First Gig!

The date finally came, and I got ready for my first gig with the Tali-Band. I'd been practicing with them for the last few weeks - and we had a couple weeks between gigs, so I think I was ready. :) One issue arose - that being that the night of our first gig there would be no alcohol served. Now - I'm not a big drinker - and I'm not an abstainer - but I know that when we play and folks are able to relax & drink - things go well. That's just how it is, my simple observation, nothing more.

So tonight was a bit more. . . reserved. Even the Spaniards were mellow! Ok, on to some pics from the night - and I'll try to explain as we go. . .


Here's the long view. Starting on the left - you've got John Bogart, on lead guitar. If you are wondering - yes, he is related to Tim - from Vanilla Fudge. Rocking guitar player - and he likes metal. We have fun. :) Between John and the tall guy is DJ - the drummer. Man - can that guy beat the skins!!! Has to be one of the better drummers I've ever played with - yes, that good. The guy is just amazing. Tall guy is Joe Rodriguez - he's the de facto leader of the band, more or less. To Joe's right is Cynthia Moore - what a fireball she is - there's a lot of (killer) voice in that little frame! She certainly has some soul in her! Then me - on the right there. With the bass neck. . . .


Yup - there I am. :)


























Ok, here's a good front shot of the band. On the far left there you can see Sheyla Desault, trombonist par excellent, and near by behind her is "Big" Jim Hutton.

And off to the right there - is G$. That's pronounced "Gee Money". Cause he's so money. . . .


Great - and talented - group of folks.

I never would have guessed in a million years that I would meet such a talented group of folks in a war zone. And made some great friends - and memories I will treasure forever. :)

Day in the Groundhog

I wanted to go through and discuss what a ‘normal’ day is like – including the special days, like Friday – which they call “NATO” Friday – or ____ Off Friday – since Friday is the Muslim version of our Sunday – what they consider a holy day. Most folks either don’t work at all on Fridays or work only half days. Of course, the war continues – but I think that’s obvious. :) Now, we don’t get days off. We work every day – same schedule – so that’s why it becomes more like Groundhog Day for us here. Not much changes day to day.

However – there are certainly ways to gauge the day based on what is happening on base. For example… Sunday is chapel. Now, this is not your normal, run-by-a-chaplain military base chapel. Nope. There is no ‘protestant’ chaplain on HQ ISAF – to start with. I’ve heard that there is a Catholic Chaplain, but haven’t met him. No – out chapel is run by the laymen. We have Jon, a major from the UK Army, that typically leads the singing – unless of course SFC Handren is in town. WOW – that guy can sing! He has such a deep clear voice – sometimes I just like to hear how he’s singing the songs as opposed to singing with him. Then there’s the US Navy Commander that plays the songs on his computer as we sing along. Now, often Major Jon is seen as the ‘leader’ of the chapel, at least by me. And he will preach occasionally. But the special treat is when MG Kennedy preaches. His knowledge of the Bible is absolutely stunning. His depth and breadth of knowledge is indeed formidable. The man is. . .wise. I don’t know very many men I would call wise. Some wise-guys – sure, but actually wise – few and far between. MG Kennedy is wise. Another interesting tidbit would be that, were we under the auspices of the Afghan law, we would be breaking it – as preaching Christianity is illegal in Afghanistan. Or at least it used to be.

Monday through Wednesday – Groundhog Day – all the same. Thursday night – now that’s party night. Typical signs that its Friday morning on ISAF – vomit on the ground outside the Cadillacs – typically smelling very much like beer; rumors about bunker 5 and a certain nation’s men engaging in what I believe is against NATO policy (I won’t go into that – plus there’s no proof); ‘some’ shops being closed – but not consistently; folks not being at work; the post office on base only being opened from 0930 – 1100 – and only for pickup; the chow hall not opening until 7 – but staying open until 10 (for ‘brunch’); and there are others. Thursday night is the big ‘party’ – for some folks (not all) – and Friday is the NATO holiday.

Saturday and Sunday? Well, outside of having chapel on Sunday nights, the weekend is just pretty much like every other day – nothing different. Everything is open, mail is open – you know, it’s a bit odd getting mail on a Sunday, but you get used to it – all the shops are open, and nothing really stops.

Maybe that’s part of the insanity of war – no days off. That’s why after WWII (or was it I) the world went to a 5 day work week. Maybe that’s when vacations started. Maybe that’s when calling in sick started. I don’t know – but it certainly is a different reality to get used to.

Ok, back to work. . . it’s. . . .

Yup.

Groundhog day.

Roadie, rock 'n roll & philosophy

When I met Mark, The Major with the New Zealand Army that was the current bass player for the Tali Band, I told him that I could step in as soon, or as late, as he’d like. I’m in no hurry – and I realize that this is his gig. I’m willing to be the replacement when he is finished – no worries. There are a couple gigs coming up – Sunday birthday gig at the Milano, and then Monday a trip to Eggers (about 2 blocks away – but have to get there via secure travel, and armored up – even though it’s a ‘green zone’ area). Sounded good – so I thought I’d go ahead and travel with the band and act as roadie, helping get set up – an extra set of hands & ears are always helpful for band setup.

The Sunday gig – the birthday gig (last Sunday of the month, every month, at the Milano restaurant) was cool. I was there, helped set up – got to tweak the bands levels in the EQ – yes, Kevin & Kevin actually taught me some good things about running sound over the past few years – and we got them sounding really good. All the levels sounded good, vocals up front, nothing too much louder than anything else – a pretty good mix.

So we get done setting up – check sound a bit, then all head out to eat, run, whatever prior to the gig at 8. So I went & got some chow, and hit my room for a bit to check email prior to the gig.

The gig went fantastic – crowd really into it – folks dancing a bit, and everyone just having a great time.

The next night we had to head over to another base, Eggers. Now, it’s only a couple blocks drive, but we still had to ‘suit up & load up’ – which means put on the body armor, helmets, and load a magazine into our various weapons of choice – mine being the 9mm. Now, loading up may conjure up different things for different folks – especially military. In the AOR here in Afghanistan, the ROE states that when we ‘load up’ a magazine, we only put the clip in without chambering a round. AOR = area of responsibility, aka the theater of operations. ROE = rules of engagement – the rules for how we ‘fight’. When in this area of the city, we load the magazine, but don’t chamber a round – which means we don’t cock the gun, and we don’t load a bullet in the chamber, or barrel. Doing so makes the gun immediately ready to fire. We have the weapon in a state ready to go – but needing to be ‘charged’ before firing. Safer for us – but also brings in a bit of delay were we to get involved with the enemy. No worries.

So, we load up the gear into the armored vehicles – what a way to travel – and head out. When we arrive at the base, just after leaving, we go to the tent where we are going to play to find a 4’ stage in a fairly nice, large tent for the show. Very cool. We got to moving things around and setting up, and suddenly one of the MWA folks (morale, welfare & activities) folks tell us there is a bunker call, and to stay put. Well. Isn’t that nice. A bunker call – is what happens when there is an attack, and they want to get everyone to a safe fortified position – the bunkers. There was not an attack, but this was only a drill. Even better.

The bunker call ends – the show goes on – folks come in, have fun, even dance a little and the world – at least in Kabul – is a better place. That’s the coolest part about what we do in the Tali Band – we bring folks into a musical environment where they get to forget that there is a war going on right outside the walls. . for a few minutes. They get to relax, and be normal. . . before heading back out and defending the freedom we find so dear.

Pretty darn cool if you think about it.

I’ll close tonight with a quote from one of my favorite philosophers – John Stuart Mill:

“A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

Condi Rice & David Milliband

I’ve not met lots of famous people. I have met a few, some interesting, some not – mostly musical in nature. I have not gone out of my way to meet people – especially famous people, as that fame thing does not really appeal to me. I would much rather spend time with my family or friends, rather than go hunting for folks. When I was in LA, I didn’t meet anyone famous – and certainly felt like the trip was still fun & worthwhile. I did ‘run into’ (i.e. stand next to) from the bands Styx and Damn Yankees. He looked like I felt after flying for 10 hours – so I didn’t bother him.

Anyway, I’ve always thought that Condoleezza Rice came off as a fairly straightforward person; at least she appears that way. Very knowledgeable – she’s a PhD – and seems like a person of substance and of some moral standards. When I heard that she may be coming on a VIP visit to HQ ISAF, I thought it would be interesting to see what she has to say, so I found out about the when’s & where’s and arranged to get there. This was kind of a last minute thing – as the security around the travel arrangements of important folks in the AOR is often pretty tight – so we didn’t hear until the day of. We were told to be at the gymnasium (the best place, really – for a large gathering) so we showed up at the appointed time only to be told there was a delay, to return later (about and hour and a half). So we did. The gym is actually pretty close to the shop, so no biggie. When we returned, there were many rumors about what was to happen, but not much organization. We stood around for a bit – maybe a half hour, and then the base Sergeant Major (the senior enlisted for the entire compound) has us form up into a couple of formations. He then explains about what is to happen – Mr. Milliband and Ms. Rice will enter, give a short talk, and then be on their way. We should not try to get autographs, as they are on a tight schedule, and please show military bearing, yada yada yada. Okay, so we were going to be a bit military – that’s understandable. We were then told that they were about 20 minutes out. Okay, so we stayed loosely in formation – haven been given the ‘at ease’ command, so we talked a bit, milled about. This went on for about 45 minutes, til we were told they were 5 minutes out. Given the recent math – we figured we had about a half hour. Forty-five minutes later we were again formed up, and then an additional fifteen minutes, and we were called to attention, and saw the cameras light up as the procession came into the room.

I’ve never met a royal – but the first word that came to mind was regal. Ms. Rice looked confident, self-assured, and calm. I’ve seen her walk on CNN or Foxnews before, so recognized her from that. Then she began to talk. She was very proud of us – and wanted to thank us for our service, our commitment, and she did it in such a way that was very sincere. I’ve seen political speeches – who can miss them nowadays – but this was no political speech. This was a heartfelt thank you.

After the speeches, eash person went to an opposite side of the room to talk with us, the troops. There were many nations represented here – I stopped trying to count, but the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, UK & US of course, but many others as well; and every branch of service was represented as well. Given the warnings from the sergeant major, most folks just kept in their places as they came by – until one particular lieutenant. Now, he works with us – and I’d heard he was going to do this – but when he did – well, everything changed. He unzipped his flight suit to reveal a t-shirt underneath with the words – I Condi – written across his chest – and he asked if she would mind signing his shirt. She immediately broke out into a very genuine smile. Ear to ear. That was the key. Everyone broke away from where they were to get a look – and a photo. :) The news cameras were actually running to get it on film. I heard that it made CNN – but never did see it myself.

Since the proverbial ice was broken, everyone started to crowd – just a bit – and Condoleezza Rice moved around the room – talking to every single person, shaking hands, saying “Thank you for your service” – and stopping for anyone that had a camera. She seemed very genuine – and very nice.

If she were running for office – I’d vote for her in a heartbeat.

The Tali Band

Valentine’s Day turned out to be something special at HQ ISAF – turns out there was a live band playing. WHAT?!?! A live band – I am so there. :) So 8 o’clock rolled around, and I made my way to the Milano restaurant to see what was going on. There was a band there alright – and they were very good. There had to be about 9 folks up on stage, 3 guitars, 2 acoustics (one doubling on mandolin), bass, drums, trombone, 2 singers (in addition to 2 guitar players that also sang), keyboards. . . I think that was it. They were doing cover tunes – stuff you would know from the radio – songs from the 70’s & 80’s – and they were doing very well. Here I am, Kabul Afghanistan, and there’s a live band playing. How cool.

As a point of reference – and reading this blog you should realize this by now – I am a musician. I love music. I play in a couple bands and as a worship musician at church. Knowing as I did that it was possible that there would be some downtime while I was stationed here, I brought with me a few items that would help me pass the time – including one of my basses. I brought my fretless custom Wilkat/Anderson/BEE with me so I could practice my intonation on the fretless and just get more comfortable playing it. I mean, I’ve only had it for, what – maybe 6 months by now. So I knew there would be time on my hands, and what better way to spend it than by honing my craft. I know the guys back home are working on writing a new cd – in StrangeLand – and DC Key just finished a cd – so there may be gigs to play. What could be better?!

The band played through a set for about an hour – then they went on a break. I grabbed the bass player, Mark, introduced myself, and asked if they would need a bass player at some time in the near future. He was very friendly and nice, and instructed me to come on in to a practice, and they would be more than happy to have me. Sweet! I was in! I listened to the rest of the set, and then turned in for the night with a plan.

I attended practice and met the guys, who all introduced themselves (including “Jim” – who I later learned was a Brigadier General in the UK Marines!). Very nice folks – and some very talented folks. The band included folks from all over base, and all over the world. LtCol’s in the USAF, a LtCDR from Canada, a BG from the UK, a Major from New Zealand, and on and on. This band was a pretty diverse group – and as we played and learned the songs, I found them to be a talented group as well.

Lunch with Ishmatella & Abdul

Going out shopping here on HQ ISAF is always interesting – at least compared to what it would be like back home. Here – over at the Carnaby Street shops, there are several shopping places – a few jewelry shops, rug shops, a tailor, etc. Today, Ken invited us to go have lunch with him at the Bahktar Jewelry shop with Ishmatella and Abdul. I wasn’t sure what to expect – but how cool could that be – having some traditional Afghan foods with a couple local merchants – that sounded really great – so I told him I was in.

When we got there, the shop was very small – about 10’ wide, about 20’ long – so not very large – and with cases on all 4 walls and a standing case at the back – we used that as a table. The guys were very nice, and immediately offered us hot tea and seats, as they got out the feast. The meal consisted of ishmish (raisins – room dried, not sun dried), pistachio nuts, and another nut I’m not sure of, the main course was kabob’s – both chicken and steak, a rice dish, cooked with Chicken in it – almost like a fried rice, but it didn’t seem fried, and then another dish that was kind of like a ravioli, with a meat in it, and sour cream on top. Everything was absolutely delicious! What wonderful flavors – and as we sat, our new friends were very friendly, talking about their culture and families and asking us about ours. One thing I noticed was that there was no mention of business, no questions about what we were going to buy – or how we in some way were indebted to them for the meal. None – whatsoever. This was such a foreign way to do business! It made no fiscal sense – at all….. but I think that is the beauty and charm of it. I felt a kinship with these guys just due to the fact that they made us lunch, expecting nothing in return. Why would I not shop with them!?

Needless to say, I don’t shop at any other jewelry shops. :)

On my own

I went into work a bit early – as I was up around 4:30, and didn’t really sleep too much – and had some coffee getting ready for chow to open. Roger (Davis, MSgt) was my roommate, so we decided to head over to chow and eat. After eating we headed into the Comm Shack to ‘work’ – not knowing entirely what would commence.

Tom wouldn’t show up until about 10:00am that day. He was busy working – and as I didn’t have many questions yet – didn’t stick around much. He was off – and ready to get home.

Settling into work wasn’t too hard at first – being a comm. shack – since the comm. was working, there really wasn’t much for us to do. We found the 42” wide screen TV a nice way to pass the time – with the plethora of movies present – left behind by the 111^th (ASOC – the guys we were replacing) as well as the AFN, or Armed Forces Network, our very own military cable company – that ran a movie channel, FoxNews, CNN, the Family Channel, and a few other various channels with sports, news, movies and TV shows. We had some paperwork to fill out – to get our access to the various computer networks that we needed for email and what not, and this also took time. Since we were the system administrators we were able to set up the accounts with the guys in the shop ourselves, but we had to be added to the correct groups before we were actually able to do that. So the first few days consisted of waiting for those accounts to be established so we could work. While they didn’t take that long, waiting to get back ‘on net’ was a wait. Being a computer guy, with no computer access – that was a bit difficult – but we had things to do. MG Kennedy had some issues that we were able to work on for him, and then we set about organizing the Comm Shack into *our* work environment – not the 111^th’s.

Latrine

The bathrooms here – not called cadillacs, like they had been at “the Deid” – they were just restrooms. Each one was the same size ‘trailer’ size that our rooms were – only there was a door halfway back. The front had two sit downs, two urinals, and a sink. The back had 4 sinks, 4 mirrors, 2 showers, and a 250 gallon water heater. It was huge – absolutely the largest water heater I had seen, ever. The showers are tiny, though. It seemed as if there was barely enough room inside to stand. Again, make due – it’s not for long, I reminded myself.

I decided to set myself up showering at night and shaving in the morning. Since I had cut my hair pretty close before I left – there was nothing to brush in the morning. Also, having a heavy beard as I do, shaving at night wouldn’t work – or I would be shaving twice a day, which I had no desire to do. So my first night I went and showered around 8 or 9. This seemed fine as the bathroom wasn’t too busy. So I had myself a schedule. I went back to the room, relaxed a bit with my iPod and was off to sleep.

No training wheels

The day with Tom went smooth – since there wasn’t really anything going on on a Saturday. So we went about seeing the camp, seeing and meeting the various people I was going to be working with at the camp, and getting an idea of the layout of the place. The camp itself was basically a square, with building practically on top of each other, and roads between that a car could drive down. In somewhat the middle of the camp was another square that contained the classified areas, with a wall around the outside, armed guards, and razor wire. There were 4 PX’s on base, from the Italians, the Dutch, the British and a fourth just dubbed, “The Blue”. There were 2 restaurants, an Italian (with a coffee bar, and the best pizza for . . . continents!) and a Thai, a coffee shop, and 3 chow halls – the “Big”, the “Little”, and the VIP. The Big was the original and larger chow hall. The Little was about 20’ to the left, and actually part of the same building, as the Big, and the VIP was directly in the center between the 2. We saw the ATM machine, that operated in Euro’s and dollars, and even worked occasionally, and the two market areas – Carnaby Street, and the Park Ave shops. Along the Carnaby St. market were about 10 shops, including several jewelry shops, 2 carpet shops, an electronics shop, 2 leather shops, and a DHL retailer. The Park Ave shops had a carpet shop, a T-shirt shop, a tiny cell phone shop the size of a closet, and electronics/software shop, and a box/marble shop – wooden boxes and items made from marble, like dishes and chess sets. For a small base, there was a lot here, really. We also got to see the soccer field, which is actually next to the front gate, where the weekly bazaar was held.

One thing I noticed walking around base, no matter how much we tried to walk in the street – or on the sidewalks, we were always walking in the dirt that was everywhere. It was wet from the rain the night before, and the water just made mud, everywhere. As I looked at the boots of the guys that had been here for a while, I could see that they were just ‘dirty’. Not that they weren’t clean people, or that they didn’t take care of themselves – they had just been walking in this mud for months. And it showed. Something to get used to, I gathered.

The first day turned into a 12 hour day. Not too bad, so I headed to my room to unpack a bit – as much as I could anyway – and relax before sleep. There was a surprise when we returned to the room – a gentleman from The Netherlands. Reminding myself that this was temporary housing, I introduced myself as best I could, and settled a bit.

The General

It was, at least, a beautiful sunny day when I woke. It was not warm, unfortunately, but at least sunny. You gotta take what you can get. My first day at work, after a night of ‘some’ sleep, started at 6am. I showered in the Cadillac (bathroom/shower), shaved, donned my uniform, ate breakfast, and showed up at the comm. shack. The guy I was replacing, Capt. Tom Pries, was there, and ready to leave. He had been preparing for 2 months. I did not blame him. He was already short – and getting shorter. He gave me the tour, filling my head with things I would no doubt forget before I needed them, but he continued to do so for the day I had him. He let me know he would be with me as long as I needed that day, and he would be leaving the next day. I guess that week long turnover we had been promised would not be happening. So I attempted to glean as much from him as I could. One of the most important things he did was leave me a list of phone numbers and email addresses for whom to contact for various issues, problems and concerns. This list would be very valuable over the next few weeks. He also wanted to introduce me to Major General Kennedy.

I had never met a general before, let alone a two star general. The Adjugent General of Illinois is only a Brigidere (one star) General. So to say I was a bit intimated would be stretching the truth a bit – I was completely freaked. However, within seconds of meeting the man, I was at ease. He exuded confidence – in the way a commander should, I suppose – but even in the midst of a war, which is exactly where we were, the man appeared calm, even tempered and sure of himself, and his mission. He attempted – and succeeded – to let me know what we were doing here, how important it is, and how important my job, and those that work for me, are, in completing the mission of the entire camp. We are essential. I believed every word he said, and gained not only a greater understanding of the man – but my role in this war – and my importance. I think you can meet people and get an idea of their character, or lack of. I believe MG Kennedy to be a man of character. This deployment was getting more interesting – and less dreaded, as the day went on.

Welcome to HQ

We pulled into the base, high walls, narrow streets – and were stopped by the IMP – International Military Police. We got out of the truck, they searched the truck, and we unloaded our weapons. We didn’t drive far – or fast – and we were unloading our gear, and being greeted by the other folks from our unit – folks happy to see us – as we were them. We stopped in billeting and got keys, signed some papers, and got our temporary ID’s.

We got our bags and began moving into our rooms. The NATO buildings were indeed temporary – but hardened. Each building was surrounded by walls of concrete – they were obviously doubling as bunkers. That was somewhat ominous and daunting. The buildings were basically single units – each about the size of ½ a semi truck trailer – connected together with a hallway down the center – like a college dorm. As I entered the – very cold – room, I noticed 4 beds, some lockers and a couple wooden’ish units. Wow. Tiny was the first thought. It’ll work – we are not in tents, so I wanted to make the best of it. I began to stack my – multiple at this point – bags, under the bed, unpacking what I could into one of the wall units. There was barely enough room to walk between the bed & the wall unit. I got out my sleeping bag, some uniforms, essentials, and left the rest in bags under my bed. We left and got ready to go to chow – as we hadn’t had a mean since the day before. It was dinner, so we headed off to the chow hall with our guys, and signed in and ate a hearty meal.

Since NATO has lots of European countries, the food was mostly European in nature. The meats were typically a bit more fatty – the vegetables were good, and the fruits plenty. There was also a curry dish, with rice, and a selection of 2 cold meats, and 2 cheeses, right next to the smallish salad bar. The best find of the night – the coffee/cappuccino/espresso machines down the center of the chow hall – 4 of them. Plenty. This was indeed good news.

That first night was probably the worst night. It was wet – we were in cold small buildings – and we had just left what seemed like a very comfortable place in Qatar. My feelings would change, but I was not initially looking forward to this long deployment.

Driving to HQ ISAF

The men driving these trucks were young – probably early 20’s – but our lives were in their hands. As we drove out of the airport – they gave us a briefing about what would be happening, where we were going, and what to expect. They drive fast – not because they were racing – but to stay safe. They would be talking and looking for anything suspicious – and they encouraged us to do the same. Keep our eyes open, look around, and don’t be afraid to speak up if we see something out of the ordinary. This is not safe, this route has been hit – not recently – but it has. We needed to keep our heads about us, and make sure that we are aware of everything around us. I think back to the Academy of Military Science, where I got my commission – and all the talks on situational awareness - being aware of what is going on, at all times, around you. We were taught this skill as a reminder to not let things go unnoticed – as leaders, we should always be aware. This may be my test of this skill.

As I tried to look out the armored windows – which was not easy in full armor and helmet – looking up was difficult – I could see despair. It was almost in the air, and it was thick. The land was pocked with holes, the ‘homes’ were no more than hovels, except for what looked like industrial buildings that had been sectioned off where people were living, they were about the size of a single bedroom back home. The people were just like what I’d seen on TV – walking around with the clothing that was loose and sparse – but covering. Except for the kids – I saw a 4 year old with no shoes. Shopping carts were there as well – but no shopping centers. I did see a few ‘stores’ – although they were either in small – 10’ x 10’ – in the side of the road in a cart – or in one of the holes in a building. The roads were dirt – the walls surrounding the various military buildings were tall, and covered in razor wire. We stopped twice on the drive, pulling in and stopping for a few minutes, and then driving on. As we drove near the US embassy – you could see the increased US presence, the walls, and the nice buildings on the other side.

I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I thought I would be. Our drivers were professionals; talking – almost chattering – as we drove about everything I could see on the road, every vehicle, every pedestrian that was anywhere near the road. The roads were not easily accessible or wide – there were cars on the sides of the road, and people just walked out in front of us. I knew if it came to it – we would hit them – but the drivers did not.

C-130

If you have never flown in a full on military aircraft – flying on a C-130 could be quite a shock. The middle of the plane has some metal cylinders with a red thin material – probably polyester – like what you would find on a folding chair – what we refer to as sling seats. There were seat belts – but I’m not really sure what good they did. So we settled in. The heat felt great – at first, but after a couple hours, I think my skin actually started to cook and I became very uncomfortable. This had to be one of the longest rides of my life. The flight took just under 5 hours, with heat on me full blast the whole flight.

As we unloaded from the plane onto the tarmac at KIAK (Kabul international airport), I took a moment to take in the scenes. It looked like we had landed in a 3rd world country, as we had. Small buildings – looking like they had been built in the last century, sparse settings, snow, cold, etc. Not much to see.

We walked over to the airport and found an empty room we could hole up in – so we did. We hit the latrine, and unloaded our luggage from the pallet, and took in the sites. There were soldiers from every country I could think of – Italy, Germany, Finland, Poland, Sweden, we even talked to a doctor from Norway that had been in the civilian areas doing surgery on Afghanistani folks. He stated that he had saved more lives in the months that he had been there, than he would the rest of his career. He was beaming, and very proud of the work he had done. Very cool.

We waited, and made some phone calls to see if we had a ride coming, and were told we did. We waited for about an hour or so, and our ride showed up – 2 Land Cruisers with 4 Brits driving. We loaded up our gear on top, and told we had an hour to kill. We decided to check out the multiple PX’s that were around the airport. We hit the German and Italian – as well as the US stores. Very interesting stuff – all different types of camo’s, the German px had the german military full leather over coats – nice. The prices were all in Euro’s – of course, and the selection was limited – but there were iPods, stereos and nice watches all about. I picked up some Swedish chocolate – very good. We body armored up, loaded our weapons, and climbed in the trucks for the 2 mile journey.

Temporary Lodging

All of us had gotten showers and slept on and off for at least a bit – as the accommodations in the airplanes were not that comfortable. The hours we were traveling were odd as well, so most of us were not what I’d call ‘rested’.

Al Udeid was an interesting place. The bathrooms were called “Cadillac’s”. I have no idea why. ‘chow hall’s’ were very large – with a huge variety of foods, drinks, deserts and assorted things to make you fat. There were seve There were cases of water everywhere – mostly by the Cadillac’s but also other areas around base. The water on base was considered non-potable – in other words not safe to drink. Theral types of ice cream – Baskin Robbins no less, there was Gelato – which is an Italian ice cream, but less ‘airy’ than American ice cream. There was a ‘grill’ line where foods were made to order, like burgers & such – and then there was the main line, with at least a couple main courses to choose from. Then there were the ‘buffet’ lines in front – which I gathered would have different or special types of food. The day we were there it was shrimp etouffe and chicken gumbo. The gumbo was mighty fine.

Walking around base was interesting – in that everything looked the same. There were mostly tents – albeit very large tents – and not many permanent structures. The BX (Base Exchange) was a tent, and the venders outside were in trailers. As a quite funny side note – there was indeed a large selection of what the Qatar folks would consider porn – sports magazines, Maxim, FHM, etc. – all for sale at the BX. I guess the ban was only on bringing those magazines into the country – not buying them once you were inside. Interesting.

Included around the BX was Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway and a couple local jeweler & rug shops. There was a very nice flag line next to the common area – under the ‘bra’ – which was a large tent shaped like a bra but that was just a cover, no sides. There was a base theater that ran all day – and showed recent and first run movies. It seemed to be going 24/7 – I did not get a chance to take in a movie, but wanted to. There were a couple gyms on base, with a gymnasium for basketball and another workout building with different machines & treadmills. There was a ‘media’ building – with computers for checking email and even some with webcams for chatting with friends & family – and a bank of phones for morale calls. These are the phones folks can use to call home during a deployment. Folks were supposed to be limited to two 15 minute calls a week. Although the only accounting they did was for the 20 minutes you were in there – you get 5 minutes for connecting the call – which was sometimes enough.

After checking out everything, I decided to get a bit of shut eye. I asked Major Bill Thomas to wake me before heading to his meeting at 12 to confirm our flight and figured I’d get some midnight chow with them before we headed out on our flight. We did that – got some breakfast and headed back to the tent to get ready with the guys. I did sleep a little bit more before being waked at 2 to head out.

I didn’t end up sleeping much – but did listen to my iPod a bit, and charged it getting ready for the 5 hour flight to Kabul. We started the out processing by starting out with turning in our linen and keys, turning in our alcohol ration cards, and ‘signing out’ of billeting. That didn’t take long, so we got on the bus to head over to ‘ops town’ for our flight. We started off getting our ____ gear – which consisted of our body armor, helmets, chem. Gear and what nots. That was one more heavy bag we had to carry. We then went and gathered our ‘checked baggage’, which still remained on the other side of the customs wall, which was going to be palletized for our trip. After doing that, and out-processing through the Qatarian government’s customs – which was a simple check off on their form – we were in the herding area waiting for our flight. We grabbed some food from the ‘grab and go’ facility – which turned out to be pretty decent travel food, and hit the waiting room. It was now about 5 am – this had taken about 3 hours, and our flight left around 8. So we got to ‘sit and chill’ for 3 hours. Fun indeed.

When the time arrived, we were rushed into another waiting room, to wait we thought – so we took off the body armor, and prepared to wait. Not 2 minutes later we were hurried outside to get on a bus to be taken to the plane. We waited about 10 minutes, and drove to the plane – which wasn’t prepped yet. So again – we waited about 15 minutes on a bus with no heat (it was about 20 degrees outside), but at least we were out of the wind. After waiting, and watching the maintenance crew perform some odd ritual of all standing atop the wing furthest away from the fuselage, and waving back & forth. . . we entered the plane. The wait was much shorter – we were given a briefing and on our way.

Qatar

Arriving in Qatar, early morning, we were ushered off by groups, and taken to a in processing area. This was reminiscent of basic training. We were taken into one of the tents for a briefing. At the beginning of the brief – we were taken out by a lieutenant and told we didn’t need the briefing. So we proceeded to get our bags, line them up and get ready to in process into Qatar for what could be a week or two.

Then we had to wait for the planes to be unloaded – and our bags brought to our area. This was no airport baggage claim. The bags were loaded onto 2 flatbed semi trucks and unloaded by all the passengers. We formed a couple lines and lined the bags up into several rows so that we could all walk between them and locate our things. Having 3 bags, 1 guitar case with my bass, and a gun case with my 9mm and my M4, I was on the lookout. Our guys – I believe it was Major Bill Thomas and SSgt Alejandro (Alex) Saldivar – were on the lookout for our weapons and putting them into one area so we could get them to the weapons area. We were briefed by the Lieutenant that had pulled us earlier – we need to be first in line to drop off weapons or we would be there for a long time. We pulled all the weapons early and headed over as soon as the trucks were all unloaded. We were first. ;) We got our guns checked in, and headed over to get our ‘checked bags’ into a single pile, so we could get them when we checked out of Qatar, whenever that was – be it days or weeks later. The Lt said that it probably wouldn’t rain – but we may want to throw some plastic over them just in case. We did.

Part of being in other countries as invited guests, as we are considered while military members, means that we are required to follow that countries rules and customs. One of the most stringent customs of Qatar involves the fact that there are a majority of its citizens who are Muslim. As Muslims, there are certain practices that are forbidden, which we as military members, must also refrain from. The first – and most important – at least in the way it was presented to us – is the ban on pornography. We were repeatedly warned to not bring pornography into the country, under fear of certain arrest, holding in a military cell and deportation back to our military unit. Now, what most folks think of porn is not the same as what Qatarians think of porn. We were told that magazines such as Maxim, Sports Illustrated, or even Men’s Fitness (where there are partially clothed models – albeit body building models – that would be considered ‘porn’. We all have what we refer to as ’72 hour bags’ – which contain enough cosmetics, personal items, and uniforms to get us through 72 hours. We were told that we were currently assigned to no mission, and that there is nothing currently scheduled for us to get to Kabul. So we may be at Al Udeid for up to a couple of weeks. We got all magazines out of our 72 hour bags, and proceeded to go through customs.

Talk about a let down – I walked through customs, after setting off the alarm, grabbed my bag and walked out the door without the Qatar officials even blinking an eye. According to some folks – I was told that they must have not found any porn that day – and were very nonchalant about us coming through. That was fine with me – I was okay with not drawing any attention to us.

We then proceeded to billeting, and assigned a temporary cot in a transient tent. We got our linens, and then got our alcohol ration cards. On Al Udeid, alcohol was allowed to be consumed, but all personnel were limited to 3 drinks per day, from 9:00am to 2:00am. We got settled, showered and changed, ate and then slept on and off. We visited the BX (base exchange) to shop for anything we needed, hit the base bar for a beer (at 10am no less). Of course, with our jet lag and traveling, most of us felt like it was late at night. After we all went for dinner we were told our flight was scheduled for the next morning, early – so we needed to be up by 2:00 am to start out-processing everything we needed to leave the base and get on to Kabul. So time for a bit more rest before taking off.

Air Travel

The day came, I was packed and ready, and headed off to the airport at the brisk & chilly time of 4:30 am. Being January – it was cold walking from the parking lot to the airport – the last time I’d see Peoria for a while.

The guys arrived in good order, and their families, and as we were lining up to get our boarding passes, we had to open our gun cases to show the agents so they could be loaded up on the airplane. Our locks wouldn’t open. We just got them, in our BAMS gear – but they would not open. So we had to send back to base to get a lock cutter and remove them. There were 2 of us this happened to – which meant it wasn’t just me. Anyway – after that, got through security, got on the plane, and flew towards Atlanta.

Atlanta was unremarkable. We were only at the airport for about an hour or so, and then on to what is commonly referred to BWI – Baltimore Washington International Airport. It is ‘The’ airport for the folks going ‘over there’.

The airport has many amenities – among them the USO office. Since we were going to be there for an extended amount of time – which was extended even beyond that – we checked out the USO; Food, a wide screen TV, comfortable chairs, free wifi (my personal favorite) and a storage location for all our gear and our guns, so we could try the local cuisine while we waited. We were originally scheduled to leave the airport at 9:30pm. This is after arriving at about noon. The flight was pushed back, first to 10:30, then midnight, then – when we were finally told that there were some maintenance issues with the plane, 20 minutes after our flight was supposed to leave – we ended up leaving at 2:30am.

This was a very long flight. We were originally scheduled to go to Ireland – which I was personally excited about – but we ended up going to Germany. I thought Germany was going to be great. But, alas, we ended up staying in the airport – sampling the USO free wifi again (my favorite) and leaving after about an hour. The line for security here was very long. All the folks on the DC-10 I was on had to go back through security. There were about 250 folks. From Germany, we were on to Italy! Another great country! When we landed – it was pouring rain, they ushered us into a hanger – where some very nice folks fed us snacks & coffee – and after about an hour and a half – we loaded up on another plane, on our way to Al Udeid, Qatar.

Leaving Soon

You know, at first – it just didn’t seem real. I’d always known that being deployed was possible – it’s just that after being in the Air National Guard for 17 years, and being deployed the sum total of once, and that for the Mississippi flood back in 93 – that going to the Middle East was just not going to happen. When the Colonel walked past my office and told me – “You better make sure you are ready to deploy in the next couple of months” – it was just like, oh, ok. Whatever.

But then it started getting more real. I was getting gear issued to me – this was new – uniforms ordered, my DCU’s (desert combat uniform), my weapons – the 9mm M-9, and the M-16 replacement, the M-4. I was finishing up all my classes online and at drill. I was being given a list of things to remember to pack. We were talking about line numbers, and flights to Afghanistan, and Rotators (the plane that takes us to the Theater of Operations). It was just getting real.

I discussed with my boss at State Farm – and she was very helpful. Asking what she could do to help, scheduling meetings with my team mates to ensure my job functions would be covered while I was gone, and just generally being helpful & supportive. Karen is a great boss. My team mates were also very supportive – even though they would be doing my work for me for 6 months. No complaints at all. Good stuff.

Early December, I stopped work at State Farm – with a ‘parade’ – cake, flyers – the whole shebang set up by my boss and the MAG – Military Affinity Group – at State Farm. Talk about a humbling experience. I had been in those parades for guys leaving before, seen the flags & well wishers, been a hand shaker – but for whatever reason, just didn’t really feel like it was something that I deserved to have done for me. I mean, I’m just going on a trip to do my job. Be the Communications Officer. I’ve been training for it for years…..it’s just my job. No big deal. I was treated like a real VIP. The parade was simply awesome – about 300 yards of folks lining the hallway and cheering as I walked by. Shaking my hands – thanking me – it was surreal. It was humbling. It was difficult to not cry the entire time I walked the line. Then – since this was on my floor – the 3rd – at the end we walked downstairs to the 2nd floor and did it all again! It was, simply incredible.

I started at the base early December, just mostly pulling my drills that I would miss during my deployment (drill is the ‘weekend’ of duty that we do once a month. They are also called UTA – Unit Training Assemblies). As I was doing this, wearing the uniform day in day out, and getting ready to go, it was getting more ‘real’ – but still a long way off.

The last weekend with the kids was amazing. We had just a normal weekend – doing dinner – a movie and that kind of thing – but at church, as people were saying “see ya later” to me, and after the pastor and some elders laid hands on me to pray for me & my family – the kids started to understand that it was happening – as did I. On the way home from church, Gena started asking questions – how long would I be gone, if I would buy her a doll, or a teddy bear, and if I was going to die in Afghanistan. Wow. Isaiah then asked if I would be ‘out of harms way’? I did my best to assure them I would be completely safe, out of the way of danger – on a base, no less, and that I would return to them safe & sound. I’m not sure if I was convincing them or me.

Deployed??!

It's obviously been a while since I've been on here - too long actually. A lot has happened, and many things in my life - many things - have changed.

My 2 year old daughter, Arabella is home and doing wonderfully. She has now had 3 operations, and lives with an internally implanted pace maker. Her website. She is an amazing girl - and astounds me daily.

I am also now in the process of getting a divorce. It's a very long and boring story - and I have no desire to demonize anyone - let alone the mother of my children. Suffice it to say, we found ourselves in an untenable situation, and in order to make things better for all of us, decided to separate and divorce. The children are dealing, as are we, and life is a circle.

Perhaps the biggest news for me, is that fact that I am being deployed to Afghanistan. I plan on using this forum to write about my experiences there, and to document it for friends, family and loved ones.

Feel free to share, give out the url, or leave comments, as I'm sure the support from back home will mean a great deal to me, as I traverse the world.

More to come. . .

Nice