Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division waded up to their necks through a dark and chilly swamp choked with mud and thick bamboo, in search of insurgents. Their efforts paid off. The Soldiers captured eight insurgents and a large weapons cache without firing a shot. It was nearly midnight when troops from the 25th Aviation Regiment spotted the weapons cache from their Kiowa Warrior helicopter. The gusts from the helicopter blew a tarp off of the cache and Soldiers spotted an insurgent running into a canal. The Kiowa pinned down the insurgents until the Soldiers could fish them out. Some were submerged, breathing through reeds. Among the weapons captured was a Dishka machine gun aimed at a highway where convoys travel. MORE

Creators of The Army Campaign Plan, “A Family Like No Other,” were awarded the Government Video Star Award in the news/information category during the Government Video Technology Expo. “This video reinforces the Army’s covenant and commitment to families and our appreciation for the sacrifices our families make,” said Delores Johnson, chief of family programs at the Army Community and Family Support Center. “Not only do we have the best Army in the world, we have the best family in the world.” The CD was created through a collaborative effort with Training and Doctrine Command staff at Fort Eustis, Va., SYColeman, Metro Productions and members of the Army’s Executive Office of the Headquarters, Strategic Communications. MORE

The first 40 Afghan women to graduate from a three-month Traditional Birthing Assistant program, sponsored by the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion at Qalat, Afghanistan, proudly celebrated their accomplishment during a recent gathering with their instructors. The program, which trains women as midwives, is the first of its kind in Afghanistan's Zabul Province. The newly trained students will teach women in their communities how to care for themselves during pregnancy and will assist them with the delivery of their babies. The goal is to improve successful births in the regions of southern Afghanistan. The mortality rate among Afghan women and their babies during childbirth is very high, often because women are not allowed to see a doctor. MORE