El Viejo Lobo ...
 

... seeins how Thanksgiving is coming up ... whats your digs like there ? yah got a trailer with a real bed and shower ? yah got consistent phone contact with home ? you mentioned Brown and Root does the Chop ... like, typically, what kind of food can you get ?

Well, we will be goin up to my mother in laws for Thanksgiving ... real treat ... it's by a river not much different than the Cua Viet ... in fact when I go to the riverside up there, I do time travel ... but, on the Cua Viet yah don't have boats tied up with names like "Miss Lazee Day" ... and if we are really lucky, we will all be entertained by some dog scoootin its butt across the rug ... dang, a few years ago we went to Yosemite for Thanksgiving Day and that was gr8 ... had our dinner at a mountain Restaraunt, fireside and younger kids talkin their elderly surviving parent to dinner ... waistress who musta been a local from forever, and probably had a name like Ruby, seated us ... and steam trays of good Chop ... vats of Roast Boeuf and Turkey and Ham .... and miserable pie ... but a sight better than watchin a dog scoot its butt across a riverside house's carpet ...

Viejecito, Beau

Never done this before but my wife and I and my daughters family are headed out to THE BEACH for Thanksgiving. 17 floor condo on the beach. Rigger will be around Navare Beach , close ? Send me a PM

Beau:

Thought I'd explained our living conditions over here...have done so to so many guess I forget who got sent what.

Compared to how we lived in Vietnam, and how some of our troops truly out in the field are living today, we here aboard the Kandahar Airfield Combat Base (KAF) live verrrrrrry well.

Some folks live in large tents. They are air-conditioned but the folks must use shower and head/latrine facilities in separate facilities.

My fellow team members and I live in a large metal building...about 35' wide x 150' long. It has combo A/C & Heater units in each room...indoor head/latrine to include three shower stalls...four sinks. We "live" two men to a room (my roomie is a retired Army CSM)...large wardrobes (2 ea) divide the space in half. I'll attach a flick of my bunk area after these comments.

The KBR (Kellog-Brown-Root) MessHall (today's Army calls such things a "DFac") is very well run, and when considering we're in a combat zone, puts out superb chow!!! From time to time, we even have steak & lobster...SERIOUSLY...LOBSTER!!! I'm sure Robert (the DFac Mgr) will have a wonderful spread laid out for THANKSGIVING! I'll try to take some DigiFlix of it.

We have a great weightroom/gym...world-class equipment, etc.

I would normally be embarrassed to tell folks how well we live, except I've found that altho we really do live quite well, that we're not living nearly as well as a lot of other folks (Contractors and Military alike) in The 'Stan and/or Iraq...just mind boggling because not only is this THE BEST I've ever lived in a combat zone, it's better than some of the BOQ/overall base facilities I lived in overseas while in the Marines!

NOW...make no mistake...it IS a combat zone...regular incoming rockets...etc. In fact, we had to take a detour today on the way back to KAF from where we work at Camp ShirZai because an IED was found along the route. And, from time to time, there is some SAF cranked out at vehicles from who knows where. So there is a downside, but again, the LIVING CONDITIONS are just unreal!!!

Will try for a photo, below:





Semper Fi from the Muddy Sands of Kandahar,

On a roll with the flix...here's another one of my living space...my desk from where I'm sending this. The overall space on "my side" of the room is about 10X16:

...and...wish I could give you a sound bite...cause...there goes the INCOMING SIREN...heard a couple impact that sounded a couple hundred meters away...heading for the bunker...securing the net for tonite.

Semper Fi from the Muddy Sands of Kandahar,

COL we also learned that in school many years ago - DUCK AND COVER - what a joke. Early 50's still remember that.

My best to you and all of our Bud's who are on station for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day. Missed many a holiday when I was in - no big deal - after this is done others will also someday miss a few.

COL how long's your tour? Did they give you a timetable or is open ended without any provisions?

Mojave Desert ...
 

thx for the specifics ... I mustve missed a prior description ... now, haveing looked at your cabin and the pictures here:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...ld-gallery.htm

the terrain / territory reminds me of the Mojave Desert ... Beau don't do good in that kinda environ ... so, take whatever goodies of living you can get there.

kinda looks like were there to stay ... they ever find those Rocket fire-rers ... line up there bodies on a sidewalk or something ? Same Rockets as Nam or what ?

just learned today that last friday about 2:00 pm the Card Shop in my building (Financial District) had an armed hold up ... two men indicating they had guns, shoved two of the girl clerks into a back room ... an older Filipina came in and they punched her down ... like Bobby Kennedy said "there are no safe havens".

Hey Beau - have a great Thanksgiving to you and your family.

and the same in return ... to all ... and drive double alert and Defensive ... from the river of return (Bethel Island) ... maybe ... this might sound blasephemous, but maybe in this life the Creator says "Thank you [for this and that]"

Wayne, what the hell are you doing over there? You should be RETIRED and living in Onslow County, NC. Are you running for sheriff of Baghdad? ......don't think the rag heads will elect you.
If you can get up to 5th SFG HQs in Balad you will be able to meet my "Man Cub" he's the Chaplain there. He might be able to smack some sense into that bald head and get you to go back home where you'll be safe.