Travel The World

Everyone by now is aware of recent events in Afghanistan.  I have a personal connection to the country having worked there in '08 and having continued to work with many Afghan military members since that time.  From my experiences, I have to say that the Afghans are a noble people and deserve far better than fate has delivered.  I pray for them and hope they can somehow overcome this latest setback. The picture was taken from the Kabul International Airport (KAIA) during my time there.       

On the top, Field Station Augsburg Germany in 1983 when I was 21 years old. On the bottom, just outside Kabul, Afghanistan in 2008 when I was 46.  I'm standing next to a downed MI-24 holding my 9mm. I'd like to go back but I'm afraid I'd never want to leave!

I finally got my Global War On Terrorism Medal (GWOT) for my time in Afghanistan!

On my flight to WV, I sat by an interesting person in uniform. I could tell by his unit insignia that he was a special operator (green beret), but asked him just to be sure. He confirmed this and told me he was just returning from Afghanistan. As it turns out, he and I had been on the same flight out of there but didn't realize it. Now, we were on the same flight home. What a coincidence! Anyway, he told me a few war stories and also made it clear that things WERE getting worse. The news had already reported this, but it was enlightening to hear specifics from someone on the ground. That was one of the few times I was happy that a fellow passenger was talkative! I don't have any immediate plans to travel except in Texas, but I'll probably be looking to go out again in the January/February timeframe.

I just landed here and am awaiting reboarding for the leg to Ramstein AFB. The trip from Kyrgyzstan took about five hours and went a little slowly even though I slept a lot. Keep reading this blog for updates on my trip home.

I am now in Kyrgyzstan. I can't say much about the country since I'm not allowed to leave the American Air Force base. Still, I'm enjoying the downtime here since I got very little of it in Afghanistan. I departed Kabul early Sunday morning on a small prop plane. The flight to Bagram AFB was only about 30 minutes and the scenery below was beautiful. I wish I'd had more of a chance to explore the country. Anyway, I dreaded arrival in Bagram because it was so difficult the first time through. Bagram's terminal is notorious (according to a Major I traveled with) for being the worst in the country, kind've like O'Hara in the US. Sure enough, getting through Bagram proved to be as difficult as before. No one to guide you upon arrival. People giving you answers in an uncertain tone. The worst was when I returned to the terminal for my next flight. We had to file into a room and dump all the contents of our suitcases into bins. Then, MPs inspected the c...

It's 8pm, Friday evening, Afghan time. I will leave early Sunday morning on a flight out of here. I'll spend approximately five days in Kyrgyzstan awaiting my rotator back to the states. I can't believe the end is almost here. I regret I wasn't allowed to see the countryside but not enough to return. The Afghan people are wonderful and this country deserves our help, but it's someone else's turn to provide it. I'm outta here!

Today was my last day of work in Afghanistan. Everyone said their goodbyes, some I will miss and some I won't. I will miss the trainees who have the best attitude of any I've ever met. This country is definitely worth saving based on the people I've known here. We have a meeting on Friday but pretty much nothing to do for the next three days except prepare for departure. I leave Kabul on the 14th.

Just a few more pics of aircraft in Afghanistan. I probably won't post much else since I'm leaving in a week and can't get outside the base. I regret that I had absolutely no chance to see the country. However, I think it's a good idea for us to have a presence here because these are great people and they deserve a chance to succeed. I don't know if I can say the same about the Iraqis from what I've heard. Anyway, check out the pictures below. http://picasaweb.google.com/mccoy4984/Afghanistan4 #

Not only do I have to deal with occasional rocket attacks, I also have to worry about natural disasters. Around 1015 local time, the building begin to shake and we evacuated immediately. I had experienced a minor earthquake last year in Japan, but this one was very strong. One more week, am I going to make it out of here?

. . . and a few days. I begin my last week tomorrow. We plan to work for four days and then begin outprocessing for four more days. After that, I'll catch a few military planes out of here to Kyrghzstan where I'll have several days to kill. I liked Kyrghzstan on the way over so it will be nice to have a few days to look around. I should be back in San Antonio on the 21st. Goodness! There are so many things I want to do when I get back. The first thing I want to do is enjoy the privacy. It was tough having a roommate in a conex for three months. After that, I'll take a hot shower that lasts more than two minutes. Finally, I'm going to get out and take a long drive. It will be like paradise. Just a few more days now!

Here are the last of the pics from the MI-24 sighting. I wish I could have taken more but I was always confined to our base. Check them out and let me know what you think. http://picasaweb.google.com/mccoy4984/Afghanistan3 #

All of our trainees have a sad story to tell. When I first arrived, I couldn't believe the number of funerals they were attending. Everyone, and I mean everyone, has lost a relative to the war. The odd thing is that they go about their business the next day as if nothing had happened. I guess I would be desensitized to it as well if I had experienced as much death and destruction as they have. It really makes you appreciate the stable life we have in the West. I imagine the fight is worth it just to preserve that. 15 days to go!

Finally, I got to be proactive and see some action instead of just waiting for the rockets to drop on my head. A friend and I assaulted this MI-24 and took some pictures. Actually, this wasn't too hard to do since it had been shot down years before!! Anyway, these pictures are of me getting some much needed rest on the way out. The other two are of me with body armor and weapon standing by our trophy. Will add some more pictures in my next posting. Russ http://picasaweb.google.com/mccoy4984/Afghanistan2

Do you remember the episode of M.A.S.H where a North Korean pilot named 'Five O'Clock Charlie' dropped bombs in the area every day at 5 o'clock? Although he never hit anything, he still created a lot of havoc for the members of the 4077th because they had to stop what they were doing every time he appeared. Well, we have our version of this in a person we have dubbed 'Taliban Tim.' He interrupts our sleep every Thursday night/Friday morning with his rockets that never come close to hitting anything. I can't wait to get back to the world where I don't have to worry about being called on alert. Geez! I'm seeing more action now than when I was in the Army proper!!

Let me tell you, there is no worse feeling than being asleep for an hour and then hearing there's been another rocket attack. You have to get up, put on your gear, and then hustle down to the bunker. I really don't see the point of rushing though. The rockets have already hit wherever they were aimed and it takes another 10-15 minutes to send out the alarm. Also, whoever launched them knows that for every additonal one they fire, there's a better chance of them being located and targeted. It's senseless for us to run for cover after the fact. Anyway, I'm starting to get the feeling the enemy is becoming more active. This is the second attack on our location in one week whereas, there were none my first two months here. Oh well, I'll be out of here soon.

The other morning, I was in a deep sleep dreaming about being in a room. In the dream, I imagined someone knocking on the door violently. The knocking kept getting louder and louder until I woke up shaking. Later, I found out that a massive explosion had occured at 0330 about a kilometer away. It seems that the Taliban are on the offensive again. I've heard travel is extremely hazardous south, east, and west of the city. 24 days to go!

Lo and behold, we finally have a day off! Today is Afghan Independence day. You're probably wondering, independence from whom? Well, from the British although I think the holiday would be equally applicable to the Russians, Taliban, and probably Americans in the future. Anyway, it's good to have a day off in the middle of the week. I'm also looking forward to the month of Ramadan. I experienced this several times in Saudi Arabia but I think it will be less stringent here. We'll probably be working half-days because the Afghans are fasting and can't endure work for the whole day. I'll miss the Eid (festival) unfortunately because I won't be here at that time. Speaking of which, I began packing a storage trunk today for shipping ahead of my departure. That was very cathartic. I expect to depart Afghanistan around mid-September. It's been a long haul but I can see the end in sight.

We had a little bit of excitement this morning. At about 5am, alarms went off and we had to deploy to the bunkers. Apparently, three rockets had been fired into our compound. We had had a practice alert before but this was the real thing. I was surprised at how calm both myself and the others were. I guess that comes from fearing death from boredom rather than rockets. 28 days to go!

One thing that really surprised me when I first came to Afghanistan was how many of my colleagues viewed the Soviet occupation as a sort of 'golden age' for them and their country. I had always believed the Afghan people had suffered so much under the Russians and could not wait for them to leave and/or be driven out. Of course, this was true to some extent but not everyone felt this way. To my surprise, many Afghans had studied in Moscow and even met their wives there. Essentially, they view the Russians in a similar way to how they view the US, a foreign entity trying to help their country improve but also making some egregious errors. It's very intriguing for me to hear this perspective as my preconceived notions so clearly differed.