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All we do is drink coffee and complain when the tee times aren’t available.

The U.S. Air Force held a dignified transfer of Knightdale native Tech. Sgt. Adam Ginett’s remains on Monday.

Ginett was honored from the moment the plane landed with his casket at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and all along the 50 mile drive to the funeral home in Fuquay-Varina.

“This is an individual who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our everyday freedoms,” SJAFB Honor Guard TSGT Stacey Hines said. “This is the least we can do is to honor him in the most respectful way possible.”

Led by dozens of members of the patriot guard on their motorcycles, the airman was taken through Wayne County, Johnston County, and to Wake County where he once called home.

“It is very emotional, because at any time that could be anyone of us, our family, our friends that are out there,” Hines said. “So, it kind of brings the war right here to your door step.”

An improvised explosive device killed the 29-year-old Jan. 19 near Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan.

The same type of explosive the Knightdale native was tasked with discovering and disarming to protect other members of the military.

Ginett was assigned to the 31st Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal flight at Aviano Air Base, Italy.

The airman’s death has brought profound pain to his family. Many ask for privacy while preparing for funerals, but his parents say they have good reason for letting the public see the dignified transfer ceremony.

His mother considers it a necessary recognition of his mission.

“Trying to help these countries. Trying to help them in any way we can help them,” said Christina Kazakavage, Ginett’s mother. “And if it means the ugly side of war is what happens, it’s what happens.”

Ginett’s mother expects about 600 members of the military to join mourners for his funeral. Afterwards, he’ll be buried with full military honors.

Here are the details:

VISITATION:
Thursday, January 28, 5-8 p.m.
Thomas Funeral Home
401 N. Ennis St.
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

FUNERAL SERVICE
Friday, January 29, 11 a.m.
St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church
1005 Wilbon Rd
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

BURIAL
Raleigh Memorial Park
7501 Glenwood Ave
Raleigh, NC 27612

ighway of Death mission
By SMSgt. REX TEMPLE
Rating: 0

Sunday, January 24, 2010 10:39 PM EST
(Wardak Province, AGHANISTAN) — On a concrete basketball court, long strands of white tape formed segmented grids.

Each square grid was identified by its respective longitudinal and latitudinal degree markers. Shale rock would serve as a border outlining the planned route and signify the mountainous terrain of the Hindu Kush range. An Army Captain used a toy Jeep to demonstrate the route and the various stops that were planned.

Our Afghan National Army (ANA) counterparts watched with eager interest as the whole mission was mapped out in front of them. This battlefield drill is one of the many tools used in preparation for our upcoming mission. We were tasked to escort the Brigade ANA General throughout Wardak Province and visit numerous ANA Combat Outposts and Observation Posts.

In conjunction with a platoon of ANA soldiers and vehicles, my team would provide joint security for the general. The general wanted to meet his soldiers in person and make an assessment of their needs and quality of life issues.

Before our departure, the mission weighed heavily on my mind. We were traveling further south on Highway 1, which has been nicknamed by the U.S. soldiers as the “Highway of Death” and the Afghans refer to it as the “Highway to Hell.” Highway 1 extends 300 miles from the capital city of Kabul to Kandahar and the U.S. paid $300 million for the re-makeover.

It was originally built as a symbol of peace for a bright future and a logistical lifeline to connect the provinces with a main artery to expedite commerce, trade, and travel. But since its construction, it has become the Taliban’s number one target of opportunity. The Taliban set up impromptu roadblocks and extort, terrorize, kidnap and kill innocent local civilian travelers.

Corrupt Afghan National Police have also been known to set up armed checkpoints and shake down the travelers for money too in an effort to make up for the inadequate salaries they are paid.

It was on this same highway that 50 trucks loaded with fuel and food destined for U.S. outposts were burned and seven drivers were beheaded as a warning to those supporting the coalition forces. Even more gruesome was the Taliban’s savage act of mutilating a U.S. soldier’s body almost beyond recognition after they attacked his team with RPGs and mines.

As we began our journey further south, I kept my interval spacing from the lead ANA up-armored Humvee. When we approached certain towns, I noticed the ANA gunner took a much more defensive posture and would squat lower behind his Soviet Dshka (.50 cal equivalent) machine gun and scan the barren fields and village mud-brick houses. This coincided when I started observing the IED scars on the highway.

The pavement was irregular and it was obvious at one time an IED was emplaced in a culvert under the road. Some of the filled in craters were quite large and I can only imagine the explosion that might have taken place.

It was a bit contentious riding over these battle scarred roads. In a 15-mile stretch, I must have counted over 40 former IED pockmarks. When my MRAP rolled over the rough pavement, the contents in the vehicle would shift making an eerie bang causing my heart to skip a beat.

The sides of the highway were lined with the charred carcasses of fuel trucks and transport trucks. These burned skeletal hulls seemed to serve as a grim warning for those who might brave traveling through this region, especially the trucks who were supplying logistics to the coalition forces.

But despite these inherent dangers, our mounted combat patrol continued with our mission and visited a dozen sites.

Air Force SMSgt. Rex Temple is a 1982 graduate of Rockwood High School and the son of Maxine and Raymond “Skip” Temple of Scullton. Stationed at MacDill AFB in Tampa, Fla., Temple is on his 4th Middle East deployment at Camp Blackhorse in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border tasked with mentoring the Afghanistan National Army (ANA). More in-depth details and pictures are available on his blog at http://afghanistanmylasttour.com/

Bradley R. Smith, 24, of Troy, Ill.; senior airman, Air Force. Smith was killed Jan. 3 when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle near Kandahar airfield in southwest Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, on the Pakistani border. He was assigned to the 10th Air Support Operations Squadron at Ft. Riley, Kan.

Sources: Department of Defense and the Associated Press

Jan. 2010

Golfing.