Spec. Bruce A. Jones of Sioux Falls serves with the 211th Engineer Company (Sapper), from Madison and DeSmet, of the South Dakota National Guard. He will work with SDPB’s Sioux Falls News Producer Jackelyn Severin to provide news reports, an online diary, webcam photos and more.

“Doing the SDPB project from Afghanistan is a way to give the people back home some insight into the daily life of the typical forward deployed National Guard soldier,” Jones says. “There will be many ups and downs, good days and bad, but being able to share our lives with those at home will truly be a pleasure.”

In civilian life, Jones is a staffer for U.S. Sen. John Thune. Freedom is the reason he’s going. “I can tell you my motives for joining the Guard and volunteering to go on this deployment are not complicated. I feel every law abiding citizen on the planet deserves to live in freedom. The fear and tyranny that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda represent must not be allowed to continue, because if they are successful in Afghanistan, their stated goal is to bring the fight to us, here. We cannot allow that to happen, and as long as I am able to help fight them, I will.”

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