Catching Up

Alright, so the reason I started this blog in the first place was to keep family and friends up to date on what I was up to during my adventure to Afghanistan.  I wrote fairly regularly during the training leading up to the deployment, but as soon as I got here everything stopped...sorry about that.  So, tonight I will attempt to get back on track.  It is a shame really, because a day does not go by that something happens and I think to myself that I should write about it.  But as time rolls on more interesting things get added to the list and it becomes overwhelming to the point where I just do not write anything.  One of the problems I often face is trying to figure out what I can write and what I should write.  There are obviously things that go on that I cannot write about because of security and classification so that is easy.  There are other times where I have to take into account those that might read it so I don't unduly worry anyone even though I am perfectly safe.  Sometimes, when you write about experiences it may be a bit worrisome for the folks at home.  I have to filter some things so people don't jump to conclusions or get the wrong idea. Anyway, let's jump back into it.

We arrived at Camp Wright three weeks ago after a long trip that took us from Indiana to Germany (two hour layover) to Manas, Kyrgyzstan to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan to Jalalabad to Camp Wright.  Some quick impressions of each stop:

    -Manas.  It was strange to be in a place that used to be part of the Soviet Union.  We spent three days at a transit base there waiting for further transportation.  We were not allowed to leave the base but I spoke with some Raytheon contractors who live out on town.  One of the guys said that a delicacy around there was horse milk.  He tried it once and said it was nasty.  I asked him if he drank it cold or warm and he just shook his head and said it was just plain nasty.  What I want to know is who is milking the horses?  I am so glad horse milk was not a delicacy back when we had a barn full of horses.  I can just see me and Dad putting the pail under the old buckskin mare named Cindy and trying to milk her...okay, wipe that thought out of your mind.  Anyway, the other memory I will have of Manas is the grasshoppers.  Thousands and thousands of grasshoppers flying around.  At dusk they are all around the lampposts eating the smaller bugs until they get their fill.  But then they are so gorged and fat that they can't move anymore.  So when the sun comes up in the morning the sidewalk is full of shmushed grasshoppers that got stepped on by people walking by.  That is all my scientific theory of course, take it or leave it.  I am pretty sure we brought a few to Afghanistan with us because they were crawling all over our bags right before we left.

    -Bagram.  I am not a big fan of Bagram.  The first time I was there was in February when we arrived in the middle of a snowstorm with the biggest, fattest, wettest flakes I have ever seen.  It snowed for three days and we were stuck there for four days.  Coming back in June it was just hot.  We were placed in a tent big enough for Barnum and Bailey Circus.  It must have had 300 to 400 bunks in it, and the with no lights or ac it was dark and sweltering.  Luckily we were able to get out of there in less than a day. 

    -Jalalabad.  We arrived in Jalalabad after a quick layover in Kandahar.  For awhile there we thought we were going to get stuck in Kandahar, which would have been my worst nightmare.  Luckily they loaded us back up and we were able to make it to Jalalabad.  That place is just simply hot.  One memory that has always stayed with me was when I flew from Seattle to Bangkok and arrived in the middle of the night.  I remember stepping off the plane to walk down the stairs and on to the tarmac and feeling the heat sizzling my brain.  Arriving in Jalalabad gave me the same feeling.  It was intensified when we stepped out the back of the C130 and had to walk behind the engines.  It was, without a doubt, the hottest I have ever felt...similar to putting my face on a burner.  Once we passed behind the plane that sensation went away but it was still 110 degrees.  I lucked out and was able to get on a helo to Camp Wright just three hours after arriving.  I preceded the rest of my team, as they had to wait one night in Jalalabad before  coming up the next day. 

Asadabad.  If you have to be stationed in Asadabad, Forward Operating Base (FOB Wright) is the place to be.  It is small yet has most of the amenities you would want.  Good food, good facilities and in a beautiful setting.  Just a few minutes away from downtown Asadabad, the FOB sits in a valley not far from the Kunar River, surrounded by hills and mountains that perhaps in another lifetime will be an outdoor paradise.  It would be a great place to hike and fish if there weren't bad guys in the hills and pollution in the river from the waste that drains into it.  It was great to see the team arrive the next day because they all seemed to be thrilled to finally be here and pleasantly surprised by the accommodations.  I guess after spending all that time in Indiana, Manas, Bagram and Jalalabad, it made Camp Wright look pretty good.

It has been a week and a half since we had a turnover ceremony and the old team left.  Since then we have been going through a few growing pains here and there as we establish a rhythm and figure out the best way to do things.  Although not as hot as Jalalabad, this place is hot in it's own right, hovering around 105 most days.  Even in the evenings the air is just hot and heavy.  When the wind blows sometimes it just feels like you opened the oven and that initial blast of heat hits your face. 

Alright, so not very interesting, but I will write much more often (and shorter) so we can keep in touch.  There is much more to report and many interesting things happening every day.  More later...