26Dec11 I finally got my Calendar

26Dec11 I finally got my Calendar

So in between Iraq and Afghanistan I spent a few weeks in the states for training.  During that time I happened to visit Hooters Restaurant as they have pretty good chicken wings (really!)  Anyway, at the end of the meal, the perky waitress (Debbie) that was waiting on us tried to sell each of us a Hooters Calendar that would then be donated to the 'Troops in Afghanistan'.  I pointed out that one of our group just completed his Afghanistan deployment, another has been there and in Iraq for many years and that I just left Iraq after 6 1/2 years and was flying to Afghanistan that weekend.  Needless to say she still wanted us to buy this $10 Calendar and then donate it 'to the troops.'  And needless to say, we all passed on the calendar. So what do I see at the NSE (National Support Element) today, but a stack of about 50 such calendars (see pic.)  And needless to say, about all 50 were still there when I went back that night.
So I finally got my Calendar Debbie!

R/Chris

(NSE - National Support Element, This is a place set aside by country where people of that nationality may go and just chill.  There's a lounge area, a phone bank place where you can make personal calls, and usually a large stock of snacks, candy, junk food etc.  There's one for every nation here at HQ ISAF.)

25Dec11 Still getting used to Kabul

25Dec11 Still getting used to Kabul

I've been here for almost two weeks now and I'm still trying to get into a good routine. It almost a week just to get used the sleep cycle and that's pretty important in itself.  We work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week and it's just not good to be late or miss a day.  (And yes, that is every day of the year.)  Anyway, above are a few pics.  One is obvious (Welcome to Kabul) and is from the airport.  In Afghanistan (as in much of the world) English is everywhere (and frankly I'm glad.)  Two of the pics show the nearby mountains.  And yes, it's cold here.  It warms up to the 40s in the day and is in the teens (18F) at night.  It's supposed to snow next week too (but just a little.)  Finally the last pic is taken from one of the many coffee shops that are on camp.  Since this is NATO base, things are bit different but it seems a coffee shop is universal. 
R/Chris

08DEC11 General: “You’ve been there quite a while drinking coffee. You must not be needed that much. Give me your CAC card, you’re fired.”

08DEC11  General: "You've been there quite a while drinking coffee.  You must not be needed that much.  Give me your CAC card, you're fired."

 

I'm at ISAF HQ which is the main base in Kabul commanded by General Allen (4 stars).  The next base over is Camp Eggers and is commanded by a 3 star General.  Now Camp Eggers is a US Base and has many more personnel there than here at ISAF HQ (a NATO base.)  There's been pressure to downsize Camp Eggers and the General there has been going about it via some interesting methods.  One thing that he did was cancel all extensions for projects manned by contractors.  In the past getting an extension was a routine procedure but now once the project is completed (per the contract date) the job goes away.  This has supposedly slashed 1,800 personnel (from about 6,000) from the roster at Camp Eggers.  Another thing that the General has been rumored to have done was visit some of the many coffee shops on base and note who is there.  He'd then go back 1/2 hour later and if he saw you there he'd say the following: "You've been there quite a while drinking coffee.  You must not be needed that much.  Give me your CAC card, you're fired."  Needless to say, whether rumor or not, it has gotten people's attention.  There might be hope for the US out of Afghanistan by then end of 2013 afterall!

R/Chris

07Dec11 Afghans Burn Everything!

07Dec11 Afghans Burn EVERYTHING!

I arrived at Kabul International Airport the other night at 5:30 PM for the short ride to ISAF HQ (International Security Assistance Force Head Quarters).  It was already dark when I put on the armored vest for the short ride.  About the first thing one notices in Kabul is the air quality..  Years of war and poor infrastructure has left its mark.  Kabul is one of the largest cities in the world (~4 million) with no sewage system.  Combine that with desire to stay warm (Afghanis will burn anything for a BTU of heat) and you have some of the worst smog in the world.  There is lead (from unleaded gasoline) and all sort of pollutants in the air here but one that concerned the military the most was fecal matter (with no sewage system, Afghanis burn IT.)  The article below gives some idea of the problem. 

http://www.stripes.com/blogs/the-rumor-doctor/the-rumor-doctor-1.104348/can-you-inhale-a-lump-of-feces-from-breathing-the-air-at-kandahar-air-field-1.131230

So while the rumor is somewhat dispelled, there's probably some truth there.  Also the article referenced below is from 2009 but little has changed since. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/15/kabul-one-of-worlds-worst_n_187192.html

Welcome to Afghanistan...

R/Chris

12/02/11 More pics

First week in Afghanistan

12/02/11 Finally in Afghanistan

I arrived in Afghanistan this last week and in many ways it’s similar to Iraq but just different.  One thing that is not different is that it takes a long time to get here.  I take a 5 hour flight from the west coast of the US to DC to catch a 14 hour (or so) flight to Dubai and then stay the night.  I then fly a Boeing 737 (charter service) from Dubai to Bagram Air Base.  The charter is crewed by Indonesians where I was served a decent chicken sandwich and piloted by Russian (“your pilots are Yukov and Serge” – really!) 

The 2.5 flight takes one over the Persian Gulf, then across SE Iraq and then into Afghanistan.  It’s a pretty dry part of the world and desolate (as the pics show.)  I then landed at Bagram Air Field then take a prop flight to Mariz-Sharif (an hour or so north) and then land at Kabul International Airport (after another hour or so.)  So I take off Sunday morning and land Tuesday night and travel across 11 time zones. 

This begins the Afghanistan adventure….

R/Chris in Afghanistan