Teammate arriving.

This morning we all sat in the office in anticipation wondering if our teammate would be able to board the helo from FOB Shank.  Due to the large turnover Replacement in Place/Transfer of Accountability (RIP/TOA) taken place, helo flights are at a premium.  In layman’s terms when your replacement arrives, you get to go home.  Anyways, if he didn’t make this flight, we were prepared for a several hour drive to retrieve him.  Yesterday we were busy prepping the MRAPs for this voyage.  Around 0940 hrs I heard the thumping of chopper blades and scurried up a ladder leaning on the Hesco barriers to see our teammate get off the helicopter.

So instead of a road trip, we went to ANA land to do some mentoring.  Well this was a good plan, but most of the ANA leadership was still enjoying an extended Eid Al Adha holiday.  It’s rather ironic, because right before the holiday, the Brigade commander

New ANA recruits training.

stood in front of all his troops and expressed concern about everyone taking off.  It probably didn’t help matters that he stated, “I know I am going to be off for the next 10 days, but I expect you to be here.”

While at the ANA camp I observed some new recruits practicing their marching skills.  It was obvious they were new, because they were out of step and rhythm.  I was rather surprised they are still teaching them to march like the Soviets did.  They haven’t changed their style since the departure of the Soviets in 1989.

Camp dog outside gate watching puppies.

We returned to camp to take care of some administrative business.  Omid, my interpreter, told how they sacrificed a cow for Eid and by Muslim tradition, the meat was apportioned into thirds.  One third for the immediate family, one third for friends and relatives and one third is donated to the poor.  Most of the other interpreters claimed to sacrifice a cow too.  Although they joked with one interpreter and teased him about sacrificing a chicken.  Of course this implied he was too poor to afford a goat, sheep, or cow.  While at the main gate, I took another picture of a camp dog.  He seemed quite relaxed and had a watchful eye on the puppies milling about.

Puppies playing rough.

Tonight it is raining outside.  If it gets any colder, it might snow.  I hope it stops because both our HMMVWs and MRAPs leak around the turrets causing us to sit in wet seats.  We are hoping to get some turret covers, but the Army supply system is extremely slow and we are still waiting on items we ordered in May and June.

I will be interested to see what our Commander in Chief announces to the nation tomorrow night concerning sending additional troops to Afghanistan.  I’m aware there are about 9,000 Marines who will begin final preparations to deploy here after President Obama’s speech.  They will probably be sent to the volatile Helmand province where some of the fiercest fighting is occurring.  Also, another 1,000 Army trainers could be sent to Afghanistan in early February in attempt to boost the numbers of the Afghan Army and police forces.  The new ANP recruits were given a 40 percent increase boosting their monthly salary to $165 -$200.  The U.S. has pledged to pay for the increase the first year with other donor countries assisting in subsequent years.

In the interim, I am watching closely to see if President Karzai  holds true with his promise to root out corruption.  Currently 15 cabinet ministers (12 former and 3 current) are being investigated for corruption.  In order for arrest warrants to be served, Karzai has to revoke their special immunity.  But before he does this, they have to establish a special court to try the offenders in.  Karzai has the responsibility for appointing these judges to this court.  Note:  The judges are corrupt here and the justice system is a joke.  Neither of these actions has taken place and some of those who are under investigation are living in exile in foreign countries.   I would expect more of them to flee the country in the coming days and weeks.

I’m not sure when Benjamin Franklin created the US Postal Service, he envisioned US mail being transported by armored HMMVWs and protected by machine guns.  But that is one of the methods used to transport mail to the awaiting soldiers in remote combat outposts and camps throughout Afghanistan.  Today’s mission was to retrieve the mail and take care of some additional administrative business.  For me, it was an optimal opportunity to get my chipped tooth filled.

Capt gives SSgt Richard Brown a certificate of appreciation.

Before we departed on our mission, the Captain wanted to present SSgt Richard Brown a certificate of appreciation for his hard work and mentoring these past 6 months.  SSgt Brown is returning home to the United States and if his flights go as planned, he will be home in time to comfort his wife while she gives birth to their baby. (Hold on a few days Mrs. Brown, your husband will be there shortly).

Yesterday, the Muslim world including Afghanistan celebrated Eid Al Adha festival.  This holiday occurs a day after the annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.  According to Islamic history, this holiday commemorates the trials of Prophet Ibrahaim (Abraham) when he was ordered by Allah (God) to sacrifice his only son Ismael (Isaac).  So today, the Muslims honor this by slaughtering their best goat, sheep, cow, or camel.  One third of the animal is eaten by the immediate family, one third is given away to friends and relatives, and one third of the meat is donated to the poor people.  This is also a time when Muslims visit others houses and exchange greetings and gifts.

Due to the holiday celebration, our convoy was able to breeze through the city in half the amount of time it normally takes us.  There were very few cars on the normally congested streets and highways.  Most of the shops in the market area were closed and only handfuls of people could be seen walking about.  We arrived at our destination and while the team was busy loading the mail, I went to the dreaded dentist’s office.

Previously I chipped a tooth due to a rollerblading accident and had it filled by the dentist at MacDill AFB in Florida.  Somehow the filling worked loose and I was left with a sharp tooth and a gap between my teeth.  I was dreading going on vacation with this gaping hole between my teeth.  But the female Army Major relieved my fears and humored me while she fixed my tooth.

More school supplies.

I peeked in the back of the trailer and saw a lot of boxes and several of them had my name on it.  I am still receiving lots of school supplies from throughout the US.  Today’s boxes originated from my hometown church in Pennsylvania.  I also received a large shipment from Debra Byrd, Tupelo, MS along with some more boxes from St Martin High School, Ocean Springs, MS.  I guess I need to start planning some HA distributions.  But first, I am leaving this country soon and meet my wife in Germany for a 2-week vacation.  Then after I return and my batteries are energized, I will resume distributing supplies to the local and remote schools.  Thanks to everyone for supporting this worthwhile project!!!

From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: This week’s radio interview with reporter Bobbie O’Brien from WUSF Radio was a bit different. You can hear both Rex and his friend SPC Kit Lowe chatting about the school supplies drive and Rex’s latest village medical mission. Here is the link:

My Last Tour: A mission and a friend

From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: Here are all the pictures from Rex’s recent village medical mission to Charkh.
!!!

U.S. flag with Afghan flag in background at Charkh DC.

It was another cool night sleeping in the tent, but knowing we were leaving, nobody really complained about the cold.  Instead, we were like a hive of bees packing up our gear, prepping the MRAPs, mounting the weapons, and getting everything ready for our return ride back to our camp.

Our escort showed up on time and we all lined up in convoy order.  I said goodbye to some new friends and wished them the best.  Our ANA soldiers accidentally left their radios powered on for the past few days, so we had no means to communicate, except for hand signals.   Even when the radios do work, they often ignore us and do what they want to.  Such was the case of taking a shortcut through a

Leaving Charkh DC

Taliban village when we departed the city.

We departed Charkh DC and drove down the main road.  We drove past the point where our other escort was attacked on our first day of arrival.  The insurgents frequently attack at the same point, because this methodology was effective against the Soviet Army, so they

Alas! Back on the hardball.

employ the same tactics against the coalition forces.  But today, nothing happened.

Dusty road leading back to FOB Altimar.

We turned off the hardball and drove down the dirt road leading to FOB Altimar.  The ANP were conducting random checks of vehicles at the

Metal cage surrounds the hull helping to deflect RPGs and other projectiles.

Dabari Bridge.  The big tires on the MRAPs created quite a dust storm, limiting our visibility.  On the way, we passed another convoy; they had the metal cages surrounding their hulls which help to deflect RPGs and other projectiles.

Our convoy made a short halt at FOB Altimar and we picked up our empty trailer.  Then we retraced our route back to FOB Maiwand to pick up a teammate.  This AF SSgt is almost done with his 6 month tour and will be flying back to the United States soon to be with his family and friends.  While there, we discussed some other business with the AF Captain who is the team chief there.

On the road back to the capital city, I observed a tractor that was stuck in the ditch.  This tractor looked identical to those that are donated by

Tractor stuck in ditch.

USAID to the farmers who raise alternative crops instead of a poppy.  A little bit farther down the highway some livestock crossed in front of our vehicle.  As the convoy commander, I radioed the team and cautioned them about the cattle.  But after a second look, these weren’t cattle.  My teammates think they were ugly oxen or perhaps even water

Those don't look like cattle to me.

buffaloes.  Perhaps one of my readers can educate me on what type of animal this is in the picture.

When we arrived on the outskirts of Kabul, the highway became extremely congested with traffic.  A lot of the traffic was big trucks overfilled with firewood.  This is a common sight now and tons of firewood is needed daily to fuel the

Firewood trucks funneling into capital city.

hundreds of thousands homes in the capital city.  Firewood is cheaper than propane and the citizens don’t have the money to convert their heating system over to propane or natural gas.  Instead they rely on firewood to heat their residences.  Unfortunately, this is having a devastating effect on the tiny forests that survive here.  Despite government attempts to save the trees, on a daily basis, 500-1000 trees are being cut illegally.  Due to corruption, enforcement officials are being paid to look the other way.

Thanks to our ANA brothers, they dismounted their vehicles and forced traffic to the side so we could squeeze our armored MRAPs past the congestion.  We arrived back at camp without incident.

Worthless heater inside our tent.

Before going to sleep, another heater was brought to our tent.  The females found refuge in the ANA tent that were burning firewood and their tents were hot in comparison.  In turn, we were given their heater stove.  I also walked around the tent and sealed off all of the openings I could find to prevent the cold air from circulating through our sleeping quarters.

The next morning, we woke up and felt a difference in temperature.  The outside temperature was warmer and the additional heater increased our ambient temperature by 5 degrees inside the tent.  Before going to chow we shaved, showered, brushed our teeth, etc.  The shower tent is a bit of ingenuity.  The

Shower instruction sign.

water heater is rigged to the Humvee engine.  Posted on the outside hygiene station are the instructions how to use it.

Me prepping my whiskers.

Before we went to the school to set up, we received intelligence of a possible suicide bomber with plans to disrupt our activities.  Since the road leading up to the school was

Afghan females waiting in their own separate area to enter VMO site.

narrow and heavily guarded, I expected the bomber to be a man dressed in a burqa.  As a matter of precaution, everyone is searched by the ANA and ANP before entering the facility.  Respecting the Afghan culture, female soldiers search the village females in a separate enclosed location.

Today the lines grew rather long and it was a

Patient being transported to VMO site in a wheelbarrow.

non-stop flow of people patiently waiting to see the doctor and be given some HA.  While outside, I took some pictures of the villagers lining the road.  Coincidentally, an elderly man was being transported by a wheelbarrow.  The Army soldier told me to return inside due to the suicide

ANA medics in pharmacy.

bomber threat and this patient would have to be searched thoroughly.  Inside the hallways were lined full of people waiting by the pharmacy for their medicines and another line by the HA room.  The Army Captain decided to empty his connex of HA and before long there was no standing room inside the HA center.  Every customer was being

Little boy with his HA goodies.

issued a wool blanket, clothing, socks, wind-up radio and a limited supply of children’s shoes.  The Navy Petty Officer and I continuously pumped air into deflated soccer balls.  On several occasions I would hand the soccer balls to the young boys just to see the expressions on their faces.  They were too young to differentiate between a Muslim and an infidel.  In their eyes, all they saw was a generous man handing

Navy Petty Officer pumping up soccer balls.

them a soccer ball.

I also noticed some repeat customers too.  They were wearing different clothing today.  The female medics made this same observation too.  They grew suspicious when the women would not reveal their faces to them, even though they were in segregated privacy and no males would be able to see them.  The local

Afghan grandfather with grandson.

ANP officers also visited.  They would change out of their uniform and put on civilian clothes to appear like a villager.  Some of these people returned 4-5 times.  On a few occasions, I would stop them and question them with the aid of my interpreter.  Others, I recognized and would take their HA voucher so they wouldn’t be issued anything.

Through our interpreters, we learned many of today’s visitors left early in the morning and walked a long distance to get here.  A decision was made to stay open late and try to accommodate as many villagers until the medicines and HA run out.  The suicide bomber threat never materialized.  In my opinion, the villagers reached an agreement with

Afghans waiting in line for HA.

the Taliban so they could get free HA and not be attacked in the process.  I’m also certain some of the extremists visited our site to gather intelligence along with receiving free HA items.   This happens at every site we visit.  But today and yesterday was a small victory.  The insurgents tried to scare away the villagers by instilling fear and attacking our people and

Children waiting at pharmacy for vitamins.

location, yet that didn’t dissuade them from not visiting.  Our best guess is we treated over 1300 patients and probably gave HA to about 1500-1800.  Due to repeat visits from the same person, it was hard to keep a valid tally.

It was getting late in the day and the pharmacy ran out of powdered milk, children’s vitamins, and a variety of other

Little Afghan boy and his sister get HA.

medications.  The command was given to shut down the operation and load the remaining supplies on the back of a pick-up truck.  My teammates were anxious to return to camp and rest.

After dinner I called for a team meeting to discuss our departure mission brief.  But we also had a special surprise for the female AF Lt.  Today was

AF Capt presenting AF Lt her birthday present.

her 27^th birthday and we wanted to do something special for her.  I managed to get a blue berry muffin from the chow hall and the Captain inserted a match stick to serve as a candle.  Then he presented her a gift from the team.  It was a traditional blue burqa commonly worn by Afghan women.  On the trip down here, the Captain and I joked about doing this and we made it happen.  This will be one birthday she will never forget and now she has a unique souvenir to remember it by.

Illumination rounds light up the sky.

Before we called it a night, the Army lit up the sky with some illumination rounds.  I’m uncertain if someone saw movement in the mountains or they were just practicing.  I also saw a few shooting stars streak through the sky.  A few nights ago, I had hoped to see the Leonid meteor shower, but it was too cold outside and I didn’t.  This would be our last night in our refrigerator tent, because tomorrow we would start our trek back to our home camp.

Eating breakfast at the chow hall.

As expected, it was a bitter cold and uncomfortable night.  I woke up around 3 am and all of my teammates were buried inside their sleeping bags with their heads covered.  You could see your breath as you exhaled.  It was freezing cold inside the tent.  When we awoke early the next morning, everyone complained how cold it was.  The ladies in the tent next to us accidentally turned off their heater while trying to adjust it and complained about the freezing temperature too.

The chow hall opened early for our visit and we took advantage of the small seating room.  The tables and benches were constructed of cheap Pakistan quality plywood, but it served its purpose.  The food was lukewarm and the eating area was illuminated by a 6 inch fluorescent tube light.  The sun was rising, but it was still frosty inside.  We didn’t want to whine because the soldiers who live here have to endure these conditions daily.  Although I was disappointed they didn’t have hot coffee brewing.  Anyhow, we ate our breakfast and went over to the school to prepare for our visitors.

Apache attack helicopter to the rescue.

We were informed the Taliban disseminated “night letters” threatening the villagers if they came to the school.  The first hour, it was a light trickle of people.  Then suddenly the gunshots rang out.  The insurgents were shooting at the exterior protective wall outside the school building.  We quickly donned our body armor and helmet.  This time I was prepared with my M-4 rifle and took cover behind the concrete walls in the school.  Within minutes an Apache helicopter flew overhead and fired its guns.  Then an F-15 Eagle came screaming by as a show of force.  This time my teammates looked at each other and echoed “Air Power!!!”  Once again it became quiet and the villagers started coming again.

ANA doctor treats 3 patients.

The next line of visitors was well dressed by Afghan standards and these were the village tribal elders.  First they visited the medical treatment room and were seen by ANA doctors.  A US Physician Assistant assigned to the COP was also treating patients with the aid of an interpreter.  After seeing the doctor, they would take their prescription to the

ANA doctor with patient.

pharmacy for their medicines.  Despite the large population here, they do not have a medical clinic and the nearest one is about an hour drive away.  This distance takes even longer if they have to travel by donkey, horse, or foot.

The last stop for the visitors was the HA room.  This is where I spent most of my time

ANA Mullah handing out HA.

watching the ANA Mullah hand out blankets, clothing, soccer balls, socks, radios and food stuff.  Me and another teammate sat in the back and took turns pumping up deflated soccer balls.  The children were ecstatic about receiving stuffed animals along with some miscellaneous donated toys.  The Mullah reminded me of our version of Santa

Little boys delighted with stuffed animals.

Claus with his demeanor in delivering the goodies to his Muslim countrymen.

We didn’t hand out many school supplies because they are being saved for a separate project.  They want to ensure the teachers and the students receive the supplies and can use them, instead of selling them at the bazaar.  But

Afghan boys receiving HA.

some children were given some boxes of crayons, pens, and tablets to quell their persistence in asking for pens.  One boy asked for my pen and when I wasn’t looking, he quietly removed it from my uniform.  I guess he needed it more than I did.

Burning toilet waste.

At the end of the day we returned to the COP.  The barrels of toilet waste were still burning and the wind caused dust storms as we walked up the dirt road leading to our tents.  I took a picture of my foot just to show the consistency of this dirt-sand mixture.  By now the chow hall was filled and no seats were available to sit down.  My ETT team members decided to eat their dinner outside the tent.

After the sun went down,

My foot in sand.

we were informed there was going to be a light show.  The camp was going to fire off some “Willy P” which is a nickname for white phosphorous rounds at the mountain side.  Around 7:45 PM, the guns sounded and launched a projectile high up on the mountain side.  We watched as it burst into flame and then into smaller sublet flames.

Night show resulting from Willy P.

The white phosphorous consumes everything around it.  So if the Taliban were planning on launching a rocket attack from this location, they were now fried crispy critters.  After the light show, we went back inside our chilly tent and prepared for another cold night.

ANA armed escort.

It was a brisk morning and the mercury was holding steady about 26 degrees.  We ate a hot breakfast and prepared for the next leg of our trip.  We met up with our US escort to finalize the details.  The route clearance guys (IED hunters) would go in front of us and actively search for IEDs implanted in the culverts and along the road.  As fast as the IED

Road leading to district center.

hunters dispose of the IEDs, the insurgents wait until they pass and reseed the road with these lethal home-made bombs composed of two types of fertilizer and diesel fuel.  The fertilizer is cheaper than a bag of flour and is abundant in country and available anywhere for resale.

We aligned the convoy and picked up additional ANA troops and vehicles

We got ourselves a convoy!

along with some commercial trucks transporting food and drink supplies for the troops at the Charkh District Center.  In all, we had over 30 vehicles in our convoy.  As we traveled down the dusty dirt road, our gunners were given an opportunity to fire the crew serve weapons at the mountain side to ensure the machine guns were functioning properly.  My gunner who is an AF SSgt enjoyed this part of the trip.

Village children by their house door.

The terrain was barren and desert like, but the IED craters in the road were a reminder that the enemy was somewhere in the vicinity and didn’t want us traveling to their town.  We turned off the dirt road on to an asphalt one that would lead us directly into the village center.  I was surprised to see the abundance of the trees and orchards that paralleled this road.   The village children came out of their houses to watch as our armed convoy passed by.  One small boy had a wood switch in his hand and used his other hand motioning for us to get out.  It was as though he wanted to whip us with his stick!  Look at the picture to see the seriousness on his face, it was unforgettable and made us chuckle at

Afghan boy who wanted to whip us.

the time.

As we approached the combat outpost, the road turned into talcum powder like sand.  This caused the tires to spin, thus creating dust clouds making visibility difficult.  I tried to capture this with my camera, but there was so much dust, you can’t see the vehicle in front of us.  We arrived safely at the camp and set up our gear in a nearby tent.  While eating our MREs, we heard a torrent of machine gun fire.  We were certain there was a shooting range nearby and they were practicing their marksmanship.  This was not the case.  Our escorts departed the FOB and drove about 1 kilometer and they were attacked by small-arms fire.  One of the US gunners was injured by shrapnel and after the fire fight was sent to the medical clinic at FOB Shank an hour’s drive away.   I was informed the soldier is going to be fine.

Outside of school.

It was obvious our presence wasn’t welcome.  This was the first time, the FOB had attempted a VMO and HA distribution since being set up earlier in the year.  But this wasn’t going to discourage us, so we walked next door to the VMO site.  It was a 2-story modern looking school.  An Army LT explained that the insurgents previously

Modern classroom.

riddled the school full of bullet holes.  Since then, the holes have been patched, windows replaced, new desks purchased, and the school was painted.  The villagers may have reached an agreement with the Taliban to permit their children to attend the school, because it hasn’t been attacked since.  The Charkh DC is composed of a 178 miles

Afghan women villagers in burqas.

of populated villages (pop. 40,000), orchards, deserts, and mountains.  There are approximately 30-40 hardcore extremists who try to control the district and about 100 other insurgents who seem to take turns attacking the coalition forces.  In addition, there are over 500 sympathizers who provide some sort of assistance to the

Carrying in school supplies.

anti-government militants.

My ETT team along with the ANA unloaded medicines, blankets, clothing, and school supplies from the 7-ton truck and stored them inside the school building.  The ANA doctors and US medics were busy setting up the pharmacy and the treatment rooms.  The

Afghan teenagers who hate Americans.

village women and children would be treated on one side and the Afghan men and boys would be treated on the other side.  After they received their medications, they would visit the HA center.

While the team was preparing the site, I ventured down to the entry control point to take some pictures.  There were several boys perched on top of the mud-brick wall motioning for my attention.  I walked over to them along with my interpreter Omid.  The boys were demanding “rawdios” and callum (radios and pens).  The radios are one of the most popular items we hand out, because it has a manual crank and doesn’t require electricity.  I didn’t have any radios or pens to hand out.  But I saw this as an opportunity to create some dialogue.  I inquired whether they liked Americans or not.  The oldest teenager responded and my interpreter was hesitant to translate.  I insisted he translate word for word.  The translation was “I hate Americans”.  At first I was a bit disgruntled and thought to myself, “You hate Americans, but you want our HA and medicines we give out”.  Instead, I told him, that I respect your opinion and wanted to know more.  Here is a generalization of our conversation:

Me:  Why do you hate Americans?

Boy:  Because you are a non-believer.

Me:  (Recalling my conversation with ANA mullah)  I am not a non-believer, I just have a

different book than you do.  (Referring to the Bible for Christians and the Koran for Muslims)

Boy:  It doesn’t matter; I am supposed to hate Americans.

Me:  Why do you say that?

Boy:  Because the village mullah teaches us this way.  (In the interim, another younger boy interjects)

Young Boy:  (Talking to older boy)  Don’t tell him that because he won’t give us a radio or a pen.

Me:  Come here tomorrow when we are open and I will give you a radio and other HA.

The VMO/HA site was set up and the doors were secured.  Afterward, I joined in a friendly game of volleyball with the ANA and ANP.  Despite being 44 and 7/8 years old, I was still able to block their spikes and hold my own.  Meanwhile my teammates went to eat and after volleyball I would do the same.

After chow, I was in the small computer and phone center.  Suddenly the windows rattled and a large explosion was heard.  An Army Specialist came running inside and yelled for everyone to leave and grab their gear because we were under attack.  I was in a bit of a pickle because my body armor, helmet, and my M-4 rifle were secured in the tent.  To get to the tent, I would have to pass by the Entry Control Point (ECP) where all the action was taking place.  Instead, I decided to take cover in the small concrete wall room along with two of my interpreters.  I was still armed with my M-9 pistol, so if an ambush would take place, I could still defend myself at a very short range.  The insurgents were using air burst Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) to try and take out the guard towers and the ECP.  The soldiers on duty opened up with a deafening reverberation of 50 caliber machine guns.  There were several large booms.  Admittedly, I was a bit scared and so were my interpreters as they hunched down low and took cover under a wood platform supporting a computer.  It was like everything was in slow motion.  The attack only lasted for 10-15 minutes, but it was agonizing.  So many thoughts flashed through my head.  My biggest worry was an errant RPG because they are inaccurate and unpredictable.  I thought about my lovely wife Liisa and about our future vacation plans in a few weeks.  I pulled out my gold cross she gave me and said a small prayer.  Then just as quickly as it happened the gunfire was silent and we waited another 15 minutes until an all clear was given.  Unknown to me at the time, my teammates were huddled in a bunker wearing all of their body armor.

Afterwards the Army soldiers were yelling “Hooah” and talking about the attack and previous attacks.  I recall one soldier bragging about #67.  It had been several weeks since they last attacked and it was obvious this one was meant for us and to instill fear in the villagers and discourage them from coming out to the VMO site.

We returned to our tent and I looked at the various expressions on my teammate’s faces.  I’m sure several of them experienced the same thing I did, but probably won’t admit it.  We settled down for the night and lit the wood burning stove.  This proved to be quite a chore since we didn’t have kindling and resorted to dipping the large wood chunks into diesel fuel.  The stove was too small to heat the large tent and the 2 foot flames being emitted from the flu might possibly catch the tent on fire.  The Army 1^st Sgt managed to find a diesel fuel connector but the amount of heat it provided was dismal at best.  You had to be 6 inches from the stove to feel the heat.  It was freezing outside and not much better in our tent.  It was going to be a cold night.

Packing for 5-6 days.

These past few days and nights, the Captain and I have burned the midnight oil planning for a Village Medical Operation (VMO) and Humanitarian Assistance (HA) distribution.  The original plan of flying was canceled, so we put together a mission plan to drive there.  This would be a prime opportunity to test out our MRAPs.  Our destination would be the Charkh District Center (often pronounced shark) in southern Logar Province.  We were aware of the dangers, but little did we realize how determined the Taliban was to discourage our visit.

The night before the mission, we held our final mission brief with our team and participants and informed them to pack for 5-6 days.  We returned to our

Cool morning preparing to depart for VMO.

b-huts to do our final packing.  My ruck sack was overfilled, but I was well-prepared for this mission, or so I thought.  We woke up at the crack of dawn and readied the MRAPs and loaded the medical supplies, school supplies, and other HA on the ANA 7-ton truck.  It was chilly outside, but everyone seemed to be in a cheerful and motivated mood.

Another village along the dirt route.

We met with our ANA counterparts and readied the convoy.  Before we departed, I insisted we stay on the hardball and not take any dirt shortcut roads.  We left the camp and two ANA vehicles took the lead.  We turned on to an unfamiliar road, but I figured it was a shortcut through the city, so the convoy followed.  About a mile later the road turned to dirt.

Modern mud brick homes in the first village.

Darn!  The ANA ignored my instructions and were avoiding the morning city traffic.  For them, this was no problem in their small pick-up trucks.  But for us driving bulky MRAPs, it was rather difficult maneuvering through the tight turns and crossing small bridges not designed for 40,000 pounds.  The first village we drove past seemed a bit modern and

Taliban village.

the houses were built quite well with mud-brick and surrounded by encompassing thick mud walls.  The next village had an eerie feel to it.  I inquired through my interpreter and he confirmed my suspicions that this was probably a Taliban village.  Although we were surrounded by many houses, I felt uneasy not seeing many people wandering about.   As the convoy commander, I was responsible for any actions that might occur.  Meanwhile a truck approached in the opposite direction and the street was too narrow for them to pass.  Our ANA brothers dismounted and made the truck back up so we could get by.

Eventually the dirt road

Back on the hardball.

merged onto the hardball.  In hindsight, we avoided the congested city traffic, but an attack from the village might have ruined our day.  The next hour we drove south on the asphalt road.  The road was in great shape and we were able to increase our convoy speed to 45-50 mph.  Along the way we picked up another ANA armed escort driving in armored

MRAP with rollers at FOB Maiwand.

Humvees.  This particular section of road has been popular for insurgent attacks and the ANA wanted to ensure our safe passage.  Our next stop was ANA FOB Maiwand.  We stopped there to drop off the mail to our teammates and took a short halt for an hour.

By now it was lunch time but we decided not to eat and drive to our next destination.  While at FOB Maiwand, a few more ANA vehicles decided to join the convoy.  I was feeling pretty safe having the additional firepower

Mountains surrounding FOB Altimar.

travel along with us.  As long as the ANA don’t hit an IED, they are much more maneuverable in their vehicles then we are with the MRAPs.  They are also a kinetic force and can go after the bad guys, even if the insurgents try to hide in the village houses.  So I welcomed our ANA counterparts and our next stop was FOB Altimar.

Lining up the convoy at FOB Altimar.

Typical of most Forward Operating Bases, they were surrounded by tall jutted mountain peaks.  After parking the convoy, I noticed the temperature was about 10-12 degrees colder than in the capital city.  We offloaded our ruck sacks and were shown to our tents.  These tents were winterized and had a good heating system.  The Captain and I took

Urination color chart.

care of some administrative business and later that night attended a mission briefing for the next leg of our trip to commence early in the morning.  While using the facilities, I had to chuckle at the sign posted by the urinal.  The Army wants to ensure we are drinking sufficient amounts of water, so a color graph with instructions is posted.

President Daoud's gravesite.

This interview was recorded last week and aired today during NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” on WUSF Radio in Tampa. The topic of the interview was a special visit to the gravesite of a former Afghan president and his family.

My Last Tour: A Gravesite Visit

From Liisa, SMSgt Rex Temple’s wife:  Rex wanted me to post a quick “Thank You” to the USF Bulls and to his home base at Tampa’s MacDill AFB for adopting the “School Supplies for Afghan Children” project at this Saturday’s football game against Louisville. It’s an honor to have this project be part of the team’s military appreciation game. And I’m thrilled to have Rex’s friend SPC Christopher “Kit” Lowe join us at the game; he’ll be enjoying a few days of leave from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in D.C. and his rigorous physical therapy and recovery training after being wounded in Afghanistan in August.

SPC Christopher "Kit" Lowe at Walter Reed Army Medical Center with Lt Gen John Allen, USMC, Deputy Commander, US Central Command (Photo Aug. 19, 2009)

If you are in the Tampa area and plan to come to the game, it starts at 12 noon and we have drop-off locations at South and North ends of the stadium. We are looking for new and slightly used school supplies – specifically these items.

• spiral notebooks
• pencils
• pens
• whiteboards
• markers
• erasers
• chalk

• coloring books
• crayons
• metric rulers
• pencil sharpeners
• children’s scissors (rounded tips)
• construction paper

Here is also a link to an article about the supplies drive from today’s “The Oracle,” USF’s award-winning student run newspaper:

The Oracle: Troops answering a different call

From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: Rex managed to get on a computer somewhere this morning to send home a message that his mission is going well.  Due his work schedule he doesn’t have time to write a blog entry but he asked me to post these links in his absence.

The first link is to a piece in Los Angeles Times about corruption in Afghanistan:

Los Angeles Times: Ridding Afghanistan of corruption will be no easy task

The second link is to NPR’s website and a story this morning about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visiting Afghanistan

Associated Press via NPR: Clinton In Afghanistan For Karzai Inauguration

From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: Rex has departed on a multi-day mission. In his absence he asked me to post the official announcement about the USF Bulls adopting his school supplies drive so that if anyone who reads this blog is in the Tampa Bay area, they can come to the game and help with the drive this Saturday. Remember that while we ask for new supplies it’s also OK to donate your slightly used school supplies as well. Again,  our warmest thanks to the USF Bulls.

USF Announces Plans For Military Appreciation Game

Photo courtesy: J. Meric

TAMPA – The USF Athletics Department will honor and support active and veteran Military members at the Satuday, Nov. 21 game against Louisville.

In support of the School Supplies for Aghan Children Drive, USF and personnel from MacDill Air Force Base will be collecting donations of school supplies at the North and South entrances to Raymond James Stadium.

Read entire release here: http://gousfbulls.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7700&ATCLID=204834150

Prepping our MRAPs.

These past few days we have been extremely busy taking care of mission related items.  Today the Capt and I put in about 16 hours.  Now that we have MRAPs, we have to do the maintenance on them along with the up-armored Humvees.  It’s quite a step up just to get to the MRAP engine compartment.  The dipsticks are over 3 feet long too.  If you read my entry yesterday, take a close look at some of our MRAPs.  Don’t they appear to look the same?  Well they are not and because of these subtle differences, the Army is requiring us to attend a certification course so we can drive them.  In the interim, they have given us a waiver to drive them until we can attend the class later this month.

AF TSgt jokes about getting H1N1 vaccine.

After lunch our medic lined us up in the office and administers the H1N1 vaccine.  According to the local paper, over 750 people in Afghanistan have been infected with the H1N1 virus.  Of these 750 people, only 45 Afghans have become infected and 10 people have died.  The remaining 700+ are foreigners with many of them at Bagram.  I can’t confirm Bagram has any positive cases.  As a precaution, all education institutions are being closed for 3 weeks.  Lastly, as expected, the swine flu or H1N1 is being blamed on the infidels.  It might also surprise you there is actually one living pig in this Muslim country.  This pig is kept on display at the Kabul zoo.  I haven’t heard if its quarantined or not.

Soldiers marching with Queen's Palace in background.

President Karzai’s inauguration is scheduled to take place on the November 19^th.  In preparation, the ANA and ANP are taking a defensive posture to prevent the insurgents from interrupting the swearing-in ceremony and causing a media frenzy.  Today I took a picture of the soldiers marching near the Tajbeg Palace (Queen’s Palace).  Well it’s been a long day, I hope to have more tomorrow.

Since I have begun this deployment, I have often commented about the challenges of working with our sister services, specifically the US Army.  Today’s debacle revolved around proper licensing to drive the MRAP vehicles.  Keep in mind; we have been driving these vehicles for several months now.  Before I vent about today’s fiasco, I need to prepare the stage so you can laugh with me.

Initially at Fort Riley we attended 62 days of deployment training to prepare us for our current mission.  We were issued armored Humvees and the requirement was to have a state driver’s license.  We were given several hours of instruction and then required to drive the vehicle one lap around a grassy field.  Later that night, we were issued night-vision goggles and gathered in a room.  We were instructed to adjust our goggles and then got inside the Humvees.  We drove up into the hills on a paved road.  The driving portion lasted approximately 15 minutes.  A few days later we got our Army driving licenses listing up-armored Humvees.  We were also informed that we would probably drive MRAPs once we got into country, but none were available at the deployment training. Our instructor humored us by showing a PowerPoint presentation with pictures of the various models.

Once in country and in anticipation of being issued MRAPs, we sent several of our teammates to the MRAP course.  The instruction consisted of 4 days of classroom instruction, PowerPoint charts to ad-nausea and about 15 minutes of actually driving the vehicle.  I was informed that one hour of the course revolved around opening and closing of the hydraulic doors.  Talk about job security for contractors who are paid 6 figures to teach this course.  Anyhow, my teammates received certification for driving MRAPs.

After a painful wait for our MRAPs, we finally received them.  Our ETT team along with most other ETT teams was ranked on the bottom of the priority list.  Understandably priority went to the kinetic forces like the Marines, but other teams were given MRAPs and their missions never left the hard road.  Meanwhile my team is driving through perilous dirt mountain roads in the middle of nowhere.

After being issued our MRAPs we were informed we couldn’t drive them anymore because we didn’t have the proper model of MRAP on our Army license.  My response, “Are you serious?”  For the most part the MRAP models are very similar with some minor differences.  It’s like being told you can drive a Ford pick-up truck, but you aren’t qualified to drive a Chevy or a Dodge unless you go through additional instruction.  It doesn’t matter you have been driving them all along.  You are still required to attend another boring course and then demonstrate for 15 minutes you can drive another MRAP model.

Since my team is not one for willfully disobeying the rules, we made half a dozen phone calls to find a certified trainer for our type of MRAP.  We will have to wait until the end of the month because the trainers are all being trained on the new M-ATV MRAP.  I wonder will the Marines actually send their people to BAF to get qualified and certified on this new model.  I doubt it, but for now my team will have to attend this training.  We have one more problem to resolve.  Since they don’t have this model readily available, I guess we will drive them to BAF so they can teach us how to drive them.

Our ETT Team leader departed today for a conference and in a few days will be basking in the warm temperatures in Florida for his 2-week vacation.  In the interim, the Captain and I have the ship.  Oh wait a minute, isn’t that a Navy term.  I will have to be “re-blued” with the Air Force when I finish this deployment.  I have injected Army, Marine, and Navy terminology into my vernacular.  My peers will think I have gone off the deep end.  “Roger, on vics at 0600 hrs.  PMCS the vics, perform your PCCs and PCIs and then SP at 0700 hrs.  Turn Dukes to run, let’s Oscar Mike.”

Future brigade XO.

This afternoon while visiting the brigade office, I saw a cat sitting in a chair.  Somehow he got inside the building and made itself at home.  Some of the guys joked about it being the new XO.

Camp dartboard is finally hung on the wall.

Lastly, I made time to hang the dartboard today.  The garrison commander likes to throw darts and he assisted me.  Special thanks to Mrs Jan Erwin and her husband for sending this gift.  It will be enjoyed by all the military personnel and contractors at the camp.

From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: Rex had a busy day today and no time to write for the blog so he asked me to do a quick update about the school supplies drive.

Photo courtesy: www.gousfbulls.com

This has been a great week for the drive. On Tuesday we got a call from the University of South Florida Bulls football team confirming that the school supplies drive will be part of the Bulls Nov. 21st home game against Louisville. This is the team’s annual military appreciation game as well as the USF Homecoming game, so the crowd at Raymond James stadium in Tampa should be pretty big. (Exact details of game day activities are at the end of this blog entry.) The Bulls play at the home stadium of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which seats nearly 66,000 people; this will be a great opportunity for us to reach the entire USF Bulls fan base. We want to extend our warmest thanks to everyone in the USF Athletics office for supporting the school supplies project.

Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement at the Marshall Center on USF Tampa campus

I have worked for USF since 2002 as an adjunct instructor and Rex and I extremely thrilled to have the University embrace the school supplies project. In addition to the Bulls helping to collect supplies at this Nov. 21 game, we’ve also teamed up with the USF Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement, which will be collecting supplies at the Marshall Center on the Tampa campus starting Monday, Nov. 16. (www.LeadandServe.usf.edu ) – thanks to Associate Director Melissa Alvarez for all her help and support.

Nicole Johnson (on the left), Miss America 1999, international diabetes advocate and Director of Education, Communication, and Outreach at University of South Florida Diabetes Center

Those of you who follow this blog may also know about Nicole Johnson, former Miss America (1999) and USF Health employee who has joined forces with us after her recent trip to Afghanistan to support the troops. She’s recruited USF’s Diabetes Center to also be a supporter of the school supplies drive. In that role she did some television appearances this week and I hope to be able to post those videos on the blog in the coming days.

The children were trying to see how tall of a stack they could make from the donated notebooks.

This was also a busy week in terms of actual packing and shipping as well. Rex’s parents and their church, Wesley Chapel UMC in Somerset County (PA), finished their school supplies drive and spent a day packing 16 large APO boxes and one larger box to be shipped. As you can see from the photo the kids from the Agape group really got into the spirit and measured how tall of a stack of notebooks they could make from all the donations. More photos in this photo slide show.
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Coleman students pack supplies on Veterans Day.

Meanwhile here in Tampa, Coleman Middle School also finished its supplies drive this week and capped it off with a very special packing party aboard SS American Victory on Veterans Day. These students have worked extremely hard and their donations filled more than 60 boxes. Those boxes are now stored aboard the museum ship which serves as our main drop-off and storage facility. Special thanks to our wonderful friend Teresa Cook, who teaches at Coleman and spearheaded the drive. Thanks to three different photographers, I was able to make a special photo slide show of the students’ entire month-long drive, which you will find below. The students hard work was also featured in The Tampa Tribune and on WFLA-TV; here is a link to the article Tampa Tribune: Stories inspire local students to aid Afghans

!!!

For Bulls Nov. 21 game details click here: USF Bulls Bullhorn

When you go to the site, it is actually a video (Bullhorn). The title is – “The Bullhorn: Happy Veterans Day & Homecoming Game Activities.” Click the play button in the middle, and the portion about the Louisville game starts around the 1-minute mark.

別名、ETT。NPO法人。

企業や起業家の事業、将来性、市場性、商品化、技術などの評価を行う団体。

"ER" is nursed back to health - and to a new name "5K-1"

Today’s mission was to travel to Camp Phoenix and retrieve “ER,” one of our MRAPs.  Despite being the ambulance model, we do not use it as such, so the boss doesn’t want me to refer to it as ER anymore.  Instead, it has been relabeled 5K-1 (5^th Kandak, vehicle 1).

AF A1C preparing for mission.

It was another cool morning and my ETT team readied the vehicles for the mission.  Our MRAPs are undergoing maintenance, so we used our fleet of armored HMMVWs for this mission.  Meanwhile, I was busy loading lumber on a contractor’s truck so it can be pushed out to another FOB down south.  The lumber will be used to build a tent floor for our ANA brothers.  Recently an insurgent rocket

Security in the capital city.

destroyed one of our sister Kandak b-huts (tragically killed 2 ANA soldiers) and another one accidentally burned down resulting in the death of another ANA comrade.  So now they are scrambling for living quarters and have occupied the living quarters we were planning to move our Kandak soldiers into.  Meanwhile our Kandak soldiers are stuck living in a tent and sleeping on the ground.  The plan is to build a wood floor to help elevate them and install some heating systems to keep them warm until permanent quarters can be acquired.

Transporting tires with a bicycle.

While traveling today I took a picture of a man transporting tires with his bicycle.  He had 15 vehicle tires strapped to his bicycle.  Although unheard of in the United States, this is a normal sighting here.  Often carts, wagons, and vehicles will be overloaded with items.

Prior to arriving at our destination we slowed down the convoy to

Truck plowed into a building.

analyze a gathering of people.  My gunner quickly determined it to be an accident.  A transport truck left the road and crashed into a nearby building.  It didn’t appear that anyone was hurt and we continued on with our mission.

While at Camp Phoenix we had our 50-cal. machine gun repaired and retrieved 5K-1.  We took advantage of the PX and were able to get some cash from the finance center.  Our FOB is too small and they do not visit here.    Camp personnel here have to wait until they visit larger camps like Phoenix and Bagram that have finance offices and ATM machines to get money.  It’s rather surprising because the mail person visits here at least every two weeks so we can send out packages and they are from the same camp as the finance center.

Horse taxi.

We traveled back through the city and the traffic was pretty light.  I took pictures of the typical horse taxi and one of the many security towers guarding the city.  When we returned the Captain smashed his finger while repositioning the 50-cal machine gun.  I gave him a Band-Aid and told him to “suck it up”.  The Band-Aid reference is a running joke internal to our team.  Every time someone gets hurt, we just tell them “Put a Band-Aid on it and suck it up.”

Reading the decree at the Marine Corps 234th birthday celebration.

While eating dinner tonight, 3 US Marines stood at the serving line at parade rest.  Despite being in a combat zone, they were preparing to celebrate an old time-honored Marine tradition.  Tonight they would celebrate the Marine Corps 234th Birthday.  On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress decreed this date as the official birthday of the US

Traditional passing of the cake to the youngest Marine.

Marine Corps.  In this case, we only have 3 US Marines at the camp, so they all played an integral role.  The Marine Chief Warrant Officer read the Marine Corps Order and annual message from the Marine Corps Commandant while the LTC and Marine Staff Sergeant stood in front of the traditional cake.  When it was time, the Marine Lieutenant

Two AF SSgts sorting school supplies.

Colonel pulled out his bayonet and cut the cake.  By tradition, the first slice of cake is given to the oldest member who happens to be our Brigade Team Leader.  Then the cake is passed to the youngest member who in this case was a visiting Marine SSG, symbolizing passing their knowledge to the new generation of Marines.
After eating dinner and

My ETT Team sorting through HA supplies.

sampling the Marine birthday cake, my team met back at the DFAC Annex for another purpose.  This time we were going to sort through some of the many boxes of school supplies that have been compiled these past few months.  At last count, I have over a hundred large flat rate boxes of school supplies, hygiene items, and stuffed

School supplies from Texas.

animals.  Special thanks to Renee Forester from Texas for sending a dozen extra-large size boxes of supplies.  Since these items were already assembled in bags, we have decided to give these out on at the next Humanitarian Assistance village mission in the near future.

Coleman Middle School student and parent volunteers spent Veterans Day packing up school supplies for Afghan kids aboard SS American Victory at Tampa's Channelside.

Tonight my wife Liisa informed me that Coleman Middle School in South Tampa has been collecting school supplies for a month now and they met this morning at the SS American Victory museum ship at Tampa’s Channelside to pack them in shipping boxes.  WFLA-TV/Newschannel 8 and The Tampa Tribune newspaper came to record the event.  According to Liisa, the children helped pack more than 60 boxes of school supplies!  (If you would like more information about the school supplies drive, click on the special tab at the top of this page.)

All the 60 some boxes collected and packed by Coleman Middle School students and parents. Thank you so much!

It still amazes me the outpouring of generosity that US citizens have displayed to support this project.  It helps to reinforce our mission here and my belief that we can still win this war, especially by educating the children.  The teachers’ supplies and school supplies for the children will be utilized by the impoverished Afghan kids.  I can’t wait to take pictures of the children’s smiling faces who receive these items.  Right now the schools are closed for a few weeks as a precautionary measure against the H1N1 virus that has infected several hundred people here and caused a handful of deaths.
Surprisingly the children I show in the photographs are the lucky ones who have survived child birth.  One in 5 children do not live to the age of 5 in Afghanistan due to poverty, lack of medicine, and illiteracy.  Recently I read an article about a mid-wives program financed by foreign aid.  These mid-wives visit the provinces and help mothers with giving birth.  This program is in its infancy, but over 2,400 mid-wives have been trained.  In time this will help Afghanistan who has the world’s 2nd highest infant mortality rate.  Perhaps with the US and foreign help, corruption will be uprooted here and the billions of dollars being donated will be used for their intended purpose to aid the poor people of this country.  Over 9 million people in this country get by with 65 cents a day.  To put this into perspective, the cost of a fast-food meal or cup of flavored coffee would support the basic sustenance of an Afghan for at least 5 days.
Note:  I am still one day behind in my blog writing.  The Internet connectivity problem has been semi-resolved, so it should make it easier to forward my entries and pictures.

ANA learning to shoot M-16 rifles.

I was going to say Mikhail Kalashnikov would turn over in his grave if he witnessed what I saw today, but he is not dead and today he celebrated his 90^th birthday.  Mr. Kalashnikov is best known as the inventor of the Soviet AK-47 assault rifle.    The AK-47 rifle is the world’s most popular assault rifle used in 100 countries (including Afghanistan), glamorized by Hollywood in crime movies and is featured on the national flag of Mozambique.   But today I would witness history in the making.  The Afghan National Army is slowly swapping out their AK-47’s in exchange for NATO rifles, specifically the M-16 rifle manufactured by Colt Firearms Company.  Today’s mission was to escort several flatbed trucks loaded with NATO weapons destined for the ANA.

Is the snow?

After shaving and returning to my b-hut, I noticed the mountains overshadowing the camp.  It looked like an artist took his paintbrush bristles and created streaks of snow with a stroke of his brush.  It rained last night and I commented “If it gets any colder, we might see snow on the peaks in the morning.”  It wasn’t enough snow to brag about and it would probably disappear by mid-afternoon.

Looks like snow to me.

The Captain and I drove over to meet our ANA counterparts to ensure their convoy was ready to join with ours.  This is when I got a glimpse of the mountains off in the distance.  They were covered with snow.  Those particular mountains are much higher in elevation too.  For traveling reasons, maybe we were fortunate the run-off election did not occur, because we would have to deal with the snow and freezing temperatures.

We joined forces with the ANA and convoyed to the weapons depot.  It took all day to load the connexes on the back of 40 foot trailer trucks.  The problem we encountered was with the cranes being used to move them.  They were quite old and vintage looking.  I was rather curious why the ANA chose these cranes instead of the more modern ones being used at their camp.  I was informed that the older cranes are owned by some ANA officers and this is just another method they use to earn additional money.  Instead of using the ones provided by the United States, they contract out the cranes.  Even more shocking is that the depot did not have their own crane to move container boxes.  This depot is stocked with hundreds of connexes filled with material.

AF Captain enjoying a good book.

Fortunately OSHA was not present to witness the movement of these metal connexes, otherwise they might have cringed.  The cable was twisted and appeared to be splintering at the ends.  But watching people being lifted by the crane to the top of the double-stacked boxes was a bit scary.  One of my teammates chose to read a book while perched on top of the HMMVW.  I guess watching grown men swinging from a cable while being lifted by a crane didn’t catch his interest.

Look closely at the center line and where the vehicles are.

Our return trip was rather interesting too.  We had 14 vehicles in our convoy including 4 flatbed trailers.  Afternoon rush hour just started and we were going to drive through the heart of the city with our “train” of vehicles.  I was the convoy commander and let the ANA take the lead.  They would block off the traffic while our train rolled through the round-a-bouts and congested highways.  As expected the traffic was gridlocked at times.  Notice in the picture where the center line is and the location of the cars entering the round-a-bout.  These cars blocked on-coming traffic making it much more difficult for the traffic to flow.  We finally made it back to camp and parked the vehicles for the night.

Here is a link to a radio interview that aired on WUSF Radio in Tampa during NPR’s “All Things Considered” last night and during “Morning Edition” this morning. This week’s interview was a little different as all the questions came from the listeners of WUSF Radio. Thank you, Bob McCormack and Sharon Mays, for your questions. (Sorry about any incorrect spellings.)

My Last Tour: Listener Questions

If you would like to have your question answered on the radio, please go to WUSF’s new website and register. Here is that link.

http://www.wusf.usf.edu/

To register, click on the “Login” button in the top right corner of the WUSF web page. Once you have registered, go to the “My Tour” special page and click on the “add a new comment” button and send in your question.

Honor guards with a picture of Mohammad Daoud Khan, Afghanistan’s first president, march in a ceremony in Kabul to give him and those who died with him a proper burial. Photo by: Omar Sobhani/Reuters Published: March 17, 2009

April 28, 1978, Afghanistan President Mohammad Daoud Khan and 17 family members were assassinated in the presidential palace by Afghan communist officers.  His body along with 17 relatives including his wife and six children were buried in an unmarked grave on the outskirts of Kabul near a firing range in Pule-e-charhki (my former ANA camp).  The site of their burial was kept a secret for 30 years until recently.  Earlier this year, a former army officer who was on duty that night of the massacre came forward with information on where the bodies were buried.  The bodies were exhumed and a state funeral was held in March.  Since then the remains have been buried on a hill overlooking the capital city.  Today’s mission was to visit some remote guard towers and while there, we had a unique opportunity to visit the new presidential grave site.

Guard shack and my ANA CSM.

My ANA SGM has been bugging me to visit the guard tower and requested some assistance in providing better living quarters to the soldiers assigned there.  So my team put together a CONOP to visit this site.  Before we could depart the camp, we wanted to ensure our AF MSgt teammate was able to get aboard the helicopter at the LZ.  He

Hey I need a ride!

is going home on leave (vacation) for two weeks to visit his family and friends.  As fate may have it, there was no room on the helo for him.  He was given a ride back over to the camp side and requested a ride from our team to transport him to Kabul International Airport (KAIA).  But first we would visit the guard towers and then take him to the airport.

It looks like it might rain.

The drive up to the guard towers was pretty scenic with the mountain backdrop and the view overlooking the capital city.  It was a bit cloudy and it looked like it might rain.  We met the guards and inspected their living quarters.  The ANA guards were living in a dilapidated wooden shack and there wasn’t enough room for all of the guards, so some of them have to sleep outside at night.  Lately, the temperatures have dipped into the high 30’s at night and the guards are complaining about keeping warm.  The windows in the shacks are broken and some of the wood has rotted allowing air to seep inside their sleeping quarters.  So now, I plan to work with the ANA SGM and use some project money to make some repairs, install a wooden floor, and extend the side of their building to accommodate the occupants.  If I wait on the Ministry of Defense or garrison to provide the needed repairs, it may never get accomplished.

President Daoud's grave site.

While on top of this mountain, my team had a unique opportunity to observe the royal burial site of President Daoud and his family members.  With no disrespect intended, I was rather surprised how basic the grave site appeared.  It looked like a hurried excavation site with white head markers implanted in the ground, some wreaths, and a few photographs of the deceased members.  Who would ever know that Afghanistan’s first president is buried here.  The site is not open to the public and the guard motioned for me to put my camera away.

German armored vehicle.

We departed the site and our next destination would be KAIA.  My teammate was anxious to get there in hopes of catching a flight to Bagram Air Field.  From here, he will fly to Kuwait and be manifested aboard another plane flying to the United States.  We dropped him off at the terminal and I noticed the Germans had one of their armored vehicles parked in the parking lot.  The Germans are one of the 43 coalition nations engaged in this fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents.

This pizza is great!

Since it was lunch time, we drove to the other side of KAIA and were hoping to dine at the Thai restaurant.  Some of my friends have eaten there and raved about the food.  Unfortunately it was still closed and we didn’t have much time to wait for it to open.  Instead, we went to an Italian Pizzeria to pacify our hunger pains.  The Italians are probably disappointed at the quality of the food, especially the watery sauce they use in their dishes.  But for the most part it tasted pretty good.  I settled for a pizza calzone, while many of my teammates feasted on pizza.

Horse cart traveling down the road.

We left KAIA and drove back through the city to camp.  On the way we passed by a horse cart holding up traffic.  We also went by the 5-star Serena Hotel that was previously attacked by insurgents with rockets. After returning to camp, we filled our armored HMMVWs up with gas and started preparing for tomorrow’s mission.

Serena Hotel attacked by insurgents.

I’ve been on multiple missions these past few days and have fallen behind with my writing and pictures.  My Internet connection has been spotty and today the server went down.  Friday for the most part we had off and I spent most of my time cleaning and organizing my room, doing laundry, and resting.  These missions can really drain your energy and my room looked like a hurricane came through it.  But now I have managed to restore order to my space and my Internet connectivity is cooperating a little bit better.

Yesterday after mentoring our ANA counterparts, we spent the afternoon inspecting our MRAPs.  We went over each vehicle with a fine tooth comb and identified all of the minor and major deficiencies we could locate.  The Marines were not gentle with these vehicles and they have some problems that need to be fixed.  I suppose in the areas where they traveled, a speedometer was not required.  But personally I like to monitor my speed when traveling on the highways.  I also wouldn’t mind if the horn was functional and reattached.

Preying Mantis on teammate's ear.

After inspecting the MRAPs, we also inspected our armored HMMVWs and prepared them for tomorrow’s mission.  We are supposed to go visit a remote guard tower and if our teammate can’t get on the helicopter, we will drive him to the airport.  While inspecting the vehicles, one of my teammate’s found a Praying Mantis and it crawled up his arm and attached itself to his ear.  I also took a picture of one of the mountain peaks overlooking our FOB.

Mountain overlooking our FOB.

Traffic gridlock.

A decision was made after pulling into the camp parking lot that we roll out in the morning and drive to FOB Airborne to swap out these refurbished MRAPs with the Marines.  In addition, we would be accompanied by the ANA General along with his security detail.  Personally I like traveling with the ANA because they know how to get through the traffic and when traffic is gridlocked, they will dismount from their trucks and direct traffic so our convoys can get through.

As we anticipated, traffic was pretty heavy through the western side of Kabul, specifically in the market area.  Our ANA brothers jumped out of their trucks and started waving traffic

Amputee on crudely-made crutches.

off to the side and we squeezed our MRAPs in between cars, trucks, livestock, and throngs of people shopping in the crowded market place.

Once we departed the city and drove west, the traffic was minimal and we made good time.  We pulled into FOB Airborne and the Marines were waiting for their upgraded MRAPs.  When I dismounted from the

Slightly overloaded truck.

truck I managed to bang the back part of my hand and it swelled rather quickly.  So our medic bandaged me up and I visited the TMC as a precautionary measure.  He gave me some mild pain killers and sent me on my way.

While at Airborne I examined a small crater caused by an insurgent rocket that managed to hit the camp a few days ago.  One of my teammates was outside when it exploded but the Hesco barriers did their job and fortunately nobody was injured.  Also while we were there, the Army fired off several 155mm rounds.  Despite all of the barriers, these guns produce a small shock wave when they are fired and the vibrations can be felt at a long distance.  I would hate to be on the receiving end when the shell hits its target.

Marines driving off with MRAPs.

We swapped out MRAPs with the Marines and they quickly departed and headed back to the front lines to actively engage and seek out the enemy.  In turn, we got 3 of their well-used MRAPs in return.  I feel much safer traveling in the MRAP then I do in a HMMVW.  Now I just need to get used to crawling in and out of these vehicles.  They sit much higher than a HMMVW and are a bit cumbersome to get into with all of the gear on.

Stubborn cow blocking the road.

On the return trip we encountered a stubborn cow who decided to stand in the middle of the road and block traffic.   This cow wasn’t budging and I thought our ANA escort was going to shoot it so we could have some sirloin steaks for dinner.  The owner managed to pull hard enough and clear a path for our convoy and back into the city we went.

Family in back of truck.

Traffic was gridlocked again.  I took some pictures of my surroundings while we waited for the ANA to clear a path.  A family was in the back of a jingle truck and looked like they were moving.  A peddler was repairing the soles on flip-flops and one store had pots stacked 10 feet tall.  You just never know what you will see when you travel

Repairing soles of flip-flops.

through the market area.

We returned to camp without incident.  Since tomorrow was Juma, our ETT leader told us to take a well-deserved day off.

Store selling pots.

My team woke up early eagerly anticipating our departure from BAF with our refurbished MRAPs.  We knew we still had a lot of work ahead of us so everyone quickly packed their gear.  There was one unwelcome surprise; the main shower house was closed so we had to utilize the small ones on the opposite end of the encampment.  This was only a minor setback.

The contractors were still actively repairing the MRAPs.  Our AF mechanic identified a problem with the engine starter and the ECM issues were being resolved.  In the interim, the team worked on preparing the MRAPs for travel.  Our AF ETT Team leader and a Navy Petty Officer were working on the antennas, while the rest of us were preparing to turn in the old HMMVWs.  These vehicles did their time and like old soldiers they were being laid to rest.  In reality, they will probably be refurbished and sold as part of the Foreign Military Sales program.

As we drove to the turn-in lot we passed a staging area of MRAPs in various stages of disrepair.  These armored Titans were victims of accidents and IED attacks.  I saw first-hand what the explosive power of fertilizer mixed with diesel fuel could do these vehicles.  It was obvious despite the increased protection and technological advances, the MRAPs are not immune to these lethal bombs.  As reported by the McClatchy newspaper, this sentiment was echoed by Pentagon Spokesman Geoff Morrell, “There’s not an armored vehicle you could build that would likely protect you against a 1,000 pound fertilizer bomb”.  He was referring to a recent attack on a Stryker brigade in Kandahar Province.  But in retrospect, these armored MRAPs do save lives.  As reported by Associated Press, “only 8 servicemen have died in MRAPs as a result of IED attacks this year in Afghanistan.”  One death is too many, but this latest technology has proven its million dollar price tag.

In addition, most of the MRAPs you see in these pictures are being actively

Will be back in the fight before too long.

repaired and will be returned to service.  Often I give contractors a hard time with some of my writings, but when it comes to our safety, the manufacturers of MRAPs are listening to the servicemen’s needs and thus OshKosh has designed the M-ATV MRAP.  Often our pleas and suggestions seemed to be ignored and ruled in favor of procurement military officers who side with the contractor for an exchange of a future job with these manufacturers they give million dollar contracts to.  But maybe this is changing or at least in the MRAP world.

Ruins at BAF

Before departing BAF I took some pictures of some old ruins.  I’m uncertain the age of these structures, but I am guessing around 14^th century.  I was unable to find out the historical relevance, but I do know the ancient city of Bagram has origins dating back to around 320 BC when it was captured by Alexander the Great.  Wouldn’t it be great if some time in the near future these historic relics are opened to the public as a tourist site?  I’m sure there are many archeologists who are chomping at the bit to visit these ruins.  Personally I am intrigued by the military history of this country and pleasantly surprised how these historical ruins and relics have survived centuries of war and continual environmental exposure.

Shortly after lunch, we were given the green light to depart BAF.  We still had a long drive ahead of as we were supposed to go to FOB Airborne and exchange these MRAPs with the Marines.  As part of the deal, my ETT team would get 3 MRAPs out of the deal.  Approximately 24 miles south of BAF, the radio silence broke, “We are losing power and can’t keep up!”  The convoy speed slowed to a crawl of 10 mph, one of our MRAPs was having mechanical problems.  We had no choice but to pull off the side of the road and attach a tow-bar.  Recall Rule #1:  Do not stop the convoy, except in a case of an emergency.  Precious time was ticking and a decision was made to cancel our original trip and head back to camp, try to repair the vehicle and in the morning resume the mission.