thoughts about food

So Today's picture is of our change of command ceremony which has now left us in charge of the dirt and dust rather than our sister squadron.

However, I wanted to say a few words about food with observations I have had over the past 2 weeks. First, good food leads to good morale and I am happy to say that I have not had to have a complete MRE or T rat meal since being deployed.

I have mentioned that we have been mainly eating at the British chow hall. The negative to this is that it is very poorly air conditioned, the food is not always salted enough and the milk and water tend to be warm. It is hard to find any other criticism. I really think that the Brits get a bad rap about their food. We usually have 4 different entrees to choose from and I have as of yet not been disappointed. Actually the food is pretty flavorable. I especially like the currys that they make.

I have gone to the American chow hall on three occassions. Now, many of the Marines prefer this chow hall, but I think that it has to do more with the better airconditioning, the cold drinks and the familiarity of fried foods. Since I have been partaking in the British chow hall, I now have been reminded just how calorie rich our fried foods can be. Could it be that this is an alimentary awakening for me?

Last point about food. Here the meals are really a social event. We walk together in small groups to the chow hall, we sit together and we talk. It is not unusual for us to be there an hour. Then we walk back. What a concept...build up an appetite, eat slowly with good company and then digest while walking back to camp. Another concept lost on American routines when we are more interested in eating fast to get to the next place we need to be. I just wish that more people could sit and eat as families as we get the chance to eat as comrades.

So in the past 24 hours I have finished the last Harry Potter (victory over Voldemort at last) and I have started Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levine (a great read). I have also watched the hangover (a bootleg at that) which was pretty funny.

another sandy day in paradise

So I had to move yesterday. Apparently, it was not appropriate for me to stay in the company grade quarters being that I am a field grade officer currently and will be promoted in the coming weeks. Thus, I was shuttled across the gravel to the tent housing the CO the XO and other brass. True, there is a bit more wiggle room in my new corner of the tent, but it just is not as lax. There certainly is not the same humor quality (or lack thereof) that there is in the junior officer quarters.
It is still hot here. There is plenty of water to go around, but usually the bottles are in big piles stationed outside buildings and therefore the water is as hot as the day. Refrigerators are sparse in these parts and ice is unheard of. When you go to the chow hall for lunch you sweat and it is not because of any spice in the food.
I have included some more photos for your enjoyment. You can appreciate the nice little dust storms we get daily. I also included a sunset, because it is the first time I have seen a cloud in these parts. The car, a Tata, is a common vehicle seen on base. We call them Tic Tacs. The last picture I included is a bazaar that they have on base. I doubt that many of the objects are real, but it killed 10 minutes of my deployment so worth the perusing.

toilets

I thought that I would write about the toilets today. So we have two choices for using the head (bathroom). We can use port-a-potty or use the bathrooms that are made from big steel boxes. The advantage of port-a-potties is that they are everywhere and are a bit more roomy. They are cleaned twice a day including a powerwash. However, they tend to have a stench to them that is intensified in the heat.
I prefer the conex boxes. So basically they put these boxes together with a couple for women, a couple for officers and staff NCOs and then others for lower ranking enlisted and lastly for the local contractors. Each conex box (for males) has a urinal that lines part of one wall that reminds me of my teenage days in TJ (all it needs is someone to dump ice in the bottom of the trough). There are three sinks and three showers and three stalls. Now space is at a premium in here. If you were over six feet tall you would be miserable. My head clears the shower by about a half inch. The toilets are even worse. Your knees touch the walls when you sit down and getting off the head and trying to pull up your pants is quite the task. It would probably resemble a Benny Hill skit. When you shower, you have to push a button on the wall in order for water to come out. If you let go of the button it stops. If you continue to hold the button it will stop after 10 seconds. Thus, you have to get creative with your showers.
The good news is that I just fit in the conex boxes at 6 feet and therefore I am avoiding the port-a-potties for any activity that requires me to sit down. Also, hot water does routinely come from the faucets (how scolding hot is a different matter).
I find it ironic that one of our goals in Afghanistan is to promote individual freedoms and every time I get to log on and look at the news we are gravitating to giving up the same freedoms at home in the U.S.








The conex boxes ...errrrr... bathrooms.












Shower.

















Urinal and sinks.

No porcelin here only stainless for good reason.

the company car

We have a vehicle to drive around base for medical needs. It sure is not an ambulence. We are separated from most American forces and other medical assets by enough distance and roads that it requires us to drive for those matters. We drive on the right side of road, but also sit on the right. It is stick and thus you have to stick with your left hand which takes some getting use to. I hopped right in at first opportunity and was surprised to be able to drive rather easily. That being said, it is old and bumpy and the sounds that come from the steering does not give you much confidence in it's future.






Company car.

Left stick shift.

Still functional Hummer with door falling off.

Many of the local trucks have drapes inside and have these medal chimes dangling form front bumper.

first days at Camp Barber

Dust would be the one word to describe Camp Barber which is the British part of Camp Bastion. Sand and dust is everywhere and on everything. There is no green. No grass, no weeds, no trees, just sand and rock. It is hot right now about 105. Supposedly it will start to get cold in next two weeks.
I live in a tent with about 8 others. We have showers in a box that will allow water to flow for 10 seconds at a time. The toilets are sparse and really tight such that you can hardly pull up or down your pants (I will take picture another day). Internet is limited to 30 minutes at a time and must use their computers, not your own.
The BAS (Battalion Aid Station) is relatively well put together in a separate tent. Lots of plastic matting and plywood, all with a layer of dust.
The one benefit so far is the chow. We eat at the British chow hall and it is quite good. This chow hall not only serves us and the Brits, but also the Danes. I have not branched out and tried the blood pudding yet, but it is probably a matter of time since I am here for 7 months.

Chargers killing me! I did not see or hear the game, but common it is suppose to be their year!






Our BAS. We need to change sign to 372.















Me and the Chaplan. Nice that he is Catholic, wife and mother-in-law should be happy about that. To top things off, the chapel is next door to the BAS.

Camp Barber entry.

flight to Afghanistan

So our flight finally took place. We again had to hurry up and wait. We literally crammed our way onto some old white school buses and then we boarded a C-17. I sat on a jump seat next to our pallets of gear. Interesting flight in that you have little sense of where you are since no windows. Bizarre to feel a drop on approach, but not able to fully anticipate landing until…bam!
Whe we landed and the back opened up I knew I was not in Kansas or any part of civilization anymore…

Just so you know, I have limited access to internet and thus posts will be fewer. Also, I cannot get my normal e-mail, so if you want to get a hold of me contact Liz and she can give you alternative e-mails.




Me on the bus with the fellas















Two of my corpsmen

View from my seat

the Marine

The past few days I have been able to observe Marine, Air Force and Army units go about their business on this base. I have been reminded in just how professional the Marines are when compared with their sister services. It is not even close. The Army and Air Force do not salute each other (and certainly not a Navy officer) and they wear their PT gear everywhere. The Marine wears the proper uniform, renders the proper greeting and walks around as if he/she has a purpose in life. The Marine also tends to fit in their uniform with a bit more ease ;) I certainly feel blessed that I was attached to a Marine unit for this deployment instead of say the Army. The Marines will definitely take care of me.

Remember that this Saturday is talk like a pirate day arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

rainy day

Picture today is me wearing Russian military hat purchased at base in Manas. It is a little colder and raining today. Not all was lost as I found out that AAFES contracts out massage services in a trailer. I happily got a 20 dollar 1 hour massage from Tatiana. Liz will be happy to know that there was no 'happy ending' to this massage! Tatiana tells me that she is Russian and that Russians make up less than 10% of local population. Most of the those living in Kygystan are Kyrgystanies (spelling?) who also speak Russian (since once part of Soviet Union), however look very Asian in their features. The nearest city is also the capital and most contractors from both Kyrgystan and those form America live out in town and commute. I will most likely be leaving this base in coming days and go onward to Camp Bastion to hang with the British. More to come....

I was ecstatic to see that ACORN is finally being outed. I see that one of the primary sting videos was from San Diego (National City). Unfortunately, the major networks will still not report much on it. Journalism is not well these days and certainly not non-partisan (my opinion).

FIrst full day at Manas

So I just wanted to tell you about my first full day at Manas. I am sleeping in a huge tent that has like 120 Marines in it. We are in bunkbeds with so-so mattresses. Chowhall is decent and free which is good. I must say that the gym is impressive for where we are and complete with weights, machines, and basketball court. We played a little baseketball today. I visited the permanent medical clinic here and it was sufficient. They actually have capacity for surgeries. There is a Px here and behind it a place called AAFES town where locals can sell some gifts. There is also a coffee shop of sorts and a trailer where they sell pizza hut pizzas (must be frozen pizzas they cook). They have self service laundry and showers nearby the hut where I live which definitely helps my morale. Below are some more pics.

I just watched some TV in chowhall during dinner and saw that the House of Representatives spent taxpayer money to waste a day condemning Rep Wilson for his outburst of the President. Then I saw that Jimmy Carter says these things are due to racism. Are you kidding me!!! First off it took the majority white vote to carry Obama into office. Second, no one called out racism when democrats would heckle Bush (by the way, I am not the biggest fan of Bush either) and compare him to some rather deplorable things/people. It is sad that racism is brought into the discussion so easily. Maybe some people like Rep Wilson jsut do not like Obama's policies or the fact that he is bullish in his nationally televised speeches (how many have there been already?). Sorry just had to get that off my chest. Now back to the pictures....



Me posing in front of AAFES town.




















Our tent where we sleep. Lots of gravel everywhere.










Representative shot of our bunks.

First leg

Okay, soooo I am really tired after my recent journey halfway around the world. I left Camp Pendleton on Sunday morning, went to March Air Force Base by bus, hung out in a hangor all day before boarding a flight to Bangor Maine. We arrived in Bangor in wee hours of the morning (people there still to shake our hands). We then flew to Germany where we waited for a flight to Kyrgistan. I arrived in Kyrgistan on Tuesday afternoon. Currently I am 12 hours ahead of PST. I have attached a few pics for people to see.

Mike (other doc) and me at Camp Pendleton prior to launch

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Waiting in hangor at March AFB. Mmmmm MREs

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Random soldier in Russian garb at airport in Manas. Could not resist taking picture with the man in the big green hat.