I’m finally in Afghanistan, but still another flight away from my final destination, and that flight would be 100% over Afghan soil with a 30 minute drive from the Kabul airport to the camp. I wasn’t so sure of doing all this extra traveling on 9/11. I know…I hear people saying that 9/11 would be the safest day to travel since everyone is at high alert…well, I didn’t want any part of it.
Luckly, I talked with the Air Force logistics officer at the Bagram airport and she was in agreement with me…oh, guess what here name was…Master Sergeant Jennifer Stout…as in stout beer…I knew she was the one person to understand me!
So…another night hanging out in a strange place. Luckly, MSgt Stout was there to take care of me, because she was able to get me a private room to sleep in. Of course, there was good news and bad news. The good news of course is the private room; the bad news is that I could check into the room at 1130PM and then had to be at the terminal at 5:30AM for an 8:30AM flight.
So, 2330 shower, 2400 sleep, 0500 alarm, 0530 terminal, 0600 drag 7 heavy bags from temporary storage to hanger for palleting, wait 2 hours in terminal (at least it’s Sunday night at home so there is football on), board plane (C-130) at 0800, take off at 0830, land at 0900.
Luckly, I talked with the Air Force logistics officer at the Bagram airport and she was in agreement with me…oh, guess what here name was…Master Sergeant Jennifer Stout…as in stout beer…I knew she was the one person to understand me!
So…another night hanging out in a strange place. Luckly, MSgt Stout was there to take care of me, because she was able to get me a private room to sleep in. Of course, there was good news and bad news. The good news of course is the private room; the bad news is that I could check into the room at 1130PM and then had to be at the terminal at 5:30AM for an 8:30AM flight.
So, 2330 shower, 2400 sleep, 0500 alarm, 0530 terminal, 0600 drag 7 heavy bags from temporary storage to hanger for palleting, wait 2 hours in terminal (at least it’s Sunday night at home so there is football on), board plane (C-130) at 0800, take off at 0830, land at 0900.
Sitting in back of C-130 getting ready to takeoff.
Looking out rear of C-130 before takeoff.
Kabul International Airport…now what. There is one phone in the terminal with a line, so I figure that I should get in the line as well. I need to call someone for a ride to Camp Eggers. Of course, I have already asked everyone standing around if they were going to Eggers, but no luck. After about 5 minutes in line someone walks up to the line and asks if Major Kail is here. HUH…someone knows me here?!? It winds up that people in my office had to make a run somewhere near the airport. They know I was coming in sometime today, but didn’t know exactly when, so they stopped at the airport to see if I was there yet. Twenty minutes later I was in the back seat of a truck getting my first taste of driving in Kabul. Check out the YouTube video I posted of driving through Kabul...and I thought New York City drivers were crazy. The video is over 6 minutes long, but it is kinda cool to see.
30 minutes later I make it to Camp Egger.
HOME SWEET HOME
HOME SWEET HOME
RSS Feed
