Afghanistan

Stepping out of the 747 into Kuwait was much less awe-inspiring than my last visit.  For starters, the temperature was much milder - somewhere in the 70’s.  The rest of my time there was very familiar, however.  We were again loaded onto the familiar white bus with the shades drawn and driven to our next destination.  This time, it was Camp Arifjan - not Ali Al Salem - and this is where I stayed for the next few days awaiting my flight to Afghanistan.  All 1000 nearly-identical bags were offloaded in a waiting area for us to claim and transport to our temporary billeting.  Arifjan seemed a bit larger than Ali, and it had much more of a “permanent presence” feel to it, but all-in-all Kuwait is Kuwait (at least the parts we get herded through).  There was no additional training and no trip to the range.  Just some waiting.

Finally, we were manifested on a flight departing on 17Feb.  Our showtime to the “Inbound” terminal was 1030 local.   After a good deal of waiting, were again herded onto busses, and we were carted off to Ali around 1300.  After surviving several harrowing experiences on the highways of Kuwait and being vetted through several checkpoints, we finally arrived at the passenger terminal in Ali.  We were officially checked into the flight, palletized our luggage and commenced with the Army’s favorite activity - waiting.  Finally, our patience and good behavior was rewarded with yet another bus trip.  This one ended on the flight line next to  an Air Force C-17.  We boarded the aircraft, strapped in, and were wheels up around 2008.  We landed in Bagram about three and a half hours later.  The local time was 0116.  After yet another baggage rodeo, we were finally met by a contingent of 3MMB (the 3rd Multi-functional Med Bn), our parent organization, and personnel from the 911th FST.  We were ushered to housing and allowed to settle in.

Flying on a C-17 was a unique experience.  My previous trips on military aircraft were in C-141s which were so uncomfortable that I jumped out - all five times!  The seats on this aircraft resembled airline seating, only a little smaller and more tightly spaced.  Yes - smaller and tighter than airline seats.  Things were a bit disorienting in the belly of this beast.  There are no windows for reference.  It’s actually difficult to even determine when you've begun taxiing, and spatial disorientation was pretty common during maneuvering once airborne.  Due to the time of the flight and the lack of any visual stimuli, and despite the narrow seating, I slept for the majority of he trip.  

From what I can tell, Afghanistan is probably a very beautiful and rugged place.  Bagram Airfield, however, is not; it is situated in a bowl, surrounded on all sides by the jagged peaks of the Hindu Kush.  The higher elevations are currently covered in snow.  Unfortunately, due to our low-lying positing, there is a permanent haze around Bagram which is likely a combination of vehicle emissions and the ever-present dust which even the frequent rains have not been able to subdue.  When the haze lifts enough to allow for a glimpse of the surrounding mountains, their majesty is somewhat humbling.  In many other parts of the world, views like these are enjoyed from the warm comforts of a ski lodge following a thrilling day on the mountain.  No lodges, no lifts, no skis here [or snowboards, Kim, Michelle, and David (that list just gets longer and longer)].

I’m still settling in to this place somewhat.  Trying to make sense of the layout and daily responsibilities.  Setting up some kind of routine will be essential to passing the weeks here.  I just hope that routine doesn't involve hours upon hours of sitting on my duff.  There must be something to do here; I just have to figure out what that might be….

Facing west, the near ridge line of our "bowl" is visible.  Note the inviting dirtscape in the foreground. 

CRC Foibles

As I mentioned last time, the entire goal of CRC is to get everyone on an airplane at the end of the week.  To that end, I suppose that they did an adequate job.  Unlike my last experience, however, I can’t say that it was with quite the same style.  While I did end up on the plane, it wasn’t exactly without incident….

The first few days went off without a hitch.  However, come Tuesday, the wheels came off of the bus.  This whole incident can actually be traced back to an error which probably occurred last fall.  When the initial “tasker” for this deployment came out, it seemed that the final location was, perhaps, in question.  By the time my orders were cut, the final destination had been chosen - Afghanistan.  The tasker, however, left this open-ended with a destination of Kuwait, and this ambiguity carried forward to my orders.  When I inquired, I was assured that all would be well.  Everyone goes through Kuwait anyway.  Fair enough.

Not so fair for the good folks at CRC.  Because my orders did not mention Afghanistan, I was told that they could not issue me the appropriate equipment for that location.  I would, instead, be drawing from the Kuwait “menu.”  In an effort to head off this little debacle, I had previously mentioned to the supply sergeant that my orders did not reflect my actual final destination.  I was reassured that this would be no problem.  My name and CRC # were noted on a list, and I was told that I would be able to receive the appropriate equipment come Tuesday.  Easy enough.

Then came Tuesday.  Despite my conversation earlier in the week, they were still set to issue me gear for Kuwait. This meant that I would be receiving the wrong uniform among other issues (ACUs instead of the Multi-Cam pattern used in Afghanistan and Iraq now).  I again explained my predicament and the fact that I would not be staying in Kuwait.  My ultimate duty station would be in Afghanistan.  Too easy.  They worked a little magic and I was told that I could get the Kuwait Multi-Cam draw.  This was a pared down version with no boots and no holster among a few other things.  I tried to explain my predicament, and they did not seem to be interested.  Unless my orders said Afghanistan, I wasn’t going to get the gear to go there.  Why this information was not relayed to me when I first brought it up, I can not even guess.

It was now incumbent upon me to remedy this situation.  My first task was to reactivate my FaceBook account.  Why?  Because in the year 2015, the most convenient method of communication that the Army has devised is social networking.  So, I contacted the unit I would be joining and asked what to do.  The 11.5hr time difference was not exactly helpful in trying to accomplish this task.  I then contacted Womack to see if they could amend my orders since they are the ones who actually cut them.  No worries.  I had a new set which reflected Afghanistan within a few hours.  I returned to my supply sergeant and explained that I had new orders and was told that I could make up for the non-issued gear on Thursday.  Thursday was range day, but, being the Expert marksman that I am, that should not be a long day.

As expected, I had qualified with the 9mm by 0830 on Thursday.  We had previously been assured that once we were qualified at the range, a bus would return us to the CRC site immediately.  That would have been nice.  Instead, we waited for two more groups to qualify, and didn’t leave the range until well after 0900.  Since it’s about an hour ride back to CRC, that put us back on site at about 1015.  After weapons cleaning and check-in, it was pushing 1035 by the time I was ready to return to equipment issue.  At that point, I discovered that my “apppointment” was actually for 1000.  Needless to say, I didn’t make it.  I would have to wait until 1300.  Minor setback, major annoyance.

Thursday was a tangled mess of inconvenience, but ultimately, I think I came out of it relatively unscathed.  But, the final insult did not come until late that afternoon.  We all gathered for the last time for the pre-flight brief.  This was also the time that all of our final small items would be issued.  For me, all that meant was nametapes for my [Multi-Cam] uniform.  Much to my dismay - but not at all shocking - I received four brand-spanking new ACU nametapes.  This meant that the only uniforms which remained in my possession (I had sent my only set of ACUs home already) could not be worn since they would not be complete sans nametape.  The real beauty of the situation is that the Multi-Cam uniform is only worn in theater.  Therefore, no clothing sales store in the US can or will sell accessories for this pattern.  There are shops set up in town who can do it, but I had no way of getting there.  My only potential salvation was a small kiosk set up by the PX which, I had been told, had the capability to make them.  I arrived 20min before closing and was able to have two made (he only had material for two).  Salvation!

The remaining 12hrs of CRC went off as expected.  We rallied at 0230 Friday morning with all of our bags.  We then commenced the interminable waiting process.  We were then boarded onto a 747-400 operated by Delta (it was chartered with full Delta crew).  We finally began moving at 1607Z* (local time was 0907MST).  Fifteen minutes later, I was wondering if we were going to taxi all the way to our next destination.  Finally, we were lined up on runway 21at Biggs Airfield.  The turbines spooled up, and we headed down the runway; wheels up at 1625Z.  There were a couple of intermediate stops, and we finally touched down in Kuwait at 1153Z on Saturday, 14Feb.  Happy Valentine’s Day.

Interestingly, I had discovered upon my arrival to CRC that their motto was “Whatever’s Next.”  That didn’t instill a whole lot of confidence in me, honestly.  I suppose that I get the point - they’ll ‘prepare’ you for whatever’s next.  Unfortunately, as things got more and more tangled for me, I simply found myself wondering, “What next?”  And, as I sit here in Kuwait, awaiting my next round of travel, I find myself wondering the same thing…..

*In the interest of keeping things straight in my head, I converted all travel times to UTC, or GMT, or Zulu (whatever you want to call it).  For those in the Eastern Time Zone, you would be UTC - 5.  Until Daylight Savings Time starts - then you’ll be UTC - 4. Try not to get too confused.  The point is, it was a long day.

Back to the Sandbox

I left home on February 6th.  The kitchen remained in a complete shambles as the renovation continues.  Hopefully, Michelle will get things in order before I get home.  As I entered the airport in Fayetteville, I suspected that my life would likely resemble the chaos in that kitchen for the next few months.  On the opposite side, I can only hope that I come out with a revitalized and refreshed outlook on life.  Granite countertops and all.

I actually debated whether I would pick up where I left off with this blog.  I was actually quite happy to take a 5-year hiatus from documenting the absurdity of my experiences and spend that time stateside.  I took the opportunity this afternoon to go back to the ramblings from the “Bucca Days” and was somewhat intrigued to find that there has been some traffic on this blog which picked up, coincidentally, with my departure on 6 Feb.  As if that weren’t motivation enough, I’ve already amassed enough tidbits in the two-and-a-half days since leaving home that I feel compelled to document them.  If not for the sake of the interested reader, then for my sanity.

As previously mentioned, I left home on Friday, 6 Feb.  Wheels up at approximately 1125 EST.  After relatively brief stops in Charlotte and Phoenix, we touched down in El Paso, TX around 1715 MST. El Paso?  What?  What happened to Ft. Benning and CRC Lane and all that????  Well, ladies and gentlemen (and others), times have changed, and CRC (CONUS Replacement Center for the newcomers) has moved to beautiful Ft. Bliss, TX.  More on that later; I haven't even gotten out of the airport yet.

I made my way to baggage claim, and, on the way, I passed the Military “concierge” desk.  There was a pleasant gentleman there who noticed my apparent look of general disorientation, and as I approached the desk, he inquired, “CRC?”

“Yes!”

He told me to continue to baggage claim, grab my belongings, and return to him, and he would arrange for transportation.  Well, damn, that was easy.  So, I ambled over to the baggage claim carousel and proceeded to wait.  Finally, the belt started to roll, and I eagerly anticipated visual identification of my duffel.  And waited.  And anticipated.  And waited.  And got a little frustrated.  And waited.  Well, you get the picture.  Finally, the conveyor was empty.  As were my hands.  The young line boy came through the door and noticed my dissatisfied look.  He asked what I was waiting for.

“An Army duffel.”

“No more duffels.”

Not good.  On his advice, I headed to the airline counter (names have been withheld to protect the guilty) where I initiated a claim.  Apparently due to the short layover in Charlotte, my bag had been re-routed via Houston and would be arriving in El Paso sometime around 9pm.  It would then be delivered to me that night or the following morning.  Whichever worked out best.  For them.  Not for me.  What would have worked out best for me would have been to leave the airport with my baggage.  Oh well.  Just the first of many likely SNAFUs.  Semper Gumby.  (Google it….*)

I returned to the Military “concierge” and explained my predicament.  I would be continuing on sans luggage.  Easy enough.  He then assuaged my consternation by letting me know that, once upon a time, a group of fourteen had their luggage lost.  Weapons and all.  At least my duffel was unarmed.  He then made arrangements for travel to Ft. Bliss and the new CRC.  It was a short ride, and the remainder of the evening was uneventful.

The following day, I “In-Processed” CRC in the same clothes in which I had arrived.  Just a day old, so not too bad.  My belongings arrived around 0930, and I was showered and refreshed by 1230.  Thus far, aside from the baggage issue, I’d say that the CRC experience has been relatively uneventful.  While the environs are vastly different, I’d say the overall tone and objectives have been pretty similar.  The first couple of days have been fairly heavily focused on the completion of computer-based training.  Monday was the “Soldier Readiness” cattle-call in which we all make certain that our immunizations, labwork, legal, financial affairs, etc… are up-to-date.  I cleared through that whole process by 1330.  I think I was one of the lucky ones.  And, this deployment is now off to a relatively unassuming start.

*Wikipedia (the authority on all subjects in the known universe) has a somewhat limited explanation of the term.  I’m pretty sure that its use is not exclusive to the mentioned organizations.