My Replacement is Here!

You know you are close to leaving when your replacement arrives in Afghanistan.  It’s starting to feel real now.  In some ways it doesn’t feel like I’ve been here as long as 6 months.  In other ways, it seems like an eternity.  Either case, I am anxious to depart and be with family. 

My replacement arrived today and I met her at the passenger terminal.  She had a quick flight over here, staying at Manas Transit Center for only 24 hours – which is unheard of.  The Army requires 6 days of carryover training.  This week I will be unloading everything I’ve learned in 6 months.  As the new replacement, your job is to quickly learn as much as you can before the incumbent departs.  And you’re trying to do this in a completely unfamiliar environment - the stress of being in a combat zone, getting used to a 12 hour time change, and meeting new faces and learning the job.  It can be a bit overwhelming, as it was for me.

My plans are to leave Bagram on June 17th for Manas Air Base.  Manas plays an important role over here, serving as the transit center for tens of thousands of troops entering Afghanistan.  As they’re awaiting transportation, troops can be found sitting at the coffee shop, reading books in the makeshift library, watching TV in the USO, and shopping Afghan bazaars.

While at Manas, I will drop off the gear I accumulated, including my Kevlar helmet, body armor, gas mask equipment, and heavy winter gear.  If everything goes well I should be home around the 22nd of June.  It takes about 17 hours of flying time from Kyrgyzstan to the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, VA.  Once in Norfolk I get commercial transportation, thru Atlanta, back to Biloxi. 

One of the many things I am looking forward to (below).  See everyone soon!

 

 

Blackhawk Mission

Today I got the opportunity to go on a mission outside the base.  I flew on a black hawk helicopter with the Brigadier General over Combined Joint Task Force.  We departed Bagram at about 1330 hours and flew for about 45 minutes to a Combat Out Post (COP) south of Kabul, called COP Lightning.  We met with several key leaders at the 203rd Afghan National Army Corps Headquarters.  The purpose of the mission was to determine Afghan contracting capabilities.  Overall, the mission was a success. 

The Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk is one mean machine!  The same helicopter was used in the night raid mission to kill Osama Bin Laden.  The Black Hawk is highly versatile, and can perform a wide variety of missions.  Our variant had capability for carrying 11 combat troops.  It also was equipped for terrain-following radar, GPS weather maps, and a mid-air refueling probe.  Riding on this machine was one of the coolest experiences of my life!

The first black-hawk you see approaching in this picture is the one I rode in.  As soon as we sat down, the choppers lifted off.  Talk about a bumpy ride!  We bounced up and down the whole way.

I sat nearest the window which provided great opportunity for pictures.  If you look closely at this one, you’ll notice the other black-hawk with us.  The General had the lead chopper, we were on the back-up to provide fire support if necessary.

Eastern Afghanistan is known for its rugged terrain, making mountain passes by vehicle very dangerous.  We rode closely to the ground on our mission. 

Here’s a nice valley we approached.  You’ll notice the M60D machine gun on the right.  I sat right behind the gunner.  Many of the peaks here are still covered in snow.

Back at Bagram Air Field.  Home sweet home, at least for the next 30 days or so!

Mission Success!

New Living Quarters!

For the past month or two I have been trying to move from the B Hut to an RLB.  I lived in the B Hut for over 4 months.  The small, smelly, leaky, plywood structure was about a 15 minute walk to work.  Imagine 8 guys sharing a building the size of a storage shed.  The building had no insulation – if it was cold outside, it was cold inside.  Every time it rained I got wet.  Every time I had to use the bathroom, I got the pleasure of using the porta-johns.  I could stretch my legs out and touch both walls. 

My living conditions now are better.  Last Tuesday I got the chance to move to an RLB, or re-locatable building, much closer to the office.  The building is actually a shipping container.  As the war kicked off over 10 years ago the Government started shipping massive amounts of supply over here thru metal shipping containers.  The room I live in now once housed massive amount of supply trucked by a semi-trailer in the States, to the shipping and loading dock, then over the ocean on a barge.  Rather than sending the containers back, the Government decided to make living containers from them. 

The room I live in is actually 2 containers which were cut in half and adjoined to make for 3 rooms and a “common area”.  We live in a whole “neighborhood” full of used shipping containers.  Before, I had 7 roommates.  Now, I only have 2 others: 1 Army guy and 1 Navy guy.  We have a window unit which helps us keep cool at night.  The bathroom is only a 30 second walk outside, and it’s not a porta-potty!  I have a sheet that separates me from my roommates and adds a little privacy.  Life is great. 

Here is a picture of me standing in my new room

Here is a shot of our common area. 

Here is a shot of our front door

Thanks Colburns!

 

I got a great box in the mail today from the Colburns!  The kids each drew me a picture, which I now have hanging on my wall behind my desk.  I’ve been eating the Easter candy all day.  Thanks guys!

 

Spring Has Arrived

 

This has been a severely long, cold, pernicious winter.  According to the Telegraph, Afghanistan has suffered its coldest winter in 15 years (link).  The bitterly cold weather has been blamed for 40 deaths in the country, many of whom are children.  The ice-covered roads and freezing rain ended up grounding aircraft for days.  Soldiers were seen negotiating tire chains on tactical vehicles to navigate the unpaved roads.  The weather made the fifteen minute walk to work a miserable chore on some mornings. 

Fortunately though, the cold air is slowly giving way to more pleasant temperatures.  I walked to work without my Gortex coat for the first time today.  Aircraft are taking off on time now and missions outside the fence are being completed.  When the dust clears in the early morning hours you can take in the magnificent scenery of the nearby mountains.  The rugged peaks are still capped with white snow.

This is usually my favorite season, but familiar sites and sounds of Spring are missing.  This time of year reminds me of watching Samuel joyfully ride his tricycle down Keesler streets.  I miss spending time with Stefanie outside watching the sunset over the Biloxi Bay.  This time last year, Steve and Christa joined us to watch the Thunderbirds perform at the Keesler Air Show.  The hardest part of this deployment is missing my family.  Fortunately though, we made a significant milestone last week.  Half-way there!

We seem to be making some progress on the front lines.  The big buzz word here is “transition”.  With the war chest drying up, the focus becomes transitioning our services contracts.  Right now, I’ve identified about 90% of them ready to hand over to the Afghans.  Last weekend I got the chance to spend the afternoon with the British Commodore, the #2 General Officer for the NATO Training Mission here.  It was very enlightening to hear his perspective from the top ranks.

This is a special week for Afghanistan, as it marks their New Year.  Wednesday, Mar 21st brings in Solar Year 1391.  The Afghan calendar is based off the old Persian calendar, one of the oldest records in human history.  Celebrations will be going on throughout the country.  Government employees will be off work until next Sunday.  I guess that is all for now, will post pictures soon.

One Crazy Week

As I laid my head on the pillow this week I fell asleep to the sound of 3,000 rioters down the street.  The chants are getting louder and louder.  As I type this helicopters are circling overhead launching flares into the crowd.  Rioters are being sprayed with water, which apparently has no affect on them.  Afghan police are using stun-guns we bought for them to separate the mob.  The crowd is angry.  Tires are being burned and thrown over the fence.  Smoke grenades are being tossed to break-up the crowd.

The entry control point has been shut-down.  The base relies on inbound vehicles to provide services like water delivery, waste removal, septic and laundry.  With no inbound trucks, all bathrooms have been shut down forcing us to use porta-johns.  With no waste removal, porta-johns are not getting emptied, so waste is piling up.  The odor is unbearable.  With no water delivery, kitchens were only serving bare-minimum items and offering MREs.  Laundry has been shut-down all week.  I went 4 days without taking a shower.  I shaved using a rusted metal shack outside as a mirror with a 6 oz bottle of water.  Yesterday the water came back on for a while, long enough to take a quick shower. 

As miserable as the week has been, I found great comfort in reading scripture.  Stef and I are going through a bible reading plan together.  Today’s reading was Psalm 56.  Isn’t it interesting how God’s Word is always relevant to the season of life you are going thru? 

Listen to Psalm 56: “Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.  My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.  When I am afraid, I will trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?”.  It reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 10:28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. 

Isn’t this an amazing piece of scripture?  These verses tell me the worst thing the enemy can do is to take our lives.  The reason we shouldn’t be fearful is because if our bodies die, our souls are immediately with God in heaven.  If we were to take those verses literally how would it impact our lives?  Would we spend less time worrying?  And what would it do to the anxious people over here in a war zone?  I think, perhaps, it would free our minds to focus on the greatness of God. 

Ceremony for Fallen Soldier

This week I participated in a ceremony for a fallen soldier in our unit.  The military always pays respect to those who die in the line of duty, especially here in the midst of war.  The ceremony took place at the flight line.  Many of us formed up in several smaller units and stood at attention while the honor guard carried the flags. 

Soon the humvee with the casket drove by and we all saluted the vehicle.  As you might imagine, there is a lot of protocol that comes with the way the casket is prepared.  When a flag is draped over a coffin the union is always placed over the head of the deceased.  The flag is vey meticulously wrapped around the casket.  At the funeral in the United States the flag will be ceremoniously removed from the coffin and presented to the family (usually the wife) as “Taps” is being played. 

The pall bearers marched to the vehicle and slowly carried the casket onto the back of the C-130.  Many of the co-workers walked by to pay last tributes to their friend and fellow soldier who lost his life.  The body was flown to Dover Air Force Base for testing.  It was a sad day for many here at the office. 

Updates

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated and I have lots to share, so where do I start?

First of all, thank you to the First Presbyterian Church, Kooeinga’s, Clarks, Colburns, and Garners for your packages.  I got all kinds of goodies this week, including homemade cookies, almonds, mixed nuts, chewing gum, Hanalei Tea, Kaui Cookies, Mauna Loa Macadamias, Kaui Nut Roasters, starburst candies, and sandal-shaped gummies.  Also, thanks Kim and Matt for the sleeping mask, it has really helped.  It’s always fun to receive boxes from people who care about you and love you.  Thank you!

On Saturday for lunch 4 of us guys decided to eat at Aziz’s (below).  Aziz’s is a locally run, traditional Afghan eatery located on the Northwest side of the base.  There are only 4 tables in the restaurant.  I had a rack of lamb on rice, topped with fried raisins, slivered carrots, and pistachios.  It turned out pretty good.  Lamb is the most widely used meat in Afghanistan.  The only downside of the lunch was waiting one hour and 45 minutes for the food.  It was snowing outside and you could see the cook through a hole in the wall cooking up the lamb outside.  I think the falling snow slowed his cooking time.

Here’s my entrée below.  Let’s just say I don’t think Dad would ever eat at this restaurant!

Here’s a picture of my room with my new desk.  I found this desk broken, on the side of the road outside my B Hut.  All it needed was some extra screws in the leg to hold it in place.  A few days later, I found a broken metal chair and bent the metal back in place, so now I have somewhere to sit as I type.  It has been so nice to have a chair and desk in my room.

Here’s my view from the desk I work at everyday.  The building I work in is one of the newest buildings on the base.  Directly in front of me is a flat-screen television where I can watch highlights from news channels in the states.  Early this morning we had a group of people in here watching the Super Bowl.  The Ops Center is directly across the hall from my office, where about 30 people do the day-to-day mission work here at the Regional Support Command. 

Thanks to Kim and Matt for the beautiful Hawaiian calendar I get to look at each day.  It reminds me there are other places in the world besides Afghanistan.  Next to the calendar are some of my favorite pictures from our little family.

Behold the Lamb of God

This week I have been listening to the “Behold the Lamb of God” album that Jen and Todd bought for me.  I like having something to listen to as I work-out in the afternoons.  I found the music to be very good and the lyrics to be so rich in meaning.  I’ve been thinking of the words to the song, “Deliver Us” a lot recently.  I posted some of the lyrics so you can see.  It is a reminder to me that God frees us from the bondage of sin, releases our shackles, and sets our hearts on Him.  Thanks for the music Todd and Jen!

Our enemy, our captor is no pharaoh on the Nile Our toil is neither mud nor brick nor sand Our ankles bear no calluses from chains, yet Lord, we're bound Imprisoned here, we dwell in our own land Deliver us, deliver us Oh Yahweh, hear our cry And gather us beneath your wings tonight Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay These shackles they were made with our own hands Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give So Yahweh, break your silence if you can

Thank You!

I’ve been blessed to receive so many thoughtful letters and packages.  Today I received a wonderful care package from Cori and Cason.  They thought of all my favorites:  sour patch kids, swedish fish, popcorn, coffee, the game Mad Gab, and LOTS of other things.  Thanks guys!  I also got a box from Stefanie with iPod ear phones, pictures of the kids, and gummi candy!

Every once in a while we get boxes of letters from elementary students from schools all across the country.  My co-worker likes to read them out loud during the day.  Some of them are quite funny.  We post the best ones on the wall for everyone to read.

Snowed In

The snow started falling here last Thursday night and didn’t stop until Saturday.  We ended up with several inches, which made travel back and forth to work interesting.  It made me glad to be walking in waterproof combat boots.  Temperatures have lowered into the teens overnight and caused the snow to turn into a solid sheet of ice.  Planes were grounded on the runway and all available snow plows were diverted to clear the taxiways.  With no missions taking off I’ve been able to get some of the best nights of sleep I’ve had yet.  The snow really boosted morale here.  Soldiers were making snowmen on their breaks.  Airmen were throwing snowballs at one another.  It was fun to see a lighter side after months of the same dull weather.

Here’s a look down Disney Road, the path I take to work each day.

Right outside my B-Hut.  By early afternoon most of the snow had compacted and turned into ice.

Here’s one of the many water bottle supply points.  Get the water before it freezes again!

Our B Huts here are made of half-inch plywood and offer no insulation.  We have a heater but it can barely keep up with the freezing temperatures.  So I bought an electric blanket here at the PX which helps.  I crank it up to the highest setting every night!