ETT PA-C

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2009-02-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

I have no clue if anyone actually reads this any more. I've been home for more than 7 months now and its been great! How does one end a saga, ehhem, such as this? Can I end it knowing that I'll probably have to return back to this place? It's a question that remains to be seen? For the few of you that read this blog I hope I shared a little of a soldier's life. For the medical personnel that never really got to take advantage of any knowledge regarding me being a PA on an "ETT," I'm sorry. Instead, I temporarily crossed branched infantry and gave you and me a view of the people on the ground doing the dirty work.

What will I come away with? I'm a little angry, a little frustrated, a little "adjustment disordered," a lot grateful, a lot blessed, a lot glad to be home and more so grateful to be alive! Since my departure, the team I left behind has lost a few men in the area I used to patrol and call home. To them and their families, I am honored by their sacrifice. To the men I served with, it has been a true honor and pleasure to serve our great country with you. You bring me great pride every time I look at our team photos. Thank you.

To my beloved family and friends, thank you for all the support you gave my family and me while we were all in our own desert. To my parents, thank you, thank you, thank you. Your prayers and support to my wife and daughter are boundless. It's an honor to be your son. I love you both.

To my beloved wife and daughter. I'm grateful you never had to receive the notes I wrote for you both, just in case. The notes were only a miniscule presentation for my love of you both. Thank you for holding on tightly to our Lord Jesus to keep you strong in times of peril. You were my strength and reason for living when many times it was tough to keep going out and doing the job. Just getting home to you was the goal.

Thank you all for your prayers. In 365 days of deployment, our teams ran over 250 missions in rural southern Afghanistan. We went to areas not visited by Americans or coalition alike. We went and did a job no one had done before in Afghanistan, in territory very much controlled by Taliban. So, thank you. I believe that because your devotion in prayer, my teams had no casualties despite our "encounters" with Taliban.

To the teams we left behind, good luck and God speed. May He go with you as He did with us. To the spirits of those who gave the greatest sacrifice, you will always be remembered by me. Your sacrifice means the world to me and my family. You humble me and I honor you.

I leave you with one of the greatest statements ever made:

Man in the Arena

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

"Citizenship in a Republic,"
Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

Thank you all,

Nathan

WOW

2008-05-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read the previous comment by my buddy, click on it in the prior post comments and read about Habakkuk. Habakkuk was a favorite of my grandmother's when she was alive. The words in the book always spoke to her and for some reason it's one of those things I remember. Anyway, it's a good booster for anyone, despite your situation or lack there of. I will contend one thing though. The National Guard could actually make even God get up on the Sabbath to wonder what they're thinking!
Thanks Scotty.

Ecclesiastes

2008-05-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Let me preface this as this is an ironic joke. I don't want anyone thinking my normal level of PTSD has been elevated to an intolerable degree. Truthfully, my PTSD is from dealing with fairly incompetent leadership more than the few TICs I've been in while over here. Frankly, the Taliban are easier to deal with. You just shoot em and its over. Everyone sleeps well.
So, back to my little story. I get these "verse of the day" emails to balance the rather impure world I live in. It can't hurt to find a little balance you know! So, today's verse is Ecclesiastes 7:4. "A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time." The irony comes into play in that all we want to do is go home and be "fools" but we're here sweating the equivelent of an Umpa Lumpa off every hour or so wishing we could shoot ourselves just for the medivac home. Corrigan is sleeping in the bunk next to me. Mid morning he was lying in bed, sweatin g his Umpa off and rolled over and said "Doc, I've got one round left......set me free," or something to that effect.
It amazes me that our command has had a year to prepare for our departure and now, a year later, can't even tell us an approximation of when we're flying home. Baffling and more frustrating than anything we've endured all year long. HMM. Operation Enduring Freedom. Wonder if this is what they're talking about........
Anyway, forgive me my Lord if I only want to trade my wisdom for foolishness for a season or so. Forgive me if I don't read Solomon's teachings for a few years as well. They're pretty damn depressing.

Inevitable

2008-04-30T03:11:00.000-07:00

It was bound to happen. Anyone for a week delay in country? What more can I say?

The Wall

2008-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

The "Wall."
No, not Pink Floyd or the Runner's.
Not the Chinese Great one or your local bar.
Not the Wailing Wall or the Vietnam Memorial one.
Not the Berlin Wall or the one in New York that causes us great pains at the gas tank.
Not Hadrian's Wall or the one's that fell around Jericho (albeit they may be closer than I think). Not even Fenway's Green Monster or the Wall of Troy.
I'm naming a new wall. The Soldier's Wall. The one I've come close to many times over the last 15 months but have now become intimate with and thus my move from what's become home away from home to another. All this spinning down has taken me with it so I'm going into the Land of Milk and Honey.........ie Tim Horton's, Green Bean and chow hall's that provide food for you. A place where roughage isn't canned corn or reconstituted mashed potatoes. A place where salad isn't the weed you pick from between the gravel. A place where TV doesn't bestow the virtues of everywhere but the Western World. A place where working out won't cause a tetanus panic. A place where walking outside the small walls won't risk increasing your weight by one 7.62mm brass round. A place where Portuguese and Bulgarians shop there hearts out in between long perimeter guard shifts. A place you don't just dream about where your scat goes, but you can smell it because its right next to you. Oh, yes, the scat pond.
It calls to me. It says, "break the mold." "Be brave.....Come back to me." So, I will heed the call and and try to break away from my funk. I will return to where it began almost 12 months ago.

I'm trying

2008-04-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to think of something worthwhile to report but the only thing that comes to mind is getting the hell out of this country. We dropped off three of the original guys a few days ago which is a good thing because they're going home and because I'm not sure if we could get a lick of work out of them if we had to. The two of us, SGM and myself, are out of here a week and a half or so.

So, nothing to report.....good, I guess.

Still Progressing

2008-04-14T06:36:00.001-07:00

Solomon wisely said "There's nothing new under the sun." Einstein so brilliantly paralleled the wise leader's words with his own scientific knowledge. (paraphrased) "Energy is neither created nor destroyed, just transformed from one form to another." It's the same here. Nothing new and the energy allotment for this area of the world is low and exists at a minimum from day to day, form to form.

Yes, its getting tough to wait it out!

No Appropriate Title

2008-04-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

Well, 9Apr08 has arrived. Things are spinning up in order to spin down, at least for us. The trickle exchange of new for old is occurring as you read this. Soon I'll be moving and you'll hear me bitching about the Romanians and Bulgarians on the internet and in the PX as I did about a year ago. To the right is Goddard's comment about the Romanians stood for quite a while before I removed it. As a reminder, "Those Romanians love them some internet!" It's hard to believe (not really) that almost a year has passed since he said that and soon there after we parted ways, half our team north and half west. Soon we'll be coming back together and heading home to our respective places to assimilate.

The difference now is that the Fobbits of Kandahar won't be as irritating to me, Kuwait will have essence of a Mediterranean beach and Ft Riley will be a welcome site and the horrific Atlanta traffic will probably draw up a certain amount of peace for me instead of the road rage of old.

When I see my wife, daughter, family and friends I won't look at them the same. I can't. I wasted so much time on the things that don't matter, wrapped up in the American Dream of consumption. With the benefit of hind site and near death experiences, my picture is more balanced and my appreciation for my family, friends and life in general has taken a new level. With God's (the real one) help I'll maintain this healthier, simpler view and carry on contributing to His grand scheme.

With all that soulful growth stuff in mind (I can't go down the emotional path too long without veering off), I look forward to coming home to my house, taking a walk and eating dinner with my family, sampling my way through Whole Foods with Mandy and Leah, visiting every brewery within traveling distance, vacations with all my family and friends, having my wife reign in my daily visits to Starbucks on the way to work and going to the hospital, getting pages all day long and standing in the OR discussing the crap equipment while driving a Synthes nail (good plug, eh) into a femur.

These are just a few of my favorite things!

Camel Day

2008-04-03T04:10:00.000-07:00

Being that the locals in the US don't usually have camels hanging around the back yard, SGM decided it would be in our best interest to learn to appreciate the modes of travel we have available to us at home. This has been tossed around for the last few months as an absolute necessity before departure, thus yesterday became "Camel Day" at Camp Georgia. Yes, they are rigid to ride on. Yes, I had to coerce the brothers to fall back down into anatomical position after dismounting. No, they are not the quality that you may find in Saudi Arabia........nothing here is. None the less, I rode a camel. Lawrence has nothing on me!

1 Month

2008-03-28T19:28:00.000-07:00

Yep, here it is. Minus one month before I depart from this phenom that some call a country. It's more of a conglomerate of peoples that live close to each other and do their best to disturb peace. Anyway, enough of that. I've seen war movies about how hardened vets get close to the end of a tour and get all pent up with caution. Well, that's so real with the caveat that you actually have to operate off the "day spas" in a less than hospitable environment. The desert holds many secrets and a few of them I'd like to see stay put. I find myself much less willing to go and do risky missions and more than that I don't want to leave the asphalt when moving from place to place. My father always taught me to "FLAP" (Finish Like A Pro) and I'd say of done my fair share of that this year but I find myself wanting to "FLOP" (F the Last OPerations).

Back

2008-03-25T21:56:00.001-07:00

I've arrived home again and slept well last night for the first time in 4 days. The first thing I did was bust out some shorts and celebrate being away from the "Flag Pole." It's absolutely insane how uptight Camp Phoenix is. It has to be the salute capitol of the world. Way too much brass up there. You can't walk 5 feet without saluting to or back at someone. God forbid you make a no cover, no salute policy like the NATO commands do. Woops, don't want to set a bad example for the world. Ahh, the US military, we are so wound up we can't allow people to relax and just do their job. "Ah to be" as my mother would say. Anyway, I'm back in the South, thank God, and actually in the real war zone. Ironically it feels sooooo liberating!

Happy Easter

2008-03-23T22:01:00.000-07:00

I've seen that alot of new stuff has come across the wire on the internet so I thought I'd update this to let everyone know that I'm fine. I've been on the move alot lately and haven't had much I can talk about to report. Right now I'm up enjoying some "down time" in Kabul. Nothing I'm willing to admit to here except I'm ready to get away from all the brass and worthless uniform policies around this place!

Anyway, I truly hope that you all have had a happy Easter and remember why we celebrate it. No matter what your faith is, unless you're Muslim, this place will make you appreciate how wonderful Jesus really is and how freeing it is to believe in him. That's all I can say without busting my politically correct bubble!

Carry on!

Happy Easter

Check out the new side bar

2008-03-13T23:25:00.000-07:00

My boredom with the Afghans and Taliban have drawn me closer to a new hobby. Hunting of another sort, if you will. Out with the old, in with the new! Yep, for your entertainment I'm willing to sacrifice minutes a day in capturing Talimice. They bait us with mines and IEDs so in turn, I'm bating in their mice with little bits of honey leading up to some provolone on a mouse trap. It's working like a champ! Anyway, the side bar will be named after Pinky and The Brain, the infamous Warner Bro characters.

Did you say you wanted a picture or two? Here's #4 hanging resting in the burn pit. I have to keep it informal thus I may become attached to my victims.

Addendum: Soon after the death of #4, #5 was captured and interrogated, found to be useless and "taken for a drive." Note for interest. Always drag one of your senior NCOs into your sick schemes. As an officer, it's always best to have the plausible deniability effect to fall back on. Top #4, bottom #5

I got nothing boss!

2008-03-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

The internet actually came up for a while today so I started to put some blog material up and actually published it for about 20 minutes or so. After realizing that the press would probably hound my family and get me put in prison for stating pro American, pro Christian and anti Taliban sentiments, I deleted it. Call me weak but truthfully my rant was founded on press releases from the BBC and local press. I figured spilling my opinion of the Islamic culture (IN THIS COUNTRY) would get me in trouble by mindless liberals out to get the bad American soldier who tramples across the world doing Satan's work. So, moving on to a more cheery note.......

One of my best friends, who will be kept nameless for his safety from those mindless people, had a daughter in the last few days. Congratulations! Welcome to the whooped dad club! Every penis in the world has just become a problem.

In other news. We have to be fairly aggressive driving on the streets of our lovely, star bright albeit smelly and dusty city. One of our gunners is quite verbal, to say the least, to traffic that may delay our movement from point A to point B. There's nothing like, well....anything to stop you at point A.5 if you get my drift. So, we get people out of our way. This particular guy has numerous, exhilarating sayings that ooze of intelligence far beyond his rank (for real). Phrases like..."Get off my **$& road!" and "It's my road until I'm done using it!" "Are you friggin blind, oops, sorry!" "Get your ass (for real, a donkey) off my road!" He has a special way about himself. He's the guy that wrote the eulogy for the cigarette....get my drift. Smart and sassy!

Well, today we had a genius driving in the middle of the road, coming toward us and this gunner is waving and shouting, the whole Rules of Engagement thing, and finally points his 50 down down at the guy and screeches out with a trailing up and question mark pitch "Are you trying to die?" Come to find out the guy didn't want to see Allah today and politely left about 20 ft of tire markings on the road and probably some fecal matter on his seat. I know this was one of those "had to be there and had to know the guy" moments but man it was funny. The pitch of his voice was so comedic.

OK! My moment. Moving on.

Bev thanks for the box. It took less than a month to get here. Mary Lou, slowly getting your stuffed animals out to little girls and sometimes Police when they don't intentionally try to get us killed. That's a plus in my book. They get a star or stuffed animal for playing nice.

Milk......It does a soldier good!

2008-03-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

Hey! I know what you're thinking. "Wow, two posts in a week!" But I have something impressive. The Canadians have real milk! Yep, after a recent patrol, in the vicinity of somewhere, we stopped by one of the Canadian FOBs and had dinner. They had real, whole milk. I dipped a fresh chocolate chip cookie into it and had one of those flashback moments with the streaming music playing in the background. Then I thought "if the Canadians can get fresh milk, why the hell can't the US Army get it?" Suddenly remembering that real milk is for Air Force personnel, I returned to my moment of splendor and enjoyed three glasses of milk, savoring every moment like a high ball of Crown Royal or a pint of Flying Dog.

Thank you Canada, for your efforts in supplying the finer things to your troops I grant you "real country" status. Sorry for the South Park reference, it had to done.

Alive and Sticking

2008-03-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Haven't been able to log into blogger recently, sorry for the delay in updates. First and foremost I need to thank Mary Lou, Greg and my wife for sending over some goodies. Thanks so much. You all are wonderful!

We're about to the 2 month marker for getting the heck out of here. I must say I feel like a fly stuck to fly paper. Sometimes its like groundhog day with all the repetition day in and out but now it's more like being tortured. You can see the light, remember your home and ignite your senses but you can't get your legs off the damn sticky paper to get there. It's interesting to observe the conversational shift. The understood is being with family and just partaking in extreme, insane amounts of sex but here are some other thoughts. "What do you want to eat when you get home?" "Ooh, how about a real hamburger with real cheese.........and a beer" or even better "I can't wait to mow my lawn......and drink a beer." "I can't wait to go to pick up groceries without putting on body armor and shooting warning shots at people........and then drink a beer." "I can't wait to drive a car less than 15,000 pounds." "I can't wait to take a shower and not be afraid to get the water in my mouth." "I never want to see another water bottle again, anyone for tap?" "I just want to see something on TV besides cricket and English football." "What am I going to do without my 50 cal.? You think they'll let me take it to my desk job? Gosh, I'm not sure I can go back there." "Do you think I'll ever be able to drive down the right side of the street again?"

It may seem simple but when you've been here a year, that's what life's all about.

The Energizer Bunny...well..... bird

2008-02-19T07:54:00.000-08:00

That's what its taking to keep us motivated at this point! It's getting tough to keep up the desire to give a crap. I've done well since February of last year but this deployment has worn out its welcome and I'm glad that its coming to an end. The deployments have recently been shortened to 12 months total instead of the 3 month mobilization up, 12 months BOG (boots on ground) and then demobilization. God willing my family and I'll dodge the future bullet and not have to worry about this again. We are all about serving the country but this 15-16 month stuff is for the birds............and speaking of that......

This was our guest the other day. Since we seem to be the suckers of the Afghanistan National Geographic Society, our terp brought us an owl that they found on the side of the road. It's wings were tied and it had some sort of old trauma to its left eye. We clipped the ties, fed it, gave it some water then let it go. What a beautiful creature. The wing span was phenomenal. It was ironic that we had it tied to the grill. Tastes like......

The History of Electrical Power

2008-02-10T07:24:00.001-08:00

I encourage you to look it up then get on your knees and thank the Almighty God, creater of all things, especially scientists and engineers, for giving us the ability to harness it. Where is this coming from you may ask.....a few GIs that don't live on big bases and depend on single generators to provide electricity occasionally lose them (generators, that is). And when that occurs in the middle of a cold ass desert, nights get long. REAL LONG. Long enough for ice to develop inside living quarters and on body appendages. I'm not sure but I may have lost my last few hair follicles last night. Not to worry, they won't be missed!

Panic in the Metropolis

2008-02-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

We got the good SGM back from vacation late last night. I felt like I was going pick up a long lost brother. We've been together for the last 14 months and it just seems odd not having him around. So, we went late last night to spare him an extra day at the local "fobbit" hangout as well to get all our ducks back in a row, so to speak.

Well, while we were waiting for his plane to arrive, we had a "rocket" attack/drill, who the hell knows, but anyway the sirens went off and everyone went for cover in their respectve shelters. Glenn, Allee and I just looked at each other and watched with amazement as all ran away so, we took off for our Humvee just to be part of the excitement. We thought it'd be an excellent time to go get coffee because the line would be short but nooooooo, Tim Hortons closes during rocket attacks. Can you beleive the nerve! Meanwhile, I get a call from G who happened to be at the PX, also trying to take advantage of the break in Bulgarians, Jordanians and French who pillage it and leave little for US personnel. He wasn't allowed in either! The nerve continues. He says, "you hear a rocket, sir?" Nope. You? "Nope." Well, wait until the all clear and make a bum rush before the ISAF (NATO) troops get in their and get what you need!

Well, we do a drive by of our other truck at the boardwalk and those two boneheads are hanging out smoking next to the truck. I told Glenn to pull over and tell them to get in the truck and at least look nervous! Plus, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves right!

God forbid the French/Canadian security police pull you in for questioning. They're more likely to question us than the Taliban but that's a different lane.

Anyway, SGM is back and we all had a good day today. Plans are stepping up and hopefully the next three months will fly by!

Grateful to be in a Box

2008-02-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

So, I was minding my own business today, taking care of business around the camp before heading to our local Log base to pick up my new Humvee. More to follow on that! So, nice and sunny until we got ready to leave then it blew in. Holy scheizer! By the time we got back tonight the winds had kicked up to the point that the tin was pulling off the roof of the shelters separating the shipping containers that we live in. The tin was coming off with enough force to cut someone in half....not kidding. So, I'm glad to live in a shipping container and not in the wooden huts like the enlisted guys! I'm not so sure that one of those things couldn't shear the plywood they live in. Now if I could do something about the water leaking all over my friggin room!

Yes, We went to pick up another Humvee today. After the whole signing your life away thing, I walked over to one of the other officers from Georgia and told him I felt like a teenager getting his first car, but with a .50 cal and SAW (sqaud automatic weapon) to boot! As I turned to walk away (close your ears mom) I said "It's time for me to get the *(&^ out of this country! When a guy gets jittery over a new 1151, its just time to get out!"

I'll let you know if our entire shelter blows away. Who knows, I may wake up in Kansas tomorrow!

Everlasting Peace to you all!

Huh?!?

2008-01-31T23:53:00.000-08:00

I'm struggling for stuff to discuss here. It's been a very busy few weeks and lots of what we've been doing is in the same nature of the prior posting so gosh how do I keep one interested. Well, I've got to purchase a car when I get home and I've been having a tough time trying to find something I want touching base with what I can afford. So, if there are any fairly wealthy people out there that want to sponsor me (BMW 328i or Toyota Tundra, for instance), feel free to leave a message and I'll be back with you in a few seconds. At any rate, I've been looking over some of my pics of our last trip down to the Pakistan border and it put me in perspective of my needs. It could always be worse, you could be the donkey!

By the way, happy February 1! Knocking down the months over here. We're in double digits, hooah....n'stuff!

A Little View

2008-01-23T08:01:00.000-08:00

I rack my brain sometimes trying to find something to send over the blog that may interest you. After about a year of this I must admit I'm a little tapped out on things that just may. I can share some of what we do as "Police Mentors" but little else that we do out in the field. Often I can show you pics of places that we visit but often its not really our tactical turf so to speak. Recently, we picked up some new police to mentor and here are some pictures of some of the training we've been conducting on site. Mind you, "Police" is a rather watered down version of "Local Soldier" in this country so much of what we teach is more military in nature. If the ANP look a little weird, that's because I painted their eyes. Any real concern, no, but just in case.

What you get

2008-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

This is what you get when you cross a hottie named Auburn and a rather stout bruit named Kujo.

Anatomy of the Cold

2008-01-18T00:55:00.000-08:00

There's a truth about anatomy and physiology. The scrotum and testicles are located on the outside of the body because optimal sperm formation occurs a few degrees cooler than core temp (about 98.6 F). Well, ye ole' scrotum is controlled by two muscle groups that control the elevation of the testicles, assisting with their warming and cooling, and of course, optimizing sperm production. Well, the dartos and cremaster muscles both contract in response to one of two stimuli, sexual arousal or cold. Well, in light of the painful, tragic and dire lack of sexual arousal there can be only one reason my testicles have been resting about 2 or 3 centimeters from my heart for the last few days.......it's cold as hell! Holy......

Um, please say you're kidding

2008-01-13T04:33:00.000-08:00

OK, so my internet has been down for about a week. The weather we've been having has been pretty hellacious. We've been down in the single digits at night, the heaters have been freeazing up and the wind and rain has been so impressive that its blown sat dishes in many directions. We actually had snow the other day as well.

So, here's my wow. I get on iTunes to check for any new music and low and behold I see "Menudo." Um, far be it from me to be selective about who should be on the comeback trail but...........MENUDO! WOW! Major migraine flashback. As a soldier protecting my country's best interests I think I should stand up now and say no!

In other news.....Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer have released a blockbuster combo ............

White Cedar

2008-01-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

Holy crap! Anyone seen any white Lebanese cedar? Afghanistan has been deforrested to a point that'd make paper companies upset and I need to build an arc before its too late!

Rain. We have rain.

2008-01-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

So, I can count on one hand how many days its rained since May. Make that two now. We've had three near solid days of rain. My new sardine can is leaking like a 62 Chevy through the front door hinge and I've got Gator, the pup, diving in my room at every chance for any reprieve from the elements. He leaves it smelling like a wet Afghan ass (donkey.... well.... maybe), to boot. I couldn't take it so after dinner tonight he got a shower, (sponsored in part by Dr Bonnie of Boswell Animal Clinic of Columbus, MS.) That's free plug is for the chew sticks, vitamins, collars and shampoo sent by our lovey vet clinic in MS. Stop on by there if you get a chance, nice folks.

Moving on........So, now he's bundled up and too lazy to get outside for his food. I'm sure I'll pay for it about 0100 when his stomach starts to growl. Auburn tucked herself away under a conex on the ANP side and had her pups today. It took a while to find her. We looked everywhere, but under the conex on their side because there's no way that fat heifer could have fit under there. Well, she did. I could only count three brown pups. We'll check in the morning to see if more entered this exquisite, real estate rich country.

We picked up our new guy yesterday. Nice guy from Syracuse, NY. Well, this is his first deployment. SGM and I gave him the "old, its gonna be OK speech" when we picked him up. Told him how well the roads were around here and he had little to be concerned about. You know, trying to assist him in relaxing and not worrying about everything that he was told to worry about during premobilization training. Well, we were getting ready to head out when we got stood down from leaving the base. EOD (explosive guys) were detonating an IED right outside the base. So, we pulled over, dismounted the Humvees and had a talk. The new guy was still in the humvee waiting for instruction. Well, you know me........I had to say something. SGM looked at me and knew exactly what I was thinking. I said, I have to. It's his first day here and after the its safe speech I gotta say something! So, I went around the vehicle and knocked on his door. He opened and I told him he could get out and take off his body armor because they were detonating an IED on our main route. It was classic.......everything a moment like that could have been and more.... "Rogggeerrr tthaatt siirr,"as he dismounted the truck. I responded, "Hey, you want some coffee while we wait?" And at that one of the trucks went off to Tim Hortons to get some coffee while we waited for the boom.

Good times....Rain's keeping the dust down (in compliance with the all new 2008 anti-dirt lung laws of Afghanistan) and I got a little entertainment off the new guy.

Life is good.

Bury the Habit

2008-01-03T08:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a wee bit mundane around here lately. No probing by Taliwacker and mostly we've just been trying to stay out of trouble with our "stellar" higher echelon. At any rate I thought I'd share a little bit of our world. We've put a lot of work into Camp Georgia and it's been coming together quite nicely, if I might say so myself. So, we like to keep it clean. Well, we've designated our patio area, around our wood burning stove, to be the smoking area at night. It's the time we all gather around, smoke cigars/cigarettes and talk about the days events and tomorrows plans etc. Well, we only have two cigarette smokers and they happen to be an E3 and E4. Well, one of them left a couple of cigarette butts on the patio, which SGM found the next morning. We have our suspicions on which it is and I won't say names but I'm sure its the E3. There are times the poor guy can't get it right. Well, the E4 is quite witty and downright smart to tell the truth. Since we didn't know which one left the butts behind, (for "professional development") they both got tasked with performing a funeral for the cigarette. Allee, our E4 was tasked with the eulogy. He was quite upset about it at first but once I reinforced the satire of it all and assured him I didn't want to be disappointed. Well, it was on! I downloaded "Danny Boy" and a bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace" for appropriately placed effect. It was, frankly downright hilarious. Just a note on the pics. The casket was made of cardboard with painting on top. The headstone had "here lies the butt of everyone's joke." The grave site hasn't been moved to date.

So, here it is, the eulogy to the cigarette by SPC Allee.

Friends and neighbors:

We are gathered here today to celebrate the passing of one of our own. Many of us present did not know her well, but she has left her mar on all of us in even her brief time here, even if only second-hand. Many who did not know her have talked about her darker side, the various cancers and addiction issues that she and her sisters are blamed for. She was vilified as a near criminal, a cold-blooded killer whose pack was often accused of causing addiction and painful death. But to those of us who know her, there was another side, a better side. She gave her life for what she believed in, for something bigger than herself. She sacrificed herself on the altar of another's pleasure. Even while being burned alive, she stayed true to her beliefs and remained silent.

While many of her sisters had glamorous careers in Hollywood cinema and the business world, she chose a humbler path. She dedicated her life, and her death, to the happiness of a service member far away from his loved ones here in Afghanistan. Even as she lay dying alone on a cold, concrete floor thousands of miles from her birthplace, she felt no remorse for the things left undone. She was a bright point of warmth in the lives of those who knew her.

We will remember our fallen friend. She is on of approximately 11 billion cigarettes who are snuffed out each day. But she is more than just a statistic to us, more than just another martyr in the unending tobacco wars. She was a friend, she was a neighbor, she was an American. She helped all of us in her own way, whether it was helping someone wake up in the morning, calming them down after a bit of stress, or reducing the amount of claimed social security benefits by 2.5 cents, or by increasing state and federal revenues through excise taxes, she always did her part to help those around her. And while her detractors have spoken at great length about the evils of "her kind" she and her sisters have committed, I give you this thought:

"If you're frightened of death, and you keep holding on, you see devils tearing your life away. But, if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from this world."

While some, even among us here, might feel that she was part of an organization that slowly murders millions of people each day on the altar of corporate greed, I believe that she was merely doing a difficult, painful job with as much quiet dignity as she could. So let her life and death serve as an example to us all in these trying times. Almost fro the moment of her birth, she was crammed into a shipping container shoulder to shoulder with her sisters, 20 of the in all, and shipped inhumanely halfway around the world. And rather than railing against the injustice of it all, she instead found her inner peace. She found it in her heart to forgive those who treated her cruelly, and went on to do her duty to the best of her ability. We, who also live in containers, with very few living amenities, should look upon her not with pity or disgust, but as a shining example. Can we, with her noble example to guide us, not look at those around us with compassion? Her life, and her death, should be our guide.

It is up to us, the survivors, to carry on her work. We must be willing to give of ourselves to bring tranquility to those around us. Even as those who we sacrifice ourselves for demand more and more from us, we must do our duty and set an example for them with our quiet professionalism. No matter how great our trials and tribulations others inflict on us for their own amusement, we must do our best to bear them with grace and humility. After all, what greater gift can a man give than to sacrifice of himself to lessen the boredom of his elders?

While all of us knew her, what we did not always realize was her sense of irony. In keeping with this, she has requested that while her butt be buried here today, the rest of her ashes were to be scattered across this camp where she gave up her life. In keeping with this request, we consign some of her remains here to the earth before us today. Let that which remains here anchor her to us in our hearts and minds, and let that which blows free help to guide us on our journeys through this life, and the next, until we can once again reunite free of the prisons of the flesh in the ever after.

She has requested that in lieu of flowers, cash donations should be used to buy her sisters out of bondage at KAF duty free shop. Please see SPC Allee after this service to make arrangements.

Please join me in a moment of remembrance for our fallen comrade, she who made the ultimate sacrifice and died alone for the enjoyment of others. She stood true to the tradition of the gladiators who came before her, even to her final breath. She is in a better place now. may her spirit live on in the words, thoughts and deeds of those of us who remain.

2008-01-02T00:42:00.000-08:00

GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

41-10! Hawa......Who? What? Huh? Hawaii by....huh? Didn't hear you! Can you say that again? Gonna win by.....? Welcome to the mainland!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats to USC for puting Illinois back in their hole. Alright Buckeyes, its redemption time. Please don't let me down. It's bad enough I've got to be in this hole. Don't dig me another!

Happy New Year

2007-12-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-21T22:11:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-19T21:34:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

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!

2007-12-14T10:06:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-13T02:11:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-11T23:04:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-10T11:32:00.000-08:00

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?

2007-12-10T11:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-10T11:00:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

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.

AMEDD

2007-11-27T22:11:00.001-08:00

Confirmation of acronym for my fellow AMEDD officers, Charles specifically.
Army Medical Enduring Deadly Duty! GO INFANTRY! Who'd want to practice medicine without a Humvee anyway? Comon', Air Force, Fobbits, REMFs? Just think about all the fun you'd miss? Rounding on patients and going to the O.R. won't be the same without my M9, M4 and shank! Think about it? It's perfect preparation for working in any city hospital.

Free For All

2007-11-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

Some of you know that we've been building our camp up out back so we can have our own little part of the world without the ANP staring at us all the time. Well, we have 50% of it done and we should be able to move in within the week. I'll be so glad! You have no idea. We are the only embedded team with the type of mentoring that we do. Most teams live on a compound near by. We live in the same compound about 10ft away. Gets old after a while. You just want a little bit of space. It's like having a 3 year old or, for that matter, an irritating neighbor bother or stare at you 24 hours a day. So, the addition of room and removal to the other side will be welcome. I'll have a container to myself with room for a bench and medical supplies on one side and my personal stuff on the other. A true "Doc in a box!" ER's got nothing on me!
We did a dismounted presence patrol the other day in a village nearby. We took a few ANP and tons of candy and toys in our backpacks. We did a complete walk through the village and before we left, stopped and handed out a plethora (like that GRE word?) of the gifts you all have sent. They all had a free for all and we hauled tail to get out of the village. It was a good time and the kids loved it. Thank you all for your continued support sending school supplies, candy and toys. We give it out as fast and safely as we get it.

Arrival

2007-11-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

I have made it "home" so to speak. After about 3 days, 3 countries, 3 planes, 1 cold shower and 9 hours of sleep I've arrived. It was a bitter sweet arrival to Kandahar, feeling the pain of leaving my beautiful family behind yet feeling the joy of seeing my comrades here again AND dare I mention the fact that I'm in the down hill slide of the tour now. There's joy in just that alone.
On the trip back Goddard got "stuck" in Qatar for a day and couldn't believe that was a base supporting a war. The roads were paved, not dirt or gravel. People appeared generally happy and well. Uniforms were pressed and there was a huge dry cleaner there. Multiple coffee shops to include a Duncan Donuts. What the hell? A Duncan Donuts........in "theater." They get to drink 3 alcoholic beverages a day, not that that matters! They have a wine bar and several pubs. A Chilis for crying out loud. So, we went to the pub with this Army pilot we met at dinner. Nice guy, showed us the turf, had a few drinks and all of us dreamed in union about transferring to the Air Force. Aim High! It's the better life, for sure.
Back to reality. The beer, coffee and asphalt were nice but dirt, gravel and the sound of the Mullah screaming in the wind calls to me telling me that there is more to be done ........it says.......help the helpless, help the hopeless, make a difference. That can mean assist the needy in a new testament way or kill the enemy in old testament style. I'm partial to both. Let come what may.

Heading Back!

2007-11-21T13:12:00.001-08:00

So, once again back in the airport awaiting a flight back to "home." It's been a great visit with family and friends and I'm not sure I could've maximized it any more. It was great to see you all, assuming I saw you and I appreciate all of you that shared your hospitality with my family and me while we were home. Thank you.
So, I'm here in the international wing of the H...field Int Airport and there are these two European dudes sitting a few feet away from me as I type. One guy has been ripping gas since I sat down. LOUD too! Some lady came to plug her laptop in next to me and heard the guy. She didn't even sit down, just turned and walked away away without skipping a beat. Glad she knew it wasn't me! People talk about how rude Americans are! Good Lord, I'd have to tape my wife and daughter's mouth shut to keep them from giggling to pieces if they were here. It's all I can do to keep typing! I hate Seinfeld but it reminds me of one of the episodes. Anyway, I took a picture of him to warn you single ladies out there but I forgot my cable to download it.
So, back in action soon. I'm going to miss out on a great VMO by about a day or two unfortunately but hopefully I'll have some good stuff to pass on shortly.
Later

Vacation

2007-11-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I've had a few worrisome emails lately and forgot to drop a line to say I'd be out on vacation for a few weeks. I'll be back on line in a couple of weeks with more updates! God bless you all. I'm recharging my batteries!!!!! Later

VMO

2007-10-30T03:26:00.001-07:00

So, sometime in my recent past I was able to go on another village medical outreach about an hour from my new location. Turned out that it was a village surrounded by a refuge camp with approximately 12000 families. If you know anything about families in Afghanistan, that's like 10 dudes with 10 wives a piece and a few thousand kids running about the mine fields like no big deal! Anyway, two other PAs and I went out with SECFOR (security forces) with humanitarian goods and medical supplies for about 300-400 people. The three of us saw about 300 people in about 4 hours. This seems impossible but when you have a limited diversity of meds to treat acute illness and minimal else, you can really crank it out especially when you have 1 interpreter per provider. That really helps. We had people being carried in on backs, on wheel barrows and in sacks. There were illnesses reminiscent of biblical times. I found myself thinking of the stories in the bible about people bringing their sick to Jesus to be healed and there I was, watching this old haggard woman being carried in on the back of her dilapidated husband just to see me. How humbling! Unfortunately, there was little to do for her but give directions on how to seek further care either in the large public hospitals or in Pakistan. Right, like there's money for the trip! On my last VMO, I noticed a significant amount of arthritis in "older" meaning 40s and 50s around here. So, this time I came prepped. Alright!!! Something in my lane......injections! Thank God, get me away from this primary care crap and give me something I can fix! So, I came armed with multi vial cortisone for injection in did probably 10 injections, about 30 less than I thought I would. It's a way to really get some effect longer term, up to 6 months or a year if your lucky. Much better than giving a few tablet to last a few days. Among the other issues we saw: blindness, traumatic amputees looking for prosthetics, dry skin....go figure....thank God vaseline is cheap over here. I can't seem to get them to understand dry skin. Imagine that! Others...club feet and other disfiguring deformities like severe scoliosis and kyphosis, worms, TB (please step back), malaria, and of course every form of Ear, Nose and Throat problem. Back to the TB. You do your best to be polite when someone walks in and tells you that they have fever and bloody cough. Out of the "man-jammies" comes the xray with infiltrations all over. You take your step back to get yourself some breathing room and tell the terp to step in and let them know they need to be seen at the public hospital for TB screening and full treatment. It's the same look, every time. I'll be on one side of the room and the other PA with be on the other. Haji walks in and whips out the xray. You look over your shoulder and see your comrade step back and get some space. It's kind of funny. Meanwhile, the terp's like "But sir, why the hell do I have to stand next to him!?" For all you on your way over....Always take hand gel with you and hand wipes. You never can get enough gloves and dear God! The stuff you'll put your hands on just to treat the needy. It's enough to break a nail biting habit! We had to turn away what was approximated to be 1000-1500 people for treatment. We didn't have time or supplies. Women were literally fighting in line to get ahead of the other. We had to get terps outside to try to calm the situation because we aren't allowed to touch them (women) and shooting a few to make a point doesn't exactly fall in line with Army values!
I didn't get many pictures of the VMO because I was too busy. There were two medics that were a big help and they took a few shots. Nothing amazing but here are a few pics. The sunrise pic is one of the FOBs we stayed at on the way to the VMO. Nice place. Gets mortared about 3 times a week. Usually Tali is pretty wide though!

2007-10-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
42-30!!!!

RUFF!

Thanks

2007-10-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Just wanted to drop a line of thanks for the mail I received today. Bill, thanks for the box of candy, toys etc. Bev Freeman, thanks so much for the junk food. Not sure about how much of the homemade checks mix that'll be shared but if the Lord leads me, I'll give up a pretzel or two and maybe some of the crumbs, maybe. Thanks for the books as well. They'll be eaten up over the next month or so. Atlanta Computer Sales, thanks for bringing my Toshiba back to life and getting it back so rapidly.
OK people, I'm back and hopefully will have some missions coming up soon to be able to feed your minds with good propaganda and photos.

Back to the Basics

2007-10-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

One of the several reasons I started this page was the hope to be informative to my fellow practitioners that might be in my shoes one day. I've been fortunate to meet a couple of you and have received some emails on the side about questions concerning the mission. Hooah! (It's an Army thing and frankly, I'm not sure I get it quite yet). Still don't get the Hoorah! from back in the Navy days either. I always preferred aye aye. Said more to me. Anyway, moving on.....So, I thought I'd drop a global refresher for those of you not bold enough to drop me an email. I don't bite you know.....well.......my wife may beg to differ. And at that she blushes and can't wait for me to call and tell me how embarrassing that statement was! Alright, back to the task at hand. If you are mobilized to Camp Phoenix for support of Operation Enduring Freedom it is true that you may not be doing what you currently expect. Case in point, me! I'm a PA, mobed to be a PA and I'm a, well, Infantry PA with the emphasis on infantry. If you happen to be Navy or Air Force, you are of the lucky that may get to do your job. You are not combat arms and will probably cover down on a TMC or the like. You may, if you are in the Army, get to cover down on a ANA mentor position. You may support a TMC or hospital. You may be an infantry PA and cover down on the PMT (police mission) and sundry other not so normal jobs for PAs. You could find yourself the sanitation expert on your little world. You may be slightly more advanced in entomology by the time you leave here. You name it, you may be it. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm just saying be prepared. So, number two. Logistics (class 8/medical supplies)coming out of Phoenix is as effective as getting an upper GI endoscopy to remove hemorrhoids, eventually you may see some of it but its gonna hurt. Point here. Bring as much medicine as you can from your mobe station. An extra tuff box may be sufficient with basic primary care type meds. Most of what I see around here are common HEENT complaints, dyspepsia, occasional inflammatory diarrhea but mostly transient that's treated without abx. Now, some other areas around the country go through tons of Cipro so I'd be prepared. Also, think National Guard, think over thirty and weekend warrior. Think Tylenol, Motrin and Aleve. You'll use it, I promise. Don't feel like you need to load up on IVF, tourniquets and stuff like that. Get some extra but don't load down on that. It's harder to get normal supplies. Don't worry about narcs, you can get them at Phoenix. DO BRING a copy of your license as well as credentialing packet from whatever branch you're in. I carry it on a thumb drive and have had the opportunity to work in some coalition ORs. Most of them will be glad to let you help but will want some proof of training and credentialing. Come on, wouldn't you! Hell, I don't even want some credentialed people working on me! Don't him haw about that statement. All you providers can name a few of them!
Alright, I'll stop the babble. I do want to hear from you if you have questions. I'm here to help and I do speak my mind. Mind you, the opinions expressed in this blog are those of a professional that usually practices in the real world and these are not necessarily the opinions of the US Army. I cannot be held responsible for the truth and reality that pass my lips and I'll deny the truth if questioned under a white light!
PS .At Riley, pay attention to soldier skills. The rest is fairly useless. Reality is here and as long as you have common sense, the ability to use your weapon and a decent capacity to adapt to environments, you'll be fine. That is unless you are at a flag pole. Then all you need to know is.....Is your unit patch correct or are you wearing your reflective PT belt in the day time. Another is the wearing a helmet in the Humvee while driving a max of 10mph on KAF. You get my drift. We call them FOBbits. They still get to worry about nothing while the rest of us go outside the wire and do the job that needs to be done.
Peace, love and 7 months.

Uh.

2007-10-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

Uh. Hmm. Uh. Well, the weather is getting pretty nice. Very cool mornings, about 40-45 degrees, and then BAM smokin' hot in the afternoon, about 100 degrees today. Just like the rest of the country, it leaves you bewildered. Last week was quite balanced. This week, not so much.
Other than that. Got the chicken plates of the Humvees painted all black with Super Gs in the middle. They look great. I'll get pics up soon.
Monkey, cat and birds all hanging in there.
Hmmm. I'm tapped out.

I'm no genius but hey, I got this one

2007-10-16T06:33:00.000-07:00

My little clinic is quite meager to tell the truth. I'm a high priced addition to any team that doesn't have a full up medical team. That being a TMC (troupe medical clinic) or higher. I was beckoned to come see one of the high ranking individuals on the FOB and found him to be lying in bed, weak and rather confused. Well, as I began talking with him, via my interpreter, I found his responses to be rather confusing and inappropriate. I asked how long he'd been sick and if he'd been seen by a doctor downtown. Well, of course, only the "best doctor" and this is what he gave him......Tylenol, a muscle relaxer and some vitamins as well as some antibiotics. Nice, anything else. Yes, a negative malaria test and a normal white blood cell count. Good. Well, have the (person) stand up. HMM..rather weak. I do a little strength testing and other neuro tests and tell the other high ranking individuals that it may be good to get him to the hospital because the least of his worries requires antibiotics and pain relievers, the ..... has had a stroke and needs further treatment. They were blown away. No way, a stroke. What's that? Oh boy, here we go, just get him downtown to that "best doctor" in the hospital to get him evaluated for a stroke, not an infection.
Bottom line. If you are a civilian, don't get sick here. Very scary!!!! Can you imagine the size of the lawsuit that'd bring in the US. Whew! Gave me heartburn just thinking about it. At any rate, said individual has connections and power and got treated at a coalition facility and is being transferred to another facility for appropriate rehab.
I'm know I'm just an ortho guy and I'm no genius, but I got this one!

The "raining of lead" has ceased

2007-10-13T22:41:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the end of another Ramadan season and I don't feel like I've celebrated enough but I'll try my best to make up for it when I'm at home on leave. It only took 2 days of nightly spraying of ammo to get it out of the system. I remember back in the old days we could go for 3 days no problem! The new generation just isn't made of the same fiber, you know. Or maybe, just maybe, its the fiscal responsibility that the newer fighters feel to their country and cause, realizing that the bottomless pit of money can't come in from the US and NATO forever. The epiphany, the blinding light of wisdom, is spreading throughout the culture at a blistering speed and the knowledge of unity and selfless service to the helpless and needy is no longer cowering to blatant ignorance and lack of education. Wooooo, careful where you go Nathan.
OK, so I went a little over the top. However, I didn't hear any weapons last night and there isn't any crapola in the concrete water runoff ditch this morning.
One step at a time. One step at a time.

It's Over!!!!

2007-10-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

Nope, not the war. We'll be here just like we are in Germany, Japan and Korea, for the long hall. No. I'm referring to the season of Ramadan, a season of fasting from 0400 to total darkness in the wee hours of the night, about 1930. This is supposed to be a season of reflection and preparation for Edes, Christmas on steroids if you will (in a 4th world country). The season really reminds me of Lent because its supposed to bring them closer to Muhammad and Allah. Tis also the season Muslims make their journey to Mecca. I saw part of the selection process in Lashkar Gah. Only a certain number of people can go from each area of Afghanistan. It looked kind of like a lottery, frankly but I'm betting there was a highest bidder to the Mullah (religious teacher) in there somewhere! Whatcha think?
Moving on......there was weapons fire galore last night. You name it, AKs, crew serve, tracer rounds, probably some IEDs for fun! This morning there were kids with little "fire crackers" across the road "exploding" them. Sounded more like an IED or mortar round to SGM and me. So be it. "Like father, like son." "Boys will be boys." "Raise them in the ways they should go...." and the like. Future insurgents....remind me to give a few more toys to those kids! "Here kid. Stay away from the Humvees with the super G on it! Look for the G, got it!"
So, the medical complaints of fatigue, headache and abdominal pain should go down. It amazes me during sick call how many of these guys come in at 1700, before dinner, complaining of headache and abdominal pain or just "not feeling well or better yet flu." "Well, when was the last time you ate, 0330? HMMM. No diarrhea or change in bowel movements? No nausea, vomiting? Just a tummy ache? Tired and weak? Just don't feel like you have any energy? Ya, no magic pills for that....Go eat and drink something and see if you feel better!" Next!
So, today is the start and the feasting continues for 3 days. Yeah! Let the waste of ammunition continue!

Some Pics

2007-10-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Above.....home, for now. Right.....a doll that my daughter sent over to give away. Below......SGM Allman with Georgia, our monkey.

My New Little World

2007-10-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

I guess by now most of you know that I've moved to another FOB further east of Lash. I won't give specifics but I'm still in southern Afghanistan. The new address that Amanda sent out speaks for itself. If you haven't received it, please get in touch with her if you want it or email me direct and I'll get it to you. All has been well thus far. We hear a lot of small arms fire around here, especially in the evening but most of it is off in the distance a few km away. Not much more than that. The FOB is small and I must admit, despite missing my friends in Lash, its nice to be away from a "flag pole" and it much more relaxing. I do a sick call for the ANP about 4 days a week and enjoyed the VMO we did last week. It's no magical transition into real medicine but its been a nice change of pace anyway plus I'm back with Sergeant Major Allman whose become a good friend. Don't be jealous Dan and Jeff, I still love and miss you guys as well, especially on Thursdays!
Let's see here. The Dawgs lost to Tennessee. That's pretty depressing so I won't go there. USC and the gamecocks lost.....that's a balancing upper. Sorry Ward, it had to happen eventually. The Buckeyes pulled through another one, whew! We'll carry on until next Saturday and hope UGA picks up the pace and Ohio continues its run.
I tried to throw up some pics tonight but the blogger host won't let me. Sorry, I'll try again tomorrow.

Hold on

2007-10-04T06:43:00.001-07:00

Hold on people. I've had little time over the last week to keep up with emails and the blog. My computer should be back in a week or two and that'll help out.
The new FOB is small but great. I miss the guys at Lashkar Gah but it has been refreshing to get a different view of the country.
The internet is a little faster here and I should be back in the blog and email groove soon.
We went out on a village medical outreach the other day and I think I'll get my hands on a few pics to load up.
Thanks to all of you on your comments etc. I love you see them. Lets me know you're acutally reading.
Anyway, more to come soon

Life

2007-09-28T10:07:00.000-07:00

No kidding there I was.
You know. Not a whole lot going on lately. We were inop for a few days and then on lock down because of the bad man with an extremely expensive vest wandering the streets. One got picked off by the ANP right outside the gates of the compound and it was caught on video. That was interesting to watch. I'll stop there.
Next, thanks to the efforts of my wife and father I received my old laptop from school. 2003 technology at its finest and I forgot how slow and antiquated the old Compaq was. At any rate, I was glad to get another computer just to be able to download pictures etc. Well, I had it for 2 days and was minding my own business, spending about 45 minutes IMing and checking email before a mission and the damn thing crashed. We've got two computer gurus here, thanks to the 82 Airborne, and they reloaded windows XP on it.......after laughing at its antiquity. Well, I started downloading drivers for the hardware and the cursed thing loses all the memory blah blah. Well, they tell me to put it to rest. ARGH! Anyway, looking at Macbooks now......Anyone know Steve Jobs?
Next. We finally get outside the wire the last couple of days and had some great interaction with the locals in a fairly poor section of town next to one of our police check points. These kids came out of this makeshift medical clinic and we had the ANP hand out about 3 bags of stuffed animals and toys. It was so great. That's what its all about. We handed out paper, crayons and whatever else we had. I pulled out my medical bag and started to see people on the hood of my Humvee. The pic is of a little girl with a lacerated finger. Another is a girl that grabbed our hands and kissed them. It was breaking our hearts but it was so fulfilling to have and be able to give. Thank you all for sending what you have to give to these children who have nothing, literally. The joy that only comes from the one, true everlasting God was spread that day and man was it awesome. I have some better pics of us in action and I'll try to load those later.
Finally, I'm being moved to another Base. So, I'll be in transit for about a week. When I get my new address, I'll get it to Amanda and she can send out a mass email to let you all know. Hopefully, I'll have control of developing a small clinic. I'll still be riding out on missions but this location is going to allow me to do more VMOs (village medical outreaches), hopefully. All of you that know me know that I'm a fighter and a caregiver the same. So, depending on my mood, you may be healed or dead. Well, hopefully, I'll be able to lean toward the healing side now.

The Mobility Project

2007-09-20T22:36:00.000-07:00

So, my life has turned into a little bit of, well, a lot of groundhog days with no end in site except for what I hope will turn into vacation sometime in the next 2-3 months. I've decided to take the focus off me and clue you into something more than, but not quite, Afghanistan. My cousin, Jenny, is the VP of the organization "The Mobility Project." It's a Christian organization that essentially works for what it says, at the mercy of funds outside of itself. They are based out of Louisville, KY. Sorry about that loss to KY by the way. hee hee. Moving on........Their next mission is here to Afghanistan in October. How ironic, that we would be in the same country at the same time so far away from home. Funny, eh. Well we haven't seen each other in about 15-20 years so for us to meet over here would be a nifty reunion. So, be praying that I can get out of here for a few days in October to get up to see her. Also, for those of you looking for a tax break, you may concider visiting www.mobilityproject.org for learning more about what they do and possibly donating to their cause. I'll link it down on the right. Feel free to give to a worthy cause as you are led.
Peace

LT Doc Groundhog Marsh

Toshiba Alert

2007-09-19T08:50:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I'm down. Hurt. Cut down at the knees. Yep, no computer. Forget the IEDs. Forget the Taliban. I can live with those two. Heck, I can even work with the Canadians if I have too. Without a computer, though, that's just too much! Let me clue you in. Toshiba evidently has some issue with the BIOS system password making a random password that requires sending your computer to Toshiba when the random password occurs. It may never happen but if it does you must send your computer in to them. There is, however, a patch on the Toshiba website that you can download that will prevent it from occurring. So, if you own a Toshiba, I highly recommend you go to the website, plug your model number in and find out if there are any critical updates for your Toshiba. This is not a Windows issue. So, do it or else you'll have to send your computer from friggin Afghanistan to the US to get fixed! Well, not necessarily you, but you get my drift. So, I'm at the mercy of my fellow Dyncorp and Army buddies for their left overs until my beloved family gets the extra laptop over here. LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!! hint, hint.
Not much else occurring. We did some more over watch at the below place again. Our boys were back begging outside the wire, but it was girl day and we left them to their begging and threw stuff to the cute little girls walking by. Some boy tried to take a pack of crayons from one of the girls......didn't go over too well with me......I pulled my 9mm out and backed him down rapidly. The girl was appreciative and the American doc saved the day. You know, hearts and minds...hearts and minds.

Shake Your Make Money Maker or Just Pick Up a Puppy

2007-09-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

We actually went and did some training with the ANA and ANP not too long ago and while we were there gathered up a fan club of 3 mutt type puppies. To lay the framework here, it's Ramadon, the season in which Muslims fast (nothing past the lips) after 0400 until 1900 depending on when the sun sets. Well, we're not supposed to drink or eat in front them out of respect blah, blah, blah. Well, these pups came whimpering up to us and of course, we whipped it all out of our trucks for these dogs. Bottled water, peanut butter crackers, beef jerky etc right in front of the ANP and ANA. I'm sure they couldn't believe we'd bring all that out for dogs! Anyway, we lavished them while we were there and almost took a couple back to camp but the mother came looking for them. So, we fed her a little too. So, Sekula's soft heart was captured and the "money maker" shots were born. It's up to him now to see how far he can take them. He's had the pics on his myspace for about 6 hours and had multiple comments from random bleeding hearts.
The other picture: Sekula and I were pulling top cover over a berm protecting a check point. We always love to play with the kids on the other side and today we handed out some of the toys you all have generously have sent us. The recorders and paddle balls were favorites, even with the ANP!!
By the way, we had people asking us for water and food all day long. Seems that Ramadan fasting is like liquor for Baptist. Only bad if others see it.
Oh ya, we learned a valuable lesson. Don't throw bouncy balls to children in crowded streets of third world countries. Children tend to run for them and maybe get their feet run over........maybe. I'm not saying it happened.......but it could. So, don't do it.

Random Intertainment

2007-09-14T07:08:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Found a pic from one of our checkpoints. Not quite as exciting as a kid playing with a 9MM but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Sekula and I hanging out a couple hundred feet above Helmand River.

WOW

2007-09-14T03:30:00.000-07:00

Don't have much to report. Let me speak in secret squirrel language. Bad people want to hurt us. We are tracking bad people as close as possible. Most of us must stay inside until bad people hurt themselves.......boom! OK, anyone still need a translator? Hope not, don't want three letter agencies coming after me. All is well otherwise. Keep praying for them to get bored and boom themselves so we can get out of the rat cage. We debated putting signs on the Humvees saying "bet you can't hit me" but that didn't fly too well with the command. So, we sit.

So, until then enjoy the above photo. Nice kid learning to respect weapons.

Lighten Up

2007-09-12T07:50:00.000-07:00

To counteract the intensity of my mood lately, I'll show you a picture of one of my new t-shirts. Not Army Regulation but sticking to my typical non uniformity type nature, I bought it. The next fire fight or argument I get in with Taliban or an Afghan, I'm going to rip off my outer jacket and point to it. Look! I'm here to make it better!

September 11

2007-09-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting perspective from this side of the world concerning the "War on Terror." There's this constant barrage of mindless, fear inspiring news from American CNN and other news networks as well as Sky News, a British counterpart to the Fox, CNN et al, concerning our place in the war and meaningless polls pronouncing the public's position on it. As I raised a special flag over my Humvee today, all I could think about wer the Tower's falling to the ground, the thousands of people that died in them and the sacrifices of the troops and families that have fought to keep the war abroad instead of at home. I have this deep seeded desire to see this war fought and finished correctly without the chasm that partisan politicians sell their souls for. This is not a political commentary, I'm dissatisfied with both parties severely, especially when they use this date and tragedy to better position themselves for a venomous political posture.
Bottom line is that some of us serve to kill, some serve to save (both in my particular situation) but all of us serve, as did the veterans that have gone before us for nearly 300 years, to prevent our children from being in this god forsaken position in the future. There are bad people that cannot be rehabed in this world. Some people need judgment sooner than others and that's our job. So, ask a soldier, marine, sailor or airman what they think. It's probably more accurate to ask the guys in the field, despite their branch. Turn off CNN and Fox and support your local paper that hasn't bought into the machine. I've seen a lot of local articles that really share the views of the soldiers over here in Afghanistan without the hype and sensationalism of the "big boys" that would love nothing more than for you to babble their half truths to your friends and further boost their program ratings and advertisement dollars.
You guys figure out who depleted my day yet. Yep, politicians and the big news channels that hype the crap they speak. I've probably watched 10 hours of television in the last 6 months and it's been the best thing for my mind as well as my body (lowers blood pressure). Today, I check out a little news to see what's happening for 9/11 and I get Hillary Clinton and George Bush and blah blah blah from both sides of the fence thanks to the giant "non-biased" media.
You may ask yourself, what does one do then. Hmm, some internet blogging perhaps, maybe some journaling, fitness, local hobbies like looking for Taliban through your scope, avoiding IEDs while "hunting" and maybe, just maybe, lots of reading about nothing to do with current events.
Glad I got that off my chest. Do I sound like I'm rambling? Must have been the TV influence today!
Back to what matters. Today is a day of remembrance, a day that should arouse the painful memories of 6 years ago. Peal the scab away and remember. Remember the blood that has shed by all Americans and coalition forces that have been returning the favor to the Taliban.
So, above is my track (Humvee) on 9/11. We fly flags in a war zone every day to let them know whose roaming around in their house. What do you fly in front of your house before you leave for work?
And......... lastly, this is why I'm here.
WHEW! Glad that's over with. You probably are too!

ARGH!

2007-09-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

You all ever felt like scooping your eyeballs out with a grapefruit spoon? Ya, that's about what I'd rather have done than congratulate all the "cocks" around here this morning. Don't usually shake hands and confess good job to that appendage too often, but they did when. Spurrier, the bane of Georgia's existence. I'll hold out hopes for the Dawgs to beat Tennessee and with luck, Florida. how about my boys from Michigan again. heehee. Go Buckeyes!!!!!!!!!! You know though, with our luck there, Michigan will keep losing and then beat OSU in the one game a year that counts! Don't get me wrong, I'd never wish that on the Buckeyes but irony is in play already with the Dawgs loss to SC. Anyway, good job SC. You've gotten the hang of football. Time to work on literacy, hooah!
I know,that was a low blow but I can't let this slide without expelling some of my pain. You know, talk bad about someone else to cover your own insecurities...blah, blah, blah......Yes, even ortho types remember a little about psychology and emotional stuff. Not that we care....but we remember it. Just like the British medical officer here tells me "Nathan, there's more to life than bones and joints!" My usual response is "Sure, like surgery n stuff!"
Anyway, enough babbling.
Go Dawgs! Keep up the good work and carry on. The integrity in the program with leadership from the likes of Mark Richt keeps me loyal!!! Go Buckeyes! Way to go Michigan, keep up the good work! God bless us all, football's back in town and the passion is thick!!!!!!!!!!

Reflections

2007-09-07T10:28:00.001-07:00

I pride myself on screening my blog to minimize the stresses at home about our safety over here and I'll continue to do so but we all know we are at war and men and boys are dieing in and around our area of battle. The British have lost several men since we've been here and mostly you can shuck it off and carry on but lately I've been a little reflective.
I'm so grateful for my wife and daughter and I can't wait to get home to see them. My family and friends have been so supportive that words cannot express my gratitude and not a day goes by that I don't think about all of you for some reason or another.
My father served 21 years in the Air Force. My grandfather was a B17 navigator and POW in Germany during WWII. Now I'm here. I think about all of you that have supported us with prayer, care packages, letters and more prayers and I can't help but reflect on my life and how blessed I've been and how amazing God has been to bless us all so much.
We are hanging low for a few days and I've been mellow on music and searching the net for memories. I clicked on that classmates.com thing to see where some of my classmates were in Florida and then I found myself looking for evidence of my existence in the Philippines. Well, I found this website www.whoa.org that highlights graduates or students and teachers from Wagner High School at Clark Air Base in the Philippines. Some of you may know that the base was essentially destroyed when Mt Pinatubo erupted and this website carries on some of the memories for those of us that went to school there.
So, why am I talking about this? Most of you that know me, mostly my wonderful wife, know that I can't be serious too long without throwing something funny into the mix to break the stress. So, go to the web page, click on yearbooks, 88, then Freshman and you'll see my name and get a good laugh at that handsome 14 year old stud. For another laugh, click on seniors and look up my brother, Shane. And Kristin, don't think you'll get away. My wonderful sister-in-law can be found in the Junior section, last name Iverson.
So, I've shared my heart and what God gave me to raise my spirits.
Love you all. Thanks so much.

Thank Yous

2007-09-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Got mail today. Thanks to the Buckeye Gang and Scotty for the care packages.
Scotty, thanks for getting the Georgia Bulldogs to autograph the poster. Thanks to you friends in Athens for helping get it done as well. Go DAWGS!!!!! I'll post the poster proudly when I get my room squared away. By the way, please God let them beat South Carolina. It'll be a long 8 months if not.
My lovely Buckeyes, thanks for the mags and food. The reading helps break the monotony. You guys are the best. Thanks for all your support. Love you all. Sorry about the heat wave. Hope it ends soon and some gentle rains fall on your paths. How about Michigan!!!!!!!!!! I thought last year was embarrassing for us. At least UF was actually the best team in the nation last year. That pained me to say being the Dawg I am but I'll give respect to whom its due.

Not much to say

2007-09-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hi there everyone. It's been a long week without much cool stuff to talk about. We've been back checking on our "people" and same old same old.....
We did find our guy with the monkey however, the monkey is new and improved and looks much less depressed than the last. We couldn't bring ourselves to ask what happened to the last one.
So, this is where I've been depleted to over the last week or so. Here are pics of the new monkey. I picked the monkey up first and he was climbing all over. By the time MAJ Wallace got him the monkey knew where the most comfortable spot was with the best view.

Let me sum it up for you

2007-09-03T10:39:00.001-07:00

Hey, are these bottle rockets? Can we play?

2007-09-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

Come on. Who is it? Who do they belong to? Oh ya, the proud husbands of Monet and Amanda. You know you love us despite our idiocy! Anyone wanna play with bottle rockets? They only hurt when you repeatedly bang the tips together. Here. Let me show you.........Hey! Where you guys going? Come back!! Don't run its OK, I'm a trained expert!!! Plus, I have plenty of tourniquets........

Back Again!

2007-09-02T03:49:00.000-07:00

Alright, here we are in September and the internet its up finally. People, we've had some serious changes around here in the last couple of weeks. MAJ Berry was moved into another management position that he was doing well and then again moved to another position at another base.....close to the Frappe. SGM Allman was robbed from us as well and take close to Frappe Land. Not sure he'd come back if he could. He's got a pretty sweet gig from what I hear. We are still here carrying on with the changes. MAJ Wallace is in charge now and doing a fine job despite the frustrations that have come with the changes. He's a "Razorback" alumni and fan so it can be difficult working with him at times but we give him grace. People from Arkansas need grace you know!
So, we are missing some folks pretty bad but moving on none-the-less. 8 months or so to go.
I'm going to break up this party by ending with some thank yous. I'll put some recent pics together and catch you all up to speed on the viewing pleasure I always try to provide.
My dear wife--------God bless you for the Cappuccino maker/coffee pot. My room has become a social center and coffee usage has doubled.
My brother, Shane------I started with Eraggon. Thanks so much for the snacks and mags. Love you man.
Greg and Billi------One pound down. A true favorite. The candy is on the move as well as the toys. I'll try to stage one of the National Geographic photo ops next time I feel safe enough to bail out of the Hummer. Love you both. Send my love to Jason, Josh and Kristin.

My pic. sometimes you just have to carry your own pain relievers. The other, Sekula and me checking out a CP with underground rooms.

"Qala-I-Bist"

2007-08-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

So in our area of operation (AO) happens to be some ruins of palaces from Alexander the Great and many more conquerors that followed. There happens to be several smaller palaces along the Helmand River but the main one, Qala-I-Bist (castle at Bist), we recently visited. A few pics above. The palace was built in a huge rock mountain along the river a couple thousand years ago, or if my history it wrong, whenever the heck Alex the Great was hanging out in this area for vacation. So, at the top, used to be a much more. The surviving part is in the rock itself. You look down these huge shafts that are bricked about 200 feet down into the rock. It's absolutely amazing. When you look around, the basic people in this country can't build better than this, 2000 years later, albeit some western trained people can throw some construction up. (not up to code, mind you). Anyway, they built it with canals running through the base of the palace, channeled from the Helmand R. They say the Soviets still used it when they occupied the country.
I haven't had much research time but some words translated from Arabic to English have multiple spellings. The area is no longer referred to as "Bist" but is "Bost." So, if you are history minded you can google up Qala-I-Bist or Qali Bost or Bist etc. You know how this game works. There are interesting articles etc on the net. Moving on....
Happy to inform you that the striped hyena is still alive, well and feisty. The monkey, however, has found a new home. Don't know if that was at a dinner table or if the monkey moved to a new check point with the prior crew.
Half the police checkpoints we went to on this mission had several, if not all, young lads high as kites. Nice, eh. Go patrol. Can you see? Can you walk? Can you shoot for God's sake. Where the hell is your commander?!!!!! I'm a doc on the edge, you're lucky I don't shoot you just to have something to do!!!!

Better Found at Police Checkpoint.........

2007-08-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

We've been checking on a lot of checkpoints lately. Got a few pics to share of one of the checkpoints. We were doing our stuff. Checking on the police blah blah blah and Allman and I went down into this underground part of this checkpoint and saw some gifts pictured above. Chinese origin. We figured, better found here than elsewhere.........
We kept collecting these things as we went along and putting them in the back of Sekula's truck. SFC L Johnson shown on the .50 cal was not too amused!! "Why are you putting all these in my vehicle?" Me: "Because I don't want them in mine!!!!!" I'm thinking of sending them home as center pieces for my sister-in-law's wedding. Candle light, you know. Sets the mood. Anybody have any objections?
Scotty, glad you're home safely from the Far East. Lot's of anticipation is going into your last comment. Go Dawgs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monet, I don't know why he guards the pics so much. SGM control issues. I'll start counseling statements with him and have him on appropriate meds when he arrives home.

Another Blog

2007-08-19T04:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Sergeant Major (Danny) Allman's wife has started a blog that I've linked called "Danny and Monet." She's going to keep up with things going on as well. It's a classier blog than mine with the obvious touch of the more popular feminine species. Since Danny has a hard time sharing photos from his Hajee camera, you may get some really good views that I've not even seen. You can ask him about some of that self centered behavior at another time when I'm not within his reach!! (:
Another buddy, said USC fan below, is moving up to Partamian land. Check his lovely world out at the Wagenseller in Afghanistan link. He's in the AMEDD Nurse Corps and has capacity to feel my pain! Another driver in the making. I may tear up. He makes me so proud.

N

Harsh Comments

2007-08-18T02:43:00.000-07:00

OK, so the pics of my room initiated some comments from a few peoples. I won't mention names but the USC (Cal.) fan Ward Wagenseller comes to mind. Somebody needs to remind him which conferences actually have to play hard to get to bowl games. I'm not saying who should do that, but.....OK I'll start. HMMMMM, maybe SEC and Big Ten. No doubt in God's creation, the SEC is the hardest conference ever. No body beats the tar out of you one game after another like the SEC, and I'm a Big Ten fan too. That's an undisputed fact year after year on ESPN as well. Pacific teams go into bowl games strong because the powder puff football they play during the year doesn't get any of their starters hurt. Mind you USC's starters are pretty good.
I'm not opinionated or anything......I'm just saying.........
So, for the public bashing I've released on the good captain, I'll buy him a Frappe (yes the almighty Frappe) from Green Beane next time we're in KAF together. Plus, I know a response will be flying in soon and oh captain, my captain's wrath will dwindle down my way.
Despite all this team/conference rivalry, as long as Georgia beats South Carolina its a winning season for me! As many of you know, all of us here mobilized are here to help Camp Phoenix, being controlled by South Carolina National Guard. If we lose to SC, we (especially the 16 from GA) will hear nothing but "cock" talk for the next nine months.
I'm not opinionated......I'm just saying........
Because I know its rehashing is coming.....Yes, on behalf of all Buckeye fans, last year was an absolute embarrassment. We all got it and still get.

N

My Room

2007-08-14T05:10:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd give you a shot of my living area. I share this room with 2 other guys. This is my little corner of realestate. Not much but its better than the tent! Up top is my pharmacy and library. I thought about moonlighting as a pharmacist but the Army looks down upon that behavior when they give you the meds for free!

Yes! A Hyena it is.

2007-08-13T04:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have verification of the Hyena status of the crack addict pictured below. However, new info from a comment gave us more info that Aardwolves are only in Africa. See all the important information you can learn from this blog. As well, we learned further that this poor creature was captured as a "pup" by the ANP and kept as a "pet." No wonder it's so angry. They say they're indigenous to this area. Moving on.

Some pics to go along with our mission the other day. Two of Sekula and me on some palace ruins and one of us crossing the Helmand River. I was the 6th vehicle and got stuck in the tracks of prior vehicles. Embarrassing for a JEEP owner. It couldn't have been the underpowered engine or the 15000 pounds of steel sinking into the softened river bed below me. No!!! It had to be my poor driving skills!

We ended up cruising a little out of our way into Taliban land for a couple of hours. Ironically, I think they were so shocked to see us in there turf it caught them off guard. We didn't get into contact at all. You should have see some of the looks on their faces as British vehicles and our Humvees drove by on these near impassible roads. They were priceless.

This area west of the Helmand has impressive water channels built for farming and the crops were stunning. I finally figured out where all the food came from down here, not to mention the phenomenal amount of poppy and marijuana that was intermingled amongst the corn etc. Lots and lots of marijuana!!!!!!!!! You know, it's very holistic and good for glaucoma!! I hear that all the time.

Anyway, enjoy.

Lost.......uh......um......what the H........You had me at hello.

2007-08-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Found at checkpoint. Lost something. Cross between inner city crack addict, chuwawa and hyena. Kind of reminds me of my future brother-in-laws dog. You should see that thing!

Anyway, I'm pretty much tapped out on this one. It speaks for itself. They call it an ardwolf. I'm doubtful simply because 80% of the population is illiterate and I haven't seen and encyclopedia in country yet.

Best view yet

2007-08-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ironically, Afghanistan has been fought over essentially its entire existance. Mind you, we're down south and I haven't seen much worth fighting over yet. When you see green down here its poppy or a fresh Mary Jane plant and some corn blah blah. So, we go on this mission along the river and I had to admit there was some stunning terrain. I'm actually thinking about starting a realestate business over here. It may pay off in 40 years or so. By the time we get out of here I could be an official tour guide. For some reason I don't think my wife would be up for it.

Anyway, some of you may know that many major figures built palaces and compounds all over this country. In the south, everything worth while runs along a river.

Here are some pics of a spot we checked out. I kept asking Sekula where the friggin "brown sign" (you know the ones I'm talking about) was to tell us who lived there and why it was important. I had visions of my mother reading the "brown sign" all the way across the country in order to further Shane's and my knowledge. Flashbacks man! Anyway, I found myself desiring that damn sign. Never found the sign but we did find some scat and saw a few Taliban hauling tail away from us on the opposite side of the river.

Checkout Corrigan's "Helmand 911" page for some new updates. He's got some good comments on the pictures.

Some hash, a ferry and a .50

2007-08-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

Some pics from a recent mission around Helmand River. It's clear, blue, beautiful and full of God knows what. Down the cliff looking up is Henry "J" on the .50 cal overlooking the river. This was a joint patrol and one of the Brit medics was looking at a recently treated gunshot wound through a foot. We took out stitches, dressed it and gave him some meds. Last but not least, the Helmand Ferry. Hmmm! I had to watch this guy cross with the bike. I kept waiting for the inevitable tip but it never came. These people are too experienced to let it happen.

At one of the checkpoints today we came across a kid that looked about 12 but was "in the ANP" despite his lack of identification. The funny part is that he was high as a kite hash. We kept pointing him in the direction we wanted him to go and he kept wandering off. I think one of our Majors was almost ready to shoot him out of principle. The rest of us thought it was pretty funny. He failed most of the sobriety tests without even being tested.

Scotty, don't eat too much sushi and watch out for the liquor over there, it sneeks up on you. (He's in Japan doing some PhD stuff)

Yes, JP I took the book from your bunk.

No good title available

2007-08-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

Honey, the forbidden has been mixed. I love you. Tell the "Royalty" thanks as well!

Some shots from Kabul. Hope you like them, they impressed me when I took them. I wish you all could get the magnitude of these mountains.

Thank You God!

2007-08-07T05:34:00.000-07:00

Oh, people, I've finally made it home (or what's come to be, at least). We got an American flight in on a Blackhawk around noon. A few million for one of those. You'd think they'd come standard with A/C but they don't. No leather either. Anyway, the flight was hot as Hades (cleaned up) over the Red Desert but nice and its good to be back. I think I'll stay for a week or so before I set over to the British hospital and get my hands bloody.
Kenny, I finally got your package. Thanks so much. The nutter butters had equal chance at survival as a Taliban in your site picture! Pow! Down they went, take that you nutter butter!
By the way, just in case you were all concerned about the "Scat Pond" at KAF, don't. It's in full effect and my nose still permiates with stink! So, everything is still ok with it. No fishing sign is still up, you'll be glad to know.
You all remember the Frappe story early on. (As depression sets in) there has been no Frappe for 2 weeks at KAF. It's a national tragedy. No friggin media on this story. I demand justice for lack of Frappe!!!!! However, I'm back and I have Cutter's Point Coffee and Starbucks to choose from. Ah, I can't wait for the morning. Yes, I said for morning. I've been trying to cut back. I know!!! You say, huh! But I said it. Yes, less than half a pot a day. Can you all believe it?
I'll get back on and ramble some more later.
N
PS, I read what I thought was an intriguing book. Michael Crichton's "State of Fear" Some language but otherwise a good book.

We're Back

2007-08-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

I've spent the last week traveling Afghanistan on transport missions to get the internet up. Brought some guys from Kabul and took them back. Now I'm in Kandahar awaiting one of my guys to feel better before traveling again. Lots of packages have arrived and I barely had time to sort through them before leaving Lash a few days ago. I'll get into it later but thanks to Mom, Mandy, Leah, Billi and Greg (boy do I have a Ferris Bueller story for you), the Buckeye gang and the Vintage Cafe in Johnstown, NY (wow!). My internet time is short but I wanted to throw all that out while I had the chance.
All else is well. All our GA guys are safe thus far. Thanks for all your prayers and please continue to pray for all of our protection.
I've got some nice pics of Kabul etc to post soon.

N

Still here

2007-07-25T02:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Borrowing some internet to check in. For those of you that have passed on toys in your packages, I've got some pics of the children that have received them. Thanks so much. These kids have never seen toys as such and are always so excited to get stuffed animals, cars, dolls, balls etc.

Not much else occurring here. Our missions have gone well without issue thus far and we take every one as serious as the one before. Safety first and stuff!

Anyway, not much else to report.

Still Here

2007-07-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I'm borrowing one of the Romanian Security Forces computers and riding their net. It's about as effective as throwing a frog against a wall and hoping it sticks, so emailing everyone is tough. I love you all. Hopefully, our internet will be up in a week to two. Security issues have kept the guy from coming down to hook it up. Meanwhile, check out my buddy Partamian's website. He's up north in a "fun zone" and sees some good stuff. I love the pic of him the Marijuana plant. It's so..............him! Anyway, I'll start posting and emailing again when I get a chance.
Thank you all for your continued support ie. packages, thoughts and prayers etc. In the last couple missions we've ran I've been able to give away some of the toys some of you have sent. The children are very grateful and love anything they get.

N

New Blog

2007-07-15T22:34:00.000-07:00

Some of you actually use the links to the right so I thought I'd give you and update. Corrigan decided to start his own blog. He's an very smart albeit interesting character with an interesting perspective on life and war. The views posted on his page, Helmand: 911, are not necessarily the views of this author, or him for that matter. Anyway, he's become a good friend of mine I promise it'll be interesting reading as he develops his page. Corrigan is serving his third tour, 2 in Iraq and now here. He volunteered for the last two. For me, that speaks enough on his behalf, despite his quirks.
For a softer look at life, check out the Malone's webpage, featuring Karli, their beautiful new daughter. I can't be held responsible for any content there as well, the parents are a little odd!!
Below, holding the beloved Maisel's is one of my best friends and college roomy, Scotty. He's a professor of Sports Medicine. One of his concentrations is researching head concussion and he probably got the interest in it by how many times we bumped heads drinking what he's holding.

N

Enough Said!

2007-07-15T08:52:00.001-07:00

Um, has anyone seen the right side of my Humvee?

2007-07-15T08:45:00.000-07:00

I find myself in a moment of reflection, while I listen to a little UB40. A momentary flashback if you will. Imagine driving to the local car dealer to pick your new vehicle of choice. Imagine driving it off the lot, traveling a little while through town to show it off to the locals, running a few errands and while doing that you turn a corner a little close and hit one of the few trees in your state resulting in the peeling off of the right side of your brand new vehicle. Well, that was a little like my day. Yes, while driving at a hefty 10 plus MPH I strafed one of about 10 trees on this post. It was a narrow road and this particular tree had some serious scuff marks from prior incidents. At any rate, the two right side uparmored windows were sheered right off. Gratefully, the mirror didn't break. The security team that stopped told me it happened about every other day which left me wondering why the damn tree was still in the ground. Then I thought, maybe some rogue Afghan tree hugger found a rare species of, lets say anything that can live here, under the tree roots. Maybe that’s why we spend thousands of dollars on vehicle parts instead of removing the tree. Anyway, the thought made me feel better. I didn’t really care much about getting the vehicle fixed as much as I knew the harassment that would be coming my way from “perfect” team mates that would nevvvvvver damage a vehicle. I could feel the sarcasm from miles a way. “OOHHH, doc wrecked the Humvee. Don’t ever let him drive again.” The fun started Corrigan and our interpreter, Habib. Corrigan cocked his 9mm and said, “no you didn’t just wreck our brand new vehicle and delay our stay here at KAF!? I was thinking it was nice to be close to the “S**t Pond” again and we could stay a few more days to let our clothes permeate before we head back. So, pictures had to follow along with berating behavior throughout the night.
OK, it's out in the open and I’ve officially owned up to it. I had a rough day and I’m glad it’s over. On the upside, my USAA premium shouldn’t go up!!

Thanks to my mom, R&R and the GMC Ortho day shift for the packages/letters. Love you all. It was like Christmas around here when we got out mail.

N

2007-07-08T01:45:00.000-07:00

I got pics on. Below is us on 4th of July. The other half of the team is up north and we don't get to hear much from them. For more info in there direction link to Partamian Report on the right.
Our internet is being turned off tomorrow so it may be awhile before I'm on again. MWR in all their wisdom is cutting off funding to us because there aren't enough US soldiers here to warrant the funding. So, we are looking for other solutions. I'll email and update you all as I fly to other FOBs and hope we get this under control soon.

2007-07-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks

2007-07-06T23:09:00.000-07:00

While my hopes of pictures being loaded up are waining, I'll send out my public thanks to all of you that have sent care packages. Thanks to my lovely wife and mother, Gwinnette Medical Center (Orthopedic/whatever else) 6th floor nursing staff and Greg and Billi Aaron from Florida. Thank you all for thinking about us. It's great to get packages from home, kind of like Christmas for all of us when we open them!
OK the cursed pictures won't load. I miss high-speed!
So, July 4th has come and gone. We were given a grill by a KBR welder/woodworker in KAF and that came to good use. We built a little area by our Humvees and grilled out, thanks to the British Supply Officer. They were kind enough to give us tons of food: brats, burgers, steaks(skinny type) and all sorts of additional stuff. (no beer). Anyway, we grilled out, played some football, watched Saving Private Ryan etc. Several Brits came over to help us celebrate our independence. Before you say to yourself "that's weird" one of the Brit Captains said he considered the Revolution a way of purifying British blood and sanctifying the Royalty. My response was "Be glad. If we hadn't of left, you'd be speaking German." That ended that and we all had a good time, brother's in arms.
So, again back to the thanks. Ultimately, thanks to you all that have served and sacrificed for the freedoms out country has. No matter what your role is/was in it, service member, wife, child, sibling, morale supporter etc. Thank you!
You pacifist out there who sit back and take OUR freedom for granted, who go through the daily motions without thinking of the sacrifices of those who do the hard work(despite your feelings about the wars), go enjoy another Latte on us, we'll be here proudly working for who and what we love.

Miracle Man!

2007-07-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's me. I know, many of you that know me might doubt that but I healed an ANP (Afghan National Police) officer. We did our first mission which the details I'll leave in wonderment but it had to do with trainees firing there AK47s. We went to support DynCorp and it was nice to get out of the wire. We were out there for quite a while so I pulled out my trauma (BlackHawk) bag to get some stuff out and the next thing I know I have about 5 guys surrounding me with all there medical problems. Reminded me of an ER in the US without all the fancy stuff and coffee. Anyway, this guy turns out to have a pretty rough episode of bilateral shin splints. Can't imagine why with the quality of sandles and shoes around here. The moonlike terrain couldn't contribute, eh!? So, I call our terp (interpreter) over and we talk to the guy and I give him a motrin there and enough to last a couple of days. So, the next guy hops up and he's got a huge friggin' abdominal hernia that he'd had for a few years and a rip roaring sprained ankle. He's asking for surgery on his hernia etc....so, I figured I'd get him a flight back to Atlanta so Massoud or Renz (inside joke) could work on him. He reminded me of one of there crappier patients that rode his bike into a train in Lawrenceville. That's a long story in itself but everyone at Gwinnett will get the picture, vividly. I have the funny feeling I'll be seeing him again. I sent him on his merry way! So, by the time I sent weirdo on his way (about three minutes later) the other guy walks back over and tells me he feels much better, thank you. Our terp, who's very western, looks at me and says, see Afghans in the south are very different than in the north. That's why Taliban were down here! So, to the title. One magic pill, a talented PA and 3 minutes saved the man from the agony of shin splints. Whew! Tough day at work but someone had to do it. Maybe, if you're lucky I'll get a picture to load.

Volley Anyone?

2007-06-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Russians left one serious imprent on the countryside, besides pot loads of armor and mines, volleyball. These people love some volleyball and they love to beat Americans. I guess it's like the underdog bringing home the gold. Like Kentucky, in a normal year, beating Georgia. Let's not discuss last year. Anyway, we played their "A" team tonight. Mind you, these guys play ball about 4-6 hours a day when not doing missions. They have their game on. They whipped our tails the first two games and after getting in the groove and figuring out the weak spots we cleaned them up with the last two. The funny thing is how they count. Imagine a bunch of petite men squatting on the sidelines screaming out scores after every play, then imagine them screaming the same score over and over as we gain points. We're like, hey, it's not damn 10-6. We've scored three times." Ironically they never lose count when their winning. Anyway, we came away satisfied that we didn't get beaten by this ancient people.
Not much else to report. I must shower off the ring worm now. Good night.
N

2007-06-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

While I'm attempting to upload a single picture (cross your fingers) I'll elude to an interesting/awkward situation that occurred last night. So, Corrigan, A. Johnson and I went to have Chai tea with the interpreters in the camp. Some of these guys live on camp and have small rooms they live in. Well, they are a very social bunch and like us Americans being in the camp because we treat them well and respect them. (Hold the trust, please) Anyway, they love to have us over for tea and discussions. Anyway, they have satellite TV in their room. Corrigan and I are talking to them and watching them flip channels. Of course there are a plethora of channels, some Russian, Indian, British, the US White House Channel (what the hell) and numerous other adult channels that come in fuzzy etc... Well the guy with the remote stops for about a minute on a Televangelist channel. Some lady was on there talking about Jesus and salvation etc.... they were all fascinated and just looked at it. It reminded me of the RCA dog watching the sun rise. Corrigan and I were looking at eachother in bewilderment. How weird it was to see a bunch of devout Muslims checking this TV show out. Personally, I think they were checking out the lady talking vs paying attention to the proselytizing. Here plastic surgery was very good! Anyway, you may not get it unless you were there to see it. I wanted to take a picture but I didn't think that'd fly too well at the local mosque.

It's Over

2007-06-29T01:58:00.000-07:00

After 2.5 days the rain stopped. It took about 4 hours for the heat to kick in after the clouds cleared out. The ensuing steam bath did us right, much like Savannah in the summer, without the breeze. It happened to be the only time they've had rain like this in over 30 years. The mosquitoes promptly to advantage of all things wet and popped out with a vengeance. I killed about 20 of those suckers lunging toward my computer screen last night.
I've tried several times to Upload pictures to no avail. Our bandwidth on our satellite is so narrow that if more than a few people are on the internet its shear luck getting one loaded up and passed on. So, I'll try to add them as able.

Rain

2007-06-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's still raining. How sweet. I woke up at 0500 this am and it was still drizzling therefore, I made a command decision to get back in bed. Looks like we may get more today which is a good thing because when this front moves through it going to turn into a steam bath.
Side note: Scotty, I love the pics and I hold you to a cold one in a sweet stein. For all you left in bewondermant, I'll post the picture of him toying with me. It's beer porn!
Not much else to report. Keep the Indians dancing, the rain is nice.

2007-06-26T23:00:00.001-07:00

Sorry people. Can't upload pics right now. The band is narrow and too many people are on satellite right now. By the way, it rained all through the night and it was still sprinkling this morning. One Afghan told us yesterday that he'd never seen it rain this time of year. Well, the US has rolled into town. Things may change around here. A little rain, maybe a little snow if you make us mad. You never know, if you get us really mad we may take your sand away. Take that!