this.”
“You’ll get used to it,” Chelsea said in a comforting tone.
And I guess he will, Chelsea thought to herself . I never thought it would happen, but today just seemed like another day at the office to me.
Back in Kabul, BSP (Base Support Personnel) unloaded the gear while the medical staff dealt with the patients. Chelsea and Private Bostic waved across the road to each other as they retired to their separate CHUs. For the first time since she had arrived, Private First Class Chelsea Bannister felt less like a fish out of water, and more like someone called to do a job in a difficult place, and under difficult circumstances. She slept well that night.
Winter landed on Kabul harder than usual. Everyone knows about the searing misery of the desert summer, but few realize that the winter is harder to endure than the heat of July and August. Every winter the infrastructure of this rapidly expanding city struggles under the weight of the severe weather. There are regular power cuts, roofs collapse and children are at risk of dying from the cold.
Back in 2002, US President George W. Bush vowed to rebuild Afghanistan with a modern Marshall Plan—a program devised to help lift Europe from the ruins of World War II. But as the temperatures in Kabul drop to well below freezing during the night and people struggle through another winter houses often have no running water or sanitation and there is a limited electricity supply. The gas generators businesses use during blackouts and the wood-burning stoves that heat homes only add to the thick pollution that hangs in the air.
Solving these issues is difficult, partly because of graft in the public sector. The United Nations has stepped in with some aid to communities ravaged by the seemingly endless winter. Certainly, the government has also tried to emphasize its role in these efforts. As well as sending supplies to rural communities, the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority offers compensation to people affected by avalanches, landslides and floods.
Money, often in excess of $500, is offered to the family of someone who is killed. Smaller amounts are provided for property damage. Money from the same pot is occasionally delivered to civilian victims of violence brought about by warfare. However, decades of conflict and unrelenting poverty have left a lot of people devoid of hope.
The medical staff of Chelsea’s unit worked hard to try to alleviate some of the suffering. Trucks bearing warm clothing, blankets, and hot food were dispatched to the center of Kabul. Preventing frostbite at the source was easier than trying to treat it when it was in full control of someone’s feet. Children, dressed in rags and covered up with scraps of newspaper, crowded around the truck. Old men tried to push through to get their share of the largesse from the American service men and women.
Chelsea was at the tailgate of the first truck into the area. She was handing blankets out of the back of the truck as quickly as possible. Just when the crowd threatened to overwhelm the truck, a figure stepped into the fray from the street. Chelsea sensed the presence of a uniform more than saw who was wearing it.
Chapter Four
Corporal Timothy Giacomo was on a three-day liberty into town. He worked in aircraft maintenance at the Air Base. In the summer, Corporal Giacomo fought a pitched battle against sand. Sand in the radiators caused overheating. Sand in the manifold caused engine miss, and eventually engine failure. Sand in the fuel injectors caused planes to fall out of the sky. Corporal Giacomo swore that, when his hitch was over, he would never visit a beach again.
The winter brought about different issues. Most of his winter days were spent trying to keep the anti-freeze in the aging C-130’s from freezing. Most people didn’t know that, in spite of its name, anti-freeze can freeze under the harsh conditions in Afghanistan. Airplane de-icing equipment works really well
“You’ll get used to it,” Chelsea said in a comforting tone.
And I guess he will, Chelsea thought to herself . I never thought it would happen, but today just seemed like another day at the office to me.
Back in Kabul, BSP (Base Support Personnel) unloaded the gear while the medical staff dealt with the patients. Chelsea and Private Bostic waved across the road to each other as they retired to their separate CHUs. For the first time since she had arrived, Private First Class Chelsea Bannister felt less like a fish out of water, and more like someone called to do a job in a difficult place, and under difficult circumstances. She slept well that night.
Winter landed on Kabul harder than usual. Everyone knows about the searing misery of the desert summer, but few realize that the winter is harder to endure than the heat of July and August. Every winter the infrastructure of this rapidly expanding city struggles under the weight of the severe weather. There are regular power cuts, roofs collapse and children are at risk of dying from the cold.
Back in 2002, US President George W. Bush vowed to rebuild Afghanistan with a modern Marshall Plan—a program devised to help lift Europe from the ruins of World War II. But as the temperatures in Kabul drop to well below freezing during the night and people struggle through another winter houses often have no running water or sanitation and there is a limited electricity supply. The gas generators businesses use during blackouts and the wood-burning stoves that heat homes only add to the thick pollution that hangs in the air.
Solving these issues is difficult, partly because of graft in the public sector. The United Nations has stepped in with some aid to communities ravaged by the seemingly endless winter. Certainly, the government has also tried to emphasize its role in these efforts. As well as sending supplies to rural communities, the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority offers compensation to people affected by avalanches, landslides and floods.
Money, often in excess of $500, is offered to the family of someone who is killed. Smaller amounts are provided for property damage. Money from the same pot is occasionally delivered to civilian victims of violence brought about by warfare. However, decades of conflict and unrelenting poverty have left a lot of people devoid of hope.
The medical staff of Chelsea’s unit worked hard to try to alleviate some of the suffering. Trucks bearing warm clothing, blankets, and hot food were dispatched to the center of Kabul. Preventing frostbite at the source was easier than trying to treat it when it was in full control of someone’s feet. Children, dressed in rags and covered up with scraps of newspaper, crowded around the truck. Old men tried to push through to get their share of the largesse from the American service men and women.
Chelsea was at the tailgate of the first truck into the area. She was handing blankets out of the back of the truck as quickly as possible. Just when the crowd threatened to overwhelm the truck, a figure stepped into the fray from the street. Chelsea sensed the presence of a uniform more than saw who was wearing it.
Chapter Four
Corporal Timothy Giacomo was on a three-day liberty into town. He worked in aircraft maintenance at the Air Base. In the summer, Corporal Giacomo fought a pitched battle against sand. Sand in the radiators caused overheating. Sand in the manifold caused engine miss, and eventually engine failure. Sand in the fuel injectors caused planes to fall out of the sky. Corporal Giacomo swore that, when his hitch was over, he would never visit a beach again.
The winter brought about different issues. Most of his winter days were spent trying to keep the anti-freeze in the aging C-130’s from freezing. Most people didn’t know that, in spite of its name, anti-freeze can freeze under the harsh conditions in Afghanistan. Airplane de-icing equipment works really well
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