Yet another day

It is now Thursday the 12th of Feb. 2009. The weather here just changed for the worse. It started raining last night and now all the dust is has turned to mud. I do not mind the mud since it keeps the air dust free. It is amazes me that the laptops are not overheating more than they are, considering how much dust builds up inside of them. We take compressed air and try to blow out the cooling area every week or so. I am still amazed as to how much dust comes out of there each time. It is just one of those things we take for granted back home. You hear people complain about "air quality" and crap back home. To me, it is obvious that they have not been any where else in the world. We have some of the best air quality in the world. I have been to several other countries and there is no comparison.

Any way, we had another day of training here in Mehtar Lam. We are getting ready to link up with the unit that we are going to support, in a week or so. The weather is causing some delays. The Ring flights (CH 47 helicopters) do not fly in adverse conditions unless it is mandatory. A good thing for us, it maximizes our chances of getting were we need to go with minimal problems.

I did learn something very valuable the other day, however. When one is standing next to a CH 47 that is about to take off, it is best if you are braced against something solid. I was standing next to all my gear that was just unloaded from the bird and was awaiting the Gator (John Deere ATV with a small dump bed for carrying things), and I was not hanging on to anything when the CH 47 started to lift off. The wind that was generated from the blades as it was lifting off, threw me onto my duffel bag like I was a rag doll or something. It was a whole new feeling. Especially since I am not exactly a light weight. I weigh in at over 190 with out any equipment on my back.

I can not go into any detail on our missions, for obvious reasons. But, I will say this. I look forward to making a big difference in how things proceed in the next year or so. I think that our mission here is an important one. Not only for the troops that we are going to support with our Intel. data, but, also for the people that live here, who do not want the violence to continue and want to have a free and open society.