Day 250: 250 Gray Hairs

I’ve decided to start growing my hair out a little so it will be a little more “normal” when I come home for leave in April. Today, I was looking at it in the mirror when I discovered that the “few” gray hairs I knew about before I left for this deployment had suddenly multiplied into “many” gray hairs. I’m not kidding, there were a lot of them. I started counting and before I knew it I was up to 250 new gray hairs. I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure all 250 of these guys have cropped up since I left home. Let me tell you the history behind a few of them.

#1: I can tell by the most scientific hair dating technology that I have access to here in Afghanistan, that this one erupted on May 26, 2008--the day I left home.


#8: This one showed up after standing for several hours in a hallway of a building on Ft. Riley as tornado sirens screamed in the background and a giant hail storm pounded down upon us.


#22: Learning how to operate and troubleshoot military radios have been known to cause premature graying...hence hair #22.


#31: Driving an uparmored humvee for the first time...in the rain...no headlights...and only night vision goggles to guide me.


#50: I’m pretty sure this sorry excuse for a mustache caused another gray hair to sympathetically sprout on top of my head.


#62: Long days on the range, full “battle rattle”, and 100+ degree weather.


#85: This one should be obvious!


#95: You would think that stepping off a plane for the first time into a combat zone with security all around, helicopters roaming the sky, etc., would add several new gray hairs. However, I am pretty sure only one new one showed up.


#105: First real convoy in Herat...the anticipation, the nerves, the excitement...led to 105.


#145: Hair number 145 can be traced back to this uncomfortable bed, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it contributed to a few others. Does anyone have one of those egg crate cushion things?


#152-174: Thirty plus rolls of TP, countless Sudafed tablets, a nasty ear infection. Yes, the three week cold that I never thought would end has singlehandedly contributed more to my premature graying than any other event.


#185: Allowing the Afghans to use me as a pin cushion.


#200: Looking out the window of an airplane and realizing that this plane was not taking me home to my beautiful wife and kids, but rather returning me to a cold B-hut and outdoor plumbing.


#220: This one is due to spending several weeks living out of a bag while traveling the Herat countryside.


#250: This last one popped up this afternoon after sitting (or rather being bounced around) in the back of one of our safe but noticeably lacking in suspension uparmored cougars as we drove down an unpaved, bumpy Afghan road.


250 days now away from home and 250 gray hairs to show for the experience. I will admit that acquiring this new tint to my hair has been painful at times. However, for every difficulty, there has been a lesson learned. For every challenge, there has been an increased reliance upon One wiser than myself. For every moment of loneliness, there has been an increased appreciation and love for those waiting for me back home. Without the “gray hairs” in life we would never learn and never grow. I didn’t ask for a head full of gray--no one does. However, I know that a loving Father gave me every one for my own good and my own progression. As I trust in Him and allow him to color my life with those experiences that only He knows that I need, my life will be blessed, my family will prosper, and ultimately I will find true happiness.

By the way, only 202 more gray hairs to go until I am back home!

Day 249: Piggyback Rides

Some days it seems all I do is sit at a computer. You know the routine...read an email message...delete it...read another...go get a cup of hot chocolate...read another email...make a phone call...work on a presentation...read another email. It can make for pretty long, uneventful days. This morning was one of those painfully slow and unexciting mornings.

So this afternoon I got away from the computer and went over to help out in our medic class. We brought over a tactical ambulance, gave the students a tour, and then taught them how to transport patients on stretchers. After the students all practiced their litter bearing techniques, we decided to teach them some different ways to carry injured patients--fireman’s lift, chair lift, etc. The students all had a fun time with this activity--especially when they got a chance to give the Americans a ride. Luckily no one was dropped or otherwise injured. It was nice for the students to get a break away from the classroom. Similarly, it was nice for me to finally get a break from that never ending string of emails.

Day 248: A Cat Named Cat

Camp Stone has very little vegetation. In fact, the picture below shows myself and our regional medical director posing today in front of the only bush on all of Camp Stone. In contrast, the ANA base which is right next to us, has trees, flowers, and gardens. The Afghans, although they live in a very barren, dry, land, take great pride in beautifying it the best that they can. I am always impressed as I leave our camp and go downtown by how many Afghans I see out planting trees, bushes, flowers, etc. Interestingly, a very common male name here is “gul” which means flower. I think it says a lot about the good Afghan people that they see and treasure the beauty that surrounds them. In a country where the people have so little, they find joy in the blessings which God has given to them.


Besides meeting today with our medical director, I went over to our medic class and spent some time with the students. They are a good group of guys who are excited by the opportunity they have to learn and grow. They recently adopted a class mascot who they have creatively named “cat” (apparently they don’t name pets here). You will see “cat” in my arms in the class photo below.

I always enjoy the days when I am able to get out and work with the people I have come this long way to serve. The Afghans are a good, hard working, God-fearing people who I have come to respect and admire. I hope their country can finally find the peace and stability that is so long overdue and that the people will find some measure of happiness and prosperity.

Day 246: A Quick Update

Okay, I know lately I haven’t been writing as frequently as I had in the past. Perhaps, it’s because I am a little lazy or experiencing a little “blogger fatigue.” Perhaps it is because every day seems like groundhog’s day and I struggle to find new things to talk about. Perhaps, it is because there has been a lack of excitement lately around here...at least compared to my good friend Mike. The honest answer is probably a combination of all of the above. However, because I do have some faithful readers out there (at least my mom and my wife), let me give you a quick update on life here in Herat.

1) Afghan service project: Thanks again to all who have contributed. I have received many boxes already. Some I have already given to our humanitarian aid mentors for immediate distribution. Some of the supplies I am distributing myself. For example last week I met a lady whose house burned down. I am sending some of your donations to help provide needed clothing for herself, her 5 year old daughter and 3 year old son. A bulk of the donations are still being packed up by Sue and will hopefully be here shortly. I hope to go out and help distribute some of the school supplies and other donations as opportunities arise. As I do, I will let you know of my experiences and will post pictures.


2) My job: Other than a few short day trips, I have mostly been staying on Camp Stone the past few weeks. Consequently, I have no interesting pictures of camels or crowded streets or overloaded motorcycles. The work of developing the Afghan police medical system is progressing...albeit painfully slow at times. It is amazing how difficult even minor projects are to complete. I will keep pressing forward knowing that I may not see all the fruits of my labors. One area where we are seeing good progress is with our training classes. We will soon be graduating our first class of 25 medics--something people never thought would happen in Herat.

3) Working out: Other than Sundays, I work out for 1-2 hours every day. I usually mix up my cardio workouts between the treadmill, elliptical and stationary bike. When on the treadmill I try to go at least 5 miles. My farthest run to date has been 10 miles. I still have a way to go until I am in marathon shape, but again I am making some progress. One note on the no treat tracker...I think it is broken. It has been stuck on 2 for weeks now. Not sure why...I’ll leave it up to your imagination on how I am doing.

4) Security in the area: Some people have asked me if I am safe and how the security is where I am. I want to reassure any who may be worried, that I am safe and that I plan on continuing to stay safe. It is Afghanistan and bad things do happen at times--even occasionally in Herat. However, I can honestly say I have never been shot at or had a convoy I have been riding in attacked. We take safety pretty seriously here and take the necessary precautions to assure that when we go out, we all come home! By the way, we just received these new ambulances to help us pick up and transport casualties if the need ever arises. I jumped in one for the first time today and was impressed by the size and armor on these things. It almost feels like you are driving around in a monster truck. Again, just another way the Army is trying to help us stay safe.


Other than that, not much else is going on. The highlight of each day is of course getting up in the morning and calling home and talking to Sue and the little munchkins. Luckily, I usually get to end my day in a similar fashion. It is also nice to talk to some of you out there when occasion permits. Thanks again to all of you for your support, friendship, and prayers. I appreciate it!

Day 242: Hot Chocolate

Every where you go in Afghanistan, no matter who it is you meet, you will be offered a cup of chai or tea at some point during the encounter. Actually, you will probably be offered multiple cups of tea. Afghans live off this stuff. They have chai for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everywhere in between.

So what do you do if you don’t drink tea? As most of you probably know, in my religion we have a health code called “the word of wisdom” in which we avoid alcohol, tobacco, tea, coffee and illegal drugs. Consequently, every time I meet someone for the first time I have to quickly tell them that I don’t drink chai. It actually is usually well received by my Afghan counterparts. It almost always leads into a discussion about some of the shared beliefs between my faith and Islam--avoiding alcohol, abstinence before marriage and fidelity afterwards, giving contributions to the poor, dressing modestly, fasting, etc. The Afghans always seem to be impressed that many of our beliefs are similar.

Well, today I had a few of my Border Police colleagues over for a meeting at Camp Stone. After explaining to them that I didn’t drink chai, I asked them if they wanted to try some hot chocolate. Most of the Afghans have never tried hot chocolate before. I have introduced several Afghans, including my interpreter Shafiq, to hot chocolate. Most seem to like it--I mean really how could you not like hot cocoa? These guys unfortunately were a little more wary of this new hot beverage and didn’t want to try it. They were like kids who don’t want to try a new food, just because it is new. So during our meeting I sipped hot chocolate while they had chai.

If only they knew what they were missing...I’m sure they probably thought the same thing about me.

Day 240: The Burkha

I grew up in a family of five brothers and no sisters. Consequently, I never really learned much about women. Sure, I learned some from interacting with the girls at school, watching how women acted on TV, and of course my mom was always around. However, living in a generally testosterone dominated home, I never truly grasped the subtleties and mysteries of women. I was (and Sue would probably argue that I still am) pretty clueless in the ways of the double X chromosome.

It wasn’t until I was married that I realized an important and life changing fact--women are different than men. Ground breaking discovery I know. One of the first and most important lessons I learned about women was that their preparation to leave the home is different than the average man’s preparation. I thought you just jumped in and out of the shower, quickly brushed your teeth, and maybe, if time allowed, ran a comb through your hair. Usually no more than five minutes were required. Little did I know that there are many more fine details and intricacies involved in making yourself presentable to the outside world. There is eyebrow plucking, make-up application, hair (we won’t even go into all the components of preparing the hair), moisturizing and don’t forget analyzing every square centimeter of exposed skin with a magnifying mirror. Then of course, different outfits and shoe combinations have to be tried until just the right mixture is discovered. Also, I learned that there is something that still exists called ironing--I had heard of it before but thought the practice had become extinct after the days of the pioneers. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to say by this that Sue is a high maintenance woman. She is actually very down to earth and sensible and did I mention beautiful (how was that for a good save?). I am only trying to make the point that a few extra minutes of preparation are generally needed for the average lady to prepare herself to go out.

Well, by now you are asking yourself what this rambling post has to do with Afghanistan. I will try to explain. Ever since I have been here, I have noticed women in blue burkhas (I’m not sure why they are blue...although it is my favorite color).


Anyway, these coverings are put on by many women when they are outside of their homes. They cover from the top of the head down to the toes, with only a small opening at the eyes from which they can catch a glimpse of the world around them. During the time of the Taliban, burkhas were required of all women when they were out in public. Now they are optional, but still surprisingly common. I had always viewed the burkha as an oppressive article of clothing, created by men and forced upon women as a way to yield power and dominion over them. But now my opinion has changed...at least a little. As I have been reading A Thousand Splendid Suns (a story about two women who lived in Afghanistan before and during the time of the Taliban) I have been interested by the women and their reactions to wearing the burkha. In both cases, they at first hated the idea of donning this piece of clothing that their husbands forced them to wear. However, as time passed, they both discovered that they preferred the cover offered by their burkha. With the burkha on, they were able to go out among others in a discreet way, avoiding the gaze of onlookers and not having to worry about their appearance or the expressions on their faces. In a sense they are able to be out among the world, but still in a way were invisible to it. It is kind of like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings--you put on the ring (or burkha in this case) and suddenly you are invisible to everyone else (although I guess the ring “called” all kinds of bad, scary guys to Frodo--okay bad example).

Anyway, the point is that a burkha can offer some advantages to women...even to those of you back home. Have you ever had a bad hair day? Have you ever had a zit that the concealer didn’t quite cover adequately? Have you ever run out of time to put on make-up? Have you ever had a run in your panty hose (actually with a burkha you would never even have to wear panty hose again)? Have you ever been in Wal-Mart and suddenly seen an old high school “friend” that you had hoped you would never run into again? Has your husband ever been waiting “patiently” for you out in the car on the day of the big game? With the burkha, these things are no longer a problem. You just throw on the blue beauty when it is time to go and you are gone. Everyone is a winner. You are happy and of course your husband will be happy that you are always ready to go in a moments notice (not that this is about us men...this is all for you ladies). Sure Disneyland or the beach may not be quite as fun in a burkha...but at least you won’t get sunburned (yet another advantage of the burkha).


So to any of you out there who may be interested (or anyone who actually finished this long, scatter-brained post), I probably could get you a good deal on a blue piece of clothing that could revolutionize your life and revitalize your marriage. Let me know if you need one.

And to think I used to not understand women...those days are obviously long gone.

Day 237: Looking To The Future

A few days ago, as I was driving in downtown Herat, we passed the boy in the picture below. We came storming by him, five up-armored humvees, gun’s in the turrets, horns honking to move people out of the way in front of us. Driving downtown is always interesting because of all the objects that crowd the road in front of you--women in burkhas, cars driving by, motorcycles with three or more people on them, donkeys pulling carts, and an occasional camel. It is preferred to drive quickly to avoid becoming a target although you have to balance that speed with the risk of hitting something or worse someone.


Anyway, back to this boy. I am always curious about what others think about us, the coalition, as we drive by them in the streets. Of course, the most common reaction is a wave or a thumbs up (mostly by the kids) or just a dismissive look as yet another American convoy rolls past them. Rarely, we see someone who truly looks unhappy for us to be there and every once in a while someone (again, usually a kid) throws a rock at our vehicles (although this is preferred over the alternative). I’m not sure what to think of the boy in this particular picture. He has a pretty neutral look to him--not really happy to see us although he doesn’t look particularly upset that we are there either. For probably half his life he has gotten used to our noisy vehicles roaming his streets. The other half of his life was spent as a little boy watching the Taliban control and terrorize his city. Hopefully, as he grows he will come to appreciate what we are trying to do for him, his family and his country.


There is often criticism of how the war in Afghanistan is being fought. I have to admit that it hasn’t been run perfectly and mistakes have been and will probably continue to be made on our end. However, there is one thing that I am sure of...and that is that on a daily basis, coalition members are sacrificing and working to make Afghanistan a better place. We all get frustrated at the setbacks and the slow pace at which progress comes here. It is amazing the roadblocks on both the American and Afghan sides that impede progress. However, I can honestly say that the American, Spanish, and Italian troops I work with on a daily basis want the same thing. They want to leave Afghanistan a safer and better place than they found it. They want the people to finally find some measure of peace and some sense of order in their lives. They want this boy, to one day be able to find a good job, raise a family, and feel safe as he walks the streets of his Herat.

Day 236: A Tragic Accident

Yesterday, the Afghan National Army regional commander, General Sayar, and several of his top advisers were killed in an accidental helicopter crash south of Herat. After the news arrived, I spent several hours over at the hospital awaiting in case any survivors were discovered. It was pretty somber to see the hospital workers loading up a truck with wooden caskets and all the ambulances heading out to recover the bodies. Ultimately, no survivors were found--leaving a total of 13 people dead in the accident. The Taliban of course tried to claim that they had shot down the helicopter, but it really looks like a weather related accident.

I had met General Sayar only one time. About three month ago, I went to his office and discussed a proposal to bring medical training to his troops. He was a gracious host and was receptive to my proposal. At the time it was pretty impressive to meet with the top General in all of Western Afghanistan. It is an unfortunate and tragic loss and I hope his family, his soldiers, and his fellow Afghans are comforted at this difficult time.

Day 234: Sloppy Dogs

Have you ever had an idea that you were sure was going to make you a multi-millionaire? My brother Jeff always seems to be coming up with plans or schemes that he is sure will help him “hit the jackpot”. His ideas have been numerous and at times creative. My favorite of course was his plan to open up a business selling “sloppy dogs”. A sloppy dog is basically a sloppy joe in a hot dog bun--I think. My brothers and I have never quite understood the sloppy dog and it has been more of a joke among us than anything we have ever taken seriously. Although, we probably should be careful. All famous entrepreneurs have had their skeptics--and now they are laughing all the way to the bank!

Sue also has a plan to hit the big time. Her plan has nothing to do with sloppy dogs. Rather, she has an invention that she is sure will revolutionize the world. I probably shouldn’t mention it in a public forum like this as someone may try to steal her idea. However, for all you out reading this post, consider the following idea patented and protected by copyright. We have a patent lawyer in the family who we may have to employ if anyone tries to copy Sue’s brilliant plan. Anyway, Sue’s idea is to create a call button, that when pushed, will ring a buzzer on a remote control--thus allowing you to find a missing remote. For example, let’s say you lose the TV remote and need to find it fast because the new episode of American Idol is starting in the next five minutes. No problem...you push the call button and whoalla, your remote beeps and informs you of its hidden location. This is especially attractive to those with toddlers in the home who love to take the remote, play with it, and then deposit it at the bottom of a pile of toys. It is much the same idea as the call button you push to locate your cordless phone.

I have often thought of Sue’s idea since I have been in Afghanistan. Her idea could be applied to one widely found object here--the heating and air conditioning units. The picture below shows the hallway of the B-hut where I live (kind of looks like prison doesn’t it). At the end of the hallway, above the door you will see the air conditioning/heating unit. These things actually work pretty well. However, they can only be controlled by remote control. That’s right, if you lose your remote you are stuck...there is no way to change the temperature. There have been a few times, when it was really cold out, that we have been unable to turn up the heat because the remote has gone missing. In those moments, what I wouldn’t have given to have simply pushed a button and then let my sense of hearing guide me to the missing remote.

I’m not sure it is a million dollar idea, but who knows we might be able to make a little money doing this. So maybe after this deployment is over, I will pack up the family and bring them back to Afghanistan and we will start up a “air conditioner remote control buzzer finding business.” I guess if it doesn’t work out we could always sell sloppy dogs.

Day 230: On the News

Here is a nice story about our Afghan Children Project that so many of you helped to make successful. Thanks for all of your efforts.

I will hopefully be able to get out soon and help deliver the items you have donated. Stay tuned for pictures and updates as they become available.

**UPDATE: Several people have inquired about donating to the project in order to help with some of the shipping costs. I have added a donate button at the top of my blog for those who want to help. The button takes you to a secure link where you can donate through PayPal.