# 100 Days of Wind and other tidbits.



## Mike Barham (Mar 30, 2006)

I wrote this in my blog, but thought I'd post it here, too. Hope everyone enjoys a little taste of Afghanistan!

*100 Days of Wind*

About two weeks ago, one of the local contractors told me we are in the so-called "100 Days of Wind." This basin in which Bagram is located is pretty much a dust bowl, though some (Afghans) claim it used to be some verdant valley full of agriculture before the Soviets came. I am not sure I believe that, since the locals aren't known for their veracity. Anyway, when the wind kicks up in here, which is daily right now, it's something awful. Sheets of dust blow for long minutes and coat everything. Everyone's eyes are red and swollen, the PX can't keep Visine in stock, weapons are constantly dirty, and uniforms have to be banged out like throw rugs every night.

The plus side, if there is one, is that the winds keep the place from getting too hot. It has seldom climbed over 100F here yet, which is much better than some of the FOBs, one of which has already supposedly reached a high of 136F.

*Funny Tan*

I have this funny tan. My face is tan, as expected. But of my body, only my hands are tan. Imagine a tan line at your wristwatch, with a white arm! I guess this is a Soldier's Tan, as opposed to a Farmer's Tan. I wear gloves a lot - when lifting/loading cargo, when I go outside the wire, and any time I might have to touch a local. I guess it hasn't prevented this odd color combination, though. I complained about it to my friend SGT Antal, but being that he's black, he just didn't empathize.

*Shifty Hajis - nothing works, including the people*

We variously call the locals "shifty" or "shady." They are without a doubt, as a group, among the laziest people I have ever seen. If there is an excuse to take a break from work, or quit early, they will find it. A typical Afghan "workday" starts at 10AM (even if it was supposed to start at 8AM), breaks for lunch from 1130AM to 1PM, and lasts until maybe 3PM. It's no wonder this country is in such a state of disrepair! I have little confidence these people can ever work hard enough to have a real nation, rather than just a forgotten Third World backwater.

If there is a possibility of getting something - anything - for free, they will not stop asking for it until they get it or you get VERY harsh with them. My partner and I took a little trip outside the wire the other day, and as usual, some local teen street rats surrounded us, trying to sell us things - food, canned soda, pirated DVDs, watches, sunglasses. We didn't buy anything, so then they begged us for a "gift" of a dollar, which we also refused. There's no way in hell I am giving money to someone who hasn't done any work.

The local kids love ink pens for some reason, and our uniforms have little sleeve pockets for pens. They asked my partner for his pens and he refused. Three of these teens started pawing at him, trying to pull the pens off his sleeve. He tried to fend them off without hurting them, and he's a pretty soft-spoken guy who really does believe in being pleasant to the locals. But they were persistent, and I stepped over to the little crowd, fully prepared to hit these street rats with the butt of my rifle. Locals generally know they should NOT lay their hands on a US soldier, and I couldn't believe these filthy little street rats were accosting my friend.

Fortunately, another soldier got to the fray before I did. He actually knew the street rats, and got them off my buddy before I had to whack them with my rifle. Now, of course, we will never buy a damn thing from these little creatures.

*Miss Children*

One of the things I miss about America is real children. The culture of poverty here kills the childhood in Afghan kids. The boys are all 13 going on 40. They will lie, cheat, steal, and rip you off if given half the chance (you can say the same about most of the grown men here). They are often cunning and streetwise, if not actually smart, and usually speak at least passable English. But they aren't kids. Some of them attend school on an irregular basis, some not at all - which does not bode well for the future of this country.

I have seen a few little girls here, and at first I thought they'd be more like children, especially when I saw one walking around with an English copy of "The Cat in the Hat." Alas, the same little girl tried to sell me a scarf a few minutes later. The Afghans segregate and "protect" their girls, evidently, unless the girls can make them a buck.

You never see the boys and girls together. My guess is that the local school is segregated by sex, and the girls attend school in the morning and the boys in the afternoon. While it is good that they attend school, I find myself in the unenviable position of being the father of a wonderful daughter, yet I am helping to put back together a country and culture that treats girls and women as complete inferiors. In that respect, the mission here seems at odds with American values of equality. I often wonder what the Afghans think of the many excellent female soldiers who serve here.

*The Bazaar*

There's a bazaar here on Fridays. This is a new development, since the bazaar had been cancelled following the suicide bombing at the gate prior to my arrival here. The bazaar is basically useless, however. Every stall is a variation on the same theme: pirated DVD movies, cheap knockoff Oakley sunglasses, tacky jewelry, various ugly trinkets, and made-in-China chess sets. Oh, and ugly Persian rugs, of course.

*Care Packages from Patriots*

I am a lucky guy. I have a support network back home of family, friends, and colleagues. I get more care packages than just about anyone here. Lots of guys get little or nothing. I posted about this on a forum I frequent, handgunforum.net. The patriots there stepped forward with incredible generosity, and took care of nine or ten soldiers who get no packages from home. These guys on the forum are amazing! They don't know me except as a name on a monitor, yet still they came forward, five years into a drawn-out little war, and gave. Makes me proud to be an American!

*Pet Peeve: Dangling!*

Trained gun enthusiasts would be appalled by the amount of rifle "dangling" I see here. Dangling means holding your rifle by the pistol grip at the end of an extended arm, and just sort of walking around that way. Rifles should be slung if not in the firing position. Anything else is unsafe and exceedingly unprofessional. At least their fingers aren't usually on the triggers.

*Toby Keith*

Country singer Toby Keith came to Bagram Friday night. He played for about an hour and a quarter, and put on a great show. It was a little stripped-down compared to the two other times I've seen him in the States, with a smaller band and none of the fancy lights and such. But it was great to see someone of his stature come here, and say thanks to the military people here. He also went to four smaller FOBs, where they got a very personal show and even got to shake hands with Toby! Good for him!

The thing that stands out was how humble Toby was, compared to the other times I've seen him, and his normal stage persona. He usually comes across as a little cocky, maybe even arrogant - to the point where I have almost disliked him the last few years. But here he was kind, and went out of his way to mention - many times over - how much he cared about soldiers and how much he appreciated and respected what we are doing here.

He ran through a bunch of his hits, interspersed with short stories about how one song came to be, or about how his father was a soldier. He played a few new songs, but I think he was conscious of the fact that only the most ardent of his fans would have heard anything from his new CD, just released in the States. Mainly he stuck to old reliables like _Who's Your Daddy, I Love This Bar, How Do You Like Me Now?_ and such, along with the funny _Taliban Song_. I was mildly disappointed he didn't play _Should've Been a Cowboy_, my favorite TK song.

But he more than made up for it with a _very_ heartfelt and moving rendition of _American Soldier_. Toby was blinking back tears as he sang. Being surrounded by American soldier, sailors, airmen and Marines while a patriotic American - playing for free because he cares - sang that song was one of the most touching experiences of my life. At the end of the song, Toby stood at attention before us all and rendered a salute. I was moved, and still am, even as I write this days later.

Toby's encore was, of course, _The Angry American_. No show here would have been complete without it. It was rousing, with thousands of us (clad in combat boots) screaming along about putting boots in asses and shaking our fists (_&#8230;and the Statue of Liberty started shakin' her fist&#8230;_) with F15 Eagles (_&#8230;and the eagle will fly&#8230;_) sitting on the flight line behind us. Mother Freedom was indeed ringing her bell when Toby played that song for us.

*"Combat Patches"*

After thirty days in country, soldiers are authorized what is commonly called a "combat patch." This is a unit shoulder insignia worn on the right arm, as opposed to the Combat Infantryman's Badge or Combat Action Badge, worn on the left breast. "Combat patch" is something of a misnomer, since you don't have to see combat to wear one, unlike the CIB or CAB. It's actually a "wartime service patch." Mine is the 29th Infantry Brigade out of Hawaii.

Anyway, as they say, "real soldiers have a combat patch." I guess I'm a "real soldier" now - for whatever that's worth.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

Mike don't sell yourself short as all men/women who serve are the best we got. You say for what ever that's worth. I'll tell you what it's worth. My familys freedom is what it's worth. Our great country would be no more than a dust bowl just like where your at if we didn't have our men/women of the military.
Thanks for the update about life in a dust bin. We're with you 100%. Thanks be to all who serve and I thank God for them every day.


----------

