It Rained! ; Holidays

Hey followers,

IT FINALLY RAINED HERE!! A lot, too. Well, for Afghanistan that is. Back on December 9th it rained about a total of one inch. It was a good soaking rain that started in the early hours of the morning (thus, I could not go to the gym, which did not hurt my feelings). The wildest thing is that the rain cleaned off all the dust. It was like the Wizard of Oz - we walked outside and the colors were vibrant. Cars are blue and green and red, not just shades of gray. It was kind of cool for a short while. Then it was just another rainy day. Of course, drainage over here is a problem. Puddles get big and deep very quickly. And some puddles lasted right up until it rained yesterday. I took a few pictures; see below.

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, it appears I’m famous...at least in Boyertown. I did an e-mail interview for the Boyertown Times. Check it out at http://www.berksmontnews.com/articles/2009/12/09/boyertown_area_times/news/doc4b1fc1b1ab5cb090634002.txt

Well, Christmas is upon us. Quick story for you. I was walking back to my room the other night, which takes me across the boardwalk. There are several buildings under construction that have been in various states of completion for months. There is a building at one of the corners of the boardwalk that is made of cinder block with just openings where the doors and windows will go. As I'm walking past, I here "O Holy Night" being played on a saxophone. The acoustics of the empty building gave the sound a lot of volume. I slowed down to hear it better. I didn't want to loiter and make the player self conscious, but I just had to listen. I can't say it was beautiful, because there were a few pops and flat notes, but it still drew me in. The best way to describe it was moving. It made me smile and think of home and Christmas Eve. I hummed the song all the way back to my room.

I am so going to miss Christmas at home with friends and family. But we’re keeping it in perspective here; it is one more milestone in our time here and one more day closer to going home.

I wish you all a safe, healthy holiday season and a very Merry Christmas!

-Dave

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Hey followers,

I hope the Holiday spirit has caught hold of each of you. I can’t tell you how bad I wish I was home. I heard it snowed, too. As of today, I have been here 20 weeks. About six more to go, more or less. The timing depends on when our replacements get here. However, as the title says, there is now a light at the end of the tunnel.
There were more than a few reporters here this past week getting reactions to President Obama's troop surge. A Fox News reporter actually approached me in the lunch line on Wednesday, but I declined to speak, instead pointing him to my fellow airman, LtCol Todd Hirneisen. I hadn't seen or read the content of the President's address, so I wasn't really prepared to comment. (Plus, I'm just a shy person.) Anyway, doesn't Todd go and get on TV! A friend of his saw it in the Glenn Beck show. To think that might have been me. Oh well, opportunity missed.
MSNBC was also here (as was CNN). Follow this link (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/34289318#34289318) to a piece a about Kandahar Airfield (KAF). The reporter talks to Colonel Paul Oettinger, who is the USFOR-A(S) expansion chief. I work rather closely with Col O and see him several times a week in sync meetings. Practically all of the projects you see in construction were programmed and designed by the fine gentlemen on my team, so it’s good to see their hard work is recognized.
I added a recent picture to prove all is well. Also, take note to the very rare overcast skies behind me. It actually rained that day for a few minutes. Rumor is that a real soaking is coming our way this week. Stay tuned.
That about wraps it up for this week. Take care, enjoy the season and stay safe!
Later,
-Dave

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello friends,

Hey, it's Thanksgiving! As much as I hate being away, it means I'm that much closer to coming home. We've decided to take the day off. Last night was relaxing and fun. We were paid a visit by the "Lt Dan Band", a group pulled together by Gary Sinise, Lt Dan of "Forrest Gump" fame. It was a nice respite from all the harried days. Lucky me, I actually had an opportunity to meet Mr. Sinise and Mykelti Williamson (Bubba from "Forrest Gump"). Check out the pictures below.

I also wanted to take this time to say thanks to each of you for your generous support and encouragement. The funny e-mails, the care packages and the kind thoughts have helped to make this time away more bearable. I’ve come to be a lot more appreciative of the family and friends in my life. I urge each of you to take a moment to consider everything you have to be thankful for. Don’t take your time with family and loved ones for granted.

I hope this Thanksgiving finds you all healthy and happy and is a warm kick-off to a wonderful holiday season. Enjoy the family time and fellowship and – by all means – enjoy the home-made turkey dinner!

Take care,

-Dave

Bizarre Bazaar

Hello friends,

I hope this post finds you all well. If all goes as planned, I should be heading home in about eight weeks. Hopefully, the Eagles will turn it around and still be playing then. A home playoff game would be perfect.

I haven’t posted in a while because I really don’t know what to talk about. However, it struck me that I have yet to talk about the bazaar. On Saturdays, local merchants come to KAF and set up a bazaar in a small fenced-in area on base. There are lots of items on display: rugs/carpets, black market DVDs, brass vases and other brass sculptures, watches, and other bric-a-brac. I’ve been to the bazaar only three times, but I know folks that never miss it. Some of the more serious shoppers go for the rugs, which can run from $25 to $2500 depending on the size and quality of the workmanship. I have no idea what I am looking at, but you can see some differences. I took the pictures below this past weekend.

The trick to the bazaar, aside from knowing what you are looking for quality-wise, is the haggling. As with most bazaars, the merchants are always calling to you to come see their wares. “Hey, American, you come look, eh? I have some nice things for your wife, eh?” (The shill is universal.) There are kids walking up and down the aisles hawking bracelets and other small items. “Sir! Sir! Look! Only one dollar. You buy two?” Hard to turn away the kids, but the stuff they’re trying to sell is just junk. Anyway, the haggling is just not natural to me; I have a hard time with it. Like back home, I want to walk up, ask what the price is, make a decision and either buy it or not. But these guys expect you to haggle. If I try to walk away, they’ll follow you asking “how much do you pay?” I just keep walking. Some other soldiers really get into it; back and forth, trying to get that last dollar reduction. It can be fun to watch. I have not bought a thing yet, but probably will just to have a souvenir. So, that’s the bazaar.

All else is going as well as can be expected. The weather is getting colder and it actually drizzled today for a few minutes. But, the dust and dirt are always present. Eight more weeks, then I’m outta here.

Take care,

-Dave

Acronyms and Military Lingo

Hey there friends!

As many of you know, the military takes great pains to develop and use a system of acronyms to describe just about anything. I thought I’d spell out a few that we use on a regular basis around here. Also, it may serve to act as an interpretation guide once I get home so you know what the heck I am saying. A few of the more common acronyms:
DFAC – dining facility (pronounced dee-fak);
SITREP – situational report;
SA – situational awareness (information about a topic);
RLB – re-locatable building (an 8’ x 20’ unit the same size as a shipping container that can be stacked and configured as housing);
CHU – containerized housing unit (same as an RLB);
OEF- Operation Enduring Freedom;
GWOT – global war on terror;
ISAF – international security augmentation force;
JFUB – joint facility utilization board (the folks who have the power to approve or deny a construction project);
IED – improvised explosive device;
HME – home made explosive;
MHE – material handling equipment;
ANA – Afghan National Army;
NTV – non-tactical vehicle;
FOB – Forward Operating Base;
CSO – Chief of Staff Officer;
NCR - Naval Construction Regiment;

The following are common terms used in general conversation:
JTAM – jump through your ass mission;
Haji – anything pertaining to Afghan or Middle Eastern ownership (technically a term of respect towards any Muslim who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca)
Poopy pants – humorous term used to describe an unknown and unwanted food item in the DFAC line
Inshalla – “if it is Allah’s will” – used the same as when your dad would say “maybe”, actually meaning “no way”
Oxygen thief – used to describe someone who is basically worthless
Embrace the suck – just deal with it

Examples:
“Hey, Sgt Jones, I need some SA on that JFUB package for RLBa at FOB X-ray so I can send a SITREP to the CSO over at the NCR.”

“What the heck is that?” “Some haji vegetable dish.” “Poopy pants?” “Oh, definitely poopy pants.”

Two pics for your viewing pleasure. First is one of (from L to R) LtCol Todd Hirneisen, Maj Nick Lynch and me enjoying a take-out lunch. We are sitting in a little gathering area right outside my office can. The weather has been a lot nicer lately, and we wanted to get away fromthe crouds in the DFAC. The second pic is of a little science experiment we are running. It started back in the summer. One of our Navy brethren was mailed some grass seed for whatever reason. So he planted it and watered it every day. It was slow going at first, but it is taking off now. He went back home in September and we just kept it going.




Take care!
-Dave

Whirl Winds

Hey there followers! I’ve been having connectivity issues lately, so this blog may be late. I’ve been scratching my head what to write about. Every day is basically the same here. I was looking over some pictures the other day and ran across some of dust devils. You’ve likely seen little ones around home. Like little tornados that kick up dirt and loose paper. Well, over here, it’s a whole different phenomenon. They are huge and really pick up a lot of dust. If you are interested in the science behind them, check out http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_are_dust_devils.htm. The video and picture are of two different whirlwinds I saw at Camp Dwyer back in September. The still shot was taken by someone else on my team when we were waiting for a ride. The video I shot while waiting for a plane. If you look real close at the tent you see in front of me at the beginning has the video, you will see the shadows of the guys I was traveling with. I was walking around stretching my legs when I saw this dust devil forming and heading right for us. While you can’t really get hurt, you will get stung by the flying dust and get dust in every orifice you can imagine. So I grabbed my camera and shouted to the guys to look out. Luckily, the whirlwind skirted around the concrete barriers you can see in the background, so we didn’t get caught up in it. Cool sight, though. You don’t see that very often in Oley! If anyone has any ideas or questions I can answer in this blog, let me know. I’m running out of ideas! Take care and keep in touch! Later, -Dave

Hey there followers!
Sorry for the long gap since the last blog. As I tell everyone, we’re pretty busy over here. Still going strong working 14+ hour days, seven days a week for the past 14 weeks. But, we’re over the hump; just around 12 weeks to go. Several things have happened since I last wrote:
- On October 9, I celebrated my 21st anniversary to my beloved wife, Karen. Can’t really say we celebrated – it’s hard to do that when you’re half a world away. But, I still enjoy the fact that she has been my best friend all these years. Without her support and encouragement, this deployment would have been so much more difficult. Being able to call home every so often and sharing e-mails has done so much for my piece of mind. I truly look forward to the next 21 years.
- My son Craig turned 11 on October 21. I can’t believe how fast he is growing up. He is the joy of my life and so much fun to be around. During my semi-weekly phone calls home, he keeps me up to speed on sports. I so enjoy his viewpoints and analysis (he doesn’t think the Phillies stand a chance against the Yankees). He is also a great student. I can’t imagine being more proud.
- The Eagles started the season looking like the team people thought they could be. Then, they lost to the Raiders. Enough said.

Around here, there have been some changes. My team has been folded into a larger unit, now known as the 777 Expeditionary Prime BEEF Squadron (EPBS). Prime BEEF is a pseudo-acronym for Primary Base Expedient Engineering Force. We’re a larger unit and I have been tasked as the Engineering Flight Chief. So I head up the efforts of the engineers, designers, surveyors, planners and construction managers. Accordingly, I have that much more to do.

BUT, that is no excuse for not writing more. I will venture to share more funny stories and other odd things from this deployment. So, stay tuned!

Best wishes,

-Dave

(P.S. – pic below is of me opening a care package from Karen and Craig. Home made cookies!)