One More Great Adventure to the Middle East

Media outlets looking for material are encouraged to contact me directly, my email is tim@salem-news.com.

Photo by Tim King, Kabul sludge, 2006 Salem-News.com

(SACRAMENTO, CA) - For several purposes, I will be heading back to Afghanistan to cover the final stags of the U.S. war there. I will be returning to the place, as I covered this conflict early on in 2006 and 2007.

It was fascinating and both of my parents were alive then and they gave me a genuine level of support that is rare in this world. I miss them, and their loss makes me consider all of the loss that has taken place since the U.S. decided to wage war for years on end. The truth is that the soldiers and Marines and sailors and everyone there needs coverage and Americans deserve to know what is really taking place.

I will go with a number of goals and aspirations in mind.

It is about big purpose stuff, like shooting more interviews for a documentary about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that I had hoped to have produced a couple of years ago, and about building awareness of our business which has been very challenging to maintain over recent years.

So, if you have a business that would be interested in sponsoring the upcoming reports and articles, please contact Bonnie King at bonnie@salem-news.com.

Media outlets looking for material are encouraged to contact me directly, my email is tim@salem-news.com and I will connect them with their needs, I will be shooting high quality video and still images this time.

There will not be a date listed, I can say that the plan at this point is for me to embed with a California National Guard CH-47 helicopter squadron that will be tasked with transporting soldiers into and out of the combat zones where the battles are being fought.

I will be looking for hospitals and medical facilities that have equipment to donate and I am asking people to really open your hearts and don't leave this battered population out of your thoughts. (Please see: Independence Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan Opens with Many Needs (VIDEO))

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Tim King in Kabul, Afghanistan, November, 2006.

It matters not at all that they are far away, when medical equipment is available, there are air carriers that can bring it across.

It looks like the month of October is when it will take place, and of course there are possibilities that plans could change, but it appears solid and if it works out, I will stay to the end of the war and cover the fighting while helping Afghan organizations gear up for the years ahead when allied forces leave.

So there you go, big changes to a fairly established news operation. The news flow will slow when I depart since I publish 99% of everything you ever see here, and I will do my best between missions in Afghanistan to publish the local news and the rest of the flow.

It will not be what you are accustomed to but we will make it work. And on that note, I am seriously seeking volunteer editors who can help me establish content, there is a bit of training that will be required but it is a very worthwhile pursuit, please direct any interest to my email.

I will be departing from California so we will not have the fun sendoff parties that we have had in the past, everyone in Oregon, my best to you.

In fact it has been really great working with this team of 100+ writers over the years and every individual on this team, with the Human Rights activists and writers at the top of the list, are incredible giving people who are not hung up on small shit and easily see the big picture and their role in that sometimes complex scenario.

Some of us are lucky and just draw the really interesting and exciting assignments, I am very excited to release this news.

Tim King in 2008, covering the Iraq War

Tim King has more than twenty years of experience on the west coast as a television news producer, photojournalist, reporter and assignment editor. Tim is Salem-News.com's Executive News Editor. His background includes covering the war in Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007, and reporting from the Iraq war in 2008. Tim is a former U.S. Marine.

Tim holds awards for reporting, photography, writing and editing from The Associated Press the National Coalition of Motorcyclists, the Oregon Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs, Electronic Media Association and The Red Cross In a personal capacity, Tim has written 2,026 articles as of March 2012 for Salem-News.com since the new format designed by Matt Lintz was launched in December, 2005.

Serving readers with news from all over the globe, Tim's life is literally encircled by the endless news flow published by Salem-News.com, where more than 100 writers contribute stories from 20+ countries and regions.

Tim specializes in writing about political and military developments worldwide with an emphasis on Palestine and Sri Lanka, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the U.S. Marines. You can write to Tim at this address: tim@salem-news.com. Visit Tim's Facebook page (facebook.com/TimKing.Reporter)