CARE Packages

I remember a scene from the movie "The Battle of the Bulge" where Robert Shaw, playing a German tank commander is offered a piece of chocolate cake that was captured from an American supply convoy. He reacts violently, yelling at his subordinates that he is having trouble getting fuel for his vehicles from Germany (just a few miles away) while an American GI is getting fresh chocolate cake from the North American continent.
The only thing that I can see that has changed about the American's ability to send packages is that the volume has increased to where every service member deployed has had to have gotten at least one box from home. When I say home, I don't necessarily mean from a relative. I mean all types of supporters from everywhere in the US.
There is a woman in Ohio that sent pre-lit Christmas trees as well as packages of food to both our forward Tactical Operations Center (TOC) in Jalalabad as well as our brigade home base near Kabul. There is a couple in Frederick Maryland who took the time to individually write a note and attach an addressed envelope to eight boxes full of gifts so that each member of this command got one. Each gift was a small travel bag filled with candy and toiletries.
A Ford dealership (Bob Davidson - Parkville, MD - Great Selection, Come on down... Shameless, aren't I?) has sent over 200 pounds of boxes containing snacks, toiletries and home baked cookies to our brigade as well as hundreds of pounds more to deployed Marylanders in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay.
This is all great, except for one big thing; the mail handlers at Bagram and other airfields where the boxes are coming in are overwhelmed. The boxes have to be prioritized and shipped by truck to other larger bases like Camp Phoenix and Jalalabad where the commands there break them down by unit and get them to their commands. We get them and have to figure out what can fit into our HumVees to be sent to forward locations to those that need them. An awful lot of times the packages that are not labeled from the service member's family have to be held at the unit mail room until another convoy, with room for mail, can take them out. More stuff is coming in daily so the backlog continues.
Now I feel the need to point out two major factors. First, we appreciate the packages from home and love getting the stuff to push out to the service members. Second, enough credit to all of the mail handlers in these units can not be over-stressed. They struggle daily with how to get as much stuff out to the troops as possible and they are incredible in their abilities to do just that. They work long, thankless hours. Not all of them work just the postal job. In most units the responsibility of mail handling is a shared job among the support people in a unit. In my brigade, Our supply sergeant, a Senior Airman in supply and a Petty Officer in our admin shop all work to get the mail sorted and sent forward. They do an outstanding job and I know that I am not alone in my praise for them.
The actual Postal Units that work here (like a Post Office at home) are manned primarily by Army Reservists. Most of their Soldiers rotate the responsibility of going out to units to take in mail, collect payment and ensure that it is protected during the ride back to Camp Phoenix and Bagram. They then make sure that they are mailed out. Most of the guys we see are from the 99th Reserve Support Command out of Pennsylvania and the Soldiers are from the mid-Atlantic states.
And I have to mention the letters, cards, school packages (with notes from students) that we get. They are handed around and read many times. One particular note from a Cub Scout in North Carolina showed a picture of a tank with a "force field" around it. An obvious "bad guy" had just fired a shoulder fired rocket at the tank and the force field protected it. This was his idea of a Veteran's Day card and we all got a kick out of it.
Thanks to you all for your prayers, packages, cards and thoughts. It means a lot to us.

Sarmajor

The USO Comes to... Camp Phoenix!

Americans at home need to know something. When you see reports from actors, singers and comedians that they spent some time over the holidays with the "troops" in Afghanistan they are referring to the troops that are easy to get to. The same troops that eat well, are seldom, if ever, shot at and who live in a world where Friday is a "reduced work day", better known in the civilian world as a day off. The guys that I work with don't ever get to Camp Phoenix where there is a Subway, a Dairy Queen, a Massage Parlor (the legit type... you know, properly monitored) and a local version of a Starbuck's called The Green Bean which is open 24 hours. My guys feel good when they get back to a location where there is some type of shower and a flushing toilet.
Even at Jalalabad Airfield (JAF), the Eastern home of the 10th Mountain Division, there is no scheduled USO entertainment. We get to see high ranking officers and politicians from home but there is no attempt to get us a planeload of entertainers to take the edge off of missing all of the holiday festivities that the rear area troops are seeing. I am not bitter about personally missing some of these events and facilities. I just would like to see some deeper thought about including more of the "marginally" forward areas into the travel schedule for these visits. I could get some of my Soldiers to JAF but Phoenix is 3 hours away by truck and trying to fly guys in to see the show is impossible. We are, however, invited. Which is probably worse than not knowing about it in the first place.
JAF is still a bit too close to the fighting for us to risk the possibility of losing people who were watching, or performing in, a USO show. If I was in charge of scheduling these things I would probably do no better than the guys doing it now. It's just frustrating to see the inequities that exist in this type of operation. I hope the show goes well and the entertainers know that their gesture is appreciated by any service member that knows they're coming. But Toby Keith, if you're reading this, rent an up-armored fleet of vehicles and a security crew and drive down near the area where the fighters are and you'll see some very appreciative people.

Sarmajor

Better B-Huts, Bunkers and Gardens

HOME IS WHERE YOU HANG YOUR HELMET...
For those of us that have served in the U.S. Army for any period of time we have known some pretty basic buildings that we have called home. In 1970 at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, I lived in the same type of building that millions of Soldiers have lived in since the late 30's. They were (and, at some installations, still are) two-story buildings that had open bay sleeping areas with a latrine on the first floor and two to four smaller bedrooms that were generally occupied by NCOs. The joke in the 70's was that they were considered "temporary" at the time of their construction and were generally labeled with the letter T before their building number (like T-406). These buildings were well-known all around the U.S. and have been prominently displayed in such movies as "Stripes" and "A Soldier's Story". They had character. The exposed framing in the rooms made great shelves for smaller items like butt cans, weapon cleaning kits, toilet articles and the occasional beer can.

The massive sheet of linoleum that was waxed and buffed every night before lights out became the bane of many recruits because it was impossible to keep in a scuffless state long enough for the Drill Sergeant's inspection each morning. The plumbing sucked (literally in some buildings) and at some posts the heat was provided by a coal furnace that had to be stoked hourly all day and all night. Few recruits after the seventies realize that the name "Fire Guard" was originally assigned to the detail that kept the furnace going and was awake to sound the alarm in the event that the furnace erupted in flames.

But what has all of this got to do with Afghanistan...?
Well, the old barracks buildings of my youth have been replaced by B-Huts and Super B-Huts. I have never gotten a good answer about where the name came from. Most people say that it is a model name but no one can show me an A-Hut or a C-Hut. What they have in common with the old barrack buildings is simple. They are temporary and are designed to house Soldiers and other service members in a no-frills environment for an unspecified length of time. Few have functional windows; some have concrete floors and some were built with wooden floors over an open area that increases the heat in the summer and the cold draft in the winter. Other than that, they are identical in appearance. They are cheap to build, go in quickly and will fit anywhere.
One big difference between the barracks and the B-Hut is the presence of an attempt at air conditioning and heating through a small heat pump device called a Chigo. That's the brand name of most of them but has become the name of the device regardless of the manufacturer (kind of like Kleenex...). The plans are available to all commands so when we need to put a few in, we put the bid request out to local contractors and the award goes out in less than a week. Usually the construction begins within a few days of the award. The paint plan is included so all are a generic tan color with the occasional white trim.

They are everywhere. Even in the most remote locations, if we can get the materials to the site, there will be a B-Hut. In the mountainous areas where electricity is hard to maintain with a generator, we will see a wood-stove inside. In those locations air conditioning is seldom an issue. In the most remote sites where we can get stone contractors, we use stone huts. Those are rare.


But there are some locations where my guys work that a B-Hut or an alternative structure just won't do. They are forced to live in bunkers like the one pictured above, that are reinforced by immense logs, immense rocks, dirt-filled Hesco Bastion walls and sandbags. See the picture below for what a Hesco looks like. It's a name, like the B-Hut, that anyone serving here will never forget.
Bunkers are a source of pride for those that have been involved in their construction. The better the protection, both overhead and side, the better the rating. You have even more to be proud of if it includes only a short walk to the urinal (called a "piss tube", a Viet Nam era invention) and the latrine where the real work is done...
Life in a bunker is obviously pretty austere. The ETTs that sleep in bunkers do so in their clothing in close proximity to their body armor and weapons. They are usually in locations that are constantly under observation by the enemy. Showers, if there are any, are cold and taken only when necessary. Electricity is provided by small generators that are turned off at night so they don't inhibit the ability to hear enemy activity. Warmth is illusive but is often provided by one's own body heat in layered clothing and a good mountain sleeping bag.

Gardens... that just sounded good. There are no gardens. We never promised you a rose garden...

Sarmajor

The "Terps"

At first, you think that using the word "Terp" about another person could be derogatory. In my experience, any time that you abbreviate a title, it may make someone mad. "Doc" for a real doctor and "Sarge" for a Sergeant are examples where I know that some people will bristle when they are used. An interpretor in Afghanistan calls himself a Terp. It's a badge of honor and an indicator that we are dealing with a professional. While some of them are more outgoing and friendlier than others; all are respectful and willing to work in conditions that most Americans can only imagine.
An interpretor here is more than a mere translator. In the field he becomes the constant companion to the embedded trainers (ETT) assigned to this command. They pull their weight in manual labor and other work. They are attentive to to the defense of the team, and are providers of invaluable advice. They are also excellent monitors of cultural shifts that our American advisers wouldn't notice and they can help resolve a situation before it becomes messy. Without the right ones we would not be capable of being viewed as an ally to the soldiers in the Afghan National Army (ANA).
By the standards of this area, they are paid well. By our standards they are not paid anywhere near enough to risk their lives and those of their families and friends for what they do. If an ETT is assigned to a month-long stint at a forward position in the mountains overlooking the Pakistan border; his Terp is with him. Sharing a fighting position and going on patrol just like a soldier in his army. During one extended firefight recently, the Terps were carrying water, food and ammunition up steep mountains from the supply drop to the American and Afghan Soldiers who could not leave the fight to obtain their own supplies. In short, if the American ETT is doing a job, the Terp will more than likely be sharing the load.
Frequently, they are the targets of anti-coalition threats and violence. They receive warnings from the Taliban regarding their affiliation with us and other coalition forces. One of their protections is to avoid being seen near our facilities or in our vehicles. The younger ones pretty much live with the ANA and only visit relatives occasionally. The more mature Terps and those with families will not wear western style clothing or use government vehicles near their homes. It's kind of like a cop who lives in a rough neighborhood; the less his neighbors know bout him, the better.
As in any group, there are those that should not be here. Few of those will last long. Pretty much, the entire group is dedicated the advancement of this country in the eyes of the international community. They view us as welcome guests in their country and are actively participating in the pacification process here. In my book they have proven to be an outstanding group of unsung heroes.

Sarmajor

Winter Woes

It can snow like hell in Afghanistan. Nasty wet snow; snow that tastes like sulphur and salt. The reason I know what it tastes like is because I had the gunner duty on Saturday for about 6 hours. It snowed the entire time and, while I was not as cold as you would think, I was saturated above the waist from the crap. It was seeping through my facial cover and dripping into my mouth. I finally had to take the scarf off so I could spit it out. It then collected in my mustache making me reconsider my grooming for the rest of my time here. I also had two different drivers and both took great pleasure in driving headlong into deep and muddy potholes (better called potlakes) that send muddy water up and over the roof of the HummVee. The gunner protrudes from the roof "protected" by an armored cupola. That protection is designed for small arms fire and small, irregularly shaped, fast-moving objects. It does nothing for wind, mud or snow.
It also saturates your weapons. An M-2 .50 caliber machine gun is all steel. If it gets wet and is not cleaned as it dries, it will rust. I had not cleaned a Fifty Cal in over 30 years. It's an old weapon, first used in our military just after WWI so it was not designed with polymers and teflon that would make it easier to maintain. All of the moving parts require some sort of lubricant for it to continue to work well. It's truly an amazing weapon and it is a great gun to have on a convoy but it's a bear to disassemble, clean and reassemble. It reminds me of my old 58 VW when it comes to working on it. Unlike my younger brother, I NEED a book to remember what part goes where. Oh, did I mention it weighs 85 pounds? Just an added aggrevating factor... After the Ma Deuce was clean I then had to do my M4 rifle and M9 pistol. They are easy to do in comparison.
During this particular snowstorm I was in Darulaman (SW of Kabul) at Camp Cobra, our brigade headquarters. The attached photo is of the Queen's Palace which looms over our camp. On a clear day it is pretty awesome, even though it was blown to smithereens by the Mujaheddin in the early early 1990s. But you can tell from the photo that the snow is wet and sloppy. It sticks to everything. One of the advantages to being in an established FOB is that you have some of the amenities like satellite TV (no good stuff, just Armed Forces Network channels). Wet snow sticks to satellite dishes and someone has to climb up and sweep them out so the signal does not go into freeze-frame. We learned, too late, that if you spray the surface of the dish with PAM or WD40 the snow will not build up so fast. We'll wait for the storm to be over and we'll do that. In the meantime we'll sweep. Especially during the Oklahoma-Nebraska game, guys were sweeping like madmen. Our security force (SECFOR) guys are all from Oklahoma so they had people sweeping during the entire game.
The schools here close during the winter in Kabul and the summer in Jalalabad. Kids are out of school for 4 months (eat your heart out Colleen...). I have no idea what they do with their days but all of it includes walking in traffic and giving a thumb (or another finger) to passing tactical vehicles. This just adds to the aggravation we experience on the roads. Have I mentioned the roads yet...?
Back to work for me. Stay warm.

Sarmajor

Thanksgiving?

It's been a while since my last post but life here is busy and finding time to keep up with some things can be difficult. One of the first things you need to learn in this country is that the Afghans have their holidays and we don't have any. For me, Thanksgiving was no change from any of the stuff that I do on a regular basis. I left my forward "home" at Jalalabad that morning with the absolute knowledge that the 10th Mountain troops were going to have a great 4 hour meal with real turkey and all of the normal fixins'. Unfortunately, I had been tapped to escort one of our new Marine officers and some of his staff on a tour of our positions along both the Konar and Pech rivers. It was a two-day event and covered a lot of miles. We drove all morning and arrived at a site with a mess hall. A couple of the Marines in the group found some food and hooked us up with cold ham and macaroni and cheese, which was also cold. We left there after a short tour and a status update and headed for another Forward Operating Base (FOB) where we were scheduled to spend the night. We were hoping that the residents there were celebrating the holiday so we could have something like a turkey dinner. Once there we found out that their holiday meal had been served at lunchtime to allow their American Soldiers time to return to their remote locations before dark. Our dinner turned out to be chicken fajitas that were not bad, considering... The attached photo was taken the following morning at Camp Joyce. It shows the mountains along the Konar River just outside of Asadabad.

The next morning we ran further up along the border and visited another FOB that put us about 6 hours away from Jalalabad. We were running late and the Lieutenant Colonel I was with decided we should try and make it all the way back that night. We left at 3 PM and cut the 6 hour drive down to 3 hours and 5 minutes. For those of you that would love to ride in a HMMWV (military for Hummer) I defy you to find any fun in running the roads we were on for that length of time. Actually, our speed was low, usually around 30 MPH, but the roads are nothing more than wide, rutted trails. We made it back to the Jalalabad Airfield (our FOB) in time for dinner, a muscle relaxer and a bed.

The following day, as I was hobbling around our command post with the worst bachache I've had since I got here in June, everyone was telling me about the great meal that was served and the visit we had from LTG Eikenberry the Commanding General of Combined Forces Command, Afghanistan. I even got calls from other Soldiers bragging about the meals they had and all the stuff from home that accompanied it.

The only saving factor was that I got to see some of the troops that I had not seen in a few weeks and got to wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. No one was shooting at us on this trip so I had a lot to be thankful for. I'm also starting to get a bunch of stuff from supporters at home. Christmas trees and packages for the troops are rolling in on a daily basis. Our Afghan soldiers and their American counterparts are all looking forward to being back in the Kabul area soon. I will be trading in warm weather for the cold in the higher elevations but there will be a little less work and a trip home for two weeks after the first of the year so things are looking up.

Driver's Education - Afghanistan Style

Most people in the world think they are good drivers, at least they seldom admit to driving like an idiot. Here good driving, like we are encouraged to do at home, is a sign of weakness; it's like blood in a shark tank.
There are plenty of cars and someone in our group has commented that traffic is one sign of an improving economy. Unfortunately, the economy seems to be improving despite the lack of traffic laws, cops to maintain some semblance of order, good roads, traffic control devices and (a biggie in my book) trained drivers.
Now, most people will think I'm exaggerating when I say that there are absolutely no rules and people will drive anywhere and anyway in order to get to where they intend to go. They will drive on the right hand side of the road on an area that would pass as a shoulder in the US. They will pass on sharp curves and drive straight into oncoming traffic to get around slower moving vehicles. They will drive through the parking lots and travel portions of private property without even slowing down. I've never seen anyone drive on a sidewalk because there are no sidewalks. If you walk, you walk in the street.
There are pedestrians everywhere and they make great targets for the Afghans that happen to be driving. Bikes and donkey carts are very common everywhere as are motorized rickshaws if you happen to be in Jalalabad. Through the mountain passes you will see goat and sheep herders pushing their herds along oblivious to the traffic that comes from every angle. Camels are also common and they, like the Afghans, have no apparent fear of traffic coming from their rear.
The condition of most roads, especially just outside major cities like Kabul and Jalalabad, is terrible. Pot holes that could be considered terrain features are everywhere creating the dilemma of "weave or don't weave". If you weave, you are likely to hit something or be hit by something. If you don't weave you screw up your tires, wheels and undercarriage of the vehicle. This country has a good number of shade tree mechanics (without the trees) and most drivers can do one hell of a repair on their cars. An awful lot of driveways actually have a pit in the middle so the owner can get beneath the vehicle to make repairs.
My interpreter (or slang - Terp) says that he does not have a driver's license and he knows no one who does. There is a licensing requirement preceded by a class and a test. The class and the license cost money. There is no penalty for driving without a license. Need I go on...?
All of these factors would be an issue in peacetime. Toss in a hostile environment with about 20 different countries all having troops driving around in big, lumbering tactical vehicles and you don't need too much of an imagination to figure out there will be problems in accidents where a civilian vehicle is involved with a tactical vehicle.
Our High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV or HumVee) are one of the smallest vehicles in the coalition. The French have little things that would hardly classify as tactical vehicles but they are the only things that I've seen smaller than ours. Our HumVees are so big and noisy that they require an intercom system inside to allow the crew to talk, rather than yell, to each other. The passenger (or assistant driver, better known as the "A Driver") and gunner are an absolute requirement as additional eyes when you have to manuever through traffic. Even with that, a vehicle with original mirrors is considered a collector's item. In truth, you're going to hit something, you just try to minimize the damage and the frequency.
Now, toss in a convoy of between two and five HumVees and add the responsibility of keeping up with the vehicle to your front. This is an absolute necessity for our protection. Once a convoy is moving, nothing should be allowed to get between the vehicles. Bombers on foot, on bikes, on donkey carts and in vehicles of all sizes are now frequent in built up areas with coalition presence, especially in Kabul, the nation's capital. Speed and constant motion are our only defense against this type of attack. In the more remote areas, cars and trucks pull over upon the approach of a convoy. In cities, it's every man for himself. So we try to maintain convoy integrity in the traffic conditions I have just described.
Some new service members in this country have a hard time getting used to it. Others figure it out right away and are very good at tactical driving. I do pretty well as the lead and a follower. My only concern is that I will pick up habits here that I will use in front of my daughter who has just gotten her learner's permit.
My imagination is gone and I feel the need to stop writing. Hopefully this post has helped you understand about one of the fundamantal tasks that we all have to perform here. It is often funny to watch what happens but there are occasions where the lack of organization leads to tragic pedestrian accidents. Fortunately, our involvement in accidents is very limited.
If I don't get to a good connection in the near future, I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving. My guys will still be in their forward positions so please remember them in your prayers.

Sarmajor

Catching Up

Nothing about Afghanistan is easy. Least of all is the ability to communicate what is happening in such a way so that no one thinks you are bragging or releasing too much information regarding the operations we are involved in. Things like troop strengths, organization, locations and such are not to be discussed in other than general terms. My blog, like many others, is designed to let anyone that cares to know something about the experiences of a Soldier in this country. As a Command Sergeant Major most of my observations are of a strategic nature, meaning that I see what my people do and seldom am in a position where I am the "doer" or the first person. The troops that I look after are the fighters; the ones that should be telling the stories about where they have been and how they have dealt with the conflict in their positions with the Afghan National Army (or the ANA).
We are working out of a brigade headquarters in Jalalabad in support of the 10th Mountain Division. Our troops are National Guard Soldiers, one active duty Soldier from the 4th ID and active duty Marines that are working as embedded trainers with the ANA in forward positions along the eastern border in the Hindu Kush mountains. The ANA are the actual fighters that are working in concert with the 10th Mountain. We provide the mentorship and advice to the leaders of the ANA units to whom we are assigned. On most occasions that means that we fight right next to our ANA counterparts.
Our outposts range from sparcely wooded mountain tops to desert outposts that could well be the movie set for "Beau Geste" or "March or Die". Our brigade is supported by an excellent staff of Air Force and Navy personnel that are either administrative or logistics specialists. This mix of services makes for an interesting concoction of military customs and slang that has the most experienced of us a bit bewildered.
One of my most important jobs is to check on the welfare of all personnel and report to my commander any comments or concerns from which I feel he could benefit. This involves quite a bit of travel along roads that are rugged at best and miserable most of the time. My vehicle is an up-armored HMMWV (UAV) and requires a crew, crew served weapon and some companion vehicles with me before I go out. This is no small task with a small brigade headquarters so I frequently tag along with others who may need to make visits also.
In contrast to my men, I am rarely shot at. However, those rare occasions do occur and it helps me to better understand what the men go through during TICs (new name for firefights - it stands for Troops In Contact) that can sometimes last a long time and involve quite a bit of gunfire, artillery and air support.
I deployed as a member of the Training Advisory Group, a command that works at the training center in Kabul where all ANA soldiers start their military experience. Due to an over-abundance of Sergeants Major at that location I was able to obtain a transfer to the 201st Regional Corps Advisory Group (RCAG) at Camp Black Horse. From there I was assigned to the 1st BDE, one of three brigades in the Corps. I've been in Afghanistan since June and ultimately a part of the 41st Brigade Combat Team of the Oregon Army National Guard. They are the command element for Combined Joint Task Force Phoenix V. The mission of Phoenix V is to mentor and train the ANA. My current group picks up ANA units that are already trained and keeps them involved with the coalition forces and military techniques that they should be using.
I have tried keeping a journal but find that I have a hard time doing that. I've tried taking pictures but I also have a hard time remembering to put my camera in a convenient location to grab it quickly. I have been semi-successful in e-mailing a large group of friends and relatives on what I am doing here. It is therefore my hope that this blog can become an extension of that e-mail process that seems to be working. Stay tuned and see what happens.