While the ongoing war in Iraq continues to dominate U.S. news coverage, Derryl James of Albany recently returned from that "other" military campaign - in Afghanistan.

James, 42, was part of a large Oregon National Guard deployment that spent a year in Afghanistan. Asked if he and his troops felt like Afghanistan is a "forgotten war" now, he said that was a common feeling.

"When we'd talk to people back home, people hadn't heard anything about it," he said. "The only time they'd hear anything is when a soldier would be killed.

"As an American and a patriot, it tends to bother me a bit," James continued. "Americans don't have hunger for knowledge … they demand Paris Hilton, but they don't demand news about our involvement around the world."

The United States and several allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The campaign led to the ouster of the Taliban government. Troops remain in the country as it rebuilds.

"I will say that I saw improvements in the Afghanistan National Army, and the Afghanistan National Police are getting trained," James, 42, told the Democrat-Herald. "Both are elements that are absolutely critical to a stable government."

James said the Taliban is still active, "more so than in the past few years. They can't win militarily; they can only win by popular acceptance. They can strike at us, but we can strike back a hell of a lot harder."

He was part of the National Guard's 41st Brigade Combat Team, with an overall mission to continue training the national army. His squad's mission was military security.

"Our mission was to keep the embedded trainers secure, and their FOBs, or forward operations bases, secure," said James, who was a staff sergeant over a squad of nine men. "I'm very proud of the fact that my squad, out of all the security squads, didn't pull any duty at a tower or a gate. We ran gun-truck patrols the whole time."

James said his squad mostly provided security for military convoys between bases. They regularly drew enemy fire, mainly from Taliban fighters, but only one of his men was seriously injured during the deployment.

"Every one of my men earned their combat infantry badge the way their grandfathers did in World War II," James said. "They took fire and they fired back."

'Unfinished' business

His unit was based out of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan for the first seven months, then Herat in western Afghanistan for the final five months. But he said that his unit covered the "lower two-thirds" of the country with all the convoys the unit ran.

Because the mission was security, James said his unit didn't get many chances to interact with the people or culture of Afghanistan. He said his unit did give out school supplies to kids a few times, but for the most part, "we were the guys who stood at the perimeter and muscled people around."

"The attitude varies, mostly geographically and tribally," he said. "Kandahar is the heart of the Taliban, so the people there didn't like us. The Pashtun people typically don't appreciate us, but many others do."

Would James consider the deployment a success? "I feel like I succeeded in what I set out to do," he said. "I didn't set out to make a difference in Afghanistan. As a squad leader, that's not necessarily my job.

"My job was the mission, and to look out for the welfare of my men," he continued. "We were successful in all our missions."

Asked how long he sees U.S. troops staying in Afghanistan, James said that was beyond his scope.

"However, I see that our work is still unfinished," he said. "We are making accomplishments and gains, so it's very reasonable we'll be over there for a number of years. It's not unreasonable to have military troops in a country you've conquered for decades. I don't see that, but I see we have important work that will continue for years to come."

What's on tap, now that James is back home? He is getting married Sept. 1, and he has his old job waiting for him as an engineer with the Oregon Department of Transportation.

He doesn't have to return to ODOT until October. In the meantime, he plans to fix up his house on Fourth Avenue Southeast. He's also planning to start teaching exercise classes again at Gold's Gym, where his fiancee, Jennifer MacPherson, also teaches.

"I'm hoping to start back at Gold's in July," he said. Then he added, with a laugh, "They'd have me start back tomorrow."