Days to Remember

The United States Marine Corps, Established 10 Nov 1775

The Virginia Military Institute, Founded 11 Nov 1839

Veteran's Day 11 Nov

Yesterday was very low key. There are no Marines stationed on Camp Spann. Nonetheless I found several brothers who wore the uniform of the finest fighting force the world has ever known to exchange birthday greetings. We have one retiree and several Guardsmen who are former Marines on the camp. The KBR chowhall was nice enough to commemorate the event with decorations and a cake.

Today I proudly displayed the VMI flag my Brother Rats sent me on the door of my office all day long, drawing several comments. I also wore my VMI '89 reunion cap as much as possible, although not strictly allowed in the uniform regulations. VMI continues going strong at 170 years of tradition unhampered by progress.

There was a short observance of Veteran's Day in the chapel tonight. Several citations for living Medal of Honor recipients were read. I realized as the Navy one was read that I was on a ship during Desert Sheild with this particular honoree. He was a very unassuming and humble gentleman. At the conclusion of the ceremony "We Were Soldiers" was shown in the chapel. It is really the first war movie I have seen while here in Afghanistan. It is a good study demonstrating the value of quality leadership. It also showed the sacrifices veterans and their families make.

A Wild Ride on a Stallion

All I can say is that today's ride made this entire Afghanistan trip worth the price of admission.

The day started slowly, with cold rain, mud, and a still uneasy queasy feeling after battling a persistent case of moderate GI illness. Blah. Yes, the cold weather and precipitation had draped the surrounding hills and mountains in picturesque clouds and misty blankets of snow. Yes, it was very different than familiar Camp Spann. But being sick, cold and away from my 'home away from home' was starting to wear thin on me. We dutifully packed and assembled much as we had done yesterday. The German Air Officer put it best "The Runway is under water". After having our luggage checked, we assembled three different times throughout the day.

#1, Good, you are here, report back at 1000

#2, There will be no planes today, perhaps we can get some helicopters report back at 1130- (the previous day getting helicopters meant less seats, so we got 'bumped' off the roster. The helicopters were reportedly old MI-8 Russian types which did not inspire confidence.)

#3, Report back here when you hear the loudspeaker announcement (Since we could not tell what was being said in German, we just shambled back to the assembly point with all of our gear when we heard any announcement)

Needless to say at this point I was feeling low and had mentally prepared myself for another day of trudging through cold mud and sleeping in a cold tent.

Imagine my suprise when the Air Officer instructed us to get into the Armored vehicles to meet the helicopters (I think he was feeling sorry for us). When we arrived I found an old friend awaiting me. The Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion is the veritable airframe that has transported innumerable Marines over the 30+ years of its life with the USMC. Here in the northern region of Afghanistan, the Germans fly a new and improved CH-53GS model suited for the harsh dust environment and able to provide heavy lift even to the altitudes in Badakshan. With typical German efficiency we had our luggage stored and secured.

I hope to always remember this flight. We flew Nap Of the Earth (NOE), which in laymans terms means as fast and as frightfully low as is humanly possible. The rear ramp was open so I had a good view as the hills and mountains of Afghanistan unfolded like a book or a travel brochure. The pilot seemed to almost scrape every hill, ridge and mountain as we passed over them. We were between 5 and 50 meters from the ground for the entire flight to Konduz. It is an intimate, unvarnished way to see and appreciate the land and people of Afghanistan. There were solitary farm mud huts, hillside villages, miles and miles of tilled fields to be seen. I really had a hard time convincing myself that we were in a country at war. We got so close I could probably tell you the gender of each of the thousands of goats we saw. We were so close you could smell Afghanistan: the fields, the livestock, the fires warming the houses and baking naan. Every now and then I could see the second helicopter follow in our wake, shadowing us along our route. Several times I looked out both sets of side windows and saw canyon walls on both sides. We streaked past snow covered meadows, mountain streams, and forbidding steep mountains. Even in the hinterlands there were women in burkhas. Occasionally as we careened over a ridge the goats and sheep startled and ran panicked to their shepherds. I saw a fox run for cover. There were many communal holes in the sides of the hills like rabbits or marmots might make. The speed was intoxicating and the view was phenomenal. It was the best way to see the real Afghanistan. Any amount of pictures cannot truly impart the feeling of exhilaration, thrill and wonder I felt during this ride.

Like any good ride, it came to an end all too soon. At the Konduz PRT we refueled and remounted the Stallion for a more leisurely trip over the desert. I saw some camels and a hawk on this leg of the journey. It was getting dark when we landed at Camp Marmol. Our luck further held out, there was a patrol headed for Spann as soon as we got off at the passenger terminal!

These last photos are from near the Feyzabad base before the cold front moved in.

Fayzabadفيذ آباد

Feyzabad is the largest city and the provincial capital of Badakshan. The population of Feyzabad is approx 50,000 and is located about 4000 ft above sea level. Badakshan is one of the largest and least populated of Afghanistans provinces. It is the province which the English and Russians made with the finger which stretches out to touch China. The German led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) base is near Feyzabad at the site of an old Russian air strip along the Kokcha river.

Feyzabad is along the path of the old Silk Road. It is a place of interesting landscapes. The glacial river is the cleanest river I have seen in this country. The rolling hills nearby are obviously farmed and now bare except for the scavenging herds of goats. Even the chaff has been carted off the slopes to make mud bricks. The herds of goats and sheep can be seen leaving early in the morning to spend the day grazing high on the mountain. Every evening they come back down to the safety of the valley. The roads here are much improved in the past few years. There are many building projects and bridges being constructed. We had a good view of the local Buzkashi field while we were travelling to the clinic site. There are at least 5 tiers of hills and mountains in the distance. The highest ones to the east are at least 12,000 feet high and have snow on them.

The people are different than those found in either Kabul or Mazar e Sharif. While there are Tajiks and some Uzbek features to most of the people, there are also a good number of people who resemble the Aryans with caucasian features. The people appear to be poorer, but more productive and peaceful than other areas of Afghanistan.

I have had plenty of opportunity to study the surrounding hills and mountains. Largely because we have been rained in. It has been raining for the past 30 hours. When we got here all was the usual dust and the weather was cool and refreshing. Now there are huge mud puddles that can get a SUV stuck. Perhaps the planes will be able to fly tomorrow.

Headed East

I know I haven't posted anything for a few days, so I at least wanted to give a quick update on our current trip. We have made it after a few days of travel to Feyzabad, which is in Badashan province. It is a beautiful mountainous area with glacial rivers. We are here to look at the construction of a new ANP clinic. Like any good fact finding trip it has brought to light many more questions than answers. Hopefully I will be able to post photos and more information in a few days.

Jack of All Trades

Some days I am limited to office work. Other days I spend all day travelling. Then there are days like today when I do many different tasks in one day.

Mentor- Today we went downtown to meet with our ANP Counterparts in their clinic. We had the usual niceties and discussion of how well our families are doing. Then we went through our list of discussion topics. Our counterparts were very gracious and gave us some Baklava which they pronounce Baghlava. No matter how you pronounce it, the Shirini (sweets) were good. We had such a good time that I made it to the mythical 3rd cup of chai, which indicates a good and lasting relationship. We continue to make progress and pass useful information.

Contractor- Today I supervised an engineering site assessment for my counterparts clinic. I know nothing about Engineering; so I delegated, or subcontracted as much as possible. I had one soldier(airman) investigate the electrical system of our counterpart's clinic to see if we can assist with their power difficulties. I had another soldier(airman) take down grid coordinates from a GPS to see if a planned larger clinic will fit in his current site. It all went well and I got all the information that was needed. Perhaps we will now be able to build a new facility or at least upgrade the capabilities of the current one.

Soldier- Of course I carried the usual total 88 lbs of gear: weapons, armor and and medical equipment. We(my gear and I) went up stairs, in and out of vehicles, in and out of various doorways. The most challenging and fun was maneuvering through crowds of children who thought I might have candy to distribute.

Doctor- I actually did some physician business today. I consulted on a case with my mentee while visiting him. I brought up the topic of overprescription of antibiotics which is one of my favorite topics in any country. We had a short discussion with no resolution, but an exchange of points of view on the subject. I am confident the patient will be fine in either case.

MRAP crew member- I once again rode in the front seat. I won't really claim that I did too much in this regard, but I did utilized the communications equipment and even sent a message to the command center. Otherwise I made sure the passengers were strapped in tight and the doors were locked. I also had the honor to walk in front of the MRAP as we entered the various compounds and guided them safely to a parking area.

Courier- We picked up some medications for a patient with a severe illness at the nearby hospital. It was a vital, but not too demanding a task. I got the box, verified the medicines, and transported them from one base to another in a door to door fashion. Hopefully they will be of benefit to the patient.

Thats about it for today. For some reason I feel a little worn out. I hope you all have a safe and fruitful All Saints Day as well.

A Tale of Two Words

I got back to Camp Spann the two nights ago. It was so nice to sleep in my own B Hut and cot. It is good to be back.

Today let's examine two words used widely in the discussions of Afghanistan. My Interpreter enlightened me as to their meaning.

Hazara هزاره

The word in Dari for 1000 is hazaar. When the Mongols brutally invaded Afghanistan in the Middle Ages timeframe, a subset of these warriors chose to settle in the central mountainous part of Afghanistan. The Khan reportedly allowed it, as long as they settled in groups of 1000, as it was the standard number for a Mongol military unit. Like many names of ethnic peoples, it is not a name they chose for themselves, but rather were given by those around them. They are a predominantly Shia Muslim people in a Sunni country. Thus you can see there are several reasons why the other ethnic groups: Pashtu, Tajik and Uzbek have long seated traditional dislike for the Hazara.

Pakistan پاکِستان

We are all aware that Pakistan is the country south of Afghanistan. It was formed as a muslim state during the fractured Independence of Colonial India from the UK. The Dari and Urdu work for clean is Pok. Pokistan, then is the country of the 'clean' people. I doubt the founders meant clean as in the physical sense, since that is almost impossible in this part of the world I fear. They chose the name to separate themselves as the spiritually clean (muslim) population. It is an interesting choice of words.

I must say for all the books I have read on the region, this type of education on the root meaning of words and names only comes from learning from the people of this country directly.