AF Day 027

FOB Smart at 2150 (9:50 p.m.) - I sent an email to a friend describing life here and thought it worthwhile to revise and repost here, too.

All is well for me here in Afghanistan. I have been on approximately 20 combat QA missions to-date. I have had the opportunity to observe construction progress on a variety of work. Such includes CMU walls, concrete slabs-on-grade, structural concrete columns for buildings, rather than steel columns which require inherently more costs due to skilled-labor deficiencies here, Afghan-style roadway construction, including subgrade, ABC, and AC, security walls (HESCO barriers filled with clean soil or sand) for the provincial governor's compound here in Qalat, a new radio station under construction, etc. I have traveled hours south of FOB Smart by military convoy (think six up-armored military vehicles with bulletproof glass and armor, as well as mine and RPG protection), and have flown by helicopter (military and civilian contract) to Kandahar and back several times. I have a multi-night mission coming up soon possibly (think camping and campfires), again via helicopter, and several nearby ribbon-cutting ceremonies to attend soon, too.

I have developed many short routines and several long ones. I work nearly 160 hours every two weeks, so the time seems to blend quite a bit on a day-to-day level. There are so many things here that take time, Afghan time, such as waiting for an email reply confirming work requested will be performed, which also takes certain military security coordination, file scrubbing, file processing, payment processing, COR documentation, etc. Simple phone calls to the local Afghan contractors require a Pashtu translator and a lot of patience and coordination. Work life here can be very intense and always interesting.

It is easily said that more happens here, on a local level in Qalat, which is where we are located, than what could ever possibly be reported on the news there back home. I guess I could best describe life here as intense, as interesting, as exciting, as harrowing at times, as unnerving at times, etc. I am so grateful to be here in Afghanistan with such professional soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors. The other US civilian agencies here at FOB Smart are equally as impressive. We are one big family here.

I know, I can go on and on...

143, K&K.

Good night and good day - again!