Day 190: Going to the Dentist

Today I flew from Herat to Bagram Air Field (near Kabul). The reason for my trip...no it isn’t a top secret mission or a personal visit to President Karzai...rather I came for a dental appointment. That’s right, there is no jumping in the Humvee and running down the street to visit the dentist in Herat. Instead, you have to get on a plane and fly to the Capitol in order to see an American dentist. I could have had an Afghan dentist take care of the problem--I chose to fly across the country. I’ll let you know tomorrow if I made the right choice.

Here are some pictures from the days journey.


This is a huge tank of highly flammable liquid oxygen that sat right in front of me the whole flight. Good thing they have a no smoking policy.










By the way, the answer to my question yesterday was India. The others were probably obvious except maybe China--it has only a small segment that borders Afghanistan.

Day 189: On The Border

Multiple Choice Question:

Which of the following countries does NOT share a border with Afghanistan?

1)Pakistan
2)Iran
3)China
4)India

The answer will be in tomorrow’s post.

Afghanistan is a land-locked country about the size of Texas. The country’s vast borders are in constant threat from potential enemies both foreign and domestic. Also, the border is a highway for arms and drugs trafficking. To held defend the country from these threats, the Afghan government has created the border police. These police work in some of the most remote and desolate parts of the country to keep it safe.

Today, I went out to the border patrol headquarters for the region to visit the medical clinic there. It was an interesting ride as we drove through all of downtown Herat and then up onto the edge of the mountain to the base. As always we saw sheep, camels, 20+ people packed into a car, fruit stands, kids waving, etc. It was a nice trip.

Day 187: Thanksgiving

Today I celebrated my first major holiday away from home. It was good preparation for next month and Christmas. Honestly, the Army did a good job of making it a nice and enjoyable day. We had several activities including a 3 on 3 basketball tournament (my team took 3rd place this time), horseshoes, and a ping pong tournament. What made it even better is that we are still experiencing some unusually warm weather--it is nice to be out in shorts and a t-shirt on Thanksgiving. The food was pretty good and the kitchen staff did a nice job of trying to make it seem as much like home as possible--although, warm homemade rolls and pumpkin pie with whipping cream were noticeably absent.

On this day, I give thanks to my Father in Heaven for the blessings I have. Although I am far from home and am missing all of you, I am grateful for my safety, my family back home, my country, and all the many other things I have been blessed with. I hope you all have a fun and safe Thanksgiving back home...and by the way, someone eat an extra piece of pumpkin pie for me.

Day 186: A Thanksgiving Thought

In the early 1600's the Pilgrims held a feast of Thanksgiving to thank the Almighty for their harvest and the blessings they had received. From that point in time, days of thanksgiving were held intermittently in the Colonies and during the early history of the United States. In 1863, during the midst of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln called for a national day of thanks to be celebrated in the country. Since that year, Thanksgiving has been a tradition and a holiday that has been honored every year in America.

I think it is interesting that Lincoln called for a celebration of thanks during such a dark time in our history. However, he recognized the hand of God in the preservation of his country and the blessings that the people and the country as a whole had received. This year I will spend Thanksgiving in the middle of a war torn country. There are many struggles and trials here. There is still much anger and hatred. However, like the times of Lincoln, there is also much good. There are many blessings that a loving Father hath bestowed upon me, my family, my country and the good people of Afghanistan. Here are the words of Lincoln as he called upon the people to remember God and thank Him despite the difficulties that they faced. I found it a good reminder of why we celebrate Thanksgiving and wanted to share it with you.

"The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle, or the ship; the axe had enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years, with large increase of freedom.

No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.

It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."

Day 184: Happiness

Yesterday Sue had an insightful post into finding joy and happiness in our lives. Her point was well taken...sometimes feeling joy isn’t an automatic thing. It often has to be desired and worked for.

Well, today I decided to try and find all the things in my life that brought me joy. Here is my list:

1) A 5AM wake-up call to talk with my favorite people--Sue, Abbie, Ellie, Eden and Ammon.
2) Complaining about it being too HOT...last week it was freezing. Pretty nice weather for the end of November.
3) Eating 1000 calories worth of chocolate chip cookies at lunch (yes, I added them up) and being able to run the 6 miles tonight needed to work them off. I think the cookies made me happier than the running!
4) Having the Afghans laugh at my attempts to speak their language...and being able to laugh at myself at the same time.
5) Leaving Camp Stone and going back to my private room, wireless internet, and cable TV for a few days.
6) Getting to talk with Sue and the kids one more time before going to bed.

Life is full of ups and downs. I have learned from this deployment that you have to try and look for the positives or else the negatives will just drag you down. Sometimes it isn’t enough to just wait for happiness to run up and find you, but rather, you often have to chase after it. Happiness has to be desired and then sought after.

Interestingly, as I was reading my scriptures this morning I ran into a few verses that talk about this topic. Alma 41:4-5 explains that after this life we will be restored to a state based on the works done in this life. We can either be raised to a state of “endless happiness” or “endless misery”. Alma goes on to explain that those who are “raised to happiness” are done so according to their “desires of happiness.” It isn’t necessarily that we are raised to a level of happiness equal to that which we achieved in this life, but rather, equal to that which we DESIRED in this life. Bad things will happen. Hardships will come to each of us. Sometimes life isn’t always fair. However, if we are constantly seeking for that which is good and that which will bring happiness, we will find it in this life and the one to come.

Thanks for the reminder Sue. I love you. Here you can see my greatest source of happiness--I miss you guys.

Day 182: Pizza Party

This evening I was invited to a pizza party. All of the medical personnel on base got together and had pizza and played games. It was a nice diversion and good to socialize a little bit. I was a little late to the party, so by the time I got there I had to choose from the left over pizza. There was some ham, some cheese, and then I came across something I had never seen before...plain crust. Now I know a lot of pizza places throw some butter and garlic on their crust and call it breadsticks. However, this was completely plain. Just pizza crust cooked and served. I tried it...it wasn’t bad...it just tasted like pizza crust. Interesting.

By the way, I will be sleeping during the BYU/Utah Football game so somebody cheer for me...Go Cougars!

Day 180: Welcome Home

I wish the title of this post meant I had just walked off a plane and that I had a beautiful wife and four little kids running towards me to give me a big hug. Unfortunately, “home” in this case refers to my beloved Camp Stone. After nearly two weeks away, I finally returned back to my home away from home.

It is always nice to be home--even if it is only here. It was especially nice to come home and find that I had not one, not two, but three packages waiting for me.


First, there was a package from my mommy. She sent some treats (notice the return to zero for my no treat tracker), some books, and some other fun stuff. I always like getting stuff from my mom. Somehow it always makes me feel like a kid in elementary school again--you know how you felt when you would open up your lunch and find a note inside. Thanks mom.

Second, there was a package from Sue and the kids. As always the kids sent me some pictures and notes--always a highlight in a package. Sue sent me a mushy love letter which can’t be quoted as this is a family friendly blog (I love you sweetie pie). Also, I was very excited to see that she had sent to me a webcam and headphones so that I could see them every single day--hopefully they won’t get tired of me. Abbie sent me a nice poem. It reads:

A hug for Mom.
A hug for Dad
And one for Sis & Brother.
There’s nothing like a family hug,
To show we love each other.

Pretty good huh? Abbie did you copy that from somewhere? Anyway, it was very sweet and I loved reading it.

Lastly, came a package from Phoenix. I tried to think who I knew from Phoenix and no one came to mind. I was even more intrigued when I noticed it came from an elementary school. As it turns out, our friends, Brynn and Kalvin, have a friend who is a teacher in Phoenix. She had her students write some cards and they sent them to me. It was very thoughtful and I really appreciated it.

So although my welcome home was only a welcome home back to my dust-filled, power constantly going out, it’s freezing and I can’t believe I have to walk outside to go to the bathroom home, the love and thoughtfulness of those back home made me feel a little bit closer to the real thing. Thanks everyone.

Day 179: 23 Students

Over the past 2 weeks, I have taught a group of 23 police officers basic combat lifesaving skills. It has been a rewarding experience. More than anything else, I have enjoyed interacting with and getting to know these neat people. I feel like I know the Afghan people a little better after spending a portion of each day with them. I have laughed with them. I have let them stick me with a needle. They have shared with me personal stories of fear and tragedy. I have seen their goodness and their desire to better their country for themselves, their families, and their fellow Afghans. There is so much that is different between them and me--their language, their religion, their culture, and their up-bringing. However, deep down they are more similar to me than different. Their hopes, fears, and dreams are really not that different from mine.


Today they graduated from my class. They will be traveling home within the next few weeks. My students come from two main areas--one in the south and one in the north. Both areas are some of the most dangerous that we have here in the region. Life as a police officer in Afghanistan is a dangerous job. We have areas where large numbers have been killed in the line of duty. As my students graduated today, I wondered what would happen to them. I wondered what kind of experiences lie ahead for them. I hope they will go forward and make a difference for their country. I hope none of them will be hurt or killed. Hopefully, they will use some of the skills they learned to help save the lives of others.


Here they are posed in front of our classroom with their certificates. Afghans love certificates. Anytime they do anything, they always want a certificate. I was happy to give them theirs--they are a good group of guys.

P.S. Happy Birthday Mom.

Day 177: Fried Onions

Today the Afghan doctors I am mentoring taught me a new way to deal with skin infections and abscesses. Their solution--fry onions and then place them, while they are still hot, on the infected area of the skin. This hypothetically will help draw up all the infection and bring it to the skin’s surface. I know this a good approach to making a hamburger taste better but using onions on skin infections...that was a new one for me. Their approach isn’t necessarily wrong (who knows it may work), it is just different from how we would approach the problem in Western medicine.

This experience reinforced the fact that just because we don’t do something in the United States, doesn’t necessarily mean it is a bad idea or that it won’t work. I try to keep an open mind and try not to judge their approaches to practicing medicine. However, I do try to make suggestions. For example, I have noticed that Afghan doctors don’t keep any kind of medical record. A typical patient encounter goes something like this...patient comes in, the doctor asks one or maybe (on a good day) two questions, the physical exam is usually skipped, and then they write a prescription for some kind of medication. They don’t document anything about the encounter and no kind of permanent record is kept. So today, I suggested that I help them start making very simple patient records...basically a folder with some blank paper in that they can put some notes in. I explained in detail all the advantages for both them and their patients of keeping a medical record. They seemed to agree and we decided to start working on the project.

However, as we continued to talk more about it, some of their concerns about keeping medical records surfaced. “How could a hospital keep a record on every patient that comes in”, they asked. “It would be impossible”. I tried to convince them that it isn’t only possible but necessary. “This is Afghanistan, not America”, they continued, “we can’t do everything you do there.” I continued to try and convince them to my way of thinking.

Finally my interpreter ended the discussion by helping put it all in perspective. He said, “Hey, we don’t even know when our birthday is here in Afghanistan. If we don’t even write that down, how do you expect us to keep a medical record on every patient.” He had a good point. I chuckled and agreed with him. In a country where most people don’t even know the day they were born, maybe asking them to keep a comprehensive medical record is asking a little too much. Let’s work on birth certificates first.

I still will probably keep working on the project and try to teach them how to write and keep notes on their patients. However, I think my first priority will be teaching them how to use their onions to make a double cheeseburger. I think that might be more rewarding!

Day 175: The Rest of the Story

When I was a kid I remember my Dad reading to us from a book written by Paul Harvey called The Rest of the Story. It recounts true but little known stories of well known people such as Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Charles Lindberg and Stevie Wonder. I was always amazed at the things you could learn about someone or something that you thought you already knew pretty well. If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend it as an easy and interesting read.

Well last time I wrote, I told a story...but I didn’t tell the whole story. Here is the rest of the story...

As you recall, on Day 172, I taught my students to put in IV’s and then I let them practice on me. What I didn’t tell you was that before I “donated my arm to science” I actually practiced on them first. That’s right, Mr. Doctor from America was asked to show his students how it was done. So I took an IV catheter, isolated a vein, and went for it. Not only did I miss the first time but after deciding to try again, I missed again. After the second miss, one of my students motioned for me to sit down and then he of course stuck the IV in my arm on his first try. So much for my $200,000 medical education and my pride. Actually, I didn’t feel too bad, given that I have only put in about 10 IV’s my whole career. I was proud of my students for doing better than I did.

So I can’t put in an IV. That doesn’t make me a bad doctor does it? Now if I was an anesthesiologist and failed to place an IV on an Afghan with bulging veins, that might be a different story. Hey what can I say, it’s not what I do every day...but if you need a circumcision or a mole removed, give me a call and I think you will be impressed.

Anyway, today I returned to the classroom to continue teaching my police students. I had them practice placing IV’s on each other. They did pretty well, but it definitely wasn’t the place for someone who can’t stand the sight of blood. The first guy that had one put in, must have lost a liter of blood (slight exaggeration). The picture below shows the mess after it was almost cleaned up. Imagine double the amount of blood you see on the ground on the table and the guy’s entire forearm covered. Yes it was bloody, but at least he got it in the vein. It is neat to see these guys learning some basic medical skills that down the road might save their life or that of one of their colleagues.

Day 172: Donating My Body to Science

During the first year of medical school, med students are introduced to their first patient. This patient is always on time, doesn’t burden you with questions, and never gets upset if you make a mistake. The only down side to this patient is their stench...no not B.O. or even bad breath, but rather the smell of formaldehyde. That’s right your first patient is typically your cadaver in the anatomy lab.

Many people donate their bodies to the cause of science. I think it is a noble thing to sacrifice the only thing you have left when you die...your body...in order to help others learn and further scientific knowledge. I am an organ donor but I doubt that I ever will take that ultimate step and donate my whole body when I die to research. However, today I sacrificed my arm to the cause of science by turning it over to my Afghan first aid students. I have been teaching them how to place an IV. I realized that the only way to find out if I really taught them well was to let them practice and place an IV in me. So I gave them the needle, closed my eyes, and hoped for the best. To my surprise they got me on the first poke. Sure there was some blood spilling down my arm and they forgot to put on gloves, but, they successfully put in the IV on the first try. I was proud of them and as you can tell from the picture, they were pretty proud of themselves as well.

Day 171: Ouch!

Can anyone figure out what is wrong with this guy’s shoulder? Look carefully at its shape.


This police recruit has a dislocated shoulder. What makes his story amazing is that it was dislocated over 4 months ago and he is just now coming to medical to get it evaluated. He has been here in Herat for 2 months training. He can barely move his arm and when he does the pain is intense. Anyone who has had a dislocated shoulder knows what a painful injury this is. I am not sure if I am impressed more with his pain tolerance or with his stupidity in waiting months to seek help with his problem.

We tried to reduce the shoulder and put it back in place. However, after months of being out of place, the surrounding muscles were tight and we ultimately had to send him to the hospital for further treatment. Again, another interesting patient and something you will never see in the States.

Day 169: Practicing Medicine Without a License

I’m spending the next 2 weeks at a police training facility in Herat. I spend the morning seeing patients with an Afghan doctor in his clinic and spend the afternoon teaching a first aid class to the police students. It is a nice break to leave Camp Stone and have a change of scenery for a few days.

This morning we saw an 18 year old kid who was complaining of headaches and eye pain. He was hit in the right eye 6 years ago and since has had difficulty seeing out of it. Since arriving a month ago for training, his vision has affected his ability to train and consequently he was sent to the public hospital for evaluation and treatment. Rather than go to the hospital, he told me that he had just gone to the local pharmacy and bought some medications for his eye. Now here in Afghanistan you don’t need a prescription for medication. You just go in, tell them what’s wrong, and they give you something to “make it better”. So this kid had gone into the pharmacy 3-4 times and each time was given a different medication. He was given antibiotics, steroids, and finally at his last visit was given atropine--a medication that dilates the pupil. Notice how large his right pupil is compared to his left in the picture. Over the last few days he has been using atropine eye drops which has dilated his pupil and which has caused him light sensitivity and headache.

I quickly told him to stop everything he is using and sent him to officially see the eye doctor. He probably has corneal scaring (this is the white you see over the pupil) caused by his injury 6 years ago. Regardless, all of the medications he was given was hurting him more than helping him. Experiences like this remind me of why we require people to have a prescription prior to buying potentially dangerous medications. Just randomly putting medications into your body, especially in your eye, without knowing what it is, is probably not a very good idea.

Day 168: What's in the Camel's Hump?

Lately, I have seen a lot of camels during my journeyings around Herat. A few hours south of Herat there is a “herd” (bonus points for whoever can tell me what a group of camels is called) of camels that we always pass on our way down there.

So when I was a kid I remember hearing that the hump of a camel was filled with water. It made sense. After all, camels are always in the desert and never have much water to drink. There must be some water in that hump of theirs. So how much water can be held in an average sized camel hump?

The answer is...none. Actually camel’s humps really are full of fat and have no water at all. When they aren’t able to eat they burn the fat and use it for energy. Fascinating, I know--just the reason you keep turning back to this blog for entertainment (or a cure for insomnia).

Day 166: Sleeping Under the Stars

Last night I was laying on a cot underneath the clear Afghan sky, watching the stars high in the heavens. I saw shooting stars. I saw satellites move across the sky. I was amazed at how many stars I could see and how bright they appeared.

It was part of my first real camp out of this deployment. I had been asked to join a group going down to a village four hours south of Herat called Bala Baluk. The FOB (forward operating base) is very small and lacks many of the luxuries of some of the larger bases--such as Camp Stone where I live. There was no cable TV. There was no internet. There was no dining facility. There was a bathroom, but after walking in, you wished there hadn’t been one. I realized how lucky I am to spend most of my time on bases where I have some things that make home seem not quite so far away. My gratitude for some of our guys who spend their whole deployment “camping” definitely increased.

Anyway, my favorite part of the whole experience was being able to fall sleep under the beautiful, star filled Afghan sky. Once it got dark, I just laid down in my sleeping bag and watched as the stars slowly came out and eventually filled the sky. I listened as the “azaan” from a neighboring mosque called the faithful to pray. I reflected on the greatness and enormity of God’s creations. I was awed by how small we really are, but strengthened to know how great we are in His eyes. I thought of my wife and kids back home and how much I love and miss them.

After these special minutes of meditation and inspiration...I crashed back to planet Earth as the snoring began all around me and the cold started to settle in. I crawled into my bag, pulled the hood over my head, and went to bed.

It was a fun camping trip...especially, since I knew I was coming home today.

Day 165: Habla Espanol?

I served my LDS Church mission in Rosario, Argentina. I remember vividly those first few days in the country--the excitement, the exhaustion, the confusion. The exhaustion and confusion was mostly from the overwhelming amount of Spanish that was thrown at me. I was sent down to a little city called Venado Tuerto and given an Argentine companion. He was a great companion but he really spoke no English. Now I had been speaking “Spanish” for 2 months at the missionary training center. However, those who have served a Spanish speaking mission realize that there is a big difference between he “Spanglish” spoken among missionaries in the MTC and the “Castellano” spoken by native Argentines.

I was lost for quite awhile. It was frustrating initially, but slowly I started to get it. After several months I could get by. After a year I was pretty much fluent. After 2 years, there were many who thought I sounded nearly like a native Argentine.

Since returning home from my mission over ten years ago, my Spanish skills have slowly diminished. I find it harder and harder to say exactly what I am trying to say. The tongue gets tied more easily and my ears can’t always keep up with what they are hearing. However, I have been grateful many times for the language skills I obtained on my mission. There have been many times I have used these skills...from encounters with patients...to talking to my Southern Californian neighbors...to selling a car.

What little remaining Spanish skills I have left came in handy today as I went over to the airport to check out the Spanish hospital in Herat. The Spanish run the largest hospital in the region. Any Coalition casualties, including Americans, are sent here for initial treatment and triage. Consequently, I wanted to check the place out and see exactly what capabilities and facilities they had. It was nice to be able to walk into the hospital, introduce myself, and go on a tour of the facility, and do it all in Spanish. I am grateful that even though my Spanish isn’t perfect, I can still use it to help me get around. Now if only I could speak Dari as well as Spanish.


Here is the Spanish hospital from the outside.


This is a close up of the mud-huts that people live in here.


The walls are about 2 feet thick.

There were several monuments to fallen soldiers on the base. Here is a Spanish one.




And another Spanish one.


Finally, an Italian monument...it is some kind of engine part.

Day 164: Election Day

How does a seven-year old view today’s election? Here is Abbie’s perspective that she shared with me this morning over the phone:

Abbie: “Dad, who are you going to vote for?”
Me: “Oh, I don’t know. Who are you going to vote for?”
Abbie: “I voted for McCain.”
Me: “Why, McCain?”
Abbie: “Because ‘Rock’ Obama is going to make taxes bigger, and he is, uh, like, going to make the rich poorer.”

Wait, I thought, is my little seven-year old girl really talking about taxes and the economy? She seems a little young for that kind of insight. I was impressed.

Our conversation continued:

Me: “Did you guys get to vote in school?”
Abbie: “Yea. At first I was going to vote for ‘Rock’ Obama. The whole reason I was going to choose Obama was, uh like, he likes to cook...like I do. Plus, he likes to play basketball and jogging...and I like those things too...and his birthday is closer to Ellie’s.”
Me: “Oh” I said, while thinking, “now that sounds more like a seven-year old.
Abbie: “But then I decided to vote for McCain.”
Me: “How did you learn all this stuff?”
Abbie: “I read it at school and at home. Also I watched it on a show and Grandma told me.”

It was an entertaining and interesting conversation.

After I finished chuckling and hung up, I thought more about my conversation with Abbie. It made me realize how grateful I am to live in a country where even my seven-year old is learning what it means to vote and make decisions about one’s government. It is such a different world over here in Afghanistan. After years of war and constant power struggles between various warlords, people are now just having the opportunity to vote and have some say in their government. Elections should occur here sometime next year. What a blessing it is to be able to vote for our leaders and to let our voice be heard. Our candidate may not win, but like Abbie, we are all free to think through the issues and the candidates and then cast a ballot for the people and the causes we believe in.

Day 163: Hand Me Downs

I remember as a kid never liking hand-me-downs. My brothers and I would always complain if we ever had to wear something that came from someone else. This especially was a problem as we got a little older. No one liked to wear dirt brown colored, frayed, corduroy bell bottoms, when they could have the latest pair of designer Girbauds (no I never owned a pair of Girbauds).

Well as I have grown-up, my attitude toward hand-me-downs has changed dramatically. No longer are these items to dread, but rather items that keep the kids clothed, entertained, and most importantly save us money. Our friends the Hendry’s were always very kind to us during medical school and passed along many items that helped us get along. We always liked to get “Hendry hand-me-downs” because their junk was better than most peoples good stuff. In fact, I am pretty sure we have a bunch of Hendry stuff still floating around the house (thanks guys).

As I mentioned the other day, a bunch of Navy guys just left Camp Stone. I did all I could to convince them to take me along with them. However, all of my campaigning was for naught and yesterday they drove off into the Herat sunset leaving me behind. It was kind of sad to see them go. However, the one benefit of them leaving was that they left me some hand-me-downs. I acquired a rug, 2 lamps, a small table and a TV. That’s right, now I have cable TV in my own room. Now, I can sit down after a long, hard day and watch the highlights on Sport Center just like the guys back home. I doubt I will watch it much but I’m sure there will be occasions where it will be nice to sit down and unwind.

Actually maybe I spoke too soon. I just flipped through all five of my channels and found that my viewing choices include: The View, Gilligan’s Island, Handy Manny, Sesame Street, and the Wheel of Fortune. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers, right?



Interestingly, soon after hooking up my TV, I received a letter from Abbie. Her biggest concern is listed below...



So yes Abbie, now I can watch TV.

Day 161: On The Road Again.

It has been nearly 2 weeks since I have gotten off base. Today we went on a short day trip to visit a police headquarters. It was nice to get out.


It had been raining all night and this morning was cold and dark. Just as we were leaving on our trip, the sun came out. It was a pretty scene.


I have some kind of fascination with things that fly. I love watching planes, helicopters, or pretty much anything up above me. So as 2 helicopters zoomed over our convoy, I was excited to get a quick picture of it.


How many people can you fit on a motorcycle? Here you see three. I have seen 5 or 6 at a time. You should see how many people can fit in a car or a bus--it is amazing! I am still trying to get some of those pictures. I will post them once I have them.

Just a few pictures from my trip today. Otherwise, things here are going well. I appreciate hearing from you all and hope you are all doing well.