Jalalabad in January

Dani and LCDR Spicer (Dan), customer and friend from CSTC-A, took a trip to Jbad in January. The main purpose was for a Red Zone meeting and pre-final inspection of various ANP District Headquarter buildings. Due to weather and various other situations, not everything planned was accomplished. But the trip was still enjoyable.


Dani and Dan at Qalaa.


Dani and Dan with Afghan National Police Commanders, USACE Local National employees, and the Contractor. This picture was taken following a red zone meeting.


Jalalabad isn't as cold as Kabul, but as you can tell it isn't very warm either. Dan was mid-process of getting ready, and Dani snapped this shot!



Nawab (Local National Deputy Resident Engineer) and Jennifer at the FOB (Forward Operating Base) Hughie office. We were all very cozy for the few days Dan and Dani were visiting.

The area surrounding Jalalabad. In January it was still lush and green.

Between Jalalabad and Kabul, this village caught Dani's attention due to irrigation canal that goes around the hill. Water is such a precious commodity it's interesting to see how it's utilized.

Dani and Dan spent an extra night in Jalalabad due to snowy and foggy weather in Kabul preventing flights from landing. Luckily the weather improved enough that they could catch a flight into Camp Phoenix. On the way, the cloud layer was still low, so the helo went above it. The views were amazing and the photos don't do justice.

Within 10 minutes of Kabul these mountains clearly show the snow line.

The terrain is just beautiful!

Imagine living in this valley surrounded by the mountains - and the runoff that must occur in the spring.

Arriving in Kabul, here's a typical main road and the adjacent land.

The snow in the valley had melted by the time Dani and Dan returned to Kabul, but the mountains could not hide the evidence! It was breathtaking.

All in all, the trip was successful and fun. In the last 6 months Dan and Dani took several trips together, causing trouble at various FOB's. Dan has redeployed, so Dani will have to find another travel partner, and someone who is as good a "body guard" as Dan.

CLS

Dani completed the Combat Lifesaver (CLS) course at Camp Eggers yesterday. It's usually a 2 day class but due to room availability it was crammed into a day. Apparently Generals get priority for meeting space :-)

The class teaches things like what to do from a medical perspective while under fire, basic first aid, and the proper way to call in a a MEDEVAC. Which if Dani were the one calling in a MEDEVAC there would be much bigger problems than getting the correct protocol - the first challenge would be figuring out the radio frequencies! The class also has a hands on portion where students do IV's on each other. This was definitely Dani's favorite part!


Dani was paired with people she knows from CSTC-A. This is a photo of her teammates. And, as you can see, the lighting in the building was so poor flashlights were needed to help find the veins.


MAJ Hudson gave Dani her IV. He did a great job and it only hurt a little. At least he only pricked her once - it took Dani more attempts than that on him. Good thing MAJ Hudson is strong, and didn't even complain. :-) Dani even gave the instructor an IV - so lots of practice.


Dani and MAJ Hudson - everyone is so serious and quite when this is going on . . .


MAJ Hudson looks so professional and like he knows exactly what he's doing! Just ignore the blood on Dani's arm though :-)

Although we don't have nearly the amount of snow as the East Coast, it was cute to see the mini snowman Force Pro built at the Eggers gate. This was just too cute to pass up a photo.

Kandahar for a Day

Dani just completed a quick trip to Kandahar - down and back on one day - with a group of USACE and CSTC-A (the customer) people. Usually trips like that require a night or two in order to arrange flights. So, it was a nice treat to do a day trip that was so far away.



Morning sunrise just beginning to hit the mountain tops in Kabul.


Another view of the beautiful snow capped mountains surrounding Kabul.


As seen from the plane, the red desert plateau just outside of Kandahar.


The mountains between Kabul and Kandahar are so majestic. With the snow, the contours are even more pronounced.

It's unfortunate Afghanistan is so heavily mined, otherwise backcountry skiing wouldn't be such a dangerous activity.

It looks like something you see in paintings or on a 3D model in a museum!

While waiting for a ride in the group got to see several jets takeoff. It is always fun to watch, and very LOUD!

Dani, CDR Hawn and Bobby (both from CSTC-A) then went to a mini-ribbon cutting for the Regional Logistics Center (RLC). The RLC is just part of a much larger facility that will be shared amongst Afghan National Police, Afghan National Civil Order Police (more specialized police force - like SWAT), etc.

As is common practice in Afghanistan, the Contractor provided a meal following the ribbon cutting. The food is always wonderful and plentiful! It's not very often we get to eat outside of a DFAC (Dining Facility), so it was such a treat!

CDR Hawn and Dani with silk flowers the Contractor gave to everyone in attendance. Dani has put them in her office to brighten up the brown motif.

At the USACE compound in Kandahar Dani discovered this castle and finally convinced Greg (Dani's supervisor in Kabul) to take a picture with her.

Depending on the base the bathrooms will vary greatly. In Kandahar, this is the connex with toilets - yes, toilets - don't let the shower curtains fool you. They serve as the door, and you can easily tell is someone is in the stall by the toes of their boots sticking out. :-)

It was like a mini Walla Walla reunion. Alden Foote, Randy Chong and Ezra Abraham are permanently stationed in Kandahar. Dani rounded them up for a photo!

The Challenge

This video is of the Afghan National Army (ANA) doing PT and is too good to pass up posting. It is being e-mailed under the title "The Challenge," which is so appropriate. After 8 years in Afghanistan, this is how far we've come. . . Just imagine the challenges with construction!

Salsa Night

Dani joined a group from USACE & Camp Eggers for a night of salsa dancing at the Embassy.

Since we have to wear flack vest and helmet outside of Qalaa, and ride in an uparmored vehicle, we all crammed into a van for the short drive. I'm sure it looked like a clown car when we exited.

Dani dancing with Dave.

It's as close to a girls' night out as you can get around here.

Dani & the French soldiers - They continued to chat with each other in French and wouldn't tell Dani or Theresa what they were saying. So they got "the look." :-)

Dani & Robin taking the tourist shot with the Embassy logo.

Then gang then joined in!

New Year's in Herat

Dani took trip to Herat over New Year's weekend. Dani had a great time with Gareth (one of Dani's friends who's also an ANP customer from CSTC-A, which is Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan) and the Herat Area Office team.


Dani and Gareth took a USAID flight from Kabul to Herat. The views of the snowcapped mountains and the desert plains (near Kandahar) were breathtaking. The darker orange coloring on the bottom photo was a dune-ish plateau that dropped off at the river you can see. It was very interesting!

The purpose of the trip was a ribbon cutting ceremony for an expansion project at the Regional HQ (RHQ) for the Afghan National Civil Order Police (ANCOP). This is the typical set up and attendance for a ceremony of this type. Torrey (another USACE employee) and Dani were the only females in the room.

On the way to the RHQ, there were camels! Dani really wants to ride a camel but hasn't figured out where this is possible given the security precautions that are required when outside of any secured compound.

The Herat security team took Dani and Torrey (Gareth joined as well - but he didn't need the practice) to the range near the FOB (forward operating base). It was great firing M4's from the prone and standing position, and even attempting the two tap (where you don't aim but fire once, then correct to hit the target).

Dani shooting with Peet (pronounced Pee-et, he's from South Africa) "supervising."

Perhaps not the best shot, but not too shabby for the first time shooting an M4! (Or at least Dani thinks it's not too bad.)

Peet and Torrey shooting.

Gareth and Peet shooting.

Peet riding a motorbike near the shooting range. The view is gorgeous - we couldn't pass up on such a neat photo.

The bazaar in Herat is smaller than Kabul, but still entertaining. Dani was being goofy trying on a fur hat and even convinced Gareth to give it a try! He doesn't look nearly as thrilled about it.

Peet in traditional Afghan clothing. The security team was meeting up for lunch on our "down day" (day we get the afternoon off).

Just look at the view from the range. . . . Perhaps the Afghans should start up a adventure tourism industry for skiing, mountain biking, hiking, etc.

The moon in the evenings was just amazing! And the air is so clear in comparison to Kabul where you're lucky to see the moon and stars at night. All three nights in Herat were this beautiful.

Waiting on the tarmac at the Herat Regional Airport can be a noisy activity. When a flight arrives ear plugs would be highly recommended, but as you can see most of us didn't have any.

So, New Year's in Herat for Dani was very enjoyable. . . . The group had a bonfire with near-beer and soda. Not nearly as exciting as the festivities stateside, but not too shabby either. And seeing more of the country is always exciting.

Kuchi Refugee Camp

Dani had the opportunity to participate in a Volunteer Community Relations (VCR) Mission on Friday. The mission was to hand out bags of clothing to families in the Kuchi Refugee Camp in Kabul. SOZO International (http://www.sozointernational.org/), who provided bags of goodies from children, partnered with Camp Egger's VCR for this mission.

The people at Kuchi Refugee Camp were very appreciative! It was a very rewarding experience and wonderful opportunity to interact directly with the Afghans. They are such beautiful people.


View of the front of the camp from the "street."


A family - the children are just adorable.


A typical home at the refugee camp.


Another view of the refugee camp.

CPT Lori Keener and Dani. They were battle buddies for the misison.

After distribution of the clothing bags, families returned to their homes.

Dani and a young girl.

Dani and an infant. She smiled so precious and her mother (in red) was just stunning.

If you are interested in sending clothing or toys for people in need, boxes can be mailed to the address below. Please let us know if you plan to do this so we can properly thank you!

VCR Program/ Chaplain Section
CH Albertson
CSTC-A
APO, AE 09356