The Best Kept Secret in Afghanistan

Whenever I meet a visitor to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wright I always tell them "Welcome to the best kept secret in Afghanistan.  If you have to be in Afghanistan and you have to live on a FOB, this is the place to be.  Not just because it is in a pretty spectacular setting, nestled between large mountains and hills at the base of the Hindu Kush mountain range.  Not only because the surging Kunar River turns the valley into one of the greener spots in the country.  But also because FOB Wright may have the best dining facility around.  It is not large like some of the other bases where you have to weave around the maze of tables to try and find an open seat among the crowds of soldiers and civilian contractors.  No you can always find a seat and you are always going to get great food.  We always have fresh vegetables and fruit and a wide variety of water, soda, gatorade and energy drinks (which I stay away from).  Desserts are plentiful including hard packed ice cream for lunch and dinner (bad news).  Plus, the dining facility, or Dfac as it is referred to, is in a real building instead of a tent like many FOBs around here.  So it offers a pleasant setting for starting the day or winding down after a long hot mission.  The Dfac also provides an excellent way to watch the weeks melt away as the daily meal choices roll by.  Tuesday is Italian...spaghetti or lasagna every Tuesday.  Wednesday is Mexican night.  Friday is surf and turf.  It actually has pizza every couple of weeks, which is too bad because they actually prepare a mean pizza.   A couple of nights a week they also offer mongolian stir fry.  As the days roll by it is always good to see Italian night roll by.  Tuesday is the day that has become a kind of mile marker.  When you run a marathon, you search longingly in the distance for the next mile marker, knowing when you see it you are that much closer to the finish line.  Italian night on Tuesdays is my mile marker that tells me I am that much closer to the finish line...that much closer to home.  Of course, the markers are still in the low numbers...we are nowhere near the 26.2 mark.  But the days will continue to roll by and I will look for that pasta each Tuesday and know eventually we will say our farewells to the best kept secret in Afghanistan.