Mission to Gelan

If there's one thing that Afghan children are good at, it is mooching stuff off of American troops. On a recent mission to the district of Gelan I encountered this minature horde. They fleeced me for 10 packs of gum and a bag of pens. They then demanded chocolate and juice, of which I had none to give. Apparently this answer was not acceptable to them, so they countered with a demand of my earplugs and personal pen, both of which are easily visible on my body armor. I told them "no" and they brought their business elsewhere, specifically to my buddy LT James Bowen. They suggested a trade of the gum and pens I had given them for his rifle. After careful consideration, he told them "no deal" and we settled for this picture to conclude our negotiations.

Mission to Joghatu

Ahhh! I FINALLY got back to the base after a 22 hour mission to the village of Joghatu. (The mission should have only taken half as long). The mission itself went just fine, but on the return trip all hell broke loose. 5 km outside of the village one of our vehicles hit an IED, which nearly blew the entire front end off. We then had to call the base for assistance, as we had no way of towing the truck home with the vehicles we had left. 5 hours later the quick response force showed up. Normally it should have taken no longer than 1.5 hours to get to us. The delay was due to the fact that the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit that accompanied our reinforcements found 5 other IEDs en route! It took all of that extra time to dispose of them. By the time they arrived on the scene it was already dark (and we were in a particularly bad area). After hooking up the damaged truck to the tow truck and setting off toward the base we were ambushed by the Taliban. A gunfight ensued, and another one of our trucks was disabled by an RPG. We called in for a little air support while we hooked up the 2nd truck to a tow truck, and a F-15 fighter jet escorted us the remainder of the way back home.

Cougs in Afghanistan

Even in Afghanistan Cougar nation is represented! Our Executive Officer, LT Col Ken Primus, is a WSU alum in addition to myself. How many UW fans are currently stationed at FOB Ghazni you ask (base population around 3000)? The answer: zero. These pictures were taken in hopes of having it shown on the Jumbotron at Qwest Field during the WSU-Hawaii game in September. If anyone's going, let me know if we were successful.

Crazy Afghan Kids and their Crazy Burros

On a recent visit to the village of Tormai, we had the chance to play around with the local kids and their beloved donkeys. While lacking many basic necesities, such as bicycles, powerwheels, and tricycles, there seemed to be no shortage of these four-legged beasts. I was amazed at how patient these donkeys were with the kids, who were piling on to them three and four at a time! I passed out handfulls of gum and pens to the kids, which I suspect they are feeding to the donkeys, thus maintaining their loyalty. Maybe I'm wrong in this assumption...but I challenge you come up with a better theory.

One Truck, One Hole

On a recent mission to the Taliban-infested village of Qarabagh our truck driver had a little mishap. As we were attempting to turn the convoy around in a sandy field off the road, our driver managed to find the only hole in an otherwise flat and level area. The hole was hardly bigger than the tire, but he figured out how to get it done. Two towing trucks and two towing cables later, we were back on our way. Our driver's new call sign is "Gopher".

Sultan Dam

One of our recent site visits was to Sultan Dam, way up in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains. Originally built by the Soviets during their occupation of Afghanistan during the 1980's, the dam partially failed in 2005, flooding the provincial capitol of Ghazni Province, Ghazni City. My assignment was to assess the repairs to the dam which were nearly complete. Unfortunately, the repairs are terrible, and as the new section currently stands, is sure to fail when the reservoir fills in the Spring. Behind the dam is an ancient one, built nearly 1000 years ago. The area around the dam is mountainous, but breath-taking. It's sad that this country has been in a near-continuous state of war throughout it's existence, as the natural beauty of Afghanistan is monumental.

Currahee

All of you "Band of Brothers" fans will hopefully appreciate this post. A few weeks before I arrived at FOB Ghazni, the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment shipped out. This is the same unit that "Easy Company", made famous by their acts of valor in WWII, is a part of. Their motto "Currahee" is painted on the wall of the flight line, along with their division symbol. For anyone who cares, Currahee is the name of a steep hill outside Camp Toccoa in Georgia. During WWII the members of the 506th would train by running up and down this hill almost daily, to push them to their physical limits.

IEDs = No Fun

The biggest threats to Coalition forces here in A-stan are the IEDs (improvised explosive devises) that the Taliban jerks mine the roads with. Taliban fighters generally suck due to their terrible aim and lack of appropriate training, but they've become proficient with bomb making, unfortunately. Because the standard HUMVEEs that are common in the military tend to get ripped apart during IED explosions, the military has forbidden their use during PRT missions. Thankfully the MRAPs that we have (see previous post) are excellent against IEDs. The HUMVEE in the pictures above hit an IED which nearly blew the entire front end off, not to mention injuring the two soldiers in the front seat. They survived, but only miraculously.

My Second Job - Arms Dealing

In my free time here at FOB Ghazni, I like to visit the bazaar. Lately I've been buying up British rifles sold by some of the vendors, left over from the British occupation circa 1890. My associate here, a construction representative also with the Corps of Engineers, Mark Smith, is a veteran gunsmith. With his help, we've amassed a small army's worth of antique rifles and restored them to working order and original beauty. If there is ever a sudden shortage of weaponry among the soldiers here, they know who to see for replacements...now if only I had some antique ammo to use with these rifles....

Ghazni City Orphanage

I had the opportunity to visit a local orphanage in Ghazni City to help pass out goodies to the kids and to deliver school supplies and new desks for the classrooms. It was a nice change of pace from the day to day life of an engineer. Special thanks to Dave Ramsay for the box of treats that I was able to pass out to the kids. It's nice to feel like we're making a difference in these kids' lives while here.

The PRT Engineering Team

The PRT engineering team. From left to right: James Sivley, LT Ed Plymale, LT Drew McClune, Mark Smith, and LT James Bowen. As the only structural engineer in the entire province, I have my hands full making sure that the horrific building designs submitted to us for construction by the local contractors don't collapse and kill people.

LT McClune, US Navy

As a member of the Provincial Reconstruction Team, I work in conjunction with the military engineers assigned to the same team. One engineer that I quickly befriended is LT Drew McClune, whom after graduating with an engineering degree became a P-3 pilot. Because he has an engineering degree, despite never actually using it professionally, was assigned to the PRT as an engineer. His basic abilities and skills working with the local contractors and as a project manager have been extremely helpful. You may have seen him in such movies as "Office Space" and the HBO series "Band of Brothers"! (his resemblance to the actor Ron Livingston is uncanny)

FOB Ghazni

Foward Operating Base Ghazni, where I am assigned to the US Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is a Polish operated base located just outside the capitol of Ghazni Province, Ghazni City. There are a few thousand Polish troops here as well as a few hundred American soldiers and sailors. There is a flight line here, including several Blackhawk and Apache helicopters operated by the US military. Helicopters are our lifeline here, as ground travel into and out of the province is extremely dangerous. Chinook helicopters are constantly coming and going, delivering equipment, fuel, food, water, and other essential supplies. I don't believe that the Polish have made the technological breakthrough of flight yet, because there aren't any Polish helicopters operating here, even though the majority of the supplies flown in are for their consumption and use.

The Blimp

Ghazni is a rough province. It's hot, dry, mountainous, and crawling with Taliban. With all of the inherent dangers here, it's nice having our giant blimp hovering overhead. The blimp is tethered to the base and is our eye in the sky, thanks to the high-tech imaging equipment mounted to it. The blimp can see for miles and miles, and the bad guys know it, so for the most part, they don't attempt to attack us here at the base. There is the occasional attack however, but usually minor.

Qalaa House, Kabul, Afghanistan

We arrived at Qalaa House for inprocessing by the US Army Corps of Engineers shortly after landing in Kabul. Qalaa House, the former Iraqi Embassy building and surrounding compound, has been repaired and remodeled, and is now the headquarters of the Corps of Engineers. The compound is secured by elements of the US military and hired Afghan security forces. I was stuck in this damn place for roughly 8 days after doing the usual administrative paperwork, waiting for a flight from Kabul to Ghazni (my final destination) to become available. The compound is slightly larger than a football field. Because we are not able to leave the compound for any reason besides crossing the street to Camp Eggers to visit the PX, I basically felt like a prisoner. If only I had had some license plates to make like a regular inmate, the time may have passed by quicker! Not only that, I managed to roll out of my top bunk in the middle of the night and break 3 of my toes. I was happy to leave Kabul!

Kabul International Airport and the Hindu Kush Range

Kabul International Airport is our hub to the glorious nation of Afghanistan, home of the Mujahadin and the Taliban! They didn't roll out any red carpets for us, but US Army was there with gifts of loaner body armor and helmets for the exciting car ride from the Airport to Camp Eggers (Coalition Force HQ). The most memorable part of stepping off of the plane and onto Afghan soil was the spectacular views of the Hindu Kush mountain range. These bad-boys make the Cascades look like tall hills! The Hindu Kush are the western end of the Himalayan mountains.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

All USACE personnel typically have a stop-over in Dubai, UAE for one night before flying to Kabul, Afghanistan. Despite the global economic climate, Dubai is still has a skyline littered with cranes. Home to several 7 star hotels and resorts, as well as the famous palm-frond shaped man-made island off the coast, it's an impressive place. The first thing that I noticed once stepping off the plane was the 115 degree heat...and it was 10:00 PM! We stay at a really nice hotel (though not one of the 7 star joints) where English is spoken, thankfully, because my Arabic is horrible...well actually non-existant!

May 25th - Arrival in Winchester, VA: USACE Transatlantic Center

The adventure begins. The first stop on the way to Afghanistan was a 4 day stop in Winchester, VA at the US Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Center. While there, our group received some basic training for first-aid, anti-terrorism and survival...but we mostly spent our time filling out more administrative paperwork and getting stuck with needles. As you can see from the deployment photo, I was the youngest in the group by nearly 10 years. I'm shocked that half of the guys in the group even passed the physical.