Senior Airman Ryan Turvey’s primary duty during his first deployment was to provide and enhance security at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. Prior to his May 2012 deployment, the 50th Security Forces Airman prepared himself to endure the less-than-ideal working conditions presented by Afghanistan’s environment, but he had no idea this assignment would fundamentally change his perspective of the world.
Turvey wasn’t on assignment for a week before he encountered the harsh realities of life in rural Afghanistan. As a gunner on an armored personnel carrier known as an M-ATV, Turvey patrolled an area outside the base for more than four months, searching for suspicious activity. He and his crew of four occasionally found something worth investigating, but much of their time was spent learning their surroundings and interacting with the locals outside the wire.
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