:: Friday, August 04, 2006 ::

Getting tired of pictures?

So Thursday morning rolls around and there is no tent in sight. No guard shack of any sorts coming from the KBR people and the LTC wanted this shack up by Thursday night. In a panic, Phillip and I get some camo nets from Andy (D CO supply SGT) to give to Rabi (A CO supply SGT) to build a shack out of.

Me: "Hey, we got some nets for you to build a guard shack."

Rabi: "Excuse me? I ain't building crap."

Me: "The colonel wants a guard shack. You're guys are the guards so .... yeah, you're building a guard shack."

Rabi: "I am not. I ain't building anything. You take that up with my commander."

So Phillip and I inform Mac of the situation. He picks up the phone, calls A CO 1SG and before you know it, we are assured that Rabi is going to build the guard shack. So Phillip and I go eat lunch and when we get back, Mac has more news.

Mac: "Hey guys, don't worry about the camo nets. I got KBR to put up a tent."

Me: "I QUIT!!!"

Phillips laughing.

Mac: "Yeah, I called KBR OPS, they told me to contact the labor department, I called them and they said, 'No problem. We'll have it up today.'"

Me: "The labor department?"

Mac: "Yeah, the guys over by the ammo place with a bunch of camo nets everywhere."

Me: "I really quit. Honestly, I'm gonna go start packing."

Sure enough, the next morning, two tents were placed at the guard positions for the bazaar. The LTC was happy, but it really sucks that you have to be an E-7 to get anything done.

The other day we made a trip up to Bagram Airfield to pick up some equipment left there by the 53rd. We had a chaplain with us who had only been in country but a day or so. Mac took the pleasure of scaring the guy on the way back. There was a van that kept passing us, then slowing down, then speeding up and such. The chaplain just knew it was a bomb.

Mac: "Its not a bomb, sir. The van has the whole family in it. Dad is driving, mom and the kids are in the back seat, the family dog up front with the dad. Oh look, it even looks like the uncle is with them."

Chaplain: "Its gotta be a bomb. That's what they taught us in school. Why else would they be driving so erractic!!!!"

Mac: "Its not squatted down in the back with explosives and there is a huge plumb of smoke following the truck. They're just having car problems."

Chaplain: "That's not what they taught us in training."

Mac: "Where did you get training at?"

Chaplain: "Las Vegas."

My question is, how much training did this Air Force chaplain really get. Nothing against the Air Force, but this guy was paranoid.

I got to drive on the way back. That was a hoot. Dodging potholes and such. Passing the jingle trucks got exciting at times. All in all, a pretty fun trip. I took pictures, of course, for your entertainment pleasure.





Ah, the wonderful mountains of Afghanistan on our journey north to Bagram. I especially like the Afghan hitchhiker.






































More ... uh ... mountains ... and road.










































More ... uh ... rubble. The building is a gas station in the middle of nowhere.










































Village outside Bagram Airfield. I can only assume that the village is Bagram.




































I'm thinking that tilting your dumptruck back is a saying of, "Check out my huge dumptruck." Similar to "My jingles mean I'm rich."

























Busy marketplace outside Bagram Airfield. Friendly people too. Very courteous. They waved, gave us a few thumbs up, shouting "We love America!!!"


































Apartment complex in the village, I guess. I'm really not entirely sure. I've noticed the country has powerlines everywhere, but none of them run to the buildings.

























Us, just a boot-scootin down the road.






























A mosque on the way back from Bagram. I didnt want to take a picture on the way up, but Mac took one on the way back.






























Bah bah sheep on the way back from Bagram.























Good ole Kabul.



























Rush hour in Kabul.




























Traffic jam turning while turning onto Jalabad Road.

:: Ben 11:44 AM [+] ::
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