To Kandahar and Back

I finally managed to break out of Bagram for an overnight. It had been in planning for a few weeks. My excursion was rather mundane in appearance but it was definitely refreshing to get away. The last night of March I flew down to Kandahar Airfield (KAF for short). The purpose of my trip was to attend a Transfer-of-Authority (TOA) ceremony for the KAF Garrison. By the time I departed the next day I had seen enough of KAF to know it is very different than Bagram. First of all, it is a NATO base. That means it has much more of an international presence. This includes Germans, Romanians, British, Dutch, among others. KAF is home to a large American presence as well. Overall, the population of KAF is a few thousand less than BAF. It appears like a more orderly base. The center of off-duty life is around an area known as “The Boardwalk”. This is a large shopping square with shops and restaurants on the outside facing into a recreational area that includes basketball courts, picnic areas, a walking track, and an artificial turf athletic field. Among the restaurants you can find Nathan’s Hot Dogs, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and even a TGI Friday’s. I would have never believed this had I not seen it in person. It’s true. But everything is short-lived at this point. KAF, like BAF, is in the process of downsizing rapidly. I definitely enjoyed my few hours there. The ceremony was great too. I had no time to loiter afterwards, as my flight was immediately following the TOA. By 1500 I was touching back down in BAF. There is no boardwalk in BAF. There never will be either.

Once back in Bagram, I found that the first few days of April were consumed with a sudden power struggle brought on by the “good idea fairies” from higher command. There’s another unit that has been sent here and as they’ve settled in it has become apparent they think they own some of the Garrison mission. I’ll have none of that. But it appears the fight is just beginning. It has made for an exhausting week so far. If the outcome does not reverse the course the good idea fairies have forced upon BAF there will be hell to pay around here. Dysfunction is sure to follow at a time we need it the least.

My last thought today is of the Soldiers who were killed or wounded yesterday in the tragic shooting at Fort Hood. There were many scenes today of military and civilian personnel in Bagram gathered around televisions watching the news updates. It is such a terrible event, coming just five years after that Islamic terrorist Major Hassan carried out his Jihadist rampage at the same installation. Although it doesn’t sound like yesterday’s event was terror related or connected to Islamic extremism, it is equally as heartbreaking. The prayers of the entire Bagram community are reaching out from Afghanistan to the families of those killed or wounded and for the Soldiers now recovering from their wounds. May God bless all of them and provide them comfort and healing during this time of gut-wrenching loss.