Arrival

Well, I finally arrived to Kabul International Airport late last Saturday night. I flew in a C-130 with about 10 other Airmen and 40 Soldiers. We had to wear our full gear (helmets, flak jackets, and weapons) and had to sit hip-to-hip and knee-to-knee. It was a loud, dark, cramped 2 and a half hour flight, but thankfully, it was uneventful. The first thing I noticed in the dark of night was what I thought was a fine mist or fog in the air. After getting my bearings, I realized it was a fine layer of dust. Environmentally, that’s the worst thing so far. Dust is everywhere! It floats in the air, from ground level to above the light posts, all day and night long. It’s on the computers and phones and desks at work. Fortunately, it’s not too bad in the tents.

I spent the first night in a transient tent. After carrying my five huge bags to the tent, it was after midnight so I pulled out a poncho liner, took boots off, and went straight to sleep. The next morning I cleaned up and checked in with my new work area. I spent the first day in-processing; getting my badges, access to four (!) different computer systems, and checking in with the Army admin office. They told me that I was assigned to tent “B1”. Most of the guys in my unit are in hard billets (brick and mortar buildings), but they actually have less floor space than the tents, so I just went where the Army told me. Of course, the trade off for more space is that I have to leave the tent and walk outside to the bathroom. It’s not too cold yet, but just to be safe I been going to bed slightly dehydrated so I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night.

There are a lot of little things that I could complain about (and did just to vent the first time I actually got to call Val), but at least I’m in the safest place in Afghanistan that I could be. I’ll update more later. Internet access is limited and I can’t upload pictures yet, but free wireless Internet hot spots are planned to be on-line within weeks, so I should be able to show you all my living conditions and environment soon. Take care. Eric