Holy vegetation, Batman!

Fort Riley is so large and things are so spread out that we have to take busses everywhere we go to out-process. I have been reading on the 20 minute bus rides just to pass the time. I finally looked up from my Kindle (see previous Kindle post) and said to myself, "holy crap, I see grass and trees!"

By the way, today was chilly in the mid fifties to low sixties. It makes for an unpleasant wait in line when the line is outside. I really wish that I was returning to the U.S. coming into the summer months.

More waiting

Today was filled with waiting in line. Waiting in line loading personal duffel bags on a truck, waiting for a TB test with medical, waiting to turn in our weapons, and waiting to participate in a "welcome home ceremony."

A whole lot of time was spent doing a whole lot of nothing.

Tomorrow we'll have more of the same. Waiting on this end of the deployment is tiresome and annoying since we all just want to go home!

Vices I have no proclivity for

Smoking, tatoos, and alcohol. I saw all three last night. When we arrived at Ft. Riley, some of us took a late night trip to the Shopette (Army speak for the on-post convenience store). One soldier went straight for the cigarettes and picked up a carton, another soldier went straight for the alcohol, lots of it! A third soldier (not with our group) had his arms covered in tatoos. All three of these vices I have avoided and have never desired. My vices seem to be stuff like computer games, ice cream, and buying books. I must be a completely different breed of soldier because I've never smoked a cigarette. I also have no tatoos. This is a strange one because I seem like I'm the only soldier without a tatoo. It's amazing the number of tatoos some people have on their bodies. Of course, it's now in vogue to have tatoos, or "tats" as some people call them. Everyone has them including officers. Don't people know that their tatoos will bleed together and become unrecognizable, and that they are going to look like idiots at around 60 years old? Frankly, I'm glad that "tats" have never appealed to me. Finally, the funniest of all. The alcohol. For those who don't know, all deployed soldiers are under what is called "General Order 1B." What this means is basically, "no fun allowed." The main tenant of the GO1B is that we are not allowed to drink. That being said, the soldier whom I saw getting the alcohol has been under BO1B for at least a year. Boy was he making up for lost time. He bought A LOT of alcohol. It was unclear whether he was going to share, or just party alone.

It's always dark.

Why is it that whenever I travel anywhere with the Army it is always dark upon arrival? Well, my arrival at Ft Riley, KS was no different. We arrived at the airport at about 2230 which wasn't so bad, but we were about 1.5 hours away from Ft. Riley by bus. As I had posted earlier, I was supposed to have follow-on travel to Ft. McCoy, WI from the Topeka airport. The only problem was that no one had arranged my follow-on travel as I was told it would be. Actually it is much better because I should be on a flight home on Wednesday morning. It would have been at least Thursday or Friday had I gone to Ft. McCoy, and it would probably be dark when I arrived in Omaha, NE.

One step closer

I'm sitting in Leipzig, Germany waiting on the plane to refuel and resupply with food and water for the final leg to the U.S. It's good to get of the plane for a few moments. As I'm writing this, I realized that this is the best internet connection I've had in the past year. I love civilization. Fast internet, reliable cell phones, book stores, and Best Buy! I can't wait to get home! I'm now one step closer to my extended vacation!

I miss the TSA

I got out of Kuwait today. Painful! If anyone believes that TSA puts up roadblocks and delays to travel has never tried to fly with the military.

0100 (Thats 1:00 AM!): Assemble for pre-flight briefings
0200: weighing of passengers with carry-on bags and manifest
0200-0300: wait unneccesarily
0300: go through customs. Actually wait in line for a long time.

The wait at Customs

0345: Empty out all five of my bags and 5 gazillion pounds of gear that took me two days to pack for inspectors to ensure that I have no contraband.
0415: Try to repack everything so it fits in five bags in less than 15 minutes. I actually did accomplish this one.
0430-0700: Wait unnecessarily for a 0700 movement time to the Kuwait airport
0700-0800: Wait until the airline can figure out what to do about the excess wait of all of our baggage
0800: board commercial busses for transport to the southern part of the country to the airport
0815-0930: Travel to the airport
0930-1130: Load 175+ personnel on the plane
1145: Take off

That's right, I was required to show up almost 11 hours early for an international flight. And you thought 2 hours prior(domestic)/4 hours (international) was excessive!

Waiting, waiting, waiting

I'm waiting on my flight to the U.S. It's been a very boring day, but at least I now have clean clothes! It's amazing how much your feet will start hurting when you've worn the same socks for three days. I was actually able to find some socks at the PX that fit me yesterday afternoon. It was like a gift from God himself to have clean socks.

Rows and rows of tents for soldiers waiting on flights

Kuwait is actually kind of nice because they have a lot of stuff for soldiers to do while waiting for flights. It's almost the U.S., but not quite.

Notice that the golden arches don't say "McDonalds." Well, it does but it's in squgglies. Some things are recognizable anywhere.

Hopefully, I will fly out early morning for the marathon flight across Europe and then over the Atlantic. I hate such long flights. At least this one will be going in the right direction.

My Hero

Sergeant First Class Baumgardner is my hero! He got me on a flight to Kuwait that I otherwise could have not got on. SFC Baumgardner is one of the NCOs that worked for me over the past 2.5 months. He was the chalk commander for the R&R flight for his leave back to the U.S. A chalk commander basically takes charge of all passengers on an Air Force flight conducting roll call, baggage loading, and hearding the cats (passengers). All flights leaving Afghanistan for Kuwait have a priority list. Emergency leave it top priority followed by personnel going on R&R, then there is everyone else. Since I was "everyone else," I was on a space available list. 81 on that list, to be specific. That created a hopeless situation since most flights only have 2-15 seats for "everyone else." I had already been delayed four days.

Then comes SFC Baumgardner to the rescue! According to him, five people did not show up for their brief and roll call for the flight that was completely full. H worked his NCO magic and somehow got me on the flight. Because of him I will now leave on time and not have to sit for a week in Kuwait before coming home. I think the reason that he was so motivated to help me is because I made sure that his performance evaluation reflected what he actually did in Afghanistan. His rater (who hasn't seen him in six months) was going to give him a mediocre rating that made SFC Baumgardner look like a poor NCO. I think he truly appreciated what I had done for him and was looking to return the favor. I've never done something for someone in expectation of a future benefit, but it sure is nice when it happens.

Thanks again SFC Baumgardner!

I've been caught

Yes, my growing old post was not an original thought. I took it from a conversation with my friend Matthew. I was feeling particularly lonely when I went to Camp Phoenix because that's when I usually got to visit with Matthew because that is where he served his time and he has since re-deployed. I didn't have anyone to visit while at Phoenix and it reminded me of the "growing old" conversation. He has since read the post and villified me for stealing his idea.

Oh Lord I wanna go...

...But they won't let me go. I have been waiting three days to fly from Bagram Airfield to Kuwait. Flights were backed up for four days prior to me needing a flight on Tuesday. That means that 5 gazillion people needed a fligt to Kuwait. I've been so far down the list that I might as well not even go to the terminal. All R&R soldiers (people going on leave) have priority over me, an individual re-deployer. Today over 100 new R&R people showed up that were not here yesterday, so of course I did not get on. I was three names away when all seats were filled. Two nights ago, I got on the list, loaded my bags, and waited in the terminal for over an hour only to have the flight cancelled. I'm hoping to get on a plane tomorrow. If I don't I'll be stuck over here for at least another week because I can only fly out of Kuwait on Saturdays because I have weapons. If I can't get to Kuwait before Saturday morning, I will not get to fly to the U.S. until the 10th.

Life is not too pleasant right now. I haven't had clean clothes in a week because there is no self-service laundry and the laundry service takes three days. Because of the uncertainty of flights, I don't dare turn in my laundry. I've had to double and tripple wear my underclothes and socks. I went to the px today to buy some more socks, and they didn't have my size. I can't even buy clean clothes!

Now I know...

...what it must feel like to get old. Friends in Afghanistan is a perfect analogy to growing old. When I arrived almost one year ago, I was surrounded by friends or at least familiar faces. The longer I've stayed the fewer friends are around. I used to see familiar faces every day, I suppose it is like when a person begins to outlive his friends. The changing of the guard is almost complete. Although I'm not the last one here, it's starting to feel that way.

In order to not sound too depressing, I'm looking at it the other way: I'll soon be delivered from Purgatory! Although, I'm excited to get back to my civilian life I'm a little nervous.

See you at home!

Final Tactical Mission Complete!

Why am I so happy in the crappy picture of me? I just got back from my final tactical mission in Afghanistan! That leaves only one mission, Operation Afghan Exodus! What I'm really happy about is that I've been here for 10 months, and I'm on my way home in one piece. Now the real frustration begins.

Where did my privacy go?

Ever since I've moved here I have been in a room with a partitian wall separating me and my First Sergeant. It's only a 3/4 wall, so there is little privacy. I'm sitting here right now hearing him talk to any one of his 8 kids, baby-talk and all. Of course, this means that I have no privacy when I make my calls. At least he doesn't have to hear me talk baby-talk. This is nothing like my last room where I had complete privacy. For me, privacy is something I absolutely need to stay sane. Yet another reason why I can't wait to get back to the U.S. I guess I shouldn't complain because both of the rooms I had gave me infinately more privacy than most soldiers get.

Gettin' Antsy

I only have three days until I begin to out-process from my unit in Afghanistan, only 4 days until I out-process from theater, only 6 days until I fly to Kuwait, and 8 days until I fly from Kuwait to the United States! I'm getting antsy to leave. Today I went on my last mission to the Provincial Police HQ. I can't believe that I only have three more days before I have no responsibilities other than to be at the right place at the right time. I've still got one more mission left, though. It's good because it makes the day go faster.

I can't wait to re-join the real world!

Harley-Davidson dream come true!

Today, I purchased my first Harley-Davidson Motorcycle! Stop right there! Absolutely no lecutures on my last motorcycle and the resulting accident.

I bought a 2010 Road King in vivid black. I'm having it delivered on April 1, 2010. I wanted to get it delivered on my 40th birthday (holy crap, I just got a shock from typing that!), April 2, but they will not deliver on a holiday. I just found out that April 2 is Good Friday. It's great to see that some companies consider Good Friday a holiday! I'll be able to ride to Mass on Easter Sunday!



I've been wanting a Harley-Davidson for quite a few years, so I'm very excited. Of course, buyer's remorse hasn't set in yet. The great thing is that through the Military Vechicle Purchase Program gives special pricing and great rates on financing, and I can change my order at any time. I can even cancel if I do get buyer's remorse. The only bad thing is that I'm coming home into the winter where riding weather doesn't exist. I have to wait until spring to pick up my bike in Milwaukee. Now, if the weather in Milwaukee is like it was in 2008, I will not see good riding weather until mid June. And people wonder why I love Atlanta so much.

So, who fought the Russians?!

Last week I was doing a Key Leader Engagement (KLE) with the Provincial Police Chief. We are getting ready to do a massive train up for all police in the province, and I needed his help with some resources. I needed him to re-allocate about 20 personnel to cover police duties in the first district we are going to train. He, of course, says no. He claims to have requested from the Ministry of The Interior an increase in the number of authorized personnel by 150. When I asked him where these men would go, he replied that they would be for the Provincial HQ. I know where they would go, to man his personnal army. The guy is so corrupt, I can't stand it! Next, I asked for ammunition to do marksmanship training for his police. He's hoarding his ammo (which belongs to the police department)and doesn't even care if his police, the men he's responsible for, can defend themselves. Natrually, he turns it around and says, "You can provide the ammunition. You are American, you have lots of money, and you can go buy the ammo." At that point I just wanted to walk across the room and back-hand him. Then I would have said, "Who fought the Russians?! It certainly wasn't you because you people can't seem to do anything for yourselves!" Being the diplomat that I am, I just laughed it off and told him we'd have to work together to accomplish the marksmanship training.

By the way, only 5 days until I go home!

Panjshir

Panjshir. The Russians tried to gain entrance to this valley over 8 times during the Russian occupation, and a Tajik named Masood led the Afghan fighters to victory each time. Russian shells of tank hulls litter the landscape. We took our commander to FOB Lion about a month ago for his battlefield circulation. Everyone loved it because; 1) it was someplace different, and 2) there is actually beauty to be found in Afghanistan! The trip took us through lush terrain and narrow mountain passes. Of course, nothing can compare with the Rocky and Appalacian Mountains in the U.S., but it was the best we'd seen.

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right.

Campbell doing his dance.

Clay acting like an idiot

One thing I did miss when I was out of the Army is the unique sense of humor and the craziness of the U.S. Army soldier. Soldiers will come up with the most oddball sayings, remember the most obscure references and turn them into something hilarious, or generally act like idiots. Of course, the humor is lost on most people outside of the military. These two above were responsible for taking pictures with my camera of one of the Police sub-stations while I was talking to the Chief and conducting a facilities assessment for possible construction and repairs. While I was in the meeting having demands made of me to commit U.S. Government resources to lazy Afghans, my two soldiers were playing around instead of taking official pictures. So I'm flipping through the sub-station pics when I came across these. I did get a chuckle, but I had to chew Clay's ass for not taking video of Campbell's stupid dance.

Contractors, Contractors everywhere

As you may know there are contractors everywhere in Afghanistan some good, some bad. The contractors the I've been working with are very good and serve a vital function. Now some contractors seem to be worthless and just like any other government employee. I have one contractor on my team. He is what is called a Civilian Police Mentor (CivPol). It's great because he is a law enforcement professional. I love it because he has knowledge and skills that neither me nor my team have.



The Killers, Me and Jimmy.

Frustration!

Mentoring the Afghan National Police (ANP) has been one of the most frustrating things I've ever done. Every time I have to speak to any of them about doing things for themselves, they always turn it around saying something like, "You're part of the Coalition Forces, or you're American. You have LOTS of money, you should do it for us." It's like trying to motivate a Welfare recipient to get a job and earn a living for himself, thus providing him with a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. It just ain't happenin'! Gotta love learned helplessness. Unfortunately, it is our own fault (both Afghans and Welfare recipients). We've been giving them stuff for the last 8 years while requiring nothing of them. The only way to break the dependency is to stop giving! You wouldn't believe how much fuel for their vehicles we give them across the country. Before I came to the team we were giving the ANP almost 10 cans (50 gal) per day. I quickly cut that off. I wish I could bum 50 gallons of gas per day in the United States. I'd not only never have to buy gas for my car, but I could sell the surplus. By the way, that is exactly what the ANP were doing! Now they just cry me a river for gasoline, and my reply is always, "use your own supply system to get gas."

This is me hearing the sob stories of no fuel, inadequate facilities, and too few men.

I can only imagine the progress this country would make if the Afghans would develop a work ethic and start doing things for themselves.

What the heck is he talking about?

Squiggly writing, jelly worms in ice cream, and Afghan Harleys? I can't explain, I can only show the pictures.

Yes, squggly writing is on everything! When I first saw this, I thought that someone was trying to counterfeit $20 bills and putting Dari writing on the them. These are actually from Pakistan (everything is from Pakistan), and they are made for kids as "toys." They come with candy bars or something.

This is Afghan ice cream. Absolutely disguisting! You see the chunks in the bowl? That's the actual ice cream. The liquid is water or something. The off-color things are jelly worms. Why the heck would they have such an awful combination? American ice cream rules! I'm so glad that I'm an American.

Finally, Afghan Harleys. These are the goofiest things I've ever seen. Everyone has these anywhere you go in the country. They are basically a motorcycle front with a small truck bed on the back creating a thre wheeled vehicle. The entire thing is covered with a canvas shell, and each owner puts all kinds of decorations all over them. I call them "love bugs" because most of them have decorated hearts all over the canvas shell.

The best thing of all are the sweet rides. This one comes with the gas tank mounted on the roof, complete with leaking gas line, the latetest ABS and power steering technology, and bad-ass graphics. I'm going to buy one and have it imported!

14 Days

Only 14 days until I begin the voyage home! I can't wait to leave the land of squiggly writing, jelly worms in ice cream, or Afghan Harleys.

Yes, I am still here.

It's been about one month since I have posted. Mostly that has been due to my move to Bagram Air Field (BAF), and my now leading a mentoring team. Life is pretty good here, but I am ready to come home. There is a lot of stuff to catch up on, so I'll be updating shortly. The best thing however, is that my relief in place date is 1 October! That basically means I will begin my journey home on that date. I'm tired of Afghanistan, and I am ready to return to the 21st century world in the United States. Being in Afghanistan makes me thankful every day that I am an American!

Military Movement, with precision

Movement from Camp Stone, Herat two weeks ago was, of course, an adventure only possible in Afghanistan with the Army. Leg one: Stone to Phoenix. Lugging 6 bags of crap that weighs over 500lbs (an exageration, of course but it sounds good) to the pick up point. I have to wait an extra 45 minutes because the convoy's trailer is already full of other people's stuff. Then it was of to the airport to wait for another three hours for the flight. The flight across country was actually enjoyable because we got to spread out and take off our gazillion pounds of body armor. Once I landed is when the fun began. Again, I was lugging around my 500lbs of crap. Of course every step of the way I had to cart this stuff around so I will not mention it again. Landing at Kaia is always fun because Camp Phoenix where Americans live is a 15 minute ride away, and the convoy only comes twice per day which means hours and hours and hours of waiting for a ride. If you're lucky, you can thumb a ride with civilians or military convoys passing through. I had no such luck. I'm glad I had my Kindle with me.

Twenty minutes before my ride got there, a flight of about 1000 people (again an exageration) arrived, and assumed that the convoy that showed up was for them. They really didn't care that there were five of us that were actually on the manifest, and they basically stole our seats and cargo space! Oh, I was hot! I had been waiting for 8.5 hours for my ride! This means that I had to wait another hour for the convoy to come back for me. Not a good day for Steve-O.

Once I got to Phoenix in Kabul, that's when the fun began. To keep it short: Hopped a mail convoy to the south side of Kabul to Camp Blackhorse where I stayed for one day, hitched a ride to the North West side of the city to Camp Dubs where I stayed for two days. A group of us bound for Bagram Airfield sat on the heli-pad for four hours waiting on a flight until the officer in charge discovered that the showtime for the flight was actually 24 hours later. The following day we conducted a convoy (still with 500lbs of crap) back to Camp Blackhorse to catch a helicopter ride to Bagram Airfield.


All in all, the trip took about a week where I could have just flown from Camp Stone directly to Bagram and been there in less than 3 hours. Now that's military precision!

U.S. Army indecision, imagine that!

The latest now is that I get to stay in Afghanistan even LONGER! That's the last thing I need right now. I had been extended four months, until the beginning of December. I have orders stating that. Now I find out that they are tracking me as extending until sometime in January. That's not as bad as it seems because both of those times include leave. This is rediculous. Originally I was told that I wouldn't stay for that long and they shortened my extension. You can't go back now and tell me that I'm staying longer. What gives?

I'm also being told that I'm going to be some basic training commander. No thanks! I really don't need a FOURTH command. Heck, most people only get one! I want to be leading a team in the field, not babysitting a bunch of trainees. If that's the case, I'm raising my hand to come home. The suck vs. reward ratio is too high for me to stay another two months.

I'm sure it'll work out though because I have a few people in my corner. I just hate the suspense.

Change is good

Today I was informed that I will be reassigned to a unit near Kabul as a Team Chief. I'm very happy about this because; 1) I'm bored silly here at Camp Stone, 2) I need a change. Eight months in one place is too long here in Afghanistan, and 3) It is why I volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan. I don't know what the situation is there, so there is some uncertainty. Change is good!

An Unfortunate Reality

Two days ago we had a Fallen Soldier ceremony for one of our Illinios soldiers. He was a young kid who died from a roadside bomb. I hate Fallen Soldier ceremonies. A display is always erected with the soldier's boots on the ground, his rifle with a bayonet planted into a stand, his helmet on top, and his dog tags hung from the weapon. It is a sight that no soldier wants to see. The worst part of the ceremony is following the 21 gun salute. It is when the First Sergeant does role call. Several soldiers are called by name with the response, "Here, First Sergeant." Then the fallen soldiers name is called without response, his/her name is called two more times without response before Taps is played. Even if you didn't know the soldier, that sequence is bone-chilling. I did not know this soldier, but his loss is still felt. I had the honor of being the Commander of Troops for the ceremony because I am the senior Field Artillery officer, and the fallen soldier was a medic in one of our Field Artillery Battalions. Farewell, friend.

Home at Camp Stone

Been back for a couple of days now. I can say that the 4 day pass to Qatar was definately worth it! It makes me really want to come home now, but I've still got a couple of months to slug it out. I'm looking forward to moving out East, if that's where they put me.

Nothing exciting today, so far.

I didn't get to go to the mall because I was on stand-by and there were no spaces left on the bus. I watched some movies and played World of Warcraft all day. I did try to go get a new ID card though. I couldn't get it because the ID Card machine was broken. It's crazy. I've been trying to get a new ID Card since April when I got promoted. However, everytime I'm somewhere where I have an opportunity either the machine is broken, or there are 1000 people in line and I'm number 1001.

Late night swim, no pics please

I went for an evening swim last night about 9:30pm. The pool is very nice, but you'll have to trust me because no pictures were allowed. They take OPSEC (Operational Security) very seriously here.

Too much sun and no brush

Today I went out to do a watersports trip in the Persian Gulf. Watersports basically consisted of riding a boat out near an island, dropping anchor, and swimming, intertubing behind a speedboat, and wave runners.

The boat was interesting. It was made mostly of wood which is unusual.

Doha skyline. Of note, it's always hazy like this. Imagine being born and living here and never seeing a pure blue sky in your life. It makes me thankful every day that I'm an American!

Wave runners and intertubing

Overall it was a good day even though I got too much sun (Thank God for SPF 50!) and was without a brush.

Tomorrow I'm going to a mall for something to do. I'm not really a mall person but this one sounds pretty interesting. There is an ice skating rink in the mall, and I've been told that it is a high-end mall, and I'll be able to see Lamborghinis, Ferraries, and Aston Martins. I'm not a huge car guy either, but it would be interesting to see those kinds of cars that you don't see every day.

Swimming in the Persinan Gulf

Today we went to swim in the Persian Gulf. We drove about 30-40 minutes to the outskirts of Doha, then another 30 minutes across the sand dunes. Before we drove the dunes, the driver's stopped off of the paved road and let the air out of the tires.

Letting the air out of the tires


Standing in 120 Degree heat

Then they proceeded to drive like fools because people in the group wanted them to drive crazy. It was idiotic and dangerous. I was scared that the vehicle would roll over, or maybe collide with another vehicle.

Arrival at the camp was welcome since I was white knucked for the drive. I, of course, immediately covered my body with SPF50 sunscreen once we arrived.

The Persian Gulf was strange because it did not have what I'm used to for the beach. No seagulls, no waves, and way too hot to be out in the direct sunlight. It was great though since I accomplished all I wanted to while on pass; get in the water.

Feet in the Persian Gulf

They had a camel there to ride, but once I smelled the darn thing, I wanted no part in riding the disguisting creature. I settled for a picture.


I was so exhaused from being in the sun and heat that I slept the whole ride back and slept some more when I got back to the barracks.

Tomorrow is Water Sports!

Gold, gold, and more gold

Last night we went on a trip to downtown Doha Gold Souqs (shops) and the Old Souqs. I've never seen so many gold/jewelry stores in one place. It got old pretty quick. There were a lot of ornate pieces and the prices weren't that bad either. Many of them were downright gaudy.

The Old Souqs area was a lot more interesting. There were a lot more handicrafts and some really interesting resturaunts. We ate at a Morocan restauraunt. One of the guys had camel. I tried some. It wasn't bad, a very different taste though (By the way the meat tastes better than a camel smells). I went with the safe Beef Kabob. It was pretty good. I didn't buy anything, just looked.

By the way, it was still hotter than hell at 9pm!

I've never been so hot!

Qatar. R&R spot for deployed soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan. Hotter than the sun! Maybe not for those coming from Iraq, but pretty stinkin' hot for those of us from Western Afghanistan. I've never actually experienced 120+ degree heat until I arrived here yesterday. Apparently it's always hazy here because of the wind and the sand. They have a really nice setup here for R&R. There is a huge MWR (Morale, Welfare, & Recreation) warehouse where they have internet, movies, libraries, and video games. There are three bars here, yes bars!

They serve BEER! I'm not talking crappy piss-water beer like Budweiser, Miller, or Coors. There's Guiness, Corona, Fosters, etc. Happy, happy, joy, joy! Unfortunately, we can only have three beers per night, and fortunately we can only have three beers a night. Last night I had three Guiness'. I was feeling loopy after just two since I haven't had alcohol in eight months. It would be too easy to go overboard. There's also a swimming pool, a Chili's, and several other American style restaurants.

My first Beer in 8 months!

After my 3rd beer in 8 months!

There are trips scheduled every day, and if I schedule it right, I could go on at least four while I'm here. I'm going shopping at the Doha markets tonight, and I'm going to the ocean tomorrow to swim. I'm looking forward to it. It's gonna be hot, and hopefully I won't get sunburned.

Extension Blues

For those who do not know, I have been extended to spend a little more time in the glorious nation of Afghanistan. I was trying to serve an additional 4 months in country, but my request was done improperly. As a result, I'll only be here for an additional two months. It almost doesn't seem worth it. I will be earning quite a bit more cash, but not as much as if I had stayed for 4 months. I mainly wanted to have some time to do another job in country and earn a little more leave time. It's going to be tough because my best friend here is going home very soon, and the rest of our team will be leaving shortly after that. I'll basically be the last one from our team left here. I will be moving to either the East or the North of Afghanistan around August-September, so hopefully the change will get my mind off of going home. I am getting anxious to get back to the 21st century world and all it's luxuries (water that can be drank from the tap, grass and trees, options as to what to eat, women, etc). I'm tired of this "let's get back to the 7th Century, time of The Prophet" crap!

Fridays are great

Fridays here are pretty good. No morning commitments and very little real work gets done because the Afghan National Army does not work on Friday. It's basically their weekend and since our main mission is to mentor, we get a relaxed work day. It's great because I get to sleep in! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to sleep much past 7:30 lately. What is surprising though is that I seem to get more work done on Fridays than on any other day. I think it is mostly because people really don't bother me. It's now Friday afternoon and I'm done with everything so I figured I should add to my blog since I haven't written anything in a while.

Kindle update

Some have wondered whether my love affair with my Kindle would last. Yes, it has. My battery ran out this week so I had to recharge. It's amazing. The battery lasted over three weeks, and I use it all the time! I did have to put the breaks on buying books, though. It's WAY too easy to purchase. I just click one time, and the book is mine. I have found that not every book is suitable for the Kindle. For example, I'm reading a real estate investing book and it has some diagrams that cannot be enlarged the way that the normal book text can. I'm still experimenting with the note taking feature, so no update on that. I thought I would miss holding a physical book in my hand, but that's not the case. I read Treasure Island (one of the books for under $2), and the dictionary feature was very handy. I didn't know what many of the nautical terms were, but now I do. I have been reading regular books, though. I don't think I'll ever give that up. Novels are the best thing to read on the Kindle, and I've read quite a few in the past few weeks. Overall, great piece of gear so far.

I felt like Donald Trump

Last week I was given the mission to negotiate with the Deputy Governor of Herat for land to expand our airport facilities. Sorry, no pictures.

I was a little nervous about it because I normally don't have much interaction with the local nationals, but it was a lot of fun. It was pretty easy really. The guy spoke pretty decent English, so I really didn't need the interpreters. I got kind of nervous because there was the Deputy Governor, a Dept of Agriculture representative, a couple of engineers, and an Italian Colonel with his entourage. Everyone stopped and looked at me to make decisions that will affect hundreds of people and potentially commit the U.S. Government! It wasn't a tough negotiation, I just told the Deputy Governor what I wanted, he consulted his engineers, and we came to an agreement. The meeting didn't last long, and I got pretty much everything I needed.

Now I just need to put my Trump skills to work when I get home and negotiate for some profitable real estate!

The Kindle is AWESOME!!

I just got an Amazon Kindle about two weeks ago. I LOVE it! This is the coolest invention ever, with the exception of the iPod, of course.

Anyway, for those who don't know what a Kindle is, it is an electronic book reader. It holds something like 5,000 books. I buy books online from Amazon.com and download them to my Kindle. What's great is that they are usually cheaper than regular books, and many books (mostly the classics) are free, or under $2! It comes with a dictionary that looks up words instantly, you can bookmark pages, and you can even take notes in the margins!

Kindle makes it even easier to feed my vice...buying books. Now, reading them is a different story. I literally have hundreds of books at home, many I have never read cover to cover. I love the Kindle because I can read anytime, anywhere. Those who know me well know that I always have a book with me. Now I can have a gazillion books right in my pocket. I find myself reading like crazy now; while I eat, when I get up, before I go to bed. I can't wait to read some more.

I love you Kindle!

Nothing of interest is happening

I wanted to post that nothing exciting or unusual is happening for me right now. I'm just kind of getting used to a new set of duties because my command is coming to an end. Now that I'm a Major, I will be moved out of command. I've got an inventory coming up for the change of command, and that is taking most of my time.

All of my workout partners have either returned to the U.S. after the completion of their tour, or are on leave. So, I'm back to working out by myself. I have picked up the intensity this week though, so that's good. 1150 calories burned today.

Life is just moving along here at Camp Stone.

Hurray for Carrie Prejan

Click here to watch the video about Carrie Prejan standing on the moral high ground with her answer to homosexual "marriage."

I LOVE this girl. Some say she went too far. I say she didn't go far enough! Rock on, Carrie!

It's amazing that Miss California is taking so much heat for this. She is just echoing what the voters in the State of California said when they voted yes on Proposition 8 last November, and what voters in 21 states supported (and promptly ignored by their elected representatives in Congress) in the 2004 Presidential elections. Why did Perez Hilton (an openly gay man) ask such a question? He was hoping for someone, anyone, on the national stage to support his "alternate" lifestyle. Of course, he didn't like it when it backfired on him on national television. That's when he began his campaign of slander, libel, and hatred. You'll see on the video how the liberal NBC media panders to the gay agenda when they call Ms. Prejan's response a "politically charged answer." Well, I think it was a politically charged question! Mr. Hilton was attempting to push his political agenda with such a question. Why does homosexuality ALWAYS have to be in our faces?

I think Ms. Prejan should be applauded, and I'm thrilled that she has abandoned her platform to support Special Olympics and is now working hard to protect marriage in our increasingly secular country. If only our elected officials had this much courage. Hurray for morals, and Ms. Prejan's courage to stand by hers!

Huh?

The other day I was listenting to a conversation with the Medical Embeded Training Team (ETT), and I said "Huh?"

They were discussing a class they were conducting for the Afghans, topic: Hand Washing... Come to find out not only are they teaching them why it is important to wash your hands as a form of disease prevention, but also HOW to wash their hands! And I'm not talking about the proper vs. the improper way to wash your mits, but how to pick up a bar of soap and put it under some running water. It sounded to me like they were teaching todlers how to wash up before dinner. How many grown-ups do I know that don't know how to wash their hands? That's right, zero!

I said to myself, "Wow, I'm glad I don't have to deal with this stuff."

Helicopters and timid Italians

It's been about two weeks since my last post, so I figured I should write at least something.

Yesterday, I flew by helicopter down to Shindand for a site survey. I, more or less, was just along for the ride. My new boss needed to go there to figure out where the Italians wanted to build their new expansion on the Shindand FOB. We needed to know this because wherever their expansion ends, we will begin the U.S. expansion there. We just couldn't pin them down. There was an Italian Colonel with us who just couldn't make a decision. If it were a U.S. Army Colonel with the authority, it would have been decided months ago. Something about getting approval from their government. Absolutely ridiculous! There is plenty of land and the coalition forces own the ground. Just decide!

Helicopters. I've always enjoyed riding in a helicopter. This one was new because I've ridden in all of the U.S. Army's cargo helicopters, even the obsolete Huey when it was still in service. However, this one was a Spanish Cougar. Pretty smooth ride. Other than the take of and landing it's about the same as riding in a really noisy car. The different perspective of the landscape is what is interesting. It was great because the aircraft had two door gunners so the crew had to fly with the doors open. Some great terrain and views. Unfortunately, my camera battery was dead, so no pictures.

Take offs are really neat because a pilot will typically do a slow take off. What this does is cause the helicopter to shake and vibrate as it is trying to take off, but it hasn't created enough lift. Once it does, however, it shoots straight up in the air and you're off!

The return trip was really great because we were flying though and over some mountains to the south of Herat. You don't realize how high you are or the magnitude of the terrain until you see another helicopter in the lift off in the distance. It puts some perspective on what you are seeing.

Promotion

On Saturday, April 4 I was promoted to Major. It's about time! I was supposed to get promoted almost one year ago, but because of some silly regulations I could not get promoted. First it was because I had not been in the National Guard for one year. Next it was because I was deployed, Finally, it was because I was not in a job that required a Major. Well, I guess cooler heads prevailed and my information was sent to the National Guard Bureau. Several Lieutenant Colonels who felt I deserved to be promoted kept calling around within Illinois State HQ and National Guard Bureau, generally being nuisances and helped to make it happen. So thanks to them.

The promotion itself was good. I was able to have my deployment team leader, one of the Lieutenant Colonels who worked for my promotion, and my friend pin on my new rank.

Being a Major is a little strange because now I am what is called a Field Grade Officer as opposed to a Company Grade Officer which are Lieutenant through Captain. People treat me a little different, and I can do some things I couldn't before. I would say that generally I like being a Major much more than I liked being a Captain. Another benefit is that I don't have to call my own West Point classmates or other guys I served with who did not get out "Sir" or "Ma'am." I've ran into several of them, and it was just awkward. I'm still in command, which is a Captains job. I'm trying to move to a job that is more interesting and more suitable. This is my third command (most people only get one), and I'm getting tired of it.

Birthdays

Yesterday it was my 39th birthday. Just another day. It was yet another in a place where birthdays are not normally celebrated. Some examples: 19 was in the field on a sunny day as a cannon crew member loading 100lb projectiles into a 155mm howitzer. 26 was at Ranger School on an extremely cold day in the mountains of Georgia hoping for an MRE chocolate chip poundcake from my ranger buddy's MRE. He had promissed it to me as a birthday cake and later renigged on the bargain. Dissapointing. 30 was spent on a C130 aircraft travelling to Kosovo via Macedonia to begin my first deployment. 31 was in the field in Hohenfels, Germany; one of the most miserable places I've ever been. Now, 39 in the glorious nation of Afghanistan.

Well, I guess I should be thankful that I know when my birthday is. I often work with the local branch manager of the Bank of Afganistan, and he brought his ATM technician in for an ID card. The technician neglected to fill out his birthday on the form. When I told him that he had to fill out his birthday, he gave me a look as if I had 50 heads. Omar, the branch manager, then told me that the tech did not know his birthday, or what his age was! I couldn't believe it. Maybe, we should all be thankful no matter how we feel about birthdays.

HA #2 - Engaging Sheep

Several days after my first HA mission, I decided to support a second. This one was a little different. I did not leave the vehicle. I was a gunner again, and was basically just along for the ride....That is, until the sheep! The horror, the horror! (guess that movie reference, and you'll earn a prize)

The mission was for several purposes. 1) to get the start and ending grid reference points for a paved road, 2) to spread good will, and 3) to secure the area so the Afghan Army could pass out U.S. wheat seed to the villagers. My mission, keep everyone safe with my fully automatic boom stick. We travelled through the city of Herat which was interesting because it looked almost like Newburg, New York exept there were street vendors and people everywhere. For those who understand the comparison, yes it looked THAT run down and dumpy!

We made a left hand turn and suddenly there was no pavement and mud huts everywhere. And don't forget the old men with cotton-ball beards.

After about one hour of travelling winding, one lane, pot-hole filled roads, we arrived at our destination. When we pulled into position, I had the Navy Ensign who was coordinating the security guide my vehicle out into a field so I could see the road that brought us into the village. This way I could cover the high-speed avenue of approach (doctrinal term) with my instrument of death (not a doctrinal term), the M240B machine gun. I was also able to see the walled village about 500-700 meters away across the pasture I now found myself in. All was well until I was suddenly surrounded completely by a sly and cunning enemy. . . the villagers' sheep!

Immediately, I created a steady stance, took up a good sight picture, controlled my breathing, and squeezed the trigger, placing a contolled 6-9 round burst into the enemy. Too bad I was only simulating.

Not much happened, although the young shepherd just stood and gave me a menacing stare without moving for about 10 minutes. Very eerie. I was completely safe within the herd of sheep because I don't think the Taliban would want the village to go "circus elephant" on them if they destroyed the village sheep just to blow up one HMMWV. We only stayed at the village for about one hour, but I forgot to grab an MRE for lunch so I got pretty hungry. We left with our mission successful, and took a few wrong turns on the way home which extended our trip by about 1/2 hour. Oh well, it wasn't too hot and the breeze felt good (when it wasn't accompanied by a could of Afghanistan dust).