Life In Bagram

Written February 9, 2008

I am safely in Bagram and everything is fine.

The trip from the US to Qatar and Bagram went very well and all the travel pieces fell into place with guys even picking me up at the airport and taking me where I needed to go!

Not surprising, Qatar is much nicer than Bagram. Bagram is still very basic. The small wooden buildings they put together went up very quickly and the rooms built inside are 2x4s and sheets of plywood. No insulation to speak of and no indoor plumbing. The windows are just holes cut out the side and covered up by another sheet of plywood that can flip-up in good weather. Of course it is wicked cold right now so no one opens up these windows! The good news is that it is dry and they have electricity and lights. I have a room to myself that has a bed and a closet. The plank door does not fully close so there is a gap that you can look into my room but not really a big deal.

Besides the wooden huts, they have metal container-like boxes that they have welded together and put stairs on the outside. These buildings are multi-purpose. Some are living quarters, some are offices and some are the bathrooms. The toilets are downstairs and the showers are upstairs. The water can be hot but it depends on when you go. If you go right after a large group then there is no hot water. Fortunately, I have been going right after I go to they gym and there is plenty of hot water because many of the people are still asleep. I have been using their gym everyday in the morning and it is actually really nice. They have 2 treadmills, 3 elliptical machines, and 2 bikes (although one is broken) in one room and the other room has lots of free weights as well as other exercise machines. I wake up about 0500 and go work out and am back in my room by 0700.

There has not been a lot going on lately so I have had time to pray and read my Bible before getting in my uniform and heading off to breakfast. I mentioned it is cold, especially in the morning and evening. It snowed right before I got here and there is still lots of snow and ice on the ground so everyone has to be very careful when they walk and drive. Slipping around is normal and a few people have fallen and gotten hurt but I have been really lucky and no falls yet! 😎

The dining facility (DFAC) is really nice. You walk in and there are six sinks for you to wash up and then you go in to a cafeteria-like setting run by contractors (Kellog-Brown-Root), so there are no soldiers cooking or cleaning – just eating! You pick up your paper tray and plastic utensils and go to the food line. They always have fast food available (cheeseburgers, etc) and then the main line where the menu changes and then there is a salad bar, fruit, dessert, and lots of drinks. They even have an ice cream bar but I did not bring my Lactaid so I have been skipping that. The main thing is to not to try to eat too much.

It is interesting because Bagram has all services (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines), foreign countries, as well as civilians (government and contractors). We also carry our weapons everywhere. The folks with rifles put them in a rack and the folks with pistols keep them in their holsters. It reminds me of the stories of the Old West where everyone carried their guns everywhere. Same here. Fortunately, it is fairly safe here, but folks even carry their weapons when they are in their workout clothes or civilian clothes.

Bagram is pretty big. They have 3 different DFACs, a smaller Post Exchange and then a much larger PX that has local vendors, as well as traditional American shops such as Burger King, Orange Julius, etc. On Fridays, they even have a bazaar just outside the gate where the local merchants will sell their wares. Rugs, metal and wood craft, ornamental tiles, even flintlock rifles! It turns out that you can buy a flintlock rifle, bring it by the JAG to get some paperwork and then mail it home. Yes they have a US Post Office here too. They also have a rappelling tower with hand and toe grips so folks can practice climbing too!

Things are a lot different than when I was at Desert Storm. They have real buildings, bathrooms, and DFACs. TVs are everywhere: in the gym, at the DFAC, at the PX. They even have internet access and phones. Of course, this is an airbase and a headquarters and not the field like I was last time. Still, it is quite a change. And while basic, the quality of life is much better than I would have expected. I am also bumping into people that I did not expect. While I was in Qatar, I bumped into an old neighbor that I knew back in 2000 and one of my old Drill Sgts from back when I was at Ft. Knox.

So, I am doing fine. I don’t need anything and since I am only here temporarily, by the time you mailed anything, I would probably be one the way home. You can just pray for me and my family and that would be enough.

I think it is interesting that at the beginning of Lent, that the Lord sent me back to the beginning of my spiritual journey. A different desert and a different environment to be sure but there are many similarities. Here I am back to the basics again and it has given me a chance to reflect on the relationship that I have with God and examine whether I am living the life that He wants me to live. Certainly this is dramatic but it is an opportunity like Lent itself.

I will be finishing up my work at Bagram in a few days and then heading off to the other sites. I will try to write again when I have a chance.

You can be proud of our troops who are here. I should not be surprised but I always am to see how well soldiers take care of each other when they are deployed. We flew in on a C-130 from Qatar to Bagram with a stop first in Kandahar. While we were in Kandahar we picked up several boxes of blood and some additional soldiers. Some admin guys, some infantry, even two working K-9 dogs. It was amazing to see how these guys were dirty, tired and yet still in good spirits. Joking with each other, sharing what they had. One guy even offered me his pillow when he saw me using my travel pillow. Here I am clean, fresh from civilization – I am a stranger and he offers me his pillow. Wow.

I don’t want to cast our guys in too much of an idealistic light. They are human beings. They have their flaws, we have guys who make mistakes. We have our share of guys who are bad. But all in all, I think it is a slice of our country that really represents the best that we have to offer. You can be proud of them.