USA to Afghanistan in four months!

On 04-Jun-09 I received an email requesting volunteers for field Finance positions on the LOGCAP IV project in Afghanistan. After interviewing over the following two weeks I was offered the position, pending the award of the new contract to Fluor. This is where my test of patience begins; commonly known as the “hurry up and wait” game, which anyone who’s dealt with the government should be well versed.

Finally, on 08-Jul-09, we won the award and could officially proceed. The next month involved lots of training—replacements for my current position and attending training for my new assignment. The week of mobilization training I went through was quite extensive; covering everything from first aid, anti-terrorism, and culture to SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training. I promptly resumed the hurry up and wait game from 05-Aug-09 to 25-Oct-09. During this time I had to pack for a year, which is mind-boggling enough on its own; not to mention, I’ve got about 0.17% idea of what living on a military base in Afghanistan warrants in terms of supplies. Nonetheless, I shipped 70lbs over in a footlocker, leaving me with two duffle bags and my backpack—about 160lbs combined. Um, yeah, 230lbs of supplies should do it, right?

My flight from GSP to ATL was on 26-Oct-09 at 1630 hours (might as well get acquainted with military time). I got to the airport early and enjoyed a couple Jameson on the rocks with family and friends, but nearly missed my flight. Yes, yours truly was that guy who ran through the terminal saying, “hold the door” like an idiot! Having about a four hour layover in ATL, I was able to converse with some interesting people in the international concourse’s bar—from a Patron promotion girl, to a guy from Denmark who now has a winery in Atlanta and a son deploying to Afghanistan next year, to a couple from down under. A Guinness or three later, I boarded the 777 for Dubai at 2120 hours. Twenty minutes into the flight, the gentleman next to me proceeded to talk nonstop for the next seven hours. I believe all the stories about his Thailand girlfriends and the two glasses of wine finally did him in. Now, only seven more hours…what to do? Oh yeah, did I mention the video equipment on the plane was experiencing technical difficulties, i.e. did not work! I opted out of eating anything on the plane and passed the time listening to my new music on the iPod. We landed in Dubai at 1930 hours on Tuesday. After an excruciating journey through customs, baggage claim, and a bus ride, we arrived at the Manhattan hotel. Once checked in, several of us enjoyed a final night in civilization with a few Heinekens and steak dinner before retiring to our rooms. One last hot shower and then off to sleep for the first time since Sunday night.

Wednesday morning at 0600 hours we headed back to the Dubai international airport for a 0830 flight into Afghanistan. After my second trip through customs within twelve hours, I satiated my insane hunger with none other than a bigmac and a coke. I was lucky enough to score a front row seat on the plane, but quickly wished I’d been by the window. From the few peeks I was able to sneak, the landscape around Afghanistan is impressive. Three mountain ridges converge right around the Bagram Air Field (BAF), which sits at the basin. I’d liken the mountains here to those in Nevada. Upon landing at 1200 hours, 300’ish passengers were divided into their respective groups based on employer. Those of us with Fluor had to check in and retrieve our luggage. We then took a shuttle bus to our tent, a.k.a. “home” for the next year. I believe it was the drive around base that caused me to finally say, “WTF, I’m really in Afghanistan!” Not in a bad sense, just a shocking reality. After all the weeks of talking and planning, here I am. Back on track…we then headed to pick up our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). If you haven’t caught on yet, Fluor and Uncle Sam thoroughly enjoy acronym usage. We were told to take the rest of the day to unpack and get familiar with our new living arrangements. My tent is approx 200x80 feet, capable of sleeping 140 people, and strictly for Fluor employees—mostly American and Bosnian thus far, with newbies arriving daily. The latrines and showers are about 100 yards away. Nice, new facility that offers privacy; which is far better than other locations from what I hear. I was warned that the showers would be cold, but nothing could have prepared me for the breathtaking experience that ensued, literally…gasp! Thankfully, the water has been warm’ish ever since. My first night I couldn’t sleep at all; perhaps the nerves, adrenaline, and jets taking off all night lead to the insomnia. The other issue that continues to plague me is that people keep turning up the thermostat to 40 degrees Celsius, which equates to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Really, I mean, who can possibly be comfortable in those conditions? I expected to bundle up in my sleeping bag and hope it would be warm enough to survive the Afghan winter night. After an hour or two of thermostat wars, the temperature ends up somewhere between 20 and 30, which is tolerable.

My morning begins with a chilly trip to the Dining Facility (DFAC), which is a few minutes walk away. The food is abundant, above and beyond what I expected. They provide a plethora of options, from healthy to painfully greasy. Between eating healthy and all the walking I’d like to think I’m keeping in shape. No gym regiment as of yet, but I hope to start soon. After breakfast I have an 8 minute walk to the office. It’s a nice setup considering we’re in the middle of Afghanistan. Somewhat close quarters but my coworkers are great and we maintain sanity via frequent hilarity. As predicted, I miss having my crackberry at my side—it’s easily faster than the internet connection here. The rest of my day is much of the same; DFAC for lunch, back to the office, DFAC for dinner, then personal time catching up on emails, facebook, and this blog. Once I get back to my tent I’ve got enough energy to shower and get to bed. The twelve hour shift goes by surprisingly fast, but eventually catches up to me.

If you made it this far, I’m impressed. Didn’t realize how much I’ve rambled on. I hope this has shed some light on my new life 8,000 miles away. I plan on adding new posts on a weekly basis. I’ll aim for blog updates every Sunday with the latest that the week has had to offer. Until then, feel free to email or facebook me. Love and miss everyone!