I went to Afghanistan a few years ago...

[CILONE/SK]

[CILONE/SK]

[CILONE/SK]

[CILONE/SK]

[CILONE/SK]

[CILONE/SK]

[CILONE/SK]

[CILONE/SK]

 

 

Last one for tonight.

[CILONE/SK]

A fat kid with a good camera that was tagging along with me took that one.

[Fist 666]

Do you have to stop and search trucks like this or is a at random?

Because fucking hell that would add hours to every journey searching every beater that rolls past.

 

What did you do on the Days/hours? off?

 

I assume you couldn't drink but what were your options to entertain yourself? is there room on base to go for a run etc or is like a compound all fenced in tightly with high concrete walls or what?

 

sorry for the dumb questions it's just a slice of life that I'll never experience.

 

Searching trucks like this was random, if it was suspicious or off we would. And by we I mean the ABP (border police) would do it. It takes a guy standing on top with a long fiberglass rod stabbing down all over the place to see if he could feel anything. Rarely did entire loads get dumped, but it did happen. We'd found quite a lot of shit in trucks like this. Lots of explosives, urea based fertilizers which were intended to become explosives. Once we found some chlorine bombs, that was a really scary thought.

 

One of the weirder/better finds was a laundry soap that was packaged in Pakistan. 1 out of every 5 cases on the truck had one sealed bag that was dynamite, and then one box that was full of blasting caps. It ended up being close to 600 pounds of dynamite on the load. Good find for us.

 

Down time was mostly sleeping. But there was plenty of gym, movie watching, and general fuckery. We were pretty lucky and had a decent set up and got internet by about month 4, so we could skype with our families, which was such a healthy distraction.

 

We could run on our fob by month 5. What started out as 2 feet of moon dust evolved into a mostly just dirt area with some gravel roads around the inner perimeter.

 

I definitely got lucky as to where my unit was. It was a really bad year for most of my brigade, very high casualty rates, My unit's was pretty low, most of the violence we dealt with was IED/VBIED stuff. Which, except for a few occasions, was mostly just an annoyance (aside from the sheer terror).

[Fist 666]

Yo Fist, do you ever wonder about the contrast between the Vietnam war and this past decade? During Vietnam damn near everybody who went over there did so because they were drafted. They had no choice and most of them actually opposed the war. It was either go to jail or flee to Canada thus provoking your WW2 era family to disown you, or go fight for your life in the jungles of Vietnam over a war that most of you didn't even believe in. And they were all indiscriminately shunned, spit upon and called "baby killers" upon their arrival back to the US.

 

Now compare that to nowadays when we have a 100% volunteer military. Every single person who went to Iraq and Afghanistan actually signed up for the job. And I'm not sure what the civilian casualty rate of these wars is to that of Vietnam, but I'm sure they're not too far off from each other. Especially with unmanned drone strikes taking out entire wedding parties just to assassinate one or two dudes in attendance.

And back to my point, every single one of these 100% volunteer "baby killers" (as they would have been called back in the 60's and 70's) is treated like royalty and "thanked for their service". Thanked for "defending our freedom" even though nobody on this planet was even alive the last time America fought a war that had anything to do with defending America or our freedoms. and mindlessly thanked largely by the same motherfuckers who mindlessly spat on 19 and 20 year old draftees upon their return to the states after being forced to fight for their lives in a war that most of them wanted nothing to do with.

 

Not coming at you personally, just wondering if that typical American hypocrisy ever crossed your mind.

 

This is a big question, I'll try to hit the main points.

 

Firstly, I've been spit on, called "baby killer," and been shunned by people that used to be my friends for being a member of the US armed forces. I've also gotten some great and immeasurable benefits for my time in the service.

 

There are plenty of assholes in the service that don't deserve the royal treatment, but there are plenty that do. This isn't a 99% of cops being assholes making the 1% of good ones look bad. There are thousands upon thousands of people that acted with the intent to serve their nation in a time of war, no matter how we interpret the rights and wrongs of these wars, their actions were honorable.

There are plenty, maybe even a majority, of service members that are disillusioned by the war, that understand Iraq was total bullshit, and find our drone use incomprehensible and unacceptable. Our society/culture operates on the distinction between Consequence and Intent. We separate Manslaughter from Murder for a reason. Signing up for the Service (mostly) requires a good intention. Of course, there is a massive volume of negative consequences that have happened, and I believe will happen in any war. I don't know that the culture shift from 'Nam to OIF/OEF has anything to do with that, but I'm glad its happened. Just as the bullshit the Viet Nam vets dealt with then paved the way to improvement for my generation of servicemember, my generation's bullshit will pave the way for improving the next generation's warriors experience. Be it an improved VA or a more involved public to be more vocal in disputing bullshit wars.

All that said, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Nothing matters.

 

Other mildly related thoughts: I've talked to Vietnam Vets who've said they can't imagine fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan and say they had it harder than we did. I think they are absolutely wrong in that sentiment, but I've had the conversation a few times. Nam is such a black stain on the US, I think Iraq will be eventually seen in mostly the same light, if it isn't already. Afghanistan was at least mildly justifiable, its just not been executed in the most effective manner.

 

As to the rest, I wasn't alive in the 70s, I've seen Rambo a bunch of times and talked to vets of that era, Korea and Nam. I don't feel that I can speak too much to the differences because I only truly know what I went through, just that our nation has matured in a lot of ways, but our politicians are still the same fucking assholes they've always been.

[Schnitzel]

Thanks Fist 666!

 

Thanks Cilone for the pics as well.

 

this thread certainly makes my life seem pretty dull.

[Fist 666]

Thanks for sharing your pics Cil. Its funny to see the variety in terrain across the country, and then see the inside of the FOB and think its the same because of the HESCO barriers.

 

Mercer, that pic you quoted of the fog was a bizarre day, seriously eery feeling that bank move in around and over us.

[CILONE/SK]

I think I was lucky in both Afghanistan and Iraq, because I got to travel a lot around both countries more then a lot of other people.

 

I have a lot more pics, but they can wait for a while. Maybe for when I get out.

[Qawee]

 

smash

[DRUNKEN-ASSHOLE-ONER]

 

 

 

 

 

Something about this pic tells me flooding never happens here, and the only reason they build their shit on the side of that mound of dirt is to have a downrange advantage on anybody coming to kick in their doors and slaughter half or more of their family.

 

If flooding was really a concern, all of them houses would get washed the fuck down in one giant mud slide and piled on top of eachother at the bottom of that dirt mound the first substantial thunderstorm that rolled through.

[DRUNKEN-ASSHOLE-ONER]

 

 

 

 

Peep the strangle-hold I'm guessing is what it took to get this pic.

I wonder if that's what he has to do to his wife back home just to get a smooch.

[DRUNKEN-ASSHOLE-ONER]

A lot of these Afghanis are white as fuck.

Makes you wonder how much raping was going on when Russia tried to invade them back in the 80's.

And how much raping is going on now that it's us trying to one up the Russians.

[Fist 666]

Their whiteness has less to do with the USSR and more to do with Alexander and his buddies raping the fuck out of the Afghanis.

 

Its really wild to see the green and blue eyes and the white skin. Also, Afghan people are racist as fuck, if you're not from their insanely incestual line they don't like or trust you.

[CILONE/SK]

Something about this pic tells me flooding never happens here, and the only reason they build their shit on the side of that mound of dirt is to have a downrange advantage on anybody coming to kick in their doors and slaughter half or more of their family.

 

If flooding was really a concern, all of them houses would get washed the fuck down in one giant mud slide and piled on top of eachother at the bottom of that dirt mound the first substantial thunderstorm that rolled through.

 

It rains and snows a lot during the rainy season and winter in this area. This is a pic I took going into Kabul. Not sure about about the flooding. Not sure I care.

[CILONE/SK]

Peep the strangle-hold I'm guessing is what it took to get this pic.

I wonder if that's what he has to do to his wife back home just to get a smooch.

 

I have known this guy for awhile. I don't think he was choking the camel. More like holding him still. The camel belonged to a farmer who frequented the FOB that this pic was taken on. Not really sure what the farmer did on the FOB, but him and the camel were always there and the camel was very use to the Soldiers.

[LUGR]

Not really sure what the farmer did on the FOB, but him and the camel were always there and the camel was very used by the Soldiers.

*fixed.

 

Are you a modern day Rafter Man? Great flicks.

[CILONE/SK]

No rafter man here, but this chubby fellow is.

 

 

He is a public affairs guy who followed us around. He was alright, but a pain in my ass because he was assigned to my section while we trained and until he left which was a few months after we got there. I had to provide for training him and logistical stuff. Also, the fucker got a DUI right before we left, which caused me all kinds of problems.

[DRUNKEN-ASSHOLE-ONER]

...

[John Smith Doe]

What was the weather like? What was the hottest it got?

[CILONE/SK]

It's hot. Damn hot! Real hot! Hottest things is my shorts. I could cook things in it. A little crotch pot cooking." Well, can you tell me what it feels like. "Fool, it's hot! I told you again! Were you born on the sun? It's damn hot! I saw - It's so damn hot, I saw little guys, their orange robes burst into flames. It's that hot! Do you know what I'm talking about." What do you think it's going to be like tonight? "It's gonna be hot and wet! That's nice if you're with a lady, but it ain't no good if you're in the jungle.

[CILONE/SK]

For real, it is hot, desert hot. Not as hot as Kuwait, but still really hot. Then it is cold, not as cold as a Siberia, but really cold. Then it is wet. When it rains, the dirt becomes mud and sticks to everything.

[Hua Guofang]

When you're poor in a place like that you know it more than if you were living in Rio, Jakarta, Manila, Mumbai, etc. Cold, desolate and little support for those less well off. The former Soviet Union and some Warsaw Pact joints are the same.

[Cuda]

Tail gunner and donkey race flicks for the win. Good looking out

[Fist 666]

The hottest day I felt over there was 110, and that was in Kandahar in August. Throw in the reflection from blacktop, and a thick canvas tent and you're sitting in 120s plus. Also think that you don't just get to change into shorts and work on your tan.. You get to wear your full uniform, boots, and probably all your gear. You drink a lot of water for the first month until you're acclimated and you piss every 15 minutes.

 

I've heard people claim they saw over 130 in Iraq. Fuck that shit.