Checking Boxes

I’m slowly checking off my “awesome things the Herk does” boxes. The other day we went into Pakistan to pick up some Senators/Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. I mean, who wouldn’t want to cruise around in the AF’s oldest plane? Interesting to see so many other 130s with foreign flags on them, everyone loves the Mighty Herk. Pakistan had a giant billboard painting showing airdrops from their history. They wouldn’t let us off the plane or take pics (still snagged a few) and had armed guards come to our plane to make sure we didn’t go wandering toward their planes. Remember these are our “allies” that are in the war against Terror “with us”. I’ll prolly post my thoughts on that before too long. So the DV box is checked.

We have checked the “dirt strip short field” box several times over, pretty much every day. Its really exciting to see everybody completely focused on getting a 130,000# aircraft stopped on 3000’ of gravel. In doing that we also checked the “haul crazy random people” box. Some snipers walked on with Afghans carrying an arm full of RPGs, shortly followed by a goat with/out a leash. They said it had been following them for days and no one else would transport it. While in flight they kicked around a water bottle and the goat ran up and down the isle chasing it.

Yesterday was a little more sobering but definitely one of the coolest missions we do. They rigged up the litters and we ran medi-vac shuttles back and forth between smaller bases. As aircrew it’s easy to forget there is a real war going on. People are on the ground getting shot at everyday and there are very few actual hospitals in country. They ranged from people simply needing X-rays with broken bones, to a very skilled team of nurses working on cleaning/dressing IED wounds in flight. There were troops, contractors, and local Afghans. It made for a long 15 hour day, but it was very rewarding. Medi-vac box checked.

Food

My first meal here was "breakfast for supper" and they had a HUGE bowl of real vermont maple syrup, I thought I was in heaven. I found out the next morning the syrup was special and they usually have the little packs like McDonalds. Sometimes there are shortages on the salad bar due to supply issues but they have steak & lobster on Friday nights! The selection isn't as luxurious as it was last time on the Army base, but I really like food & I'm not picky so I'm always full. I eat better here than back home when I'm in charge of food. Another huge plus is the endless supply of sweet tea, oatmeal-raisin cookies, pecan pie, & ice cream.

Its pretty funny having non-American's trying to put together American meals. Today's lunch was mexican, but I couldn't find the salsa anywhere, when they have it every other day on the salad bar, of course the traditional mexican side of onion rings were present. I mentioned breakfasts have the syrup packs, but we recently discovered the maple syrup is in fact out every supper on the ice-cream topping bar (just not for breakfast). Other favorites have been egg rolls with chicken wings, or stuffing with spaghetti, then garlic bread the next night with stir-fry. We're thankful for whatever we have, its just fun to laugh at the combinations.

Bad News: I lost my tiger-stripe camo do-rag I wear under my helmet

Good News: Thats the worst thing I can think of right now

Landscape

At around 35 degrees latitude & 5000’ it’s very similar to Arizona here. There is no humidity and we are surrounded by snow topped mtns (snow only, there is ZERO vegetation on top). As we fly over you can see trails the National Park Service would be jealous of. They zig-zag up the mtns to a saddle then back down the main draingage. At the mouth of just about every drainage you see a lush green spot with a village, which makes sense. What doesn’t make sense: I was following said trail along the side of a ridge then noticed small mud huts built into the mtn (probably an entrance to a cave) but who in the world wants to live up there (unless you are hiding), again there is ZERO vegetation or cover. As you head south you start leaving the mtns and enter another region that boggles the mind with inhabitants. All of a sudden you hit a sea of endless red dirt/sand. Really wish this pic would upload. From what I can tell its miserable, constant dust devils or blowing dirt, nothing but red/brown in every direction. Of course this is where the Marines live and where the fight is currently at its worst. We flew an approach in there yesterday and never even saw the field due to blowing dirt. And there is a dust storm outside right now, thus I’m inside emailing.

We recently picked up some Marines and shot all the way across the country out of its northern border into Kyrgyzstan. As we crossed Tajikistan we flew over some the most extreme mountains I’ve ever seen. They were amazing, beyond words, endless snow peaks all over with glaciers everywhere. As you come down the mtns all the trails would be some of the best mtn biking you could find.

If it wasn’t for all the land-mines and a war, I would definitely recommend vacationing here.

Good News Bad News Oreo

Good news: John is a dad, Linc & Valin are healthy

Bad news: running out here is kickin my butt, elevation is the same as Fort Collins so that can't be an excuse, its really not THAT hot, and there is zero humidity. It may be the inconsistent sleep cycles and training, or me being a wuss, but I am sadly coming to the realization as I get further behind on my schedule that the AR marathon may not happen. I can still do the 10K which will be a lot more fun, I did one marathon, that was enough.

Good news: Fun easy flight yesterday over the most extreme mtns I've ever seen (N39:28.90 E070:51.36). Today we have the day off and they are playing the new Tom Cruise movie Night & Day in the MWR building (big screen & lots of nice chairs) don't ask me how they got this movie, but its on VCR??? Apparently we missed the new A-team movie yesterday, but I'm sure they'll show it again.

Breakfast Smells

This morning wasn’t out of the ordinary but it was a great one, very refreshing and good prep for an all night flight. I woke up to a long run and had a very insightful quiet time. Amazing how God can use scripture in a daily study printed months in advance to address something so accurately. We were flying that night so I had time for a long breakfast and helped myself to the omelet bar, its hit or miss if its open and I haven’t been able to try it yet (prolly won’t be going back). Having just run and my PTs being a day or two old already, I was smelling pretty ripe but figured I would blend in with the local workers. My olfactories quickly alerted me to the presence of some females, I swear they soak their clothes in smell good, but it’s always a nice reprieve and I appreciated it while it lasted, because as soon as I sat down to eat about 6 of the locals also brought their food over and our smells mixed in a synergistic tornado of b.o. I did enjoy watching them as they watched the newest Indiana Jones movie on the big screen. You don’t have to understand the language to enjoy non-stop over the top action. They were pegged and almost missed their mouths’ a few times. I wish I could’ve asked them what they thought, but I they were content to get to practice “good morning” and proud it came out half-way understandable so I let it rest there. And huge topper to a great morning: after working out I found REAL FLUSHING TOILETS with water in the bowl. I know this sounds retarded but most all they have here are shelve toilets with no water in the bowl. Next part graphic: As the sign says: “place two squares of toilet paper on the shelf in the bowl, utilize the toilet then flush to wash waste down”

Like I said it was a great morning and the flight that night was good as well, we watched the sunrise over the mtns and got to see a gravel strip we’ve been frequenting for the first time in daylight (completely different than I thought) ignorance is bliss, while on approach there are ridges on either side that were previously invisible.

In the pic you should be able to make out the edge of the gravel strip, notice the line of defense from the local houses. Two little girls came out on top waving and dancing before their mother got them down. There were also young boys on top shewing away birds waving sheets and throwing dirt clods. By the time we took off we had a bit of a crowd.

Some have asked, so here is my address, I really like emails/letters about day to day boring sounding stuff the best. Save money on packages and go get a milk shake instead, just say a prayer for us before you drink it.

Independence Day Reflections

184 years ago today Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both lay on their respective death beds waiting for this day. Those tending to their final moments report them coming in and out of consciousness days and finally hours prior asking if it was here yet, holding out on death until it was. When they finally received an answer in the affirmative they smiled and slipped into eternity knowing what they had done years prior on the same day would secure freedom for generations to come. Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died on the 4^th of July 1826.

Not nearly as dramatic or meaningful to securing the freedoms of our country, but closer to home for the writer, 6 years ago today I stood in front of 250+ fellow field training cadets

facing a heritage park for a July 4^th speech. In my line of site was the O-6 giving the speech, the US flag, the POW flag, an F-15, and the Arkansas flag. It was definitely a meaningful 4^th as we approached the mid-way point of field training and most of my stress was over. I had already completed most of the graded events and getting all 250 cadets across base in an orderly fashion on time for the speech was my last tasking as cadet wing/cc. After the speech I was told I had been “struck by lighting” and could only mutter one sentence to the in-coming cadet wing/cc as I was “rushed to the ER.” I also received an AF edition of the Bible from Mom & Laura dated July 4^th that day. It contains several famous speeches, prayers, hymns, anthems, and short passages where members of the military are mentioned in the Bible.

July 4, 2010 finds me in Bagram Afghanistan. Most of the crew is in bed (we are flying tonight, so we’re sleeping during the day) but I’m pretty pumped about my first church service here. In keeping with theme the message was on freedom. But instead focused in the freedom we have in Christ. Freedom from the sin we are born slaves to, free from its guilt as we continually fall short, free from death and its condemnation, and freedom to share his love for us and others. The freedom that Jefferson and Adams secured for us is given by man and can be taken away by man, but thankfully God’s freedom is secured forever and will never be taken way. That’s awesome…

You can call me DeSoto

Internet has been unreliable and business is picking up, I have stuff written, but behind in posting, here is one from the other day:

Part of the fun of a new base is playing Columbus/Magellan and finding new things, so my run this evening was exploratory in nature. I heard a rumor you could run along the perimeter, also heard you couldn't, so I decided to go for it. I was richly rewarded. The base itself is bare dirt and void of any low lying vegetation, with the exception of a few trees. But as I turned off the main drag and eased onto the perimeter I saw lush green fields with cattle, sectioned off with chest high earthen walls or brush acting like hedge rows. Some fields were cultivated with rows of crops, not vast fields I’m used to seeing thanks to heavy farm equipment, but small 30X30 yard plots of varying produce. The sweet smell of buds and blossoms were a nice change from the port-a-johns and manly war B.O. and there were even wild flowers along the irrigation ditches and a flowing creek possibly big enough for a tube. As the walls started turning into clay huts and images I've only seen on national geographic I started feeling uneasy but realized I could easily see a guard tower in front and behind. The feeling left just as quickly when a 2 year old waddled out of a doorway, tripped and seemed content just rolling in the dirt, a couple kids working their garden shouted and waved from across the concertina wire (they really don't know how to properly use a shovel). It was as if I had been running so fast I went back in time to another world, there were three story houses all matching the dirt they rose out of with courtyards and connecting houses with more people working more fields. I'll try to go back for pictures, really wish I could just walk out there and show them how to use a shovel...