Day 369: Check Mate

I haven’t played chess in years. In fact, I don’t know that I have ever played since I was married. In addition to not having played in years, I was never very good at chess to start with. However today, when one of the Afghan nurses I have been working with asked me to play, I figured that even though I was a little rusty, I could still take him. So we took out the board, set it up, and started to play. It took about three moves until he had his first kill. Before too long he started saying “danger” in his best English to warn me before I was about to make a bad move. Even with him helping me avoid bad moves, he still beat me in game number one after only about five minutes. I should have quit then. However, my competitive nature got the better of me and I challenged him to a rematch. I figured I was just a little rusty and game two would end much better for me. I actually started out doing pretty well. A few times I heard him mutter “besyar khoob” (very good) when I made a somewhat intelligent move. At one point I even had his King in range and was able to call out "check". However, I think at this point he decided to put me out of my misery and within just a few more moves he had me...check mate! Although, I played poorly, it was actually pretty fun and a nice break from the medical in-processing we have been doing over the past few days here at the police training center.

Hey, maybe I could challenge him to a game of one-on-one basketball? I might just be able to beat him at that...maybe.

Day 366: One Year Later

One year ago today, this 452 day journey began. I remember well May 26, 2008. It was the day that had been anticipated (or perhaps I should say dreaded) for months. It was the day where I was forced to leave my beloved family behind...hoping they would be safe and happy while I was away. It was the day where the familiar suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a future of unknowns and mystery. It was the day when war went from something just seen in the movies, to something much more real.

Today as I celebrate my one year deployment anniversary, it is amazing to sit and reflect on all that has happened over this past year. The best part about this day is that it is here. It has finally arrived. If you would have told me 365 days ago that this day would actually someday arrive, I’m not sure I would have believed you. But believe it or not, it is finally here.

So how am I celebrating my special day? Well, actually I am sitting in a small crowded barracks, surrounded by ten complete strangers, while trying to take cover from the innumerable flies that are attacking me. Isn’t deployment life in Afghanistan awesome!

I would have never asked to come here and I would not volunteer to come again. However, I know that this experience was given to me and my family for a reason. As hard as it has been at times, I know Someone wiser than I understands the “why” behind this deployment and is trying to teach me lessons that will help guide me not only in this life, but in the one to come. So I will spend what remains of these 452 days trying to take from it those lessons and experiences that will make me a better person, a better husband, a better father, and a more faithful servant to my Father in Heaven.

Day 363: Odds and Ends

Well, I thought I might give everyone an update on the latest here in Afghanistan.

I officially returned from my trip to Kabul two days ago. It was a nice trip and it actually was quite productive. I was able to take my Afghan physician counterpart up to the national Afghan police hospital and get some long overdue business completed. I was also able to catch up with some old friends from my training days in Kansas.

Upon returning to Herat, we had a graduation ceremony for our second regional medic class. Twenty-three more police and soldiers were officially recognized as having learned the skills needed to be called a combat medic. This course has been a nice accomplishment--not only for me but also for my American and Afghan colleagues. I hope the skills they have learned will make a difference in the future.

Finally, today was the first ever Camp Stone strongman competition. It was just like on TV--truck pulling and all. No I didn’t participate...although don’t get me wrong, I definitely could have. Rather, I stuck to my marathon training. Today I ran just over thirteen miles--my first half marathon! For those of you out there reading, remember to let me know if you want to join Sue and I up in Lake Tahoe in September for a marathon, 5K or just a relaxing weekend.

See you all soon.

Day 358: The Twilight Zone

About three weeks ago I left the United States and headed back to finish my tour in Afghanistan. The hardest part of leaving was having to say my goodbyes again to Sue and the kids. On a smaller scale it was hard to say goodbye to some of the comforts of home...clean indoor bathrooms, bare feet in the shower, and grass in the yard.

One thing I have noticed out here as I have traveled around to different coalition bases is that although we have been here for many years, the bases seem to be consistently dumpy. You would think at some point someone might think, “hey, we are going to be here for a while, let’s build something nice to live in.” Seems like a logical idea but honestly everywhere you go soldiers are still living in wooden huts or modified shipping containers, bathrooms are all outdoors, and nothing but rocks cover the ground. Well today all that changed as I flew into Kabul International Airport to conduct a few days of business. As I arrived, we taxied into the new compound that had just been completed. I was shocked to see normal American quality buildings, grass and trees surrounding the buildings, benches to sit on, an indoor basketball court, and indoor bathrooms. It was almost as if my plane had left Afghanistan and I had accidentally been flown into the Twilight Zone. I walked up and down the street, on a normal sidewalk I might add, and was awestruck by just how normal things seemed. It was a strange but kind of nice.

Day 351: A Mother's Love

Recently while I was out working on a medical humanitarian mission, I was able to take care of several mothers and their children. I love watching these children and how they naturally are drawn to the protection and loving arms of their mothers. Similarly, it is neat to watch these mothers and see the obvious love and concern they have for their little ones. A mother’s love crosses all cultural, religious, and economic boundaries. It can be seen equally in both the busy “soccer mom” in Utah, running her kids around in her minivan, and the burkha clad Afghan mother, leading her children through the busy streets of the bazaar. How blessed we are to have our mothers. These amazing women teach, guide, and protect us and help bring some sanity to our increasingly crazy world.



Today on Mother’s Day I wish to pay tribute to the mothers in my life. Most of what I have been able to accomplish in my life and much of who I am as a person, is due to these amazing and inspired women.

First, I wish to honor the mother of my own four beautiful children back home. Sue, thank you for all the incredible things that you do and the sacrifices you make in order to make our home a place where our children can learn, grow, and be happy. Just over eight years ago our little Abbie was born. Since that April day, your life has been a whirlwind of dirty diapers, runny noses, and sleepless nights. The hours are long, the thank you’s are few, and the pay is poor. However, despite the challenges and difficulties, you persevere and press onward. Although it is sometimes hard to hear the gratitude between the crying and complaining, I know the kids love you and they will thank you now and in the eternities for all that you have done for them. I love you and am grateful to my Father in Heaven that he has blessed me with not only an amazing wife, but also an incredible mother for my children.

Second, I wish to thank and express my love for my own mother. Mom, from our good looks to our common love of anything sweet, I inherited many things from you. More importantly than the things I gained genetically from you, are the lessons learned and the loving guidance that you provided as you raised me in my youth. Thanks to you I have learned to work, I have learned to serve others, I have learned to have a positive attitude, I have learned to sacrifice, and I have learned to put the Savior before all other things in my life. Mom, I love you and am grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for me. Thanks especially for all the love and support that you have given during this deployment--your letters, packages, and prayers have been appreciated and have been a source of strength to me.

Next, to my mother-in-law, Bonnie--what an incredible person you are. Your faith, determination and stamina are unmatched. When I married your little girl, I knew I was marrying into a great family. However, I didn’t fully realize how much of an influence my mother and father-in-law would have on my life and that of my family. Mom thanks so much for all that you do for me, Sue, and the kids and the amazing example that you set for us. I love you and am grateful for you. I don’t know how we would have survived this deployment without your tireless service in our home.

To my grandmothers as well, I wish to express my love and gratitude for your examples and for the happy memories that you have brought to my life. I love you and am grateful for the heritage that you have given to me and my family.

Clearly my life has been blessed by the incredible mothers in my life. Thanks again to all of you for the sacrifices made, the examples set, and the prayers offered in my behalf. Happy Mother’s Day!

Day 348: Small Successes

Yesterday one of my team members was downtown at the police headquarters taking care of some business. While there, he saw several of the medics we had trained in our first medic course earlier this year. Later in the day, someone on the compound was injured with a knife and someone came to the Americans asking for a medic to treat the person. My medic got up to help. Immediately one of the Afghans stood up and told him, “no, no, it’s okay, we have our own medic.” One of our newly trained medics was called to see the injured patient. The Afghan medic evaluated the wound and treated it appropriately. It was only a minor wound but still it was impressive that the Afghans refused American help because they could take care of the problem themselves.

The story was told to me at the end of a long day, where for several reasons, I was questioning the value of my tour here and wondering how much I really have accomplished. I know this guy did little more than put a bandage on a small cut, but still the bottom line is that the Afghans had a medic--something they didn’t have two months ago--and more importantly, this medic saw the patient rather than the American standing at his side. It is a small success I know, but around here, where accomplishments and true progress are often hard to find, it was at least something to feel happy about.

Here are pictured some of the students in our current medic course during a practical exercise yesterday over at our classroom. This is our second class and by the time they graduate later this month, we will have added fifty new medics to the Afghan army and police ranks.

Day 346: Blessings

Today we went out to a village an hour west of Herat to do a medical humanitarian assistance mission. It was a great trip. A group of American, Italian, and Afghan medical personnel was able to see approximately 700 patients. It was nice to get out and spend some time with the Afghans.

Throughout the mission I was constantly reminded of how blessed we are back home and how much we truly have been given. Honestly, we have so much. I don’t care how rich or poor you are. Each of us have so many blessings, opportunities and gifts--things we probably don’t even recognize or express our gratitude for. A few patients made a particularly strong impression and reminded me to be more grateful for what I have been given in my life.

First was the old man who has become so weak that he can no longer walk. His son carries him on his back so that he can occasionally leave his sick bed. There is no wheel chair. There is no walker. Just a loving and devoted son who lifts his father on his back and takes him where he needs to go.

Second was the father who brought his four year old to us and asked why this child wasn’t able to learn things or speak as well as his other son. This man did not realize that his son had Down Syndrome. Imagine having a child that is “different” but never really understanding why or what could be done to help him.

Third was a 70 year old farmer. This kind old man’s only complaint was that his feet were sore. When I saw his feet, worn and calloused, I immediately understood why they were sore. These were not the feet of a man who was spending his “retirement” on the golf course or behind the wheel of an RV. Rather they were the feet of a man, in the twilight of his life, working in the Herati fields, trying to support himself and his family.

I’m convinced that my Afghan patients today did much more for me than I did for them. They reminded me to be grateful. They reminded me to remember what truly matters in life. They reminded me to reach out and help those of my brothers and sisters in this world who are in need. I pray that it is a lesson I will never forget.

Day 344: A Travelogue

Well I finally completed my journey from Utah back to Herat last night. It was a long four day trip. I thought some might be interested in the travelogue.

On Tuesday, the 28th I left Salt Lake and flew to Dallas. The Army likes us to be in uniform for these trips which actually ended up helping me in two ways. First, the airlines, upon seeing my uniform, automatically upgraded me to a first class seat. The comfy seat and the warm breakfast on the plane were definitely a bonus. Second, because I was military and deploying, my family was able to go through security with me and say goodbye at the gate. It was fun to have them close for a few minutes longer and reminded me of how nice it was pre 9/11 to be able to join people up at the gate.

The flight to Dallas was only a few hours long and upon arrival I checked in along with about 250 other service members at the military terminal. Our bags were checked and we were given boarding passes for the next leg of the journey--Germany. The flight from the States back to “theater” is always done on chartered planes rather than regular commercial flights. They are actually pretty nice flights. They feed you well and show you lots of movies. The major downside to the flight is that it is long. Our flight from Dallas to Germany was just over 10 hours long. The picture below is taken as the sun is about to rise somewhere over the Atlantic.

Once we landed in Germany we had a few hour layover before our chartered plane again took off and we headed to Kuwait. This flight was a short one--only six hours. Flying into Kuwait City was actually pretty interesting and I was impressed by the size and modern appearance of this city. I guess that is what you get when you put a whole bunch of oil in a small little country. Once in Kuwait, we were put on buses and moved from the civilian airport to a military airport about an hour away.

When we finally made it to the military base in Kuwait, we were subjected to a few briefings, given back our body armor, and then told that our flight to Bagram (the main base in Afghanistan) was going to leave in a few hours. So instead of jumping into bed for a little rest, we had to wait around for another flight.

The flight from Kuwait to Bagram was on a military plane called a C-17. This is a large jet engine cargo plane. Some regular type airline seats were placed in the cargo bay allowing us to have a place to sit. Because we were entering back into the battle space on this flight, we were required to wear our body armor. Now I have a hard enough time sleeping on planes in regular clothes. So adding in body armor didn’t help me much in my attempt to catch up on some sleep during this four hour flight

Finally, after 48 hours of travel, we finally had reached Afghanistan as we landed in Bagram. I was anticipating at this point that I would be taking a day or two rest while awaiting a flight back to Herat. However, after learning that no flights to Herat were available out of Bagram for several days, a few of us decided to catch a flight down to the south of the country in hopes that we would make it home quicker. So we waited 2 hours and then caught a flight down to Taliban country--Kandahar.

Kandahar was actually quite nice. I was traveling with four other officers and we were lucky enough to be given temporary lodging in the “distinguished visitor” section. This basically meant that I only had to share a room with 3 other people instead of a tent with 100 people. I also had access to indoor bathroom facilities which is always a plus out here. It was finally in Kandahar that I was able to lay down in a bed and get some rest. Once I finally laid down I slept for over 12 straight hours. It felt good.

We were stuck in Kandahar for only two days and it ended up being a good chance to catch up on some sleep and relax a little. The base was like most out here--dusty and crowded. However, overall it was a relatively nice place and turned out to be a good pit stop prior to our final push home.

Yesterday afternoon, the journey neared completion as we boarded an Italian flight that was to take us back to Herat. This final flight was perhaps the most exciting of the whole trip due to all of the turbulence. One Italian guy got a little sick after hitting one to many bumps and threw up. This subsequently caused a chain reaction of people vomiting on the plane. It was pretty exciting. Luckily I was able to keep my lunch down.

Finally, last night around 7PM I arrived back in Herat and after a short 7 mile convoy I was back at Camp Stone. After four days of travel, which took me half way across the world, I was finally back “home”. It was an interesting journey and luckily one I only have to repeat one more time.