Welcome to Bagram

Not even multiple tours in Iraq could prepare me for the size and scope of Bagram. It is a massive base situated near Kabul. Occupants of Bagram have chronicled their experiences through web pages like ILoveBagram.com and various other means. The base is situated around 5,000 feet elevation and is surrounded by scenic mountains. But don't let the scenery fool you, as Bagram is also at the center of a war that has raged for over a decade. It's also a former Soviet air base from their war against the mujahideen back in the '80's. When the Soviets evacuated the base they deliberately left it a mess and planted extensive minefields that are still being cleared today. In the time we've run the base there have been a number of improvements in terms of infrastructure, building construction, airfield modernization and expansion. But there is still a long way to go. The base is overcrowded with military, civilian contractors, and their equipment of all types. Coyote Creek, a putrid, contaminated, mine-infested mess, winds its way from one side of the base to the other. The Taliban still routinely attack the base with rockets and are always scheming to do much worse. It is a place that is teeming with activity day and night. The air traffic alone makes it one of the busiest airports in the entire region. This is the place I will call home for the next year.

Gratefully, CSM and I were afforded the opportunity to sleep in a little on the first morning. This was a futile attempt at overcoming jet-lag. Given the nine and a half hour time difference from the U.S., it actually takes several days to make any degree of reasonable adjustment. Regardless, around noon on September 9th we began our orientation of Bagram and the organization we would be taking command of. It started right away with an in-depth briefing of the current OPTEMPO and force protection status. Then we were off on the first of what would be many tours around the base. There is an east side and west side with the airfield in the middle bisecting the two. The west side is noted by a long road called Disney Drive (in honor of a Soldier who was killed early in the conflict here). Disney is lined with various headquarters, billets, offices, gyms, DFACs (dining facilities), the PX, and extensive modernization and construction projects. Our HQ is also situated on Disney, conveniently across the street from a gym. Meanwhile the east side is a vast expanse of equipment storage yards, a huge Ammo Supply Point (ASP), workshops, a coalition detention center, and the usual acronyms like CRSP, RPAT, AFSB, DLA, etc, etc, etc... There are several concrete plants operating almost continually making t-walls and other all-important structures that are so familiar to combat zone bases. The east side is also home to numerous construction projects building new, hardened billets, DFACs, gyms, and other facilities that are part of the enduring requirements of the base that span beyond 2014. As we drove around the place I was simply astounded at how big this place really is and how much equipment and containers are crammed into every nook and cranny. Retrograde from here will be much more difficult than Iraq because there is no overland route out of the country for military convoys. As a result, a lot of what's here has to be flown out, which is why it's all coming to Bagram. But air shipment costs at least four times as surface transport (ie convoy and ships). That makes for some very sad compromises happening here that were not needed in Iraq. A big example of this is the activities at the DLA (Defense Logistics Agency) yard. The folks at DLA are destroying major end-item equipment (such as MRAPs) by cutting them into little pieces utilizing plasma torches. A $1.5 million piece of equipment is turned into a $400 pile of scrap metal in just a few short hours. The reason is that it is much cheaper to simply destroy the vehicle and sell the scrap than it is to ship it via air back to the U.S. It is just the logistical fix we are in here but, regardless, we'll get through it all over the next year.

The evening of the first full day at Bagram provided us a reminder that we were in a combat zone surrounded by people who'd like nothing more than to kill us. We had stopped by the gym for a workout. The gym is a converted "clam-shell" tent full of free-weights, weight equipment, and cardio equipment. It is the type of hard core exercise facility I love because it is no-frills. Anyway, I had finished my run and was about to do some pull-ups when the alarm sounded warning us of an indirect fire attack. Those crazy Taliban were rocketing the base. The sporadic attack lasted over an hour and kept us hunkered down along the t-walls waiting for the "all-clear" to sound. I guess it was our welcome to Bagram. Ah, life in a combat zone...