Kandahar: Into the Combat Zone

It had been a long night getting ready for our flight out of Kuwait to Kandahar, Afghanistan. We were told our flight was leaving at 4:30 a.m. but we had to get our bags loaded onto the trucks by midnight and be put in lock-down once again at 1:00 a.m. We all decided to hang out in the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation center) and use the computers and phones until it was time to load up.

After some time spent shooting the breeze and emailing our loved ones, a loud voice echoed throughout the building, telling us to move out as our flight had been changed and was leaving early. We were bussed to the airfield where a gigantic C-17 Globemaster awaited us and our gear. I had never been on a military plane quite like this one before so I was nervous but excited at the same time. We were required to wear our armored vest and helmets during the three and a half hour flight into Kandahar.

Once on the plane I realized that this was not going to be a comfortable flight. There were 180 seats and the flight was full! If you have been on a commercial flight sitting in coach class it would be like first class compared to this. Not only did our bulky gear keep us restricted in our seats but you couldn’t even move your legs and were packed in like sardines. I was so tired from being up for over 24 hours I just tried to sleep most of the way and not think about how uncomfortable I was. There are no windows and all of the wires and mechanics are exposed on the inside of the plane. As we got closer the pilot came over the intercom informing us that we were now over a combat zone and to prepare for landing. That was kind of sobering. We landed safely at the Kandahar Air Field and I was relieved to feel that it was not quite as hot as Kuwait; still plenty hot though.

We were bussed once again to our new digs. They’re not bad really, small but with A/C and one roommate instead of nine. Once settled in our rooms we were given a few hours to rest or take a nap before we had to muster up at 6:00 p.m. We were briefed on what to expect the next couple of days; MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle) rollover training in a simulator and IED (Improvised Explosive Device) training. The MRAPs are so top heavy that they’re prone to rollovers so everyone has to know what to do to avoid injury.

After that we were released for the evening. After dinner Scholz and I decided to hit the showers and then call it a night. We had been briefed on what to do when the rocket attack alarms go off; hit the deck for two minutes and then find the nearest bunker until the "all clear". Earlier in the day Scholz had asked one of our chiefs, "what do we do if we are in the shower when the alarm goes off?" Chief responded, "that would be a time when there is no modesty."

She must have jinxed us because sure enough as I was rinsing the final bit of soap out of my hair I hear the alarm. I say to Scholz, "Shit, I knew that was going to happen!" So as we were trained to do, we got down on the deck, which is hard to do in such a small shower. After about thirty seconds I thought, “screw this” and crawled out of the shower on my stomach, snatched my towel and started to dry off and get dressed. You can do a lot in two minutes. All the while we are laughing so hard it was making it even more difficult. Eventually we made it out to the bunker dressed, not naked. There was time for modesty after all! Anyway since then we have had plenty more rocket attacks on base but so far I have avoided being in the shower at the time the alarms go off.

So let me tell you a little about this place. It is a NATO base with about nine other countries’ military stationed here; including Britain, Canada, Australia, France, Bolivia, Germany, USA, Belgium, and a bunch of others that I can’t think of right now. There is a large Army exchange located across the street from the sewer ponds (shit ponds as we call them) and the smell is indescribable!!

There are a lot of foreign and American civilian workers on this base and a lot of local nationals working here as well. This base is ran by NATO and is a third world country in itself; dirty, stinky, trashy and ugly. We are lucky to be on the other side of all of that and its pretty clean here where the Americans live. There is nothing but dust, sand, gravel; yeah that’s about it. On a calm day and when the dust is down you can see the mountains but they are just bare rocks as well.

One day we drove along the wire to the airfield where one of our classes was being held and you could see local farmers picking their crops of watermelon and sunflowers. There was a shepherd leading his goats to the creek for water, a father with his children planting crops AND paid locals searching for land mines in the fields near the mud huts where the local poor people live. It was very interesting.

This place is busy; go, go, go all the time but you learn to keep up. There is so much more to tell but I have to go to work now. I will update this again very soon to let you all know what it is I do here. To be continued....