Greetings. RC here - the other half of Team Bean. I'm not sure how this is going to work, but my goal is to keep you up to date of Bean's life in Afghanistan. You may have to endure some tangential rumblings as I diverge from what is most likely the main point. If you sign up for the blog you can leave messages that Beanie can read once she can access the blog. Thanks again to all of you that have called and emailed with such kind words and support. It means a great deal to Kathy and me.
All post will be in reverse order (newest to oldest) so if you want to follow along and come to the table a little late, scroll down, and work your way up.
Shouldn't the Name Tag Read Beanie?
All post will be in reverse order (newest to oldest) so if you want to follow along and come to the table a little late, scroll down, and work your way up.
Shouldn't the Name Tag Read Beanie?
The Bean & Me
Hiking the Santa Rita Mountains
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Days 146 - 164
Feb 25 - Mar 14. Okay folks, now we're talking really short. Beanie touches down in Phoenix two weeks from Monday. She departs FOB Fenty around the 25th, flies to Bagram to await air transportation to Kuwait City. From Kuwait City, she catches the freedom bird, in this case a Boeing 777 Delta Flight 0159, nonstop to Atlanta, GA. She goes from Atlanta to Ft Benning on Sunday for out processing first thing Monday morning, heads back to Atlanta to catch Delta Flight 1031 to Phoenix early Monday evening. If I've finished the back nine by then, I'll pick her up and take her to Subway for dinner. Hey, I know how to romance a girl!!!
Beanie & I chat almost every day now. She's been picking up a few trinkets at the local bazaar. She sent home a pretty cool map of Afghanistan which I have hung in my office with all my Beanie photos and other regalia. My coworkers have called in my Beanie Shrine. They're probably right. It's really starting to warm up (temperature) in Afghanistan. The hook there is you don't slip into a your favorite cut offs. There are many Afghan men working on the base, so the general rule is to maintain some degree of modesty so shorts, halter tops, etc are not acceptable garb - but, like I told Beanie, she can wear mukluks for two weeks!!
She is working issues with her replacement. The Navy LT that was originally slated to replace her is no longer coming and the new replacement has presented some scheduling conflicts. Her arrival in country is very close to Beanie's departure date so there are some issues about if, where, and when Beanie can provide her some OJT to get her going. Knowing the Bean, she's got everything pretty much on auto-pilot, so the major challenges are going to be centered around data calls from the higher-ups.
We've had lots of folks ask what we're going to do when she gets home and the answer is, we're not sure. We both recognize the challenges associated with significant change (though this will be much better than the Obama change), so we're going to just take it slow. She has some down time coming to her, so she'll be off work for a week or two - maybe more if she likes. We do have one short trip planned. I will be in Boston 9-14 Apr so Beanie is coming along with me. It should be a nice little get away and hopefully Boston will have some decent spring weather - something less than 8" of snow.
As this end to this adventure approaches, the value and appreciation of your support, emails, package, and cards really comes to light. Six months ago when this thing started it was hard for me to see how it would go. I had no doubt Beanie would do great things, but I wasn't sure how we could all stay linked and involved given all the challenges. In hind sight, we all did pretty good. Thanks!!
Beanie & I chat almost every day now. She's been picking up a few trinkets at the local bazaar. She sent home a pretty cool map of Afghanistan which I have hung in my office with all my Beanie photos and other regalia. My coworkers have called in my Beanie Shrine. They're probably right. It's really starting to warm up (temperature) in Afghanistan. The hook there is you don't slip into a your favorite cut offs. There are many Afghan men working on the base, so the general rule is to maintain some degree of modesty so shorts, halter tops, etc are not acceptable garb - but, like I told Beanie, she can wear mukluks for two weeks!!
She is working issues with her replacement. The Navy LT that was originally slated to replace her is no longer coming and the new replacement has presented some scheduling conflicts. Her arrival in country is very close to Beanie's departure date so there are some issues about if, where, and when Beanie can provide her some OJT to get her going. Knowing the Bean, she's got everything pretty much on auto-pilot, so the major challenges are going to be centered around data calls from the higher-ups.
We've had lots of folks ask what we're going to do when she gets home and the answer is, we're not sure. We both recognize the challenges associated with significant change (though this will be much better than the Obama change), so we're going to just take it slow. She has some down time coming to her, so she'll be off work for a week or two - maybe more if she likes. We do have one short trip planned. I will be in Boston 9-14 Apr so Beanie is coming along with me. It should be a nice little get away and hopefully Boston will have some decent spring weather - something less than 8" of snow.
As this end to this adventure approaches, the value and appreciation of your support, emails, package, and cards really comes to light. Six months ago when this thing started it was hard for me to see how it would go. I had no doubt Beanie would do great things, but I wasn't sure how we could all stay linked and involved given all the challenges. In hind sight, we all did pretty good. Thanks!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Days 131 – 146
Feb 9 – Feb 24. Hey all. Yep, I’ve been slacking a bit. I’ve back on the road for the past couple weeks. I spent a few days in Boston where the work was successful and as luck would have it, I was able to meet with my older brother Doug during his layover on his return trip to Maine. We had a nice meal and orientation to the Boston mass transit system. As they say, it’s all good! The following week I traveled to North Carolina and was able to tie in a little leisure time over the weekend with an old Air Force Buddy, Barry Brookman and his lovely bride, Wilma. They were celebrating their respective 50th birthdays (kids! – I got underwear that’s 50!!) with a big party at the local Eagles club. It was a good time and it was great to see their two boys, Spencer and my main man Austin. In the one day I had at home between these two trips I was fortunate enough to have my water heater go bad. Now that was a fun day!!!
Enough RC and back to the Bean. She made her final trip to the Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) site just outside of Jalalabad. She had been there before (check the Days 95 – 103 blog entry). She collected a few more photos which I have posted below.
Enough RC and back to the Bean. She made her final trip to the Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) site just outside of Jalalabad. She had been there before (check the Days 95 – 103 blog entry). She collected a few more photos which I have posted below.
I love the look. I'm not sure if it's a boy or a girl, but the look is so mischievously calculated. Just cracks me up.
Beanie & the gang. Brian (uniform, far right, is the one heading home next week)
I chose this pic because it does such a great job of showing inattention. All the boys are looking in different directions except for center front. The boy in the lower right seems to be contemplating how he got involved in this party.
Now for some really good news! Beanie has made her return flight reservation. We look upon that as a significant milestone in this adventure. She departs Kuwait City the 28th of March, arrives in Atlanta the morning of the 29th (nonstop, 15 hour flight). She travels from Atlanta to Fort Benning. On Monday she reports for out processing, debrief, and equipment turn-in and heads back to Atlanta for the freedom flight home to Phoenix. Now that will be a nice day!!! To make the entire return flight that much better, we were able to get the Kuwait to Atlanta flight upgraded to Business Class, which on an international Boeing 777 flight is pretty nice. Now that’s good stuff!
Beanie is continuing to do the good things she does. Brian, her boss and cohort, is leaving early next month, about 3 weeks before the Bean. Both he, and Jon, the QA that left a bit earlier were instrumental in making Beanie’s tour successful and enjoyable (you know, as enjoyable as 80 hour weeks in a 3rd world country can be). I know Kathy will look back on this adventure with fondness and appreciation; for what she has done and what’s being done. It really is pretty amazing.
Hope all is well with you and yours. You should probably not be shipping additional boxes to Beanie as she is starting to ship her stuff home. If you still want to send treats and cookies, you can just forward them directly to me and I’ll save them for her. No really, I will! Okay, I'll try! Everyone take care and keep Beanie in your thoughts and prayers down the homestretch.
Beanie is continuing to do the good things she does. Brian, her boss and cohort, is leaving early next month, about 3 weeks before the Bean. Both he, and Jon, the QA that left a bit earlier were instrumental in making Beanie’s tour successful and enjoyable (you know, as enjoyable as 80 hour weeks in a 3rd world country can be). I know Kathy will look back on this adventure with fondness and appreciation; for what she has done and what’s being done. It really is pretty amazing.
Hope all is well with you and yours. You should probably not be shipping additional boxes to Beanie as she is starting to ship her stuff home. If you still want to send treats and cookies, you can just forward them directly to me and I’ll save them for her. No really, I will! Okay, I'll try! Everyone take care and keep Beanie in your thoughts and prayers down the homestretch.
One last point. HEY!! IT'S BEANIE'S BIRTHDAY TODAY. CAN'T SAY HOW OLD SHE IS BUT I WILL TELL YOU TWO THINGS; SHE'S CLOSER TO 60 THAN 50 (HER WORDS) AND SHE'S SMOKIN!!!!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Days 116 - 130
Jan 26 – Feb 8. I guess the best indicator that things are going pretty well is the lack of a need to bitch about something. Though I do get somewhat angry at myself for getting complacent, that’s kind of where we are. Beanie’s been doing well as we march down to mission complete. We’ve even started looking at return flight dates. They now have a nonstop from Kuwait City to Atlanta. It would be nice to eliminate any stopovers. If she has to clear customs in any other country (like Germany on the way over) she has to grab her three duffel bags, drag them through customs, clear immigration, grab the three duffel bags again, and check them. Bad enough she’ll need to do it on her own when she gets to Atlanta. Gee, I guess I missed something – I did have something to bitch about!! Hopefully Uncle Sugar can make that flight work.
I’ve begun my “get ready for Beanie to come home” checklist. There’s lots of stuff to do. Besides cleaning, dusting, and a few major jobs (replace water heater, fix pool chlorinator) that I said I would get done while she was gone, there’s a couple “unexpected” things like mudding and painting any holes in the wall. You know mostly structurally related repairs.
Kathy is in Bagram for a few days for some in-theatre training for something or other. She hitched a ride from FOB Fenty to Bagram on one of the mail runs. They call them “Snap” flights. I always get a little more concerned when they put her in the air, but hey, that is where all the fun is!! She’s supposed to return on Monday or Tuesday. I head out to Boston tomorrow for a short trip. The good news is on Tuesday my brother is flying through Boston on his way back to Maine so if thinks work out well we should be able to meet for a couple hours and maybe have a nice meal.
On a closing note, today is our 34th wedding anniversary. We chatted a little last night. It’s not so weird that we’re not together on our anniversary as we’ve been separated before, but this is the first time she’s been away. Somehow that’s different. I miss her deeply, but we really are coming down the home stretch. Once again, thanks to all of you that have been making this journey with us.
I’ve begun my “get ready for Beanie to come home” checklist. There’s lots of stuff to do. Besides cleaning, dusting, and a few major jobs (replace water heater, fix pool chlorinator) that I said I would get done while she was gone, there’s a couple “unexpected” things like mudding and painting any holes in the wall. You know mostly structurally related repairs.
Kathy is in Bagram for a few days for some in-theatre training for something or other. She hitched a ride from FOB Fenty to Bagram on one of the mail runs. They call them “Snap” flights. I always get a little more concerned when they put her in the air, but hey, that is where all the fun is!! She’s supposed to return on Monday or Tuesday. I head out to Boston tomorrow for a short trip. The good news is on Tuesday my brother is flying through Boston on his way back to Maine so if thinks work out well we should be able to meet for a couple hours and maybe have a nice meal.
On a closing note, today is our 34th wedding anniversary. We chatted a little last night. It’s not so weird that we’re not together on our anniversary as we’ve been separated before, but this is the first time she’s been away. Somehow that’s different. I miss her deeply, but we really are coming down the home stretch. Once again, thanks to all of you that have been making this journey with us.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Day 104 - 115
Jan 14 - 25. Hello to all. Hard to believe January is almost over. Things have been a little more busy here in the valley. We have a lot of “things” going on at work and unfortunately the Blog has taken a back seat; (as did Barrett-Jackson and many other activities). I did run in the P. F. Chang Rock 'n Roll Marathon. I just did the Half-Marathon versus the full last time. Just another small concession to the onward march of time. I had a good time, me and 22,000 of my closest friends.
Beanie & I have been chatting on a regular basis. She’s now more that two-thirds thru her tour. We’re actually looking at when to start shipping stuff back. Cool! Jon (QA) left in early January and Brian will be leaving in late Feb-early March (~3 weeks before Kathy). Both Kathy and Brian have replacements identified. This is a good thing as they may even have some overlap time which can go a long way to transitioning the responsibilities. It’s not quite like having the Office of the Contractor Administrator Elect position, but it’s a start.
Beanie’s highlight has been another official kitty sighting. I don’t know if this is the same kitty that I have written off as lizard bait, but she said he looks very healthy; which Beanie describs as about 15lbs - or the same size as Max but with a normal size head!! Crack me up! Yep, Max is a bit of a pinhead. She said he is not completely paranoid – that is he will tolerate her being in proximity as long as she’s not too close or noisy. She got a couple of pictures, but the opportunities to actually email them home are sporadic.
The work part of the Beanie equation seems to be coming together pretty nicely. With the exception of a couple small interpretive issues, I think she’s got everything pretty much under control. I’m back on the road next month. North Carolina for a week or so and then Boston for a couple of days. I’m going to try and sneak a few day off and get up to Maine for a short visit. It all depends how the scheduling works out.
That's about it for now. Won't be too long before we can shut this thing down. Probably a good and bad thing. Take care and keep those cards and letters coming. Cheers.
Beanie & I have been chatting on a regular basis. She’s now more that two-thirds thru her tour. We’re actually looking at when to start shipping stuff back. Cool! Jon (QA) left in early January and Brian will be leaving in late Feb-early March (~3 weeks before Kathy). Both Kathy and Brian have replacements identified. This is a good thing as they may even have some overlap time which can go a long way to transitioning the responsibilities. It’s not quite like having the Office of the Contractor Administrator Elect position, but it’s a start.
Beanie’s highlight has been another official kitty sighting. I don’t know if this is the same kitty that I have written off as lizard bait, but she said he looks very healthy; which Beanie describs as about 15lbs - or the same size as Max but with a normal size head!! Crack me up! Yep, Max is a bit of a pinhead. She said he is not completely paranoid – that is he will tolerate her being in proximity as long as she’s not too close or noisy. She got a couple of pictures, but the opportunities to actually email them home are sporadic.
The work part of the Beanie equation seems to be coming together pretty nicely. With the exception of a couple small interpretive issues, I think she’s got everything pretty much under control. I’m back on the road next month. North Carolina for a week or so and then Boston for a couple of days. I’m going to try and sneak a few day off and get up to Maine for a short visit. It all depends how the scheduling works out.
That's about it for now. Won't be too long before we can shut this thing down. Probably a good and bad thing. Take care and keep those cards and letters coming. Cheers.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Days 95 - 103
Jan 5 - 13. Yeah!! Check it out!! Triple Digits!!! Well it’s very hard to believe that I haven’t “blogged" in eight days, but in the famous words of Madeline Kahn in Blazing Saddles, "it’s twu, it’s twu!” In looking back I don’t really have an excuse except it seems like I’ve been really busy! LOL.
When we last left our DCMA superhero she had visited a nearby school and captured the hearts of all she met (well . . ., maybe). During that same visit the DCMA team completed an inspection of the Afghan Security Guards contractors for an Army organization called the Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT). The PRT is an interesting organization. They are formed from active duty, National Guard and Reserve forces from around the continental U.S., Hawaii and Europe. They are Air Force and Army and the Airmen and Soldiers teamed together at Fort Bragg, N.C. where they undergo training in field conditions for three months. It appears they have done a bunch of wonderful thing in Afghanistan. Their charter is to assess community needs and build schools, government centers, roads, medical capability, communications facilities and basic infrastructure throughout Nangarhar. They maximize the use of local construction contractors which is a great idea as it provides employment opportunities, build business and personal relationships and really advocates and demonstrates what America represents. They are also chartered to mentor Afghan government officials and security forces to provide the people with the state representation and security they need. Quite a significant mission. I can’t say it officially, but my gut tells me that without these kinds of efforts, those great pictures Beanie took of smiling boys and girls attending public school probably would not be possible. Big time Kudos to the PRT.
During Beanie’s visit she clicked a few nice photos which are posted below along with my witty and uncompromising commentary – no really!!
This is an airborne view of Jalalabad as they were leaving.
This is a pic of the Afghan National Army base next door to the PRT. On a side note, the side of the building is where the Soviets would line up Afghan prisoners and shoot them - you could see the bullet holes in the wall. No wonder they hated the Russians.
Back to the business of blogging. As some of you know, Beanie’s been doing really well. I think her computer-based countdown program has her somewhere around 57% complete. We are looking at a projected return date of on or about 1 April. Beanie thinks maybe a bit earlier and I thinking probably not. It has nothing to do with the fact I am playing in a Member-Guest golf tournament (I would be the Guest) with my boss the last week of March.
First of all let me assure all of you that Beanie is doing great. She once again was "invited" to have lunch at the Special Operations chow hall. Oddly enough, it was once again lobster day. She had her "usual" (yep, it's become the usual!!!) three lobster tails. Brian, which I'm sure was a gentleman's effort to ensure she did not feel self conscious, also had three lobster tails this time. Beanie thinks he did it to see if she would eat a fourth one, you know, to retain the title. To no surprise, Beanie thought about it, but her better judgement won out. Though Brian did concede that Beanie retains the title based on her body weight to lobster consumed ratio. My money says next time Brian is going down - HARD!!
When we last left our DCMA superhero she had visited a nearby school and captured the hearts of all she met (well . . ., maybe). During that same visit the DCMA team completed an inspection of the Afghan Security Guards contractors for an Army organization called the Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT). The PRT is an interesting organization. They are formed from active duty, National Guard and Reserve forces from around the continental U.S., Hawaii and Europe. They are Air Force and Army and the Airmen and Soldiers teamed together at Fort Bragg, N.C. where they undergo training in field conditions for three months. It appears they have done a bunch of wonderful thing in Afghanistan. Their charter is to assess community needs and build schools, government centers, roads, medical capability, communications facilities and basic infrastructure throughout Nangarhar. They maximize the use of local construction contractors which is a great idea as it provides employment opportunities, build business and personal relationships and really advocates and demonstrates what America represents. They are also chartered to mentor Afghan government officials and security forces to provide the people with the state representation and security they need. Quite a significant mission. I can’t say it officially, but my gut tells me that without these kinds of efforts, those great pictures Beanie took of smiling boys and girls attending public school probably would not be possible. Big time Kudos to the PRT.
During Beanie’s visit she clicked a few nice photos which are posted below along with my witty and uncompromising commentary – no really!!
To Kathy's right is Ahmad Shaw, the Guard Leader for the contract for this camp , along with several of the Afghanistan Security Guard.
Here is a picture of Brian, Beanie's ACO, with the Afghan security team.
These next two pictures are the actual PRT site. The PRT is based at an old Soviet Union R&R base. Beanie said that even though the grounds are now run down, you could still see where it was once quite beautiful. Also of interest on the camp was the Chai House (Tea House). This is the last place that Osama Bin Laden was seen in public. He loved to visit Jalalabad, probably because of the mild weather and beauty of this area. He gave a lot of money to the town and today there are many people in Jalalabad that don't believe he had anything to do with 9/ll - that it was the Taliban. My position, what's the difference!
This is an airborne view of Jalalabad as they were leaving.
This is a pic of the Afghan National Army base next door to the PRT. On a side note, the side of the building is where the Soviets would line up Afghan prisoners and shoot them - you could see the bullet holes in the wall. No wonder they hated the Russians.
You may find this shocking, but this was Beanie's kitty fix so far. Don't be misled by her delusionalclaims that she has been feeding a stray cat living under her container. The reality is she's been feeding the Bengal Monitor Lizard that ate the cat that "used" to live under her container. Big difference, especially if you're the cat (was the cat?).
And we'll end this blog entry with the goofiest picture award. I LMAO when I saw this cause it was so Beanie. Here is the highly coveted shoe shot (Brian, Jon, & Beanie)
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Days 90 - 94
Dec 30 – Jan 4. Well Happy Happy New Year to everyone. Hope everyone had a good time and the head is pounding too badly. Me and the kitties has talk out Chinese and rented a couple of DVDs, Dark Knight (pretty good) and No Country for Old Men (very dark and a bit bizarre – did want to make me read the book though!!!). That took me almost to midnight, but I fell asleep. The fireworks woke me, so I called Beanie and had a New Years Eve - she sounded pretty good. I think New Years Eve was a little anticlimactic after the great job they did making Christmas so Christmasy. They had a nice little campfire, but it appears some “other people” on the base liked the idea of a bon fire and decided they wanted to have one also. Kinda minimized the “specialness” of being the only ones with a fire. Sorry for any typos but Max keeps walking across the keyboard. Guess he wants to get a few words in – Lord knows he’s Beanie’s cat!!!
The first set of pics is from just outside the base. I think Beanie captured some of the prettiest pictures I’ve seen of Afghanistan. The first one is a local vineyard just outside the gate. You need to look closely, but there are two men and donkey are easy to see, but if you look behind the pillar on the right there is a woman. First women I think I’ve seen in a picture. On the full size photo you can see her a bit clearer.
Here’s a picture of three young Afghan men – I’ll call them the Three Amigos. Two neat things to note is how green the fields behind them are and the other is they are all giving some variation of a thumbs up sign (yep, I’m sure it’s a thumbs up as opposed to the Hawaiian good luck sign)
Fresh cauliflower being sold on the road side. They all know their picture is being taken and they’re all smiling. Pretty cool.
Being that this is the first day of the year and Beanie should be home on about the 90th day of the year (30 March) I am officially starting my countdown calendar. Yes, I know I’ve been cramming “days to go” figures in previous postings, but now I’m serious!!!
I had mentioned earlier that Beanie had the opportunity to visit a school near FOB Fenty. She had a great time and sent me some fabulous pictures which I will make yet another feeble attempt to share with you. Okay, here we go!!
I had mentioned earlier that Beanie had the opportunity to visit a school near FOB Fenty. She had a great time and sent me some fabulous pictures which I will make yet another feeble attempt to share with you. Okay, here we go!!
Clearly this is a team of professionals. I mean if you disregard Beanie not wearing a hat and the fact that she’s winging Brian!
The first set of pics is from just outside the base. I think Beanie captured some of the prettiest pictures I’ve seen of Afghanistan. The first one is a local vineyard just outside the gate. You need to look closely, but there are two men and donkey are easy to see, but if you look behind the pillar on the right there is a woman. First women I think I’ve seen in a picture. On the full size photo you can see her a bit clearer.
Here’s a picture of three young Afghan men – I’ll call them the Three Amigos. Two neat things to note is how green the fields behind them are and the other is they are all giving some variation of a thumbs up sign (yep, I’m sure it’s a thumbs up as opposed to the Hawaiian good luck sign)
Fresh cauliflower being sold on the road side. They all know their picture is being taken and they’re all smiling. Pretty cool.
Here’s their ride to the school. It’s a French (AKA CESM pronounced chez’ um) chopper called a PUMA. The Blackwater folks fly them so it’s probably the first time it’s ever seen combat (yeah! I know, cheap shot!!!)
This picture is from their trip to the school and is my absolute favorite picture of the Bean doing her best Top Gun pose. What makes it so funny is she doesn’t have a clue that she is!
This is the actual school. It’s about as basic as you can get. No desks or chairs, just rug and a blackboard. Below one of the girl’s classes is in session.
Here’s Beanie yucking it up with the kids. By the expression of the kid in the front row center, I don’t think he is really buying into this whole thing, but is holding out in case something good comes out of it.
The way it is set up is the boys attend one session (morning I think) and the girls attend the other session.
Girls at school. I think this is a great picture. The lighting of the headscarves and the glow of their faces just seems to capture an aura of childhood innocence. They sit on the floor, no chairs or desks. Man, talk about concentration!!
Here’s the faculty. I'm pretty sure I've seen at least one of theese dudes at a Greatful Dead concert. Got to give them their due as I’m sure there are those in the country that do not agree they should be teaching girls.
Hard to get much cuter than these two pics!!
The entire DCMA team all hunkered down for the flight. Can’t be too safe
Monday, December 29, 2008
Day 87 - 89
Dec 27 - 29. Happy almost New Year to everyone. I got some great pictures from the Bean that I wanted to share with everyone. She is in good spirits and just had a great trip to one of the local schools. I'll publish more when I get the details, but I can tell you she was pumped when we last chatted. I got these pics from Beanie yesterday and probably should have given a little more thought on how to lay them out, but hopefully they’ll provide some semblance of order, but no guarantees. We’ll work from top to bottom.
Here’s the tres amigos (okay dos amigos and uno amiga). Note my lovely bride is in uniform, outside, and with no cover! Man, back in the day . . .
Here’s the tres amigos (okay dos amigos and uno amiga). Note my lovely bride is in uniform, outside, and with no cover! Man, back in the day . . .
Team DCMA put together gift bags for the local Afghan workers on the base. This is Brian’s container and it was probably the most popular stop on the base for a few short minutes. The guy facing front evidently got a 5-gallon can of stucco for Christmas . . . and he looks pretty happy about it.
Some of the locals that provide critical services (like security) can easily be overlooked. Beanie noticed this security guard observing the gift giving and thought she should share a Christmas package with him. He looks pretty happy to be included though I have a feeling she’s probably not suppose to be climbing the tower.
Nice Black Hawk medivac doing power landing (or it could be a take off, Ken??). Most of the aircraft coming in and out of FOB Fenty are either rotary, UAVs, or prop.
Beanie said the sunsets and sunrises are spectacular, but her camera doesn't really do it justice. Between the mountains, snow, and clouds there are some great vistas.
Apache (with a BlackHawk on the sidelines) brought to you courtesy of the fine people of Boeing, Mesa AZ.
One of the many Chinooks that come in and out of Fenty. Beanie thought it was a good picture that captured the everyday events are going on everyday and far away of which most of us are completely unaware.
Ah yes, evidence of the infamous Christmas Eve bon fires. I guess they did this for several nights. The temps were cool, but not cold - just right for a cup of hot chocolate and an infrared signature that can be seen for miles around!!
Beanie's work place palace. How can anyone be that tidy in a combat zone!! Dad, see the picture on the shelf near the light?? You can see Beanie makes good use of the cards and stuff you have been sending. Poodle, check out the tea pot lower left. It’s a beauty!!!!
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