Much Needed Update

Here it is, 1am on 9/15/11. Just took a much needed shower. Was hoping to have a more refreshed & invigorating feeling - being that I haven't had a shower in quite some time, but I'm not surprised at that lack of energy. You see - the last month and a half - and especially the last 24-48 hours have been quite a ride.

I first need to share with any contractors that may be reading this - if you plan on taking R&R and utilizng MILAIR for your flights - ensure that the country you wish to fly to is very clearly listed on your orders / LOA. You see, my company lead me to believe I could fly from Afghanistan to Germany. Not only did all discussions I had with coworkers & management believe this to be true, but my company also approved their leave request form that I filled out 5 months prior to taking vacation. It clearly stated my intentions for travel & my destination to Ramstein, Germany. Their leave form even used two examples of using MILAIR to fly into Ramstein or Frankfurt. So imagine my surpise when I arrived in Bagram Air Base to catch a flight (there were 2 getting ready to leave in the next 24 hours), only to be told that I wasn't authorized to use MILAIR.

Seems my company changed their contract the the government. And in doing so, no longer allowed MILAIR flights to anywhere but Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait & Qatar. No one shared this with me. None of my coworkers - or immediate managers - had any idea. I ended up speaking with the country manager and his deputy - and was told "Oh yeah, they changed that. We've been trying to get it changed back but it's no use". So - I got stuck in Bagram, forced to purchase a commercial flight - which then got cancelled - so I had to buy a whole NEW set of tickets on different airlines. By the time I was done - I did make it out of Afghanistan and into Germany - only to realize all the funds I had put aside for my vacation where just burnt up on 2 sets of plane tickets that I had no expectation to buy. I slept and ended up taking a free MILAIR flight BACK to Afghanistan (that's authorized remember). My R&R consisted of me having 1 bud light, catching up on my sleep and being out of A'stan for a whopping 48 hours total. This occurred in the beginning of August. And I have still not heard a single thing from any level of management apologizing, communicating the changes, or offering to reimburse me for thier (frequent) blatant mistake(s). 150 days and counting folks...

I should mention - while I was at Bagram Air Base, I was outside on a picnic table with a couple folks when I heard a loud BOOM. I raised a brow & looked at one of the guys, and he said "Contrstruction. Sounds like something else, but its noise from construction".

Ok - 5 minutes go by - and BOOM again. Another guy says - "That doesn't sound like construction to me" - but the first guy assures us it's noise from construction.

I think to myself he must be right, because surely alarms would have sounded by now, right?

3 minutes later "KA-BOOM". I say "Come on now  that was an explosion. Second guy agrees. First guy says, "I know - it sounds a lot like incoming - but it's probably just construction". It's been 10 minutes since the first boom, we decide it's time to get to head to the other side of the base, hop in their truck, and then we hear the alarms going off. Guess what? Those were most definitely mortars or rockets coming in. My combat cherry was technically just broken. And here we were driving around Bagram Air Base without a care in the world - as were about 95% of the people we saw along our driving route. No one was in protective gear, no one was in bunkers, nothing. It was no big deal. I know the base is big and all...but I was surprised at the complete lack of concern for ones own safety.

So - fast forward to a couple days ago...I get off of work Tuesday morning at 0700. I get back to my room in the safe house and go right to bed. I'm exhausted from not being able to sleep the last 3 days. Sleeping during the day - for me - is extremely hard. Power failures often result in the A/C going off and my waking up to 90+ degree tempts, sweating. Additionally, there are two generators about 25 feet away from my bed (seperated by a thin wall of glass/wood) that are often worked on during the day by noisy local nationals. There are plenty of other noises and activities that prevent a decent day of rest. So after working Monday night - I coudln't wait to get to sleep.

Unfortunately (or fortunately as you'll learn shortly) I wake up around 1130. I've gotten MAYBE 2 hours of sleep. But for some reason, I'm WIDE awake. I am supposed to be "off" that night, so I figure I may as well go to the base & get a haircut. I make it there around noon. Stop in at the NOC (my office), have small talk with some coworkers - and then it happens. First there are travel restrictions. No big deal - my route betwen the base & house aren't affected. I figure I better get my haircut quick so I can get home in case things get tighter. Only the barber shop is closed for lunch until 1300. A short while later, we're told no incoming or outgoing on the base; gates are closed. Great. I wonder how long this will last. Hopefully only an hour or two. And then, the alerts start strolling in and the alarm & big voice begin to sound. Apparently, the shit is hitting the fan.

I'm ordered to get to a bunker. 10 - 15 minutes there, and I hear a very very close sounding "Pop!". Myself and others recognize it as a single pistol shot. Odd. Why wasn't it followed up by more? Maybe there was an accidental discharge by someone we wonder. 10-15 minutes later - we here rapid pops. And boy, the sure do sound close. Then, BOOM. Some idiot just blew himself up, we're certain of that. And then the gunfire erupts. And again, it is CLOSE. Explosions begin to happen - a few at a time, then spaced apart by a few minutes and longer. One explosions rocks us pretty good. So far - it sounds like there is attacking going on from 3 different directions.

I fire up my Twitter account and start reading the tweets from reporters around Kabul. I would come to solely rely on those tweets to know what was going on and where the next 24 hours. After 4 - 5 hours in the bunker, I have learned that 3 attacks have taken place. And one rages on near the Embassy & the ISAF base. I communicate on Facebook with coworkers in our safe houses - getting the play by play of their proximity to the gunshots, explosions, and vehicle movements. I'm told our local guards are still on post - and are poised & ready for action. That is comforting. But, what's really comforting is, I was on base, in hardened structures, surrounded by (mostly) well armed soliders. Apparently, I was woken up after 2 hours sleep for a reason.

Throughout the whole event, I was never "scared". My adrenaline was definitely in overdrive at times; I felt angry and wished I could go get the bastards who were attacking, but I never felt true "fear". I know if I was in my room at the safe house and woke up to this - I would've been crapping my pants for the duration.

About the "mostly" well armed soldiers....seems the Army has a policy of collection a soliders ammunition a day or two before they deploy out of theatre. Because, surely, they won't have a need for it in the last 24 - 48 hours, right? Good Lord is that an assinine policy! In my bunker, I was better armed than the 8 soldiers around me because at least I had a sharp pocket knife! They had guns - but not a one had a single bullet to shoot. Amazing. Fortuantely, we did have a sharp, all-business Mongolian soldier stationed at our bunker. If the bad guys came, I know this guy would've taken out most if not all of them. He was very professional & very focused. Not like most of the U.S. soldiers unfortunately.

Anyway - I won't get into the details about how close everything was and exactly where I was located - but I will say that over the next 24 hours, I mostly heard & felt the gunfights, rockets, grenades, chopper fire, and Lord knows what else. I "saw" very little. And only when I was allowed to leave the base,this afternoon - did I actually smell (and taste for that matter) the gunpowder that permeated the air. I felt safe, overall, but, I know the bad guys get "lucky" - and that luck concerns me - but they weren't even close when it came to myself and those immediately around me.

I'm pretty certain a suicide bomber attacked about 200 - 300 yards away from my bunker location - off the base - near an Afghan police station - based on news reports. No rounds landed in my compound. I didn't see any damage or indication of attack upon my return "home". These are all good things. While technically, my cherry may have been broken up at Bagram - this event was what I had been wondering about since the day I agreed to come over here. I reacted far better than I thought. My frustration at being helpless to "fight" quickly turned to acceptance of the situation. And, my complete & utter lack of respect for the Taliban and its partners has grown & intensified.

Many will say that taking 20 hours and the amount of firepower shows the failure of Afghan & ISAF forces. I say the results of all the attacks are what's truly important. Yes, there is still a policing problem when it comes to the availability & transport of weapons. But that's occuring world wide - in the U.S., Mexico and darn near every other country, isn't it? Improvements will be made. But, the fact that the insurgents had firepower does NOT constitute a failure on Afghan & ISAF forces.

The insurgents failed to attack their intended targets due to qualified & excellent response from security forces.

All insurgents are dead.

There were no ISAF or ANA KIA's. A small number were wounded, yes.

Some ANP were killed; they were the front-line defenders/first responders - and it's unfortunate. But at least they were doing the right thing & defending the Afghan people valiantly. Still - those numbers were extremely small.

Most of the action was taken by Afghan forces. ISAF forces provided support, assistance & guidance.But the Afghan people can be proud of the courage & abilities of their forces through all of this.

None of the secure structures throughout Kabul were breached. Sure, some were attacked - but from a distance. Without significant casualties or damange.

The Taliban will continue to follow their pattern of ignorance. Lying about the events & results of their failed attacks and meaningless sacrifice of life by their ignorant suicide bombers. And, the "leadership" (I used that term loosely, because they've demonstrated the leadership abilities of a drunken tootheless hillbilly with a shotgun trying to lead a flock of sheep back to his trailer) will encourage the use of ignorant, brainwashed suicide bombers to attack gatherings of civlians because attacks on security forces almost always results in the death of the bombers and no one else and very little damage otherwise.

When ISAF leadership says the Taliban are desperate, they're 100% accurate. They have nothing left but to try to wage a campaign of sensationalism - which is failing. Only the ignorant & uninformed believe their lies. I say - let them continue to blow themselves up and chip a little concrete from fortitifed walls. Their numbers are decreasing, and soon, they won't have enough left to do much but send out tweets on the internet.

I've said it before & I'll say it again. Information and education is key here. A well informed people will stand up for what is right. Yes, progress is slow - but it is happening. As Afghans continue to learn, their country will evolve into a good place to live. When we leave - we'll be "cutting them loose" - not "running away". We have to let them build & control their country. They want it now more than ever. They are smarter than ever. And I hope they eventually succeed.

The purpose of the United States & ISAF forces was to clean up a mess that the Afghan people had no control over. A mess that allowed the proliferation of terrorists. We've cleaned up a lot of that mess. We've taught the population that the problem is REAL, how to recognize it, and how to deal with it. Is everything perfect? No. Far from it. But, our job - our main goal & purpose - is done. I truly believe the Afghan people can and will take care of themselves when we leave. We'll still help out when asked - but they will get it right eventually.

While I can't stand the company I work for, am frustrated by the lack of efficiency & illogical ways of the U.S. Army, and do not like being confined to a filth, dirty, uncomfortable and hazardous area - I'm still glad to be a part of this whole mess. Because I don't just believe - I KNOW - that ultimately, being here is saving the lives of Americans around the world, and at home. And now, I realize and understand it's helping to save the lives of many many Afghan people as well.

As always, I am proud to be an American.

I know - It's Been Awhile

You know that phrase your mother used to say: "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all"? Well - that's why I haven't posted in quite awhile. Honestly - of all the things I thought would make this year difficult, the last thing I suspected was management & incompetence. But, as a friend reminded me while corresponding through email - I should've known better.

We Americans are so arrogant that we believe "we" are the best, and most qualfied when it comes to just about anything. Oh how untrue that is. I learned shortly after joining the U.S. Navy, back when I was 17 - that - at least from what I could see - the military was made up mostly of: criminals, gang members, social rejects & power trippers. Skill, patriotism, service towards country - those folks were in the minority.

Guess what? Not much has changed in the 20 years since I served. Well, not entirely true. I think we've got more patriotic active duty service members in our ranks since 9/11; guys & girls who have joined and are serving for the right purpose & right reasons. And, what I've really learned is that the highly paid contractors aren't getting those big bucks for their skill & expertise. They're getting it because apparently companies can't find enough qualified people to willingly come over here. Which, honestly, surprises me.

I've worked at a handful of medium to large sized companies. In every single company, I always managed to work with qualified peers. Those who couldn't pull their weight - left or where let go pretty quickly. Not here. Why? Especially at the amount of money some of these contractors are pulling in? I'll tell you why. Management. I have yet to run into proven, skilled and qualified managers at any level of my experience since signing up for this gig. All managers I have seen thus far were either told they were going to be placed in a lead or management role, or, the position was offered & given to junior personnel who are are not qualified. I'm all for hiring from within, but only when it warrants it - or, at the very least, there's some sort of mentoring or training program to teach them how to lead & manage.

None of that exists here. We have the blind leading the blind. From the very bottom levels of leadership all the way up to the top. Blame it on the bureacracy? Maybe. I blame it on corporate greed. The companies offering services here aren't interested in much more than the dollar. If their contract gets pulled or doesn't get renewed - no worries; they'll reform under a new name and continue to game the system.

I've never been a big complainer about "the man" - but here, well, I hate what I'm experiencing. I hate seeing the few qualified & competent people get the shaft, time and time again. I hate to see good people leave. And management - well, they don't appear to care a single bit. It's every man for himself I guess. Management feels that if their boss isn't on their back - then all is well. But when he is - then it's time to discipline the children (the workers) instead of identify problems and implement solutions.

I don't believe I've mentioned the company I work for in this blog. And from what I have seen and heard - all I've mentioned so far isn't isolated to just the company I work for. I know I did my research before coming out here - to try to get an idea of what I was in for. One website - glassdoor.com - had some scathing reviews from current employees about the company I'm currently under contract. I chose to ignore it - giving the benefit of the doubt - and wanting to believe it was just a few disgruntled employees who couldn't cut the mustard of an overseas deployment. Well, I was wrong. Those guys were likely "good guys" that the company treated like crap and let get away.

I should say too - that it's not even that I, or other people, are being "picked on" or anything like that. It's just the way things are run here. The mismangement, poor management and lack of management is just mind blowing. And there aren't any real mechanisms in place to fix things. Well - there are some - but it appears that some of the "old dogs" who've been here longer than others feel that their way is the right way and that's that. So they choose to just ignore things more often than not and hope problems just go away or get transferred away. Thank God most businesses in the states know better than to function this way. But what an utter waste of tax payer dollars.

People in the states watch the news & say Afghanistan is a mess. That's true. Except that I see how much a mess it is on so many, many levels now that I'm here and a part of it all. It's really pretty sad - and kind of depressing. I believe our purpose for being here is valid and I support it 100% - but, so much of it: what we do, how we do it, the finances of it all - just so much - is so wrong.

I'm doing my best to keep my head up - and look forward to my return to the states. As I type this - I've got 175 days left...or, with days off, 125 more actual shifts....or, 13 paychecks...yeah - 13 paychecks; that's a nice low number to hang on to and focus as my countdown timer ;)

Peace.

Love Those Holidays!

Seriously - the Taliban need new PR people. Between blowing up the civilian population of the country they desire so badly to "control" again, and the way the celebrate holidays, they're guaranteeing we'll be here fo many years to come!
Today was the Afghanistan Independence Day from the Russians. What do the bad guys like to do around the holidays? Oh - make their own types of fireworks you could say. Needless to say - I've been pretty vigilant. So, on my way "home" from work - as I'm waiting "in the road" with a couple of co-workers, we start hearing gunfire. And it just wasn't a pop or two - it was rapid, and constant for at least 3 - 4 minutes. And it was CLOSE. We were waiting for our driver, watching the local guards lock & load, and wondered WTF do we do now!?!?! We literally had no where to go. I was kicking myself for having not worn my protective gear (hardly anyone does in my line of work/location) even though I had planned to today - because of the holiday...
Finally - our driver pulls up - we jump in - and tell him to get the F outta here! He slowly turns the vehicle around...and calmly says..."relax...it's just fireworks". And then I remembered the holiday. Really? They allow fireworks in this place?!!??! It was pretty funny - but also a bit of a wake up call. Let's call it a nice "drill". I'll definitely be a wee bit more of my egress routes during all movement, that's for sure. And I may just wear that vest in to work once in awhile - if not every day. We'll just see.
So - after getting "home" - and working for 3 hours on "internet problems" that some of the folks are experiencing (I volunteered to manage the safehouse internet service - not sure that was the wisest move) - and catching up on my computer - I hear a chopper. And then I hear it again. And again. And again. Normally - a chopper or two will fly over enroute from A to B. Not tonight. There were a couple of choppers zigzagging overhead - and I'm pretty sure they weren't your average Blackhawk. I peeked outside - but didn't see'em. No big spot lights like the police choppers back in the states. Just big loud popping/flutter noises...sounded pretty cool really. The finally moved on after about 30 minutes or so.
Anyway - this was a little while ago - and I'm now pushing 1am - for the 3rd night in a row....SO, I better shut myself off & get some sleep...very much looking forward to Saturday and a day of rest!

Day Off Road Trip

Today was my day off. I awoke to the sound of a Chinook helicopter circling overhead for at least 20 minutes. That's how long I hear it after it woke me up at least. By the time I made it outside to check it out - it buzzed over the top of me - and was gone. So much for getting a good picture. It reminded me of when you turn the radio station only to hear the last 10 seconds of  song you really like.

I figured I'd better get up & moving - so as not to be a hermit all day and risk waking up my roomate who works nights - or getting more sore muscles due to lying in a bed all & shifting around while I use my laptop. I'd kill for a comfy couch to relax on! Anyway - I went to the base, ate a meal - and was forunate to be offered a road trip to go on. Seems one of my drivers needed another person to go with him to the airport to pick someone up. Something about the ID requirements changing or something. I had mentioned to him how bored I was when I have days off - so it worked out well.

I was really curious what things would look like - since the last time I was on public roads, I hadn't slept in well over 24 hours, and was somewhat "shell-shocked" by what I was experiencing. This time around, I was familiar with my base's location, as well as the rest of the Kabul cluster of base's - and the housing area I lived in - not to mention I've hit old Google maps a few times to get a better idea of what all else is around me. I was very eager to go.

As we left our "secure" area & hit the public road ways - that "edginess" I had shortly after arriving here came back. Although I tried to fake myself out & play it cool. My living area & the base I work at really are smack in the middle of a very busy & bustling city center. It's so hard to believe when living within the confines of armed guards, concertina wire, hesco & metalith barriers, and concrete t-walls everywhere. I took comfort in the relaxed attitude of my driver. Although even though he appeared relaxed, he was still very focused on the task at hand. Driving the roads of Kabul is an experience like no other. There are civilian vehicles of all shapes & sizes. Some with 1 or 2 persons, yet others packed like a circus clown car with very unsavory looking fellows. There are many different flavors of armed personnel along the way. Many being the "ring of steel" - the Afghan police force - as well as the ANA or Afghan National Army. Military vehicles permeate the civilian traffic. As do the typical Iranian/Chinese/Afghan built motorcycles that are so popular. And, let's not forget the animal drawn cart every once in awhile too!

Our ride to the airport was fairly smooth - with only a couple "tight spots" where our movement slowed to a crawl - and we found ourselves boxed in by lots of different vehicles mere millimeters away from our own vehicle. That's just typical of traffic here, but it has a more pronounced feeling of tension when you know that these are the types of situations where vehicle born IED's (VBIED's) and/or suicide bombers like to make their mark. I managed to snap a couple pics, which I'll post below - but, fortunately, things were typically uneventful and rather boring.

On the way back - the gentleman we picked up talked about how not so long ago, folks from my company actually had the ability to drive themselves around in unarmored cars all over the place. Things have definitely changed out here, and not for the better, from what I learned. All I know is, my intention of agreeing to go on the road trip was to break up the monotony & check things out a little. I barely achieved that. However, it also put into perspective the environment that I currently live, travel & work in. It's quite removed from the life that goes on an extremely short distance away - beyond a couple small layers of concrete, steel & armed guards. Unsettling? Yep. And reaffirming that, once my 1 year contract has been fulfilled, I will be getting outta dodge & never coming back to this place. This I know.

(I know - nothing exciting - but it's not exactly easy to take a picture with
an iPhone while trying to be discrete)

My 2 Cents on My Day Off

So I had a day off today. It started with me waking up & wondering: since I can see daylight coming into my room - past the heavy duty window tint & old nasty curtains - why my roomate who works the night shift wasn't back in the room yet. Maybe he was getting his I.D. card renewed. I felt bad for him since it was cutting into his ever important sleeping time.

So I hopped online - and low & behold - I read reports of "activity" in the news websites. Seems that up in Mazar-e-sharif - which is a fair distance to the north west of Kabul - there were protests that turned violent. Apparently, the protesters scaled blast walls at a U.N. compound and killed a number of people - including some civlians from other countries (no Americans or Afghans).

In addition, and quite a bit closer to "home" - some knucklehead insurgents tried to breach Camp Phoenix by dressing as women - in burqa's - and firing off their AK-47's and suicide vests. They reportedly had RPG's too. Guess how that turned out for them? As expected (see pic below). Now I know why the roomate wasn't back yet; he got held up due to movements being restricted in light of the attacks.

Yes, he's picking up insurgent body parts.

I just do not understand these suicidal bomber types. Without getting into too much detail - for fear that one of these knuckleheads might be able to read, and could stumble upon this blog - I just can't comprehend what sort of "plan" these idiots "think" is going to "work". Almost always - they decide to attack a base or compound - get nowhere even close - are detected - and then get shot up and decide to explode themselves - causing little to no damage upon their intended target. It's just unfathomable to me. I mean - they have to run through the events in their mind. If only I could see inside their minds to see how it plays out to them prior to launching their attacks.

 Now, I know the Taliban like to put an uber positive spin on everything insurgent related - and in this case, they actually reported that the insurgents breached the base, got inside, took control, and that ISAF forces were fighting the insurgents from the outside-in! They are also stating there were "lots" of ISAF casualties - when the reality is, there were none. So, if this is what they spread - and these people have no knowledge of actual events besides what Taliban folks tell them, then, I guess it's no wonder, and I shouldn't be so shocked. I have to remember that my way of life is different in almost every way compared to theirs.

Anyway - I feel pretty secure in light of everything that has happened today. Almost everywhere I go - there are Hesco barriers, concrete barriers & bunkers, and metalith anti-ram/blast walls. Not to mention armed guards and lots of anxious active duty military members (some with individually named rounds just waiting to be "set free"). I didn't like reading that the protester's up in Mazar-e-sharif scaled the UN compounds blast walls - but I feel pretty confident that, where I'm at, plenty of people would take notice and those who attempt to scale would drop like flies pretty quickly.

So, on my day off - I did what every patriotic American loves to do: filed my taxes! How exhilirating it was - not! I will say, that, after having been here for over a month, I do have a new appreciation & respect for the taxes I pay - and did so this year with only a slight grimace as opposed to a full fledged frown. My tax money is all around me here. And it's obvious more needs to be spent. So I'm glad I'm doing "my part".

Before I go - one more item. In regards to the protester's up in Mazar-e-sharif...the people up there were protesting "...because of the burning of the Quaran by an American pastor..." Ok - fine, I get it - protest. BUT - when you maim or kill someone, and use the burning of a book - the Quaran in this case - as justification - keep in mind that you just lost a ton of points in the minds of reasonable human beings. You make yourselves and your religion look extremely bad.

What? Is your relgion not stronger than paper with words printed on it? What - Allah is Quaran you say? Oh, puh-leeze. I thought God was "everything"? And, God - yours, mine or anyone else's - is surely strong enough to withstand someone destroying His written words, isn't he? And, surely, wouldn't this God also take it upon Himself to destroy other living beings if it was so vital to His religious institution? There's just so much hypocrisy in organized religion - it just so happens that Islamist are currently going through their period of "violence in the name of our religion" (ie, like the Christians & the crusades,or the Salem witch trials, etc).

I don't want to get into a debate about Islam, Christianity, or any other religion, but I have to say - for all of this "glory" and "goodness" that is alleged to be waiting for followers of any religion - it sure is hypocrytical to act out in violent ways in the name of Him. Simply put - actions of violence have no part in any religion - period. I'm proud to say I no longer "follow" any religion. I'm a spiritual being having a human existence. I believe in a God - a creator. But I cannot accept that He wishes or expect us to live by strict rules, especially ones that require violence on other living beings. These days, I'm doing the best that I can to be a "good person" - and try to live my life by doing "what's right" and not hurting or harming other people. Isn't that enough?

Baseball Diamonds

So the Persian New Year has come & gone - and things were nice & quiet. I've lost most of that uneasy anticipation I had been feeling - but have to keep things in check so I don't become complacent. There's a fine line in my situation between being "comfortable & not worrying" and being complacent.

This post will be quick - I've just got 2 things to say:

1. All the stereotypes about Swedish girls being beautiful, blude eyed, blondes appears to be true. I'm currently researching what it would take to enlist in the Swedish Army. I mean - how in God's name can you look smoking hot in a set of BDU's? All I know is, Swedish women can.

2. I feel like I'm stuck, indefinitely, at a little league baseball park. I played played when I was younger, and before I played, I would go to my older brothers baseball games. The park had 4 - 5 baseball diamonds, dirt & gravel roads around the whole complex - and a couple little buildings for things like the concession stand, dugouts and restrooms. It was often dirty, dusty and everything was "a little beat up" from so much traffic having passed through it all. Well - where I'm at in Afghnistan isn't much different. If it's not dusty - then it's muddy. The structures on my base are a hodge podge of whatever could be stood up to support workspaces, latrines, living quarters, storage sheds, etc. The houses are no different. Trust me - nothing is like it is "in the movies". It's a mess - a mess I now use for work, play & living. And I kinda like it. Of course, I know I'm not stuck here "permanently" - and once I leave, I plan on never returning. I'm just making the best of it, knowing I'll never have an experience like this again.

Uneasy Anticipation

So midnight tonight begins the Persian New Year - or Nowruz. It also coincides with the first day of Spring. This is significant to me currently because, back in the days of Taliban rule, they considered it an "...ancient pagan holiday centered on fire worship..." and celebration of it was banned. Since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, folks have returned to celebrations. However, historically, the Taliban likes to make it known that they're not cool with that. They like to make their usual "hello's" to the world during the week of Nowruz - by blowing theselves up among a group of people - often innocent civilians. This year is no different - except that this year, President Karzai also plans to annouce the gradual plan of handing over Afghan security responsibilites from NATO forces to Afghan forces. The Taliban don't like either group. So the media is reporting they may try to make an even bigger splash this year than in past years.

This is what is contributing to my uneasy anticipation. I've been here for 3 weeks now (it feels like 3 months - but not in a bad way - I've just soaked up so much data & sensory information in such a short time!). Since I've been here - things have been nice & quiet. While the hope is that things stay nice & quiet for my duration, the reality of the circumstances means that is practically an impossibility.

So, as I take a break during my night shift - smoking a cigarette under a perfectly clear, amazingly bright moonlit sky - I wonder: Will I hear it first or feel it? "It" being the first nearby explosion that is sure to come any minute, hour, day, week or month.

• Will I be awake or asleep in bed and "miss" the whole thing.
• Will it be close by or far away?
• Will it be near where I "commute" - or even along the path?
• Will it get me: completely so I don't feel or know a thing? a little bit so I just suffer some scratches & cuts? a lot to where I lose a limb or bodily function? or not at all - and just "happens around me" to where others are ruined, but I emerge without a scratch?
• How will I react?
• How will I think afterwards?
• What will I feel - emotionally?
• Will my committment to being?
• Or will I want to hop on the next plane out of here?

I'm not paranoid - I'm curious. Fearfully curious of course. I've read stories online from those who've been in life threatening situations over here. I've also heard first hand accounts from people along the way - during my time at CRC, and while processing through Kuwait - from people who casually talk about some horriffic things they've seen and been a part of. I know - I'm "just an I.T. contractor" (a Pogue or Fobbit to you Amry types) - and compared to a lot of folks, I've got it made in relative safety. But, the bad guys - they're opportunists and gamblers. They fails & miss often - but - they've gotten lucky plenty of times too. And that's all it is: pure luck for them. Dumb luck for those who suffer because of them. Bottom line is that the odds are in my favor.

For now - I'm just trying to stay focused on what is important: Work. Paying bills. Eating, sleeping, watching TV shows & movies. And just plain old goofing off whenever I can get a chance. I have to say - at least up till now - I'm right where I'm supposed to be and doing exactly what I should be doing by being over here. I'm very content "in the moment".

Gear - Part I

This post is the beginning of my "gear" section. I'll discuss initial considerations in the beginning, and towards the end - will touch on some of the items I've found invaluable & used the most thus far.

One of the most stressful items of my deployment to Afghanistan as a civilian contractor working in I.T. was trying to figure out what I should bring with me. There are 3 major factors that came into play for me:

1. Time was short. I left home exactly 32 days after I accepted the offer with my company. Roughly half of those 32 days are spent in the "screening process" - getting your medical eval, security clearance investigation, etc - and it's a time when you don't yet know with any certainty if you've got the job yet. I was reluctant to make "gear" purchases until I knew for sure I'd be shipping out.

2. There is not a whole lot of information out there for someone that works in my field to gather information from as to what one should be packing. Not only that, but you can be assigned to any of a number of bases, all of varying sizes with very few - or many amenities - with varying degrees of weather considerations. You'll want to prepare for as much as you can.

3. This biggest issue for me: you're only permitted to bring ONE 62 linear inch duffel bag with you to CRC, and 1 carry on bag.  Basically - and there's not a lot of wiggle room for this because they DO weigh & check the size of your bags at one point - you'll have a STANDARD size military duffel bag (or sea bag for us former Navy types) and a standard size backpack that holds a laptop.

I'm pretty anal when it comes to making lists - so I made a detailed spreadsheet with separate worksheet for different categories of items: medical, toiletries, clothing, electronics, bags & storage, and misc. I'm not going to list all the items I brought just yet. I hope to revisit that spreadsheet 6 months down the road to see what was wise to bring & what was wasted space. Its too early to tell. But I researched online & wrote down everything I thought that "I" could use - or might want to have in the event I was assigned to a remote, small camp in the desert or in the mountains - or, if I was assigned to a nice bhut or chu that had electricity wired & the need for hanging items, etc.

Your company will NOT provide you anymore detail about what to bring, other than "10 days of clothes & any necessary medicines". And honestly - that's just about all they will say. So, do your research online finding out not just what I.T. contractors suggest to pack - but civilian security folks, active duty troops - anyone and everyone who mentions the words "deployed" and "Afghanistan" in the same sentence. Choose items YOU think YOU might need. We all have varying degrees of what we need, and what makes us comfortable or what tools/items we "have to have" with us at all times.

I ordered a nice black standard duffel bag from Amazon, borrowed a luggage scale from someone - and, upon the official word of my employment (the day I was given my date to attend CRC) - went on a purchasing spree for gear. I spent probably in the range of $1500. This included a laptop that I picked up at an amazing price of $375 for an HP DM4 i5 with 4gb RAM & a 500gb hard drive. I picked up a High Sierra backpack that has lots of pockets to organize & store things for about $55 on Amazon as well.

You're given a weight limit on the duffel bag of 50lbs. I came in at 49 1/2lbs. My backpack fully loaded was about 35lbs. I could've shoved more in it - but then it would've been too big around - and not qualified as a carry on bag. So - with these two bags - I headed to CRC. I knew at some point, I'd be able to have items sent to me - but I had no idea when that would be. Thankfully, I packed & unpacked about 4 times - and even though I couldn't take everything from my list, I was able to take just about everything I'd need over the next 3 weeks. Amazingly - after about 3 unpacks & repacks during the time in CRC up until I got to my site - I didn't break a single thing or experience any sort of spillage of liquids or gels. Proud of myself on that - because your duffel bags will get tossed around & be stacked upon by several other bags during travel.

So - the items I couldn't have lived without? Zip lock bags & rubber bands for starters. Putting all meds, and other small items in individual zip lock backs keeps things organized & dry. Be sure to compress the air out when closing items up. Besides what you put items into - bring 6 - 10 small & large zip locks for future use too.
Rubber bands are great for rolling clothes and keeping them rolled. Rolling clothes was a HUGE life saver and the only way I was able to pack as much as I did. Roll. Roll tight - and keep'em rolled with rubber bands. Don't worry about wrinkles - I barely had any on some clothes that were rolled up in excess of 2 weeks! Besides, if it's wrinkles you're worrying about here - then you're worrying about the wrong thing.
Laptop, portable hard drives, a flash drive or two, a multi-type power converter plug that does more than just one kind of plug and especially a power strip! With a single converter that can plug into different plug types, you can simply plug your power strip into that - and everything else into the strip. Outlets are tough thing to find. I have ONE for my use - not one with two outlets - but ONE outlet period in my room. That was the case for most of my travels. I often gave open ports on my strip to other folks. So pack one for sure. The laptop - I recommend a display just big enough to make you happy. Don't get anything huge. That extra weight is just silly. And don't settle for a mini either. You'll be squinting & feel jealous of everyone around you. My HP DM4 is perfect for me. Light - and just big enough. I brought 2 portable hard drives - 1 for entertainment (music, movies, etc) - and one for backing up my laptop. Both are 500gb and are serving me just fine. I have room to spare on everything - and I have a lot of stuff on them! Your laptop will be a very important part of your life from day 1 of CRC. Also - bring headphones you like to wear a lot - and also a headset with a microphone. Skype has been pretty good - even on unreliable internet.
Locks. A cable type bicycle lock is great. You may not think you'll need it - but the moments will strike you and you'll say "Wow - glad I had that with me!". Also - TSA locks for your luggage. Bring 2. Also, bring a couple of padlocks that do not require a key and use a combo instead (and not the kind you had on your locker in high school). Something you can do easily - even in low light - and fast.
Carabiner hooks. I brought 3 small and 2 large. I've used them all for all sorts of things. The best use? When wearing your body armor - to hang your helmet from it instead of wearing it or carrying it. In my situation, we rarely bring, or wear, or body armor - but you must have them together & readily accessible at all times.
A good small flashlight that you can carry with you at all times. Besides power failures, you'll have lots of instances where that little light will come in handy.
A decent size pocket knife. Be sure to put it in your checked baggage - and leave it there until you get to your site. Once at your site - it should be the first thing to be unpacked & put into your pocket. Besides it being a handy tool to have, you'll feel better knowing you have at least SOMETHING to protect yourself should you need to.
Last for today - sheets & a pillow. I doubt you'll be able to pack a decent pillow in with everything else - but if you can - rock on. I had to settle for the garbage pillow that CRC provides you with - as well as their bedding & wool blanket. Wish I was more comfortable. When you get to Kuwait - you'll need to provide your own sheets, pillow, & blanket anyway. I bought some sheets before I left CRC thanks to the advice of a buddy. Sure, you can use the sleeping bag you'll be issued (if you're issued one - I was) - but I haven't used mine yet. Actually, I should put it as a liner under my sheets on my mattress, now that I think of it. Its nice to be able to sleep in decent sheets & with a decent pillow (I bought two at the PX at my base - I'm lucky that way).
Speaking of bedding - time for me to hit it. Till next time . . .

Touristy Day

About to call it a night - but first thought I'd plop down some notes of the day. It was my day off. I am working six 10 hour days with 1 day off for now. I kinda like it; there's been talk of going to 12 hour days with 2 days off each week. Do I really need that much time off, here? I think not.

So I woke up early - and continued sorting & organizing my movies & tv shows. I refuse to watch any unless absolutely bored - or I have them all organized first. The collection has grown immensely the past few weeks! I then received a Facebook message from a buddy of mine from the CRC process who had some time at a nearby base. I went & met him (another System Administrator), another guy from our CRC group (Help Desk) and his Lead. We visited "the bazaar" - and boy, was it bizarre! On my base & the other nearby bases, they hold "bazaar" days, where the locals come & sell their wares.
After you've passed about 100 feet of "shops" - you've seen it all - and then the shops just repeat themselves - but with different "salesman" trying to pull you in. But there's probably 2,000 feet of shops! Tons of knock off sunglasses, electronics equipment (including some very funny looking & operating iPhone 4's), DVD's, rugs out the a$$ (some machine made, some hand made - including 100% silk), scarves, fur clothing, jewelry, stones & gems, old guns (at least they appear old - but I think they're knock off's too - 1800's Enfield's for $100? I don't think so), and plenty of other interesting things. I picked up a "spring assisted" (read: switch blade) pocket knife & a bottle of cologne (from the PX) today. You can never have too many knives as an unarmed civilian, and, well - I don't work/socialize with just a bunch of smelly guys - so why not smell nice? Grand total - $60 USD. Not bad at all. My summary of "the bazaar"? Neat - maybe worth a look if folks at home have something in mind or want a souvenir from here - but for the most part, I doubt I'll visit one again until right before I leave - to get myself a few items to remember this place. After all, I'm here to save money - not spend it on crap.
The rest of my day was more "sight seeing" at the base I visited, a walk through the US Embassy grounds (which these bases are more or less situated around), and a stop at my own base to check & see how things were going today. One thing that struck me was on the way to my friends base, I had to drive by the Afghan President's grounds. I wish I could've taken a picture (you will hear me say that phrase over & over unfortunately) because it is surrounded by an absolutely depressing poverty stricken area. Not much different than the White House in D.C. you say? Oh - its much worse. And there's all this security - which provides me safe passage mind you - within all of that poverty. It's really sad the state of affairs this country is in. They're in such a state of flux - between the 3rd world tribal culture - and modern day politics & adaptations of western civilizations. There's so many people "caught in the middle". I hope the youth & young adults make the right decisions & work to make this a better place. In my opinion, its really up to "them". We, the U.S. are pointing them in the right direction, & providing "guidance" (for lack of a better word) with our money, culture, and various offerings; unfortunately, the resistance of groups such as the Taliban - and those who wish to maintain their 3rd world tribal culture way of life are just so resistant. There really is & can be a sweet spot in the middle. I hope they can find it sooner than later.
PS: I was going to insert a picture of the president's complex by taking or linking one from the official website, however, the website is "down for maintenance". I'm not surprised. I wonder how long that message has been up (http://www.president.gov.af/)

The Hobbling Dog

Saw my first "casualty of war" last night on my drive back to the house: a medium size scraggly dog that I assume had gotten caught up in some concertina wire. He was doing the 3 legged hobble down the street as my driver sped past. Tough to see that & not be able to get out and do anything. Hopefully, that's the worst thing I see while I'm over here.

Some of the edge has worn off

While it already feels like I've been here for a month - the truth is, it'll be a week tomorrow morning. I have to say - the first 24 - 48 hours were a bit of a shock. Those who know me know I love to research things on the 'net. Prior to taking this job, I did a lot of digging to see if this was something I should consider & could hack. I can honestly say almost nothing is like what I expected.

With that said - I'm with a great group of people. They didn't knock me or do any hazing like you might expect when a newbie arrives on the scene. Instead, they pretty much just said they understood - 'cuz they felt the same way when they made it into town. They've answered my questions & concerns as best they can - and I have to say - a lot of the edge I felt those first two days has worn off.

There's still plenty of concern & I have to keep mindful of my surroundings most of the time, but, I did something I thought I'd never do here: I went "out" to eat. Yep, joined a group of guys & went where the expats go. It was surreal to take a short walk from where we're living, enter a building - get frisked & walk through a metal detector - and then see this 5-star restaurant right before my eyes! There were only people in civilian clothes (some of whom wore their clothes quite well I might add <wink><wink>)eating & drinking - like they were in some trendy little place in NYC!

It was an oasis in the middle of a dessert. We took a nice sized table where we could relax (and even smoke at!), and enjoyed a nice peaceful dinner. The food was excellent - and the bill came to around $20 USD a piece (tip not included). At home, we surely would have paid twice that for a similar experience. I'm reluctant to give the name & location out - but if you're ever in Kabul - give me a shout & I'll be glad to share it with you.

Work is moving along pretty well. I'm pretty familiar with many of the systems that I'm working with, which is nice. The real challenge for me is adapting to the processes that are in place & knowing/remembering all the different acronyms. I fully understand that acronyms are the lifes blood of the military - I get that. Its just that where I'm at - there seems to be an extraordinary amount of acronyms in use - mainly due to the types of folks we're servicing. In time, it'll all become second nature to me I'm sure.

I could continue to type about all my sense's are soaking in - but I'm pretty beat, as usual & should wrap it up.I'll end on two notes:

1. The weather here is ridiculous. Back at home in Cleveland, we would occasionally have "4 season days" - where you experience a bit of all 4 seasons in one day. Here, that seems to be just a normal day. The switching between snow, sleet, and rain is annoying! I've seen two days where there were clear skies for a little while, which was nice; the mountains surrounding us are beautiful - from a distance of course ;)

2. I was hoping to be popping a pic of Bret Baier from Fox News & myself on here tonight - but, alas, he was no where to be found at the scheduled meet-n-greet/photo-op time/location. Things likely were out of his hands, but it would been kinda neat to meet a pseudo-celebrity from my favorite TV station. Especially after staying on the base after my shift, in the nasty raind/snow & getting soaked. Maybe next time, right?

PS: I kid when I complain on here. Believe me - I know damn well plenty of our men & women are in far shittier conditions than I am & at greater risk as well. Comparatively speaking - I've got it made in the shade where I'm at. I mean, look at that pic below! Can't deny that things are relative to ones present situation & circumstances though!

I Have Arrived

Well - I'm here - in Afghanistan. Smack dab in the middle of Kabul - and its cold as you can see in the 1st pic. I'm writing with mixed feelings at the moment. See, I'm no longer assigned to the "cushy base" I was tenatively slated to go to. Instead, I've been assigned to Camp Eggers. Those who are here say its THE place to be, but I will need to be convinced. It's not the actual base that bothers me - its where I'm staying - OFF base. Sure, I have my own room (will get a roomate eventually) in a safe house - and it has a balcony to boot. I'm just not crazy about having to "commute" to & from work, or just to eat or utilize the services on the base.

The 2nd pic does no justice to the wild ride it will take for me to get from point A to point B - at least twice a day (the pic was taken prior to getting to my site/living quarters location). Security concerns won't allow me to post pics or get into too much detail as to how the commute really is. All I'll say is - its filled with police, checkpoints, absolutley insane driving conditions & lots of "unknowns" that have left my stomach in knots. I'm told that will pass - and I'll get used to it - and embrace my location & conditions - but I'm skeptical while writing this. Don't get me wrong, I knew the risks getting into this - I was just "hoping for the best" - and have to let things set in a bit.

One bit of good news is that I will definitely be busy & hard at work "on the job". I had heard rumors of folks in my position getting to their job sites & not having much to do. The last thing I want is to twiddle my thumbs all day for the next year. Had I gone to the other camp, that may have happened, but not here. I'm sure to be challenged & will be in a high profile position supporting the likes of folks who's names are mentioned routinely on the news.

I'll post more when I learn & discover more. And again, I apologize for vagueness at times - but I have to be ever mindful of operational security. Mine & others' lives literally depend on it.

Haiku

Yes, I wrote a Haiku. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a little nuts to begin with, but being trapped in Kuwait, waiting for a flight outta here is driving me even crazier. In my opinion, 1 day spent here is one day too much - and I'm now on day 9. I've been as close as #41 on "the list", and since, have been 63, 98, 103, 141 - not necessarily in that order. Its been up & down and, ironically, am back to 41 again today. I need to get where I'm going, get unpacked, get organized & get to work! Anyone who's stayed in the lovely "Tent City" here in Kuwait can probably relate to my little Haiku, below:

Gravel footstep crush
Zippers, buckels, snoring, light
Ali Al Salem

The Villa

Just a quick post to provide a current status. Right now - I'm staying in what is called "The Villa" - a home in Kuwait City owned by my company. Its pretty nice - and large - and is providing accomodations for myself & 20+ fellow contractors that will be deployed out to various sites around Afghanistan & Iraq. Sure, we're all going to be sleeping in one room, and we still have bunk beds which have become the norm for my stays so far - but, we're off the transient base in Kuwait for a few days, have TV, some nice furniture to sit on, good food and free internet! Now, the internet is nice - when only one person is using it - but we all try to hop on at the same time & it grinds to a halt. SO, I'm continuing to hold off on pictures for now - its just not feasible. Plus, to be honest, most of what I've seen has been pretty boring. Nonetheless, I'll get some pics up when I find a semi-reliable internet connection with moderate speed. I'm thinking I'll make an album or two on Facebook to place all the pics I have up to the point I get to my actual base - and after that will post all future pics here on the blog. As usual, I'm beat tired - so I'm going to sign off for now, kick back & get some sleep.
PS: The weather here in Kuwait is great. Low to mid 70's during the day and mid to upper 50's at night. Yesterday it was hot in the morning, but cooled down quickly as the day wore on. Some hefty winds arrived which caused the blowing sand to mask the sun for the most part. We had light drizzles throughout the day - and even a decent rain shower in the early morning hours. Today was beautiful - but most of it was spent doing training & processing by "the company".

CRC

Alright - finally a little time where I can actually sit at a table, have (spotty) internet access and have the energy to write. I just arrived in Kuwait - awaiting confirmation of where in A'stand I'll be headed to and getting the final processing from my company. For now, I'll describe the "CRC" phase of the whole civilian I.T. contractor experience.

CRC stands for Conus (meaning Continental US) Replacement Center. The way I understand it - it is the process that the following groups must go through prior to shipping out to their respective overseas combat zone units: Active Duty Army personnel meeting stragglers, DoD civilians (federal employees), Civilian contractors (me), Interpreters.

It reminded me much of my training days (A & C schools) after Navy boot camp. You're not completely treated like a child - but there are moments. I won't get into the details of everything (you can google "CRC ft benning to find some decent write-ups), but just highlight a few things. I'll also focus only on the contractor experience & skip other three groups. While there were some evolutions we did as a single unit - most of the time, units were processed with their respective units only.

Most of the folks who I met in the contractors group are former miliary. Some were even retirees as recent as the first of the month after 22 years of service! But most of us had done our 4 and got out - and felt this was something we both wanted to handle & could handle. There were only a handful of folks who had never served - and its these folks that the training aspect of CRC is mostly geared towards.

Which leads me to what all goes down in CRC. The first day starts on Saturday - and the last day is the following Friday - where, if you have successfully passed each evolution, you will fly out & head to wherever you're being assigned to. Each day is broken down into different events. There is a medical & dental day, where your physical, shot records, & other pertinent info are screened for completeness & to ensure you don't have any disqualifying factors. Some people do in fact receive "no-go" status if things aren't in order.

There is a day of IED & combat first aid training. They DO go hand in hand after all. And they are a stark reminder that you are definitely heading to a war zone. Good info is provided - and while it is not in depth training, I feel comfortable in my awareness - and my ability to act should the shit hit the fan. Oh - and this day was described in our itinerary as "death by powerpoint day" - but it really wasn't that bad. We had a great group of instructors and they did a great job keeping you on your toes. Powerpoints were actually not present in every class either.

Another day is spent receiving your government ID card (CAC card as it's called), and military provided gear (TA-50 gear). Our time spent getting gear was quick & easy; the active duty folks had just the opposite experience. Our ID card issue on the other hand, felt like one of slowest days of my life. About the gear - civilian contractors will receive the bare necessity (as of this writing) to include: protective vest, helmet, first aid pouch (minus a decent kit to put in it!), a sleeping bag (if heading to Afghanistan or a cold weather climate), a gas mask & two standard green duffle bags. We're told ahead of time that this bag is full - so don't plan on using it. And, for the most part - they're right. I was able to fit only a small handful of items into my TA-50 gear bag.

Those are the evolutions worth mentioning. There are several other formations that take place, where you'll meet your company liason, or go over this or that paperwork, etc. Nothing exciting takes place for the whole week to be honest. If you attend CRC, plan on a screwy sleep schedule, lots of down time & waiting and pretty good food.

The last day - without getting into too much detail is your departure day. Items of note: your carry on bag must meet certain requirements in size. To make things "easy", CRC provides a couple of boxes for you to test fit your bag into. The rule is, if it doesn't fit - you won't be able to bring it. You will be able to remove your laptop from the bag before testing - so this will save you an inch or so - but that's not much. You will have to prove your bag can fit into the box twice on departure day - once at the morning's formation, and again just prior to boarding your aircraft. I will say this: I stressed about my bag - a standard size bag pack filled to the gills. I passed each time & was waived past the actual inserting of my bag into the box when it was my turn to drop it in to test it. If your bag is obviously too large to be a carry on - you may get stopped & have to deal with it. So try to pack as light as possible & only bring "mission essential" gear.

I think I'll wrap up this post. There are more items I could get into & information I could provide, but to be honest, I'm pretty tired, and CRC really was such a boring process, I don't want to relive another minute of it. Feel free to ask questions though & I'll do my best to answer them. Also - I'm pretty sure future posts will be both tiny & include more pictures as my time & internet access become more limited. I think I'll go dust off my rack & lay down for a few!

My Gear & Locker

Unpacked @ CRC

Home Sweet Home

For the next week at least. I swear, it's like the Hilton inside!


- Posted from my iPhone

The Hiring Process - Part II

So I'm now at CRC & waiting for my first "formation" - where I'll meet up with my company's liaison & find what to expect the rest of the week. Figure since I've got an hour to kill, I may as well get this last part of the process outlined for those of you wanting to know what to expect.

Once you accept your company's offer - you'll be provided a list of items that must be done and done quickly. If you accomplish all of it within X number of days, you may even be entitled to a bonus.

First & foremost - if you don't already have it, you will need to get a security related certification, per DoD regulations for all I.T. personnel. Depending on what level your job position is, it may be as "simple" as the CompTIA Security+ test, or, it could be the CISSP if you're an engineer or senior level position. I suggest getting your test scheduled ASAP for 1 - 1 1/2 weeks out. The reason being, testing centers may be limited to both your location, and open seats. Be sure to begin studying/cramming immediately. In the event you should fail, you will still have a week or so to retake before you meet the "deadline" to get all of your prereq's completed.

You will need to complete a thorough employment application, as well as provide extensive employment history information. In addition, there will be several forms that state you're giving your hiring company permission to access any & all records that pertain to your job: medical, employment, credit, etc.

The next thing required is scheduling a physical. Your company will put you in touch with a local occupational health clinic who schedule you to come in for about an hour, hour and a half to get checked over. Pretty basic stuff: consult with a doc, get all of your measurements, perform a hearing test & drug test. You will need to provide any immunization records that you may have as well, so they can review and schedule you at a later date to get brought up to speed. I failed to provide one of my inoculations from a prior employer at that time and have to get it a second time for this opportunity. Sort of a "waste", but "the company" needs to cover their butts, so I have to get it again. As I'm not a fan of needles (or possible side effects from immunizations), I will be sure to not make this mistake again.

If you don't have a passport or your birth certificate original - you'll need both of those. Your county should be able to provide you with an "original" copy of your birth certificate for a moderate fee in the range of $20 (may be reimbursable by your company - so save your receipts! Worse case, save the receipts for tax time to make a write off). I mention the birth certificate first because you will need that for your passport. Your company will likely have a "passport expediter" that they utilize to get your passport in a hurry (roughly 7 days from the time you submit it to them). In a nutshell, you will take a couple of passport photo's (that you can get at any CVS, Walgreen's, etc for $12), the form that you fill online (2 copies of it!) with the government passport website (being sure to choose the "expedite" option) and about $125 to your local passport office. In Ohio, I was able to go to a local title bureau. They fill out their end of the paperwork, and instead of processing it themselves, they will return it to you in a sealed envelope. You will then overnight this envelope to the expediting company who will walk it through in D.C. for you. A week later, it will be overnighted back to you. Sign it - and make a color copy for your company.

At some point, you should be asked to fill out an "eQIP" - which is the security clearance questionnaire if you don't already have an active security clearance. This was one of the last items in the process for me. Be truthful. And keep in mind, most of it only goes back 7 - 10 years, so anything you may have done that wasn't favorable in your youth is irrelevant. Eh-hehm! Prior to my "departure" - I also had an hour long personal interview with someone from OPM. They'll more or less just review what you submitted on the form, taking notes the entire time and looking for you to elaborate on some items.

And finally, you'll get the call back to get your shots up to date. I required 6 in one sitting. And I had to make a nice long drive to get to a facility that carried all of the shots in their office. Even though a couple local places had a few of the shots - I was not permitted to visit both and get what I needed from each. I had to go to one place, far away to get poked all at once. And about 2 hours after getting them - I was sicker than a dog. Fever, chills, stuff coming out of my eyes. I was miserable. But it passed within 24 hours - and was normal according to the different fact sheets I read for all of the shots I received.

The above items WILL take about 14 days. Fortunately, that was within the 18 day period that made me eligible for a small bonus - yay! Once you have passed everything successfully (with the exception of your security clearance - they will likely issue you an interim - and in the event you do NOT pass it 30/60/90 days down the road, you'll get fired & sent back home), you will be provided your date to attend CRC (Conus Replacement Center) for 1 week to get some orientation, verification of records/prereqs, and issuance of necessary military gear before shipping out to your theatre of operations. Which is where I am now. And I'll continue to update this process as I experience it. Oh - and I will eventually have a post about the gear I packed. For now, I want to see if all that I brought is enough & necessary or if I over or under packed. We shall see.

Unpacked at CRC

Well - I'm in my room - actually in my bed - at CRC. All my gear made it safely and is now unpacked in a locker. Sharing a room with two American born Afghani Linguists. Couple of kids really. The one guy is afraid to sleep on his top bunk so he put his mattress on the floor. Lovely. I'm braving MY top bunk. Maybe he'll be encouraged to follow suite tomorrow. My other roommate is former Air Force that handles VOIP. He's been to Iraq as a civ contractor before & is a wealth of knowledge for me right now. He's heading to A'stan like me this time around. The rumor mill is flying with speculation about a bajillion different things. Best to just let it go in one ear & out the other & take each day as it comes. Alright, time to try to get some sleep. The "fun" begins tomorrow at 1000.


- Posted from my iPhone

I'm Off

I know I still have to get into the actual screening/prerequisite process, but figure I should provide little updates along the way.
So today, I finally left the Cleveland area headed to Fort Benning, Georgia where I'll go through the "CRC" process: verification of my medical prereq's, etc, get some orientation on what I'm getting into, meet the hiring company liaison's and be issued my military gear (helmet, chest rig, medical kit, etc). This process begins on Saturday (tomorrow) and runs until my flight to Kuwait - where I "should" learn exactly where I'n going & what I'll be doing.
So flying into Atlanta, I met up with 4 other guys headed to the same place as me - with the same company, and some, hired on for the same position. It was eerily reminiscent of my initial arrival to San Diego in 1989 for Navy boot camp. One of my new coworkers reminded me that "...this should be MUCH easier though." We're now all packed on a van, on an hour and a half drive to the base. My butt hurts, I'm cramped, and hungry. Whatever.
So far, I learned the following rumors:
1. The CRC buildings may be full - so instead of sharing a room with 3 guys, I could "luck out" and get a hotel room
2. The likely final destination may very well be Kandahar Air Base.
3. If it is Kandahar, living conditions will likely be tents, as it is severely overcrowded.
We shall see what we shall see. I better get back to "sightseeing" along the Georgia highways...



- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Somewhere In Georgia

The Hiring Process - Part I

This is a follow-up to my first post about becoming an I.T. contractor headed to Afghanistan. For me, it started with having received an unsolicited email from the company I just signed up with (who shall remain nameless). I read it - and it included a generic job description for a Network or System Administrator as well as a brief listing of the potential pay & benefits available - as well as mentioning that the positions were for either Iraq or Afghanistan. Didn't think much of it at the time, and promptly deleted it.

Then I received a second email stating the exact same things a few days later. This time, I stopped - re-read it several times - and thought about where I was at in life right now. And it started to sound like a really good idea, and full of opportunities, as well as being a good stepping stone to reach certain goals I currently have. So I followed the directions, went to the company's website, "applied" and then provided the sender of the email my resume. I received a response back the same day thanking me for my interest and to stay tuned.

The next day, I received an email notice saying I was scheduled for a technical phone interview the next morning for a position in Afghanistan. I didn't give it much thought & put it on my calendar. The next morning, at the scheduled interview time, I saw a call come in from a foreign number. It was the interviewer calling from Kuwait. He was friendly, and we chatted briefly & then he began quizzing me on a number of technical items ranging from Active Directory, to Exchange administration, to DNS and more. The whole interview took about 20 minutes, and I felt pretty miserable once it was over. While the things he was asking me about were in fact, pretty basic - they were things I hadn't touched in well over 2 years. I was familiar with everything quizzed on - but I couldn't remember the specifics. I tried to explain - apparently successfully - that I had been focused the past two years on SMS/SCCM administration - and that I tend to focus on what I actively work with - often becoming somewhat of an expert in the subject matter. I went on to say that, as my resume stated - I have worked with a number of systems in previous jobs & felt I wouldn't have any problems jumping right into those systems again - even though at the moment - I was drawing blanks during the interview. The interviewer said he understood completely - and ended by saying I should hear something back soon (whatever that meant).

Low & behold, the very next day, I received a rather lengthy offer letter in an email. It outlined the pay & benefits, as well as the steps I would be required to complete as part of the screening/hiring process if I chose to accept the position. And, I had only 3 days to accept the position. They don't mess around apparently. So, being the skilled researcher that I am - I scoured the 'net trying to find out more about the job, conditions, the offer I received and the company I'd be working for. I'll be honest - there wasn't a whole lot - and what I did find, gave me mixed feelings. I know I encountered some rather negative reviews of the company on a website called glassdoor.com. In the reviews, people said the company was full of good old boy networks, was racist against white workers, and that it was a cluster F in Afghanistan.

I then tossed up a post on Facebook to see if any of my friends knew anyone working as an I.T. contractor in Iraq or Afghanistan. I was put in touch with 2 folks - both in Iraq: one a firefighter & the other a security guy (a Black Water type). I asked about the offer I received & their experience. They both gave pretty much the same answers. The offer was typical - not bad - but not great - and that once I had my foot in the door and got in-country, I would learn of additional opportunities. Regarding the negative things I read about the company, they said they had neither seen nor heard anything like that - and that it was like anywhere: you always have some sour apples that aren't happy. Overall, their experiences were good.

The last, and most important question to me - was regarding my offer. I was given 3 days. Could I counter? From what I had read - it was a take it or leave it offer. They couldn't help me much on that - and said in their opinion, it was probably a take it or leave it. If I didn't readily accept the offer, then surely they could find someone else who would.

Then I hit YouTube - and checked out what all was posted about in Afghanistan. I'll be honest, I didn't spend too much time there. A lot was typical of what I expect (and know) of military life - but there was also plenty of sober reminders that I was in fact considering working in a full fledge war zone. If I accepted this job, even though I'd be doing average computer geek work, I don't know where I'll be doing it. Would I go to a big base like Bagram that get's attacked by mortars, indirect fire & suicide bombers infrequently, or would I go to a smaller base that got hit daily. Or worse - will I be supporing a number of FOB's and have to travel regularly?

Look - life is "ok" - but right now, for me - it's been somewhat "bland". Besides the career opportunity's I would receive by accepting this position, I'd also have the opportunity to really change my life up a bit - and, actively support what our country is doing in Afghanistan (or Iraq if that's what I was offered). I made up my mind - the benefits of this position far outweight the risks for me. Last New Year to this New Year flew by. Surely I can sacrifice 1 year of bland normalcy, right?

So on day 3, I called up my assigned recruiter - and cautiously stated that I felt my compensation should be a little better - and asked if there was any wiggle room. She stated there was, heard me out & my explenations for requesting a higher compensation package, and said she would contact the hiring manager. And then I hung up & waited. I feared I may have just blown my opportunity since I had heard this was likely a "take it or leave it" position, but, about 3 hours later, I received an updated offer that met in the middle of what I had asked for. Great! I accepted it immediately & then received the specifics as to what all I needed to accomplish ASAP before I would be given an actual hire & departure date.

And that sounds like a good place to leave off for today. See, the process to get where I am today was pretty heavy: lots to do in as short amount of time as possible. And that's just as far as my hiring company is concerned. Let's add in all of the things one must do when deciding to up and leave a home in the U.S. to move overseas. And then let's accomplish all of that in 2 - 3 weeks. And keep in mind that for the first 2 weeks or so - a lot of things have to be "tenatively" planned - until  you finally get the "green light" from the recruiter that says "Ok - you've done X, Y, & Z - everything looks good - you will be flying out of your hometown on this date - congratulations!". Only then can you "let the cat out of the bag" and get moving with packing up your belongings, purchasing & packing gear you should take with you, working with your current employer for a graceful exit, figuring out what to do with all of your accounts, vehicle, home, etc. As you'll see in my next post, there are a number of requirements that have to be met that anyone can either fail to pass, or simply not accomplish; things which would cause the job offer to be null & void - and leave you right where you where before you received that first email about the job opportunity. Fortunately, I met all the requirements & in the time frames required.

Jailbreak Time

So last night was my last night out "stateside", as far as I know; at least in the Cleveland area. Had a great time with family & friends - from what I remember. I'm severly hung over, but, there's work to do. The latest jailbreak for Windows was released last night - so, for those of you who are already jailbroken on a previous version, here are the steps I took to "upgrade" my jailbreak:

1. Purchase & download pkgbackup from cydia
2. Run pkgbackup being sure it backs up all packages
3. Sync/backup with iTunes
4. Download & install newest version of iphone firmware (ie, 4.2.1)
5. Sync with itunes & make sure all looks good (minus jailbroken items of course)
6. Run greenp0ison - wait it out & run "loader" when it becomes available & install Cydia
7. Remove loader app once you've run Cydia (be sure to launch it, perform any upgrades/reboots)
8. Download pkgbackup
9. Run pkgbackup & restore; note - you may have to run the restore more than once to get everything back.

Be patient. There is plenty of waiting & rebooting involved. It should all go without a hitch if you just give it a few minutes to finish whatever it is doing.

And so it begins...

So here's the first blog post. I figure I'd better get started some time, and since I've sold just about everything I own - including my last TV tonight - it looks like I'll have plenty of time to "blog". Yuck. I hate the word "blog" for some reason. I used to hate Twitter & "tweet" too - but now I tweet & follow people. Whatever.
So this whole blog is going to be a test of my attempt at brevity. See, I've got a knack for writing - I just don't know when to stop somtimes. Vocally, I'm not so bad (although some would argue otherwise, I'm sure). But when it comes time to putting my thoughts to type - I have the hardest time slowing those fingers down. So wish me luck - and, if I fail - I apologize now - and only now ;)

I also hope to be able to document what my experience as a civilian contractor in I.T. working in Afghanistan is like. Of course, there's a little thing called COMSEC that I've got to be forever mindful of. That stands for Communications Security. So while there's plenty I'm sure I'll be able to share, there's also plenty I can't & won't be able to discuss. It is what it is.

In my next few blog posts, I'll shed some light on what lead me to this whole "Afghanistan excursion" - and the process that I took to get where I am today. Speaking of which - currently, I'm about 10 days away from deploying to the Army's CRC (combat readiness center), where I'll get some indoc & gear issue for Afghnistan, among other things I'm sure. After a week there, I'll be shipped out to Kuwait, where I should finally learn exactly where in Afghanistan I'll be headed to, and quite possibly, what exactly I'll be doing there. The suspense is killing me.

In a nutshell - the driving factors behind going to Afghanistan for me are:

• I realized that from last new year to this new year - time flew - and the past year was relatively uneventful - and even boring to be honest.
• I'm tired of being an "armchair quarterback" to US government policy as it involves Iraq & Afghanistan. Since I cannot re-enlist (I proudly served in the USN from 89-92), by doing this, I'll be able to be involved in some other way besides arguing with a half-wit liberal and casting my vote on election day.
• Its a great career opportunity. I do ok now. But, I've got high hopes of moving from the Northeast Ohio area to Florida. This helps get my foot in the door for government/military contracting stateside - quite possibly with the company I've just signed up with (which shall remain nameless for now). I will also be re-activating my security clearance, which is a highly desireable item to have for government/military work in my field.
• And finally - the moolah. Well, more like the opportunity to SAVE moolah. Now, maybe I'm being naive, but besides paying off my stateside bills while I"m there, what else could I possibly want to spend money on in the middle of that God forsaken country? So, the goal to save save save is definitely a big one.

So - that's enough for now - a good start (a little informative, & somewhat brief!). I'll get into the whole "how I learned about the job" and "what the hiring process is like" on my next post. Until next time . . .