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.