Battlefield Tourist

Wow... what a week. It was one of those weeks where it was good and bad. Now, much of this is rehash, but this is the first time in a while I've actually had the opportunity to completely get this to speed again.

The first day in country, I watch the ANA and ISAF (Coalition) burn a ton of drugs. Literally... a ton. Drugs here are probably the number one thing that will prevent things from sticking to its course. Drugs will be the root of the next war here.
That night I got a call from Major Moon saying telling me to get ready immediately, I was heading to Kandahar via Bagram Air Base, to observe "ANA/Special Forces combat patrols". So we rush off to Bagram. In my haste and lack of understanding of what was in front of me, I left my laptop and language books. See, I prefer to travel as light as possible. Especially under these conditions.

At Bagram, we spend three nights and two days waiting for a C-130 cargo plane to go to the biggest forward deploying base in the country. Three times, our equipment was loaded and packed on pallets. Three times it was taken off. Eight flights were cancelled or diverted. One time the pilot actually meet the bus AT the plane and told us to turn around. At one point we got on the bus and off the bus FIVE times in 15 minutes (eventually leading to the pilot telling us to turn around). In this same 15 minutes, the plane was broke and five minutes later fixed... only to decide to go to Uzbekistan instead. In all we spent at least 24 hours sitting in chairs with the hope that IF a plane came, you were high enough on the list to catch the flight.
While all this is going on, we can go nowhere but the shower and chow hall, even then, escorted by a MAJOR!! Apparently some journalist messed up and we are now all paying... I guess. At least that's what we thought. By the end of the week, it was clear the Army favors certain American networks over other agencies. Those being FOX and CNN. Even though IHA has had a permanent presence in Kabul since the fall of the Taliban, UNLIKE CNN and FOX.

So we (me, a Reuters stringer, and our babysitters) finally get a flight to Kandahr. The plane is a National Guard C-130, all woman crew, with the supply master being the hottest. We are packed into the plane with ammo, a couple of service members, and a slew of KBR employees (Kellog, Root, and Brown). These guys are all over Afghanistan. Low pay is $70,000 TAX FREE. The guy that cleans the bathroom makes as much as a FULL BIRD COLONEL. 99% of the men and women fighting make LESS THAN THE COOK! Fuzzy numbers? Can you say, "OUR TAXES"???

Kandahar is a different world than what I saw of Kabul. Very dusty. Just like my Marine Corps time at 29 Palms in the Mojave desert. First thing about the place is the smell (you taxi past the sewage pond). The next is a film of dust in your mouth that eventually goes unnoticed after a day or so. They put us in a tent and here, we're allowed to eat, shower, go to the PX.. generally roam around without an escort. Just no pictures and no talking to the service members. No problem.

The base is more relaxed here than Kabul. Security is high, but the lights are on, there's a coffee shop, troops playing volleyball in the night. You get the picture. Food here wasn't too bad, even though I was warned it was poor. In order to email, we needed to go to the PAO office (Public Affairs), and I know these guys were tired of that quick. Seems IHA is lacking in some fundemental resources that pertain to the internet. I'm working on that problem.

So as we wait for our combat ops, we're afforded the opportunity to do some Civil Affairs (CA) stuff. For me as a person, this is a great. As a journalist looking for combat footage, it is bad. I don't mind the trade off. I've always said I'd personally like to do three good to one combat story. Afterall, this war is very low key and the real stories are the rebuilding and elections. Unfortunately, combat footage sells very well.

The first day we head out on a routine patrol that visited three villages. This was just the third day the ANA was pulling security for the Americans, so the story is how the ANA is starting to assume the duties of a real army. It doesn't sound like it, but this is a milestone. The three villages we visit are very small and their main concern ALWAYS water. The coalition has hired contracters for well digging, so the CA teams re-visit 120 different villages in the area to check on their status and needs, make sure the work gets done, and also to garner information about the bad guys. The more villages touched by this program, the better the security around the base in Kandahar. Simple formula.

All three villages wrere growing poppies that we were noty allowed to report or photograph. All three were also given soccer balls, blankets, and a crapload of US/Afghan "information" for the people to distribute. In the first village we all met in a small mud room while the CA major and the village elders talked about their problems. This particular guy also wanted a school. Unfortunately the Coalition doesn't build new schools, just repairs old ones. The other two meetings were the same, just outside.

To understand what you're seeing, MOST homes EVERYWHERE I have been are made of straw and mud. They're mainly surrounded by a high wall. This country looks like it has (generally speaking), as it probably did for the last... who knows how long.

The second day was the day we unloaded the bodies of two KIA. The problem on this day was other journalists. To understand: I'm the type of guy that jumps when they tell you to. I don't want no ripples and I try to play the nice guy. I am quickly learning there needs to be a fine balance here as I watched other journalist get away with stuff left and right. On this day, I had a terrible stomache ache in the morning and was in no mood. Around 5 pm, the Major tells us to get going while me and the Rueters guy are filing a story. Not wanting to cause ripples, I stop in the middle and go. The Reuters guy on the other hand says, "just a minute". I get rushed out the door, Rueters guy files, and I get screwed.

**pick this up tommorow - my version of a cliff hanger- Cya!