Metal Rain

The weather has been warming. Spring has arrived in Bagram. With it has come the return of IDF. Those nasty Taliban pukes have been probing us a lot. They know the C-RAMs are in place so they've been firing rockets at low trajectories or just short of the perimeter wall to gauge the response. The other night they decided to be more bold and go for the gusto. I was in my room around 2200 when the alarm sounded. "Incoming! Incoming! Incoming!" blared over the speakers as I dove to the floor. But what accompanied the alarm was the sound of super badass chainsaws. The C-RAMs were at work. I got up from the floor and ran downstairs to the bunker. As I made my way downstairs the alarm sound again, indicating more rockets inbound. The C-RAMs immediately announced their presence, as at least five of them at once began engaging the rockets. What an incredible sound and light display! The C-RAM's 20mm gatling gun fires almost 2,000 rounds a minute. At night the stream of tracers coming from the gun system is like a bright red fire hose stream of light. The rounds then detonate after traveling a certain distance, making a popping, crackling and flashing show of power. Wait, where was I? Oh yes, I was headed to the bunker when the alarm sounded again. I never actually made it into the bunker though. Instead I became mesmerized by the crisscrossing red streams above and their awesome explosive endings. It was the most fantastic C-RAM display I'd ever seen through multiple deployments. I was still standing there in awe when bits and pieces of the exploded shells started raining down all around me. Silly me, only then did I dart into the bunker. I wish I could've taken a video of the show. Even the Taliban had to have been impressed. Their rockets failed in their deadly mission once again.

Now I find myself on the eve of my R&R. At last I will be able to recharge. And I will do so knowing that the happiest days of my life are ahead of me. I know that now more than ever. Bagram is just a temporary holding cell for what the future has in store. I will not even think of Bagram while I am on R&R. I promised my entire Garrison staff that I will come back refreshed and I meant it. But I will always remember the night in Bagram when we were pelted with the metal rain of multiple C-RAMs in action. It was simply one of those events you have to see to believe. I'm thankful I was there to see it unfold. I'll never look at a 4th of July fireworks show the same again.