So I thought I would tell you all what a typical day is like for me out here....
Right now I am on the night shift. This means I am officially "on shift" from 2030 (that's 8:30pm) to 0430 (you guessed it, 4:30am the next day). At first this sounds bad, but it is not all that horrible. For starters, this means I am working during the coolest part of the day. While the average high right now is about 104deg F, it rarely gets above 85deg at night. Besides, I work in a nicely air conditioned space so I really don't have to worry about the heat anyway.
I typically get up around 1900 (7:00pm) and head into work. I procured an old beat up bicycle from the guy who had this job previous to me, and I ride that to work; it's about a mile. I drop off my gear and head over to the chow hall for dinner. Usually I get my dinner to go and bring it back to the office to eat. This allows me to gradually build my situational awareness about what is going on at work while I eat. At about 2015 we do a formal turnover brief and I officially take over the watch for the next eight hours.
There is a lot of classified stuff that I deal with so I can't go into too much detail about the work I do. But it is safe to say that I am kind of the air battle director for the Marine forces here. I have the authority to launch aircraft on their various missions, divert them as necessary to accomplish something of higher priority, as well as launch alert aircraft that we have standing by for contingencies (such as a MEDEVAC, or when ground troops get into a firefight). It is a lot of responsibility and there is a whole crew of Marines at various stations in the TACC (Tactical Air Control Center) to assist me.
So I manage the air campaign for the time I am on the floor and then at 0430 we do another turnover brief and I pass it on to the guy after me. We have three officers who stand this watch, so with each of us taking an eight hour shift we are on 24/7. After I turn over, most days I grab a quick workout. The gym is right there in the Wing compound so I literally only have to change clothes and walk 50 yds to get there. After my workout I head back to the cans and take a shower. Then I settle in and maybe call my family, watch a movie or TV show, read a book, or write some emails. I try to go to sleep around 0900-1000 at the latest so that I can get a good eight or so hours of sleep.
Pretty soon we will be switching shifts and I will rotate to the 0430-1230 shift. I will have to deal with the heat, but it will be closer to a normal schedule with the daylight.
Take Care everyone, and I will see you soon.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Mongolian and Ice Cream
This week I thought I would talk with you all about the food here. I am not sure if this has been on anyone's mind, but if you talk to the average Marine about a deployment to one place or another, the quality of the food is always a top priority.
The food here in Afghanistan is actually quite good. It is run on a government contract by a company called Dyn-Corp (I think they are a subsidiary of Kellogg-Brown-and-Root, but I could be wrong). There is a good bit of variety as well which is nice. There are several Dining Facilities, or DFAC's, on Camp Leatherneck and each one is about the same. The food is of course served cafeteria style and the main selection changes each day. Once you have been here for a while though, you can start to see some repetition.
There is the ever-present Salisbury steak night with mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas. There is also baked or fried chicken night, meatloaf, etc. Now, those staples are served about once per week. However, there are also some "special" nights. Every Friday is Mongolian barbecue night. You can pick your meat (pork, chicken, or beef) as well as all the vegetables, sauces and seasonings. Take the pile over to the grill and they cook it up for you while you wait! It is pretty good. Even more popular with the TCN's (Third Country Nationals, mostly from India) is "curry night". Every Monday they serve several different varieties of curry; I like the beef the best but they have chicken and lamb too. The curry comes with some pretty good flatbread as well, sort of like the naan you might find in a middle-eastern restaurant.
To drink, they have several kinds of juices, milk, gatorade, and of course sodas. However all of these, except the sodas, come in small boxes. Like a juicebox you might find in your kids' lunch box. They also have a "fry line" with hamburgers in case you don't care for what they are serving that day. Additionally, there is a salad bar, a fruit bar, and a dessert bar. They also have real ice cream every night! It takes a lot of self discipline to stay on track with a healthy diet out here, believe me. So far I am doing okay on that front, but it helps that my work schedule only allows me to get in there for two meals per day. More on that next time. For now, "Bon Appetitte" and I will see you later!
The food here in Afghanistan is actually quite good. It is run on a government contract by a company called Dyn-Corp (I think they are a subsidiary of Kellogg-Brown-and-Root, but I could be wrong). There is a good bit of variety as well which is nice. There are several Dining Facilities, or DFAC's, on Camp Leatherneck and each one is about the same. The food is of course served cafeteria style and the main selection changes each day. Once you have been here for a while though, you can start to see some repetition.
There is the ever-present Salisbury steak night with mashed potatoes, gravy, and peas. There is also baked or fried chicken night, meatloaf, etc. Now, those staples are served about once per week. However, there are also some "special" nights. Every Friday is Mongolian barbecue night. You can pick your meat (pork, chicken, or beef) as well as all the vegetables, sauces and seasonings. Take the pile over to the grill and they cook it up for you while you wait! It is pretty good. Even more popular with the TCN's (Third Country Nationals, mostly from India) is "curry night". Every Monday they serve several different varieties of curry; I like the beef the best but they have chicken and lamb too. The curry comes with some pretty good flatbread as well, sort of like the naan you might find in a middle-eastern restaurant.
To drink, they have several kinds of juices, milk, gatorade, and of course sodas. However all of these, except the sodas, come in small boxes. Like a juicebox you might find in your kids' lunch box. They also have a "fry line" with hamburgers in case you don't care for what they are serving that day. Additionally, there is a salad bar, a fruit bar, and a dessert bar. They also have real ice cream every night! It takes a lot of self discipline to stay on track with a healthy diet out here, believe me. So far I am doing okay on that front, but it helps that my work schedule only allows me to get in there for two meals per day. More on that next time. For now, "Bon Appetitte" and I will see you later!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
The View From Above
Yesterday I had a real treat. I got to ride in the back of a British Army Air Corps Lynx helicopter for a tour of the area. The British have about 10,000 total troops here in Afghanistan, most of them based right here at Camp Bastion. Of these there is a contingent that is comprised of various helicopter aviation units. They fill several roles including MEDEVAC, general support (moving supplies and people) Close Air Support or CAS (shooting weapons at the enemy in support of friendly troops), and scout / reconnaissance. The Lynx is a small utility helo with a crew of three and room for up to three passengers. I got to ride along as they conducted a general
reconnaissance mission.
My first impression was that the area is much more fertile than I at first thought. Camp Leatherneck is very dry and dusty, but most of our operations are conducted in the Helmand River valley and this area was vibrant green. It was dotted with small fields that have been cultivated to grow crops for feeding the people or livestock that live there. Of course the problem these days is that a lot of these fields are being used to grow poppy and support the opium trade, and thus the Taliban.
I also noticed that the entire operating area is relatively small. It only took us a hour to tour the entire area from one end to the other. The airspace is thus very crowded with helicopters flitting around supporting all the myriad patrol bases that the ground troops use. The nice thing was that it was nice and cool up in the air since the Lynx flies with the doors open like a Huey.
When we got back I had the privilege of touring the British Medevac aircraft. The Brits have a CH-47 Chinook that they use for what we call Incident Response. They can equip it for any number of contingencies, and here in Afghanistan they have outfitted it with a very robust medical suite. They carry a medical team of four and a security element of four. Their capability is remarkable; they have an anesthetist on board and they can fully sedate, intubate, and push blood plasma to a severely wounded patient all on board the aircraft. Essentially, this eliminates the need to prep the patient for surgery upon arrival from the battlefield since they can do it en route. This savings in time has often meant the difference between life and death for victims of IED attacks and traumatic brain injuries. It was a very interesting tour and the crews that man these planes are incredible professionals.
So what else do you folks want to know about? Use the comments button and fire away with any questions you might have. Thanks and we'll see you next time!
My first impression was that the area is much more fertile than I at first thought. Camp Leatherneck is very dry and dusty, but most of our operations are conducted in the Helmand River valley and this area was vibrant green. It was dotted with small fields that have been cultivated to grow crops for feeding the people or livestock that live there. Of course the problem these days is that a lot of these fields are being used to grow poppy and support the opium trade, and thus the Taliban.
I also noticed that the entire operating area is relatively small. It only took us a hour to tour the entire area from one end to the other. The airspace is thus very crowded with helicopters flitting around supporting all the myriad patrol bases that the ground troops use. The nice thing was that it was nice and cool up in the air since the Lynx flies with the doors open like a Huey.
When we got back I had the privilege of touring the British Medevac aircraft. The Brits have a CH-47 Chinook that they use for what we call Incident Response. They can equip it for any number of contingencies, and here in Afghanistan they have outfitted it with a very robust medical suite. They carry a medical team of four and a security element of four. Their capability is remarkable; they have an anesthetist on board and they can fully sedate, intubate, and push blood plasma to a severely wounded patient all on board the aircraft. Essentially, this eliminates the need to prep the patient for surgery upon arrival from the battlefield since they can do it en route. This savings in time has often meant the difference between life and death for victims of IED attacks and traumatic brain injuries. It was a very interesting tour and the crews that man these planes are incredible professionals.
So what else do you folks want to know about? Use the comments button and fire away with any questions you might have. Thanks and we'll see you next time!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
A Vigil for the Fallen
Last evening I was able to attend a unique ceremony. There is a very large contingent of British military forces here in Afghanistan as part of ISAF. Each Wednesday (as needed) they hold a vigil for their fallen service members. I have been to several of these for fallen Americans, but never for a combat loss, and never for a UK soldier.
We had actually not intended to go, but we were on the British side of the base (known as Camp Bastion) to go to the Afghan bazaar and we literally stumbled on it so we decided to participate. It was a short, but moving ceremony. The entire British contingent forms up in a square shaped parade formation with one side open. Specific units form as units and march on, but alot of folks kind of fill in the ranks in the back and that is where we were. On the open side of the square is a dais with a podium and microphone; behind that are the flagpoles with the Union Jack and the flags of the units involved, in this case it was the 1st Royal Welsh Regiment and the 3rd Yorkshire Regiment.
Once the ceremony begins, the parade is called to attention. The companies that the soldiers served in march on and take the place of honor at the center of the square. The Chaplain says a prayer and then two or three of the fallen soldier's friends speak briefly. Then the Chaplain reads the Collects for the Regiments (each Regiment in the British Army has its own Collect), followed by a reading from the Gospel and a cannon salute. The parade is then dismissed with a quote: "When you go home, tell them of us; and tell them that for their tomorrow, we gave our today". Later on in the late evening, the companies will hold a "ramp ceremony" where they put the bodies on a plane to send them home; however, those are private ceremonies for those units.
The entire thing was less than 20 minutes but I noticed some interesting things. The service was almost entirely out of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. I was reminded that England does not separate Church and State the way the US does. The Queen is the head of the Church and the head of the State, so the army only uses these services. In the US, there are Chaplains from any and all denominations, to include Roman Catholic, protestant, Jewish, and even Muslim.
All in all it was a moving tribute and a stirring reminder of the tragedies of this war. I was glad I attended.
We had actually not intended to go, but we were on the British side of the base (known as Camp Bastion) to go to the Afghan bazaar and we literally stumbled on it so we decided to participate. It was a short, but moving ceremony. The entire British contingent forms up in a square shaped parade formation with one side open. Specific units form as units and march on, but alot of folks kind of fill in the ranks in the back and that is where we were. On the open side of the square is a dais with a podium and microphone; behind that are the flagpoles with the Union Jack and the flags of the units involved, in this case it was the 1st Royal Welsh Regiment and the 3rd Yorkshire Regiment.
Once the ceremony begins, the parade is called to attention. The companies that the soldiers served in march on and take the place of honor at the center of the square. The Chaplain says a prayer and then two or three of the fallen soldier's friends speak briefly. Then the Chaplain reads the Collects for the Regiments (each Regiment in the British Army has its own Collect), followed by a reading from the Gospel and a cannon salute. The parade is then dismissed with a quote: "When you go home, tell them of us; and tell them that for their tomorrow, we gave our today". Later on in the late evening, the companies will hold a "ramp ceremony" where they put the bodies on a plane to send them home; however, those are private ceremonies for those units.
The entire thing was less than 20 minutes but I noticed some interesting things. The service was almost entirely out of the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. I was reminded that England does not separate Church and State the way the US does. The Queen is the head of the Church and the head of the State, so the army only uses these services. In the US, there are Chaplains from any and all denominations, to include Roman Catholic, protestant, Jewish, and even Muslim.
All in all it was a moving tribute and a stirring reminder of the tragedies of this war. I was glad I attended.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Home Sweet "Can"....
I am finally settled in to my home for the next nine or so months. The living spaces here at Camp Leatherneck (which we abbreviate LNK) are affectionately known as "the cans". Officially, they are called Living Support Areas, or LSA's. They are essentially modular construction type boxes set up as living quarters. Think mobile home and you have the idea. Each can is about eight feet wide and twenty feet long with a door at one end. The floor is gray linoleum and the walls are grey metal. The lighting is of course fluorescent and there is a bed and a window. There is also an air conditioning unit, which is essential; the weather here is already creeping just over 100 degrees and it is only June (ughh!) There is of course a bed, but that is about it. There is not any other furniture. The cans are set up in two story rows of like ten cans each with maybe twenty or so rows in each LSA. At the end of the rows they are cans that are set up as showers and bathrooms and those are fine. Nothing fancy to be sure, but all I really do here is sleep and read so what more do you need right?
The good news is that just across the street is the exchange where I can buy rugs for the floor, a blanket or extra pillow, perhaps a small set of plastic drawers, plus various snacks and toiletries if I need to. Along with the exchange there is a Green Beans Coffee shop (I guess Starbuck's placed too high a bid on that contract), an alterations shop if you need uniforms fixed, as well as a "morale center". This is essentially a recreation area. They show movies (with popcorn even), have several video gaming stations set up, pool tables, ping pong, etc. There is also a room where I can participate in the United Through Reading program where they video tape me reading to the kids and then send the DVD home for free.
Down the street from that is the chow hall. There are actually something like six Dining Facilities, or DFAC's, aboard LNK. One of them is right near the cans, and another is right next door to where I work so they are very convenient. The food is extremely good too. I am going to have to come up with a good exercise program to prevent gaining 10 pounds while I am out here!
So now you know all about the LSA's and DFAC's aboard LNK. Don't you just love the acronyms! Take Care everybody and I'll write more soon.
The good news is that just across the street is the exchange where I can buy rugs for the floor, a blanket or extra pillow, perhaps a small set of plastic drawers, plus various snacks and toiletries if I need to. Along with the exchange there is a Green Beans Coffee shop (I guess Starbuck's placed too high a bid on that contract), an alterations shop if you need uniforms fixed, as well as a "morale center". This is essentially a recreation area. They show movies (with popcorn even), have several video gaming stations set up, pool tables, ping pong, etc. There is also a room where I can participate in the United Through Reading program where they video tape me reading to the kids and then send the DVD home for free.
Down the street from that is the chow hall. There are actually something like six Dining Facilities, or DFAC's, aboard LNK. One of them is right near the cans, and another is right next door to where I work so they are very convenient. The food is extremely good too. I am going to have to come up with a good exercise program to prevent gaining 10 pounds while I am out here!
So now you know all about the LSA's and DFAC's aboard LNK. Don't you just love the acronyms! Take Care everybody and I'll write more soon.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Staying Connected
Some of you may be wondering how I stay connected with my family while I am away. There are actually a couple ways we do it. There is of course the postal service, affectionately known as "snail mail," which we use primarily for care packages and things like that. We primarily use email though. When I was in Iraq in 2004 and 2006, Janelle and I would email each other 2-3 times per day. They also have phone centers where you can use a pre-paid phone card and talk with your loved ones; or we would use the military phone system and get patched through to the states for free. We would do this every couple days or so. It is much more frustrating for Janelle and the kids since they cannot call me. This means that they have to go about their normal lives and hope they don't miss a call from me. Occasionally we would set up a time over email so I could talk with the kids too.
Technology keeps improving though, and in Afghanistan the military has set up Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the living spaces. This means that I can email Janelle from the privacy of my living quarters, a definite improvement. Even more than that, with Skype I can video call the family and actually see them while we talk. This is a remarkable upgrade from just a couple years ago and so far has worked well. Although, I still haven't quite made it all the way to my final destination yet. They have everything set up here in Manas and my computer and iPhone both have Skype installed so everything works.
So get a Skype account if you want one, it's free, and then we can talk sometime!
Technology keeps improving though, and in Afghanistan the military has set up Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the living spaces. This means that I can email Janelle from the privacy of my living quarters, a definite improvement. Even more than that, with Skype I can video call the family and actually see them while we talk. This is a remarkable upgrade from just a couple years ago and so far has worked well. Although, I still haven't quite made it all the way to my final destination yet. They have everything set up here in Manas and my computer and iPhone both have Skype installed so everything works.
So get a Skype account if you want one, it's free, and then we can talk sometime!
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