121612 First Real Snow and Where Am I?

121612 First Real Snow and Where Am I?

Today was the real first snow in Kabul.  Before today it was just snow flurries that would not stick.  The hills around Kabul are probably getting a good layer of snow as well and once the skies clear up, I'll be able to tell.  Above are some pics from today as well as the German Christmas tree that has lights and looks great at night.  And also above is a pic of the new 'sign' that went up about a week ago.  I guess we needed the sign since too many people were wondering "where am I"?
R/Chris

121312 Snowing here and a Muslim toilet

121312 Snowing here and a Muslim toilet 

Today has been a rain/snow mix and by tonight it will be snow.  I don't go outside too much here (except to walk to the DFAC, gym or the hooch) which is good since I only have a light pull-over jacket here.  Also I get asked about what a Muslim toilet looks like every now and then and while at the Kabul airport last month I took some pics as the bathroom there was 1/2 Muslim and 1/2 'western' toilets.  The pics should be pretty much self-explanatory. 

R/Chris

121112 Christmas Doors

121112  Christmas Doors 
Christmas overseas on a military base is a low key event at most.  There might be some memorial or all-faith type service on Christmas day but otherwise its another work day.  Christmas decorations are minimal too.  Frankly the Germans have been the most 'festive' as they have put up a Christmas tree and held a Christmas bake sale.  There are several offices that have decorated their doors and I've taken some pics and have posted here. 
R/Chris

120912 Wounded Warriors

120912 Wounded Warriors 

One of the functions of the organization Wounded Warriors is to coordinate and facilitate bringing back to Afghanistan (and Iraq) those who were severely injured in order to have a proper exit from theater.  Rarely do I see guys like this on base but every now and then they are here, usually to give a speech or two and then they too will move on with their lives.  If you ever meet one of them the best thing you can do is to treat them as totally normal.  Anything much more than that and you're drawing attention to their 'difference'.  And that is one of the things they're trying to forget.
R/Chris

112412 Ashura and it should snow soon.

112412 Ashura and it should snow soon.

Islam has more damn holidays than you can shake a stick at!  Today is Ashura, observed by Shiite Muslims is today which means I couldn't pick up my laundry.  Also this is a Shiite holiday so Sunni Muslims do not (er, at least are not supposed to) get the day off.  But guess what, all the Muslims here on base are Shiite! (at least for today.)  Eh, we've have the 'festival of the turkey' but damn Muslims have quite a few holidays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Ashura

Also attached is a pic of the nearby mountains.  It's supposed to snow here on Wednesday or Thursday and as it gets cold the air gets very dirty.  This is because Afghans burn ANYTHING that will burn when it's gets cold.  If you go back in this blog I go into detail what 'anything' means and it's not pretty.

R/Chris

 

112112 Suicide Bomber and last attack of the season?

112112 Suicide Bomber and last attack of the season?

Today the morning was interrupted by a boom.  From where I was located I did not consider it very close given the loudness it made.  Anyway, I headed to

breakfast while Italian, Macedonian and US security forces scampered about seeming to determine what was going on and how to coordinate efforts. 

Technically, the base was in immediate lockdown and technically I should 'seek cover and remain in place'….but I was hungry.
So I made it breakfast and by then Security had gotten their act together and guards we now posted everywhere and now I couldn't leave.  That lasted for about

30 minutes before the 'ALL CLEAR' was sounded and people could again move about freely. 
Evidently two suicide bombers had attacked the wall and one blew enough of the wall away to make an opening but the other was shot/killed while attempting

to get through.  (see link below)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/21/us-afghanistan-blast-idUSBRE8AK06M20121121

It's November and its getting cold here and the Taliban usually don't do much in cold weather.  But it's not that cold and it's still clear (but it may snow this

week) so maybe this is the last attack of the season?
R/Chris

111312 Rocket Attack at Kabul

111312 Rocket Attack at Kabul

Rocket attacks are rare here since it's very difficult to aim a mortar and hit anything with any degree of accuracy.  This is in contrast to the big bases outside Kabul where they probably get hit daily.   But today I was woken up at around 6 AM by the 'big voice' (a very loud PA system over the base here) telling me to 'remain under cover'.  Fortunately the attack was over almost as quickly as it had started and we were free to go about our business. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20308541

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/international/rocket-attack-on-kabul-kills-one/article4093130.ece

It's always something....
R/Chris

111112 Remembrance Day

111112 Remembrance Day

Yesterday was Remembrance Day here (also known as Remembrance Sunday)  This is Commonwealth version of Veteran's Day and is held "to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts".

The ceremony was divided up so part of it was in French and Dutch,  then translated.  It's fall here and as you can see there were trees all around.  Also its not hot at all but regardless about halfway through the ceremony an American soldier next, next to me hit the ground hard (i.e. he feinted).  He seemed to 'come to' rather quickly with a 'what happened!' look on his face.   He was attended to on the ground for about 10 minutes before somebody had the sense to say "get up and move to the back". 

Also in the pics you can see the flyer that was handed out.  We had to sing as a group and uh…that didn't go too well.  Other pics are of soldiers, the poppy pin being sold for a donation and the wreaths that were part of the ceremony and a pic of me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Sunday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_poppy

R/Chris

111012 Flanders Poppy, Marine Corps Birthday 

Today is the USMC birthday and so there'll be cake at lunch time.  Otherwise, it's another day.  Also the Brits have been 'selling' these poppy pins (see pic below.)  Actually you just make a donation of anything and you get a poppy pin.  Tomorrow is Remberance day and it's a big deal for the the Brits, French, Italians, New Zealanders, Australians, etc.  Uh, the Germans are not selling any poppies though. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_poppy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaver_rhoeas

R/Chris

110912 Previous correction and life in the dorms

110912 Previous correction and life in the dorms

In a previous post (below) I mention the cat 'Danger' and the fact that I've been scratched many times by her.  I also state "..but it turns out that she has rabies, I'm dead." I should have said "...but IF it turns out that she has rabies, I'm dead."  I really should proof read my writing more.  The cat (and me) seem to be doing fine so it's I hoping 'no rabies'.  Rabies does kill about 1500 people a year in Afghanistan so it's certainly not something to take lightly.  I've not allowed myself to be scratched since.

http://www.indexmundi.com/afghanistan/major_infectious_diseases.html
 
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/afghanistan.htm

Also the I live in a dorm-like facility here.  It's a big 'mortar-proof' building with solid steel walls, a kevlar roof and blast doors.  As far as I know this base has never taken a mortar hit (unlike Iraq where it was a daily occurrance.)  The US bases outside of Kabul do get mortared all the time but being so near 'down town' Kabul makes it very difficult to aim a mortar at this base
Right now on the first floor of Freedom Hall (where I bunk) there are 3 working bathrooms (two on one end and one on the other end.)  The other bathroom has been 'Being Fixed' since I got here.  I wonder if it will be fixed before I leave?
R/Chris

102612 If this cat has rabies, I'm dead.

102612  If this cat has rabies, I'm dead.

 

As a contractor in Afghanistan I'm bound by many (but not all) rules and regulations in place for military personnel here.  One of those rules is General Order 1A which says a bunch of stuff and among all that stuff it says that no personnel are permitted to "feed or have contact with the animals" here.  Per some of the attached link "the risk of rabies in Afghanistan is among the highest in the world ... Very severe illness; fatality rate higher than 50%".

 

Above are pics of "Danger".  Danger has been hanging around for a good 6 months or so behind the building where I work and I think Danger is sill a kitten. So when you pet her, she seems to think of it as play and scratches and bites a bit.  She doesn't bit or scratch hard but it is enough to draw blood, and she has done so several times.  She is still a good cat, but it turns out that she has rabies, I'm dead.

 

R/Chris

102212 Group Pic, Power Outage and Contractors drinking...

102212 Group Pic, Power Outage and Contractors drinking...

 

Yesterday we did a group pic.  Why we did so, I have no idea.  Someone said it was needed.  Of the 13 people in the pic I'm the second oldest and the youngest is 27.  Of the 13 people, 11 are prior military (7 Army, 2 AF, 1 Navy (me) and 1 USMC).  Of the 13, 4 are either never married and/or don't have any kids.  All of us are contractors and as you can see the 'average' contractor is pretty much someone you'd see on the street in any anytown, USA. 

Today we also had a power outage.  In Kabul (and on ALL bases here in AF) power comes from big diesel generators which are loud.  Kabul as a city periodically has brown-outs (like Mexico City, Manilla, Cairo, etc.).  Unfortunately when the generator 'went' the backup generator didn't go online so we were in the dark for about an hour.  In Iraq, it was a daily occurrence for the generators to trip once a day or so but the backup would be up in minutes.  Things are just different here.

I've been asked a few times if I worked for Jorge Scientific.  Uh, no.  In all my time in Iraq and Afghanistan I've never seen anything remotely like what is portrayed in the link below.

http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/video-shows-contractors-drunk-high-in-afghanistan-1.193608

But if I had, I'm not sure what I would have done either.  Doing the right thing would have meant no employment. I have no idea where these guys are in Afghanistan but I'm sure they're gone now. 

R/Chris

102112 Seattle and Rattlesnake Ledge

102112  Seattle and Rattlesnake Ledge

 On my R&R I also visited Seattle (where I'm from.)  Seattle is really a nice place in the summer as it's very green and usually not too hot at all.  But then again it's nice all year round to me.   Anyway one of the things I wanted to do there was hike Rattlesnake Ledge (see pic.)  It's a good hike at about 1200' elevation increase and generally crowded with tourist from overseas!  AND, there are no rattlesnakes west of the Cascade mountains so why the heck is it called Rattlesnake Ledge?   I hiked it with my friend Harvey (10 years my junior) and after maybe a third of the way up, Harvey needed to rest.  Then again, Harvey did say I had an unfair advantage since living in Kabul (elevation 5800) already aclimated me to such a hike. 
 Rattlesnake Ledge was also in the national news a while back since some nut-job, killed his family, burned the house down and hunkered down in a bunker somewhere here.  See link.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2018093698_bunker29m.html

And in one of the pics across the valley is Mount Si.  Which back in the 80s was....Twin Peaks.  North Bend (the town of Twin Peaks) is down in the valley and the cafe where black coffee and cherry pie is still there.

R/Chris

 

102012 Trip to Chicago

102012 Trip to Chicago

 

As a contractor I get a break every six months.  This is pretty typical for most contractors but it can be more or less often.  It just depends on your contract.  Anyway, I got my break after about 9 months here and was in the states about a month back.  I went to a couple of places but really wanted to visit Chicago to see the Field museum and 'Sue'.  The Field is quite a place and I'm certain that I'll go back for the other exhibits.  Heck there is even a dinosaur at the airport!

Any way, here are some pics.  I've also not posted as much since I've been in a funk since I've been back and have been busy.  It just gets lonely here at times and I'm not immune to it.  It is what it is.

R/Chris

 

 

 

18 September 12 Children's Memorial Ceremony

18 September 12 Children's Memorial Ceremony, Perhaps one suicide bombing a week is the new norm?

 

Things are tense in Afghanistan.  There have been 51 'Green on Blue' or Insider attacks since the beginning of the year.  You need a guardian angel (aka buddy with a weapon) to go anywhere off base and if on base (and if authorized to do so) you must carry a weapon everywhere (DFAC, gym, work space, etc) with the clip IN the weapon. 

 

About a week ago a suicide bomber (14 yo kid) tried to get on base (he didn't stand a chance).  He was turned away and for whatever reason walked across the street where he blew himself up along with 1/2 dozen or so of the Afghan street urchins that hang outside the gate here.  I knew a few of them and the little girl sold knotted bracelets and I would tell her that I would buy one 'next time'. 

 

Today a short ceremony was held for them.  It was hosted by Generall Waddel and well attended.  Such is life in Afghanistan.  Perhaps one suicide bombing a week is the new norm?

R/Chris