17 July 2009 Update from Afghanistan

Being deployed, I have found that I ignore the little things in life. I ignore the aches and pains that I would normally go and get checked out as there just isn't the time or energy to get myself looked at by the clinic. After all why would I complain when there are those who were wounded and needing attention?

I find that skipping a meal is easy especially since I'm away from the dining hall area so much that the options are the choice of twelve different varieties of MREs, which are great but skipping a meal is just too easy.

I find that being disturbed at all hours of the day or night when alarms go off as they warn of incoming rockets is a bummer. There is no need to worry about the rockets as the Taliban still have yet to figure out how to shoot the blasted things so they seldom come near us, yet we are disturbed anyway and have to run to the bunkers disrupting our sleep or tasks. Hearing loud explosions quite often and wondering if it is an attack or if the demolition guys are just blowing up something they found or maybe just practicing trade.

Having an occasional ramp ceremony to say goodbye to the fallen as they depart on their final journey to their loved ones is a somber moment, since I wrote about ramp ceremonies I have attended nine of them. Being at such a rank that I'm asked to talk to those who just arrived and are scared or others who just finished a mission where there was success or occasionally failures is interesting to say the least.

Driving around in a hummer without Air Conditioning only to trade it in for one with air conditioning yet lacking any power steering, boy does ones arms get a workout with manual steering. What would you prefer the AC or the power steering? AC is good if you are in the vehicle a long time such as when we went off base everyday for the fence project. However, driving around the base as I check on projects I'm using my arms far more than the AC benefit. Oh the luxuries of AC and power steering and the things we take for granted.

I find that wearing a weapon all of the time has become second nature. Of course this is the goal of the military from the moment one starts to attend combat skills training; carrying one is now like putting on ones socks. I am able to take my weapons apart and put them back together clean so fast that even I am impressed.

Our whole team has talked about our trip knowing that others will be left behind who are in country for month and months more. Did we accomplish what we came here to do? Personally yes, as that decision has to be a personal one for each individual. As I talk to some of those I meet there are mixed feelings as far as why we are in country or what we are doing. After being here for this short stay I still feel that what we are doing for these good people is right. Will our presence work in the long run, hard to know but for the time being the country is better off and the local people are happier than they were before we arrived.

I have a few more days to go and doing my best to not become to complacent as I deal with the locals day in and day out. I will talk to you all soon in another blog.

Love you all. Lincoln