After dinner the Captain and I still had some unfinished business. When we walked outside, it was pitch black. There were no pole lights and very little illumination from the tents and b-huts. We used our flashlights to navigate around. Even then, I managed to trip on something and sprain my knee. We took care of business and the Captain and I went our separate ways. Without warning my fluorescent blue flashlight (for security we do not use white lights) died and I found myself in total darkness. I stood stationary for a few minutes and allowed my eyes to adjust to my new environment. It took me a few minutes, but I made my way back to our tent.
Gym at FOB Airborne.
In the morning after breakfast, we explored a few more buildings on the post. After a long walk, we found the gym. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but there was sufficient weight lifting equipment and treadmills for the soldiers to maintain or enhance their physical state. Admittedly I’ve avoided the gym because I get my workout from lugging around all of this gear, weapons, body armor, etc. on a frequent basis. I’m not a spring chicken anymore, but I can “ruck” and keep up with this young guys. The next day, I am sore and my body feels like a HMMVW ran over me. I’m not 22 anymore and have finally realized my limitations. Just don’t tell my guys this, because when I see they are tired and sore, I tell them to “suck it up” without revealing the difficulties I have in the mornings.
The Captain and I took over the blueprints for the future B-hut to our ANA counterparts. We wanted to show them we had a genuine concern for their living arrangements. The ANA officer wasn’t present, but we sat down with his NCO and detailed our plans. He was very excited about his future living quarters.
Inside our helo
Now it was time to leave. We “rucked” all of our gear back out to the LZ and waited for our helo to arrive. We met an Army Specialist who originally emigrated from Argentina before joining the US Army. He explained that the FOB was pretty safe and they only had 50 rockets fired at it during his 8 month stint. One of the rockets managed to hit the base and destroy
Me strapped in and flying over Hindu Kush mountains.
his work shop. Shortly after this, he had a close call with a roll-over in a vehicle. So now, he is required to fly if he wants to go anywhere.
We boarded the helicopter and were strapped tightly into our seats. Unknown to us, we would fly around Wardak Province and visit several other FOBs before returning to the same FOB we took off from. During this extended trip, I was able to take some more pictures of the villages situated in the Hindu Kush Mountain chain. I’m still amazed to see civilization surviving in these remote mountain valleys. When I inquired about the new itinerary, I
Large village in Wardak Province.
was rudely asked if I would prefer to walk. I didn’t want any conflict, so I decided to keep quiet. We made it back to camp and “rucked” our gear from the LZ to our B-hut. We didn’t have time to rest, because tomorrow would be another mission. This time, we were going to retrieve the remaining team and bring them to our new camp.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: Afghanistan, Deployment, ETT, FOB, U.S. Air Force, war
in post 1, is that a ch-3 helicopter.? and if so. was they not fazed out. stay safe.
Thank you for this blog. Taking the time and effort to show the real side of thing there is very important. Stay safe and know that you and yours are in my prayers. Thank you.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 10/15/2009 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.