I have been swamped and exhausted lately and I have failed to get this blog all caught up to the relative present so I have decided to do a FAST FORWARD post. I will hit the big things and if I remember smaller things I figure I can always add them into posts later.
After attending the Afghan Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) graduation, I had the opportunity to talk the Navy EOD guys responsible for helping train the ANA(Afghan National Army) EOD teams. I explained my job to them and they told me I was welcome to come out with them to the demolition range in two days. I accepted.
I went back to Deh Dadi II and switched out my laundry, repacked and headed back to Camp Spann the next day (yes, this time with my sleeping bag lol). Early the following morning I was all packed up like a sardine in an MRAP vehicle and headed to the demolition range. The range consisted of a wide open space with large blast pits. The security team set up a perimeter and the ANA and EOD guys got to work placing C4 charges on some helicopter rockets that had been dropped and needed to be disposed of. They rolled out some det. cord and we moved back to watch the explosions. I climbed up in the gunner turret to video tape and was amazed that even 300 meters away I could feel the power of the explosions ripple through my body!
It was funny because the ANA route clearance guys had no problem setting up the charges but when it came time to detonate they were no where to be found at first. They had made a B-line to their vehicle, closed and locked the doors! I guess when you grow up watching explosions kill your loved ones it isn't as exciting as it is to we Americans who grow up watching cool Hollywood effects on movie screens. With some coaxing and reassurance, they stuck around for the second and third detonations.
My next notable adventure was being involved with the very first U.S. outpost deconstruction in Regional Command North. You may or may not recall President Karzai calling for all U.S. COPs (combat outpost, smaller than a FOB- forward operating base) to be closed after the Koran Burning incident at Bagram. Well, that mandate fell in the laps of the Engineers so off we went to tear down COP Qaisar, a tiny little postage stamp in the Northwest. I flew with our Task Force Commander so I got to take a Blackhawk dedicated just for our trip. We still stopped 4 times for fuel and other small errands before making it to our destination but you get to fly lower and faster in the Blackhawks so the view was incredible and I didn't mind. I didn't realize until that flight how beautiful Afghanistan really is.
I spent a few days at Qaisar taking pictures, filming leader engagements between our commander and the local ANA infantry commander who had been partnering with the infantry unit occupying the COP, and learning to operate construction equipment. The last day it began to rain goats and sheep so operations had to be halted for a while but as soon as it lightened up enough to at least see, work resumed and continued into the night to make up for lost time. I had only 3 hours to sleep that night because I was catching a late night convoy over to FOB Griffin but the racket from the jackhammer and controlled explosions (trying to break up the 2 foot thick concrete maintenance tent pad) throughout the night cut that down to about an hour. I loved every minute of that experience. The work ethic and dedication of the soldiers was inspiring. They were all covered in mud, head to toe, holes in their clothes, tattered gloves, no hot showers, no internet and yet not a single complaint or bad attitude. They completed the deconstruction 4 days ahead of schedule.
We (my Task Force Commander and I) arrived at FOB Griffin about 0445 and decided to post up in the security control center while we sought to establish communications with the company commander we needed to link up with. He said he would meet us in the dining hall at 0600 when it opened. Sweet, we can sleep for an hour. I thought, as I stood there willing my eyes to stop drooping so much and look more motivated. "Well LT, I think I will just read here for an hour and then we can head over to chow" chirped my super human Task Force Commander. "Roger that, Sir!" I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster and plopped down at an empty desk. I didn't have a book or anything so I just stared at the pictures of the family of whoever usually sat at the desk. What seemed like 5 minutes later the commander was telling me to get ready to go and I was on my feet with a smile and enthusiasm as if I had never fallen asleep with my forehead plastered to the desk. Breakfast. Drop my bags in the transient tent. 2 more annoying reminders that I am a female and thus must be extra careful, as we walk through the ANA compound...Finally I looked my commander in the eyes and said, "Sir, I carry a very large rifle and a very large knife and I'm definitely in the same weight class as these Afghan men; I feel good about my chances in a fight." "well, still take a battle buddy wherever you go." "Roger Sir." SIGH. Everyone but me was staying at a separate compound so someone had to be sent to escort me between compounds every evening and every morning. I hated that.
We met with ANA Engineer leadership although I got some subtle staring and sideways looks, it wasn't a big deal I was there. An ANA Lieutenant stood up to give me his chair, I said, "Thank you, no, no it's ok keep your seat" He gestured toward the chair, I gestured it was ok, he gestured more, I said it was ok....he growled and forcefully gestured that I sit. I did. That was that. Yikes!
The commander continued his meetings and I attended a training session with the Embedded Training Team responsible for training the ANA Route Clearance company there. They were teaching a group of Afghan non-commissioned officers map reading and plotting skills. Here, I had my first cup of chai, Afghan tea. Well, actually, I had my first 10 cups because I kept putting my cup down to take pictures and when I would go to pick it back up it would be refilled and then I didn't want to be rude and seem wasteful by not finishing it. They offered me small taffy-like fruit flavored candies and the training team explained to me that you put them in the tea and the melt and sweeten it. The chai was also SCALDING hot...I had to let it cool for at least 20 minutes before it was drinkable. The training team explained to me that it is so hot because it is well-water and the Afghans boil it to purify it. He advised I not drink anything luke warm. This kid was just a specialist and so collected and knowledgeable! The Afghans loved him! They greeted him with hugs and fist-pounds and welcoming grins. He had none of the uneasiness some of the older ranks had being around Afghan Soldiers and clearly earned their trust and respect in the very short amount of time he had been there. Plus, the team works outside the U.S. security perimeter constantly and wears no body armor because it would portray an offensive lack of trust to the soldiers they are charged with training. 19 years old and doing tangible, tide turning, dangerous work for the American and Afghan people. It is true, what they say, about children leading us. It is also true, what they say, about specialists running the Army!
The next day first aid training was taking place and I walked over with a member of the ETT to take pictures. The medic was on the ground with a fake ANA patient and 2 ANA trainee helpers demonstrating compression bandages and tourniquets and the rest of the trainees were circled around them observing. As soon as I walked up, obvious murmuring and distraction spread through the crowd. They were all looking at me. I asked the translator what was going on. He said they are saying "Look, a female. And she is an officer! and she is very beautiful!" My face got hot. I looked back toward the group and 50 cameras and phones were pointed at me snapping pictures. I was shocked and stared at them for a heart beat before I started waving at them to put their cameras down. I kept waving while asking the translator to tell them to focus on the training! He kind of laughed and started to say something when someone through their arm around my shoulders and pulled me to their side! I looked up and the ANA LT who had insisted I sit during the meeting was smiling and gesturing for me to look at his friend holding his camera for a picture. I smiled awkwardly and backed away. Luckily before things had gotten too out of hand I had snapped a few good pictures. With a defeated look on my face I looked at the SGT in charge of the training team. He laughed and asked if I had gotten what I needed and I said yes and I should probably go so the training could continue. We started to walk back toward the lower compound and it began to pour. We jogged back until we were inside the gate. I asked the specialist why he thought things went so differently in this training. He pointed out that the other one was with leaders and these were lower enlisted soldiers.
The next day the ANA soldiers were riding along on a short route clearance mission to the COP Qaisar site that was mere skin and bones at that point. I rode along in the Buffalo and explained the radio traffic to them through the translator. When we got to Qaisar, the Route Clearance Platoon I was riding with got a call about an IED that Afghan National Police had discovered and were requesting EOD support for. What exciting news! I said to the platoon leader, "I'm coming along, right" He agreed. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the site, we were informed the Navy Seals had already blown the IED in place. We had Navy EOD with us so who knows how those wires got crossed but you gotta love Military coordination and communication. 3 hours of driving for the flag.
The next day I was all by my lonesome on a chopper back to Deh Dadi. That time, I rode in a little Huey in the back, almost part of the tail, seat that faces out. It was like watching Afghanistan on a movie screen. Absolutely beautiful. I was in awe. I was also practically sitting on top of the contractor in the very tiny seat next to me and I don't think he had the same appreciation for the scenery.
When I arrived back at Deh Dadi, no one was there to pick me up at the flight line. I looked around, chuckled, and snapped the chest snap on my ruck. I walked a little more than a mile in full battle rattle back to our headquarters and continued straight into the Task Force Commander's office. I said, "Sir! I'm back and I would like my patch! I have been waiting patiently!" When a Soldier reaches the 30 days in theater mark, they receive a "combat patch" to wear on their right shoulder signifying their veteran status. I had missed all of the patching ceremonies while I was gone and was excited for my right shoulder to finally have something on it below the flag. The commander laughed and started rummaging through his drawer to find a spare patch to give me. He went to put it on me and we both realized I was wearing a combat shirt which doesn't have a space for the patch. He told me to go shower and change and he would have our Command Sergeant Major patch me when I got back. My commander took the picture while Sergeant Major placed the 18th Engineer Brigade patch, that I am still wearing now, on my right shoulder.
After attending the Afghan Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) graduation, I had the opportunity to talk the Navy EOD guys responsible for helping train the ANA(Afghan National Army) EOD teams. I explained my job to them and they told me I was welcome to come out with them to the demolition range in two days. I accepted.
It was funny because the ANA route clearance guys had no problem setting up the charges but when it came time to detonate they were no where to be found at first. They had made a B-line to their vehicle, closed and locked the doors! I guess when you grow up watching explosions kill your loved ones it isn't as exciting as it is to we Americans who grow up watching cool Hollywood effects on movie screens. With some coaxing and reassurance, they stuck around for the second and third detonations.
My next notable adventure was being involved with the very first U.S. outpost deconstruction in Regional Command North. You may or may not recall President Karzai calling for all U.S. COPs (combat outpost, smaller than a FOB- forward operating base) to be closed after the Koran Burning incident at Bagram. Well, that mandate fell in the laps of the Engineers so off we went to tear down COP Qaisar, a tiny little postage stamp in the Northwest. I flew with our Task Force Commander so I got to take a Blackhawk dedicated just for our trip. We still stopped 4 times for fuel and other small errands before making it to our destination but you get to fly lower and faster in the Blackhawks so the view was incredible and I didn't mind. I didn't realize until that flight how beautiful Afghanistan really is.
I spent a few days at Qaisar taking pictures, filming leader engagements between our commander and the local ANA infantry commander who had been partnering with the infantry unit occupying the COP, and learning to operate construction equipment. The last day it began to rain goats and sheep so operations had to be halted for a while but as soon as it lightened up enough to at least see, work resumed and continued into the night to make up for lost time. I had only 3 hours to sleep that night because I was catching a late night convoy over to FOB Griffin but the racket from the jackhammer and controlled explosions (trying to break up the 2 foot thick concrete maintenance tent pad) throughout the night cut that down to about an hour. I loved every minute of that experience. The work ethic and dedication of the soldiers was inspiring. They were all covered in mud, head to toe, holes in their clothes, tattered gloves, no hot showers, no internet and yet not a single complaint or bad attitude. They completed the deconstruction 4 days ahead of schedule.
We (my Task Force Commander and I) arrived at FOB Griffin about 0445 and decided to post up in the security control center while we sought to establish communications with the company commander we needed to link up with. He said he would meet us in the dining hall at 0600 when it opened. Sweet, we can sleep for an hour. I thought, as I stood there willing my eyes to stop drooping so much and look more motivated. "Well LT, I think I will just read here for an hour and then we can head over to chow" chirped my super human Task Force Commander. "Roger that, Sir!" I said with as much enthusiasm as I could muster and plopped down at an empty desk. I didn't have a book or anything so I just stared at the pictures of the family of whoever usually sat at the desk. What seemed like 5 minutes later the commander was telling me to get ready to go and I was on my feet with a smile and enthusiasm as if I had never fallen asleep with my forehead plastered to the desk. Breakfast. Drop my bags in the transient tent. 2 more annoying reminders that I am a female and thus must be extra careful, as we walk through the ANA compound...Finally I looked my commander in the eyes and said, "Sir, I carry a very large rifle and a very large knife and I'm definitely in the same weight class as these Afghan men; I feel good about my chances in a fight." "well, still take a battle buddy wherever you go." "Roger Sir." SIGH. Everyone but me was staying at a separate compound so someone had to be sent to escort me between compounds every evening and every morning. I hated that.We met with ANA Engineer leadership although I got some subtle staring and sideways looks, it wasn't a big deal I was there. An ANA Lieutenant stood up to give me his chair, I said, "Thank you, no, no it's ok keep your seat" He gestured toward the chair, I gestured it was ok, he gestured more, I said it was ok....he growled and forcefully gestured that I sit. I did. That was that. Yikes!
The commander continued his meetings and I attended a training session with the Embedded Training Team responsible for training the ANA Route Clearance company there. They were teaching a group of Afghan non-commissioned officers map reading and plotting skills. Here, I had my first cup of chai, Afghan tea. Well, actually, I had my first 10 cups because I kept putting my cup down to take pictures and when I would go to pick it back up it would be refilled and then I didn't want to be rude and seem wasteful by not finishing it. They offered me small taffy-like fruit flavored candies and the training team explained to me that you put them in the tea and the melt and sweeten it. The chai was also SCALDING hot...I had to let it cool for at least 20 minutes before it was drinkable. The training team explained to me that it is so hot because it is well-water and the Afghans boil it to purify it. He advised I not drink anything luke warm. This kid was just a specialist and so collected and knowledgeable! The Afghans loved him! They greeted him with hugs and fist-pounds and welcoming grins. He had none of the uneasiness some of the older ranks had being around Afghan Soldiers and clearly earned their trust and respect in the very short amount of time he had been there. Plus, the team works outside the U.S. security perimeter constantly and wears no body armor because it would portray an offensive lack of trust to the soldiers they are charged with training. 19 years old and doing tangible, tide turning, dangerous work for the American and Afghan people. It is true, what they say, about children leading us. It is also true, what they say, about specialists running the Army!
The next day first aid training was taking place and I walked over with a member of the ETT to take pictures. The medic was on the ground with a fake ANA patient and 2 ANA trainee helpers demonstrating compression bandages and tourniquets and the rest of the trainees were circled around them observing. As soon as I walked up, obvious murmuring and distraction spread through the crowd. They were all looking at me. I asked the translator what was going on. He said they are saying "Look, a female. And she is an officer! and she is very beautiful!" My face got hot. I looked back toward the group and 50 cameras and phones were pointed at me snapping pictures. I was shocked and stared at them for a heart beat before I started waving at them to put their cameras down. I kept waving while asking the translator to tell them to focus on the training! He kind of laughed and started to say something when someone through their arm around my shoulders and pulled me to their side! I looked up and the ANA LT who had insisted I sit during the meeting was smiling and gesturing for me to look at his friend holding his camera for a picture. I smiled awkwardly and backed away. Luckily before things had gotten too out of hand I had snapped a few good pictures. With a defeated look on my face I looked at the SGT in charge of the training team. He laughed and asked if I had gotten what I needed and I said yes and I should probably go so the training could continue. We started to walk back toward the lower compound and it began to pour. We jogged back until we were inside the gate. I asked the specialist why he thought things went so differently in this training. He pointed out that the other one was with leaders and these were lower enlisted soldiers.
The next day the ANA soldiers were riding along on a short route clearance mission to the COP Qaisar site that was mere skin and bones at that point. I rode along in the Buffalo and explained the radio traffic to them through the translator. When we got to Qaisar, the Route Clearance Platoon I was riding with got a call about an IED that Afghan National Police had discovered and were requesting EOD support for. What exciting news! I said to the platoon leader, "I'm coming along, right" He agreed. Unfortunately, by the time we got to the site, we were informed the Navy Seals had already blown the IED in place. We had Navy EOD with us so who knows how those wires got crossed but you gotta love Military coordination and communication. 3 hours of driving for the flag.
The next day I was all by my lonesome on a chopper back to Deh Dadi. That time, I rode in a little Huey in the back, almost part of the tail, seat that faces out. It was like watching Afghanistan on a movie screen. Absolutely beautiful. I was in awe. I was also practically sitting on top of the contractor in the very tiny seat next to me and I don't think he had the same appreciation for the scenery.
When I arrived back at Deh Dadi, no one was there to pick me up at the flight line. I looked around, chuckled, and snapped the chest snap on my ruck. I walked a little more than a mile in full battle rattle back to our headquarters and continued straight into the Task Force Commander's office. I said, "Sir! I'm back and I would like my patch! I have been waiting patiently!" When a Soldier reaches the 30 days in theater mark, they receive a "combat patch" to wear on their right shoulder signifying their veteran status. I had missed all of the patching ceremonies while I was gone and was excited for my right shoulder to finally have something on it below the flag. The commander laughed and started rummaging through his drawer to find a spare patch to give me. He went to put it on me and we both realized I was wearing a combat shirt which doesn't have a space for the patch. He told me to go shower and change and he would have our Command Sergeant Major patch me when I got back. My commander took the picture while Sergeant Major placed the 18th Engineer Brigade patch, that I am still wearing now, on my right shoulder.
