Local soldier faces combat everyday in Afghanistan

By Carrie A. Mizell

Setting up mortars in a combat zone is a far cry from daily life as Michael Stephenson once knew it.
A 2009 graduate of Bell High School, Stephenson is currently stationed at Joyce, a forward operating base remotely located in eastern Afghanistan.
Proudly serving as a U.S. Army private, Stephenson is assigned to the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell Kentucky.
Michael Stephenson is the son of Randy (Martha) Stephenson and Lynn (Larry) Langford, all of Bell.
In submitting the photo of his son to the newspaper, Randy Stephenson said he is so proud of Michael and just wants the community to read about a local boy that’s serving our country.

U.S. Army Pvt. Michael L. Stephenson, of Bell, an indirect fire infantryman with the Mortar Platoon, adjusts the sights of his 81mm mortar system in eastern Afghanistan.
Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Albert L. Kelley.

Though he doesn’t have the opportunity to speak with his son on the phone very often, Randy Stephenson said he knows Michael sees combat everyday.
“Last time we talked, I asked about the last mission, which he was about to go on and he said, ‘I can’t really tell you, but it’s to keep the Taliban away and stay alive,”’ Randy Stephenson said. “That was the second conversation I had with him in two and a half months. The first ended with, ‘We’re getting hit! Gotta go!”’
Michael’s father said it was a long month waiting on word from his son that he was all right.
“People just watch the news, but most of the people I’ve talked to have no idea how bad this war really is,” Randy Stephenson said.
“I stopped counting the fatalities in his unit alone at ten in the past two months.”