while it was occurring . Once everything was over and done , on the other hand, it was scary to look back on . A t the time instinct just took over and my reactions just seemed to happen natural ly . I a m not sure how to explain it. The rest of the mission went well, and we got to the forward firing base just fine.
The unit I am in is made up of about one hundred and fifty troops, and we a re all scattered around different bases in Kabul and Bagram, with about thirty five of us at Camp Eagle . I found out today that one of our guys at another compound , the Kabul Military Training Center , contracted Malaria over there. Afghanistan has a lot of diseases that w e do n o t have in America anymore, such as things like Malaria, Leprosy, and other weird or bizarre illnesses . There is o ne thing that is absolutely certain about Afghanistan : in one way or another , there is always something here that can hurt you.
March 15, 2003 :
Midnight shift was very long and quiet , yet again. Around eight o’clock last night, before I started my OP watch, I was taking a little nap after we got back from a mission. We were woken up and instructed to report to our posts early and double up at every point. I did n o t know what had happened yet, but I knew there must have been something. I was walking to my assigned OP along the south wall, where I was assigned for the night , and I heard there was just a series of bombings in the area.
As the night went on, I heard more and more and eventually found out there were three bombings , all within two and a half miles of the compound . T he closest attack was just a quarter of a mile away. Two were suicide bombings at local shops, and a third was an improvised explosive left along the roadway. No word on casualties yet, and I have no idea if any Americans were targeted . It usually takes a few days for us to get full and accurate information, so I w ill n o t know for a little bit.
On the plus side of things, the weather has been getting very nice lately. When I first got here, it was chilly during the day but downright cold at night. The nights are still chilly, but the daytime temperatures seem to be climbing a little more every day. I was expecting it to be hot here all the time, but ou r elevation in the mountains definitely keeps things chilly during the winter months. It has actually snowed several times since I arrived. When our missions take us further into the mountains, it can get very col d, but it is becoming nice here. T he weather is becoming nice anyway.
The squad opened a large care package yesterday, which had been sent by an anonymous sender. It had a volleyball set and some other cool stuff. Our Lieutenant gave us the go ahead to set up the volleyball net in a dirt area adjacent to where we park the trucks. Volleyball s hould be a fun way to pass the small amount of free time we do have. Other than what I ha ve already written , there is not much else to write about. I a m tired , and I am going to bed. Another day is done in Afghanistan.
March 16, 2003 :
Last night, I finally had a night off. As midnight was approaching and the rest of my squad was gearing up to head out to their assigned OP, I was gathering movies and snacks from my foot locker and getting ready for my first night to relax in a long time.
Around five-thirty in the morning, I went to use the telephone and check my email. I was able to call my wife for the first time in weeks, and also write to some friends. Good thing I got to do that last night, because all email and telephones were locked down today. American f orces are getting ready to invade Iraq and the military is raising the threat level at all military bases and compounds in the Middle East and Central Asia. Part of that increase is to cut off all lines of communication between us and the outside world. It does n o t really have that big of an impact on me, though. My squad almost never has time for the computer or phones, and when we do, the
The unit I am in is made up of about one hundred and fifty troops, and we a re all scattered around different bases in Kabul and Bagram, with about thirty five of us at Camp Eagle . I found out today that one of our guys at another compound , the Kabul Military Training Center , contracted Malaria over there. Afghanistan has a lot of diseases that w e do n o t have in America anymore, such as things like Malaria, Leprosy, and other weird or bizarre illnesses . There is o ne thing that is absolutely certain about Afghanistan : in one way or another , there is always something here that can hurt you.
March 15, 2003 :
Midnight shift was very long and quiet , yet again. Around eight o’clock last night, before I started my OP watch, I was taking a little nap after we got back from a mission. We were woken up and instructed to report to our posts early and double up at every point. I did n o t know what had happened yet, but I knew there must have been something. I was walking to my assigned OP along the south wall, where I was assigned for the night , and I heard there was just a series of bombings in the area.
As the night went on, I heard more and more and eventually found out there were three bombings , all within two and a half miles of the compound . T he closest attack was just a quarter of a mile away. Two were suicide bombings at local shops, and a third was an improvised explosive left along the roadway. No word on casualties yet, and I have no idea if any Americans were targeted . It usually takes a few days for us to get full and accurate information, so I w ill n o t know for a little bit.
On the plus side of things, the weather has been getting very nice lately. When I first got here, it was chilly during the day but downright cold at night. The nights are still chilly, but the daytime temperatures seem to be climbing a little more every day. I was expecting it to be hot here all the time, but ou r elevation in the mountains definitely keeps things chilly during the winter months. It has actually snowed several times since I arrived. When our missions take us further into the mountains, it can get very col d, but it is becoming nice here. T he weather is becoming nice anyway.
The squad opened a large care package yesterday, which had been sent by an anonymous sender. It had a volleyball set and some other cool stuff. Our Lieutenant gave us the go ahead to set up the volleyball net in a dirt area adjacent to where we park the trucks. Volleyball s hould be a fun way to pass the small amount of free time we do have. Other than what I ha ve already written , there is not much else to write about. I a m tired , and I am going to bed. Another day is done in Afghanistan.
March 16, 2003 :
Last night, I finally had a night off. As midnight was approaching and the rest of my squad was gearing up to head out to their assigned OP, I was gathering movies and snacks from my foot locker and getting ready for my first night to relax in a long time.
Around five-thirty in the morning, I went to use the telephone and check my email. I was able to call my wife for the first time in weeks, and also write to some friends. Good thing I got to do that last night, because all email and telephones were locked down today. American f orces are getting ready to invade Iraq and the military is raising the threat level at all military bases and compounds in the Middle East and Central Asia. Part of that increase is to cut off all lines of communication between us and the outside world. It does n o t really have that big of an impact on me, though. My squad almost never has time for the computer or phones, and when we do, the
Similar Books
