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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

AFPAK Hands Oral History Collection

Dates: 2011-2014

Interviews with personnel who served in the AFPAK Hands program. These individuals used their knowledge of the culture, language, history, politics, and other aspects of the Afghanistan and Pakistan region to support implementation of U.S. strategy in the region. The interviews were conducted by historian Tim Frank between 2011 and 2014.

For more information on how to access these oral histories, please contact the Navy Archives.

Canfield, Jeffrey L. CAPT
Date of Interview: 9 October 2012 and 23 October 2012
Topics Discussed: U.S. Strategic Command; USS Constellation (CV64) Battle Group; “Tiger” cruises; 9/11 attack; Fort Jackson training; Language training; APRP—Afghanistan Peace and Reintegration Program; BG Serge Labbe; NATO ISAF Strategic Partnering; NATO IASF Civilian Partnering; MRRD (Ministry of Rural Redevelopment and Reconstruction); Captain James Muir, USN; Major General David Hook, Royal Marines

Castro-Mendoza, Eustaquio CAPT
Date of Interview: 20 April 2011
Topics Discussed: AFPAK Hands Program; Dari language; Central America Joint Intelligence Team (CAJIT); Dam Neck (Navy/Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center)

Chapman, Christian D. LTC (USA)
Date of Interview: 15 March 2012
Topics Discussed: Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Regional Command North; General Stanley McChrystal, USA; NMT-A (NATO Training Mission Afghanistan); Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A); Brigadier General Sean P. Mulholland, USA; Mazar-e-Sharif, 201st Corps, Afghan National Army; Camp Marmal

Coleman, Michael Lt Col (USAF)
Date of Interview: 15 October 2012
Topics Discussed: KC135R tanker a/c; Base Support Squadron Lajes; Transit Center 376th Air Expeditionary Wing; Manas International Airport; Kyrgyzstan; 1 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs); Regional Command Southwest; Lashkar gah; Royal Gurka Rifles

Erwin, James E. III LtCol (USMC)
Date of Interview: 1 September 2011 and 5 October 2011
Topics Discussed: Flight Training at NAS Pensacola, language training in Pashtun;  Camp Leatherneck; U.S. AID (Agency for International Development); HBPRT (Helmand Province Reconstruction Team); Marja(h); Lashkar Ga; ASI (Afghan Stability Initiative)

Given, Albert K. CAPT
Date of Interview: 24 May 2011
Topics Discussed: Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) USMC; Inter Service Transfer; Multi-National Force Iraq; NIACT (Naval Individual Augmentee Combat Training)

Grant, Andrew LCDR
Date of Interview 28 April 2011
Topics Discussed: USS Merrill, USS Chief, USS Fife, SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command); COIN (Counterinsurgency) Training

Hamblet, James C. CAPT
Date of Interview: 7 April 2011
Topics Discussed: Mobile Security Squadron; Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT); Admiral Michael Mullen; General Stanley A. McChrystal; General David Petraeus

Johnson, Jacob Lee
Date of Interview: 18 April 2011
Topics Discussed: Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR); 9/11; Deep Blue; Expeditionary Strike Group concept; CNA and Deep Blue Lessons Learned; Development of AFPAK Hands; General McChrystal; Captain Rosemarie Conn-Ostervald, USN; Captain James Hamblet, USN; Unrestricted Line Officers (URLs); Defense Language Institute (DLI); Language Training; People-centered Enterprise

Kershaw, Justin F. CAPT
Date of Interview: 5 October 2011
Topics Discussed: Navy Information Operations Command in Yokosuka, Japan; Russian language skills; Special Operations Command; Defense Language Institute; DLAB test; Camp Julien; General McChrystal; Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command Afghanistan; Bronze Star

Larges, Chad CDR
Date of Interview: 13 July 2011
Topics Discussed: Carrier Group One (CARGUONE); VAQ-137 (Electronic Attack Squadron 137); IJC (International Security Force Joint Command); CSTC-A (NATO Training Mission Afghanistan)

Lofink, Diane L. H. 
Date of Interview: 4 January 2012
Topics Discussed: Pers-4; Captain James C. Hamblet, USN; Captain Lee Johnson, USN (Ret.); United States Fleet Forces Command; Naval District of Washington; United States Southern Command; United States Central Command

McChrystal, Stanley
Date of Interview: 3 June 2011
Topics Discussed: AFPAK Hands Program; Dari language; Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC)

McNorton, Richard LTC (USA)
Date of Interview: 12 March 2012
Topics Discussed: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM); DLS (Diplomatic Language Services); Camp Julien; Tooryalai Wesa; Ahmed Wali Karzi; Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, USA; Mayor Hamidi of Kandahar

Miles, Richard O. Jr. LtCol (USMC)
Date of Interview: 19 October 2011
Topics Discussed: Operation Blue Spoon; United Nations Truce Supervision Group; Second Intifada; Arendhab Valley; APRP (Afghanistan Peace and Reconciliation Program)

Muir, James A. CAPT
Date of Interview: 21 Apr 2014
Topics Discussed: AFPAK Hands Management Element (AME); General John Allen, USMC; General Joseph Dunford, USMC; General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, USA; General Timothy P. McHale, USA; ODR-P7; Pakistan/Afghanistan Coordination Cell; Abdullah Abdullah

Staneszewski, Diana LtCol (USMC)
Date of Interview: 31 August 2011
Topics Discussed: Panama Canal “Zonians”; Marine Corps Officers’ Candidate School; Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC; 3rd Force Service Support Group; Marine Logistics Group THREE; U.S. Central Command; Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC); Amphibious Group THREE; Exercise Kernel Blitz; Regional Command South; 416th Civil Affairs Brigade; Coalition Provisional Authority; The Kabul Beauty School

Taylor, Kyle W. M. CDR
Date of Interview: 13 July 2011 and 6 October 2011
Topics Discussed: Naval Academy Preparatory School (NAPS); U.S. Naval Academy; HC5; Operation Unified; International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)

Tortorelli, Raymond CDR
Date of Interview: 21 July 2011
Topics Discussed: VQ TWO (Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron TWO); USS George Washington(CV-73); NORAD (North American Air Defense Command); Incirlik; ISAF (International Security Assistance Force); Mazuri Shareef; MRRD (Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development); Government Information and Media Center (GMIC); Security News and Coordination Center

Whitaker, Jeffrey D. CDR
Date of Interview: 25 August 2011
Topics Discussed: USS Edward McDonnell; USS Klakring; USS Cole; USS Caron; 5th Fleet; Fleet Forces Command; Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron TWO; AFPAK Hands Management Element; Naval District of Washington (N7); Warrior Transition Program

Published: Tue Jun 15 10:14:56 EDT 2021