Afghanistan Bound

Shortly after returning from Australia I was informed that I would be heading to Afghanistan to integrate a unit moving from Kuwait while at the same time, meeting various figure heads to discuss my experiences during my mission in Iraq, specifically the draw down of forces and equipment.

My first stop was Kandahar Airfield (KAF) in RC-East, elevation 10,500 feet. I didn't spend much time there the first time I visited but was able to soak in the terrible air quality, walk around in the moon dust that coated the entire base, enjoy indoor plumbing, and gag at the smell of fecal matter from the nearby sewage treatment pond.

After about 18 hours in KAF I was headed to Bagram Airfield (BAF) situated just north of Kabul. As soon as I stepped off the plane I noticed a big difference in air quality and the drop in temperature, mainly due to the mountains that surround the base. I was put up in what was called a "B" hut....and I know why. These buildings are made of plywood with no insulation allowing one to see outside through the cracks between each piece of wood. Walking inside it didn't seem too bad until I was shown my room....or in this case, the janitor closet with a mattress on the floor. I was literally given a closet to sleep in. Outstanding. At night, it dropped to about 20* outside which is exactly how cold it was inside as well since the small space heaters couldn't keep up. To make matters worse, it snowed for three days straight but every day, it would warm up just enough to turn the snow to slush. Sadly I only have one pair of boots and they are designed for desert wear and therefore are lightweight, minimal insulation and are NOT waterproof. My boots got wet and that was the end of it. For three days my feet were ice cold and my boots could never dry at night because it never got warm enough in my living area to try and dry them.

There were tons of civilians all over the place, mostly Russians and everywhere I could see, the Department of Defense was losing money on bogus contracts. I had thought that the way things were in JBB was bad, this place is much worse. Yards full of destroyed equipment, mangled metal, unused containers. Ridiculous. I did get a chance to visit the prison on BAF. Met with the Fire Chief and ran into one of my old NCOs' father who was a Sergeant Major at the prison. Small world.

While I was there I was able to sit in on some training the Soldiers were going through on a system called CROWS. It's a mounted weapon system that sits in the gunner's turret on a vehicle. It is operated by joystick with multiple cameras that allow for night vision, heat signatures and the like. The idea behind it is that it keeps the gunner from being exposed outside the truck. From the simulations and the hands on training, the system is pretty phenomenal.

After spending a few weeks in BAF, I went back to KAF which was a nice change as it was much warmer there! I was finally able to hit the gym again as I had a little more free time but had to take it easy. Walking around base you don't really feel the altitude but working out, my heart rate shot through the roof while I was doing cardio. I discovered a DFAC (Dining Facility) called Far East that served Thai food....delicious!!! Went there every night for dinner after that.

KAF is a NATO base which was interesting to see the various military's from around the world; Romania, Poland, England, German, even Australian. After being in KAF for a few days, I headed to Camp Leatherneck, a Marine base in RC South. Not sure if the Marine pilot did it on purpose but at one point we plunged rapidly and went to zero gravity for about 10 seconds. I didn't have my seatbelt on at the time and had to grab onto my seat to keep from being ejected to the ceiling. Everyone on board looked around afterwards with the same 'what the hell was that?' expression on their face.

I spent the day at Leatherneck talking with the Marines there about the retrograde operation they were conducting and about my experience in Iraq last summer and headed back to KAF. The day after I got back to KAF, we received an indirect mortar attack that impacted on the base. I later learned that a civilian was killed and three more were severely wounded. Puts it all into perspective.

Year of the Travelin' Man

Looking back on this past year, as many people and news stations seem to do annually in late December, I have been fortunate and blessed. Although I am once again deployed keeping me from friends, family, missing birthdays, holidays, graduations, I still count myself as lucky for being able to do the things I have done over the last 12 months. As the title eludes to, this was another year of travel. Back in 2005 I traveled to eight countries on five continents, the most traveled year for me ever. Four years later I made a run at that by traveling to Europe during my last deployment visiting four countries and again in the spring of 2010 going on a cruise with my grandparents, father and little sister sailing to five counties in the Carribbean.

2011 was no exception to traveling to new countries but it's not just traveling to other countries that I've done this year....it all started last January when my Christmas leave in Minnesota ended and I began the 1400 mile journey back to Virginia. Shortly after getting back, I flew with Anthony Joyce to Las Vegas to meet up with friends and his brother for his bachelor party. That's about all I can really say about our time there. In mid-February I had the fortune of being invited to and attending the wedding of Anthony and Jennifer Joyce. Sadly, one, who shall not be named, was/is not a fan of flying so the three of us drove down to Miami for a long weekend. February rolled into March when I flew to Scotland and drove around the entire coastline of Ireland. Finally April was upon me and the long flight to Kuwait began yet another deployment. But this deployment would be different than the last. The position I held opened up the door to spearhead a high visibility mission; design a plan to shutdown the FOBs in northern Iraq to get the troops out. This led me to wishing the Army had a frequent flier miles program as there were seven flights I took in and out of Iraq during the planning stage of this mission. Once I was in Iraq permanently, I was able to hop a flight over to FOB Al Asad where my brother Kyle was deployed to and spent a few days with him. Of course these flights were lacking the amenities even Southwest would have, the military spares no expense on C-130s. On one flight, I sat in the cockpit for the duration of the trip. Once we took off, it wasn't until around 11,000 feet that we finally punched through the dust that hovers over the entire country. It was on this flight that I got a front row seat to watch a combat landing in action. When in a combat zone aircraft are a valued target to shoot down so they stay at a high altitude until the last possible second. Instead of those nice coasting, gradual, nose pointed up landings civilian planes do, typically in decent weather, clear skies and no anti-aircraft fire, the pilots here must nosedive the final few hundred feet to the point where it seems there's no possible way it could end well. I spent the next four months living in Balad, just north of Baghdad and did plenty of traveling between there and four other FOBs ultimately chalking up another 5,000+ miles on the road. After leaving Iraq the end of October, November added the fifth country of the year, Australia, which I spent two weeks traveling around for my R&R. Not only was Australia the fifth country of the year, but the sixth continent I have set foot on, something I have waited patiently over the last few years to accomplish. Hardly two days after being back from Australia I was tasked out with heading over to Afghanistan and left in late December in a C-17 rounding up the end of the year.

Just today I was asked what my New Year's Resolution was and although at the time I couldnt come up with any, I now know. I resolve to travel. I know this year I've seen more than most will ever see in their lifetime, but my thirst has yet to be quenched. Six countries in one year on three different continents might be enough for someone, not this guy. Besides, three of those countries are in the middle east and let's face it, they were 1) not by choice and 2) no where on my bucket list. Sure I'll try and eat better, watch my weight, workout more and maybe at some point be able to say that I don't text and drive (last years resolution), but let's face it, seeing the world is much more fun!