050112 May Day in Kabul

050112 May Day in Kabul

Today is the 1st of May in Kabul and the grass and trees are green with fresh growth.  Soon the roses will start blooming I'll then be reading more reports of poppy eradification out in the field.  The temps are in the 70s/low 80s during the day here while in Balad (where I was stationed in Iraq), it's now over 100F.  Also in the pic my ID is turned over intentionally.  It was pointed out to me that the image could be enlarged to produce a duplicate badge.  So best to error on the side of OPSEC and turn it over.  I (and everyone including military) must wear a badge at all times that is visible 'between the waist and neck.'  If ever I leave the office and I'm not wearing a badge I immediatly 'feel it'.  As if I felt a bit naked.  Also from the pic I'm pretty dang white.  Since I've been on night shift I've not been running during the day like I did in Iraq. Also I'm still in the habit of sunscreen 'every where, every day'.  I suppose it's not hurting me.  Anyway.  It's May Day in Kabul.
R/Chris

043012 The gifts from Afghanistan really do come from Afghanistan.

043012 The gifts from Afghanistan really do come from Afghanistan.
A co-worker and myself deal a lot with one particular vendor and so we decided to put together a 'thank you' box for her of stuff from Afghanistan.  When I was in Iraq the gifts that I sent were generally not from Iraq.  The rugs were generally from Iran and the trinkets from either Turkey, India or China.  The gifts from Afghanistan really do come from Afghanistan.  Anyway, one popular gift is the polished blue rock.  They come in varying sizes (at about 55 euro/kg).  The rocks all come from a mine in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan.  The mine has been in operation for nearly 6,000 years and the eye shadow that Cleopatra used probably came from ground lapis lazuli rock from this mine.  (I don't make this stuff up!)

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

Other nice gifts are wood items (such as the woodend basket in the pics), scarfs, vases and figurines made of semi-precious stone.  Needless to say, our Thank You gift box went over very well and for that we got Doritos, Fritos, beef jerky, Wheat Thins and some flavored pop corn.  A win-win situation if you ask me!
R/Chris

042812 The temptation of drugs and money. How'd that work out Dave?

042812 The temptation of drugs and money.  How'd that work out Dave?

Everyday in Kabul I read the daily ISAF email traffic of the day's 'goings on.'  In it are aircraft mishaps, casualty reports, security notices and a myriad of other reports.  But what seems to stand out are the many reports of drug and weapons finds.  The main cities such as Kabul are relatively safe (in this case 'relatively safe' means relatively safe for Afghanistan.)  But out in the countryside (and there is a LOT of countryside out there) it's the Wild, Wild West.  Drugs are rampant and it's a problem that the military has had to address.

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/in-afghanistan-dozens-of-us-soldiers-have-been-investigated-for-drug-use-in-last-2-years/2012/04/21/gIQATWGIXT_story.html

 http://www.news.com.au/world/us-army-tempted-by-afghan-drugs/story-fn6sb9br-1226335329938

 In this environment, contractors are not immune either.  Below is a link to a story about Dave Welch, whom I worked with while in Iraq.  Dave was a great all-American guy from NC who was young and had a managerial position in Iraq that guys twice his age in the states would be lucky to have.  But it seems he wanted more. 

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/April/12-crm-415.html 

Anyway, what the article doesn't tell you is that Dave lost his clearance and probably any chance to ever work in any capacity with the Government again.  And that is AFTER he gets out of any jail sentence and pays back that $160K in restitution. How'd that work out Dave?

R/Chris

042712 Mujahideen Victory Day, New Plaza and a Billy Update.

042712 Mujahideen Victory Day, New Plaza and a Billy Update.

Tomorrow is Mujahideen Victory day here in Kabul.  So there will be some festivities in the capital by the Afghan government.  For us on base though we've been told to 'keep our kevlar vest and jacket nearby'.  It's all part of life in Kabul.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mujahideen_Victory_Day

Also the HQ ISAF command here is sprucing up the plaza in front of the headquarters building.  Attached are a few pics of the work the local Afghans are doing to replace the front plaza area.  They're really doing a good job as they have levels out there and string tied between two points to keep things staight.  This seems to be in contrast with a drain the local Afghans built at the parking lot here (see pic).  Before the drain, the parking lot would fill up with 4-6 inches of standing water when it rained.  The problem is that the drain DOESN'T GO ANYWHERE'!  So now...when it rains, the parking lot fills up with 4-6 inches of standing water, but it just takes longer until the 'drain itself is filled up!'  The concept of a 'drain' seems to be lost.    

And some details of Billy's death are now coming out (see blog from a few days earlier.)  Billy didn't come to work one day so someone went to his hooch and found him naked with lots of blood everywhere.  His death has been labeled 'suspicious circumstances' (duh) so there's an investigation.  We also got an email about the trip his body took back to the states.  'His presence' was announced over the PA system on the commercial flight his body took.  The plane's captain said they were 'returning a hero' to the US from Afghanistan and a short poem was even read.  while compliments are always nice (even when you're dead), to me the only heros here are the ones that go outside that wire.  We who stay behind are doing a job over here albeit in tougher than usual circumstances.  And while it's possible to do something heroic while inside the wire, doing one's daily job really doesn't qualify as such.  I'm sure Billy was a great guy, but....

R/Chris

042312 Spring in DeStile Garden, also the start of malaria season.

042312 Spring in DeStile Garden, also the start of malaria season. 
Pics that I posted just a month ago show lots of snow and me here in Kabul a jacket.  It's definitely spring now and all the snow is long gone but it's still chilly enough here at night to warrant a lite jacket or sweatshirt.  In Iraq it's lite shirt weather by now for both day and night.  It's been raining every now and then here too.  The rain so far has been a 'Seattle rain' where it'll just slowly drizzle for 5 hours or so and barely rain an inch.  With the standing pools of water come concerns about the start of malaria season.  Some offices/companies require their employees to take a malaria prophylaxis.  The military seems to be haphazard on this topic as well as again, some take it and some don't.  But that's really par for the course since there are so many commands and nationalities represented here at HQ ISAF to get EVERYONE to 100% agree on any course of action is essentially an exercise in futility.  Heck if the Greeks are FOR it you can be sure the Macedonians are going to be AGAINST.  And the malaria prophylaxis of choice?  Good ole Cipro!
R/Chris

041912 Camp Cupcake has a sauna and Billy checked out.

041912 Camp Cupcake has a sauna and Billy checked out.

The day after the attacks on Sunday things were pretty much back to normal.  Working every day means a very regimented life.  I work 8 PM to 8 AM and the hardest thing for me is to go to bed with the sun shining brightly outside.  After work I try to have a cup of chocolate and then check email surf the web or watch a 'Bernie-movie' before bed.  I'm up at 6 or 7 PM and in the office between 7 and 8 PM.  Fortunately going to the gym is encouraged here and if you go during work hours (which I do) I'm then allowed to make up the time either before or after shift. 

My gym time is 5-6 AM and I do cardio and weights.  I recently discovered the sauna and have been taking advantage of that too.  No gym in either Iraq or AF even has a sauna except here at HQ ISAF (aka Camp Cupcake.)  The sauna is a good one too as it's hot in there!  I can handle about 15 minutes max and then I gota  get out (see pic.) 
On a completely different note a co-worker here off'd himself today.  He was found in his hooch, dead.  He was in his early 40's, had a wife and kids.  As is standard practice, all communications out of the office were immediately shut off until his next of kin could be notified.  I wasn't there but I'm told that the ceremony to put the body on the plane for the trip to Dover was dignified and solumn.  You wouldn't think that the Army would do that for just some civilian guy.  But they do and it's kinda nice and respectful, on several different levels.  Billy checked out but life goes on.
R/Chris

 

041512 At 1345, fighting erupts in Kabul.

041512  At 1345, fighting erupts in Kabul.  It's the beginning of the spring offensive fighting season (it comes right after the cherry blossom season.)

 

Sunday here was like any other Sunday until 1345 (that's 1:45 PM local.)  Taliban insurgents conducted a 'complex attack' (which means everything they could muster).  Since I was already in my room sleeping (I'm on night shift here) I continued doing what I was doing. I officially woke up at 7 PM to get ready for my shift at 8 and only then heard all the commotion, etc.  There were alarms and other announcement until 9:30 at which the all clear was given.  At that time I put on the ballistic vest and helmet and headed to work.  Long story short, there were VBIEDs (vehicle borne IEDs), RPGs (rocket propelled grenades) and of course the standard Soviet era mortars and small arms fire.  A total of 10 bad guys killed here in Kabul.  For more details there are many new articles out there such as the following:

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/15/11207702-taliban-kabul-attacks-start-of-spring-offensive?lite

And it is definitely spring here.  All the snow has been melted for weeks now and the while the trees are still stark, there are small green buds on them.  And here's a pic of me and a water pallet.  Only bottled water is considered safe for drinking.  This is only the first of the season.  I don't think the Haqqni Taliban were too pleased with this first effort so it's reasonable to think they'll try again.  On the plus side there are visible improvements with how the Afghans handled this attack.  Such is life in Kabul.

R/Chris