To many, Afghanistan was Fort Bragg's war
KABUL, Afghanistan At the Afghan National Army commando school just south of the capital city, there's a classroom where Afghan soldiers are learning to speak English.
On a wall across from a large map of the United States was a familiar sight: a photograph of a wooden sign with white letters.
The sign is familiar to anyone here in Fayetteville. It reads: "Fort Bragg, Home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces."
Afghanistan's elite soldiers not only know Fort Bragg. Many have even visited or trained here.
It's a sign of Fort Bragg's strong ties to the war in Afghanistan. For the past 13 years, the histories of Fort Bragg and Afghanistan have been deeply intertwined.
Both the 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps have been repeatedly deployed in support of the war, while other Fort Bragg units, such as the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, have carried more than their share of the mission.
Meanwhile, the most deployed soldiers of the war in Afghanistan are also from Fort Bragg.
They are the Special Forces soldiers of the 3rd Special Forces Group who, along with the 7th Special Forces Group - a Fort Bragg unit until its headquarters moved to Florida in 2011 - have shouldered the Special Forces mission in Afghanistan.
They have helped build the Afghan National Army, National Police and local police units, and they continue leading efforts to train Afghan commandos and special forces to this day.
In early December, I spoke with many of the Fort Bragg-based Green Berets who have deployed five, six or sometimes seven times to Afghanistan.
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To many, Afghanistan was Fort Bragg's war