WASHINGTON - Visiting Afghanistan, Sen. John Barrasso said he found strong troop morale, excellent medical care for soldiers and progress in the U.S. anti-terrorism mission despite a difficult physical and political environment.

The Wyoming Republican said he wanted to thank U.S. soldiers serving in Afghanistan and see what conditions will be like for Army National Guard soldiers in Wyoming who have been notified of training for possible deployment in 2009.

"I want to make sure that I know what it's like here on the ground, what the issues are, and make sure, kind of like a pre-op visit, I know what they'll be in and experiencing if they get deployed next year," the orthopedic surgeon said in a conference call with reporters.

Barrasso traveled with another senator and Defense Deputy Assistant Secretary Robert Hood. They visited military bases in Kabul, Bagram and Sharana and met with U.S. and NATO military officers and senior members of the Afghan government. Barrasso made a similar visit to Iraq over Thanksgiving.

Barrasso left Casper on Sunday morning and will return today. The group members stopped in Kuwait City overnight before flying to Kabul, where they had military briefings. They then traveled by helicopter to Bagram, a major base north of Kabul, and toured the main trauma hospital for U.S. soldiers.

They also visited Sharana, south of Kabul, where Barrasso had construction briefings and lunch with troops, including Army Pfc. Justin Nation of Riverton. Nation has been in the country for 13 months and re-enlisted, so he will be returning, Barrasso said.

"Many of them have been there 13 months, they are enthusiastic with what they're doing, they're very happy with the work they're doing, they feel they are making significant progress," he said.

Barrasso said there are 17 members of the Wyoming Army National Guard in Afghanistan now, embedded in teams throughout the country training Afghani police and military forces. He hoped to meet with more Wyoming soldiers just before leaving the country.

He said none of the U.S. soldiers had complaints about the equipment they had or other things they might need. "I ate a couple meals with the troops, and they feel that they're well cared for," he said. "They say it's a lot harder on the folks at home than it is for them here."

In Kabul, Barrasso visited with the U.S. ambassador and four-star Gen. Daniel McNeil, talking about how the on-the-ground mission is going.

He also spoke with other generals about specific challenges in the different regions of the country and the 2009 presidential election. They also had lengthy discussions about training Afghanis for the military and the police, since policy hinges on having Afghanis take over the mission, Barrasso said.

"When you talk to the generals, they will tell you that Afghanistan is a very complicated situation, their efforts are to stabilize the country," he said. "They have a counter-terror mission and they feel they are making significant progress. It is clearly about preventing the next terrorist attack. Americans want the peace of mind to know that there's a commitment to a safer America and a commitment to preventing another attack like we had on 9/11."

Barrasso said he had freedom to talk to any soldiers and Afghani workers within the confines of the bases he visited, chatting with troops in the gym and at meals. "I can talk to anybody I want to talk to, but you're on a military base," he said. "We're not just free to roam the streets."

The main trauma hospital for Afghanistan is in Bagram, he said. Injured soldiers are brought there for life-saving procedures before being airlifted to Germany. Barrasso said he found top-notch medical facilities at the hospital and met with the trauma surgeon "who runs the show" and two orthopedic surgeons. He accompanied them into the operating room to observe an ankle reconstruction surgery on an Afghani man injured by an explosive device.

"I also want to make sure that all of our soldiers, any that would be injured, have absolutely outstanding and excellent medical care," Barrasso said.

The transport system for wounded soldiers is "down to a science," the senator said, with a helicopter immediately picking up and flying an injured soldier toward Bagram.

"At the same time they will send out a medical helicopter from the hospital in Bagram, out in the direction where they're coming in from and then they will land and make a switch, so that solider spends least amount of time in transit and the most amount of time in a medical helicopter," he said.