I recently returned from Paktika Province after a one week trip with Scott Hiedler of Fox News. We were there to do a story on the Afghanistan/ Pakistan border – which as you can see from these photos is a vast and rugged area.

While we were hanging out at Camp Tillman, several of the soldiers told us about a remarkable 16 year old Afghan boy who works in the Army clinic at Camp Tillman. Scott and I immediately knew this was an interesting story.

The US and Afghan Armies  have several outposts surrounding Camp Tillman. None of which are easy to get to. I walked these steps once and was breathing hard. The soldiers stationed at OP4 do it several times a day. They live a Spartan life. No internet, no running water,  cramped living quarters, very few warm meals and a constant threat of Taliban attacks.

Still, not a single guy complained. In fact, they all said they enjoyed it.

I also wrote an accompany story for Foxnews.com about the military’s changing approach to development and training in Afghanistan. Even without the resurgence of the Taliban, the challenges are MASSIVE and success — however you define — it won’t be achieved anytime soon. Still, there are lots of little postitive developments happening every day here in Afghanistan.