsibilities include oversight of six religious support teams that cover all of Paktika province and beyond, working with his Afghan counterpart and fulfilling his staff officer duties. But it is going above and beyond those roles with a sense of humility that separates him from others. “I enjoy what I do. I treasure the role of the chaplaincy very much,â€Â the Grand Prairie, Texas, native said. “I wholeheartedly embrace it. Bringing God to soldiers and soldiers to God is very much at the basic core of my identity. I want to do to everything I can to encourage soldiers, to let them know that even in their difficult moments with the challenges they face, God is with them.â€Â His Christian beliefs are at the core of who he is, yet for many soldiers, his ability to care and make time for others is what sets him apart. “My favorite thing about Chaplain Robison is even when he is extremely busy, if you need to talk, he will stop what he is doing and listen to you,â€Â said Army Pfc. Genevieve A. Harms, paralegal specialist with the brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “He remembers your problems, and the next time he sees you, he makes sure everything has worked out. He actually cares about soldiers and their families.â€Â Caring about soldiers is just something he does not because he has to, but because he wants to, the chaplain said. “I want all soldiers to know that I do care and I, at the end of the day, am a soldier just like the most-junior private we have,â€Â he added. “If I see them, I want to engage them and encourage them, knowing they have a story. “I want to know how they are doing and how their families are doing,â€Â he continued, “because I truly feel, deeply, that our soldiers are America’s finest. They are willing to serve and to be away from their families and face the hardships and challenges. Therefore, they deserve our best. Every soldier deserves the best from the soldier next to them, so that we can be able to get our mission accomplished. I want soldiers to know that they are cared for, to nourish them for who they are.â€Â Chaplains at the battalion level have an opportunity to interact more with troops, he said, noting that the role is different at the brigade level. “But it is still embracing the spirit and kissing the soul of the soldiers and letting them know that you do care and that God cares for them, too,â€Â he added. Robison has a knack for making soldiers feel as if they are talking to an old friend. “When I talk to him, he makes me feel like I am talking to someone I have known my whole life,â€Â said Harms, a Tacoma, Wash., native. “He knows where I am coming from, and he does not judge me based on the decisions I have made. “When I see him walking toward me,â€Â she added, “I get the feeling that everything is going to be OK. Even if I only come across him for just one second, it makes my day better.â€Â Ultimately, Robison said, it’s about duty, country and honoring God through his service. “I want to know I made a difference, that my service was not just signing up and going through the motions, but that I made a difference in the lives of those who I have been able to meet because they have made a difference in mine,â€Â he said. “With every soldier, I think if I can know them, that maybe somehow I could make a difference in their life.â€Â Robison said he tries to start every day on his knees in prayer. “Part of my prayer is to place my life and the lives of my soldiers in Christ’s hands and for his guidance, wisdom and understanding, and I try to rest in that -- to know that God’s keeping hand is upon us for all Currahees,â€Â he said. The chaplain said his personal faith drives what he does. “It defines who I am as a Christian pastor,â€Â he said, “and in my role as a Christian chaplain, it just compels me to it. I try to do it with a sense of joy.â€Â Jan. 28, 2011: By Army Sgt. Luther L. Boothe Jr.- Task Force Currahee

Army 1st Lt. Gerry Holloway of the Iowa National Guard and his soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Troop C, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Redhorse, are all too familiar with the graveyard shift.The moon filled the sky with a bright, smoky haze dotted by a few stars as Holloway stepped out into the brisk night air Jan. 19 at Combat Outpost Red Hill, also known as Pushtaysark. With no street lights or store lights to compete with them, bright stars are a common skyscape at most combat outposts in Afghanistan.“It’s a beautiful sight to wake up, step outside and see the stars every morning,â€Â said Holloway, a father of five from Melbourn, Iowa. “Of course, our morning is everyone’s night time on our shift.â€Â Holloway and his crew consisting of infantrymen, a medic, and a cook who doubles as one of the company’s two female engagement team members rove and patrol the streets of the surrounding areas looking for insurgent activities and ensuring that the local people are safe throughout the night. This mission is similar to those Holloway performed as a team leader when he deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2006. He and his team of three soldiers conducted convoy security operations north of Baghdad when he was assigned as a noncommissioned officer in Task Force Redhorse, which is part of the 34th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Task Force Red Bulls. “Sometimes I miss being an NCO,â€Â he said. “I miss the responsibilities of taking care of soldiers and making sure missions get accomplished. I still ensure that missions get accomplished as an officer, but it’s different.â€Â Holloway’s deep-rooted ties to the NCO corps are evident while he’s on patrol and throughout operations, as he ensures soldiers have their sensitive items, take proper safety precautions and conduct other tasks for which NCOs normally are responsible. “As a lieutenant, now I am responsible for developing the plan, and the NCOs in my platoon are in charge of carrying the plan out,â€Â he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to shut that NCO side of me off. I really do try to not micromanage, but it’s hard.â€Â Holloway’s 2007 application for a direct commission was accepted in October 2008. He said he loves being an officer and considers it one of the best decisions he’s ever made. “The detailed levels of planning are what I enjoy about being an officer,â€Â he explained. “I like to get into the nuts and bolts on how to accomplish a mission. As an NCO, I would get my orders and execute. I get to help build those orders now, and I make sure that my NCOs are following through with them.â€Â Army Capt. Richard Rush, Troop C commander and Altoona, Iowa, resident, deployed with Holloway when he was an NCO as now as an officer. The transition is a huge step, he said, noting that it’s common for officers with enlisted service to operate as NCOs. “I think he’s adapted well to the officer environment,â€Â he said. The soldiers enjoy Holloway’s leadership style. “Lieutenant Holloway is not like a lot of officers who joined then became officers,â€Â said Army Sgt. Stephanie Bliss, a Sioux City, Iowa, resident. “He knows how to talk to soldiers, and he’s very low-key. I like it.â€Â Jan. 26, 2011: By Army Staff Sgt. Ashlee Lolkus- Task Force Red Bulls

Zuniga, a member of the 1021st Engineering Company, 205th Engineer Battalion, overcame tremendous odds recently when he racked up well over the maximum number of points needed to score an excellent rating on the test.Just 18 months ago, and 100 pounds heavier, Zuniga was battling despair and depression. One day, he’d had enough. "When I was bigger, I was on the edge of depression. I felt helpless," Zuniga said. "Just one day something someone said struck me. I am so much more confident now." Too large to run, Zuniga started by walking. Within a couple of months, he was able to run three miles without walking. Today, he runs four miles a day, six days a week, then boosts his workout with 100 push-ups a day and lifts weights for at least an hour. This strict program allowed Zuniga to achieve a feat few Guardsmen attain. "I almost passed out when I heard," Zuniga said. His first sergeant had a similar reaction. "I said, 'Are you serious?'" Army 1st Sgt. Jack Toney said about hearing Zuniga's score. "A perfect score is 100 points in each of three categories on the test, for a total combined score of 300. I have never seen a score like this one in 24 years of service." Zuniga completed 112 push-ups, 117 sit-ups and ran the two-mile run in 10:07. An unofficial extended scale is used once a soldier passes the total event requirement for a perfect score. He was awarded one additional point for each push-up and sit-up, and six seconds off his time for the run. Toney saw Zuniga's work ethic first-hand when they served together on Task Force Kout Men in Haiti last summer. Even after an exhausting day of construction work, the devoted soldier still made time for a workout. "Zuniga would work, and I mean work, all day on his project site and come back to the base camp and run and do PT on his own," Toney said. "It was incredible. I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it myself," said Army Sgt. Patrick Mahoney, who graded Zuniga's fitness test. Mahoney said his main concern was being able to count fast enough. Not content with his personal success, Zuniga has started helping others achieve their exercise goals as well. "I want to be a trainer for the National Guard," he said. "I want to be that person to go to get help. If I was 265 pounds and lost 100 pounds, I know everyone else can, too." Jan. 25, 2011: By Army Sgt. Rebekah Malone- Louisiana National Guard