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Here We Go Again!

I Just started counting down till the next Deployment! I’ll be on the PRT’s again…Lucky me! Most of us are kinda pissed that we are being tasked with the same exact mission that we had less than a year ago. We are also trying to figure out this picking order, seeing as we are the only unit being tapped for a second time in the last I don’t know 5 years. Since I have time, I plan on getting my body in shape to do this again, not like last time where I loafed around. So this Blog will be dedicated to me working out mostly, for awhile anyway. Same Old, Same Old, Same Old Shit Again! (that’s a cadence by the way)

As of Lately

I’ve been home from Afghanistan for about 2 months now. Still trying to get the feel of civilian life again. Started college at Rutgers. Yea that’s pretty much it as of now.

Jaghori

Ah, Jaghori. AKA the Place that changed my whole perspective on Afghanistan. Just one hour in the girls orphanage was enough to do that. If only the Hazarans where a majority here in this country we probably would need to be here. I’ll have to put pictures up later. But it’s a beautiful and safe place. Full of great friendly and hospitable people. Although we where asked by one of the orphan girls, “What do you do in Afghanistan?” Followed by, “Will you kill the taliban that killed my parents?” and “Will you adopt me and take me to America?” …How do you answer those questions? It’s like a whole new reason to fight.I suppose if I was married, with a job, and a stable life style I would adopt one of those girls. I mean up until now the job was easy. Afghans weren’t people to us, they were savages. It’s easier to shoot at savages then it is to shoot at people, But seeing such a human side, of at least the Hazaran people, Made me glade that they are Taliban, the Taliban is typically Pashtuns. And most Pashtuns, but not all, it seems would stab you in the back the first chance they got. Hazaras are a great people, and when I get deployed again to Afghanistan, like I’m sure I will, I look Forward to working with them again. I will never forget that orphanage. I suppose if I was married, with a job, and a stable life style I would adopt one of those girls.

Winding Down

Sorry, everyone. It’s getting harder and harder to keep these post up with this deployment coming to an end. My days here in Ghazni are numbered, and it shows in the amount of work we do to turn everything over to the next team. I look forward to getting home though I have no idea how long it will be from the time I leave here, Till I end up back home.

Promoted!…again

Today I was promoted to Corporal. I have been lateraly promoted, meaning I get more work and no extra pay, but I’m officially an NCO(Non-Comissioned Officer) though here it doesn’t really mean anything.

Sorry I missed yesterday

Sorry, been kinda busy lately and it’s hard to get to the MWR(Moral Welfare and Recreation) facility. I’ll get a Journal Entry up soon.

My Bucket List

Since I can’t find my Journal this week, I will show you my bucket list, and hopefully inspire you to do the same.

1)Run a Marathon
2)Visit Australia
3)Visit Spain
4)Hike the Appalachian Mountains
5)Go Parachuting
6)Sleep in a Hostel
7)Open a Bar/Movie Theater
8)Fight in an MMA Fight
9)Take a Cruise
10)Go Rock Climbing
11)Go Scuba Diving
12)Do a Triathlon
13)Volunteer at a homeless shelter
14)Road trip all the way across the US
15)Visit at least 20 War Memorials: I’ve visited 5
16)Backpack through Europe
17)Give Blood (needles being a personal fear of mine)
18)See the Grand Canyon
19)Do Parkour
20)Visit Alaska
21)Go Cliff Diving
22)Learn to Surf
23)See Big Ben
24)Set foot on every continent, I’ve been to 4 of the 7
25)Learn to Ice Skate
26)See a drive-in movie
27)Make a difference in someone’s life
28)Write a Book
29)See the Northern Lights
30)Truly Experience a Sunrise
31)Truly Experience a Sunset
32)Plant a tree, and watch it grow over the years
33)Throw a Giant Party
34)Get a different look
35)Learn to dance
36)Become a Black belt in a Martial Art
37)Back pack in at least 10 different locations, currently I’ve done 1
38)Truly experience nature
39)Go Adventure Racing
40)Get out of this Unmotivated Slump
41)Conquer my Biggest fear (needles)
42)Graduate College
43)Get a Doctorate
44)Encourage people to make a bucket list of their own
45)See the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japan
46)Survive this Deployment
47)Learn to Fly a Plane
48)Go Water Skiing
49)Learn to play at least 2 Instruments
50)Play a game of Golf
51)Hike the Rocky Mountains
52)Start a Band, even if it doesn’t last
53)Play the endless set list with my friends
54)Go on a Safari
55)Jump off a Waterfall
56)Get Married
57)Watch the Ball Drop in Time Square
58)See the Great Wall of China
59)Visit Hawaii
60)Have my Palm read, or some other form of psychic reading done
61)Go Skinny Dipping
62)Stay at a 5 Star Hotel
63)Own a Corvette Stingray
64)Ride in a Zorbe
65)Kiss in the Rain
66)Visit a Rain Forest
67)Go Zip-lining
68)Go White Water Rafting
69)See a European Cathedral
70)Study Abroad
71)Meet Olivia Munn
72)Go Base Jumping
73)Ride a Camel
74)Find Myself
75)Meet the Irwin Family, I’m a Big fan of Steve Irwin, his family, and their work.
76)See the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty
77)Watch baby sea turtles hatch and go to the ocean for the first time
78)Make a Viral Video
79)Take a photo everyday for a Year
80)Ride a Bull
81)See Mount Rushmore
82)Visit Egypt
83)Save Someone
84)Audition to be an Extra in a Movie
85)Stage Dive
86)Sleep on a beach under the Stars
87)Oktoberfest in Germany
88)Mardis Gras
89)Carnival in Brazil
90)Learn to Cook
91)See the Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico
92)Run a Steeple Chase
93)Go Spelunking
94)Visit Ground Zero
95)Learn to do a Wall Flip
96)See a Castle
97)See a Volcano
98)See the Nile River
99)Be on a TV Game Show
100)Go to a World Series Game
101)Visit Arlington
102)See a Roller Derby Match
103)Visit Australia Zoo
104)See the Great Barrier Reef

Thats everything Currently, although I add stuff every now and then.

Slowing Down

The Blog might slow down unfortunately. I’ve been made acting team sergeant while my team sergeant is gone. So now I have a lot more work to do, in addition to my regular duties. Also, I no longer have internet, I decided I wasn’t going to pay $100 for shitty internet that never worked, so now when ever I can I come to our moral center and use the internet for a half hour. So please hang in there and bear with me.

Journal Entry #9: 21May2010 – 1Jun2010 Khogyani Spring Break 2010

21May2010

It looks like the PRT will be on ORF for another month or so. Our LTC will not let us go out on QRF, so it seems like we are going to go out with ADT and the Polish a lot.

01Jun2010

Today we ran a fucking Gaunlet in a palce called Khogyani. We didn’t even make it out of Ghazni City before they started attacking us. They hit the front of the convoy with RPGs(rocket propelled grenades) and small arms fire. Eventually we pushed through that, Only to start receiving IDF(indirect fire) about 400m down the road. In no time at all A few Heilo’s showed up, shortly thereafter the shelling and small arms fire stopped. RCP(Route Clearance) dug up and anti-tank mine. We left some ANA(Afghan National Army) to watch it until EOD(explosive ordinance disposal) came to get rid of it. Have you ever seen a grown man kick a land mine built to destroy tanks? It’s a self correcting problem, typically. Not this time tough, but they did take pictures holding it and they did kick it. After passing that one we found two more, stacked on top of one another. After that we managed to make it all the way to the DC(district center) with out getting attacked. That is until after we left. On the way out the last three vehicles hit IEDs(Improvised Explosive Devices) We returned fire, and killed the trigger man. The last three trucks started taking on small arms and RPG fire once again. At this point in time the front of the convoy and ANA had hit three separate IEDs. The rear of the convoy came over the radio saying “We need to move Now!” At that very second a huge explosion went off right behind my head, Followed by an F-15 flying right over my head. He dropped 200lbs of shit your pants on that RPG team that was hitting the convoy and moving on my position. Then out of no where, but at a choke point, one the truck 2 in front of me hit an IED, it blew most of the front of the truck off and one of the tires completely off, they where tring to blow the truck up and roll it down a hill, an attempt at which I’m glade they failed. EOD decided that right now was the perfect time to do a analysis of the blast. I’m guessing thats because they didn’t want to have to go through all this again the next day. Sure enough, about one min after moving from where our truck was stopped, Four mortars where dropped exactly where I was, I count my blessings every day now, because as the gunner, I’d probably be dead, and we’d have had a mas-cal(mass-casualty) on our hands, well their hands, I’d be dead. Once we finally thought we where out of the woods and in the clear, we start receiving more IDF. Fortunately this time we could see those fucks shooting at us. Tim and John both video tapped it seeing as the ANA where in front of the convoy and wouldn’t move. I have to say I have absolutely no problem pulling the trigger of the .50 cal (.50 caliber machine gun), call it revenge or instinct or even conditioning, but the truth is I saw them on that hill, and everything just went slow motion, thats one thing Hollywood got right I guess, all that adrenaline flowing seems to slow time and space itself. That is until I had to reload, then everything was fast again, and everything amplified every little mistake. It was the most hectic minute of my life, just spent reloading As soon as the weapon was up and I pulled that trigger again It all went back into slow-mo. After they ran off, another F-15 showed up out of nowhere and dropped some flares, just to scare them more. Then two Apache Helocopters showed up, told us they see people running, but that they must have ditched the weapons. As we were driving back into Ghazni City, a sand storm kicked up, as if to day wasn’t bad enough. You couldn’t see 10ft in front of your face. Our trucks antena ripped down some power lines and a log attached to them came and swung at my head. Which surprisingly was the scariest part of the entire day. I’m sure we’ll have to pay for that.
* I still have that log sitting in my room, I plan on carving Khogyani Spring Break 2010, this is how I spent my Spring Break.