Afghanistan My Last Tour

AF SrA in gunner's turret

It was another 0430 hrs wake up and we trudged our gear up to the parking lot and prepared our armored vehicles for today’s mission.  We were returning to our former camp for a ribbon cutting ceremony (or inauguration as translated by our interpreters).  In addition, I was scheduled to attend a drop off of school supplies at a school I previously featured on my blog.  We watched the sun come up and patiently waited for the brigade interpreter to show.  Ten minutes went by and then it turned into twenty.  The interpreter apparently lost his cell phone the day before and we had no means of contact with him.  The convoy commander made a decision to leave without him and he would drive to our destination without an interpreter.

By the time we entered Kabul, it appeared it was just waking up and very little traffic was on the streets.  We weaved our way through the capital city with ease and the traffic would stop for us at the unmarked 4 way intersections.  We made good time and arrived at former camp.  Unfortunately the convoy going to the school couldn’t wait any longer and we passed them going the opposite direction.  Although I wasn’t able to attend, I will get some pictures of that mission at a later date.  We entered the main camp and Justice and Liberty were still stretched out motionless and enjoying their sleep.  Later on I would get a chance to see them again.

ETT team waiting for ceremony to start

We met up with the rest of our team and walked over to ANA land.  We had one small problem though.  Several weeks ago my team submitted paperwork to have food furnished with the ceremony.  My team was informed to pick up the food that morning.  Apparently the contractor’s supervisor did not sign off and approve the food distribution.  So he denied the request.  This sent my team scrambling for an alternative plan.  We decided to use some project funds and the ANA went off the post to purchase some fresh fruit and drinks.  This would have been embarrassing for our ANA colonel since the ANA General and guests would be attending.

ANA General as guest speaker

Prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony, several people gave speeches to include our team leader, ANA colonel and ANA General.  The library was a result of a joint effort between my ETT team and the ANA. It’s hard to believe at one time this was a former mosque.  Now the ANA soldiers have another reason to visit the facility and take advantage of

Inside new ANA library

the books stocked on the shelves.  After the ribbon was cut, we went inside and showed off the books to the ANA General.  My SGM was chastised because of the cheap quality of the Afghan books and it appeared he may have profited from the transaction.  Even though the receipt matched up with the amount of money given, I

Giving praise before cutting the ribbon

have found I can get a receipt for a ballpoint pen and have the receipt state $1,000.00 and it would appear legitimate.  Similarly I am purchasing lumber and I have used resources to ascertain the real cost, yet I have seen contracts lying on other people’s desk and noticed they are paying about $14 more for a sheet of plywood than I am.  Someone is pocketing the difference.

New security fence

Anyhow, after we ate fruit and celebrated with drinks, I walked over to the supply warehouse to inspect the security fence we had installed.  Recall a few days before moving I initiated several projects.  The security fence was one of them.  The contractor installed the fence according to plans.  But I wasn’t too satisfied with the concrete used to anchor the poles.  I brushed my foot against the clump of concrete surrounding the pole and it crumbled.  My guess is the contractor used too much sand in the mixture and not enough cement mix.  I’ve seen this profiteering measure used throughout my travels in Asia.  I’ve also read the reports about buildings collapsing because the contractor used inferior materials and quality.

Last day for Army SSG Michael Trevino

Before departing the camp, we said goodbye to our Army teammate, Staff Sergeant Michael Trevino.  He was our weapons specialist and taught us how to shoot, clean, and disassemble our crew served weapons.  More importantly, he was a friend and an integral member of our ETT team.  He will be missed.  We wish him the best as he returns to the Army.  We hope that we didn’t “blue” him too much and he will return to the “green” side.

Convoy waiting to return to camp

Coming back to camp, we encountered a lot more traffic.  The city was hustling and bustling and the intersections were clogged with vehicles, donkey carts, and herds of sheep and goats.  We returned safely and prepared for a new day.

Filed under: Missions Tagged: | Afghan National Army, Afghanistan, ANA, corruption, Deployment, ETT, FOB, Kabul, photography, U.S. Air Force