Army Sailor -- War in the Sandbox...
The Adventures of a Sailor in Afghanistan...

The weather here is getting nicer. Whereas that is great because it makes for a more enjoyable environment, it is also bad because it increases the number of enemy attacks. It's what is traditionally called the 'Spring Offensive' around here. As the weather get nicer it is easier for the enemy to operate. I guess one of the advantages, for us, of being in such a mountainous country is the fact that in the winter it severely hinders enemy movements, while having minimal impact on our own. Of course we are also here supporting the Army, experts in Mountain warfare. This is their element. As for me, I am a sailor... Not much water around here. No boats. I am learning a lot everyday. I fear that when I leave this country I may be more soldier than sailor. On second thought, that will never happen, I am a sailor to the core, my first love has always been, and will always be the Sea.

We've been in a little bit of a lull lately and that is a good thing. It is nice to be able to slow the pace a tad. But in the mean time I have been thinking about how I pass my time... Thought others may be interested to know as well.

The first thing you need to understand, and almost anyone who has been in the military knows this, is that the military consists of long periods of time spent doing very little, or routine tasks that are very dull, occasionally interrupted by a period of high activity and excitement. This is true of all branches of the military. So how we pass our down time becomes very important. One big way for me is obviously maintaining this blog (minimizing the spam comments I recieve to it alone could be a full time job). But I also like to read letters from home, and write back, of course. I have Become a part of the 'Any Soldier' program. People who visit their website can send letters and packages to 'Any Soldier', and they distribute them to us over here. It's nice getting letters from people at home offering support. I always write them back and thank them and let them know a bit about how it is over here. I also maintain a written Journal. My written journal is the place where I maintain most of my personal thoughts and commentary, and some comments and thoughts that the G2 would likely never allow me to post publically on the web. It is really mostly intended to be something I can share with Yasmeen and my family when I return home, or something which can be mailed to Yasmeen in the event of my death, so that she will have a chronicle of how I was doing, what I was feeling and my overall status. Hopefully, it will never be needed to fill such a capacity.

I have also taken to practicing my photography skills. I have had the chance to take some fantastic photos. I have taken to trying my hand at nature photography. I have gotten some great photos of the local ants (a very strange variety of ant), some slugs, flowers & the such. I will crop them, and post them some time. It's actually very interesting some of the creatures there are to see here in Afghanistan. Of course I have pictures of the camels, and this country seems to have a large population of dogs as well. Oddly, the Afghan people do not hold dogs in the same high regard we do, and therefore most of the dogs are in pretty poor condition. It's actually sad to see many of them. To the Afghan people the dogs seem to be almost like vermin.

Some people like to draw, and many of them are very good at it. One of my young Ensigns (a very recent academy graduate) plays the Guitar. I think I am going to get him to teach me a little. Other people write poetry or stories, or build all manners of things. The ingenuity and resourcefulness of young American men & women in poor conditions never ceases to amaze me. One of my favorite passtimes is still letters though. I don't get nearly enough right now. I am hoping that 'onthefence' one of my buddies from 'Defending the Truth', is going to get his scout troop to start writing me letters. I am always impressed with the questions children ask. "Out of the mouth of babes..." right?

In any case... it seems I have run out of free time for now... Duty calls...

If there are only two vehicles that are ubiquitous in Afghanistan, they are definately the Jingle Truck & the SST. They are absolutely everywhere. Especially on the Bases we have built. If you are unfamiliar with either of these vehicles, then I would say it is fair to assume that you have never had the experience of having been deployed to Afghanistan.

I will start with Jingle Trucks. These are fascinating and as far as I know they are fairly unique to Afghanisan. The Afghan people, despite living through so many decades of desolate warfare and absolute poverty, seem to absolutely love color. Everything is brightly decorated and ornate. The buildings, their art, and even their trucks. Jingle trucks are more-or-less regular run-of-the-mill 5 ton cargo trucks. But the Afghan people paint them bright colors, with very intricate murals on any surface of the vehicle that is paintable, and they hang shiny chains with bright metal ornaments all over the vehicle. The movement of the truck causes these metal ornaments to 'Jingle', hence the name. I think it is an absolutely amazing sign, and a positive one at that, that a people who live in the conditions that these people do, can still have such a love of color and art. These trucks tend to be indescribably creative. It is not just the trucks either, their buildings in Downtown Kabul are brightly decorated, and the children color their pictures in very fanciful colors. One little girl gave one of my team mates a picture she had colored of a tree. The tree had a lime greed trunk and bright pink leaves. I am inspired by such creativity. I think it is a sign of hope, and it helps me remain positive.

The SSTs are another story... They play a very important role, and they are definately not unique to Afghanistan. Now I am certain that SST must have some sort of an 'official' definaition, one that is very plain and politically correct, but I know it to mean only one thing... the one thing that every one calles the SSTs... Shit-Sucking Trucks. These are the trucks that come to pump the Septic tanks on the bases, and the out houses and the port-a-pots everywhere else. There is no plumbing here, so we are dependant on the SST. In the first Iraq war, we used to burn the human waste in barrels with deisel fuel to dispose of it. This is a sickening, and horrible duty that some poor soldier was forced to perform. The SST is definately a better alternative. All of the SSTs here are operated by KBR (subsidiary of Haliburton) contractors. I find this amusing because KBR also runs our Dining Facilities (D-Fac in 'Army Lingo'), so it seems like they get us coming & going so to speak. KBR makes huge amounts of money off of the fact that Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Marines eat a lot of food, and make a lot of poo! Who would have ever thought that there would be a business model to be found by turning food into poo?

The SSTs look a lot like the potable water trucks which come to refill our resivoirs. Except the Potable Water trucks are clearly labeled 'Potable Water Only', which is good, otherwise I might worry that they were multi-purpose vehicles.

SSTs & Jingle trucks are definately interesting, ubiquitous & important features here in this strange world in which I am living. A world of incredible beauty, and constant fear...

This is the result of a shotgun blast fired at this Jingle Truck.

Here you can see a jingle truck & an SST in the same picture. The Truck with the blue tank is an SST.

A collection of some recent photos from traveling through Afghanistan...

By Staff Sgt. Carmen L. Burgess

BAGRAM, Afghanistan (Army News Service, April 4, 2006) – Following a trip to Afghanistan March 21-22, Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey says he is pleased with the continued progress U.S. troops are making in the effort to rebuild the infrastructure and train national forces.

“The process is methodical, but it is going in the right direction,” said Harvey. “We have to remember that there hasn’t been a national institution in the past, so the progress may be a little slow.”

This is the second time the secretary has visited the country during his tenure.

At the time of Harvey’s first visit last March, U.S. forces were just beginning to embed training teams into the Afghan National Army. The ANA had just started to stand up the five corps they now have fully-manned with 30,000 troops.

“Since Afghanistan hasn’t had a national army in the past,” he said, “we have to let the idea unfold and take hold with all its citizens.”

During his visit with the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Soldiers stationed in Salerno, the secretary was briefed on the successes being made in the U.S. partnership with ANA forces.

Afghan soldiers taking the lead

Col. John Nicholson, commander of Regional Command-East and the 3rd BCT, explained to the secretary that part of the unit’s mission is to build the capabilities of Afghan National Security Forces in order to enable the government of Afghanistan to provide a secure and stable environment that deters the re-emergence of terrorists in the region.

“Afghan soldiers are excited to take the lead in operations,” Nicholson said. “They have a willingness to step up to missions – the cooperation is good.”

His confidence was echoed by Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin, commander, Office of Security Cooperation – Afghanistan.

Durbin shared with the secretary how he is embedding training teams to mentor the ANA and provide combat enablers. Soldiers are training the ANA in combat arms, combat service support, field artillery, and medical and communications support.

“I’ve seen major improvements in the number and quality of the Afghan National Army,” the secretary said. “I am confident in the future stability of the country as we continue to improve the competence and capability of the police force.”

Harvey took time to visit with troops throughout his visit, conducting reenlistments and holding question and answer sessions.

“Your mission in standing up the ANA is vitally important,” Harvey told troops supporting Combine Joint Task Force – 76 at Camp Phoenix. “You are part of an outstanding organization that’s doing great things for this country.”

Soldiers build bridge to future prosperity, security

Another challenge U.S. troops face is the building of the infrastructure in the war-torn country.

Twenty-three coalition provincial reconstruction teams, usually composed of 80 Soldiers and two to three civilians, have tackled a number of projects including the construction and equipping of radio/television stations; building guard houses, traffic control points and checkpoint buildings; and providing water and sanitation equipment. The Panjshir PRT is leading the way in reducing the military imprint and emphasizing the mentorship of local officials.

“We are partnering with provincial council members and mayors in an effort to mentor them on these projects,” said 3rd BCT’s Col. Steve Anderson, during the secretary’s briefing in Salerno. “By funneling projects through the government we are giving Afghanis a sense of ownership. We are teaching them how to do these things themselves.”

Combined Forces Command – Afghanistan has implemented projects using Commander’s Emergency Response Program or Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic Aid funds. To date, CFC-A has completed more than 450 OHDACA and more than 2,750 CERP projects, including education projects, water projects, healthcare projects and 15 road/bridge projects in addition to other forms of humanitarian aid.

Harvey said these projects will provide a means for future commerce and national security.

“We are helping create an economy for a country that hasn’t had one in the past,” he said. “They have a great attitude – they want peace and democracy. This is solid, steady progress.”

As you drive through the Afghan countryside you can not help but be awed by the stunning view of the rolling green hills, at least in the Northern Regions. I have been truly amazed by the diverse geography of this country, and the overwhelming beauty of it all. Parts of it seem to look much like Ireland, while other parts look much like Nevada, and the temerature and weather is becoming more and more like that which you might find in Barbados (minus the Sea Breeze). But this country has one thing that non of those places do... Land Mines.

I have heard that there may be as many as 20 million mines in this country, and it pains me to think about it. This is a country that is so beautiful, and mostly untouched, with geographical features that begged to be explored, but such exploration may cost you your life. What terrible irony that seems to me. I look at these mountains, and can not help but think that people would pay a lot of money to be able to visit a place like this just to have to opportunity to hike such mountains. Perhaps one day Afghanistan will be a tourist destination. Maybe my children will take avacation here and I will bore them with endless stories of 'the war'... I can only hope.

I am doing my best to remian positive, despite the destitution I see all around me, and the abvious signs that this country has been at war for over 25 years, I know that postive progress IS being made, that we ARE making a difference here. I only hope that it is a lasting difference.

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