“One of the things I try to teach my children is to stand behind what you believe.”

For Lt. Col. Bill Connor, standing behind his beliefs meant leaving everything behind with the very real prospect of making the ultimate sacrifice.

From January 2007 to May 2008, that’s exactly what Connor did by volunteering to serve in Afghanistan as part of the 218th National Guard Infantry Brigade. In doing so, the 11-year National Guard veteran and attorney put his law career on hold and told his family goodbye.

“As hard as it was to leave my wife of 17 years and my three children, in this case it was something I had to do,” Connor said.

Connor says President Teddy Roosevelt is his hero and sees a parallel between his deployment in Afghanistan and Roosevelt’s involvement in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Roosevelt left his position as assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy to lead his own regiment in the war.

Roosevelt’s sacrifice resonated strongly with Connor, who had to make his own sacrifices because of his staunch belief in the war on terror.

“If you’re going to talk about something and you’re going to write about something, you may as well put your butt on the line,” Connor said.

When the civilian Connor transformed into the team leader of an elite infantry advisory team in the barren deserts of Afghanistan, he found solace in writing articles about his experiences which were published in The Times and Democrat.

It also helped him escape the daily grind of being away from loved ones and rarely having a break from action.

Now home, Connor is releasing a book titled “Articles from War” detailing his experiences in Afghanistan.

Readers familiar with Connor’s writings in The T&D will find some new material in the form of a forwarding chapter and four sections where he talks about why he volunteered, the importance of the mission and his return back to the United States.

The book was edited by Keith Pounds. All of Connor’s profits will go to help Orangeburg Christian Academy, in addition to assisting other affordable, private Christian schools.

“My intent is for low- to moderate-income families to be able to afford a private Christian education,” he said.

He said readers will find his Christian faith is a common thread throughout the book because it played a large role for not only himself but many other soldiers.

Connor said he would often participate in prayer meetings with his fellow soldiers before missions where even an embedded Muslim interpreter would take part.

He noted the Afghan people have a “unique bonding” with U.S. soldiers –more so than other coalition partners.

“I found particularly as they got to know us, they generally wanted to see us around. ... They realized most Americans truly wanted to help them,” Connor said.

Connor said his battalion and the Afghan soldiers they trained formed a mutual respect over time. He cited a specific mission in the volatile Helmand province where the two nations’ soldiers worked in concert to root out the Taliban.

“They came to respect us and understand us,” he said.

Connor developed respect for Great Britain’s Prince Harry, who he met several times during his deployment.

He referred to Prince Harry as a motivated and admirable young man. During one mission, the American combat forces went from building to building for a major operation while Prince Harry was present as an air controller.

“I could tell he wanted to be going to the village with us,” Connor said.

Connor and Prince Harry formed a friendship on first-name basis during their encounters, but stayed off topics like the prince’s mother, the late Princess Diana, and the rest of the royal family.

During Prince Harry’s final days of deployment, Connor said the prince called in an artillery illumination, which launches a 20-pound metal casing into the air to create light in a dark area. The illumination accidentally landed just 15 feet from Connor’s camp.

“We got on the phone and said, ‘Look, buddy, stop this,’ and it was Prince Harry,” Connor said.

Connor took pride in the fact that none of his soldiers outed Prince Harry’s presence in Afghanistan to the media.

“Our guys kept their mouth shut,” he said.

When Connor’s brigade first arrived in Afghanistan to mentor and train the Afghan National Security Forces in Helmand province, he quickly learned they would have the additional role of training their police.

“All of a sudden at the last minute, we had two missions and the police mission was as distinct as it could be from the army mission,” he said.

This required the brigade to be broken down into smaller teams, which put both missions at only 50 percent strength in terms of manpower.

He said the newly added mission required all the soldiers in his brigade to really put their best foot forward.

While Connor and his men bravely overcame that challenge, there are still many more challenges facing the nation.

Through his experience, Connor observed the many different tribes and languages that comprise Afghanistan.

“The biggest thing we can do is bring them enough stability to where they can start coming together,” he said.

Placing emphasis on advising the Afghans on their own security is a top priority.

“I told my men all the time I was there, I want to be here so my son doesn’t have to come back and the only way to do that is teach them to defend themselves,” he said.

Connor recalled his plane touching down at Columbia Metropolitan Airport during his long-awaited return home in May. For him, that moment was the culmination of many months of sacrifice and hardship that were equally met with determination and love for his country.

But most of all, it was the moment he was reunited with his wife, Susan, and three children, Will, Brenna and Peyton.

“I felt overwhelmed with emotion. When I looked out of the plane and saw my family, it was just incredible.”

“Articles from War” will available for online and bookstore ordering on Aug. 23. Those interested in ordering the book online can go to www.buybooksontheweb.com on that date.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@times anddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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