Well, I received an LFCA Area Commander's Coin for the work I have done with our Toys for Tots campaign down this way.  I made sure that the other guys and girls involved got one (there were 7 of us, in total).  We ran a Toys for Tots campaign down here, which we have run for 7 years, and this past year we made sure that 1,265 kids had a good Christmas with some toys under the tree.  I have been involved since the start with a Corporal from my unit, but in the past couple of years we have involved the other two units in London as well.  Good thing too, or we would never have been able to pull off this size of an operation without their help.  Keep an eye out for us, as we are planning on getting the program running across Canada, as a Canada wide reserve initiative.  Anyway, it was nice to be recognized for it.

 

I think it is important to recognize someone else.  I hope by now that all Canadians are aware of the fact that there was a Canadian diplomat killed and three soldiers injured last week in a suicide attack on a Canadian patrol in Khandahar.  My condolences go out to the family of Glyn Berry.  Also to the families of the three soldiers who were injured.  The CBC has been running stories about the soldiers recently and I was able to glean the msn.spaces site for one of our injured soldiers from the article.  Please go to his space and leave a message, as I know that when I was feeling badly over in Afghanistan (which, of course, is in no way meant to compare my minor illness with the catastrophic injuries this brave young guy has suffered) I was cheered by all the messages that appeared on my space, as if by magic.  Please, if you read this, go and leave a messagefor Pte Salikin.  If I find blogs for the others I will post it here as well.  You guys were great to me, please pass along your good will to him.  Here is the address:

 

http://spaces.msn.com/members/ghostofjack/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c=

 

I know that it will mean a great deal to him when he is able to read your messages.

 

The work we are doing in Afghanistan is vital.  We must not lose sight of this.  It is essential for us to help rid that country of the elements that would attempt to destabilize it in this hour of its rebirth as a democratic nation.  The average Afghan that I met was glad to have us there...it is the rabble rousers that would see us gone, so they can go back to a rule of law by bullying and of forbidding women their rights and forbidding girls the right to attend school.  That is why we are there.  I wish Pte Salikin, Cpl Bailey and MCpl Franklin a very speedy recovery so that they may return to their families and continue on with their lives, the heroes that they are. 

 

Pro Patria.

 

Martin Anderson

Well, it's a New Year and I'm still here.  I drop in from time to time to see if anyone is still looking in to this space.   Apparently there is.  Thanks for that.  I feel like a bad friend who doesn't call.  I guess after spending 6 months in Afghanistan, nothing really seemed important after that.  I want to go back.  I had the opportunity to put my name in for the tour leaving in 3 weeks, but I discussed it with my wife Kim and this would not be a good time to go (as in I've only been back for 5 months!).  I will wait until my full year is up and then put in for another tour then.  Hopefully in early 2007.  I like the Feb to Aug tours as you don't miss Christmas, and you get to lose lots of weight in the heat and from carrying around the extra 75 pounds of kit.

 

I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

 

Pro Patria

Well, I'm back.  Back to the blog, that is, I've been back in Canada for some time now!  Two entries for September!  Holy apathy, Batman!

 

I can tell you that returning from overseas deployment is an experience.  It is now 5 and a half weeks after returning and I am finally starting to feel like my old self again!  I was exhausted the first couple of weeks and then I just felt like doing nothing at all (which means I was still exhausted, I guess).  I went fishing with some friends on our annual fishing trip last weekend and now I feel like everything is back where it should be.  The circle is now complete.  I had gone fishing on the annual trip on the last weekend before pre-deployment training started last year, and now, a year later, I was able to go again.

 

For anyone interested, the "Break Fast for Afghan Orphans" at which I am speaking is being held Sunday, October 16th at Carmen's Banquet Hall, 1520 Stonechurch Road East, Hamilton, ON from 3:30 to 8:00 p.m.  Remember that is "break fast," meaning to eat after a period of not eating, as opposed to "breakfast," a morning meal.  As October is the month of Ramadan, Muslims will be fasting from dawn until dusk, and the dinner is to "Break Fast."  Tickets are $50 each (hey, it's a fund raiser!) and are available through the web site here:  http://www.canadianrelief.ca/

 

I have also been asked to become more involved with the Canadian Relief Foundation, to help the organization with their operations in Afghanistan.  This is an exciting development, as I still maintain contact with many people back there.  Hopefully, I can continue to be part of that country's redevelopment.

 

All for now.

 

Pro Patria.

Well, I have been back a month now, and I have not really kept up with this.  My bad.  I have had little interest in much, since I just wanted to sort of kick back and relax for a while.

 

I see that I have attracted some attention from my past.  Don Janzen from my FCG days.  Good to hear from you.  I dropped you an e-mail, so keep in touch.  WO Pankatz, thanks for dropping by.  I hope all is going well with you in Bosnia.  In all the stuff going on in Afghanistan, we seem to forget that we have guys in Bosnia as well.

 

As you have picked up from the blog comments, I was featured in a comprehensive article in the National Post, thanks to Post writer Siri Agrell.  I am going to speak at a fund raiser in Brampton for Afghan Orphans for the Canadian Relief Foundation.  I am very excited to do this.  Anything to help the young children there to live a better life.

 

I will make an attempt to update this a little more frequently.

 

Pro Patria.

Well, we got back last Sunday, 14 Aug 05, after a very long flight from Theatre.  We stopped one extra time then I thought, but all in all, it was an okay trip.  Except the part where we left at 11:00 in the morning, went back 8 time zones, and arrived at 10 at night.  Then there was the hour and a half in Customs (yep, we have to go through them as well...) and then the 3 hour bus ride to Petawawa.  We arrived at just after 3 in the morning.  By that time, the other reserve guy I was travelling with decided to stay up until 7:00 am to get our vehicles out of storage.  We got a room on camp and had a shower and then watched a movie on my laptop.  We both got our vehicles and went on our way.  I went to my parents, where my wife had come up to meet me.  It was a very great reunion with all.  Six months is a long time.  Remember that whenever you have to be away for a week or two.  Having said that, you should realize that a relationship will adapt to whatever the seperation time is...as long as it is finite.  Knowing when you will return is vital.

 

I completed my 3 - half days of work (as required by the DCDS).  I am now officially on holidays.  I will be off until 5 Oct 05.  How cool is that?

 

Thanks again for your support.  Turn now to my fellow soldiers still deployed, Canadian and American.  If you are half as generous with your praise with them as you were with me, it will help them through their time away from their families and friends an unbelievable amount.  You have no idea what it means.  More later.

 

Pro Patria.

 

Martin Anderson

Captain

Second in Command

Task Force Kabul - Civil Military Cooperation Detachment

Op ATHENA

Kabul, Afghanistan

We flew out of Kabul this afternoon to our "super secret, not to be mentioned, does not exist, never has" staging base in a third location in South West Asia.  When we arrived we realized just how hot it is here.  This is no dry heat, like Kabul!  We were told it was 40 degrees when we arrived, but with the humidex it was more like 55 or 60 degrees (that's celcius, for my American friends).  It is really hot.  Molten metal would actually get more liquid if left outside for any length of time!  Every time you step out of the air conditioning, it feels like you're stepping into a sauna!

 

A couple of days of R&R here and then off home!

 

Pro Patria.

Well it looks like we will only be delayed one day.  This is quite a relief, as there was talk of more than that at one point.  This means I will arrive on the ground in Canada next Saturday evening.  Only a day's difference.  Not too bad.

 

We went out for lunch today with the Mayor and Wakils of one of the local areas.  The Wakil who was hosting had put on a very sizable spread.  We got the new guy by telling him he had to keep eating the food, as to stop would offend the host.  Our host got into it as well, looking crestfallen when our guy finally had to stop eating.  The hospitality of the people here has been nothing short of amazing.  Everywhere you go, someone is asking you to come in and have tea with them.  Before lunch, we had gone to a small village just south of the camp where we had paid for a well to be drilled.  The Wakil of the area was very emotional about this well, as the area is on bedrock, and many people (meaning earlier rotations of Canadian troops) had come to look at the area, but could not afford to build the well.  Thanks to our Humanitarian Assistance Club as well as the civilian employees here (who had done some other fundraising), we were able to afford it.  This well required some specialty equipment, and we had to go to our well specialist.  It is finished and the people there are beside themselves.  It is truly a marvel to see.  The local guy asked us in for tea, even though we were due at the Wakil's house in 20 minutes.  We felt bad, as we knew we did not have the time, but we also knew that he wanted to show us in some small way, what the well meant to him.  What a way to end it; nothing like going out on a high note.  

 

That was the last time we will be off camp.  Tomorrow we start our outclearance administration.  Six months has come to an end.  Our replacements finally showed up today (3 days late), and tomorrow we clear them in and hand over what's left.  The school is not quite completed, with a couple of cosmetic touch ups to happen yet, but it is as close to completed as you can get without actually being done.  I am happy I was here to see it through, although I am a bit sad that I won't get to see any children in it.  Such is life.

 

I will likely spend some time tomorrow on photos and will upload the best of the past few weeks to finish this all off.  To answer a lingering question, I will likely keep working on this space but should start a new one, as I imagine I should change the name.  A hearty thanks to everyone who has stopped in over the past months.  I'd like to thank evvery single person who has taken the time to come in and read what we have been up to, however, there just isn't enough time in a day to list you all!  Thank you.  People have said "thank you" to me for what we have done here.  I can tell you that it has been my honour and privilege to have come here and been part of an organization which has had a small part to play in helping the Afghan people to rebuild their country.  They deserve and need our help.

One of our replacements arrived a couple of days ago, so the last two days have been driving him around and getting him acquainted with the area and the people.  We had a hundred new desks delivered to the school we built, so the students wouldn't have to sit on the floor.  I met today with the contractor who built the desks for us and he is going to make 6 teacher's desks and 6 blackboards for us.  The price seems to be right, and he showed me pictures of the desks and blackboards.  They look fine, so I ordered them on the spot.

 

Well, it looks as if our departure from here is going to be delayed.  I suppose everyone heard about the Air France plane crash in Toronto (which actually has nothing to do with our predicament, it just sets me up for my next joke, to follow)?  Well let's just say that that day was not a good day to be a plane.  Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt in the Toronot accident, and thankfully, no one was hurt in the two that have affected our flight patterns.  I guess that is about the only good thing about them.  Currently we are backed up by four days on departing theatre, but we are hopeful that the backlog will begin moving again soon.  Perhaps a big bowl of fibre might help!   If it doesn't move soon, then my flight will get delayed. 

 

Nothing is confirmed yet, so right now, I am still working with the original date, but I am not very hopeful that this will get resolved before that very much anticipated date.  There really is no one to blame for this, so there's nothing to get angry about, it's just a bit of a drag.

 

All for now.

 

Pro Patria.

What we accomplished here:

 

We made it!

Quality of life distribution in Musayi.  (clothes and toys)

Quality of life distribution in PD 4.  (clothing mostly)

Quality of life distribution in PD 7.  (clothing mostly)

Quality of life distribution in PD 4.  (clothing mostly)

Quality of life distribution at Allahuddin Orphanage.  (clothes and toys)

School supply and desk distribution.

School supply and desk distribution.

School supply and desk distribution.

Repair of Sarasiab Girl's School yard.  (our Engineers did that one)

Repair of ditch along Dah Murad Khan Road.  (Engineers again)

Repair of 5 wells in PD 7.

Protection wall around a well in PD 7.

Repair of Doughabad Road (250 meters).

Repair of gate and overhang at Qal ey ye Mosem School.

10 tents to Ali Mustaghni School.

Repair of well at Nowniaz village.

Supplied a small girl's orphanage with a month's worth of food (My mother paid for that one, thanks Mum!)

Repaired 34 desks for Asief Miel School.  (Humanitarian Club did this on their spare time)

New well in Qal ey Sukh.

School supplies to Amini School.

Playground at Rish Kvor kindergarten.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Assistance Club)

5 tents t Gorzagha School.

Tables and chairs for police HQ in PD 6.

3 km of Waysalabad Road repaired.

Repair of road from Karti Seh Girl's School to Dah Murad Khan Road.

Repair of culverts in 2nd part Musayi.

Repair of generators for the small girl's orphanage.  (A Humanitarian Club member did this on his own time)

Purchase and distribution of 250 school desks.

Delivery of hospital equipment.

Road repair in Aqa Ali Shams.

Removed oil tank from irrigation ditch.  (Engineers again)

School supplies to the Chehelsotun Girl's School.

School supplies to Sarasiab Girl's School.

Delivery of hospital equipment.

2 tents to Rockshana Girl's School.

Rebuild of a footbridge in PD 6.

Repair a road bridge in PD 6 (not what you think, more of a glorified culvert, really).

5 km of road repair in PD 6.

Repair road bridge in PD 6.

Repair road bridge in PD 6.

Repair road bridge in PD 6.

School supplies and desks to Rockshana Girl's School.

School supplies to Gorzagha School.

School supplies to Allahuddin Orphanage.

Culvert repair in Sarasiab.

Rebuild footbridge in PD 6.

Five new wells in PD 6.

Five new wells in PD 6.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Road repair near Karti Seh Girl's School.

School desks to Asief Miel School.

Five new wells in PD 6.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Quality of life distribution to KCP (Kabul City Police).

Medical suplies to local hospitals.

Quality of life distribution to small girl's orphnage.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

School supplies to Omarakhan School.

Desks to Rockshana Girl's School.

Medical supplies to local hospitals.

New well at the Blind Shool.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

New well in Chehelsotun.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Repair of well in Nowniaz village.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Medical supplies to Tagi Seyyedan Clinic.

Qulaity of life distribution to small girl's orphanage.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

Three new wells in PD 6.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

100 new desks for Chehelsotun Girl's School.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

New well in Bagh rais.

Well repair in Bagh Rais.

5 tents for Omarakhan School.

8 tents to Rockshana Girl's School.

and

Construction of a 6 room school building addition to the Chehelsotun Girl's School.  (Funded by the Humanitarian Club)

 

In total we spent $80,000 USD from the Canada Fund, and approximately $60,000 USD from the Humanitarian Club (all money raised by troops and families back home).

 

I'm done, for now.  Now it's your turn.  Ask yourself what can be done for the disadvantaged in your community and go and do it.  There is no feeling like seeing the appreciative smile of a child or an adult who really needed the help.  These people here have sure appreciated what we have done.

 

Just under a week to go.

 

Pro Patria.

I just spent half an hour typing in my lists, and when I checked after publishing, gone, all gone.

 

Here goes again:

 

Things I have missed from home:

 

My wife.

My family.

Our friends.

My dog and cat.

Working around the house.

Mowing the grass.

Grass.

Rooms with walls, not plastic dividers.

Rooms with more than 32 sq feet of room.

Our house.

Our garden.

Our pond.

Beer (well more than 2 at a sitting, anyway).

Good red wine (well any red wine for that matter).

Going to our favourite restaurant for supper.

There's more I am sure, that I wil remember once I get back and realized that I didn't have them for 6 months!

 

Things I will miss about Afghanistan:

 

The people.

The children.

Doing anything to help the first two.

Our interpreters.

The Mayor of ** *.

The Head Wakil of ** *.

The Head Wakil of ** *.

The Wakil of ** * who was shot 9 times during the Russian occupation and has a wooden leg, but still managed to outclimb us up the mountain on Easter Sunday.

Afghan lunches.

Kabob (see Afghan lunches).

Bulani (see Afghan lunches).

The mountains.

The King's and Queen's palaces.

 

Things I will not miss about Afghanistan:

 

The bi-weekly intestinal distress (is there any really nice way to say that?!).

The dust.

The heat.

The wind.

The dust.

The heat.

The wind.

The meat in the market covered in flies and hanging in 40 celcius (100 odd farenheit) temperature (and then realizing that we are on our way to an Afghan lunch to eat that very meat!)

The stench of the open sewers.

The division between men and women.

Burqas.

The "no-rules-driving-because-Allah-will-decide-who-lives-and-dies-(Inshallah)-on-the-road-today."

 

 Pro Patria.

 

We went out for lunch today with one of the local officials we have been dealing with for the past six months.  We have done a lot of projects in his area and the people of his area have really appreciated it.  I cannot remember what the name of the food was, but it was lamb cooked in a pressure cooker with onions and tomatoes.  We had a different kind of bread with it this time.  I will be getting all the names of the foods from our interpreters, before we leave.  I did give the Dogh another try.  I felt I had slammed the drink pretty hard the first time I tried it - mainly because I was already sick and dehydrated at the time - and since then was told that it is better ice cold, etc.  One of our interpreters chopped up some cucumber and mixed it with the yoghurt or sour milk (not sure which) and I tried a bit again.  I have to say that it was actually quite good.  I could see the potential, even though the guy making it pointed out that he didn't have half the proper ingredients.  I will try it again, if we can get the proper stuff to make it.

 

As for the recent comment by Goallll1, what can I say?  Well, I'm almost done now...what are they going to do?  Send me home?  How about this:  I guess there will always be those who don't really want to see what is really going on around them.  When I went to the orphanage this morning and dropped off $600 US for the director to purchase a washing machine, some carpets, a couple of fans and a couple of hundred dollars worth of food, I really didn't feel that I was "bombing the children."  After lunch, when I went to the 6 room school house that we have built with money raised by and from the soldiers of Camp Julien and their families, I didn't really feel like I had "bombed the schools."  And in a couple of days, when I drop off at a needy mosque the brand new generator that was donated by a thoughtful citizen back in Canada, I probably won't feel as if I have "bombed the holy places."  When I see the Engineers risk their lives to go out and collect up hundreds of kilograms of mines, RPG 7 rounds, and various other lethal munitions and blow them up, I don't feel as if we are holding this country back.  When the MP's here on the camp go to the local police stations and provide training on proper search and arrest procedures, I don't see that as contributing to the problems here.  When the Health Services people here go out and provide cross training to the medical staff at the medical facilities near the camp...again I fail to see how we're the problem. 

 

Sorry...but I left my wife and family and came over here to a land I have come to love, and I don't get your argument.  You want us to leave so this country and let it go backwards in time?  Back to the grand old days of the Taliban, or even the Mujahuddin.  To oppress women and harbour terrorists who have bombed New York, Madrid, Bali and now my own birth place, London, where many of my extended family members live.  Well here's a news flash:  we'll leave when this country is able to provide for itself the kind of security and stability required for an elected government to carry out the functions of statehood and provide for its people.  Those little girls at that orphanage seem pretty pleased to see us, as does everyone else we see on the roads when we drive by.  People keep telling us they want us here, that they are glad we are here and you know what?  I guess that's good enough for me.  Sorry we have to be here, but until the last remnants of the Taliban and other peace hating people are rooted from your soil...well, here we'll be.

 

I leave you with this.  My Regimental Moto is Pro Patria.  I have signed every single entry with this.  It means "For Country."  I would give everything for my country and that for which it stands.  Interestingly, my last six months have been "For Your Country."  I am glad I have been a part of some change here, little though it may have been in the big picture.  It's too bad you can't see that.

 

Pro Patria.

We closed out a few more projects today.  We have only 5 left to complete.  I will post a definitive list of what we accomplished in the next few days.  It has been a long and busy tour, and I am looking forward to coming home.  Already people are starting to leave, as new faces show up.  Pretty soon, it won't be our show any longer, but rather under the command of the new people coming over.

 

I guess the highlight of the day was that myself and my Operations NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) were awarded the Task Force Commander's Coin for our efforts while here.  For those not in the know, a Commander's Coin is a decorative challenge coin presented by the Commander to people who have been selected for extra recognition.  The tradition of a challenge coin is that if you know someone who has one, you can challenge them to produce it and if they don't have it on them, they have to buy you a beer.  I don't think I will carry this around with me, however, since I know who the other guy is, and he won't be carrying his either.  I think this one will just stay in the box.  It was nice to receive this recognition from my Commander.

 

All for now.

 

Pro Patria.

It has been an interesting couple of days.  Two days ago I was told I had to move out of my bed space into a communal tent for my final two and a half weeks in order to make way for a new arrival.  I was told that I had to move by the end of the next day (lots of notice).  I was pretty incensed as the communial tents are only meant for a 2 to 5 day stay, not 15 to 17 days.  It all worked out when they found me and a couple of other guys a new spot in another regular tent (one with at least some privacy).  So I ended up moving, but I am in the same type of accomodations.

 

Today was market day, so we only went out in the morning to deliver some desks.  I had a brief inteview on Star 96 in Ottawa this afternoon.  If you are near the area and tune in, it is at the end of the broadcast at 1200 and 1700 EST.  Not sure how effective it was, but we'll see.

 

All for now.

 

Pro Patria.

We went by the school again today.  Things are progresing quite well, and the contractor assures us that he will be done by next Friday.  That is a little hard to believe, given what is still left to be done.  Once we had a look around we could see that they had a seperate crew for the roof.  There were guys doing the plastering on the exterior walls, and some guys working inside with the ceilings.  I am of the opinion that this will get done by next week.

 

We took all of our completion reports to the embassy downtown.  We had a minor fender bender, when a guy in a Toyota Previa tried to speed ahead of us to get in front before he rear ended a stopped bus.  Problem was, we were also accelerating to keep our two vehicles together.  The other guy (without looking, and against our warning horn blasts) just wanders into our "lane" and hits his bumper on ours.  Needless to say we sustained no damage, and he had a small dent in his rear bumper.  It will be great when the KCP (Kabul City Police) actually start enforcing speed and driving laws.

 

We took down 22 out of 26 reports on completed projects.  We completed one more report after we got back.  The rest should be done next week.  The remainder of the projects are funded through our Humanitarian Club and are not as time sensitive, but we still want to get them done.

 

Pro Patria.

We completed three more projects today.  We had hired a company to pick up, repair and deliver 100 school desks to a school that we have been to a few times.  We went to the school to meet them when they showed with the desks.  The desks all were in good shape, and the school was glad to have them.  The second two projects were road repair projects. One had been going on for a long time, so it is nice to finally get that sorted out.  The other one has not been going on for anywhere near as long, but it is still good to get it complete.

 

Under 3 weeks to go!

 

Pro Patria. 

Well our pace has slowed a bit, as we are waiting on a number of projects to get completed.  We have about 12 to 14 projects on the go that are almost finished, but we have to wait for them to be completely finished before we can check them out.  The problem is that we are close to moving out, so time is starting to drag a lot, and we need to keep busy in order for the time to go by faster.  I have had an amazing experience here, but as I get closer to the end, I just want to go home.  I have no idea how our American counterparts do it.  Guys are in theatre for a year or more.  Unbelieveable.  I have also noted  that NYCLaye is off the air so to speak, and no, I do not know what has happened to him.  I would say that if something bad had happened, then you in North America would likely know about it before we would.  Since you have heard nothing bad in the media from the last few days, I wouldn't get too excited.  He may have had to close up shop for a while, or maybe he has gone on leave. I, too, hope all is well with him.

 

The days are really starting to drag.  I think I may have already pointed that out.  Our team leader was sick today, so that didn't help either.  He has the same thing we have all had at one time or another.  Nothing 5 or 6 Imodiums wouldn't cure.

 

The weather today was hot and dry.  This makes 49 consecutive days of cloudless skies, high heat (but no humidity, what a relief!  "It's a dry heat"...yeah, well it's still bloody hot!) and windy afternoons.  Every day around 3:00 p.m. the wind whips up to around 20 m.p.h. and the dust comes with it...a lot of dust.  It gets everywhere.  I am so looking forward to going to my desk at home and not having to blow the dust off with a can of compressed air every morning.  We sure do go through the compressed air, though!

 

Not much else to report. 

 

Pro Patria

 

Yesterday we went to check the completion of one of the projects we are trying to close out.  It is becoming increasingly evident that here "we are finished" means "we have about 3 more days work, but would you mind paying us for the project anyway?"  The project is to resurface a road, and they still have a fair bit of work ahead of them.  Just once, I'd like someone here to call us when the last guy has walked off the site.  We got there and there were about 30 guys working away.

 

Following that, we went to lunch with one of the local people here.  It was an absolutely fantastic lunch.  The staples were there: lamb kabob, goat (or something), etc, but this time we had a couple of other dishes that were quite tasty.  There was a fried eggplant, that was very good, as well as what has to be the closest thing to chicken wings in hot sauce I've seen since I've been here.  It was a very nice meal.  Naturally there is a huge temptation to shut down after that and just lie back and watch the world go by.  Especially in the heat.  Unfortunately we had to peel ourselves out of the chairs and carry on with our day.

 

We have been very busy the last few days trying to get things completed before we leave.  I am now of the opinion that we will not be able to get it all done, but we are hoping to get through at least a large part of it.

 

All for now.

 

Pro Patria.

Not much happening in the last couple of days.  We have done a few follow up patrols, but that is about it.  The follow up patrols are to go and see the projects that were completed before we showed up, and to see if the money spent is still having an impact on the local population.  In mostinstances this is still the case, but there was one school which had folded up and the students moved into another school.  It is quite likely that the desks from the one school were transported to the other (we had paid for the desks), but there was no way to tell for sure.  I have spent the last day working on an Administrative Order for an upcoming event we have planned.  Military events don't just happen (as I am sure you are all aware), but rather a great deal of planning goes into them.  That is the case here.  Hopefully this all work out.

 

We have a couple of camel spiders living in around our cases of bottled water.  We had the medical guys out today to try to fluch them out, but to no avail.  There is a small one and a large one.  With legs, the small one is the size of the top of a can of coke, the larger one is about the size of a CD.  These suckers get pretty large (although not dinner plate sized, as in the "urban legend" going around the internet regarding camel spiders - see www.snopes.com and search camel spider and read all about it).  They are very quick, however, and last night, when Jim had the flashlight on the one he started to follow Jim's movements.  Creepy.

 

Take care all.

 

Pro Patria.

Another Friday done.  The days sure go faster when you've got lots to do.  We cleaned weapons and did some planning for the next couple of weeks.  Same old, same old.

 

I posted some new pictures here:

 

 

1.  A shot on the road to Bagram Air Field.  We went a couple of weeks ago.  The city of Kabul is surrounded by mountains, and has a couple of smaller ones that run through it.  The way to Bagram is through a generally flat plain that is also between the mountain ranges to the east and west.  2.  There are plenty of nomads living out in this plain area.  These are some of their tents.  3.  Another shot of the nomad tents.  4.  I call this shot "Where the Hell are they coming from?"  If you look down that road, there is nothing there.  That woman and the child must be coming from somewhere.  And what about the guy?  This spot is a half hour from anywhere.  5.  Driving back into town we came in from the north.  As you can see there is some considerable amount of construction going on.  6.  Another shot of some construction.  The north end of the city is not as bad off as the end we are in.  7.  Me unloading a desk at a school where we had previously set up tents.  8.  Me shaking hands with the civilian camp worker who organized the refurbishing of all of the desks.  9.  Some children at an in-school day care for the teachers of the school.  10.  Ahhhh....Canada Day.  This was the Firefighters challenge.  Lots of fun.  11.  This is the human foosball.  The players are blindfolded and tied together and the operators outside the playing area have to pull them to where the ball is and tell them to kick it.  Very funny.  12.  the stage set up for Canada Day.  That was a big flag!  13.  We had a Native Hoop Dancer who is in the military and he put on a show before the band and the CJ Idol competition.  It was fascinating and a very skilled demonstration of a very difficult art form.  14 & 15.  Two more shots of this guy.  16.  The winner of CJ Idol, Ryan "Can't Touch this" H.  He is a fellow reserve officer whose home unit is the Foot Guards in Ottawa.  17.  Another shot of the man in winning form.  18.  This is the real band, Razorwire.  They practiced up from the beginning of the roto and played some fantastic sets including Green Day, Incubus, Pink Floyd and more.  19.  A summer shot of me at the Kabul Golf Course.  Some say it is the most dangerous golf course in the world.  We don't go off the hard pack, so you won't find me playing there.  You never know what you're about to step on (i.e. Boom).  20.  Here is a shot of the 3rd hole, I think.  Since there are no greens to speak of, they have a kind of flat area where they have covered it with some sort of mat, or something.  21.  There's a few adventurous souls playing a round.  22.  A shot of the mountains at Paghman.  this is a town to the west of Kabul, about a half hour out of the city.  There was a lot more green space there than in the city, and the air was clean.  After we'd hacked out the dust of Kabul, we enjoyed some fresh air for a change.  23.  A shot of the green space in the area.  24.  This is "the Arch" in Paghman.  No idea what it is for, but it is quite imposing.  25.  This is a "Jingle Truck."  For those who have seen the movie Office Space, you could say that this vehicle certainly has some "flair."  During the Taliban times, no decoration of any kind was allowed, so once those twits were booted out, the population has retaliated by having some of the most bizarre flair applied to their vehicle.  The "jingle" part of the name comes from the fact that there are hundreds of chains dangling along the outer edge of the vehicle which makes it "jingle" when it goes over a bump (which is constantly...there are no bump-free roads).

 

The second album of pics (Kodak only lets me upload 25 at a time, and I appear to have a few more than that this time) is here:

 

 

1.  A pic of some camels which had just run across the road.  No real idea as to why they wanted to be on the other side.  2.  A side shot of the Slovenian Humvee that hit an old anti-tank mine.  Not a pretty sight.  No one was seriously injured.  No really, just the guy in the back who had ringing in his ears (I can only imagine!).  3.  Another shot, 3/4's on.  4.  The walls at the school are being plastered now.  Finally.  I hope they get this finished in time.  5.  A shot of the concrete ring beam around the perimeter to mount the roof.  6.  My usual "across the yard" shot.  7.  We went to the orphanage again.  I think I'll let these ones speak mosty for themselves.  The first one is a self portrait of me and couple of the girls.  8.  Two girls who are clearly posers.  9.  I brought along some hand puppets that my mother had sent over (thanks Mum!).  They were clearly a smash hit.  10.  This girl just loved her new duck puppet.  11.  One of the quieter ones.  12.  Again with the duck.  13.  Another happy face.  14.  This is me before going to the orphanage.  We had stopped to pick up some food supplies for them.  15.  Some guys hawking balloons.  Kind of an incongrous sight, when you consider where we are.  16.  Just when you thought you'd seen it all, you get this gem!  I suppose, if you have to get from point A to point B, and you have a motorcycle, you might find yourself in this position.  But I doubt it.  Yes that's a 6 month old riding up at the handle bars.  Sorry about the interior glare from the window, but it's not like we can roll the windows down!

 

All for now.  I've taken up way too much time here tonight.  Take care.

 

Pro Patria.

 

 

I just found out that there were terrorist attacks carried out in London, England by some al Qaeda splinter group.  This is particularly distressing since a large number of my extended family (Aunt and Uncle, cousins) live in London and use the mass transit system regularly.  My mother has told me that as far as they know all of them are ok.  My brother and my neice are also in England at this time, but fortunately were in a town a couple of hours north east of London.  This makes what we are doing here all the more relevant.  Contrary to those who have spoken out against the other soldiers (and myself) about what we are doing, this is exactly why we are here.  As Ken Livingston, Mayor of the City of London, pointed out "this was not an attack against the powerful people of the nation, this was an attack against the working class Londoner."  (I have paraphrased somewhat, but that is the gist of it).  What we are doing here in Afganistan is denying safe haven for terrorists.  We are getting into the areas of the world where this sort of contempt for human life breeds and we are rooting it out (well not me personally, but we here are all part of it).  An important consideration for everyone is that the average Muslim does not feel the same as the terrorists.  At least not all the ones that I have met.  September 11th, the Bali bombing, the Madrid bombing and now the London bombing is the work of extremists.  These vermin hide behind a veil of supposed religious faith, but it is extremism nonetheless.  Please don't forget, that it is not "Muslims" who are responsible, but those who have perverted the Muslim faith to their own twisted ends.

 

There was a mine strike against one of the Slovenian contingent Humvees out of our camp two days ago.  It was an up-armoured Humvee.  I saw the vehicle this morning, and although the rear drivers side portion of the vehicle was catastrophically destroyed, all four occupants were safe.  The one sitting in the rear driver's side has some hearing difficulties, but the rest sustained no major injuries.  This was not a deliberate attack, but rather a running over of an old anti-tank mine.  Lucky guys.

 

On a brighter note, we went out to the orphanage again today and took them some more food and some toys that my mother had sent over.  I have some shots of them playing with the hand puppets, which they loved.  What an adorable group of girls.  I also talked to the director about what we can do once we have left here.  We are going to work out a money wiring scheme through Western Union so that I can have money sent direct to the orphanage director.  Either that, or I will talk to one of our interpreters to the same sort of deal.  I would like some sort of oversight into how the money is spent, and I know that I can count on them to get the job done.

 

We went to the school this morning also.  There has been a little progress since the last time, but they have told us that they lost 3 days last week.  The claim is that there is no water.  Our interpreter jumped in and told the contractor to just build one.  It would only cost him $400 or $500 and he could leave it as a gift for the school.  It has just occured to me as I sit here, that there are two wells within 50 meters of the job site and that water should not be an issue.  I am now a little incensed and will be speaking with the contractor tomorrow to point this little factoid out to him.

 

We are trying to clear up the worst of the paperwork in the next couple of weeks to make sure that we are ready fo the handover to the next team.

 

All for now.  Pro Patria.