Christmas in MeS

On Christmas Eve the J2 Branch had dinner together in the German DFAC. The food was ok, but not nearly as good as home would have been. I was at least able to sit and eat with friends and colleagues.

We had Christmas morning off which was nice. Since Chapel is at 1030, I didn’t have to go 2 miles to work and then 2 miles back this week. I had a special breakfast of Chocolate/Fudge Pop Tarts (thanks Karen), a banana, cranberry juice, and a quad mocha latte from Greenbeans.

We decided to go to the US DFAC for Christmas dinner around 1400. Since nothing was emailed out, or posted in a prominent way (read on) we figured everyone (US and Coalition) was able to eat at the same time. But, we were wrong. The Army dude running headcount showed us the PowerPoint slide (Dark Grey background with grey lettering) taped half way down the black door to the DFAC (the entrance way is covered and dark) that explained who could eat when and said it had been there for a month. Gee, how silly of us not to have noticed it.

So there I sat eating a meal that didn’t look as good as it should have. It was good, but with nobody to eat with it wasn’t that festive. I understand special times for US only at Thanksgiving…it’s a US holiday. But Christmas is international and being there wasn’t a line when we showed up what would it have mattered? Ah, the Army still can’t get stuff right even after being in existence for more than 2 centuries.

We finished up our Christmas eatery with the final free Christmas bratwursts in the Atrium tonight. Yum Yum!

“Frohe Weihnachten” and “God Jul!”

Christmas Decorations

When the Germans deployed they thought ahead and shipped Christmas stuff. I took some pics around camp to give you an idea.

On the Sundays of Advent, during the evening, they have booths set up in the Atrium and you can get wursts and waffles and such.

Thanksgiving 2011 in MeS

Well I am thankful I didn’t wake up with the ear ache and sore throat I felt coming on when I went to bed. I’ve been blessed that I have stayed well despite many around me suffering different ailments. Ok there was that one 24 hour stomach bug in Kabul but that hardly counts.

The US DFAC decided that they would allow our coalition partners a one hour time span for Thanksgiving lunch and 3 ½ hours for the Americans. Problem is there are more of them here than us. Another problem is the guys I eat with are German. Then there was the weather. I am glad the Americans I know enjoyed their turkey and all, but they were also soaked to the bone from standing in the rain (for a minimum of 30 minutes for those who ate really late and at least an hour for others) waiting for that bird.

Anyways, my friends and I decided on the German DFAC. They enjoyed the cabbage rolls, me I just made sandwiches with rolls, cold cuts, and cheese. But they did have potato balls which made me happy. So I was thankful that I remained dry (and probably stayed away from pneumonia or something) and I could share another meal with my friends.

First Snow

We got our first snow yesterday.

Driving through MeS

We took a drive over to a nearby camp and took the MeS city route. Couldn't get close enough to get good pics of the Blue Mosque here, just the domes. It is the fourth oldest Mosque in the world.

I also saw a sight I have never seen in Afghanistan. TRAFFIC LIGHTS! And they actually obeyed the signals. Of course there were still Muj drivers that decided to drive British style...on the wrong side of the road (despite islands in the middle of the street).

Also PRT MeS (Swedish) arguably has the best food here. Not to mention the real china plates and silverware.

My 46th in the IRoA

My 46th birthday fell on a Friday this year. Fridays here (in MeS) are known as "Low-ops" days. That means I have the choice to go in as late as after lunch. I normally go in somewhere inbetween my normal time (7-7:30am) and 11am.

I woke up and Skyped with Allison for a while. Then it was off to the shower and there was actually good water pressure which there had not been for about the previous 5 or so days. Then it was get dressed and make the walk to the US dining facility for a good "American" breakfast of eggs, ham, biscuits & gravy, grits, melon, and orange slice.

After breakfast I had to wait for the post office to open at 9am in order to pick up some mailing supplies and for the laundry to open at 10am (It opens late on Fridays and Sundays). Once I had picked up laundry and threw it on my bunk I stopped by Green Beans where I decided on the Mocha Frappe as it was warming up outside. The best way to describe Green Beans is "a deployed Starbucks." And it was off to work.

I guess birthdays are a big deal to Germans because they all made a point to come by and congratulate me on my birthday. My big boss even gave me Gummi Bears. Got an envelope from Daddy which had my requested lemon drops in it so that was like a b'day gift too. I decided to skip lunch as I knew I was going to eat at the German restaurant that night. I had made a point not to eat there until my birthday. I knew I wanted the jager snitzel and one of my coworkers recommended I get the XXL portion. Believe it or not there were still pomme frites on the plate when I was finished eating. And so ended my day as all I could do was to waddle back to the tent and go to sleep.

MeS Part 4: Transportation

When I first arrived transportation was in the form of my two personnel carriers (feet). Now I have a Chinese made, original Feng-Huang “Phoenix” bicycle. They sell the same bike at the European PX in Kabul for $50 more than I paid for it through the Hajji Market.

Walking back and forth from work was about 1 ½ - 2 miles one way. Now my people movers get a break. Of course going to work is easier as it is downhill.

In other news I got a corner bunk area in my tent so I have a little more room now and have made myself a little sitting area. Work is less stressful here than it was back in Kabul so that is nice. Pretty much into a routine now also.

MeS Part 3 - Chow

One of my favorite things about being in the North (No not the Yankee North) is the food. At the present I have two options. The first is the German mess hall and the second is the American. Once I get the right connections I can get a card which will allow me into the Norwegian mess hall.

I go to the German mess hall most of the time. Probably because it is close to my work place. But, I do enjoy the German fare such as brats, roast, and potato balls. Since I was here last though they have gone to plastic plates and utensils. It was better when they had real plates and silverware.

I will on occasion go to the US chow hall to get my fill of good ole greasy American food such as cheeseburgers and fries. If I go there though it is mainly for breakfast on my way to work. Oh, and they have sweet tea.

MeS Part 2 - My Gypsy Hovel

So I arrived at MeS a little after 8pm. Picked up and taken to my new home which is a tent. I am in a tent because the current Deputy Commander here who happens to be the senior American here decided all Americans would be housed by the American unit here. Before his arrival I would have been housed by the Germans (because I work for ISAF) in a hard shelter (with indoor plumbing). Now I get to walk a minimum of 100yards to the bathroom/showers. And the Americans make you put blankets around your bunk so the light bulbs in other people's areas don't bother you. I think that is just so AAFES can make more money by you having to buy blankets to put up.

Anyways this current dude leaves the beginning of October. The senior DIA dude here knows the incoming American and will ask him about using money his agency has to build all the intel guys hard shelters. He asked the current senior American who said "No" because it would be unfair to the rest of the Americans. We've been here ten years and we still house our people in tents! Anyways, hopefully before the hard winter sets in I'll be in a hard shelter as they go up quickly.

Oh, and no more free internet, you have to pay for it here. Tomorrow’s installment: Part 3 - Chow.

Part 1: The Flight to MeS

So I show up to check in for my flight. But I'm the only one there which is really weird as all flights are normally pretty full. I start thinking the flight is cancelled. Nope, I'm on a VIP flight. Glad I knew because I was the only one in the Gate area also.

The aircraft flew a German general, his two aides, six close protection team members and myself into Termez, Uzbekistan...add another country to my list. General and aides get on a Luftwaffe Airbus A310 while the rest of us go to small dining facility and have chow.

Then its back on the plane for a short flight back down to MeS.

Part 2: My New Gypsy Grovel coming soon.

Move to MeS

Being that it is late and I haven't uploaded pics for my first post in my "Moving to MeS" series I will begin it tomorrow with Part 1: The Flight to MeS.

New Address

New Mailing Address:

Guy Kerby
RC North - Fusion Center
CJ2X
Camp Marmal
APO AE 09368

R&R and Such

Had a great time back home on R&R with Allison & the kids. Came back and wish I hadn't.

Exciting day here in Kabul yesterday but wasn't in any real danger.

Got word that within the week I will be transfering up to Mazar e Sharif. No argument from me on this move. Not sure about the internet there but everything else I know will be better...though I think I will have to sacrifice seeing anymore NCAA football games after this weekend.

Waiting for them to send me my new mailing address.

Childhood Heroes

Well I had to come back to Afghanistan just to meet some of the Apollo Astronauts. Neil Armstrong (blue shirt), Jim Lovell (white shirt), and Gene Cernan visited here as part of the USO's "Legends of Aerospace" tour. Unfortunatelly I was not able to get a pic with Gene Cernan as some officers jumped in front of everyone in line to get their picture with him before the presentation part began. The astronauts spoke and answered questions for about 45 minutes. They weren't signing autographs but they did hand out pre-printed press release type photos of themselves with info about their flights and digital signatures. Gene Cernan seemed to be the most personable. I think Neil Armstrong is getting a little too old for this type thing.

Sun Bathing

I have begun tanning for 30 minutes after lunch each day. Thing is in this sun that is almost too much. Mainly on my legs but upper arms too, which were a little pink today. I just don't want to get totally burnt when we go to Nashville Shores.

Good Luck Cal

Cal, works for another company, but was one of the original people who helped build the 2X shop here...Back when there were only 8 of us trying to do what over 20 now do. He's off to a new job at another base for his company and we had a going away dinner for him tonight.

I had to Laugh

I think I mentioned the "Garden" they are creating here. Of course they do not use top soil and the sand here is worse than Florida sand for growing. They planted all the plants over a month ago. They are just now putting in an irrigation system...oh, and a fountain.

Need I Say More

Moving Up in the World?

Well it has been busy here as of late, ridding the post of three Afghan Liaison Officers with bad people ties and such...kinda like Kandahar in '07, just not quite that busy. It amazes me that our Allied partners, despite seeing their own countrymen killed over here, still try and play nice. Even when they know a dude is a bad sort, they don't want to send them away mad and think we should shake their hand and tell them it was a pleasure to work with them and good luck in the future. So next time someone mentions about us being here for the past 10 years you kinda know why.

Got a warning order tonight that I will be moved up to our higher headquarters down the road in a few weeks. The person who I report up to on security issues is leaving and I've been tagged as the replacement. There goes my office with a view. Oh well, I have a few friends over there and I can walk to one of the US bases and get real food from time to time. Not set in stone, but this has been cooking and it is all but written in stone at this point.

Happy 4th of July

Well a few days ago I attended a BBQ over at ISAF HQ. I'm glad I did as that was the extent of 4 July celebration I have seen here. The US National Support Element proved an embarrassment as nothing was planned, unlike all the other countries on their national days. Oh, the mess hall added corn dogs for an "American Flair." Even the insurgents failed to shoot rockets to celebrate. Geez! My next MA course even started today. I bet if I were stateside physically attending a course it would not have started until tomorrow. Good news is only 44 days ubtil I go on R&R.

Long Week

It seems like it was just Sunday and I was thinking to myself that the weekend had been a little too quite. Though I had been traveling Friday/Saturday which added to extra time and tiring out easier.

And then came Monday. I know it is Friday but it seems like it was just Sunday. Three nights this week I was back in at work for a few hours minimum and last night until actually this morning...12:30am. Then back up at 5am (normally 6am). The only thing I know is there are two less bad dudes who could pose a threat to this base.

Plus my week flew by and I only have 47 days left till R&R after 193 here in country. I just hope the next 6 3/4 weeks go by fast but a little more quiter. They should as reinforcements begin arriving this weekend and we grow by 20.

Man am I going to be snoring tonight...not even going to bother with the mouthguard:)

To Herat and Back

Made another trip out to Herat and back this past weekend. The flight there was one of the worst C130 flights I've had. 1st it was an Italian AF flight and I am pretty sure that was an original C130 from the 50's. They were 4 hours late and they couldn't figure out how to turn the air conditioner on (we sat in the back on the tarmas for at least half an hour before take off.

The quarters in Herat were much better this time, 3 to a room, real mattresses, and wall lockers! Luigi is leaving to go back to Italy as his tour is up and Aaron will leave in August, a little early, as his wife is due with twins. So besides business it was good to talk with them one more time.

The flight back was much better. It was a Royal Air Force C130J and the Brits even gave us a sfety briefing and passed out earplugs. Two things the Italians didn't do.

A Busy Week

The week started with the "Emergency" order of security badges coming in. This meant I got to sort and Johnnie and I delivered/are delivering this week. I will finish the week tomorrow flying out to RC West to deliver badges. Unfortunately the "Emergency" order created another emergency because we only got one type of badge we needed out of the three.

Tonight I had dinner with our company's VP who is in theater visiting the different contracts and some of the employees. It was at the Turkish Restaurant which meant lots of flys this time of year. The staff there doesn't seem to know how to keep doors and windows closed or the concept of fly traps.

Finally

Well after about 4 months they have finally come in and built a wall seperating my office form tha base security office. At first we thought they were going to leave gaps at the top of the paneling but they installed a make shift "Molding". The door goes unpainted but the boot prints on it add character as well as "Top" written in pencil so we know which end is up.

Goodbye to Friends

Over the past two days we have said Bon Chance and Goodbye to two friends heading home. The first was Marc, a Belgian, we worked with in my office. Johnnie and I bought pizza for our combined security offices and of course we had to play a final game of darts for the US vs Belgium championship...I let Marc win. Tonight we said goodbye to Diego as he heads home tomorrow.

We started darts in our office when I was given an extra dart board someone had. Each day about 5pm we will play a game.

Personalities

I thought I would describe some of the people around the base.

The Hippie: Always has on red pants, a black t-shirt, sandals, and a black all cloth cap. Oh, and he uses two black scrunchies in his pony tail.

The Danish Joe Dirte: Unless you have seen the movie or a picture of the character you probably won’t understand. He looks like Joe, hair wise, but his hair is reddish (not bright). Of course he has the facial hair to match. One thing different is his walk. Actually it is more of a strut. There is no way I could get my shoulders, arms, and legs to move like that. He must be real proud of that mullet.

Panama Jack: This una-browed fellow is always found under his straw hat, even at his desk and in the chow hall. I am not sure he sleeps in it, but he must have a manikin head he puts it on at night. He wears his pants a little higher than the waist and he walks kind of stiff like with a slight waddle, even though he is skinny.

The Cougar: She can’t be a day younger than 65 and pours her clothes on in the morning. I keep waiting for her to go face first in the gravel as she seems to have only one pair of shoes…those being stilettos. I couldn’t make that up if I wanted to.

A Solemn Reminder

I remember plenty of ramp ceremonies down in Kandahar. Many people think it is just the US who is suffering losses. At a NATO base you realize we are not the only ones fighting this war.

On a better note I saw a Jordanian airman in the chapel service today. Apparently from what I have read, Jordan is one of the more tolerant of Muslim nations towards Christians.

Traveling

The past 4 or 5 days have seen me traveling around the area. First it was to Camp Alamo which is appropriately called as it sits within an Afghan base. Then I was at Camp Phoenix for a few days and then at ISAF HQ today.

The wind is still blowing and dust is everywhere. My q-tips are brown in the mornings and I am blowing or coughing the dust out all the time. At least during my travels I was able to eat "American" food. Rumor mill has it that in a month or two we will be getting the same food service provider for our chow hall as the American bases...I'll really have to walk then lest I grow fat (I've lost 19 lbs since arriving here).

Sand and the Green Spa

It seems right around the time we want to walk we end up getting sand blasted. A few nights now have been really bad…to the point you could see the sand blowing right at you and you had just enough time to make out the debris and get out of the way. Yesterday afternoon the sand storm was so bad for a few minutes that I couldn’t see the runway and was barely able to see the apron.

You have two choices here for a haircut. Your first is the Afghan barber in the Afghan market. Our other option is the Green Spa. So I go over to the Spa once a month for a trim as I really don’t trust any Afghan with a sharp object, read straight razor and scissors, around me. Some of people go and get a massage, pedicure, and or manicure. A few of the guys say the pedicure is really good and I should get one whenever I comment about sore feet. I just can’t see that happening. It’s bad enough I have to go to a “Spa” for a haircut.

I finally got pics of the DC-3 taking off here. That was good. The mail trucks getting blown up with IEDs today was bad.

Of Wind and the Smell of Muhj

Two things about this past week. Well actually three. The first was the Wind of 120 days has arrived in force. In fact we tried to walk tonight but the wind and sand clouds (choked with debris) that it brought forced us to stop after 1/2 a lap. I think it sandblasted some of the tan off my face and whitened my teeth.

The smell of the locals, number two, is horrible. Unfortunately one of the Afghan Army Liaison Officers came in our office this week about his badge (his sponsor should have come for more than one reason). Anyways he stunk up our whole office. We had to open windows (Blowing sand was a better option than his smell) and doors and let the smell drift out. Then they had a group flying out with the USMC (see pic), and outside even, their smell drifted over to us.

Then Third I guess the poppie harvest is over cause the action has picked up. We even got a present last night. About midnight the sirens went off. A young government worker who sleeps in our bay asked, "What is that?" I said, "Rockets." He put his helmet and vest on and I went back to sleep. Only because I know our building is supposedly built to protect us...guess I could have told him.

The pic of the fire happened across on the civilian side of the airport. I guess the Afghans haven't thought of getting an airport fire department because the military fire department had to respond. Cudos to the French hospital for sending ambulances across about 10 minutes after the fire department put it out. Not sure what was burning and don't think the ambulances were needed (good thing).

Kandahar

Kandahar has more than doubled in size over the past four years and now houses 30,000 troops. The "Boardwalk" has added stores and restaurants and sports activities. One thing that hasn't changed is the heat. It was 105 degrees when we were there with the worst to come in the next few months. And the flys...yuk...all over. I didn't get fat off the ice cream but the shirt sure makes me look like it. The truck even played music like a stateside ice cream truck would. This is a war zone?

Down in Kandahar

So we finally arrived in Kandahar about 7pm. We then sat on a bus for 10 minutes till it finally left the ramp to go to the other side of the airport. We were at the terminal for about an hour till they finally brought our bags. The first transient tents, right near everything, that they tried to put us in were full as well as dirty and nasty.

Since we hadn't eaten since lunch we went to TGI Fridays at the "Boardwalk." Yes you read the last sentence correctly...pictures to follow later. When it was my time to order I requested the "Tennessee Burger." Waiter said they were out of bacon so it would just be a cheeseburger...fine. Is your ice tea sweet? "Sir we are out of ice tea." OK, I'll just have water. "Sir, we are out of water." You don't have water!!! "No sir." OK (pointing to some pink lemonade thing in the menu) do you have that? "Yes sir." Fine, I'll take that. It was good but not worth the $20 (they include a 12% tip in the price of your already overpriced meal).

Went to new area away from everything, except flightline, and billeted in tent with cots, not bunk beds, and only two other guys in the tent. And as you see wifi.

Hard Work

So a couple of pictures of me hard at week and of the office. Right now I share an office space with the base Security Office. There is a work order in to have a wall put up down the left side of the picture. Of course you have to realize it took about 1 1/2 - 2 months to get the work order approved so who knows how long it will take to actually build it. We are talking NATO here.

Off to my old Afghan home of Kandahar tomorrow for a few days.

Driving Afghan Style

"Enjoyed" my first experience of actually driving a vehicle in Kabul today and not just being a passenger. Keep in mind there is no such thing as an Afghan drivers license. There is also a national sport called "Dodge the cars." Throw in the threat level and your nerves are a little shot by the time you are done driving. Oh, and if you are out driving at night that makes the whole experience even more...interesting.

Return to MeS

I was sent up to RC North once again. This time I packed enough clothes for an extra day or two which worked out well. I gorged myself on good American and German food while I was there.

Sadly while we were up there, nine Americans were killed back at our base. Let’s just say what the news puts out can often be far from truthful. Now they are actually looking at issuing us weapons, which is covered in our contract. Amazing what it takes for someone to look after the safety and well being of their employees. Of course we still have to purchase our own first aid kits.

Now that we are back, Cal and I have started our nightly walks again. Maybe I'll shed a few pounds while I'm here.