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Published September 30, 2011, 12:00 AM

PHOTO GALLERY: Janet Jones in Afghanistan


Sgt. Major Janet Jones, on duty in Afghanistan, takes a break between practice rounds on the firing range at the base, FOB-Sharana. She is wearing a 40-pound vest, a 12-pound helmet and holding her M9 handgun which she carries along with her M-16 and a 12-pound camera bag. She completed her deployment in September of 2010 and remains on duty at Fort Snelling. Photo submitted

  • Sgt. Major Janet Jones, on duty in Afghanistan, takes a break between practice rounds on the firing range at the base, FOB-Sharana. She is wearing a 40-pound vest, a 12-pound helmet and holding her M9 handgun which she carries along with her M-16 and a 12-pound camera bag. She completed her deployment in September of 2010 and remains on duty at Fort Snelling. Photo submitted
  • This is FOB-Sharana where Jones was stationed. The base was home to 1,500 personnel when Jones arrived in November of 2009. At the time of her departure, there were 9,000 on base. Photos by Sgt. Major Janet Jones, unless otherwise noted.
  • Sgt. Major Jones is pictured with one of the Afghan soldiers she met at a combat outpost. Jones traveled by helicopter to a number of outposts during her deployment. Submitted photo
  • Afghan dignitaries including the Governor of Paktika province, second from the left, gathered for a ceremony on base. The sign to the right which is partially visible is translated as “professionalism is the buddy of Allah.”
  • This seems to be an Afghan version of a lumber yard in Mazar e Sharif, a city in the northern region with a population of nearly 400,000. Only fourteen cities in Afghanistan have a population over 100,000. Only one is over a million and that is the capital, Kabul, with 1.9 million.
  • This location is in Kandahar Province. It is also the richest area of the country, with 52 percent of the nation’s agricultural products coming from it.
  • The Qulat is made of mud walls and normally houses an extended family. It also protects specific crops from the ravages of sand. This one is the Kandahar province.
  • Sgt. Major Janet Jones, attired in a garment made for her while in Afghanistan, spoke to the St. Croix Valley Master Gardeners Association last week about Afghanistan, its vegetation, agriculture and her experience as an Army journalist while there. Photo by Margaret Ontl
  • Afghanistan is made up of five regions indicated by the heavy lines. Provinces make up the regions. Jones was stationed in Paktika Province. The southern region, the location of Hilmand and Kandahar provinces, remains a stronghold for the Taliban today.