Afghanistan Six
Okay- one frustration. I shlepped to MWR for my big 30 minutes of computer time, wrote y'all a long email, time ran out, pushed send, email didn't go. Will try to reconstruct my thoughts- SSG Whorrell, whose facility we are sleeping in, happened to come back this eve. and I am on his more reliable, though still maddeningly slow, computer. I just have to keep up, because every day is SO entertaining that if I don't write it down right away I can't possibly keep up! SSG Whorrell is taking such good care of us- up to and including finding me a toothbrush that some patriotic citizen sent over in a care package; I think I left mine in Kuwait.
Oh, BTW, spoke to mom who said that I did not make clear that I am in Kandahar; hoping for Bagram tomorrow.
Also, various networks around here block access to my blog site. If there's a volunteer who has time/inclination to post these things for me, please let me know. It takes no time at all with a real connection.
Really what is so entertaining is how long it takes to get anything done. I am traveling with my assistant, SFC Cohen, SSG Burns who is heading to Bagram to support the Greek Orthodox priest, and another young chaplain assistant specialist whom we have adopted. He has orders to report to CJTF (Combined Joint Task Force) Afghanistan for 365 days, with not much further guidance. We brought him along with us- tried to put him on a plane this a.m. Packed up all his stuff and hauled it to the APOD- his flight had been re-routed. You just have to laugh!
By now you've probably figured out why it's been so challenging to get to Bagram these last few days- with the President there all air traffic in and out was shut down. There are a few flights tomorrow so we should be okay- it will be nice to unpack. I did another duffle bag dump and sort today (4 bags worth) and it's still not fully under control.
If you like to play in the mud, Kandahar right now is the place to be. Late this afternoon I saw some lights flashing on the horizon. Being in a war zone, and being from AZ where it never rains, I assumed they were rockets going off in the distance. It wasn't until I heard the thunder and it began to rain that the lighbulb went off- oh! - lightening.
The good news is that apparently the bad guys don't like to play in the rain, so we had zero attacks (so far) in our time here. There were 5 the previous day, so much so that they had to cancel a ramp ceremony for a Canadian soldier. (That's the very moving ceremony as a casket is loaded onto the plane for the final journey home.) Unfortunately there's another one scheduled for tomorrow too.
I'm not the only one feeling the effects of the journey. SSG Whorrell was kind enough to leave us the keys to his vehicle for the evening. As we left for dinner, SFC Cohen grabbed them and locked the door. Only, he took the wrong keys. AND SSG Burns couldn't remember the combination to the door lock. I really took great comfort in their forgetfulness. I almost didn't bring the menora to my service today.
We dined at the Luxembourgh DFAC- also saw folks from the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and Romania. Took a photo with the Slovakian chaplain, and overheard a Brit refer to the port-a-loo.
When SSG Whorrell posted signs for the service, he listed them for 12/16/2008. Apparently some French soldiers made fun of him, wondering when is the 16th month? That explains why we always list dates as 16 Dec., 2008. I never quite understood that before. I saw one of those signs posted, right next to a sign for a 50/50 raffle to support a local school- that was encouraging and heartwarming.
After all of this, the BIG payoff was the service. We had 3 attendees, which is huge for the military- especially with less than one day's notice. Two of the three told me that they would not have been able to get to Bagram, so this was their only opportunity to celebrate the holiday. The 3rd is an Air Force flight surgeon- he has the rank and connections and plan to join us next week too.
For those from Temple Chai, they said they were "very touched" by the students' cards and super-pleased with the ITunes gift cards.
We read the story of Khanukka, sang songs, and played a fierce game of dreidel. They stayed for two hours, which told me that they were thirsting for this contact.
Tomorrow (hopefully) to Bagram, where the fun continues!
Oh, BTW, spoke to mom who said that I did not make clear that I am in Kandahar; hoping for Bagram tomorrow.
Also, various networks around here block access to my blog site. If there's a volunteer who has time/inclination to post these things for me, please let me know. It takes no time at all with a real connection.
Really what is so entertaining is how long it takes to get anything done. I am traveling with my assistant, SFC Cohen, SSG Burns who is heading to Bagram to support the Greek Orthodox priest, and another young chaplain assistant specialist whom we have adopted. He has orders to report to CJTF (Combined Joint Task Force) Afghanistan for 365 days, with not much further guidance. We brought him along with us- tried to put him on a plane this a.m. Packed up all his stuff and hauled it to the APOD- his flight had been re-routed. You just have to laugh!
By now you've probably figured out why it's been so challenging to get to Bagram these last few days- with the President there all air traffic in and out was shut down. There are a few flights tomorrow so we should be okay- it will be nice to unpack. I did another duffle bag dump and sort today (4 bags worth) and it's still not fully under control.
If you like to play in the mud, Kandahar right now is the place to be. Late this afternoon I saw some lights flashing on the horizon. Being in a war zone, and being from AZ where it never rains, I assumed they were rockets going off in the distance. It wasn't until I heard the thunder and it began to rain that the lighbulb went off- oh! - lightening.
The good news is that apparently the bad guys don't like to play in the rain, so we had zero attacks (so far) in our time here. There were 5 the previous day, so much so that they had to cancel a ramp ceremony for a Canadian soldier. (That's the very moving ceremony as a casket is loaded onto the plane for the final journey home.) Unfortunately there's another one scheduled for tomorrow too.
I'm not the only one feeling the effects of the journey. SSG Whorrell was kind enough to leave us the keys to his vehicle for the evening. As we left for dinner, SFC Cohen grabbed them and locked the door. Only, he took the wrong keys. AND SSG Burns couldn't remember the combination to the door lock. I really took great comfort in their forgetfulness. I almost didn't bring the menora to my service today.
We dined at the Luxembourgh DFAC- also saw folks from the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and Romania. Took a photo with the Slovakian chaplain, and overheard a Brit refer to the port-a-loo.
When SSG Whorrell posted signs for the service, he listed them for 12/16/2008. Apparently some French soldiers made fun of him, wondering when is the 16th month? That explains why we always list dates as 16 Dec., 2008. I never quite understood that before. I saw one of those signs posted, right next to a sign for a 50/50 raffle to support a local school- that was encouraging and heartwarming.
After all of this, the BIG payoff was the service. We had 3 attendees, which is huge for the military- especially with less than one day's notice. Two of the three told me that they would not have been able to get to Bagram, so this was their only opportunity to celebrate the holiday. The 3rd is an Air Force flight surgeon- he has the rank and connections and plan to join us next week too.
For those from Temple Chai, they said they were "very touched" by the students' cards and super-pleased with the ITunes gift cards.
We read the story of Khanukka, sang songs, and played a fierce game of dreidel. They stayed for two hours, which told me that they were thirsting for this contact.
Tomorrow (hopefully) to Bagram, where the fun continues!
Comments