DAY 4: The Edge of the Earth

Tue, 30 August 2005

Oh Dark Hundred
This time I have my sweatshirt and I stay warm enough for the second leg. I’m not tired, so I have a good chat with our flight doc and start reading my magazines that I brought: “The Economist”, “Astronomy” and “Explore the Universe”. Okay, so my fellow super macho military members are reading the likes of “Soldier of Fortune” and “Maxim”, while I’m reading geeky stuff that pertains to global events and the solar system. But hey – to each his or her own, right? Finally, after a 7-hour journey of continent hopping, we land at Manas, Kyrgyzstan at 3am. I’m sure you’re asking, “Where in the heck is this place?” Manas is Bishkek’s (the capital) airport and Kyrgyzstan was once a former Soviet republic that borders China. Yes, I believe I’ve landed on the edge of earth…

Local time: +13 hours ahead of California time

Loggies
As Logistics Readiness Officers, we’re also affectionally known as “loggies”. Our job is to get people and cargo from one point to another. Sounds simple until you have to deal with the numerous exceptions to the rule, the many changes, the required documentation for the troops, and the tons of cargo to be prepped and shipped. So, before we even reach Afghanistan I’ve already started working to get us airlift from Manas into our final destination. Our folks check into lodging and I drop my bags but head right out to the Passenger (Pax) Terminal to find the outbound schedule. Cool, there’s a flight scheduled within 6 hours of our arrival. A few minutes later, we check back only to find that we’ve been bumped because the airman who check us in didn’t realize another group had a higher priority. Okay, another mission comes up…then a few minutes later, it disappears. So, this is going to be a tougher challenge than I thought. Finally, we get some dedicated airlift, but there’s only room for two-thirds of our group. I discuss the options with my troop commander and we agree to split the group in two; he would go ahead with the main body, while I would stay back and get the remaining group airlift later in the day.

Manas
So the first group (Chalk 1) departs and the rest of us stay back and relax. None of us had much sleep since leaving England, and it was not about to change since we’re now in broad daylight at Manas. Manas is an interesting spot – it’s officially known as the “Gateway to OEF” as it is the stepping off point for the troops as they head to various undisclosed locations in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.

Dosey doe, and Away we don’t go
While my crew (Chalk 2) is waiting, I check the Recreation Tent out and purchase a beer. It’s our last chance for alcohol, so I order some Russian looking product that’s only $2. Interesting flavor, and as I sip on it, the bus returns – only the Chalk 1 folks are on it! We laugh as they return and then await a couple of more hours. This time, both chalks board buses and head back out to the tarmac. We sit…then sit…then sit. Okay, Chalk 1’s plane is still having problems, and now ours is down for maintenance as well – ugh. So, back to the Pax Terminal and to wait some more. Finally, a few hours later I’m about to make a command decision. My folks have been waiting for 11 hours and most of us have been up for over 24 hours with little or no sleep. At the 12 hour mark, I was calling it quits for the day. But, by some strange luck Chalk 2 gets called up at the 11:40 mark. So, we say bye to Chalk 1, then head out. Only this time we take off! So, now Chalk 1 is stuck in Manas and will have to await another day before getting out.

Afghanistan, here we come
In the C-130, it’s cramped. I’m fortunate enough to sit near a porthole and peer out over the landscape as we leave Manas and fly over Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan and finally Afghanistan. Snow-covered high mountains dominate the early terrain, giving way to lower mountains and a dark-brown landscape. We finally land at our destination around 5:30pm. It’s hot as hell and the sky is filled with dust and haze…welcome to Afghanistan! We in-process then attend some newcomer meetings. Finally, after staying up for 36 hours straight, I crash…it’s a hard crash and zzzzzzz’s galore.

Local time: +11.5 hours ahead of California time