Afghan Blues 29 Jan 09

Greetings Everyone from Sunny Kandahar-Har-Har!

So I just started a new mission here in Southern Afghanistan. I will be heading out to a FOB (Forward Operating Base) somewhere near the Pakistan border in a couple days.
I flew to Kandahar by way of Dubai so I could stop in and have my last cocktail for 3 months.

Same old Dubai.., FUN and CRAZY!!

Anyone who has ever flown to the Middle East knows how hard it is to get any sleep during the 20 hours of flying and layovers.

So I was pretty tired when I arrived in Kandahar, but the flight is a lot less interesting than in Iraq.

Coming into Baghdad, the plane does what is called a ‘combat-landing’, which basically means the plane turns about twenty tight circles on its side to prevent any surface to air rockets from bringing the plane down. (You are either looking straight at the ground out the window, or up toward the sun, depending on what side of the plane you are sitting in.)
This will make anyone sick until they get used to it after several landings.

Kandahar is a simple landing comparatively.

This place is surrounded by mountains and sand; not much else.
The military runs the airport and has every kind of aircraft imaginable here; fighters, bombers, drones, cargo.., everything.

All day and all night long there are fighters and cargo aircraft taking off, landing, and flying over our heads for the sole purpose of making sure we do not sleep.

This brings me back to the sleep issue.

When I landed, I figured that I would finally be able to get a good nights’ sleep. Then they showed me to my tent….,

200 soldiers all living in bunk beds, no partitions; just one big warehouse style tent.
The first thing you notice when you get to a vacant rack is that the beds squeak very loudly when you get on them, and when you roll over, or just about any time you breathe.

Imagine 100 racks squeaking all night long in a loud, metallic, ear-puncturing screech.
Then imagine 200 alarm clocks going off all night long for the different platoons going on different missions, at different times of the middle of the night.

Now add all the jets coming down hot and fast just over the deck to land right behind the tent.

Finally, sauté this nice hearty winter stew with an overly gassy, bean and cabbage eating Bulgarian soldier who bunks on the rack next to me..,
And one can see how I have not slept in four days so far.

I am now constantly living with one of the lack-of-sleep headaches.

So by the time the noise drives me off the rack at 5 am, I get to the showers for a tooth-cracking cold shower. The fire department probably used the hot water to put of my bunk mates ass fires.

Who really knows?

We are working 12-16 hours a day, seven days a week, so it is a bit hectic.

I’ll sign off now and send more later.

Jimmy B.