Or more precisely, the silver oak leaf. What a travel experience. I don't remember exactly when we left Kuwait, maybe Tuesday night?, but the latest sandstorm had just subsided when the roads could be cleared so we could take busses to the airfield. We got loaded on the back end of a C-17 and sat in jump seats for the 4 hour flight to Bagram, Afghanistan. We flew over night, leaving around 0130 and getting in around 0700 local time, losing 1.5 hours (I am now 9.5 hours ahead of the east coast, until clocks change for you).
Bagram is a nice/secure air base. They have a USO named after Pat Tillman, the NFL player turned Ranger. From there, the six of us who were good friends (not counting the guys headed to Iraq) split up to go our separate ways. I felt a bit alone, but there were still a small group of navy personnel left continuing the trip to Kabul. Our flight left the next morning on time. We flew on a C-130 in even more uncomfortable jump seats than the last plane. This flight was only 25 minutes in the air, about an hour total in cramped seats in full battle rattle (all our armor). After we boarded, a bunch of marines got on too. After the flight, I found out the Commandant of the Marine Corps was one of them. That is quite unusual to say the least. He is the senior officer in the Corps, a four star general. He could have taken his own jet, but he flew with us.
At KAIA, the international airport, it was like no one ever heard of us before. For the first time since I left home, there were no travel arrangements and we were left to fend for ourselves. There was no transportation set up and we could not arrange any after calling the base numerous times. The nine of us who needed to get there received no support. We just had to ask convoys as they let people off if they could take us back. I've never been so ignored in my life, not anywhere. If we were just a bunch of real junior enlisted, we could have been left out there for days not knowing how to get back. Eventually, we found convoys that could take a few of us. The last four, myself included, were lucky enough to find a group to go with. Being our first real convoy, we were a little nervous, but my friend Eric is a devout Catholic and said a few prayers and had his Rosary out, so I was confident. Of course, I said the Sh'ma for good measure, we had all angles covered. There were a few things to watch out for, but we made it on base all right. I met a few of the people I'll be working with and one of them, Carey, has been showing me around. He is an army Lt Colonel and a great guy.
I'll let everyone know more details about the job as I can. I am in a temporary room, for a month perhaps, so that is not good. No Internet access there. We work 6+ days a week. Fridays are the day off/light day to match what people over here do. The work day seems to be around 10-12 hours, but it varies depending on what is going on.
I don't have my mailing address handy, but Stacey has it and I can start to receive regular mail. Remember to just use my first and last name, no rank or title. The address is an APO and it is the same cost as sending something in the US. I hear it can take 2+ weeks to get here, but I do love receiving mail.
That's it for now. I'm happy to be here finally and will update as I can.
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6 comments:
Glad you are all tucked in. I can not believe how intricate and confusing it is to get from Point A to Point B.
I am not sure who calls you on our "snow-chain", but I thought you should know that we don't have school today. Yay, snow day!!!! Where I live 5-8 inches are predicted. I guess after reading just how long it took for you to get where you are now that you will not be showing us much sympathy in our shoveling of driveways today.
Sorry about the email, that was an old list, consider yourself removed from it. That list, however, is one that you want to be put back on when you are home. It is for people who appreciate my warped sense of humor.
At old SBHS we have had the joy of supply orders. It seems anti-intuitive to order for classes and class sizes that you are not sure you are teaching yet. It is a snow day and I don't want to wreck it by thinking about it.
Enough about big Winds and Storms, I know you have some gourmet meals to consume.
Take Care,
Karen
We too have a snow day. Exeter and Penn State are both closed. It's quite the hardship having to shovel snow, but we still have one teenager to help.
When will you be sending us descriptions of the great efficiency of the military supply chain. You reminded me of my trip to Indonesia, when the Five Star hotel forgot to send a driver. I ended up in a gypsy cab wondering if I would ever make it to the hotel. When I got there the hotel really didn't care that they never sent a car, as promised. Apparently, "Five Star" had a different meaning in Indonesia. Good luck straightening them all out.
Donna wants to know why you just didn’t turn around and come home when they wouldn’t pick you up.
Glad to hear the Navy can get their men safely to a landlocked country without having to use the USS Bob Hope.
Speaking of Bob Hope, when can the Mil Ed Club come to perform at the Pat Tillman USO? We're working on an act that'll knock 'em dead! (Don't yet know which one will be Frances Langford...any suggestions?)
Had to cancel the club Thurs, sorry about that...dreaded Association business. It may have worked out for the best anyway given how things turned out after the Feb 15 PD Day...When closing the wall back up after the PD Day, the wall inadvertently hit the TV and knocked it out of the bracket. While falling to its death, the TV thought it best to take out my monitor along the way - a bit of collateral damage you might say. I've had to go old school and actually use chalk. Gasp! Shock! Consternation! Uproar! The bracket now holds a WWII diorama so that I can re-enact the DDay invasion. There will be a Hitler v. Stalin Sock Puppet show as the second half of the twin-bill. Hurry back...I'll give you first dibs on whether you'll be the Hitler or Stalin sock.
Sean
Feb 22
Hi, Was the reddish eclipse visible on Wednesday? Vinnie and I saw it the entire way home from McCarter Theater where we laughed for 2 hours at The Capitol Steps. What talent! As the four liberal Supreme Court Justices, they sang, “Keep us Alive” instead of “Stayin’ Alive”, “SuperDeligatefragilisticexpialidocious”, “How do you solve a problem like Korea?” “God Bless My SUV”. Hillary and Barrack sang “Ebony and Ivory”. We could tell where the Democrats sat and where the Republicans sat by their volume of laughter. I hope there is a return engagement next year. I want to hear their version of “The Sunni Side of Tikrit”, “Send in the Clones”, “Duke of Oil”, and “Papa’s Got a New Baghdad”.
You take care, my friend,
Terry
So now you travel with USMC Commandants! Did he get on board with alot of high ranking marine officers or with a normal bunch of "mud Marines" like your father. Anyway a corporal in the marines is sometimes a high ranking officer. I like the idea of your 6+ day work weeks @ 8-10 hours a day. You'll sleep well at night and won't have time to get into trouble, and you will be amazed at how fast the days will go by. Stacey and I are counting them together. Take good care and tell us what yo jah are, if you ever find out.
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