Had my second of two GREAT days here in Afghanistan.
We had planned on going to Tangi Kalay earlier in the week, but it was canceled when the roads went black and we weren't allowed to travel outside the base. After some additional planning, we decided to go to the village across the street from us to our South - Ghaziabad. They have a tent for a school, just as many kids and don't get as many visits so we thought they would enjoy it!
We loaded up about half of what many of you have donated (thank you SO much for all of it) and headed over a little after noon. This visit was mainly to check up on the progress of getting them a real school built, but I wanted to ensure they got some of the great stuff that was donated.
Once we got there, we lined the kids up on the wall, and tried to maintain some sort of order. I was in back of the first Humvee and giving out toys and shoes, while Bob was behind the second one handing out candy. The looks on their faces when they saw HUGE boxes of toys, clothes and shoes was neat. I tried to let them pick out what they wanted for the most part, but it got a bit chaotic towards the middle and end, and by that point, I was picking out toys for them based on age and gender. Not sure why, I guess its because the girls get so little, but I love giving out the stuffed animals to the little girls. Their faces light up and they actually smile. Bob and I had a big discussion today about giving to charity and how it usually makes you feel good, but in this case, I get to be on the far end of the process and see the tangible results. It's just so wonderful and I thank you so much for letting me be your eyes and ears.
While I gave out toys, the two interpreters we brought along were pulling out shoes and giving them away to the kids who were barefoot, based on their shoe sizes. It's pretty funny seeing little Afghan kids running around in Spiderman sandals! I was amazed how many didn't have shoes to begin with....the ground was really cold and of course rocky, it was great to see them in shoes.
Somehow one of the little girls ended up getting cut on her ankle - it was more a case of a whole bunch of skin being scrapped off, but she was bleeding pretty good. We found some gauze and some tape out of a first aid kit we had and I grabbed a bottle of water and we got her cleaned up and put a bandage on her. I felt really bad when I saw her because she was crying a little bit and she didn't really have anyone there to help her. It was nice to help her out and make her feel a bit better.
After we had given everything away (the clothes I gave to the village elder to distribute evenly), we were hanging out playing with the kids and someone discovered we had an entire box of candy we hadn't yet given out. Suffice to say a mob scene ensued, but it was a blast. Those poor parents are going to have kids on a sugar high for days.
All in all a great day. We had some of our new Navy folks with us and it was their first trip out and about. They had a great time taking pictures and playing with the kids. Fortunately it was also a great day weather-wise for it, as the temps were reasonable and we had no rain or snow.
I still have a ton of stuff left, and the other guys have a few boxes as well. We have another trip planned soon, to be able to get the rest of it out to the local kids. Again, thank you all for your generosity, it was very well received and I couldn't be more proud of you.
Pictures are here.
Gary
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Happy Thanksgiving to you, Happy Thanksgiving dear youuuuuuuuu......Happy Thanksgiving to you. Okay, so it's not really a song, but you DID sing along in your head, no denying. You also probably read this and gave it that look like a dog would give if you tried to explain nuclear fusion. It's ok, its late and I am tired!
Good day today, although a bit odd. Didn't feel like a holiday because I went into work, and then later worked out. Two things I rarely do singularly on Thanksgiving, and have never done them both. The camp had a 5k run today, and I did the honorable thing and took pictures. It was much more fun, and easier on my knees. I am more of a treadmill guy.
I was fully expecting to be sorely disappointed with dinner tonight, but fortunately they came through and it was excellent. Probably a 7/10 on a normal scale but for here it was a 12. I guess if they are going to get one meal right, this was the one. Our food has been horrid lately as someone figured out we were 50k over budget for food and they had to cut back. Let the good times roll.
Just wanted to check in on the holiday. Enjoy it, I wish I could be there with you.
Gary
Good day today, although a bit odd. Didn't feel like a holiday because I went into work, and then later worked out. Two things I rarely do singularly on Thanksgiving, and have never done them both. The camp had a 5k run today, and I did the honorable thing and took pictures. It was much more fun, and easier on my knees. I am more of a treadmill guy.
I was fully expecting to be sorely disappointed with dinner tonight, but fortunately they came through and it was excellent. Probably a 7/10 on a normal scale but for here it was a 12. I guess if they are going to get one meal right, this was the one. Our food has been horrid lately as someone figured out we were 50k over budget for food and they had to cut back. Let the good times roll.
Just wanted to check in on the holiday. Enjoy it, I wish I could be there with you.
Gary
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Half way day
We have arrived at the half way point of this always fun and entertaining deployment. Ideally we are quite a bit past half way, because we hope to get relieved a little bit early and get home earlier than expected.
As we transition to part 2, we start off fresh with our new Marine team. They have already started asserting themselves and we have had some run-in's with the Sgt Major on whether or not we can walk in to get food in our PT gear, or if we have to be in full uniform. The guidance we had put out was that it was ok, evidently there is clarifying that needs to be done. From our perspective, there are much bigger things to worry about around here, than whether or not the 10 Navy people at Blackhorse are in their shorts and sweatshirts to walk in get food and leave. Ah well, the longer I am away the more the little stuff gets to me.
We had snow on the mountains to our east. It was actually was pretty cool looking. It rained here off and on for about 3 days last week and the ground is still wet. Really its just mud everywhere since mostly we have dirt as far as you can see. I don't mind the mud so much, but it ends up getting trapped in boots and then gets everywhere. Hopefully it holds off snowing where we are for a little while. I don't so much mind the cold, but being knee deep in snow would get old.
Not much else for now, its a slow day!
Gary
As we transition to part 2, we start off fresh with our new Marine team. They have already started asserting themselves and we have had some run-in's with the Sgt Major on whether or not we can walk in to get food in our PT gear, or if we have to be in full uniform. The guidance we had put out was that it was ok, evidently there is clarifying that needs to be done. From our perspective, there are much bigger things to worry about around here, than whether or not the 10 Navy people at Blackhorse are in their shorts and sweatshirts to walk in get food and leave. Ah well, the longer I am away the more the little stuff gets to me.
We had snow on the mountains to our east. It was actually was pretty cool looking. It rained here off and on for about 3 days last week and the ground is still wet. Really its just mud everywhere since mostly we have dirt as far as you can see. I don't mind the mud so much, but it ends up getting trapped in boots and then gets everywhere. Hopefully it holds off snowing where we are for a little while. I don't so much mind the cold, but being knee deep in snow would get old.
Not much else for now, its a slow day!
Gary
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Winter has arrived
Sorry about the long delay in between entries. It honestly has been really quiet and I didn't have anything to write about.
They more or less finished the camp expansion via B-huts, at least round one of the expansion. I had pictures, but my memory card for my camera died, so I lost some. I will replace them and get them posted.
Speaking of B-huts, our new Marine group has arrived, and the old Marines have moved out into the new B-huts. I haven't met but a couple of them, they seem like decent guys. Unlike our current group, this group came in as a unit, and knew each other and have worked together before. Should make for an easier transition. After this current group of Marines leaves, we are the elder statesmen of this place. Scary. When you look back on it, the turnover rate is really high considering most of us are here for 6+ months.
Some new Navy folks arrived a week or so ago. A couple officers came in to augment our Garrison team which was 1 short due to Andy leaving for the airport, and I think 7 enlisted with various specialties. It's sorta nice to not have just the 6 of us Navy guys here as we were seriously outnumbered by every other service, but it was also nice to know everyone so well. We are a little more anonymous now.
Zak has his engagement party tomorrow. I still haven't broken the code on when this event occurs, but for him its now. It's a formal event with certain things that must take place, and a requirement for the marriage. I will try to figure all that out and I will let you know. He is supposed to give me an invitation even though I can't go. I told him it would be a neat thing for me to keep hold of. I had posted a long time ago - I think - that Zak met his future wife at school. That was a bit off....he SAW her at school. He then had his family contact her family and they arranged all this. They have yet to speak to each other. Shocking how normal arranged marriages are to them.
Kabul decided to skip Fall / Autumn this year. We went from nice summer weather to full blown winter in one day. It's been very pleasant into the low 70's during the day, but this week our high is now in the 40's. No snow here yet, but in the mountains to our east and west they got some. I expect it here before too long. Zak has been telling me since Sept that "next" month it will get cold, his prediction finally came true. I think he should be a weather man.
Gary
They more or less finished the camp expansion via B-huts, at least round one of the expansion. I had pictures, but my memory card for my camera died, so I lost some. I will replace them and get them posted.
Speaking of B-huts, our new Marine group has arrived, and the old Marines have moved out into the new B-huts. I haven't met but a couple of them, they seem like decent guys. Unlike our current group, this group came in as a unit, and knew each other and have worked together before. Should make for an easier transition. After this current group of Marines leaves, we are the elder statesmen of this place. Scary. When you look back on it, the turnover rate is really high considering most of us are here for 6+ months.
Some new Navy folks arrived a week or so ago. A couple officers came in to augment our Garrison team which was 1 short due to Andy leaving for the airport, and I think 7 enlisted with various specialties. It's sorta nice to not have just the 6 of us Navy guys here as we were seriously outnumbered by every other service, but it was also nice to know everyone so well. We are a little more anonymous now.
Zak has his engagement party tomorrow. I still haven't broken the code on when this event occurs, but for him its now. It's a formal event with certain things that must take place, and a requirement for the marriage. I will try to figure all that out and I will let you know. He is supposed to give me an invitation even though I can't go. I told him it would be a neat thing for me to keep hold of. I had posted a long time ago - I think - that Zak met his future wife at school. That was a bit off....he SAW her at school. He then had his family contact her family and they arranged all this. They have yet to speak to each other. Shocking how normal arranged marriages are to them.
Kabul decided to skip Fall / Autumn this year. We went from nice summer weather to full blown winter in one day. It's been very pleasant into the low 70's during the day, but this week our high is now in the 40's. No snow here yet, but in the mountains to our east and west they got some. I expect it here before too long. Zak has been telling me since Sept that "next" month it will get cold, his prediction finally came true. I think he should be a weather man.
Gary
Friday, November 03, 2006
Sounds of Afghanistan
I am oblivious - at least in my normal life. I am the type of person that will drive a road 10 times before I notice a huge billboard has been put up, or that they started building a store on an empty lot. That trait doesn't serve me all that well when I am home, and here, it's damn near a death wish. I changed in a hurry once I got here, and now I think I am at the other extreme.
The only good thing about being at the other extreme, is that sometimes you are validated in your paranoia. It was about midnight and I was getting ready for bed a couple nights ago and heard what I thought sounded like a muffled explosion. Usually, I'd ignore this, at least old Gary would. New Gary listens intently. Anyway, I listened again and heard it again, so I walked over to Steve who was still up and asked him if he heard it, he waited and did. Then he said he had heard the first two, but didn't think much of it. We decided to go outside at which point, there were about 12 of us out there because we all "heard it". The other guys were all Marines, and typical of Marines, they hear explosions, they start running towards them. Gotta love the Marines. The one guy who is a senior enlisted Marine and a good guy said, "Sounds like incoming", like its no big deal. Gotta love Marines. Yeah, it did, thats why we were outside in shorts, although come to think of it, that was a bad idea. So much for the helmet under my bed. We all sorta walked towards the direction of the "incoming" and figured out it definitely wasn't landing in the camp, and didn't appear to be landing on the ANA side either. I think it was hitting the range or the mountains that are just to our north. Either way, sometimes I hear stuff, and walk outside and I am by my lonesome, obviously, no one else "heard it". This time though, I was secure in my paranoia. The only problem around here though is that we also have a tank range and quarry really close, so there is a constant stream of explosions, you just have to learn to pick out the bad from the benign.
A few weeks back, another incident happened that DIDN'T need clarification. I was walking to lunch and I hear the unmistakable sound of a bullet ricocheting off of metal. Turns out an ANA guy was cleaning his gun over the road (loaded mind you), it went off, fired a few rounds, one hitting his buddy in the head and at least one of the others landing on our side of the wall. Nice. He didn't kill the other guy, just grazed him, but amazingly, they give these guys bullets. Hopefully HIS mentor taught him the value of unloading his weapon before cleaning it.
Who knows if my obliviousness (is that a word) will wear off when I get home, I have a sneaking feeling it will.
Gary
The only good thing about being at the other extreme, is that sometimes you are validated in your paranoia. It was about midnight and I was getting ready for bed a couple nights ago and heard what I thought sounded like a muffled explosion. Usually, I'd ignore this, at least old Gary would. New Gary listens intently. Anyway, I listened again and heard it again, so I walked over to Steve who was still up and asked him if he heard it, he waited and did. Then he said he had heard the first two, but didn't think much of it. We decided to go outside at which point, there were about 12 of us out there because we all "heard it". The other guys were all Marines, and typical of Marines, they hear explosions, they start running towards them. Gotta love the Marines. The one guy who is a senior enlisted Marine and a good guy said, "Sounds like incoming", like its no big deal. Gotta love Marines. Yeah, it did, thats why we were outside in shorts, although come to think of it, that was a bad idea. So much for the helmet under my bed. We all sorta walked towards the direction of the "incoming" and figured out it definitely wasn't landing in the camp, and didn't appear to be landing on the ANA side either. I think it was hitting the range or the mountains that are just to our north. Either way, sometimes I hear stuff, and walk outside and I am by my lonesome, obviously, no one else "heard it". This time though, I was secure in my paranoia. The only problem around here though is that we also have a tank range and quarry really close, so there is a constant stream of explosions, you just have to learn to pick out the bad from the benign.
A few weeks back, another incident happened that DIDN'T need clarification. I was walking to lunch and I hear the unmistakable sound of a bullet ricocheting off of metal. Turns out an ANA guy was cleaning his gun over the road (loaded mind you), it went off, fired a few rounds, one hitting his buddy in the head and at least one of the others landing on our side of the wall. Nice. He didn't kill the other guy, just grazed him, but amazingly, they give these guys bullets. Hopefully HIS mentor taught him the value of unloading his weapon before cleaning it.
Who knows if my obliviousness (is that a word) will wear off when I get home, I have a sneaking feeling it will.
Gary
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