Odd Time To Do Regular Things

Heres a little story for you all to enjoy. While we were at the firebase we went on a few dismounted patrols around the area. This story takes place during the first one my squad went on. Our mission was to follow a group of ANP (Afghan National Police) to a "busy" road about 4 kilometers south of our base, there they would set up a traffic check point to try and catch some of the taliban thought to be moving through the area. So we set off walking right as the sun is going down and things seem to be going great. The only hick up is that the ANP doesn't have night vision goggles and they rely on talking to each other as they walk to know where each other are. So of course, about 3 kilometers out we walk over a ridge and realize when we get over it that most of the ANP are no where to be found. So there we were, in the middle of the desert overlooking a small village with only two ANP still with us and no idea where to go. We check our map and figure out a better route and better place to set up the TCP so we begin to move out. The terrain gets pretty rough after a while, and moving around gets really annoying. On our way there we walk through a lot of wheat fields and I get pretty used to walking in them. Then all of a sudden we see a light about 500 meters to our right, so we halt and put together a team to go check it out. The team starts moving up to the light and all of a sudden I start hearing a lot of yelling. Apparently it was just an old man and he was almost scared to death when four heavily armed and well armored troops come walking out of the darkness. The fact that he didn't see them until they were about 5 feet away from him made me laugh. We got the signal and we all moved up there so my squad leader could figure out what this guy was up too. We automatically set up 360 security and I quickly realized that I was standing in a field with water that reached up to my knees. We found out that the village he lived in had a schedule for when certain people got to use the local stream and apparently it was the old mans turn to use it... thats a pretty crappy time to clean your clothes if you ask me. So now, the combo of wet feet, cold weather and having to walk 5 kilometers back made for a pretty miserable time, but thats what I get for being infantry I guess. All in all a pretty uneventful patrol but makes for a good memory. So there it is, the glory of the infantry :P

-Allen-

Good News For People Who Love Bad News

Alright, so here it is, the mother of all blog entries. It's going to be a long one since i have about 2 months worth of incidents to fill you all in on. Last post I posted I said I was going to a platoon size firebase, which i did. We went out there not really knowing how long it would be until we would be coming back here to Warrior, but we invited the notion with open arms and pushed on. The firebase was an old veterinarian clinic and it was one of the only compounds with "hard" buildings in the district, meaning the buildings were made out of something other then mud. When we first got there we just spent a lot of time repairing and cleaning the compound up a bit. The previous occupants didn't exactly take good care of the place to say the least. The first week or two we spent repairing vehicles and building guard towers. Finally when the place started looking presentable we began our movement around the district . We were in the biggest district with the smallest force... ya, figure that one out. Most of our early missions were just HA missions, or Humanitarian Aid if you will. In other words we drove to the nearby villages and handed out food and medical supplies, and even some soccer balls. The people loved us of course since we were handing out free stuff, who wouldn't love that? The bad thing about doing this is that there is usually an appointed leader in all the villages, and sometimes the people choosing didn't exactly make a great choice so there's a lot of missing food and medicine. it really is sad when the wrong people get their hands on what the people need the most. On a little side note, I decided to make this my random subject post and instead write a bunch of smaller posts about certain incidents. There are a lot of good people here but most of them are to scared of the Taliban to speak up. Hopefully we can change that.

One Step Closer

Yes, I'm still here at Warrior, but today a lot of us flew out so that puts us one step closer... well, them at least, not me. I'm keeping my chin up though and it's not so bad. Homesickness is already starting to set in pretty bad though so thats going to be pretty rough. Although once again... chin up and things go great. I have been working out a lot lately with my team so that keeps my mind off of things and helps a lot with stress, and makes me bigger, thats always a plus. Anyways, still nothing to relay, not a lot is happening so ill leave it short. Can't wait to see you all again soon and I miss you all. Take care!

Just Kidding

So today we got the word, we are moving out at 0500 to the landing pad and then getting on the birds. So thats just what we did. I grabbed my 120 pound rucksack, my M-4, my M-14 and got to walking. After straining over to the pad we got accountability and stood by until the birds arrived, which they did... kind of. The weather turned from great to bad in a matter of minutes and we all had a bad feeling about the trip. Then finally we saw the birds on the horizon and got relieved. That is until they did a complete 180 and turned right back around. So, here I am, once again, sitting in this wonderful tent talking to you all about everything and nothing. And with this I leave you, and wish you all the best in your endeavors.
Take care.

Stitches

Finally we are getting ready to leave. In about an hour and a half Ill be on a chopper headed for my new home. Ill be there for about 2 months or so and I wont have access to internet so don't expect any updates anytime soon. My life should turn from laid back and relaxed, to intense and stressful here really soon so I might be writing a bit different when I get back, but don't worry, it's still Allen. I'm guessing some of you might be wondering about the title of this blog entry, and don't worry I didn't have to get stitches. There is a dog here on the base that runs around free that had to get stitches ones and so he is kind of our mascot now. He has had all sorts of vaccines so don't worry, I'm not going to get rabies or anything. ill try to get a picture of him on here so cross your fingers. Anyways, thats all from me. Love you all and take care.

Finally Here

Alright, so i finally made it to my new home. I've been here for about two days now and things are looking ok. The word is I'm on my way to a long long mission tomorrow so I'm not too excited. Anyhow, the trip over here was pretty exciting. It was nice to finally get to see my surroundings and the area I'm supposed to be working in over the next year. We had a slight bump in with the local bad guys on the flight but nothing to worry about. Anyways, I'm extremely tired and for some reason don't feel like writing too much tonight so I'll keep this one short. All is well and take care. See you soon.

-Allen-

Surrounded By Mountains

Alright, so we finally actually made it up into the mountains, still not in the right mountains though... We are currently at a FoB somewhere in the mountains of Afghanistan, and let me tell you, this place is gorgeous. Most wouldn't agree with me on that point but I tend to like the mountains better then anything else. Theres no snow right where we are but all the mountains around us are covered in snow, and I'm guessing thats where we are going. Anyways, just a quick update for everyone. I don't know how much more Ill be able to use the internet but Ill do it as often as I can. As for pictures... I'm having a hard time getting them uploaded since the internet is so slow. I wanna apologize for the short blogs lately too but its because all I'm doing is traveling eating and sleeping so don't think I'm leaving out any juicy details. Have a good day everyone and take care.