Road Trip
If you didn’t get a chance to read my last blog from a few days ago, I mentioned that with the events that are unfolding in Afghanistan these past few months I’ve decided that I will be share entries from the journal I kept while deployed there on my last tour in 2009-2010.
I don’t plan to change what I wrote in my journal or to sanitize it any way for the blog. Events or descriptions may be triggering for some, disturbing or hard to understand for others and will most certainly include a sprinkling of foul language. You’ve been duly warned. But these were my thoughts about the experiences I was having there at that point in time; be they right or wrong, they were real...very real.
If you’re an Afghanistan Vet or veteran of other conflicts or deployments, yours were too. Don’t hide from them or be ashamed of them. War, stress, fear, anger, hope, despair, relief or whatever, affect us all differently. Though ten people may have been exposed to the same event it doesn’t mean they will react or interpret it the same. That’s ok. Don’t be ashamed of your thoughts and emotions that go along with your story. Sometimes writing it down can help you, and others to see that too.
All the best,
John
28 Sept 2009 - Maywand District
Went for a road trip to FOB Wilson today to sort out our comms as well as provide security for an ANA supply convoy. It was just like herding cats, utter chaos! It took us close to 3hrs to go 40km. About 30km in an IED (BIG) went off about 4km behind my vehicle, apparently it killed 10 civilians. Rip’d with another French medic who also apparently did very little with his time here, but more than some. Met another American PA who if I work in Wilson I will deal a lot with. We fixed our comms and got some supplies. The CSM told us to wear our kit again. We got yelled at by the ANA because they forgot their food, like it was our fault, then headed back for our SP. On the way back outside Howz-e-madad we had an IED strike. We were moving off road around a crater when a CWIED went off 40 metres from my truck, 25 metres from the other and about 4ft from the ANA in a Ford Ranger. They all lived incredibly, not even a scratch. I checked them all back at the SP and they seemed fine. 48hrs will be the tell all of that. Glad we had one, now “cherry popped” so to speak, and we are all okay. Tomorrow off to FOB Ramrod for groceries and POL.
FOB = Forward operating base
ANA - Afghan National Army
Rip’d - Relief in Place
IED - Improvised explosive device
CSM - Company Sergeant-Major
CWIED - Command Wire IED
POL - Petroleum, Oil, Lubricants
Cherry Popped - slang expression, to "lose one's virginity" or "do something one has never done before”