Op Herrick XV, Kandahar

I finally arrived in Afghan on Wednesday. I'll list my journey below.

Left Digby on the night of Monday the 3rd @ abt 2030 arriving at Brize abt 0000 - slept for 2 hrs at Gateway house until the morning call at 0330 Tues. Plane was due to take off at 0750!! We boarded the plane to Cyprus 1 hour late due to the acft being unable to be loaded due to 'technical difficulties'. Once at AK, Cyprus we were meant to stop for only 1hr 30 mins so we left all our kit on board. We then were told of 'technical difficulties' so had to wait before getting back on. once on we got kicked off again with our kit due to (yep you've guessed it) 'technical difficulties'. We then missed our slot in theatre so had to hang around longer even though the acft was fixed by then. We then got back on again packed away our kit, only to be kicked off AGAIN ....due to....etc etc. Finally 2 hours AFTER we would have landed in Bastion, we took off from Cyprus. (I was also very hungry at this point as they hadn't fed me since my b/fast at 1030am on the plane). We got to Bastion at 5 in the morning Weds local time. We were then informed that the Herc to Kandahar had a check in time of 1020am so transport was arranged for 10am. We were driven to a special little place for us special types for where we could get our heads down for a few hours. Unfortunately, we must have been pretty close to the 'outside' as I had a great (??!!) time listening to something kicking off outside of Bastion at about 6/7 am. Once I heard a fast jet fly over and an almighty 'THUD'.....it was all quiet. I got about 2 hrs sleep before getting up again for my flight to Kandahar. Since arriving in KAF it's been a bit of a blur. Lots to learn and already walked and got lost in many a direction. Last night, or should I say the wee hours of this morning was my first experience of what I thought was an IDF attack (mortar fired in our general direction) I think it was the initial 'THUD' that woke me up, then there was such a racket afterwards. Upon asking the girls what was up I discovered it was only specific elements using up ordinance before they landed. I was reassured that there was always a warning siren for rocket attacks. 

Needless to say, I'm a bit tired, lol, though according to the guys I work with I'll get used to only living on 4 hrs sleep a day - to which I replied, 'oh well, good thing I'm a Mum then - we're used to that!'.

All the facilities here are fine, as you would imagine, and certainly it's a whole different world. Life is completely different. It's officially day 2 for me now, and already I know I'm a different person out here. You think being on a huge place like this you're safe, but everyday you never know. Today I experienced a real IDF attack. Didn't hear a thing apart from the warning sirens. Saw the flames though when I walked through the camp but they were MILES away!!! Thankfully no one gets hurt (as such) as the alarm system is really good and we all dive for cover...........yes you would have laughed at me as I was slurping on a Snickers milkshake at the time :)

I've discovered that I've brought with me too much stuff I don't need and not enough of the things I do......it's just little things like cleaning wipes cos the dust here gets EVERYWHERE!!!! And I don't like snuggling up to the stuff at night :(

08-10-2011 Saturday

Working on a weekend?! Not since my shift days has this happened......................;)

Last night completely forgot I was in Afghanistan whilst watching a film on my laptop. Physically twitched with realisation I wasn't at home. This still only feels temporary at the moment, but on the same front I'm already developing the habit of picking up a bottle of water whenever I pass a crate of the stuff, and pocketing my ration of 2 tins a meal of Coke Cola, I'm planning my day with the knowledge of where the decent toilets are, and when the Internet Cabins are less busy. I also went to the gym this morning for the first time in a long while. Needless to say I'm blaming the altitude for my lack of stamina :)

I've also found myself checking the post at least once a day already. Perhaps it's just the reassurance that someone is thinking of me that I need. I'm most definitely trying to write as much as I can in order to perhaps receive mail back. The other side of that of course is trying not to think of home too much. Being a mother it was really hard to let go, and know that my boy will be alright without me. I know he is, which is another down side to this. On one side of the coin you want to be missed, needed, and everything not to be ok without you, but on the other side you need them to be strong for you, support you, and reassure you everything is ok even without us around. It's hard. It's the small things I miss already. My weekend morning cup of tea from Neil or Joseph to help get me out of bed in the morning. Waking up to a hug, and going to sleep with a hug. Checking on Joe before I go to bed, and turning him the right way up and pulling the covers up over him again. I miss watching the TV with my feet up on Neil, keeping me warm. And the cat tripping me up in the morning demanding his breakfast (Ok, maybe not that one ;) ). The little things matter the most. It's the constant reminder that someone cares when you are at home. Here, even though everyone is in the same boat as you, people are in their own world...not that you can blame them, because they are like me. Missing home, wanting to keep working hard to earn that wage that'll treat our loved ones when we return, make it all worth while. We're all thinking 'what if'.....ALL of the time. We are focussing on getting the job done, so no matter what, it feels ok to be here.

I put in my R&R dates yesterday. Looking at the 14th-28th of December or around about then. Got to get home to harass Father Christmas you see, make sure those presents are wrapped to specification :) Will have just over 3 months left to do at that point...............it's good to think of my det as 2 sided. Doesn't seem so long then!

EEEEK bed time - just been told I'm up at 0245 :(

09-10-2011 Sunday

Well it's well into the afternoon now almost evening. My first flight went well, and the guys now have the confidence in me to carry on without them. So my next one is Solo :)

Very fuzzy headed at the moment. Had a 2 hour kip after getting back from lunch to try and perk myself up a bit.....needless to say I may have been better off staying awake. Took another shower to get rid of the headache, but only found that my skin still hasn't toughened up to the stresses it's being put under with wearing body armour etc. I'm covered in bruises and blood blisters (well not sure what to call them to be honest - they are like hickies). I'm sure my body will 'man up' eventually :)
 

Off to check the post in a bit. No emails etc received today so hoping I'll have proper mail instead. Neil is away this week so it's going to be very quiet and lonely.

10-10-2011 Monday 

It'll be my first complete week away from home tonight. It was Monday evening I left to go to Brize Norton for my travel over here. I'm hoping the rest of these weeks go by just as quickly. I'm settling in ok. At present I'm sharing a room with 2 other ladies, but they leave in a few days so I'm looking forward to making the room my own. There is enough things for us to do here in our down time. The Internet Cabin is right next door to my accommodation and opposite that is the gym and coffee hut.

As I sit here tapping away on the keyboard it has just started chucking it down with rain outside. It's quite a shock as it's been really very warm since getting here - it's almost like the extremes of British weather :) The down sides to any extreme weather of course is we don't get to fly in some of our aircraft. Because they are so small they truely get battered. The 2 main ones we fly in are the D4K (Defender) & the King Air (Shadow). I also get to go in a Hercules about twice a week, but they are a bit more robust so don't often get affected.

11-10-2011 Tuesday

Well it's like the Somme out there today. It rained all night and all morning. This afternoon the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and is doing it's best to dry the stuff up. On the plus side there is no dust, on the down side it's all thick gooey mud!

I was supposed to have my first solo flight today but it got cancelled. To be honest, I'm slightly relieved as the D4K had 2 inches of ice on it yesterday from being in the clouds. And we all know what ice does to planes! Especially small plastic ones like the one I was meant to fly in today. So I'll have to wait now until this evening's meeting to see when I get the chance to go up again.

The ladies I share a room with leave tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to mopping it all out and repositioning the furniture etc to how I want it and to also move myself to the bottom bunk. Keep hitting my head on the ceiling!

Highlight of my day was finding out that I can actually get extra coffee shots in my latte from the Hive Coffee Shop. So here I am typing away with my lovely drink. I've also declared to myself that the only cooked food I'm having from the cook house in the future is chicken, as the CAN'T cook anything else without destroying it. Though I was VERY surprised to discover Rhubarb Crumble on the menu today. Very impressed........then I tried it. Too dry...oh well :)

12-10-2011 Wednesday

First day solo. Very very nervous, but all worked out alright in the end.

14-10-2011 Friday

As you can tell there is no entry for yesterday. It was a 17 hours shift for me. Needless to say I was a little bit of a tired bear and slumped into my bed for a few hours kip. Unfortunately had to be up early again this morning, but I was flying this time so got to the rest off the afternoon as 'free time'. Thank goodness for the Internet! I could not imagine doing this without modern technology.

Today's job was interesting. Can't go into details, but we nearly got the bad guy. Fingers crossed for some more action in the future. As winter draws in though, they all head for the border, so work will quieten down a little. It's strange because I feel pressure when we're busy but time flies by, whereas if I'm left to my own devices I start moping about, and the time begins to drag.

15-10-2011 Saturday

It's official, ALL pilots are mad!

16-10-2011 Sunday

Guess who's got the day off today? Woop woop.....ME!!!!! Today I'm figuring out how to fix my iPod - I can only run for about 10 minutes on a running machine before getting bored with music, so out here having an MP3 player is essential part of our kit! Alas the internet connection via your own laptop is rubbish so your iPod does decide to have a 'moment' there is no way of fixing it. So have done copious amounts of 'Googling' this morning to download various instructions on how to fix it. Otherwise I'll have to visit the PX and purchase a new one for $145 and I'm loathe to do so as I feel that's money I can spend on my boys at home when I get back. So we'll see how I get on.

Another thing I need to sort out is access to decent coffee and tea. I've written to Neil to ask him for some coffee sachets but completely for got to ask for some Twinings English Breakfast teabags. Oh well that can be a treat for another time.

Work wise it's calmed down a little yesterday and today. Can't take it for granted though. I really enjoy my job, especially when you're flying with a good crew. When it's quiet they help you pass the time, and when it's busy you know they are there to help you out if needs be.

It's frustrating me, as a linguist, that with so many different nationalities based in Kandahar that my language skills aren't up to date enough for me to start conversing with them. So once I've got used to being here I'm going to look in the Education Centre out here and get myself on some refresher courses. Need to keep my brain cells active!!! Especially if I'm to survive all these crazy pilots, who really are nuts! Last night we were playing a game of 'guess the tune' whilst we were transiting back to KAF. The co-pilot must have been on Encyclopaedia for music as he could name every single one, and to the point where he was even saying whereabouts the track came in the album. Madness!

17-10-2011 Monday

So who dislikes A-10 pilots?! Today I do, as they were keeping me up at the wee hours this morning getting rid of their 'extra' ammunition. According to my sources they can't land fully armed......................wish they'd take themselves elsewhere to do so, it's very rude being woken up to 'THUD' and whirs of rounds going off in quick succession. Though I'm not going to tell them that as I'd REALLY like my photo taken with one aircraft so I can show Joe. I've recently undertaken some research into what military hardware was used in the making of the film 'Transformers', just so I can get my picture taken with as many as I can possibly find out here to try and earn some serious 'Cool' points with my Son.

Today was a reasonably long C-130 flight for me. Got some work done, but wasn't overly rushed off of my feet. My skills were good so I should hopefully get some reasonable feedback 'post mission'. I've also managed to finally get over my nerves about talking on the Net. Quite confident now. My job out here isn't what I'd do normally, so it's taken me out of my comfort zone somewhat, but have adapted and got used to it out here. I haven't had to address any potential moral or political issues with regards to my work either so far, so that's a Brucey Bonus!

On the social side, a couple of guys in my office have made a ew minor errors this week so they get fined with donuts - very yummy ones from Timmy Houghton's!! Looking forward to them tonight. Also going to find where I can purchase a phone card as the welfare minutes don't last long enough for a decent chat. Might even go to the gym after our evening meeting (if I've got my iPod fixed! - as I'm totally refusing to buy a new one).

Always thinking of home.

18-10-2011 Tuesday

Today I was up and in the office for 0515. I finished at 2145. A loooooooooooooooooooooooong day again! On the plus side got my iPod fixed YAY.

Even though I managed a lovely lie in today, I still feel tired. This is mainly in part to the IDF sirens going off in the evening before bed last night, then again at about 1am (after I was woken up by the initial 3 thuds), then the A-10's obviously decided as everyone is awake already to fire off their left over munitions. Then this afternoon tonight! I've not got an early morning thank goodness tomorrow. I'm up at 8am. The other side of the tiredness is a lack of work stimulation. Unfortunately work has got very quiet. Thankfully our mission has changed for tomorrow so fingers crossed it's a busy one, as especially as I'm on the Herc - very long flight time.

I noticed today, when I was flying, that when I look out and down at the place we fly over, some of it looks like home. The farms have got patchwork fields that look exactly like ours. The mountains all around them though soon remind you it's not home.

I've now been in Afghanistan officially 2 weeks :)

20-10-2011 Thursday

Forgot one of my bits of kit today. I only realised that I'd forgotten some when I'd pretty much set all my kit up. Needless to say I have now been fined in doughnuts (from Tim Houghton's of course as they are rather tasty!)

21-10-2011 Friday

Op MINIMISE

22-10-2011 Saturday

Rang home today to say thank you to my boys for their parcels they sent out to me. I got one parcel from my Mum yesterday, and three parcels from Neil & Joe today. I also received some letters, which I get very happy about! Good for morale letters are.

23-10-2011 Sunday

20 hour shift today. Bed and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

24-10-2011 Monday

Day off yay! Well I say day off. I cover Lunch and Dinner breaks for the guys in the office. I have to track down my missing laundry as I've only got the clothes on my back left! I'm also meeting the Team Leader at 1500 for some On The Job Training in writing Post Mission Reports, and I'm also going to try and get to the gym between all that. So busy as usual. Keeps my out of mischief ;o)

Today is 20 days since I left my family behind to come here.

25-10-2011 Tuesday

Ok, so the Shadow is broken today. I am left on standby for when they get it up and running again. I am now in limbo. Would like to go to the gym, but you just know as soon as I reach the 10 minute point on the running machine I'll get the phone call saying you need to get here now!!! Mmmmm the joys. So as you can tell I decided to visit the internet cabin instead. Not much else to report really. I'm still having trouble sleeping in the evenings, apart from when I do a very long shift on Control (in the office). I have discovered the joys of toasted bagels. I normally choose the marmite spread ones, but if I really want to treat myself I go for a salmon & cream cheese bagel. Yum yum! But they are $4 a go so I don't buy one of them very often. The marmite one is a good deal at $1, and I buy with it a Cappuccino. It's the small things in life out here :o)

26-10-2011 Wednesday

27-10-2011 Thursday

28-10-2011 Friday

29-10-2011 Saturday

Blimey, where did those days to go? Didn't realise I hadn't updated my diary for so long. To be honest though I have been sooooooooooooooooooooooo tired these past few days I'm surprised I noticed anything. Today I have a late flight on the D4k. 1600 Wheels Up, back in time for bed!

30-10-2011 Sunday

Rang Home :o)

31-10-2011 Monday

Op MINIMISE

01-11-2011 Tuesday

Longest working day since I got here. Up at 2am, bed at 2am. 24 hours at work!

02-11-2011 Wednesday

Been in theatre  weeks now. About 8 weeks until R&R

03-11-2011 Thursday

Today was a C-130 flight. That is.....once it got in the air!!

04-11-2011 Friday

Thought this morning was going to be a lazy one, so when I was just thinking of dragging myself out of bed (the lack of sleep had caught up with me!), I had a knock on my door with a message "You're expected in the office in 10 minutes with your flying kit on ready to go" GREAT - no time for a shower!

Due to the last minute nature of this job, it was exciting running to the airframe to test my kit and wait in anticipation of supporting  a mission. We got in the air, and got where we needed to be - I start doing my job.............................and........................ no room in the inn for us! The airspace was chock-a-block with supporting aircraft. So much so, we were very much left on the sidelines 'just in case' Sad faces all round. Very much the anti-climax!

On the C-130 again tomorrow. This particular airframe we are using at the moment is notoriously difficult, and I very well know, I will be having to get the bodge tape out to fix things en-route to my airspace! Fingers crossed our regular airframes return ASAP! Though on the political side of things - if I dare speak out. It's a terrible waste of money using a whole C-130 just for me, especially as it doesn't have all the necessary kit that the other types of acft possess. But what do I know!?

Whilst on the Shadow a few nights ago now, we had our first 'tense' moment. The flares on the acft suddenly lit up the night sky. Now normally this wouldn't be an issue as they can be set off by reflections ... say off of water etc. But this time the pilot up front came through on the intercom, which he never does in this instance. we were being, or attempting  to be, lit up by a high powered lamp from a guy on the ground. A long 5 minutes of silence passes afterwards, and then the relief slowly filtered through the cockpit to me in the back. It was certainly the 1st time we've ever felt vulnerable. Needless to say when I read on the news 'Al-Qaeda to obtain Gaddafi missiles' it gives me pause for thought!!!

05-11-2011 Saturday

06-11-2011 Sunday

Op MINIMISE

07-11-2011 Monday

Well Happy Eid al-Adhad to you too Taliban!! Yesterday was kept busy with an inconsistent but often rain of IDF upon our camp. I think the Taliban were somewhat confused on how you're supposed to celebrate feast days!! The only thing that was in our favour then was the fact these guys can't aim for toffee, and most of what they fire at us ends up in their mates farm fields. Today I was up in the D4K. But not for long. The little plastic tub can't handle clouds, wind or weather in general, so after watching a decent amount of ice build up on the wings, we turned around and made a fast landing. Tomorrow I'm up in the Herc which will mean no early finish for me as it's much more robust. The D4K trip today made me giggle though. I learnt a very valuable lesson very early on with regards to flying in unpressurised acft. It gets very cold, to the point where it chills my water bottle to near freezing, so you learn to take warm wrappy up stuff with you. Not the SAS man today. Inexperienced at flying in the D$K, he turns up all muscle bound with his tiny T'Shirt on................only to end up sniffing and gibbering next to me trying his best not to appear weak and unmanly. Needless to say I requested for the heaters to be put on for the little blighter but they aren't very good. I think he's learnt his lesson too :)

Yuck - Beef Jerky is foul.....but had to try it. It's what everyone eats out here, that and I was getting bored on my flight this evening. Not much happening. Well I say that, but as we were landing, the camp was IDF'd so our Herc was told to 'Stop, stop, stop!' on the runway. I was puzzled because I couldn't hear any of this, and as I looked out the back of the acft (it had its ramp down) I saw this bright light behind us getting bigger, bigger, BIGGER! I honestly thought we were going to get squished. Thankfully the helicopter, as it turned out to be, eventually spotted us and decided that it wasn't a good place to land after all. Big sighs all round!

Listened to the lovely pitter patter of rain last night. It's one of those soothing sounds, like waves breaking on a beach. The weather is definitely turning now. It is getting much colder in the air. Hopefully that means they stop sending us up in that little plastic box of a D4K as much, and reduce the number of flights. Lack of sleep and long days, don't do a small team like ours any good. Can't moan though really I suppose, makes time go quicker. Just about 5 weeks now until R&R :o) Already daydreaming of Christmas shopping and snuggling up on the sofa with my boys next to a roaring fire. Not long now.

09-11-2011 Wednesday

Well that's me very grateful for a Stand-by (Day-off) day today.