Starting to settle in

After being at KAF for a little over a week, I am finally getting settled in. I've learned my way around the base for the most part, my living area is acceptably clean, I've figured out which dining facility has the better breakfast (marginally), and I'm starting to get a feel for my job. If I could just figure out how to get on a better sleep schedule everything would start to fall into the place. Is there irony in the fact that I am surrounded by sand yet the sandman seems to be unable to visit?
It's been a heavy dust for all but 2 of the days that I have been here. Keeps the temperatures down (mid 90's), but makes everything else miserable.

convoy to the site

Afghan Army outpost

So on Thursday I went to a site visit to look at a potential project that I might be submitting a proposal for. The location was unlisted in the documents, which is not unusual on base, but just before the meeting time with the Contracting Officer he called us to say "bring your armor". Um....excuse me? Yup that's right.....going outside the wire.

Potential job site, base in the background

So after bulking up with my body armor and helmet, and jumping into the convoy of 4 armored vehicles, we headed out through the gate and into the one area I had been saying I would never go. Now I should say that the area directly outside the gate is secure, plenty of guns out there to do the job, and plenty of soldiers on watch. We drove along side the base most of the time but near the end drove out to a truck check in area where most of the delivery trucks are held waiting to go through inspection. Still pretty freaky, we were about a mile outside and it seemed like we were a world away, that is until the familiar sounds of helicopters and jets roared overhead. I really do love that sound! The truck check in area is guarded by the Afghan National Army, which I must say is not the most comforting situation. They just don't look like they are ready for battle the way all the our soldiers do. Old uniforms, no armor or helmets, and old AK-47 machine guns that might actually have some rust on them. Needless to say it was nice to have had the escort and about 12 American soldiers with us the whole time. One of the Contracting Officers was attempting to point out the boundary of where the project was going to be, he said "about 1/2 mile down on the left past the mine field"....they all say this stuff so casually. I froze in my boots and asked the obvious question "where exactly is that mine field?" After a long pause he said "just giving you crap sir, I'm from NY." Yes, I had my Red Sox hat on. Pain in the ass Yankee fan! He did let me look through the scope on his machine gun though to actually see the boundary, and no, there is no mine field there.....anymore.
(See video link on left for brief footage of the drive)

Reality Check-
I watched the news at dinner the other night while they had the story of the 2 members of the Navy that got attacked in Kabul, 1 killed, the other captured. Not a single person in that dining hall blinked an eye, they just seem to have come to terms with what they are here doing. While looking at another project the other day in the maintenance yard, they brought in a truck that had hit an IED the night before. Thankfully and amazingly only broken ribs to the driver. And the biggest thing that I have noticed is that when that "Rocket Attack" siren goes of in the middle of the night, those F18's are screaming over the base within seconds while ground vehicles seem to fight to get outside the gate. They just do what they do. I am amazed, because while I am walking shoulder to shoulder with them, or eating across from them, or getting harassed about being a Red Sox fan, we all seem so similar....but we so clearly are not.

Kandahar Air Force Base ( KAF)

I arrived on Thursday on a plane that seemed like the 30 minute flight was pushing it's limits. Landed on KAF, and as we waited to taxi to the deboarding area 2 F18 fighter jets screamed past us and up into the sky. I am clearly with the Air Force now. Compared to Leatherneck this place is a zoo. Massive base that took me nearly an hour to drive just the perimeter road today, granted 20mph is the speed limit, but still. Over 30,000 soldiers and civilians live here, the place is a madhouse. It looks like they opened the gates and everyone ran and spread out their compounds like blankets at a concert. Endless allies cut through in every direction. Incredibly confusing getting around in certain areas. Thankfully I have my trusty Toyota 4Runner to get me around, yup they are all over the place here too. Even though this is an Air Force Base, the Army is crawling everywhere. Massive armored vehicles line the roads and travel in convoys 25+ towards the gates to go off into the desert. My compound is about 100yds from the back gate where it seems they mostly mobilize from(see above left picture). Last night I barely slept from the constant diesel engines sitting just outside waiting to go out.

The Taliban has been launching rockets toward the base most nights the past few weeks. Never really getting close but enough that the siren goes off and you hit the deck. I am already fastest deck hitter around after 1 night. I almost knocked my front teeth out on the floor last night front the velocity of my hitting of the deck. 

Lookout station across the street

I had a pretty busy day today and tomorrow is most likely the same but I managed to take a few pictures of the area directly in front of the compound. All I did was walk out front and take a few pictures. I am literally in the middle of things. I will hopefully get a bunch more in the next few days and may even just do a post of pictures. It's really the only way to even begin to describe the scene here.

Absolute badass trucks. They have replaced the hummers.
I want one, wonder if they are good on fuel?

                                                                               

Finally arrived on Monday....leaving by Friday

Yup that's right, I'm not even lasting a week here at Camp Leatherneck. Now before all the "I told ya so's" start rattling around...I am being sent to another base, not home. I have been asked to go to Kandahar Air Force Base and basically try and do what the company has done here at Leatherneck, which is to say build an entire separate self sufficient branch of the International Division. Quite a daunting task and I still am having trouble wrapping my brain around it. We bought another similar company to ours in April and they have a current contract there that will be complete in August. They want me to go in and take over and try to gain another foothold. The other company will most likely be leaving the base when done as we are still operating as separate companies for the remainder of the year. I will be supported by my current base and given the keys to see what I can do. Apparently they had this in mind for me the entire time they were recruiting me but needed to keep it fairly quiet to be sure and not step on any toes with the other company. It really is an incredible situation, one that I only hope I am ready for.

Camp Leatherneck-
I can say this...the title to this blog is fitting, it really is a dry heat. A dry, dry, dry heat. Reached 115 degrees today and when you are in the sun it feels as if it is burning through you. Not a cloud in the sky. The air is incredible dry and the dust from the sand just seems to float around. When we are traveling in our trucks we keep the windows down most of the time because it usually takes 15 minutes to get the A/C cold enough to make a difference, and it's a race to get the windows up when the marines or heavy equipment goes past you. Picture driving on the highway in the rain and the mist that comes from the other side of the road, only now make it sand so thick that you loose sight of the road for a split second. Speaking of our vehicle, they are old Toyota 4Runners, every civilian on base seems to have one. I'm told that they all come from the Pakistan border. There must have been a huge gold rush for Toyota about 15 years ago in Pakistan cause they are here by the hundreds.  I have no idea which are ours when we come out of somewhere into the parking are. None of them have plate or decals, and they are completely covered in dusty sand that you wouldn't be able to see any markings anyways.

The guys here are great, it's kinda like an all star team of construction. Amazingly their doesn't seem to be a lot of heavy egos either, which is surprising. It really is a shame that I have to leave so quick, but eventually I will be able to bring in my own staff to Kandahar once we get a contract.

Our compound is located in the back corner near both a firing range and a missile launching site. I awoke this morning to the sweet sound of machine gun fire in the distance. So far I have seen 4 missiles launch over us. Freaking crazy. No warning, just a sudden and extremely loud burning noise as the missile absolutely screams into the air. Within 5 seconds it is completely out of sight. Only thing left is the smoke trails from the burners. One guy calls them the "uh-oh" missiles. They only fire these missiles when the troops are in some heavy fighting  and need urgent help. He is a former British Special Forces member so I assume he knows what he is talking about. No one had told me about them and they took bets to see how long I could go without asking the obvious question. As my boss puts it, he'd rather be located near the firing range and the missiles launchers though if it comes down to needing protection.Thankfully the airstrip is on the opposite side, the helicopter traffic is relentless, especially at night.

My living quarter here are similar to what I will have in Kandahar, a steel box approx 20' long by 10' wide. (see photos, more at bottom) Just enough to fit a bed, desk, locker, tv, and bathroom. Even though they are fully sealed units, the dust somehow finds it's way in. After showering i step out into my flip flops, otherwise when I get in bed the bottoms of my feet are covered in dust. They have them cleaned every few days, which is funny when you think that we all spend only about 6 hours a day in them. The office is like a double wide steel trailer. Actually works well for what it is, it is amazing quiet in there, no phones ringing since all communications are on skype. (steve.mueller1015)

Sure is strange sitting in the mess hall surrounded by machine guns. It's one thing when you are outside walking around, but another when in the crowded mess hall you bump into a machine gun hanging off one's shoulder. They have to clear the guns in small steel tubes before going in to be sure that their is no bullet in the chamber....comforting. Don't even get me starting about when they stop to give the marines a ride somewhere. Seems to be accepted practice that if a marine or 2 are walking with all their gear on on the main roads (obvious they are walking a far distance) the guys pull over and give them a ride. The marines are always all smiles as the pile in, machine gun rattling. I can't imagine being here in all their gear in this heat. Today we picked up 3 marines as we were on our way to lunch. I was speechless.

The jet lag is still kicking my butt bug time. Been up at 3am every morning since reaching Dubai, I'm not sure what I was always doing at 6:30pm when I was home, but my body sure as heck liked it.

Well I'm off to jump in bed and count missiles.

 All housing units.
That concrete box at the end is the fallout shelter.
The wire fence is not the base perimeter, just a fence dividing our compound from another area.

My spacious bathroom, toilet on left, shower on right.

Starting to remind you of college?
Don't be jealous of the sheets, they came with the place.

"oh i'm a' leavin' (Dubai) on a jet (prop) plane..............."

I guess my fun in the sun is over and time to get down to business. After what would have made a great episode of The Amazing Race today, I was granted my Afghanistan Visa, a "tourist visa" for now with the working Visa soon to come. Apparently Afghanistan has a flourishing tourist industry that they are giving out Visas for it. Although hectic, it was actually a great way to see the non tourist areas of the city today, lots of taxis down back roads, etc. The Afghanistan Embassy itself was a time warp. Just a gate opened in a stone wall declaring them to be open, and the waiting room was a covered area with concrete walls and no AC. Imagine about 20 people in a area the size of a 1 car garage, in 110 degree heat. A heat that by the way may have actually melted the bottoms of my sneakers today. The air is just plain heavy, looking into the distance is never clear, it always looks like a haze is in the air. Thank goodness for the personel manager with my company that has been with me the past few days. He knows everyone and everything around here, the Embassy was not very friendly to us this morning and sent us on many goose chases to get additonal pictures even though the Visa does not need them, make photo copies of our passports even though they have a copy machine 5 feet away from the clerk. And after all that they declared when we got back that they had given out all the available Visas for the day, which would have meant at least another 2 days here since flights are infrequent going to the base. Luckily my collegue has connections and they got the actual Embassador himself on the phone, needless to say my Visa was ready 2 hours later.

My time here in Dubai has really driven home the opportunity that this new job is, and it has been a great chance for me to get my body at least close to the right time zone before being thrown into the hectic work schedule. I'm still not sleeping perfectly, but better to be doing that here at a hotel than on base.

Tomorrow should be overwhelming, I can't imagine the emotions that I will get when the plane enters into Afghanistan and only the desert lies beneath me. It sounds as if the day will mostly be checking into base and getting all my security clearances, badges, etc. It sounds as if I might even be leaving to go to Khandahar by the end of the week for a few days so look at a new project, so the whirlwind will be officially underway.

Last and certainly not least, if you happen to see my wife today, please wish her a happy anniversary, I have spent mine in Dubai, she will be spending hers playing with the new puppy. How quickly I have been replaced.

Please pray for safe travels-

Stuck in Dubai...woohooo!!!

So after about 15 hours of flying I got to Dubai around midnight local time last night.  I was exhausted.

When I checked in I got a message from my office, basically I am staying in Dubai until at least Monday. Turns out that Camp Bastion has changed some of the requirements to get on base and I now need a Visa.And I go through Bastion (UK run) to get to Leatherneck (US run). 2 weeks ago another new employes came over and he had no problems, so lucky me. My contact in Afghanistan is coming to Dubai on Monday to help me get it filed. So I guess I get to play tourist for a few days which I have absolutely no problems with! Today will mostly be a rest day though. Even after getting about 5 hours sleep last night I am still a walking zombie, plus I need to be reachable by the company so we can get a few things worked out before the weekend and no one is in the office. There is a metro station next to the hotel that goes into the downtown area that you always see on TV, so tomorrow morning I will go on what could be the most interesting train ride of my life, assuming there are no trains for me in Afghanistan!

First impressions of Dubai.....little bit warm. At midnight it was 101 degrees. When the doors opened to go out of the airport it hit me llike a ton of bricks. Side note: I instantly was thankful of Jolie recomending that I get moisture wicking underwear. They actually have fans outside blowing water vapor on you as you wait for the taxis. There is no shortage of flash here, I am staying at what might be the nicest Holiday Inn Express known to man. My company owns a Villa here but it is being used right now so they started using the Holiday Inn next to the airport for convenience. Talk about modern, I had to go back to the desk last night to ask how I turn on the lights!

I'll try and post again soon with some touristy tidbits!

Buzz off

No turning back now, the hair is a tight number 2 guard on the buzzer. Jolie's worst nightmare has come true, I on the other hand couldn't be happier. Not only will it be much better for the heat and blowing sand, but economical as well. I'm thinking my 1 bottle of shampoo will last at least two 3 month rotations if I keep it this short. Plus, I think the boys got a kick out of taking turns with the buzzer.

At this point I have to just believe that I am ready to go. I've packed and unpacked my bag at least 3 times tonight and each time I have different things in it. I have absolutely no idea what i need beyond all my necessities. So a bunch of books, my ipod, and some pictures of the family will have to suffice. I actually packed my running shoes and shorts, hopefully my schedule (7 days/week 16-18 hrs/day) will sometimes loosen up enough for me to work out. And hopefully when i go to the gym tent there will be no marines there. I would hate for them to have to load all the weight back on the bars after I use them.

Tucker tonight was asking me questions about the soldiers, he asked if they got paid money to be soldiers? I told him they do, just not very much, without pause he said "why do baseball players make so much? it's much harder to protect us from the bad army than play baseball." couldn't have said it better myself.

We had an absolutely perfect final day together out on the water with some great friends, I tried to suck up as much of the ocean as I could for obvious reasons. I've never lived anywhere not near water before, it's just gonna be weird to be in sand, lathered up in sunscreen, but no water. 

I feel like I am supposed to have something fantastic to say to the boys on the morning when they go with me to the airport, but the truth is that i know they couldn't be in better hands while I am gone. Jolie has and always will be the rock in this house, and though there will be some hard times, they will continue to grow as amazing boys.

               "You can kiss your family and friends goodbye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world, but a world lives in you."
    -Frederich Buechner

Ready....set......

Hey all-
So after numerous people suggested that i should do a blog while i am away...here i am, what can i say, i'm a pleaser. Hopefully i will be able to post frequently, though i am not quite sure what my access will be, but just add that to the list of many unknowns that lie ahead of me.


ok, the countdown has officially begun. I leave Monday morning for of all places....Detroit! I have spent the past month since deciding to take this job trying to imagine what the feeling of that plane taking off will be like as i head over seas and into a war zone. Now i have to go to the company's headquarters in Detroit for 3 days before having that sensation. Detroit? are you crazy? that place is dangerous!! Maybe the plan is to drop me off in the city at midnight with a map to the hotel, if i make there alive, i will be prepared for Afghanistan.
It is such mixed feelings right now, great excitement and anticipation, yet to get those i need to say goodbye to Jolie and the boys. Yikes, Monday morning is going to suck. I feel sorry for the person who will be next to me on the plane, i'm gonna be a mess....just ask my wife.