A Nebraska military officer who has battled Hurricane Katrina and al-Qaida will spend his final deployment searching for a sticky black substance that might be the key to victory in Afghanistan.

Lt. Col. Thomas Brewer will soon head to Kabul, capital of the war-torn country, where he will serve as a military adviser to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as it tries to slow the production and movement of crudely processed black tar heroin.

...Military leaders recognize that insurgent groups in southern Afghanistan use drug money to buy weapons, upgrade their communication systems and bribe politicians...

Brewer has spent most of his 32-year National Guard career doing things that mattered.

He forced his way into downtown New Orleans, among the first guardsmen to arrive after the fury and flooding of Hurricane Katrina. Brewer's makeshift security force rescued more than a thousand residents, some stranded in nursing homes, others trapped in their bedrooms, many near death.

He has previously been deployed three times to Afghanistan and twice to nearby Kyrgyzstan, training those countries' soldiers and teaching counternarcotics tactics.

In 2004, he took six bullets during an al-Qaida ambush on a deserted road between Jalalabad and Kabul.

The first broke a rib and caused him to bite off a chunk of his tongue. Brewer continued to fire. Subsequent shots broke more ribs, sliced through his armpit, pierced his shooting arm, tore his calf. He continued to shoot.

A British soldier eventually rescued the bleeding guardsman -- but not before Brewer had killed or wounded more than a dozen enemy soldiers. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star after the firefight.

...The DEA in Afghanistan is fighting a massive heroin operation run by Russian gangsters, Chinese chemical smugglers, Afghan terrorists -- and highly placed members of Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government.

No less than an amazing hero! God bless and protect him and all our wonderful military.

The Nebraska National Guard, Lt. Colonel Tom Brewer

The Nebraska National Guard

Nebraska's Citizen Soldiers in the Twenty-First Century

Lt. Colonel Tom Brewer

Colonel Brewer is a warrior. As an army figure he is the epitome of a colonel. He was on the Motorola talking to us and still leading after he was shot six times.
  --Captain Scott Cadieux, Vermont National Guard

Lt. Colonel Tom Brewer leading a kandak (battalion) of the Afghan National Army on a forced march.

Lt. Colonel Tom Brewer of Murdock served in the U.S. Army before joining the Nebraska National Guard. He was deployed to Afghanistan in March 2003 to coordinate training of the Afghan National Army. On October 12, 2003, Brewer and four other U.S. National Guard soldiers were ambushed at a deserted former Russian tank repair facility known as "The Bone Yard." Some 20 to 30 Al Qaeda and Taliban insurgents hidden in the rubble of a building attacked the soldiers as they were returning from a training mission near Kabul.
During the resulting 45-minute firefight, Brewer was severely wounded (three bullets hit the chest plate of his body armor and others struck his right calf, left bicep, and left underarm). Twelve of his ribs were broken, along with his sternum and nose, and he received a shrapnel wound to his forehead. Despite his wounds Brewer maintained radio contact with his colleagues and continued the fight until additional Guard trainers and other U.S. soldiers arrived. Brewer was the first field grade American officer to be wounded in action in Afghanistan and received the Purple Heart.
In December 2003 Brewer went to the Bagram Air Base in Kabul and served with the Third Special Forces Group (Green Berets) as a liaison to the Central Intelligence Agency. In May 2004 he returned to Nebraska and became commander of the Counter Drug Task Force of the Nebraska National Guard. In June 2005 the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) tapped him for deployment to Afghanistan again, where he spent three months in counter-narcotics operations. Shortly after his return home, Brewer led a multi-state National Guard amphibious vehicle team in the Hurricane Katrina rescue effort in New Orleans.
       Brewer returned to Afghanistan again in September 2006, where the DEA sent him on another counter-narcotics mission. He remained until July 2007.
Source: All objects were loaned by Thomas Brewer

Colonel Brewer's Uniform (click to enlarge)
Notice the small patch of shiny fabric on the top of the helmet. These are glint tabs so U.S. air forces could identify U.S. soldiers and avoid "friendly fire" casualties.

Colonel Brewer's load bearing vest is used to hold gear. In the pouch is an "Israeli bandage." It is impregnated with blood clotting compounds and is designed to be applied to a wound and wrapped with one hand.

Special forces jacket with velcro patches so the jacket can be "sanitized" (cleared of identification) if the wearer is threatened with capture.

Body armor vest plate Brewer was wearing during the October 12, 2003, ambush at the Bone Yard in Afghanistan, where he was shot six times.

During the battle at the Bone Yard Colonel Brewer was helped to safety by a Royal Ghurka Rifles soldier named Kajiman Limbu. Royal Ghurkas are Nepalese soldiers in the British army. Kajiman was assigned to Brewer's team in Afghanistan as part of the coalition forces. Kajiman ran through heavy fire to help the injured Brewer to the relative safety of a rear position. In thanks and recognition for Kajiman's bravery, Brewer successfully nominated him for Britain's Military Cross. Kajiman's father, who makes knives for the Royal Ghurkas, made this one for Brewer.

Click link for the other pictures of his uniform accessories, weapons, medals and mementos.
~~~~~
These warriors are simply beyond incredible. Let's continue to remind this White House that they absolutely always deserve our full support... 24/7. Let them be reminded just how vital that tangible support is. May our brave military always know how much and how dearly we honor, remember, pray for them, and are so grateful for their valor and sacrifice.

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The Nebraska National Guard Nebraska's Citizen Soldiers in the Twenty-First Century

The Nebraska National Guard

Lt. Colonel Tom Brewer

The Nebraska National Guard

Nebraska's Citizen Soldiers in the Twenty-First Century