Jingle Trucks

Hey there followers,

I hope all is well at home. I've been keeping up with the Eagles via the internet and I see Stewart Bradley (MLB) is out for the year. Well, it never fails; somebody always bites the dust. But, confidence fellow Eagles fans! They will prevail, if only because I am here and will miss the whole season. That’s just how the football gods work.

Anyway, on to Kandahar. Still hot (hasn’t been a day under 100 since arrival), still dusty, still smelly. But, I do seem to be getting use to it all. I’m not really sure if that is a good or bad thing.

The pictures are of what are commonly known as “jingle trucks” around here. They are driven by locals and third country nationals delivering gravel and other goods from destinations afar. Seems there is not a lot of natural beauty in the area, so they paint the trucks to make up for it. I wasn’t sure why they were called jingle trucks until the other day. One was working its way down the street I was walking along, stopping and starting because of traffic (it can get bad on base). Hanging from the front bumper were hundreds of little chains with metal discs hanging at the bottom of them, like those little wind chimes. Start, stop – jingle, jingle. Not something you see everyday back home. Some are more ornate than others. I'm not sure if it is reflective of status or just artistry. If I find out more, I'll be sure to let you know.

Not a lot else going on. Just the same old thing – everybody wants something, and they want it now. Eberybody is top priority! "I have a general with eyes on this project!" There must be a lot of generals out there looking at this base. We try to please, but some folks just need that 2x4 between the eyes. Like the Eagles, we will prevail!

Until next time…

-Dave