Windshield Tours

Bagram is a dirty place. There is no green. Even the trees that line Disney Avenue are covered with dust, mud, and the droppings of the hundreds of birds that congregate on them in the late afternoons. The mountains in the distance are a contrast of gray, black, and the white caps of snow. The roads are a craggy mess of potholes, broken pavement, massive puddles of questionable depth, and barely visible lines. Various construction projects are in every direction with no apparent coordination or planning. Giant piles of dirt from multiple excavations can be found at the most inopportune of locations. There is no sense of order to anything about the base except that at the heart of the place is a giant runway. From there the city planning ran amuck over the past decade. It’s a reflection of changing priorities and leadership turnover that happens every year or so. As a result, the base is a convoluted collection of sub-camps that have no obvious connection to one another. Basically, the entire base just sprouted up around the airfield in mini growth spurts of necessity. Now, with the end in sight this year, it is left to me and my Garrison staff to try and tie some working infrastructure together in a manner that supports the entire base. It is a myriad of complex problems that I refer to as the “cans that have been kicked down the road” from one year to the next. They all landed in my lap and since it appears I’m the last in line I am the one left holding all of them. I will not punt these cans any further. We’ll get all these projects – the sewer system, the water service, the solid waste facility, etc. – completed for whatever is to become of this place. Yes, I know, they should have been completed a long, long time ago. I can’t do much about how ugly this place is, but I can make it a more functional base and we’re making that a reality.

Multiple times a week I will hop in my car and conduct a “windshield tour” of the base. I’m just out looking at things and checking on the progress of everything. It can be depressing because at the superficial level it never appears like anything has been done. With the snows and rains of late it makes everything even more disgusting to look at or traverse. But progress is being made. The only way I can know that is to be out there inspecting first-hand. Just this past week, I made a stop at the massive Ammunition Supply Point (ASP). The Bagram ASP is the largest in the country. It handles everything from 5.56mm rifle ammunition to giant 2,000 pound aerial bombs. We’ve had a lot of work ongoing there to finish up the earthen berms that house the ammo safely. It’s been no easy task given the weather. In spite of the mud, the berms are going up at a rapid clip. But you’d never know it just to look at the place from a distance. I had to get a lot of mud on my boots to truly appreciate what is going on.

Bagram takes on the appearance of a place that has vexed many before me. I’m the latest to enter a stare-down contest with the place. I haven’t blinked yet but neither has Bagram. I’m going to take down this beast known as Bagram if it harelips the governor of Parwan Province. There are a lot of windshield tours to go yet.

Climb to Glory

For once in a rare occasion the team I was rooting for won the Super Bowl. The game kicked off at 0330 Monday morning. I did not get up for the start. As a matter of fact, I didn't even turn the game on until the end of the third quarter. The score validated my decision not to waste precious sleep by getting up three hours earlier than normal. It's been a long time since a Super Bowl was so one-sided. That being said, I am glad Seattle won. But it is rather melancholy to note that football season is over. At least it does represent the end of another phase of this deployment and the beginning of the next. In two short months baseball season will return. Then I can browse my eight channels of AFN in search of the Red Sox.

Another aspect of this deployment came to an end this week as well. On a cold, snowy morning a ceremony was held in one of the giant C130 aircraft hangers. The event was a Transfer-of-Authority (TOA) between my outgoing and incoming 2-Star level command. Bagram is located in an area of operations known as Regional Command East. Ever since I arrived the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Division out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky has been in charge. Their "Screaming Eagle" patch could be seen everywhere. Passing Soldiers would salute and say "Air Assault!" This always created a dilemma for me, as I'm not Air Assault qualified and not organic to the 101st. I'd usually respond with a return of the salute paired with a friendly morning, afternoon, or evening greeting. But now there's a new sheriff in town. The new 2-Star General is the commander of 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, New York. Overnight the Screaming Eagle signs disappeared to be replaced by the insignia of the "Climb to Glory" Division. I think the Mountain Soldiers even brought the snow with them just to feel more at home. My dilemma remains though. Now, instead of "Air Assault!" I get greeted with "Climb to Glory!" But I welcome the new leadership. The Screaming Eagles had completed their latest "Rendezvous with Destiny" and were ready to go home. The new leadership brings with them fresh ideas and renewed energy as we continue to close out operations in Afghanistan. I'm embracing the change. The snow can go away though. This place gets messy when it snows.

Super Bowl Eve

Another Super Bowl is upon us. This will be the fifth time I'll have to watch at an ungodly hour due to deployment. The game coverage starts at 0330 Monday morning for us. I'm not even certain I'll get up to watch. I don't really care for either team. With that in mind, I guess I'll root for the Seahawks since they've never won a Super Bowl. In the event I do get up to watch, I hope that it is at least an entertaining game and not a blowout. There are some activities planned around Bagram for the game. None of them involve beer though. I only say that because in years past there have been exceptions to  policy that allowed strictly monitored beer consumption for the game. That's not the case this year. The best event going is a pizza party at one of the dining facilities. I doubt I'll go. In the event I do get up to watch the game I'll most likely do so in the privacy of my room. That way the bed is nearby if the game is a bore.

Lots of change is in the air here lately. Many units are transitioning. It all keeps Garrison busy. But, then again, we're always busy. The weather has been pleasantly mild of late and that is much welcomed. Another month is complete too. Now there are seven more to go. It's been 150 days since my last beer. There are many more beer-less days ahead. The Super Bowl offers no exception. Oh well, I can't complain. Bagram is quiet these days and time is flying by. And from this rambling blog entry you should be able to tell that I've got nothing significant to report. Stay tuned - that is certain to change.

It's just business

I continually remind my subordinates that it's not what happens that defines us but rather how we react to what happens. At the same time, I reinforce to them that mission success is our business and to remember that what we do is just business and never personal. Some of you will read that and think I've seen The Godfather one too many times. Actually, I don't think it is possible to watch that movie too many times, as it is filled with quips of wisdom. Applying the Corleone Family philosophy to the Army can serve any Soldier well. But, unfortunately, too many folks in the Army have very thin skin and extremely fragile egos. They also jump to conclusions as soon as thing go wrong - as they sometimes do. When something goes wrong on Bagram the tendency is to automatically blame Garrison even when the facts bare out differently. We deal with what I call "knee-jerk" reactions almost daily. This is why I make certain neither my subordinates nor me take anything personal and that we always react with professionalism and courtesy. This past week brought a case in point.

It started when we signed for a brand new transient billeting building from the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The building is a large 2-story structure that houses up to 600 personnel in an open bay furnished with bunk beds and lockable steel cages for securing gear. On one end of each floor is a large latrine that includes toilets, sinks, and showers. USACE supervised a contracted company during the construction phase of the building in one of many projects on Bagram known as MILCON (Military Construction). Once the building was complete it was given an independent third-party technical inspection (TI) that, once passed, would allow the building to be accepted by Garrison and brought onto the base "density list". The density list is critical, as it allows service and maintenance contracts required to maintain the building and keep its facilities clean. In the case of this building, there was something missed during the TI. It turns out the construction company workers (a Turkish-based company) had been tossing empty bottles, rags, and trash down the main latrine drain pipe early on in the project. The building was a ticking time bomb for a huge sewage problem. The stage was set for disaster. It came within 48 hours of us signing for the building.

The day after we signed for the new building we moved a redeploying unit into the facility. It only took a few hours for the previously unknown blockage in the latrine to rear its ugly head. Late on the evening of the unit's first night the toilets began overflowing. Before long a "river of feces" flowed through the toilet side of the latrine. It may have been the most putrid thing I've ever seen or smelled. My team was already on the problem. But the unit's leadership had already jumped to the conclusion that Garrison had done this on purpose and that nothing was being done about the situation. Their commander refused to meet with me, instead choosing to go straight to higher command to complain. My CSM and I were at the building the entire time to monitor the situation. The unit's command team was nowhere in sight. We offered the unit alternate billets. They refused. But our technicians did, in fact, clean out the latrine pipe in an amazingly fast time. Simultaneously, a cleaning crew arrived to completely sanitize the place. Less than twelve hours after the latrines backed up they were not only back in service - they were even cleaner than when we first signed for the building. There have been no issues since. The unit's leadership proved just as unprofessional with the solution as they had with the problem. Their commander never acknowledged the rapid repair and cleaning of the latrine. No thanks were ever rendered. But my team just continued on our professional way. We've come to expect all the blame and none of the praise. It's just business. It's not personal.

Never a dull moment

Somehow I let an entire week slip by without sharing another entry. It's much more realistic to say the week didn't just slip by - more like flew by. Every day when I come into the office I have to prepare myself for whatever the drama of the moment will be. There's never a dull moment. I think I just might write a novel based on all the things that happen in Bagram. The past seven days are simply a microcosm of "As Bagram Turns". When I last wrote it was about a memorial ceremony for three fallen Heroes. Fortunately, since then we haven't had a similar event. But my life has been full of adventures.

A synopsis of the last week gives a glimpse into my world. We had two Vietnam era Medal of Honor recipients in for a visit. They were accompanied by actor Stephen Lange, who was promoting his stage production "Beyond Glory". Their visit gave a welcome interruption to the day-to-day silliness of Bagram. The rest of the week was filled with a variety of adventure. It went from mundane to exhilarating. A necessary mundane task that filled a large portion of my time was completing awards and evaluations for my Military Police detachment from the North Carolina Army National Guard. I definitely wanted to ensure my fellow Tarheels were taken care of before they go home. Then I had to deal with the usual complaint issues that come from a base of 30,000 - primarily housing issues like no hot water, electrical problems, backed up toilets, and broken HVAC systems. The worst billeting issue came from complaints of mold forming inside the walls of a certain housing area. This became high drama when the Division Surgeon determined it was a potential Life, Health, Safety (LHS) issue. The result was a directive to relocate all 700 occupants, which is not easy when housing is very tight. But we got it done. Next came the incessant drumbeat of endless meetings dealing with just about anything that could be imagined. Garrison Command is brief spurts of productivity frequently interrupted by meetings. We supported a big security sweep of Bagram to net a bunch of foreign workers identified as being potential threats to the base. That was high excitement for my team. And, finally, the seven-day span wrapped up with another MWR visit. This time it was the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders on their "Adopt a Soldier" tour, which for some reason included an Elvis impersonator.

With that, I embark upon another week of fun and adventure. Welcome to my world. Like I said, it's never a dull moment.

Farewell to Three Heroes

During the early morning hours of 10 January 2014, three Heroes based at Bagram paid the ultimate price. They met The Lord performing the job they loved so dearly - flying their MC12 aircraft in the service of their Country. I did not know them. But I serve alongside people wo do. Yesterday I attended their memorial service. It was held at the Enduring Faith Chapel. The small church was filled to overflow capacity. By the end of the service I felt as though I had personally served with all three Heroes. The oldest of the three was 31, married, and from Ohio. He was a civilian contractor pilot who served alongside his military family with selfless distinction. The next oldest was 27, married, and father of one daughter. He was a Chief Warrant Officer from Wyoming who loved flying and was rated on both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. The youngest was 25, married, and father of one son. He was a Sergeant in the Hawaii Army National Guard who had enthusiastically volunteered for this assignment in Afghanistan. During the course of the ceremony words of remembrance were shared by their Commanding Officer and others with whom they had served. Emotions flowed freely from the hearts of men and women for their love of these men. The Lord was present. His love captured the tears and calmed the sadness. As the twenty one gun volleys sounded and the bugler played Taps the emotions swelled as one. There is a bond formed among those who serve together in combat. Only those who serve know the strength and depth of this bond. Though we enter our military adventures as strangers, we become brothers and sisters who are forged and tempered stronger than life itself. At the conclusion of the ceremony each person in attendance waited for their opportunity to render a final salute to the boots, rifles, helmets, and ID tags of the fallen Heroes. I did likewise. Raising my hand in silent salute, then after touching their ID tags I laid my command coin down for each of them. I did not know them before I came to the ceremony. But through the heartfelt descriptions of the love they devoted to their families, their comrades, and their Country I came to know them. Farewell Warriors and may your flight to Heaven be borne by Angels adorned with the wings of eagles. We shall all join you one day for our final roll call.

This is dedicated to the Warrior Aviators of Task Force Odin and the families of the fallen Heroes.

In Memory Of

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Andrew L. McAdams
Sergeant Drew M. Scobie
Kristopher L. Noble

Bowl Games?

We become conditioned to the expectation that work slows around the New Year. And why should it not? After all, with the holidays, family, celebrations, and College Football it is only natural that life slows for a couple of weeks. Expectations remain unfulfilled in Bagram. The arrival of 2014 did not equate to a chance to kick back and watch football - much less catch a breather. Instead our work tempo increased dramatically. New Year's Day was even busier than a normal day and included two separate briefings to the Commanding General. There hasn't been a day of 2014 yet that I have not worked at least 15 hours. I've come to believe that everyone had a New Year's Resolution to work longer hours. If that be the case, everyone in my Chain-of-Command is making their resolution come true. While I do appreciate having a sense of urgency, I also like to couple it with a sense of purpose. Right now the furious pace of 2014 has only been accompanied by the former. The work we are pursuing is no different than what we were doing right up to the end of 2013. The increase of tempo could be attributed to the Bilateral Security Agrement, which still remains unsigned. But I won't speculate. I just know that College Football Bowl Season came and went and I barely had time to notice.

It's fair to say that the time difference makes an impact on watching football. Afghanistan is 9.5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time Zone. The premium bowl games didn't even kick off until the wee hours of the morning. For most of us that meant squeezing in the second or third quarter with a cup of coffee before running back to work. Now the same madness is spilling over into the NFL playoffs. AFN shows repeats of the games later in the week but that just isn't the same. Yes, missing bowl games and NFL playoffs are yet another sacrifice of being deployed. I haven't seen a single college or pro game from start to finish this entire season (I made the effort for the Army-Navy game but gave up in the third quarter).

I look forward to having my expectations for the holidays come true again. For now they have to wait. Bagram is very high-maintenance and she is extremely jealous of her time.