In the big A

So like I was saying last post, we loaded up on a C17 Globemaster and strapped in. It was significantly less luxurious than my first class ride to text or commercial ride to Germany and Manas but I was so excited I didn't really care. I was right in the front row and glad for all the anticipation to finally be coming to a close!

So there I was, sitting in the front row, minding my own business and one of the crew members comes down the stairs and points to me and SSG Fitzgerald sitting next to me and says he needs up to come with him. I figured he needed help with something and just needed a volunteer so when he led me up to the cockpit and said we could sit there I was shocked! Yes! I, Brittany Ramos, got to ride in the cockpit all the way to Afghanistan! It was awesome.

 AND! As you can see, the co-pilot was a Texan so I knew I was in for a great ride.

 We were a pretty rowdy bunch loading on the plane, shouting and cheering and buzzing with excitement. The crew looked at me with a confused look and said, "you know you are going to Afghanistan right? I don't think we have ever had such an enthusiastic group headed to Afghanistan before."

 Watching the runway disappear before me was a weighty experience. I just kept thinking, next thing I know I will be in a combat zone. That point was really driven home when the co-pilot started laying kevlar mats down on the floor of the cockpit about half way through our flight.

 I was so excited when I could finally see the light from Mazar-e-Sharif peeking through the clouds.

 We only spent a night there but it was COLD! The mountains were nothing short of majestic and seemed to pop up right outside the wire, as if our perimeter was the only thing holding them at bay.

 The Dining Facility was about a mile from our tent and I did not have long before I needed to hop on a bus to head to the range and verify my weapon zero so I opted for the closer option of "Burger King". I do not know what it tasted like but it was NOT Burger King! I thought the languages on the the bag were pretty cool though.

 Toto, I don't think we are in Texas anymore...

 So when I first went to open the Fanta I thought I had broken off the can opener on top because there was no pop but then I realized the whole thing peels off! I was amazed and figured this was a cool outside of the U.S. phenomenon but I have since been told that all soda cans used to be like this.

 After verifying my weapon zero (in only 6 rounds, the minimum possible, I might add hehe) I grabbed my bags and headed straight to the flight line to catch a helicopter to Camp Deh Dadi II...my new home in Afghanistan.