A long time since

So, I was thinking today that I hadn't done anything with this blog in a long time. Being that I use Facebook for nearly all my communications with the states, I sort of neglected anyone that doesn't use Facebook, so here is a little Afghanistan update for those people who are uninformed. And that is not to say that this is only for Karen, since I know many other people who do not use Facebook; however, I did try to set up a Facebook account for Karen but when I asked Ashley to assist her in confirming the account and show her the basics, Ashley's response had something to do with focus groups and reverse psychology, but ended with, "she'll never use it." So, we'll just stick to the blog for now.

This is one of the kids who live on our drop zone and her name is Kafja (kahf-yah). She is also the resident food tester for all the other children who come to the dropzone when we have resupply missions. In the past she tried a mocha flavored Clifshot Energy Gel, packed with 50mg of caffeine (about two regular sodas), but the flavor was not to her liking and she promptly took it and buried it. In this photo she is tasting black licorice for the first time. The soldier who gave it to her is the only one on our camp who eats the gnasty stuff. After a little nibble, she promptly spiked it into the dirt, where it was picked up by her little brother, Matiullah. After he tasted it, he quietly put it in his pocket and walked away. We weren't sure if he was going to discard it or just wanted to horde it for himself, although, either could be the case here.

This is a picture of me driving a really big 7-ton International that belongs to the Afghan National Army. The reason I am driving it and not the ANA is because it only has 2400 miles on it, and if we let the ANA use it, it is not likely it will make it to 3000 miles. Basically, they were driven to our camp by some ANA who were at least trained to drive them, and then those goes flew back to where they came from, leaving them with ANA who had no idea how to drive a truck this size. The guys who drove it up were so incompetent with this equipment that they cut the wires in the wire harness for all the electronic transmission functions and attempted to hook up a car stereo in its place! Hmm, let's see, 6 wheel drive and being able to lock the rear differential or having tunes? I'd go with the one that is going to keep me from getting stuck in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, now we use them to help recover all of our supplies from the parachute drops because you can fit a ton more in the back of these than you could in the back of our little hummer trailers.

This is what a resupply looks like. On this particular drop, we received an abundance of pallets containing various beverages and meat. One pallet is approximately 27-30 cubic feet, so if my math is right, that is 432 cubic feet of goodness. For those who are curious, the beverages vary, but include gatorade, coke products, pepsi product, red bull, joos boxes (yes, they actually say joos), milk boxes (the kind Debra refuses to drink because they are irradiated), and so on. Sometimes we just get water and fuel, and unlike this particular drop, the pallets do not always stay intact, either coming out of the airplane (you've never lived until you've experienced a hailstorm of 20 oz. water bottles) or when they hit the ground. The latter tends to affect the fuel drum more significantly.

This is just a picture I like a lot because of the layering between foreground and background, and the compound in the foreground gives good perspective to the size of the mountains in the background.

This is me getting my boredom on in the bazaar. We had a little foot patrol going on in the bazaar, so I was having the Afghan police hand out our nifty flyers telling everyone to be nice and rat out the taliban to us. I think we had also hooked up a radio to the loudspeaker and re-airing our radio broadcast.

Here is another picture of me with my big truck. It's okay to be jealous.

This guy is actually a semi-pro racer of ATV's back in the states in his free time. After I took this picture, he pulled up next to one of our terps and asked, "How do you tell him to slow down!" I especially like the look on this kids face; his look really isn't fear, but I can't quite pinpoint what is.

This picture was taking by Kafja, who fancies herself as an up and coming photographer. Anytime she sees a camera come out, she immediately tries to take it away from you and starts snapping pictures of anything.


These were some little kids that we past one day up in the mountains. The only thing I don't like about this picture is the little boy next to the girl, who has a strangely crazy look on his face as if to say, "Haha! My daddy's a Talib and he just left to go set up an ambush, but I'm too cute, so you can't do anything to me."

I had a great caption for this picture, but I've already used it twice and if I do it again, Debra may begin suggesting marital counseling. Think about it enough and you'll figure it out.
And no, it isn't uncommon to see random livestock roaming. They put what is called a "hobble" on the animal which is a piece of rope tied around the animals ankle tightly. In the short term it keeps the animal from moving anywhere too quickly, but in the long term causes poor physical development so that the animal can never move too quickly.

Another image of the contrasting layers in the landscape here between the mountains and the valleys. The point where the picture was taken and the elevation in the valley below are a difference of about 2000 feet.

You do what you gotta do when it gets cold. There is a reason that people in certain parts of the world have big scarves and wrap them around their heads and necks... it keeps you warm. Also, notice the not-so-tasty breakfast of Veggie Burger in BBQ Sauce, thanks to the makers of MRE.

This was a fuel truck that came in a convoy to our location. For some reason in this country, the truck drivers like to "pimp their rides" so that they end up looking like a circus car from the movie "Dumbo". This one is not even one of the more elaborate ones out there, although I do like the painted sheet metal decor on the side which includes the likeness of the British Harrier fighter jets. Many of the cargo trucks, which are mostly stake-side flatbeds are also ringed at the bottom of its sides with little chains with flat pieces of metal at the ends that jingle together as they drive, thus giving them the name "Jingle Trucks." And I didn't make that up, that is what the locals call them too. Also, I would be remiss not to give honorable mention to this particular driver's good use of planning, because he brought a little extra food for the journey on top. Can you imagine being that sheep, having to ride on top for hundreds of miles?


Let's see, what else to say that I don't have pictures for. Oh yeah, I received a whole bunch of McCain-Palin '08 propaganda in the mail the other day that I requested from San Luis Obispo County. They sent a whole mess stickers and buttons for us, so those are now properly adorning our hummers. I also have one of the buttons on my body armor that states, "From the coldest state comes the hottest VP". I almost thought about making a yard sign to put out front of our camp for McCain, but then I thought, in my warped sense of humor, that it would be funnier to make a sign that said, "Taliban for Obama '08" and take pictures of it and send it back to the states, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

It was like Christmas here last night as one of our guys who had gone back to Kandahar for a week to acquire some equipment came back and with him came two ice chests full of real Subway (Eat Fresh) sandwiches and about four dozen Tim Horton's Doughnuts (the Canadian version of Krispy Kreme) and two cases of Rockstar Energy Drinks. You should have seen it, it was like a bunch of fat kids in a buffet in Bakersfield.


I also wanted to throw these in for those who hadn't seen them yet. Nehemiah got to be the "Lord of the Rings" in Mandy and Tim's wedding in August (I think it was August), and according to Debra he did very well. He actually stood up there for the entire ceremony with the best man and didn't talk except when Mandy came down the aisle and he wanted to say hello.
I also wanted to throw these in for those who hadn't seen them yet. Nehemiah got to be the "Lord of the Rings" in Mandy and Tim's wedding in August (I think it was August), and according to Debra he did very well. He actually stood up there for the entire ceremony with the best man and didn't talk except when Mandy came down the aisle and he wanted to say hello.

I thought this last one was classic because I had made the comment to Debra that Nehemiah looks as he usually does when "zoning out" with a TV. Debra replied back that he actually was, except that the photographer was using a portable DVD player with a screen to get him to look at the camera. If only they had invented such devices when I was a kid.

Well, I guess that is about it. For now.