Last night in Kabul

So, today was my last full day in Afghanistan.  Today we got up early so we could head south to Kandahar.  You've probably heard of it, as there was an attack there earlier this week, and they detonated a bomb outside the PRT.  Needless to say, it's not a vacation spot.  (Actually, it should be, as it was beautiful.)  I'll put some photos up when I get back home.

Anyways, they decided that I needed to see the Camp we have there, and to go see the Helmand valley.  It is one of the lushest places in Afghanistan, thanks to a USAID or Peace Corps project back in the 50s and 60s.  They built a dam and canals all through the area, and now it is just perfect for cultivating crops.  Sadly, that includes the majority of the poppies in the country.  So, it is a bit dangerous, as they want to keep growing poppies, and we want them to stop.  And, it is also the home of the Taliban.  We also announced a major buildup in troops there, so they have started preemptive fighting there.  So, not a walk in the park.  After putting my body armor on (and yes I am about to attach a photo of it) we went and got on the aircraft.  It was my first time in a helicopter.  (My dad said I would love it, and that he loved the first time he rode in a Huey.  I explained it was a little different for him, as his was probably over Fort Smith, Arkansas and mine was over a war zone.) 

We traveled to the Red Desert, which was really cool looking.  It was red sand as far as the eye could see, but it stopped quite suddenly at this river.  The legend of the Red Desert is that Alexander the Great killed so many soldiers in this desert, that the blood stained the sand forever, as it ran into the river to be washed away.  (And that is why the other side isn't red.)  As we flew over, we saw a bunch of camels walking around, which was pretty cool.  We then traveled to Lashkar Gah, came back around and went to Bastion.  Coming back from Bastion we landed at FOB Ramrod for fuel.  Later we traveled back into the desert for them to show us how the fire from the aircraft, and then returned back to base.  It was probably one of the coolest things I've done.

Back at the base, we decided to go to lunch, and since it was there, the in-country guys decided we should go to TGI Fridays.  (Yes, they have one there.)  It was ehhh.  Strangely, I was looking out the window on the way there, and something caught my eye.  It was a sign over the barracks for one of the groups that were in Kandahar.  Yep, I had found the barracks for the army of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.  All 12 soldiers they were sending to Afghanistan were right in the building.  I can't escape that place!

We returned home after a little shopping for the family, and I am happy to report that my trip has been successful.  I pretty much completed what I had been sent to do here, and I got to meet some amazing people.  They are fantastic to be around, and have some of the best stories.  One of the guys I work with once took 26 Iraqi tanks prisoner with 12 guys during the first Gulf War.  Crazy.  Another guy told me about this soldier he worked with who named all of his sons after him.  When they asked him if he was trying to be like George Forman, he said no, that when he was handed his son after the birth, he was so excited that he could only remember his own name, and that's how his kids got their names.

So my Afghan adventure has been good.  Not Kim by Kipling good, but still good.  I've done a lot of stuff I never thought I would do and been places I never thought I'd go (the bathrooms in Mazar and Herat still haunt me at night) and met some great people along the way.  Am I glad that I did it?  Yes, I am.  Would I do a tour here by myself for a year?  Not a chance.  The people that work here in Afghanistan, be they military or civilian, deserve all sorts of applause.  They work in horrible conditions, with hardly any break at all and almost nothing in the way of social release.  The money probably does help, but it's still a hard life.  Hats off to them.  (And by hat, I definitely mean this one!  Again, I like it!)

A photo of the pajamas

And yes, they are just as styling as they look.  (I especially like the aquamarine on the collar and the zipper.)

odds and ends

1) Funniest comment I've heard while here in Kabul: "You don't get too close to a prop (on a plane).  I've seen what a prop can do to a human head."

2) Someone asked about the plane over with the pajamas.  yes, it was exactly like Tony Stark's plane in Iron Man, without the stripper pole coming out of the floor. I'll put a picture up of the pjs later.

3) It'll be great to see my friend Dana today for coffee.  Wish it could be longer, but he's busy, and tomorrow I head to Kandahar for a visit.  (They're taking me out to the red desert in a Huey Cobra, and I'm very much looking forward to it.)

4)  The wind here has been insane!  Last night I went out with the crew to clean the runway of debris that can kick up and cause damage to the planes.  So there we were, 40 guys walking a runway looking for pebbles and debris to clean out.  It was actually quite interesting.

5) I'm home in 3 days.  Very excited about that.

sorry for the delays

So I've been meaning to write, but it has been absolutely insane here.  We've been all over the country, and I've been so tired when I get back that I just have dinner, talk to Jane and then go to bed.  (In fact, although it is only 330 in the afternoon, I am a bit tired right now.)  Still, it has been very cool, and I wanted to share with you some cool stuff that has happened.

My work here can be divided into two jobs: 1) Working on getting buildings built in Kabul, Herat and Mazar and 2) Working for the Air Wing looking at Air fields.  (In fact, this makes up the majority of my life back in DC as well.  I work on construction projects and on the Air wing.  Yes, I have my own Air Wing.  Take that people with a motorpool.)  So for the first couple of days here, I have been dealing with building projects in Kabul.  Picture how difficult it is to build a building in Washington, DC.  Permits, weather, etc.  Now, try thinking of how hard it is to do when you are right in the middle of a war zone, and probably one of the biggest targets for terrorists in the country.  Probably a bit difficult to do.  However, we need the space, and build we must.

However, for the last couple of days, I've been working on the Air Wing.  Something very cool about riding in an airplane that you help take care of, even if it's only because you provide the money for it.  So, we have been flying around the country looking at airfields, and also allowing me to go and look at projects we're doing in Mazar-e Sharif and Herat.  (Which always gets changed to Heart on spell check.)  When we went to visit Mazar yesterday, we visited the Regional Command for Department of State missions in the north of Afghanistan.  (Short tutorial: RC is the top of field coordination, followed by Provincial Reconstruction Teams, then followed by DSTs, which are district teams, and then taskforces and forward operating bases.)  The RC is located on a base with the Germans, and before we even got to meet the Senior Civilian at the RC, the cars stopped so I could buy myself a hat.  You know what kind of hat I'm talking about, right?  The Northern Alliance hat.  I'll include a photo of me wearing it below.  (Jane thinks it looks stupid.)  The meeting went well, and then we drove into Mazar to see the new consulate building we're working on.  Once it's finished, it'll be very nice.  Mazar was a busy and bustling city, with a beautiful Mosque not too far from the Consulate.  Then we got to come back to Kabul.

Today we had to go to Herat, which is about 95 miles from Iran.  It was a gorgeous city, with lots of character.  It was also interesting to see so many women wearing the burqua.  (Herat Blue burquas too.)  Anyways, beautiful city that seems to be ok with us.  Got to meet a friend of mine from when I first worked in DC for DOS, and then got to go onto the Regional Command West compound.  I was introduced to Colonel Baker and we immediately hit it off, due to the fact that he is a very smart man with good manners and was from Batesville, Arkansas.  Woooo Pig Sooie! His JAG was from Oklahoma, and actually stopped once at the Stuckey's that my grandparents used to own, probably right around the time they owned it too.  It was nice to meet them, and we had a very nice chat.  We also got to meet the base commander, a Spanish Colonel.  We saw what we needed to see, and then we got to leave.

A couple of thoughts on my trips so far:  1) The bathrooms at airports in Afghanistan are absolutely awful.  Disgusting doesn't do it justice.  2) It is always interesting to see what your traveling companions listen to on an airplane flight.  The gentleman I'm flying around with is a retired Air Force Colonel who flew in Vietnam.  Great guy, and definitely a great person.  I caught him listening to Justin Timberlake on the plane today.  3) It is always jarring to hear from the cockpit of the plane you're flying the mechanical voice saying: Pull Up.  Pull up.  Pull Up.  They have to do steep landings here for safety reasons, and you do hear that voice from the back of the plane.  When I first heard it, I looked out the front window and only saw the runway.  It was a bit scary.  4) The men and women here in Kabul and in the field are absolutely amazing.  I am not sure I could do what they do everyday.  It's crazy how hard they work, and what they get in return.  Hopefully all of them know how much we appreciate what they do.  And if you ever hear me complaining about my job, please smack me in the head and remind me of these people, because I have it waaaayyyy easier than they do.

Kabul, Day 2

  You know, it is funny how the most strange thing in the world makes you smile.  My flight over to Kabul was fine, but the flight from Washington to Doha was AWESOME.  I mean, how can you not like it when the first thing the flight attendant says to you when you sit down, after giving you her name, is "and here are your pajamas."  Seriously, how is that not awesome.  Immediately after take off I went and changed into those bad boys.  They rock.  Plus the flight was just delightful.

Anyways, so I have arrived, and immediately was taken to the Embassy to meet with the staff there, and start talking about stuff that we do in Embassies.  It was terribly exciting, but I was jetlagged like I've never been before.  Everyone was taking bets as to when I was going to pass out.  I told everyone that I was making it to 8, but not one believed me.  After a busy day here, I did in fact make it to 8.  (And not a second past.)

Kabul is an interesting place.  The buildings here are small and decrepit, and the traffic is horrendous.  (We actually gave the right of way to a donkey cart when i arrived from the airport.  It was wild.  Needless to say, I understand now why there are so many dents on cars around here, and perish the thought of one of our vehicles running into something on these roads.

As for security, we're pretty darn safe here right now.  I've got my body armor, and the cars are armored too.  So, we're doing fine.  The mountains surrounding the city are beautiful, and I'm told that the poppy blooms in the interior are just gorgeous.  (and deadly, but that's another story.)  Tomorrow going to plan our trip and then off to the interior the rest of the time.  Should be fun.

thoughts before I take off

As most of you know, I'm a bit of a sentimentalist.  I get choked up over the smallest things, like my daughter telling me she loves me without a prompt, or my son putting his hand on my cheek.  It's the little things.  I'm also very introspective, which is something you probably know about me too.

I'm about to get on a plane right now to head to Doha.  About 6 hours after landing, I will board a commercial flight that will take me to Kabul, Afghanistan.  I've been pondering the craziness of willingly boarding a commercial airline to take me to a war zone.  I'm quite sure that my Grandpa LaCook didn't board a Pan-Am flight when he headed to North Africa during Operation Torch.  And I know for a fact that he didn't listen to a Muzak version of "Sex On Fire" while he waited.  I am in no way comparing what he did to what I am doing.  Quite the contrary, it makes me that much more in wonderment of what he did.

What got me thinking of my grandpa is the fact that while I was packing I made sure I packed my Bible.  It is personalized on the front with a gold John Parker.  However, that wasn't me.  It was my other grandfather, who was stationed in Hawaii during the second world war.  he never saw action, but apparently was busted quite a few times while in the army.  (Ask me next time you see me about the cherry wine incident.  It was genius.)  And while I am quite certain I am coming home in 10 days, it still fills me with wonder that they left home not knowing if they would be coming back.  That took guts, and it takes guts from the people that we have over there.  The military sure, but also the Foreign Service officers and USAID officers in the field, some working on plywood desks, with dust all over the place.  Please remember them when you talk about our troops over there.  They are there, too.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Just finishing up some stuff here at work, and then I'll head back home to spend some time with the family before leaving for the airport.  Don't really want to go with ZJ and Jane not feeling well, and Ava just now getting into school.  Hopefully the 10 days will pass quickly and uneventfully.

Testing

Is this thing on?