The tragic loss of five members of the New York National Guard during a one week period (incidents on 21 and 26 June) has properly drawn the attention of news organizations across New York State.

Our deceased came from communities that span the state, including Niagara Falls, the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island. It's also good to know that people back home have taken note of our memorial ceremonies and that we are mourning the loss of comrades.

I too receive email messages from friends and coworkers back home, individuals I have been communicating with and news professionals that I have come to know and work with over the years.

Since the 27th Brigade Combat Team of the New York National Guard took command of Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix on April 27, we have lost 18 members of our team. This includes eight active duty Marines, one Navy Corpsman, one active duty Army officer, and eight National Guard Soldiers, including the five from New York. Each death has come as a result of enemy actions, including IED attacks and complex ambushes where the enemy has waited for our convoys with small arms, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

There are other units operating over here in addition to Task Force Phoenix, to include a task force from the 101st Airborne Division, the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and other coalition allies of the International Security Assistance Force. They, too are suffering losses.

It is important to know that sacrifices are also being made by the volunteers of the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police. There are thousands of young Afghan men who are signing up to serve in the Army and Police at great personal risk. As they pursue the enemy, conduct security patrols and sweeps, they are also being killed and wounded by the same attacks.

The question I have been getting recently from reporters is why is there an increase in violence? A little while ago a National Guard colonel from Texas completed a phone interview from my office, and I think his answer was on the mark -- desperation and the fact that there are upcoming elections in the U.S. and in Afghanistan.

He went on to explain that as we continue to penetrate deeper into the countryside and continue to build schools and wells and deliver support to the people, the Taliban loses influence. So they are fighting back, and they believe that through violence, terror and aggression, they can weaken the resolve of the people. That is their solution to everything.

This mission is an ongoing effort to resist that kind of thinking. And the effort is a partnership between nations and with the Afghan National Security Forces and its legitimate government. As the numbers of Army and Police grow and their skills and capabilities increase, they are taking the lead in more and more operations.

Yesterday, a team of Afghan Soldiers of "Alpha Kandak" from the Kabul district command joined with members of our SECFOR Delta infantry to provide armed escort for a long-range convoy from Camp Phoenix. They lined up at roughly 3 a.m. and left a short time later. I got a heads up about their departure and set my alarm early to see them off.

(For photos from the mission discussed in this entry, check out the accompanying photo gallery, "Pictures from the Front", by clicking here.)

I have always been impressed with the young men and women who joined the Guard, and especially with the ones who are here. We just had memorial ceremonies, and these young professionals are right back on the mission -- getting up early, checking out their vehicles, weapons and personal gear -- and moving out. They are all business, and they know well the danger that could confront them.

As I watched and took some pictures of the normal "conop" or convoy operation preparations, I noted the numbers of Afghan Army soldiers who were also up, lined up and staged in their vehicles with weapons and ammunition ready. At the appointed time, the U.S. and Afghan leaders gathered for the convoy briefing, which was led by young Lt. Chris Marion from Binghamton and assisted by a civilian Afghan interpreter. The troops, American and Afghan, gathered in a semi-circle to listen to the instructions about times, march order, checkpoints, routes, communication call signs, actions on contact, and more.

These are professionals -- Americans and Afghans, side by side, getting ready to perform a dangerous mission and with a high level of trust between them despite the language "hurdle" that both Afghans and Americans can and do clear daily.

In the final moments before they pulled out, I went down the line of Afghan pic up trucks and took a couple of photos with my Nikon -- the Afghans love to have their picture taken, so after I take the shot, I trip the button on the camera back and let them see the digital image I just took. They smile, nod and often say "good shot."