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.
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