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.
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.
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