Display has a personal connection

For about a quarter century, Brian Williamson has played a part in putting together the Museum of the Soldier’s Fourth of July display.
This year, that presentation will have an even more personal touch.
The display for Jay County’s free annual Fourth of July celebration at Jay County Fairgrounds will include items Williamson collected during his Afghanistan deployment, which ended in April.
It was a trip he nearly didn’t get to make, as the Agribusiness Development Team he was a part of was cut from more than 80 people to just 12 in the weeks leading up to the deployment.
“It worked out, but it was a lot different mission than we were training for,” said Williamson, a Master Sergeant in the Indiana National Guard. He noted that the cuts came because the military is scaling back its presence in the country. “It was a really good deployment. … It was a good mission.”
While his team didn’t get to leave Forward Operating Base Salerno as often as expected because of the cuts, Williamson had the opportunity to be more hands-on than most of his fellow soldiers.
The Portland native and 1978 graduate of Jay County High School worked mainly as a linguist manager, organizing the activities of a group that included six local Afghan linguists. At least two linguists generally accompanied each group leaving the base, and Williamson was in charge of scheduling their missions.
“We had really good linguists,” he said. “They were very skilled and they took their job seriously.
“They were good people to work with.”
His duties also included a variety of activities focused on helping local farmers.
Williamson and other members of his team went on “market walks”, visiting with street vendors and interviewing them about where the got their products. They also analyzed the grain and produce, checking its level of quality.
This team also worked with local farmers and law enforcement officers with issues regarding fertilizer, a commodity difficult to get in Afghanistan because fertilizer with high levels of nitrogen is illegal. (It can be used to make explosives.)
And there were classes teaching Afghan farmers about things like vaccinations and hoof trimming for animals. These he said might be second-nature for American farmers but are far from the norm in the mountainous region along the Pakistani border.
 “They seemed eager and interested for the most part,” said Williamson of the Afghan farmers. “We hope they act on some of the knowledge we tried to provide. It was a really good deployment. A really good mission.”
The path to Williamson’s first deployment, at age 53, came when he was a child.
He was always interested in history, and specifically military history. But it wasn’t until after he graduated from Ball State University in 1983 that he decided to become involved by joining the Indiana National Guard.
Williamson, who trains at camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, requested a deployment several years ago, but did not get it. So he was excited about the opportunity to go to Afghanistan.
“It was something I had thought about,” he said. “My family wasn’t very excited about it, but I was very pleased to be able to have the opportunity … That meant a lot.”
While he was happy to have the chance to go overseas with the ADT, he said he does not plan on making any more trips. His biggest takeaway from his visit, which began in May of 2012, was that he is extremely lucky to have been born in the United States.
He noted that there is no electrical grid in Khost, and the few people who have electricity use a generator or solar panels. The only paved roads there, he said, are those created by the U.S. military.
 “For Americans, visiting any Third World country is going to be an eye-opener,” said Williamson. “You should thank God every day that you were born in the United States.”
The Museum of the Soldier’s display at the fairgrounds Thursday will include many items Williamson brought back to the United States from Afghanistan.
He has an empty illegal fertilizer bag and musket. And he bought a burqa and several Afghan women’s dresses.
He also shipped home a large piece of wood that went tumbling past his door after an explosion, one of the few times he said he was in any danger while overseas.
Williamson hopes those who take part in Thursday’s celebration visit the Museum of the Soldier’s exhibit, and that he’s happy to be able to share some of his personal items.  
 “The museum has been a big part of my life,” Williamson said. “We want to show the stuff the community has helped us preserve.”Williamson, who trains at camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, requested a deployment several years ago, but did not get it. So he was excited about the opportunity to go to Afghanistan.
“It was something I had thought about,” he said. “My family wasn’t very excited about it, but I was very pleased to be able to have the opportunity … That meant a lot.”
While he was happy to have the chance to go overseas with the ADT, he said he does not plan on making any more trips. His biggest takeaway from his visit, which began in May of 2012, was that he is extremely lucky to have been born in the United States.
He noted that there is no electrical grid in Khost, and the few people who have electricity use a generator or solar panels. The only paved roads there, he said, are those created by the U.S. military.
 “For Americans, visiting any Third World country is going to be an eye-opener,” said Williamson. “You should thank God every day that you were born in the United States.”
The Museum of the Soldier’s display at the fairgrounds Thursday will include many items Williamson brought back to the United States from Afghanistan.
He has an empty illegal fertilizer bag and musket. And he bought a burqa and several Afghan women’s dresses.
He also shipped home a large piece of wood that went tumbling past his door after an explosion, one of the few times he said he was in any danger while overseas.
Williamson hopes those who take part in Thursday’s celebration visit the Museum of the Soldier’s exhibit, and that he’s happy to be able to share some of his personal items.  
 “The museum has been a big part of my life,” Williamson said. “We want to show the stuff the community has helped us preserve.”[[In-content Ad]]