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June 22, 2005Soldier: Afghan fighting differentHe's on leave before resuming physical therapyByRecord-Eagle staff writer  Record-Eagle/ Sheri McWhirter Army Staff Sgt. Matt Blaskowski said he often thinks about the woods and wildlife of his rural Cheboygan home while serving overseas. In early May he was shot in his right leg during a fierce firefight in Afghanistan while pulling another injured soldier to safety. Blaskowski is a squad leader within the 173rd Airborne Brigade and said any of his fellow soldiers would have done the same. His mother is not so sure. "His commander called us and told us that our son is a hero," Cheryl Blaskowski said as she brushed away tears. The 25-year-old soldier is at his parents' Cheboygan County home on a 10-day leave before he goes to Italy next week to resume physical therapy on his thigh muscles. He's anxious to be back with his unit, he said, but won't return until late July or early August. Blaskowski said soldiers deployed to Afghanistan are in much different conditions than those in Iraq, a more developed country. "It's desolate. It's all dust and mountains. You'll drive for hours and hours and not see anything or anyone," he said, adding the country's cave systems are complex and difficult to maneuver through. Soldiers patrol with local interpreters and police officials, Blaskowski said, speaking to residents about needed infrastructure and services, such as schools, roads and wells for drinking water. The Afghan people seem happy to have U.S. soldiers there, he said. "It has to get worse before it gets better in any war. I think we've reached that point in Afghanistan," Blaskowski said. But the government-building operation is only part of the mission. "It's also about finding Osama bin Laden," he said. "The Taliban is still very active in some places." The rough desert terrain impedes travel of military convoys, sometimes taking an hour to travel seven or eight miles. Hostile fire is frequent, but unlike Iraq, it usually does not result in civilian injuries or deaths, Blaskowski said. He believes in what soldiers are doing in both Afghanistan and Iraq, he said, because he sees their efforts make a difference in the lives of the people. Before his return to the war zone, Blaskowski said he's going salmon fishing on Lake Huron and plans to spend time with family. He also intends to buy an engagement ring for his Italian girlfriend while he's at home in northern Michigan.
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