Odds and Ends

There have been several interesting things that have happened to me since I have been here that are not big enough for a post so I am going to put them together.

I tend to spend a lot of my free time around the flight line. It is one of those scenarios where you can become entranced with watching the helicopters and planes take off and land. If you haven’t had the fortune of seeing this with the military then you are really missing out. It sends chills up my spine every time I see one coming in or leaving with guys who are ready to make a sacrifice that 99% of the world wouldn’t make. Nevertheless, one day I was driving by and I was talking to the other DLA rep, Eric. All of a sudden I hear a noise and Eric says, “Oh shit, look out.” I had just enough time to turn and look before it was over. An Apache Longbow (the helicopter in the picture above) just took off hot (really fast) and it was about 30 feet above us. I almost had to change my pants. It was one of the coolest things that I have ever seen/felt.

Another time I was over at the flight line getting ready to pick someone up. I walked into the terminal to check the flight status and there were 9 detainees that were handcuffed, shackled and there were black bags were over their head. Immediately next to each detainee were two heavily armed Marines. Seriously, I have never felt safer in my life while being so close to terrorists. Okay, suspected terrorists. This is America after all. I definitely may have uttered a few negative things that were directed their way. You could tell they understood enough because the Marines asked us to stop after a few phrases. They were smiling when they said it though. I chatted with the OIC (officer in charge) and he gave me some intel on the situation after he verified my clearance. It was the first time that I have been told classified information that I actually thought should be classified.

I smoke a cigar each Sunday and in order to do so, I have to go to the smoke shack. Since that basically makes me feel scummy (sorry to any smokers), I stand right next to it. Most nights around here will bring out someone with a guitar and they mostly like to congregate around the smoke shack. One particular night they also brought out a guy with some bongos. After about 20 minutes of listening to this individual butcher a few songs, I told him he was no longer allowed to play them unless he did it correctly. After a few obscenities were uttered, he let me show him how to play them. Once upon a time, I was a band geek…but I played drums. That gave me street cred back in the day. Anyway, so I should this Marine how to actually play them. Please note if your hands hurt, then you are playing them incorrectly. After another song, the guitarist asked me if I wanted to join in. Why not? So I did. I got to jam to a few songs and I left before I overstayed my welcome. Now every time I walk by, he asks if I want to join in.

Being out here means that work and personal time are blurred. We talk about work at the wrong times and share war stories at inappropriate times. Fun times in Afghanistan. One night at chow, Eric and I were talking about some difficulties we were/are encountering in getting MRAP and MATV parts in. Side note, MRAP = Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle and MATV is MRAP all terrain vehicle…these save our troops lives every day. If I was paying attention a little bit more, I would have noticed that a couple of Marine Corps Generals were walking by and sat behind us at the VIP table (a one star and a two star). After a few minutes they overheard what we were talking about and stopped us on our way out. They inquired about whom we worked for and wanted some intel on what issues we were encountering. I have never briefed a General before but my problem with that particular vendor was solved within a day or two and I don’t think it because I killed them with kindness.