A couple things I forgot to mention...

So, I forgot a few things I wanted to tell everyone about in my last blog post.  While travelling back from SP DeMaiwand, I experienced a first.  When a helicopter lands at a FARP (Forward Area Refueling Point) all of the passengers have to get out while they are refueling, for safety reasons.  So when we got out, we were literally in the middle of nowhere and there were no lights as far as the eye could see.  That meant that the sky was absolutely clear.  I have never seen so many stars in my life.  In fact, and this is where the first comes in, I could see the milky way.  That was pretty cool to me!  It's too bad I wasn't able to take a picture of it to share, as I know it will definitely be a memory of Afghanistan that I keep with me forever.

The other thing I forgot to mention, was that I missed Toby Keith.  I was so excited for him to come to KAF, and I had to be gone the day that he was here.  I had been looking forward to seeing Toby Keith even before I deployed and knew that he would in fact be coming.  So, I have to admit that I was really disappointed.  Hopefully somebody else will come and put on a concert, but it sure would have been cool to see him...

And I'm back...

Thursday I found out very last minute that the SJA wanted me to go travel to Strong Point DeMaiwand to interview all the witnesses for the court-martial that I was assigned to.  I wasn't originally going to go and was just going to have the second chair on the case go, as I have been told several times to stay my butt at KAF.  But, it didn't work.  I had to go.  I wasn't really looking forward to going on this trip, as I was first told that I would have to convoy there.  That didn't sound like a plan that I wanted to follow through with, so I looked for other options.

Luckily, I am in an aviation brigade, so I have the "hook up" when it comes to catching flights.  First, the other attorney and I tried the regular way of getting on to the flight that happened to  be leaving that night. That was a no go.  The lady at the PAX terminal said that the flight wasn't taking passengers only cargo.  So, I talked to one of the Soldiers in my brigade and got us right on the flight.  It helps to know people.  Plus, I really didn't want to have to explain to my husband how I ended up on a convoy...

Unfortunately, the flight did not leave on time, and somewhere along the way at one of the many stops we got weather delayed on some HLZ.  I didn't end up getting to SP DeMaiwand until 0400 hours.  We got off the bird and it was complete darkness.  Luckily there was a Soldier who met us at the HLZ to walk us into the base, as I'm sure on our own we would have ended up in one of the many villages that were near by.

When morning came and I was able to see again, it was amazing to me how small this place was.  I thought the other FOBs that I had traveling to were small, but they were huge in comparison to this place.  My presence at the SP made a total of 3 females.  And they only had the 2 females as they were there new FET (Female Engagement Team).  There were absolutely no amenities either.  And by amenities, I mean things like running water or even porta potties (who knew those were an amenity?).  Luckily, when I got the word that I was going and went home to pack, I took a shower, as I was afraid it would be my last for a while if I got stuck there.  I got a little sleep while I was there, but not much.  The cots that everybody sleeps on there, gave me a new found love of my bed at KAF.  I was there for about 24 hours and was able to catch another flight out of there the next night.  Unfortunately, that meant that I didn't get home in bed until about 0400.  So today was a very long day, even though I slept in a little.

When most people at the Brigade heard I was travelling out there, they let me immediately know that I didn't want to go out there.  They also couldn't believe that the lawyer was going out there.  I have been given a new name by one of the Soldiers in the brigade as the "warrior lawyer".  Don't worry, I'm not looking to live up to the name, unfortunately these trips just keep popping up.

Right before I left, I got a package from my adorable little cousin Carter!  And it included cake!  There is nothing better than cake!  For being so young, Carter sure puts together a good care package :)

Here are some pics...

My awesome package from Carter!

Out in the middle of nowhere Afghanistan...

My little area in the "girl's tent" at SP Demaiwand.  The girls definitely got more room than the guys since there were only 2 of them.

And now I'm busy again...

After I settled all the stuff I had going on at the beginning of the month, I found myself with not much to do.  In fact, in that time I was able to read all 3 books of the Hunger Games trilogy and the first 3 books of the Harry Potter series.  Since I started the 4th book, I have gotten busier.  It really is a shame when work gets in the way of reading....

So, I went from no cases to having 3 court-martials.  I will be preferring charges on one Soldier tomorrow and the other 2 shouldn't be too far behind.  The case I'm preferring tomorrow, has the possibility to end up as a guilty plea.  The Soldier ended up confessing to CID, so it will be hard to fight the charges at this point.  Best to probably try and throw himself on the mercy of the court.  But who knows, stranger things have happened.  The other two cases are very likely to go all the way to a contested court-martial as they are both Article 15 turn downs.  There really is zero chance that after turning down an Article 15, a Soldier will then plead guilty at a forum that could give him more punishment than the Article 15 could have.  But again, stranger things have happened.

Today my paralegals had their mandatory training that they have once a month.  It consists of all the paralegals from all the units getting together and doing some kind of training.  A lot of times it is legal training.  Today it was combatives training.  Nothing makes me more nervous than watching people do combatives.  When I was going through training back when I first joined the Army, I did combatives training.  My training was short lived, as I ended up dislocating another girls shoulder while doing an arm bar.  After that, I was really too nervous that I was going to hurt to somebody, so I kinda sat out the rest of the training.  Luckily, today was just paralegals, so I didn't have to join in.  I was just there to take pictures.  It was still nerve wrecking watching, as some people get a little rambunctious and forget that it is just training and not some heavy weight match.  Thankfully, there was only one bloody nose and nothing worse.  Here are some pictures from the training....

Getting a safety briefing before starting

Making sure everyone is stretched out

Learning the dominant positions

Practicing the different positions

In the Army it is perfectly acceptable for guys to fight girls

Practicing what they learned

They had 30 seconds to get the other person in a dominant position

She is having fun...

Learning a new way to choke someone out

Trying out the new choke

Learning yet another way to choke someone out

Fitz may be small but she is pretty hard to pin down

She has him right where she wants him

She had a lot of pent up aggression that she was ready to get out in combatives 

Doesn't it just look like a whole bunch of fun?

So many things have happened since my last post...

I haven't written in a few days, and there a couple of reasons why.  If you haven't heard, on 19 April, we had a blackhawk crash killing all 4 crew members on board.  It has definitely been a hard time for a lot of people in the Brigade.  The Brigade held a memorial service today here at KAF for the fallen heroes.  I really wish I could have attended, but I hadn't made it back to KAF by the time it started.

I just got back from travelling again, and I know I was told to stay at KAF, but my bosses wouldn't accept the "my mother in law said" excuse.  So, I had to go.  This time I traveled up to Tarin Kowt.  The Brigade has a Task Force up there.  I had a Soldier who thought it would be a good idea to turn down an Article 15 and demand to be tried by court-martial.  That is really never a good decision.  With an Art. 15 there are limits on the maximum punishment that a Soldier can receive, and it does not count as a conviction.  When they turn down an article 15 and demand to be court-martialed, the only limits on punishment are those that each offense carries under the law.  Also, if found guilty at a court-martial, the Soldier will have a federal conviction which will follow him forever.  This Soldier was receiving an Art. 15 for dereliction of duty, the worst thing that would have happened is that he may have lost 1 rank.  Now, if he is found guilty, he is most likely to receive a harsher punishment as turn down cases are usually treated more harsh.

I was supposed to stay up at TK for another day, but I received an email from Division that the SJA had tasked to me sit first chair on another case.  Coincidentally, this case too is another Art. 15 turn down for dereliction of duty.  She wants the charge sheet and pros memo by tomorrow, and the case involves some classified documents and the network up at TK was slower than dial up, so I couldn't download the documents that I needed there.  So, I flew Space A on the next flight to KAF.  Once I got back to KAF, I only got about 2 hours of time to work on the case, and then the power went out.  Luckily, we have little battery back up power outlets, so I had enough time to save my document in the dark before the computer shut down on me.  So, now I have to get up extra early and try and finish it tomorrow morning.

The trip to TK was nice and I got to climb on top of a blackhawk, which was a new experience as I have never stood on top of a blackhawk or really any aircraft before.  Still didn't get to ride in one though.  On the way to TK it was a plane, and coming back was another chinook.  I meant to take more pictures while at TK, but since my trip got cut short, I only got two...

FOB Tarin Kowt

Another view of FOB Tarin Kowt

Sometimes people really don't think...

First, let me start off this post by saying that I am safe.  Normally I don't comment on things that are going on in the Media with regards to Afghanistan for various reasons, but something I saw today really made me mad, for various reasons, most of which I cannot go into on this blog.

This morning I saw an article on the internet about a Soldier who released photos from 2010 of servicemembers posing with body parts.  Let me say, that obviously that does not reflect the character or actions of the majority of individuals who wear the uniform.  I think those actions were obviously not appropriate and should be punished.  However, that being said, I also think the individual who turned them over to the LA Times on the condition of anonymity, should also be dealt with.

The article stated that the servicemember did so because he was worried about the safety of those who were fighting the war.  His actions were irresponsible, at best.  They put the lives of those who are currently over here serving honorably at risk.

I'm not saying that the servicemember shouldn't have brought the pictures to light.  I am merely saying that the manner in which he chose to go about it was not the actions of someone who was worried about the safety of those who are fighting the war, and it is rather infuriating that he thinks otherwise...

Rant over.

Dining in Afghanistan....

I pretty much live on the egg whites from hard boiled eggs, and apples.  Lots of apples.  I eat the egg whites for breakfast every morning with some sriracha chili sauce.  It's the one meal in Afghanistan that I can count on every day.  There will always be hard boiled eggs, and thanks to my husband, I have a huge bottle of sriracha.  Having things you can count on in Afghanistan, is a good thing.  Which brings me to the apples...

I have rediscovered my love of apples since coming to Afghanistan.  This isn't something that I set out to do, but was a result of too many times not being able to find anything that sounded even remotely good to eat.  So I settled for an apple.  My fall back food, quickly became my everyday food.   For the most part, I can pretty much count on there always being apples.  Sometimes, I can't.  So, I stock up when the opportunity presents itself.  Unfortunately, not all apples are created equal.  Sometimes they give us the "good" apples.  These are the Red Delicious apples.  I scoop as many of these up as I can when I find them.  Other times, we get the Golden Delicious apples.  Now they both have "Delicious" in their names, but rest assured, they are not equally delicious.  The Golden Delicious just aren't as crunchy as their Red counterparts, and I find the Golden ones to be "mealy".  I have yet to see any Granny Smith Apples.  That would be a welcome diversion.  That was probably more than you ever cared to know about the apple situation in Afghanistan, but sometimes you get more than you bargained for with  my blog....

Today, my paralegal (the one I mentioned before, who wasn't receiving packages) got another care package.  I had signed her up to receive a care package through a website that sends care packages to Soldiers in Afghanistan.  Today she got one with a whole bunch of snacks in it.  She had previously received one with some toiletries in it.  In the package was a box of girl scout cookies with a sticker on it with the Troops email address.  So, I thought that we would take a picture with the box and send them a thank you email.  I thought it was a pretty neat idea that they put there email address on the box.  I'm sure they donated a lot of boxes to the organization that sent out the care package, and were maybe hoping for a Soldier who received it to write them back.  So we will be writing to them, to let them know their cookies made it to Kandahar.

I chipped/cracked my tooth the other day.  I have no idea how I did it other than it happened while I was brushing my teeth.  As soon as I was done brushing, I felt I had a piece of tooth just floating around in my mouth.  Luckily it is a tooth that has been root canaled and chipped prior, so I'm not in pain as I'm pretty sure all that chipped off was the old stuff they put on to fill in the original chip.  I tried to go to the dentist here in KAF today, but was completely unsuccessful both times I attempted.  The first time, I didn't have a vehicle, so I decided to walk.  The dentist is located at the hospital which is about a mile from where I work.  I was almost there, when I realized I had forgotten my ID card, and they won't see you without it.  So I turned around and went back to the office.  It was quite hot out today, so I decided to give it a little time before I set out again.  Luckily, I was able to procure a vehicle for the second attempt and made sure I had my ID card.  I got there, and then was told that I could not make an appointment and would need to come back tomorrow morning for sick call.  They also told me if I was in pain, that I could sit there and wait and they could see me in 2.5 hours.  Who the hell would want to wait 2.5 hours to be seen if they were in pain?  Not me.  I left.  I will make a 3rd attempt tomorrow morning during sick call hours.

Here's some pictures....

Camels!!!!  I also like the "no running beyond this point" sign.  Who the hell would do that?!?

My "stockpile" of apples.

Thank-you Girl Scout Troop!

And the winner is...

Well, I finally was able to narrow down the book selection and settled on a series of books that I think most people have read or at least seen the movies.  I have neither read the books nor seen the movies (well I saw the first one after it came out, but I really don't have any memory of it).

I have started reading.....Harry Potter.  So far, it's not too bad.  I just started the first book today, and I am half way through with it already.  I don't really know how many books there are, but I remember there being a lot.  So, that should give me at least a week's worth of reading.

I had 2 suggestions for books.  One of them was Game of Thrones.  Everyone in my office has been watching the DVDs and talks about that show non-stop, and they seem to think it is the best thing ever.  So, I'm glad to know that there are books, as I haven't watched the show and would prefer to read a book.  As the books are ALWAYS better.  The other suggestion was a war story.  Normally, I love that kind of stuff, but something about my surroundings now really make me want to be able to escape away from the battlefield when reading.  But I will keep it mind for when I leave Afghanistan.

Sorry that I haven't had any pictures in a while.  Maybe I will make myself go out and find something exciting to do, so I can take some pictures.  If not, I can always post pictures of me at my desk....

Today might have been the most boring day yet...

So Sunday is usually a pretty slow day, but today set an all new record.  There was absolutely nothing going on.  I was hoping for somebody to do something crazy and get in trouble, just so I would have something to do.  But, I had nothing.  I have wrapped up all the cases that I was working on, and I have a new case that I am about to prefer charges on, but I am waiting for the SJA's approval before I can move forward there.  So, like I said, I had absolutely nothing to do.

The highlight of my day was driving a car with the steering wheel on the other side of the vehicle.  That was a first for me.  I had to drive some classified documents out to Mustang ramp, and my paralegal who has the courier card (the thing that allows you to transport Secret documents) isn't too trustworthy behind the vehicle, nor did she know how to get where she needed to drop the documents off.  So, I drove her out there.  Luckily, I didn't hit anything.  If you have never driven on that side of the car before, it definitely takes some getting used to.  I kept reaching for the shifter on the right side, but it was never there.  I also, always turned on the windshield wipers when I really wanted the turn signal.  On the ride out to Mustang ramp, we saw the camels again, so that was another highlight.

Pretty much after that, my day can be summed up into one word.  NOTHING!  The phone rang one time in the office today, and when I mean one time, I mean literally one time.  It rang once and they changed their mind, and it stopped ringing before we could answer it.  The really slow day did allow me to finish the last book in the Hunger Games Trilogy.  So now, I need something new to read.  I have hundreds of books on my kindle, but I just can't seem to narrow it down to what I should read next.  Anybody read anything good lately, and have a suggestion?

Oh, and I have lost 20 pounds!

When will people learn...

So, the motion's hearing for next week's court-martial that was supposed to happen today, never did.  The accused submitted a 2nd chapter 10 request and it was approved today.  When he submitted the 1st request, I strongly argued for it to be accepted, but no one listened to me.

So in the time between those 2 requests, we did a whole bunch of work for nothing.  That always just brightens my day!  The good news, is now I don't have to finish preparing for the court-martial that was supposed to take place next weekend.  Although, that probably would have occupied some of my time.  Oh well, I'm sure I can find something to do.

In other news, I'm on the last book in the trilogy Hunger Games.  I think I will be sad to be done reading them, as I have really enjoyed the story.  If you haven't read them, I recommend them!

I don't do this for my health....

So today was spent answering a motion for tomorrow's motion hearing for next week's court martial, and dealing with a commander who just really didn't want to take my legal advice regarding the legal sufficiency of something that he really wanted to do.  The motion was easy.  The commander was annoying.  I hate when I give commanders advice not to do something, and then they persist on doing it anyway.  The reasons I don't want them to do it is purely in their best interest and doesn't serve any of my own interests.  But some are so stubborn, but all I can do is give them my advice and tell them what will happen if they choose to continue on the course.  The commander finally stopped responding me to today, so I think that I may have gotten through to him, or he just chose to ignore me and carry on.  Either way, the decision he makes is on him.

The other day we had our every other week JAG Luncheon with the Division OSJA.  Normally everyone just sits around chatting with others while eating.  Sometime there is an award presentation.  This past one, one of the Captains is leaving the deployment early to go back to the rear and prosecute some high profile cases that happened here in Afghanistan because the unit the Soldiers are attached to is redeploying home.  So the cases are going home.  Nothing like thinking you have about 4-5 more months in Afghanistan and finding out that you get to go home early.

SJA giving praise for the Captain going home

The Award being published

Getting his Award pinned on

A picture with his Nato award certificate

Where there's a will, there's a way....

I tried to post a blog last night, but unfortunately, my internet decided not to work in my room last night.  So, being the crafty person that I am, I figured out a way to post a blog from my Government computer.  It is kind of tricky because the whole website is blocked through the Government network.  But, I  figured out that I could email a blog to my blog.  Although, I'm not crafty enough, as I just remembered I didn't set it to actually publish the email but instead have it save it as a draft.  So, hopefully the internet will be working again.

Not too much has been going on here.  Things quieted down a little after the guilty plea and the board.  But I have another court-martial next week, and that one will be a contested panel case, which usually takes a few days.  I also am preparing charges for another case, but we will see if that one makes it into the inside of the court-room. 

We have a little excitement coming up, as Toby Keith is scheduled to come to KAF.  I am a big Toby Keith fan!  He was scheduled to do a meet and greet with our task force, but that might not happen.  I'm hoping it does.  The chaplain told me he was using the "man" (said as he pointed to the sky) to arrange a meet and greet with me and that if he pulled it off, I would have to rethink my beliefs on him.  I told him, if he could get me a personal meet and greet and Toby Keith walked into my office, I would think about it, and take that as a sign.  Something tells me, my beliefs are in no danger of changing.  Either way, I'm sure the concert will be packed, but I'll be there!

In other news, I finally decided to read the Hunger Games.  It was a very good book, and a quick read.  Got through it in a day, and now I'm on the second in the series.  If you haven't read the book, I would really recommend it.  I haven't seen the movie yet, for obvious reasons, but I'm sure it won't be as good as the book, as the movie never lives up.  That's why I always try and read the book first.  Apparently, I like to be disappointed in movies....

I have some pics that I could post, but have no way of posting them from the government computer.  If you plug anything into a government computer, it pretty much almost creates an international incident.  Let's just say it's not very good for the career, and a whole investigation has to be done.  So, to avoid all that, I will upload some pics in another post when I get home later.  That is of course if the internet chooses to cooperate.

Everything went exactly as expected....

Well, I had the Officer show cause board today, and it went exactly as I expected it would.  The Officer was retained.  It wasn't for lack of trying on my part, but there is only so much that I could do when the Officer's entire chain of command testified on his behalf and said that he was one of the best Soldiers they have ever worked with.  I knew going in, it was going to be an uphill climb.  I can't say that I am all that upset about, as the Officer had over 17 years in and just one incident 2 years, while serious, probably shouldn't be the reason he isn't allowed to retire and finish his career.  So, now I move on to the next thing...

The board took up most of my day, so really nothing else exciting happened.  Another Soldier did stop by and give me one of the masks that he ordered to combat against the dust that tends to linger in the air here in Afghanistan.  I think the thing is pretty snazzy, and I'm sure after looking at the picture, you are jealous and wish you had one.....

I'm smiling under the mask...can't you tell?

A day in Court...

Today I had my first court-martial since arriving to Afghanistan.  The Soldier was being court-martialed because he got drunk and decided to spray his subordinate Soldiers with a fire extinguisher.  Normally, this would probably not be dealt with at the court-martial level, but I didn't make that decision.  This Soldier was not in my unit, and I was assigned the case because the Trial Counsel who it belonged to, went on R & R.  

I was able to work out a guilty plea, that made all sides happy.  So, the Soldier plead guilty today and was sentenced.  He was sentenced to 2 months confinement and was reduced to the grade of E-4.  I was actually pretty surprised that the judge gave him any confinement.  In a lot of instances, this kind of misconduct would be dealt with via an Article 15 (non-judicial punishment) in which confinement is pretty much not an option.  There were some circumstances in play here that made this end up in a courtroom.  After, the Soldier sprayed his subordinates with a fire extinguisher, one of the sprayed Soldiers confronted him and ended up getting his jaw broken in 2 places by another Soldier.  So this Soldier kind of set in motion a chain of events.  He definitely wasn't the one who threw the punch, but if he hadn't gotten drunk and sprayed these Soldiers with the fire extinguisher, without a doubt, no one would have been injured.  So there was a definite impact on good order and discipline.

It's been a while since I have been in court, and it felt good to be back.  Although, I think I am a little rusty.  Tomorrow, I have to prepare an argument for a show cause board that I have Saturday to determine whether a warrant officer should be kicked out for getting a DUI 2 years ago.  Doesn't sound difficult, but I have no witnesses who will say that he should be kicked out, and the defense has witnesses that say he should stay in.  I only have the regulation on my side that says if an officer gets any negative information filed in their official file, then they can be eliminated.  So, this will be a test of my powers of persuasion and argument skills.  Wish me luck!

A Battlefield Promotion...

Today one of the Soldiers in the BDE received a battlefield promotion.  She was promoted from Specialist to Sergeant.  Normally a Soldier would have to go before a promotion board and be recommended for promotion, then wait for points to come, and if they have enough points, then they will be promoted.  In a battlefield promotion, all that is skipped over, and the Soldier is promoted on the spot.  So, it's kind of an honor to be selected for a battlefield promotion.  So congratulations to SGT Sims!

Other than that, my day was pretty normal.  I interviewed a couple sexual assault victims, which is always exciting (that's sarcasm, in case it didn't come across).  One, I just called on the phone as she is located at another FOB, and my recent travels caused a few people to tell me to keep my butt at KAF.  So, I obliged and just interviewed the victim on the phone instead of hopping on a helicopter to go see her in person.  Although, if the case ends up going forward, I will need to interview her in person.  The other victim was located here at KAF, so I just had to travel out to Mustang Ramp (the other side of the airfield where we keep all our aircraft and units who fly the aircraft).  I was hoping to see the camels again, but sadly, they weren't there.

I got a package today from Michael's Aunt Cheryl and the people she works with.  It was filled with lots of basic necessities and just things that generally come in handy for a Soldier in Afghanistan.  It was greatly appreciated, but as everyone has been so generous to me with sending me packages, I thought that I would give it to one of my Soldiers who doesn't really get any care packages.  It really made her day when she realized I was giving it to her.  So, hopefully everyone from Aunt Cheryl's school won't mind that I gave their package away, but I can assure them that it went to a Soldier in need, and was definitely appreciated.  Thanks a bunch!

PFC Fitzgerald enjoying her care package

SPC Sims getting promoted to SGT

SGT Sims thanking everyone

I set a new record today, at least for me....

So, I blogged about the little device I ordered online to track how much I move and how may calories I burn.  Today, I broke all my previous records.  I walked 16,357 steps or approximately 7.99 miles.  I'm gonna call it an even 8 miles, because I'm sure I will get up and go to the bathroom before the evening is over, and I already walked to the shower while not wearing the fitbit (for obvious reasons).  So, now that I really think about it, I'm sure it is over 8 miles!

I have to say, that the little device comes in handy.  Obviously it doesn't do any work for you, but it does make you want to move more to watch the numbers grow, and the little flower that is on it (It has a little flower icon that grows the more you move).  So, I can definitively say, that I think it was worth the money!

Speaking of moving more, I have found a new thing that I love to do.  Spinning!  If you have never tried it, you should.  If you are anything like me and get bored while working out on a treadmill or an eliptical and want to stop before you are really tired because of boredom, then spinning is for you.  It is quite possibly one of the best workouts I have ever had, and I don't get bored at all.  The instructor plays good music and keeps you engaged.  I'm definitely going to have to continue to go to spin class when I get back.

I'm Back!

So, the reason I haven't posted anything in a few days is because I have been traveling and haven't been able to get on a computer that would let me access my blog.  I didn't post before I left about the travels, as I didn't want anyone to overly worry about me, as some people tend to do.

So, as I posted before, I created kind of uproar last week when I sent out guidance on new policies.  Well, because of that, the battalion commander at another FOB wanted me to come there and give a brief on all the new changes.  So I hopped on a helicopter and traveled to FOB Wolverine.

Wolverine is completely unlike KAF in every aspect.  It is very small, quiet, clean, and just all around nicer.  My first night there, the DFAC was serving t-bone steaks, lobster, and crab cakes.  The lobster was definitely a treat that I have yet to see at KAF.  I'm still not sure how people go about eating the t-bone with the plastic cutlery, but it wasn't something I felt up to finding out, so I stuck with the lobster and the crab cakes.

All in all, my trip to Wolverine was a nice break from the hustle and bustle (and the smell) of KAF.  Once I gave my brief, there wasn't much else for me to do, so I felt kinda in the way most of the time.  I was able to meet with a few commanders that had legal issues, and I'm pretty sure we were able to resolve their issues.  I stayed 2 nights, and I wish I could have stayed longer.  I got to stay in one of the VIP rooms which means I stayed in a room just like the one I live in at KAF but it was just me in there.  It also means that they provided me with linen and a mattress pad, so I didn't have to bring my sleeping bag and as a result also didn't have to carry my rucksack.  Carrying the assault pack is way better than the big bulky rucksack.

Coming back today, I was suppose to fly out at a certain time, but when I got to the flight line to check in I found out that flight had been pushed back 2.5 hours.  I just waited around and read my kindle.  At some point while I was standing around the flight line, a civilian helicopter landed and some guy asked if me and the other Soldier who were standing around were headed to KAF, and if we wanted a ride.  We both said yes, and got on the aircraft.  I was supposed to fly back in a CH-47 (chinook) which is what I flew into Wolverine on.  I'm not really a fan of the CH-47s as you sit sideways in them and there aren't really any windows that you can see out of minus a few port hole looking ones.  On the way, I was very close to getting sick, but was able to do a little mind over matter and was able to keep down my lunch.

The helicopter that I got in coming back, was not a chinook and I was pretty happy about that.  That is of course, until I was up in the air.  This helicopter (I'm still not sure what kind it was) was much smaller than a chinook, but I still had to sit facing sideways.  The saving grace of the Chinook is that at the front of the aircraft, there are 2 door gunners who have weapons pointed out of the aircraft (and hence the doors up there are off) and then the back of the aircraft is open as well; this creates a really nice air flow, and keeps you from getting overly hot.  This helicopter had no airflow!  There also weren't big windows to look out of like a black hawk has.  It also didn't help that this helicopter stopped at like 5 different FOBs dropping and picking people up.  So while in the helicopter, I took off and landed like 7 times.  There were many times along the flight that I thought I was going to lose my breakfast, but again, I was able to do a mind over matter thing and keep it down.  That is until a couple minutes before we landed back at KAF.  It just couldn't be overcome any more.  Unfortunately, I lost it.  Luckily for me and other people, I had a water bottle with me, and don't ask how, but I was able to throw up into the water bottle.  I will never fly without a water bottle, because they do not provide air sick bags, or at least put them anywhere that one who may need them can find them.

The roomie came and picked me up from the pax terminal, as I came into the civilian pax terminal because I was on a civilian aircraft, and it is far away from where we work.  On the ride back, you have to drive right next to the "wire," and on the other side, I got to see camels!  I had heard of the camels, but every time I had ever been over there, they were never there.  So that made me pretty happy.  I finally got to see the camels!

Here's some photos of my journey...

Lobster and Crab cake dinner, and some pretty good dirty rice

FOB Wolverine

More of FOB Wolverine on the way to the DFAC

In front of Task Force Diamond Head

The Pedestrian walkway and bridge leading from the TF to the DFAC

Medevac Helicopter practicing something

Shortly after I took off from Wolverine

A little "village" we flew over

About to fly over the top of the mountain

There is actually "green" in Afghanistan

Flying over the mountains

More mountains

Camels!!!

I'm gonna see if I can bring one these home with me!