WEBVTT

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Good evening . Today is the first of

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april 2000 and 12 . Colonel Shaffer

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coming at you from Camp Delaram for

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your weekly update first . I'd like to

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apologize for missing . Last week I was

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out on battlefield circulation and

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before you knew it I got lapsed by the

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clock and so we're actually a full week

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behind . So I've got two weeks worth of

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information for you here . What I'd

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like to start with is what we call on

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the military side . The surge recovery

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we surged approximately two years ago

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with an excess number of military

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forces in order to help the Afghan

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national security forces and the

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government of Afghanistan turn the tide

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against the insurgency . Well we are

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now in process of recovering that surge

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to go back to surge . Pre search troop

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strength levels And that's because

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we've been quite honestly very

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successful . This is conditions based

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and the answer half the Afghan national

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security forces through a series of

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assessments have shown the proficiency

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capability and otherwise ready

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status to be able to assume the

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responsibility for security lead in

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Afghanistan by themselves . They're

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doing tremendous of course the job's

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not done yet . So there's still plenty

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for your marines and sailors to do here .

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But because the answer if have

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progressed to the point they have we

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are starting to reduce troop levels and

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that's what they're calling the surgery

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recovery . R . C . T . Six headquarters

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has had the opportunity to send the

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first batch home and they should be

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arriving home here in the next 48 to 72

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hours and reuniting with loved ones . I

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imagine that everybody that has a

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marine returning early already has had

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the phone call and knows that their

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loved one is coming home . That is the

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first iteration . One thing I cannot

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tell you is when subsequent iterations

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will be decided upon or announced , but

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I will tell you that as soon as I know

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and no numbers , we will provide that

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information to you via this format and

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other formats to include the newsletter

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as soon as we Absolutely no . But for

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those 31 marines that just got on the

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aircraft and are soon to reunite with

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loved ones back home , Your job , your

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performance was absolutely spectacular .

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You contributed to the team and you can

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go home taking full pride knowing that

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you contributed to the efforts here in

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Afghanistan alongside your Afghan

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partners and as members , proud members

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of regimental combat team six for you

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back home as usual , your support ,

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your love , everything that you do for

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us carries this one step further ahead

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every single day and we couldn't do it

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without you . So we appreciate

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everything you're doing back there .

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Keep the solid area , the friendship

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going back home and don't worry about

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us over here , we're doing great and

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appreciate your continued support .

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Simplify in God bless