It's the week of Thanksgiving and I'm STILL in Afghanistan. Apparently I'm supposed to be out here for almost a year. This chafes me just a bit. Who do they think they are?
Well, things are pretty busy for me here. Our mission is 12 hours a day, every day. I'm the guy in charge of the Joe's, so my day is longer. Add travel times to and from the workspace and chow and my hut an I end up with very little time for much of anything other than prepare for and go to bed.
It's the good life.
A few weeks ago, I wrote my dad an email and he responded with a list of questions. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, Dad, please refer to paragraph 2; this post!
Anyway, they are pretty good questions and I thought I might respond for everyone's benefit, here:
So- where in Afghanistan are you? Are you in a big place with an established infrastructure? Like a descent mess hall, maybe a burger king or some other contracted eatery. Starbucks even? Is there a PX that you can walk through once a week to see if they got any new souvenirs or other stuff you don’t need? Does your little B-hut have a window? You say you have internet, is it a network you are plugged into, just really really slow? What kind of hours are you working? 6 days a week, seven? Is your work environment a permanent facility or are you working in milvans or something like that? Is it a joint facility, or just army? How far is it from where you live to where you work and eat? Walking distance, ride a bike, take a train!!!!
What do you have to do in your spare time? What’s your duty uniform? Do you have to walk around in helmet and stuff or just soft cap? You got bunkers nearby? Anybody shooting at the place you work? Are you making a list of the things you should have brought but didn’t think or, or didn’t have room for? Any items you routinely need but aren’t available over there. Still standing by for a mailing address.
So, without further ado:Where in Afghanistan are you? - I'm at Bagram Airfield.
Are you in a big place with an established infrastructure? - Yes, Bagram Airfield is probably the most built up. Most of the 'permanent' party folks, like pilots and air traffic controllers, have 'CONEX' rooms. Almost like an actual barracks room. But those are not for us.
Like a decent mess hall, maybe even a burger king or some other contracted eatery. Starbucks even? - There are five mess halls, by my count, a pizza hut, a burger king, a popeye's, and green bean coffee. That last is kind of like Starbucks. The pizza can even be delivered, by Afghanis on four wheelers. The selection is pretty dismal, like just whoppers and chicken sandwiches at BK. I prefer the chow hall. Most of them allow you to get as much food as you want and one of them is a BBQ Chow hall where it's some kind of BBQ style grilled meal every day. EVERY. DAY.
Is there a PX you an walk through once a week to see if they got any new souvenirs or other stuff you don't need? - Same place as the burger king and stuff is the PX. They generally run out of stock pretty fast but I can go every day if I have the time and inclination. I have neither really. But when I need stuff, I can make time to go.
Does your little B-Hut have a window? - No a functioning one. There is a plywood 'blind' that I have latched shut to keep as much warm in and as much dust out as I can.
You say you have internet, is it a network you are plugged into, just really really slow? - not sure how the magic works. I pay a guy something like $70 a month and I get dial-up speed internet. It's wireless, but it uses the 'modem'. It's weird, I don't understand it.
What kind of hours are you working? - Office hours are 12 a day. I hold my formation an hour prior. I generally troop around with my OIC to deal with stuff before and after office hours.
6 days a week, seven? - 7 days a week. Apparently, there are no days off in a warzone. Insurgents are trying to blow our guys up everyday. They apparently didn't get the memo that we have 'weekends' where everyone takes a break. It's a big culture thing.
Is your work environment a permanent facility or are you working in milvans or something like that? - 'Permanent' buildings. Made of Conexes. Wareous estyle stuff. We just moved as a matter of fact, into 'state of the art' warehouses.
Is it a joint facility, or just army? - Multinational. We got some brits working with us. In my office we have some Navy folk. They're pretty cool, we like to point them out to our superiors whenever we give them tours. Don't tap the glass! Neato factoid, at the end of this, we get our NATO ribbons. Neat.
How far is it from where you live to where you work and eat? - To eat, not far. About 5 minutes, walking in any direction. To work? Well, now it's a mile and a half and part of that is up along the perimeter when all that separates us from Base and Afghanistan proper is a chain link fenc with concertina, some guard towers, and... the minefield with the low chain at the border and signs that say, "Don't go in here, it's a minefield!" I haven't tested it to see if they're telling the truth.
Walking distance, ride a bike, take a train!!!!! - Hey, that's not a question!!! Right now it's a combination of walking, shuttle bus (which runs sporadically and generally not in synch with our work and meal hours), and begging rides from the van that belongs to us, but we have lowest priority on (apparently, civilian workers get first dibs, and there are a bajillion of them and it's only a 12 passenger van).
What do you have to do in your spare time? - HAHAHAHAHAHA.
What's your duty uniform? Do you have to walk around in a helmet and stuff, or just soft cap? - Here's where my dad dates himself. It's called 'patrol cap' these days, ya geezer! Duty uniform is the Army Combat Uniform, Patrol Cap, and your gun. Rifle for most everyone, but since I hold a leadership position, I get to holster a 9mm. Which is better than toting a rifle slung over your back all over the place. At night they make us wear reflective belts. It's so the enemy knows we're so unafraid of them we are happy to put big glowing targets around our torsos. Also, they are protective belts. We are invincible when we wear them, bullets bounce off of us, cars get totalled while we brush off the dust, vampires can't bite us.
You got bunkers nearby? - All over the place. When a lot of us cram in there together, the combined might of our protective belts actually reverses global warming for the duration we cower within.
Anybody shooting at the place you work? - They launch mortars into Bagram Airfield about once a week. People get hurt, sometimes killed. I heard a series of booms nearby once while I was at the BBQ Dining Facility. After they stopped, I performed a quick mental checklist, determined I wasn't dead, and continued eating. Some people were a bit more freaked out. Others didn't even bother with the mental checklist. I'm sure a select few didn't even register the explosions.
Are you making a list of things that you should have brought but didn't think to, or didn't have room for? - So here's a funny story. I got into the unit a little late and as we were leaving for Ft. Lewis, they gave me a big box and said, "Here's a big box to fill with all the stuff you want to take!" Yay, thanks. From "You're going" to "I'm here" was five days. I didn't have any stuff. So I went to Wal-Mart. Bought a years supply of soap and a years supply of Crystal Light. That's like 15 tubes with 6 gallons of Crystal Light, each. You know what they give away for free here in all of the Dining Facilities? Single serving packs of Crystal Light. I could use some Advil. But don't send me any unless I ask specifically for it directly from someone individually, I don't need 20 bottles cause everyone who reads this blog sends me some!
Still standing by for a mailing address.
Daniel Oliver
321st MI BN / TF Dark Knight
Bagram Airfield
APO AE 09354
Do NOT put Afghanistan anywhere on anything.
Alright, that's all for now. Feel free to address any questions to me at my email. If you don't know it, comment me here.
More later!
