Perspective

As I walked to the shower in my flip flops (but this time with jacket in hand and socks in my pocket) I was repeating in my head, please don’t let there be an attack while I’m in the shower, please don’t let there be an attack while I’m in the shower…  Then, as if to snap me out of my self-absorption, I heard the sound of tactical vehicles.  One by one I could see them roll by through the break in the T Wall (really tall concrete barricades).  I’m sure those guys were worried about bigger issues than an interrupted shower.

A COLD learning experience

This time when the alarms went off signaling a rocket attack, I had just gotten out of the shower and was heading down the stairs back to my room.  It really isn’t that cold, compared to back home, so I don’t bother carrying my jacket with me.  I usually work in the office after dinner and tonight was no different.  When I get back to my room and change out of my uniform I put on my pajamas, flip-flops and carry a plastic tote to the shower.  After I get out of the shower I put my pajamas back on, toss a towel in my hair and wear my flip flops back to my room.   It is a short distance but it wasn’t short enough tonight.  At the bottom of the stair from the bathroom is a bunker which is where I responded… in my pajamas… with a towel on my head and flip-flops on my feet.  In the bunker I pulled the towel off my hair and wrapped it around my shoulders.  After about 40 minutes, the Captain from my office told me to go get some clothes on.  I went to the bunker entrance and the Command Sergeant Major told me to take someone with me and be quick.  Together, another woman and I dashed to my room where I added more layers over my pajamas and got on shoes and socks.  I was only back in the bunker for a short time before we heard the all clear.  That was definitely a learning experience.

The next day

This morning revealed the grim results of yesterday’s attack on base.  One fatality.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  I woke up later than usual this morning.  I took advantage of the rare time off to get some pictures.  Late morning I walked over to the bazaar to see what the locals were selling.  There were mostly sunglasses, rugs, scarves, and pirated DVDs.  The assortment of souvenirs reminded me of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  Anyone want another camel stand?

There is a group of us who go to lunch together every day.  Today was no exception.  The food here isn’t great but I was able to get some turkey.  The decorations in the DFAC and the myriad of soldiers wearing Santa hats helped set a holiday tone.

I was going to take advantage of the afternoon to be productive but decided to read instead.  That didn’t last long as I quickly dozed off (must have been the turkey).  I woke up just in time to get over to meet up for a ride over to dinner.  We went to a different DFAC and this one had some neat food sculptures.  An alligator made or bread, a frosted “log” that said Merry Christmas.

It was a quiet and relaxing day; one of only four days in a year not considered work days.  The best way to end the day was with a call back home.  I loved hearing how excited the kids were as they told me about their Christmas and the wonderful gifts they had received.  The pleasant call was quickly shattered by the sound of the base alarm going off.  I dropped to the ground, said I would call right back and hung up the phone.  I then proceeded to the nearest bunker which is conveniently located right outside my door.  The procedure for accountability is outstanding.  If there can be a positive aspect to the attack it is that I had an opportunity to get to know the others in our bunker.    After the all clear, I went back to my room to call.  I was not able to get through so I went to take a shower.  By the time I was ready for bed I was able to get through.  This was the first attack and a reminder that this is serious, even if you have on a Santa hat.

Office Holiday Party

Today we celebrated the Christmas Holiday in the office with pizza and a white elephant gift exchange.  The admin in our office coordinated the party so I hitched a ride with her while she ran errands around the compound.  We stopped by the PX so I could grab a gift for the gift exchange.  I selected a book of Dilbert cartons.  Then we went to “The Boardwalk” to order the pizza.  The Boardwalk consists of a wide wooden covered walkway in the shape of a large square, close to 100 yards on each side.  The exterior is lined with miscellaneous shop and food vendor trailers.  This is also where we have our very own T.G.I. Fridays.  The interior of the square houses a “street hockey” rink, a few scattered picnic tables, as well as basketball and sand volleyball courts.  It was unusually cold this morning so we weren’t at the Boardwalk for long.  After that we picked up ice and headed back to work.

We gathered in the hall just before noon for pizza.  Now when I say pizza, don’t think Jets or Little Caesars.  Think more along the lines of cafeteria cardboard pizza.  Not great, but edible.  After lunch we lingered in the hallway for the White Elephant Gift Exchange.  It was a great deal of fun; about 20 of us participated.  There was a wide variety of gifts selected from the PX.  Misc snacks, DVDs, books, baseball cap, socks and lotion.  The hottest gifts exchanging hands were the two teddy bears dressed up in DCUs.  They were adorable.  I was number 13 in the line-up and I tried to snag a bear but later it was taken from me again.  In the end I took home a multifunctional headscarf.  Think of the buffs on Survivor.  The most common use for it here is to cover your mouth to minimize how much dust you inhale.

When I got back to my room I Skyped home.  The internet connection in our rooms is slow but free.  It was nice to be able to see the family.

Orientation

This morning I again enjoyed breakfast with my roommate.  I tried an omelet but won’t be doing that again.  I’ll stick with cereal, scrambled eggs or pancakes from now on.

Today was orientation for the new arrivals.  We spent the day listing to speakers from the different USACE offices.  Some covered general procedures (safety, travel, security, etc) while others were more about business (legal, engineering and construction, etc).  The most fascinating for me was the intelligence briefing.  The presenter clearly knew what he was talking about and I could have listened to him all day.  His overview was a quick history lesson and reminder of why we are here.  It was easy to let my life back home keep this war in the back of my mind.  I find that now I am frantically trying to get up to speed and gain a better understanding.  The graphic images on the briefing slides definitely made an impact.

After work I decided to attempt laundry.  To my pleasant surprise, the laundry room contains stackable Maytag washer dryers.

Emerging out of the funk

I felt great when I woke up this morning.  I slept great and feel like a new person.  My roommate and I get up at the same time and this morning went to breakfast together.  This was my first time walking to breakfast.  We went to the British DFAC (Dining Facility).  From what I hear the breakfast is pretty much the same at all of them but the Cambridge is the closest.  I had scrambled eggs, pancakes, grapefruit, orange juice and milk.  There is A LOT of food here.  I need to remind myself that I am sitting in an office all day.  The soldiers going outside the wire need a lot of calories, I don’t. 

Mid morning I had an opportunity to catch a ride to the PX.  I was surprised at all the stuff they had.  I bought a 4x6 rug, for the floor this time, to help keep down the dust in our room.

The first few days were a blur

While I was up and to work by 7am, my head was in a fog.  I am actually writing this blog looking back and it is hard to recall exactly what went on.  I went through the motions of a human but my head was in a fog.  The jet-lag and waiting a week wasn’t good.  Sorry.

Day one. So far so good.

After we completed training we loaded up the bus and headed to the airport.  Because we arrived several hours before our scheduled departure, I took the opportunity to visit with my parents (and grab one last home cooked meal).  I took a taxi from the airport  to their house and had a delightful conversation with the taxi driver.  Ironically, he grew up in a small village outside Kandahar.  Of course I didn’t say a word about where I was headed, but I was full of questions.  At age 17 he had been shot in the legs by indirect fire and Doctors without Borders eventually shipped him to the US for treatment.  He received a refugee visa and later because a US citizen.  His parents still live in his childhood village.  According to the driver, his parents want the US and our allies to go home so the government can collapse.  They feel that the government is corrupt and the Taliban isn’t as bad.  It was a fascinating discussion.

After a wonderful dinner, my parents dropped me back off at the airport.  I met back up with my fellow classmates and we waited together for our flight.  The flight was completely full and I was very happy to have an aisle seat.   Each seat was equipped with a monitor which helped pass the time on the 13 hour flight.  Surprisingly it wasn’t that bad.  I was glad I brought a blanket because it was cold but I managed to get quite a bit of sleep.

We landed in Dubai in the evening.  The airport was beautiful.  (Sadly my photos didn’t turn out so I borrowed one from the web.)  We easily met up with our guide, through customs to baggage claim and out to the awaiting bus.  It was a short drive to the hotel which was very nice even by western standards.  We were told in training not leave the hotel but a few of my classmates couldn’t resist.  I was perfectly content to go back to my room and sleep.  I had no problem sleeping.  In the morning we had a delightful breakfast then loaded up and headed back to the airport.  This time we went to a smaller terminal and were slightly confused where to go.  We figured it out and eventually found our way to the waiting area.

The flight to Kandahar was about two hours and uneventful.  This flight was not even a third full so there was plenty of room to spread out.  The passengers were a diverse mix from lots of different countries but all heading to Kandahar Air Base for the same reason.  I had a window view although the windows were dirty so it was difficult to get good pictures.  I tried anyway.

Once on the ground I followed the crowd into the building known as “Taliban’s Last Stand”.  Built by the Russians years ago and later taken over by the Taliban. When NATO came to Afghanistan and took Kandahar Air Field (KAF) this stronghold was the last stand. In any direction, you can see bullet holes throughout the walls.  On one part of the building there is now a huge sky roof, compliments of a US bomb.

We were met by two of our security guys (military) and driven to the compound.  We were issued our body armor and shown to our rooms.  My room is a temporary RLB which is a relocatable, modular building.  There was a bit of a mix-up and my roommate was actually a male.  He seemed nice enough and we said we would be fine but that was “against the rules” so they moved him to another room.  He had kept the room very clean so it was in move-in ready condition.  He left me a few cans of ice tea in the fridge and gave me carpet for my bed.  The mattress is a sad excuse for a sleeping surface and that night I was grateful for the carpet.  Having shipped my own comforter (picked out by Sam), I was able to use the blanket I was issued as padding.  The total bed layers are as follows:  mattress, a sheet of foam, a carpet, a thick blanket folded in half and the memory foam topper I also shipped.  It will do, but the Marriot it is not.

After my male roommate moved out I had several hours before a female roommate moved in.  It was actually a classmate from my training class who had arrived in country the day prior.  She was staying in the “Kandahar Hotel”.  (Even the hotel is stacked RLBs.)  I made myself at home in the back of the box and hung the curtain Jason picked out for me between the two wardrobes, essentially dividing the room in half.

We had a meeting in the afternoon to fill out paper work but were mostly free to settle in.  A few coworkers took me to dinner then it was off to shower then to bed.

Pre-deployment Processing

The word unorganized is just one word that comes to mind when I think about the pre-deployment process at home station.  (The other words that come to mind are not appropriate for this blog.)  I was skeptical that the training at the Deployment Center would be much better.  From the first moment I stepped onto the bus I quickly became more optimistic.  Everything was well organized and we seamlessly moved from task to task without issue.  Being run by active duty Army Soldiers probably helped.

Over just a few days we had quite a bit to do.  One of the first things I did was get my Anthrax shot.  It is a 6 shot series and I received the first 4 while I was Active Duty.  I was not looking forward to getting it one bit.  For those of you that have not had the opportunity to experience the Anthrax, there is an unpleasant burn that you can feel a few seconds after receiving it.  When I was on Active Duty and received the shot, we were told to massage the heck out of our arms to spread out the vaccine.  It helped but there was no escaping that burn.  When I received the vaccine here, the nurse immediately massaged my arm for a few minutes for me.  (Civilians have it so much better!)  While I could still feel the burn, the whole area was uncomfortable but not nearly as bad.  Two days later, as expected, I still have a good size knot on my arm as a souvenir.

Early in the week I also received my gear.  It was weird being in uniform again after ten years.  The night we received our DCUs (Desert Combat Uniform) I burnt off the loose threads and ironed them.  That brought back memories.  The next morning brought back memories too as I raced out my hotel room to catch the bus in the wee hours while buttoning my uniform.  I thought it was funny that we had to wear them in the next day to prove we knew how to wear them correctly.  I understood why when I first saw my classmates.  Most of the class had prior military service and it was obvious who by looking at the uniforms that day.   (Offenses included dog tags outside the t-shirt, more than one ring per finger, earrings other than studs, hair not pulled up above collar, mixing civilian clothes with the uniform.)

Another notable experience worth sharing from this week is the combat first aid.  This was the best first aid class I have ever attended.  I credit the instructor for his real world, no nonsense approach and humorous delivery.  I usually leave first aid classes hoping that I will be able to apply what I learned.  Today I was absolutely confident that I can.  If I ever find myself in a room of simulated maimed dummies, I’m ready.  Just kidding!  Really, I do feel confident and hopefully I will be equally good at it when the blood is real.  The Army doesn’t mess around.  One video we were shown had a real pig that was actually spewing blood to demonstrate how to pack a wound.

Overall I am very pleased with everything so far and feel prepared to deploy.  One presentation provided slides to remind us all why we are going.  I still have a few days of job specific training to go before I leave the country.  It is nice to have a few days to adjust to being apart while we’re still in the same time zone and can text.

Saying Goodbye

I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of Jason and Samantha laughing.  When I was packing I found one of the kids DVDs in the luggage.  They were watching it when I went into the living room.  I sat with them for a few minutes before getting ready to go.  It started snowing during the night and was still snowing when I left for the airport. 

In the time leading up to my deployment I had the opportunity to spend quality individual time with both kids.  Samantha and I went to Girl Scout Leader/Daughter Camp for a whole weekend together.  The weekend was exceptionally planned by our Neighborhood Service Unit Manager with the perfect amount of activities.  The schedule allowed Samantha and I to enjoy the weekend at our own pace.  It was a fantastic memory and we will definitely go again if we have the opportunity (and I am NOT the camping type).

Jason planned a date for the two of us.  After work on a Friday he took me out for a special dinner at Fire Mountain Buffet.  After school Jason showered and dressed in fancy clothes that are usually shoved in the far corner on his closet.  I didn’t ask him to, he is just a great kid and this was a special night.  At dinner he gave me a Christmas present (a silver heart necklace) that he had purchased at the school Santa Shoppe.  We shared a very special evening together and we agreed that we definitely want to schedule regular dinner dates like that one when I get back.

I wanted to give the kids something special the day I left.  I found matching heart necklaces that said “mother” and “daughter” at Claires.  I ordered dog tags for Jason.  After everyone was piled in the van, I grabbed the large stuffed animals I had stashed away and set one on each kid’s bed with a note.  Then we were off.  Once at the airport, we hugged and kissed at the curb.  I gave Jason his dog tags and Samantha her necklace and showed them that I was wearing my two hearts too (the one Jason gave me and the one that matches Sam’s).  I did see a tear in the corner of Samantha’s eye but the kids were great.  I said good-bye, grabbed my bags and was off.

Apparently early Sunday afternoon is not a popular time to fly because the airport was quiet and still.  While walking down the long empty corridor, it hit me.  I knew it would, I just didn’t know when.  I thought to myself “what did I do?”  I was prepared for this and was able to shake it off.  On the short flight I read reports and presentations my office had sent me to help familiarize myself for the work ahead.  Before I knew it we were landing.

My parents live about an hour and a half from the Deployment Center so they picked me up at the airport and drove me to the hotel so I didn’t have to take a shuttle.  After I checked in we went to dinner and having seen the refrigerator in my room, the grocery store.  After saying goodbye to my parents, I called home.  The kids were fine.  I told myself “of course they were”.  I unpacked and went to bed.  It was going to be an early morning and a busy week.

Where in the World

The Adventure Begins...

My love of adventure was nurtured from a very young age.  Every summer we would take family vacations to new places.  My parents supported and encouraged my desire to be an exchange student and I spent my sophomore year of high school in Madrid, Spain.  By the end of High School I had no doubt that joining the Air Force was the right move for me.

When I married Mike at age 25, I had been to 47 states and 9 countries.  (To date, North Dakota and Hawaii still elude me.)  By the time I was pregnant with Jason ten years ago, Mike and I had decided it was the right time to trade in our military life (7 years for me and 12 for him) and we moved back to Michigan to “settle down” as civilians.

I had a fantastic job with Williams International for nine years before deciding to leave for an opportunity with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the summer of 2009.  While the adventurous side of me still existed, it has sat in the corner buried under day to day family life.  When USACE asked me to deploy to Afghanistan, that adventurous side leapt out screaming “Let’s Go!”  Mike’s response was exactly as I expected, encouraging, supportive and a touch jealous.  (His adventurous side is stewing in the corner.)

Being away from the kids will be hard but thousands of Soldiers do it every day.  My best friend and Air Force roommate still frequently deploys with the Air Force and her children are independent, self confident and well adjusted.  While it may be hard for Jason and Samantha to not be in a military community with peers that can relate, we are fortunate to have an amazing group of neighbors and friends to support them.

We told the kids over lunch at Red Robin.  They were both super excited and full of questions.  Sam’s eyes did well up with tears for a few minutes when they learned I would be gone for six months. Eventually their excitement resumed when I told them we would be able to communicate with video chat.

While I will miss spending Christmas here, leaving now will hopefully allow me to return home before school lets out.

I will be at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) which is located 15 miles from Kandahar City, the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 450,000.  Since a small American Marine contingent first landed there in late November 2001, KAF has expanded into a small city housing over 30,000 multinational troops and support contractors (that is about the same population as Garden City, MI).  From my Google research I learned that the base is about 10 square miles (Livonia is 36 square miles and Garden City is 6 square miles.)