The mission for Seal -- an infantry squad leader assigned to the Texas National Guard’s agribusiness development team -- was known only to him and his command, and was kept secret for a special reason. His mission was to track down and surprise his son, Army Pfc. Nolan Seal, a 4th Infantry Division infantryman, who had just arrived in Afghanistan.Marc, a decorated combat veteran on his fifth deployment since 9/11 and his third deployment to a combat zone, has served on active duty and in the National Guard for 16 years. His son decided to carry on the family tradition last year when he joined the Army. He is assigned to 1st Battalion, 66th Armor, out of Fort Carson, Colo. The elder Seal found out his son would be deploying to Afghanistan early this year. He decided not to take the standard two weeks of leave that is afforded to every soldier deployed to a combat zone in hopes that he could spend some time with his son when he arrived. As soon as his son landed in Afghanistan, the planning began. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jeff Mayo, the agribusiness development team’s command sergeant major, contacted Nolan’s battalion and worked with Army Command Sgt. Maj. Martin Kelley and Army Command Sgt. Maj. Gerald Kinloch to make the mission possible. The trip started with Marc “bummingâ€Â a ride on a Black Hawk helicopter bound for Bagram Airfield. He then talked his way onto a flight to Kandahar Airfield, landing there before sunrise. Kelley made sure Nolan would still be in Kandahar and available for his father’s visit. Marc was escorted to a tent where he woke up his son and received a big hug in return. The two spent the next 36 hours talking about home, training and what lay ahead for the young soldier as he started his first combat tour. They were able to share a dinner together and enjoy some shopping at the post exchange. Marc, whose tour ends in mid-October, said he was sad to leave his son and return to Ghazni, but was grateful for the opportunity. “Nolan will be forever changed by his tour in Afghanistan, some good and some bad,â€Â he said. “But no matter what, he will never be that little boy I used to know.â€Â Marc Seal said he’s proud of his son and also recognizes what having both husband and son in a combat zone means for his wife, Suzanne. When asked how she felt having her husband and son in Afghanistan, she said, “It’s a strange mix of pride and horror.â€Â Aug. 23, 2010: By Army Sgt. 1st Class Ross Dobelbower- American Forces Press Service

Air Force Staff Sgt. Charles Newberry, a personnel specialist assigned to the 311th Air Base Group's military personnel flight here, volunteered in 2007 to register as a bone marrow donor. His decision recently saved the life of a servicemember's 2-year-old child."While I don't know his name, as soon as I heard who it was, and that he has a rare condition called aplastic anemia, I thought, 'Yeah, I'll gladly do what I can to help out the little guy,'" Newberry said. Aplastic anemia causes bone marrow to produce an insufficient amount of red and white blood cells or blood platelets. A bone marrow transplant can be the only effective treatment in severe cases. When he became aware of what his donation could mean, Newberry said, he was eager to volunteer. "I was surprised when I found out I was a match, but helping someone else's child was clearly something I wanted to do," he said. "My wife and mom were a little skeptical about the operation, but I think my enthusiasm won them over, and they were both supportive of me being a donor." Newberry's organization and supervisor also were behind his decision. "I thought his volunteering was very admirable, and a great thing to be willing to do," said Air Force Capt. Troy Lane, commander of the personnel flight. "I was impressed with his excitement to do it." Newberry said the procedure wasn't very painful or lengthy. "The surgeons removed the marrow from my lower back after the first day of tests and screening at the hospital," he said. "I was up and walking around the next day and only had to wear some small bandages for about a week." In addition to his family, Newberry said, the military community also was supportive. "In addition to being given time off from my duty location, [Defense Department officials] sponsored my flight and expenses," he said. "I went through a process of questions and phone interviews before leaving for the trip, but once everything was approved there was no cost involved for me or my family." Newberry is one of about 500 servicemembers who are matched to a patient and donate bone marrow each year. About 600,000 servicemembers have registered as marrow donors as part of the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program. Volunteers like Newberry are critical for many patients awaiting a match. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, about 70 percent of those needing a transplant do not have a matching donor in their family. Usually used to fight leukemia and lymphoma, a bone marrow donation often is a victim's last chance at beating a potentially fatal disease. More than 10,000 patients each year are diagnosed with these life-threatening diseases. A patient's doctor can contact the program's database of 8 million potential donors in the United States and another 5 million potential donors in international registries. The C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Center is located in Rockville, Md., and is charged with supporting Defense Department bone marrow volunteers. It is one of 79 donor centers that work with the National Marrow Donor Program. Established by Congress in 1990, the Defense Department program is open to any military member or civilian and their family members, including Coast Guard and reserve-component members, in good health between the ages of 18 and 60. Aug. 20, 2010: By Joe N. Wiggins- American Forces Press Service

Air Force Staff Sgt. Charles Newberry, a personnel specialist assigned to the 311th Air Base Group's military personnel flight here, volunteered in 2007 to register as a bone marrow donor. His decision recently saved the life of a servicemember's 2-year-old child."While I don't know his name, as soon as I heard who it was, and that he has a rare condition called aplastic anemia, I thought, 'Yeah, I'll gladly do what I can to help out the little guy,'" Newberry said. Aplastic anemia causes bone marrow to produce an insufficient amount of red and white blood cells or blood platelets. A bone marrow transplant can be the only effective treatment in severe cases. When he became aware of what his donation could mean, Newberry said, he was eager to volunteer. "I was surprised when I found out I was a match, but helping someone else's child was clearly something I wanted to do," he said. "My wife and mom were a little skeptical about the operation, but I think my enthusiasm won them over, and they were both supportive of me being a donor." Newberry's organization and supervisor also were behind his decision. "I thought his volunteering was very admirable, and a great thing to be willing to do," said Air Force Capt. Troy Lane, commander of the personnel flight. "I was impressed with his excitement to do it." Newberry said the procedure wasn't very painful or lengthy. "The surgeons removed the marrow from my lower back after the first day of tests and screening at the hospital," he said. "I was up and walking around the next day and only had to wear some small bandages for about a week." In addition to his family, Newberry said, the military community also was supportive. "In addition to being given time off from my duty location, [Defense Department officials] sponsored my flight and expenses," he said. "I went through a process of questions and phone interviews before leaving for the trip, but once everything was approved there was no cost involved for me or my family." Newberry is one of about 500 servicemembers who are matched to a patient and donate bone marrow each year. About 600,000 servicemembers have registered as marrow donors as part of the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program. Volunteers like Newberry are critical for many patients awaiting a match. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, about 70 percent of those needing a transplant do not have a matching donor in their family. Usually used to fight leukemia and lymphoma, a bone marrow donation often is a victim's last chance at beating a potentially fatal disease. More than 10,000 patients each year are diagnosed with these life-threatening diseases. A patient's doctor can contact the program's database of 8 million potential donors in the United States and another 5 million potential donors in international registries. The C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Center is located in Rockville, Md., and is charged with supporting Defense Department bone marrow volunteers. It is one of 79 donor centers that work with the National Marrow Donor Program. Established by Congress in 1990, the Defense Department program is open to any military member or civilian and their family members, including Coast Guard and reserve-component members, in good health between the ages of 18 and 60. Aug. 20, 2010: By Joe N. Wiggins- American Forces Press Service

“They work well together,â€Â said Army Staff Sgt. Michael Tindal, a brigade emergency care noncommissioned officer and Manning, S.C., native. “You can see their teamwork during the class. They take things from their relationship at home and bring them to work.â€ÂJoshua, the brigade’s primary combat lifesaver instructor and a Fairmont, Minn., native, met Andrea, an aid station specialist and Austin, Texas, native, while attending advanced individual training in 2007. “In AIT, we didn’t really hang out a lot,â€Â Andrea said. “He flirted with me and asked me out, but I told him no. But once we went home to our reserve units, I found out that I actually missed him.â€Â Joshua said he and Andrea started dating over the phone. “She decided to visit for four days and never left,â€Â Joshua said. “We were married a couple months after that.â€Â A few months after their marriage, they both went into active duty. They said being married has helped them both at home and on the job. “I know what he’s best at, and he knows what I am best at,â€Â Andrea said. “A lot of the time, we don’t even have to discuss it, because we already know who’s going to do what. We work together a lot, so we know each other better. It makes things easier for us.â€Â Their NCOs think the situation is beneficial to the brigade by having them work together on such an important aspect of training. “Since before I ever arrived at the unit, they have worked together on CLS and other projects, and it has just worked for the unit,â€Â said Army Staff Sgt. Tricia Watkins, a medical platoon sergeant and Sacramento, Calif., native. “They work well together. They know the material. They work different facets of the class and balance each other out.â€Â This is the couple’s first deployment. They said they wouldn’t have wanted to deploy without each other. “It makes [deployment] easier,â€Â Andrea said. “You have someone to lean on and help you cope with everything you face.â€Â Around 90 percent of combat deaths occur on the battlefield before casualties reach a medical treatment facility, according to the Army combat lifesavers course manual. This is why the Army requires every soldier heading into a combat zone to receive CLS training. Operation Iraqi Freedom will transition into Operation New Dawn on Sept. 1, and the number of troops in Iraq will be about 50,000 by then. This means the 3rd Sustainment Brigade will provide the primary CLS instructors for northern and central Iraq, Tindal said. This will put the Fillinganes in charge of training nearly 20 percent of U.S. forces in Iraq. “It makes me feel good that my NCOs trust us to do what we need to do to get the job done,â€Â Joshua said. “It’s a big responsibility.â€Â Both specialists said part of the reason they love their job is because they are together. “I love working with her,â€Â Joshua said. “It makes the job a lot easier, having someone there. When things go bad, I know I have someone there that I can rely on heavily to make things go right.â€Â Aug. 19, 2010: By Army Spc. Gaelen Lowers- 3rd Sustainment Brigade