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The journey: Part 3 (Bagram to Camp Eggers, Kabul, Afghanistan)

9/12/2011

2 Comments

 
I’m finally in Afghanistan, but still another flight away from my final destination, and that flight would be 100% over Afghan soil with a 30 minute drive from the Kabul airport to the camp.  I wasn’t so sure of doing all this extra traveling on 9/11.  I know…I hear people saying that 9/11 would be the safest day to travel since everyone is at high alert…well, I didn’t want any part of it.

Luckly, I talked with the Air Force logistics officer at the Bagram airport and she was in agreement with me…oh, guess what here name was…Master Sergeant Jennifer Stout…as in stout beer…I knew she was the one person to understand me!

So…another night hanging out in a strange place.  Luckly, MSgt Stout was there to take care of me, because she was able to get me a private room to sleep in.  Of course, there was good news and bad news.  The good news of course is the private room; the bad news is that I could check into the room at 1130PM and then had to be at the terminal at 5:30AM for an 8:30AM flight.

So, 2330 shower, 2400 sleep, 0500 alarm, 0530 terminal, 0600 drag 7 heavy bags from temporary storage to hanger for palleting, wait 2 hours in terminal (at least it’s Sunday night at home so there is football on), board plane (C-130) at 0800, take off at 0830, land at 0900.
Picture
Sitting in back of C-130 getting ready to takeoff.
Picture
Looking out rear of C-130 before takeoff.
Kabul International Airport…now what.  There is one phone in the terminal with a line, so I figure that I should get in the line as well.  I need to call someone for a ride to Camp Eggers.  Of course, I have already asked everyone standing around if they were going to Eggers, but no luck.  After about 5 minutes in line someone walks up to the line and asks if Major Kail is here.  HUH…someone knows me here?!?  It winds up that people in my office had to make a run somewhere near the airport.  They know I was coming in sometime today, but didn’t know exactly when, so they stopped at the airport to see if I was there yet.  Twenty minutes later I was in the back seat of a truck getting my first taste of driving in Kabul.  Check out the YouTube video I posted of driving through Kabul...and I thought New York City drivers were crazy.  The video is over 6 minutes long, but it is kinda cool to see.
30 minutes later I make it to Camp Egger.

HOME SWEET HOME

2 Comments
Pam Vineyard Boucher
10/16/2011 05:30:43 am

Oh, Gerri! I watched the whole film and think that I would have been absolutely mortified to be in the vehicle driving through Kabul. It probably felt like a safe haven when you arrived at camp. That said, we're having gorgeous October cycling weather! Dave and I went out this morning (knickers and LS jersey temps), two riders, two bikes, four tires, two spare tubes and THREE FLAT TIRES!! Goatheads were scattered on a section of the biking trail that now connects from Farmington to Clearfield, going north. A trail crew had been out yesterday cleaning up the trail and we figured that they pulled puncture vines and, in doing so, spread the stickers everywhere. We changed the two tubes that we had and Dave did a "flat-tire relay" coming home, pumping his front tire up every 1/2 mile or so. What an adventure. Please stay safe! Pam VB

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Terry link
11/13/2011 08:51:18 am

Hi Gerri. Tim says every day is a Tuesday for you. That's pretty descriptive. Back in the Navy, when the ship was underway, it felt like all Monday's (remember the movie "Ground Hog Day"?) When we pulled into port, each of those days was a Saturday! I hope you get to ride in an MRAP soon. If you do, tell what's it like. I've only ridden in them on the road and the ride is bad--I can imagine what off-road is like. Is it getting cold there yet? We're all thinking of you here, proud of you, and praying for you. From the pics, vids, and descriptions---you're definitely in the middle of Afghan "reality"! --Terry

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    Gerri

    I'm a Major in the Air Force with 18 years of active duty service. I found out that I will be deploying to Afghanistan for 1 year starting Sept 11.

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