Stryker brigade soldiers depart Fort Lewis for Afghanistan

Four months ago, the 5th (Stryker) Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division got an abrupt change of orders. Rather than head to Iraq, the Army brigade billed as the most technologically advanced ground force in U.S. history would head to Afghanistan as part of President Obama's new focus on the war against the Taliban forces and their al-Qaida allies.

On Friday, with thousands of families and friends in the bleachers, more than 3,800 brigade soldiers lined up in formation at the Fort Lewis field in a deployment ceremony that marks their transition from "soldiers to warriors," according to Fort Lewis Brig. Gen. Jeff Mathis

In the weeks ahead, they are expected to be deployed to southern Afghanistan, in the thick of a stepped-up U.S. campaign against Taliban forces that have made major inroads in recent years.

"It is important to remember that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on our nation were inspired and resourced by men living in Afghanistan," Col. Harry Tunnell, the brigade commander, told his soldiers. "There is no better place to serve in this war than in South Asia."

The Stryker brigades are built around eight-wheeled armored vehicles and high-tech communications. In Iraq, the highly mobile force played a major role in fighting in Mosul, the Baghdad area and Diyala Province.

This will be the first time that a Stryker Brigade has ever deployed to the more rugged terrain of Afghanistan.

On ground patrols, the soldiers will carry one of the latest high-tech innovations, a Land Warrior system that uses video cameras to allow a soldier to peer around corners without exposing themselves to enemy fire. The system also has a computer that allows the soldiers to exchange information with soldiers who remain in vehicles or elsewhere.

For the Stryker Brigade, a key challenge will be figuring out who is the enemy, and how to target their firepower on those forces without causing more civilian casualties. Civilians deaths have became a source of major concern in Afghanistan.

When the 5th Brigade's mission was shifted from Iraq to Afghanistan, Tunnell said, the biggest training change was in languages. About 50 soldiers have been given an intensive course in Pashtun, a key language in in Afghanistan.

The 5th Brigade is the seventh of the Army's Stryker brigades and was launched in 2007 with a mix of veteran soldiers and new recruits.

Amber Peckham is bidding her husband, Staff Sgt. Danny Peckham, goodbye for a second deployment. The first time around, her husband served in the 1st (Stryker) Brigade, 25th Infantry Division that endured a year of tough fighting in northern Iraq.

Now, Amber Peckham says she wishes her husband was headed back to Iraq.

"It's safer there right now," Peckham said.

Hal Bernton: 206-464-2581 or hbernton@seattletimes.com