Afghanistan My Last Tour

It was a quick 3 days and our mission was complete.  We were just waiting for our ETT team to join us and convoy back to our home camp.  My team arrived early in the morning and we visited a former teammate from Fort Riley at his office.  While up on the rooftop, he pointed to unfinished structure off in the distance.  This was the foundation of a mosque that Osama Bin Laden was supposedly building.  Note:  This mosque foundation is pictured directly behind the metal barriers.  It has the curved arcs.

With the 9-1-1 anniversary on my mind, I had mixed emotions about this structure.  It was a grim reminder of the mastermind behind the attack on my home country.  I wondered why it was spared during the 2001 bombings of his other facilities, safe houses, etc.  I surmised that even though it wasn’t fully built, it still represented a religious symbol and my government weighed the consequences of creating an international incident and chose not to disturb it.

Or perhaps the chance of collateral damage to the nearby homes was too great.  Either way, I decided to take a picture of it for my historical archives.  The supreme irony is that Osama acquired much of his wealth from his father’s billion dollar construction company in Saudi Arabia, which previously helped erect many of the US military structures in the Middle East.

After our belongings were packed in the HMMVW, we departed Darulaman.  We drove past the destroyed palaces and 14^th century ruins one last time.  Was I viewing history or did I become a part of Afghan’s continual history that eventually will be printed in their history books?

It didn’t take long to reach the outskirts of the capital city.

Traffic was heavily congested and the convoy came to a stop several times due to gridlock.  Our gunners took defensive positions as they eyed each passing car and truck looking for something out of the ordinary.  We managed to get around the traffic and wind our way through the city streets.  It’s a real dichotomy to see a mixture of 3^rd world transportation modes to include horse and donkey carts, pull carts,

and wheelbarrows siding next to motorized vehicles including our armored HMMVWs.   Added to this is the new construction of mud brick houses that were destroyed during the Soviet occupation and tribal faction fighting.  Over 90% of the buildings in Kabul were destroyed during this timeframe.  The most modern architecture is

those of the mosques and the banks.  I recall reading that there are less than 20 banks to support the city’s 3,000,000 inhabitants.

As we approached the main guard gate at our camp, my eyes were fixed on the US flag.  It was flying at half-staff.  Simultaneously my heart sank because I knew what it meant.  I inquired through the gate guard

and he informed me that 4 US Marines died along with 10 ANA soldiers in Kunar province.  I also knew that we would be under Emergency OPSEC rules and I would be unable to contact Liisa via telephone or computer until the restriction was lifted.  This is a necessary precaution taken so proper family notification can take place.  I didn’t know these Marines personally, but the Marines at my camp did.  They trained together as a team in Japan and then were dispersed to various COPs and firebases upon arrival in country.  Later that night, my Marine roommate “Gunny” was present at the ramp ceremony loading the caskets so they could be flown back to the US.  I talked to another Marine and he recalled how one of the fallen warriors cut his hair before coming to Afghanistan.  May God comfort their families and may these Marines rest in peace.  Freedom is not free.

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Filed under: Missions Tagged: | Afghanistan, Darulaman, Deployment, ETT, HMMVW, photography, U.S. Air Force, war