Happy New Year

Hello all.  I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for all your support and prayers over this last year.  It's been a long, trying year but ironically fruitful in many ways.  I can't thank you all enough for all that you've done at home to keep us, the soldiers, motivated to do our jobs.  We are here for you and you've been there for me, as well as my team.

May the God of all creation return to you many fold the blessings you have bestowed on me.

Nathan and, of course, Team Georgia

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!  It's been another fabulous day in Afghanistan without anything to report, which is always a good thing!  I hope you all are well.  God bless and keep you all and remember the reason we celebrate, the birth of Jesus Christ!

Peace!

USO Show

We had an interesting trip to KAF the other day; a USO show featuring Kid Rock, Robin Williams and Lance Armstrong came to town.  It was a refreshing change in the usual trip for supplies etc.  It was a great show and I, for one, am grateful for their support to us.  This was Robin Williams 4th trip overseas and 3rd, I think, for Kid Rock.  Miss USA was there as well as another comedian, sorry to forget the name.  At any rate, it was well appreciated by the soldiers and I'll post a thank you to the USO and guests for their efforts to say thanks to us.

Ho Ho Thanks

Thanks to my mom, Mandy and Leah for all their hard work on our Christmas and Stocking Party!  We all appreciate your hard work! 

Top, My First Sergeant and gunner, P and G, respectively.  Self proclaimed "Latino Heat."

Bottom.  SFC P, LTC Haggerty, UK and SPC Allee.

Thanks

A few thank you updates to follow.  Bev, thanks so much for the treat box.  The Russian tea has been a big hit since its one day presence.  The baked goods.....God help us......Running and weight trainging to follow!  Thanks.   Sue.  Thanks again for the boxes of goodies for the kids as well as us.  A sniff of D&D goes a long way.  My lovely family.  Thanks for the Christmas gifts and sussies.  I'll hold out on the gifts til the 25th.  It'll make the day a little different.

Love you all.

Forget Osama! We found more Keebler Elves!

I know I said the other day I wouldn't talk about Qalat and all the desert stuff but when I downloaded the pictures I was reminded of the bakery at the provincial headquarters. SGM and I started wandering, as always and usually with the intent to procure items of interest, and came across a 10X20 room full of guys making dough and baking bread. I'd heard about it and reaped the benefit of the warm bread before but never seen it made. So, here we go........First, the guys on one side of the room throw dough to the other side of the room. That guy needs more flour into the dough and then flattens it out and pierces the dough with his fingers to make little slits in the dough.

Next, he throws it to the baker, kind of like a pizza kitchen. The baker, stretches and shapes the dough into about 8X20 inch slabs.
Then he moistens one side of the dough with salt water and then literally slaps it on the side of an underground oven.
The oven is heated by open wood fire.

It takes about 5 minutes for the bread to bake and then the baker slings the bread out of the oven with this fire poker looking thing. In one stroke he snatches it out and launches it about 8 feet across the room to the guy that cuts it into portions. Meanwhile, the little "kid" helper is walking all over the floor with his bare feet. YUM! The bread actually tastes very good despite the added "nutrition" from the feet walking all over the preparation floor. The bread tastes much like a thin, 1/4 inch pizza crust.
So, there you go.....something new and not about a desert trip.

As Promised

I believe every soldier that operates in the field, especially ones that make daily life or death trips up and down roads or to the bathroom, for that matter, longs to leave some sort of footprint behind to justify the sacrifices he or she makes in the line of duty. Today was one of those days that does just that. SGM and I have racked our brains to develop this camp and with pride today the two of us raised Old Glory over Camp Georgia. Most of our guys were off doing other stuff but the Hajji workers all stopped and watched as the two of us hoisted her up. It was a proud moment for the two of us. Rahim, one of our terps, came over to us, stood at the base of the pole and looked at her. He asked us what the stars and stripes represented and we proudly explained them to him. The others looked for a little while and then carried on but none the less I think many of them understood what was going on. The footprint of Camp Georgia has been laid. More Americans will come behind us and they will have safer, better living conditions than we've had. They will reap the benefit of our work and what more is to come. SGM made a profound statement in that not many people get to establish a FOB, or camp in our case. Nothing to something, so to speak. Just like Afghanistan.....taking nothing to something.

A Sick Call of Change

I had an interesting sick call last night. Usually, I do a sick call about 1700 (5PM) every evening for the ANP. I'm available 24/7 for "emergencies" but I don't flaunt that to the ANP because everything would be an "emergency." All you providers have seen the headache that's been hurting for and hour yet presents to the ER without even the effort of a Tylenol. Here its 2 hours, 2day, 2 months or 2 years. Whatever. But onward.......I wear many hats as the only Army officer on the compound. We've got a Navy 04 here but for the guys on our team, well, he doesn't count as far as leadership goes. Truthfully, SGM is the leader of the team and I'm here to be an asset to him. Anyway, I have to operate on the medical, management, infantry, etc level and deal with the ANP leadership on that same level. Most of the culture here is wrapped around taking care of the leadership, the father if you will. Our military is based on an opposite philosophy. The superiors are to lead and take care of their subordinates. Since being in country, I've not seen one example of the superior taking care of his people, until last night. The Watch Officer for the night came to our terp (Sofat) at 2000 hrs (8PM), 3 hours past sick call. I was in our finally working kitchen and Sofat came to get me and ask on behalf of the officer if I would see his sick men. I said "What? An officer is asking? You serious?!?" Sofat "Sir, he has a list of his sick men and their complaints." "Well, hell Sofat, lets go do it!" The officer introduced himself to me and sat down and checked of his list of men as they came in to see me. 15 people and 1.5 hours later I was done. I told him that he showed the best example of leadership I'd seen on both ANA and ANP sides since I'd been in country. It was the first time I felt even a little bit of hope for this place. What a well needed feeling to justify the pains of being away from home.

Family Time

The other day I said I was going to write some stuff about our little trip to Qalat. Well, after further review of pictures and the trip me, myself and I determined that more pictures of the desert and occasional camel wouldn't be worth taxing the carpal tunnel syndrome, so in lieu of that.....
Camp Georgia is really coming along. Now that most of us have our own rooms, SGM and I have noticed that after we cook dinner and everyone gets food, no one is to be found albeit our intelligent SPC Allee that eats with us. Weird. Before we'd all eat together, chit chat about the day and plans for the next few. Well, last night our generator went out and it was COLD. We grilled out and kept slapping on wood to the grill and gathering around. It was like a KAO without the amenities. The Hajji contractors were hanging out waiting for the mechanic to show up. We fed them and shared Cuban cigars with them and we all laughed and talked about killing Taliban, the cost of the cigars and all sorts of other fun stuff. It was like old home week. The SGTs were actually hanging out as well. About 2100, the power came back up and everyone dissipated to their corners to warm up all their 2000 or so parts. SGM and I talked a little later about how nice it was to have that time together as a team to bond like "old times" (1 week ago) across the camp. It drove home the importance of family time, that time at dinner when people actually sit and commune (communicate) with one another and enjoy the presence of each other. The Afghans do this every night, probably because there's nothing else to do but at least they do it.
I know now, more than ever, what I'd give to be able to sit across from my wife and daughter and hear about their day and their upcoming events. I'm willing to sacrifice my life to continue to give you that opportunity to look across at yours. Please take it.

More to Come

I gave you the flags and Georgia for a taste test. I've got a Christmas Stocking party and a trip to Qalat to follow. After some sleep and killing some barking dogs! Off I go.

Wondering About Georgia?

Well, Some of you may say "what about those animals?" Then again, some of you may not care about the zoo. But I care about those of you who do care......'n stuff! Anyway, Georgia has a new home, with new gravel and a new outlook on life and the world. Yes, it's a little wierd for her but I think she's getting used to the sky line view! Here she is hanging out in here favorite vehicle that happens to be parked next to here cage and again, her hanging out on the wall. It's rough to be a monkey you know!

Camp Georgia Lives

We've had a big week this past week and few days prior so I'm going to post a few different ones at a time. We have officially moved into "Camp Georgia!" Yes the great state of Georgia is now being represented. Well, more like the great University of Georgia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, SGM Allman and I posted the flags on the front of the compound this evening. Don't worry about "Old Glory," she has a place being cemented near by! This was a proud moment for the two of us and here's our proof. It has been a long hard road getting this camp up and running and this was a real pinnacle moment for the two of us to do this!

Moving

Well, the time is coming. Yes, Camp Georgia is in position for us to move in. First to the rooms then in a few days we can use our bathroom and kitchen. Lots of refinement to be done on the contractors work but at least we'll be out of the "zoo." SGM's vision will definitely leave a legacy here. We're all going to be putting a lot of effort into making it happen over the next few months so I'll keep you up to date with the progress and give you shots to see its development. Too bad we'll only be able to enjoy it for 3-4 months! Oh, gee, I'll be home so who cares!

Watching the World Expand

Well, let me see here. Most of our time lately has been consumed with the basics......watching the development, or lack there of, Camp Georgia. It's going to be a roomier spot for our little corner of the world that will allow for a little bit of privacy. Right now, as I've stated before, I feel like our monkey, Georgia, in the cage being stared at by every Tom, Dick and Muhammad that walks by. Oh, how wonderful it would be if our contractor would do the job correctly and not do crappy work and delay the project for whatever godforsaken reason. Anyway, we called him out with the engineers and hopefully he'll get a spur under his butt and get the job done so we can move into our new rooms.
I don't have a whole lot more to report. Thanks to the Scales for the package I received. It was sent the middle of Sept and I got it, well......today. But better late than never!!
Had some Taliwackers shoot tracer rounds over the compound the other night. That was fun. Kind of like a Pink Floyd laser light show without all the illicit drugs. Well, at least on our part. I can't speak for the Taliwackers. There I was, smoking a nice cigar, having my nightly meeting with my Sergeant Major and there they went, right over. Nothing to follow after that, but golly, how pretty while it lasted.
So, an unrevealing pic of Camp Georgia's progress and a couple of our dogs, Auburn and Gator.