I’m not sure what I expected, or what you would expect if all of the sudden you found yourself in Afghanistan, but I’m pretty sure you’d be surprised upon landing here.
After traveling around the world with multiple stops and starts, last night I arrived in country. That’s right – boots on the ground in a war zone. Part of me hates the movies for generating what might be perceived as a misconception of what it’s like to go to war, and then the other part of me knows that you can fall quickly and dangerously into a false sense of security.
The Air Force provided a very long and loud flight during which I refused to have to go to the bathroom and tried unsuccessfully to listen to an Audible book. It was an impressive flight and as we came down in altitude the first thing you notice is a change in the smell around you. I’m not sure I can fully describe it, but it is very unique. It is almost a mix of burning trash, gun powder and spices. Not overwhelmingly bad, but heavy with smoke.
We stepped onto the ground and were greeted by civilian contractors and received a quick introduction brief on safety procedures and expectations while at the base. I wasn’t yet to my final destination so we were temporarily visiting this particular part of Afghanistan.
There was a different tone here compared to the many locations we’d been to prior to this. For instance, immediately, we pulled out our issued tourniquets and have to have them on our persons at all times with the special red tab showing. Likewise, you can’t go outside without “eye pro” or eye protection (goggles, sunglasses, clear safety glasses, etc.). You might think that’s to protect your eyes from sand storms, but it’s not.
While we were at our initial training still in the United States, an ER doctor was part of the group and he’s previously served in Afghanistan providing emergency medical treatment. He was very quiet throughout the time we were there, but one day we were discussing IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and he spoke up for the first time.
There is not much you can do to physically protect yourself if you are hit by an IED, but the one thing I will tell you from my experience there is that you must always wear eye protection. I know it sucks, but I’ll tell you every person I treated that didn’t have eye protection on – lost their sight.
I’ve been surprised at the significant number of civilian contractors here. Likewise, of interest, are the Uganda military forces that support security efforts here. The mountains were faintly visible today and it sprinkled rain for a few moments.
We are surrounded by tons of concrete, concertina wire, large rocky gravel and bunkers. Living conditions are glorified shipping containers for the most part and many of the few buildings here were previously part of a Russian base. What is interesting is that none of those Russian buildings have plumbing.
We ate an amazing Afghan meal here on base of rice, soup and chicken kabobs, and walked through the on base “bazaar” with a number of local vendors providing everything from leather gun holsters to beautiful rugs and scarfs.
As I sat eating my breakfast, the thought briefly flicked across my mind that I’m not sure I’ve ever been surrounded by as many armed personnel. It was a bit surreal. The last thing I want to mention in this post (and it probably deserves a post of its own) is the USO. Throughout this deployment, at each stop, the USO has been a soothing and supportive presence. From Norfolk to Afghanistan it is a guaranteed cushy chair, delicious snack and available WiFi. The volunteers bring out nothing, but the most friendly and cheerful personalities and they are continuously there like a good friend with a hand on your shoulder. I promise to post more on this, but I certainly can’t describe my first 24 hours without including a head nod here to the hospitality the USO has provided throughout the journey.
