Books, Bombs & Brothers

SIX DEAD! (BBC)
Quran Burning Rage! (CNN)
ANTI-U.S. PROTESTS SPREAD!! (FOX)

So, the media picked up on an incident that happened the other day and are, in a sense, making things worse by exaggerating the facts…in some cases reporting rumors as fact, which give the rumors validation.

I was not going to write about this…I actually had a nice post prepared about Lent…could have won me a Pulitzer…but alas, some reporters are seeking Pulitzers as well, so please allow me to clear up a few things.  First off, there were no reports of Qurans in flames…there were no Afghani citizens who reached and pulled out half burnt copies, singeing their own fingers in the process.  The nation is not aflame.  Violence has not erupted everywhere.  There have been no shots fired where I am (we didn’t even get to use the fire hoses).

Here is what did happen:  There were some religious materials that had been removed from a nearby detention facility.  They were in a bin and on their way to the burn center.  Right now the contents of the bin and how they wound up on the way to the burn center are being investigated.  Whether or not there was one or were multiple Qurans is not known.  But the report that a Quran may have been on its way to be burned was enough to get people upset.

There are a few demonstrations.  The biggest one is outside the base where it happened, but that is a good bit away from us.  The demonstrations in Kabul have been relatively small and they have been peaceful.  Reports of burning tires and effigies (in one story) are greatly exaggerated.  Honestly, they burn tires here when they are not demonstrating.  Heck, they burn all their trash and waste.  ”Smoke” is an actual weather condition here.

It is true that some of the bases have been closed, that’s nothing more than a pre-caution.  To be honest, it’s a minor inconvenience.  It is unfortunate that the media picks up on rumors and reports them as facts.  It has caused some unnecessary worry for a lot of people.  Please understand, I am not trying to sound glib, or play down any danger.  I am only trying to clear up some misconceptions that the media have taken to spread.

In their defense, the situation is developing and many facts get lost in the shuffle as people rush to get information out.  Rumors are repeated, picked up, spread, repeated some more and soon everyone thinks they are facts.  So, please take what you read and see on TV with a grain of salt.  There are facts buried in the story, but there are many, many rumors piled on top.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am probably the biggest introvert on the planet.  Sometimes I manage to hide it, but sooner or later, it usually comes out.  Some may call it “stand-offish,” I call it recuperating.  It is something I have been working on for a while, but it does take work.

Tonight I am proud to say I made a good stride forward.

There is a small group that meets at Pizza Hut…well, I say Pizza Hut, but I mean the conex by the PX that sells pizza…anyway, there is a small group that meets there on Tuesday evenings, just to meet and hang out.  There is no place on post that you can really do that, so they kind of made their own spot. I stayed for a little bit and tried that whole being social thing.

I have to say, I was a little surprised.  The people here are very accepting.  As soon as I arrived in theater, they made me one of their own, but there is a difference between being a part of the team and being one of them.  It’s a little hard to explain, but it is a new experience for me.  When I was in the navy, people were only friends with you based on what you could do for them, or worse were afraid of what you could do to them.  The army is so much different.  When I first starting drilling, the people in Texas accepted me right away…even though I was from the Navy.

The people here are exactly the same.  Even though I am from Texas…even though I did not train with them…even though I arrived late (thanks again, First Army, for screwing up my orders), they accepted me right in and made me one of their own.  Not just for “the mission,” but even in an after hours, social setting kind of way.  Granted, there are not many outlets for being social, and we are all kind of “stuck” with one another, but not only are they making the best of it here, they are accepting of anyone.

Groucho Marx is reported to have said, “I don’t want to belong to any club that would accept me as a member.”  As a born introvert, I can sympathize a little. Still, as accepting as they are here, I think I might try this social thing again.

Let me say, right up front, in the interest of full disclosure, the publishing company I helped run released this book a few months ago.  Still, this blog is called “Books, Bombs and Brothers,”  so I hope y’all will excuse my plugging the book…it is a good book, I promise.    Recently the author got his first review.   It came from The Daily Journal, a paper which serves six counties is north-central Illinois.  Review is below:

From Bonfield to the Big House. Kankakee County resident Kent Dickinson has authored a dramatic account of his fascinating life in “Crimes of a Christian – Serving Two Masters,” (304 pages, One Body Press).

Dickinson’s life takes you inside union politics, shows how automation drives out some American jobs, gives a glimpse of the overpowering federal might of the justice systen and is one of the best — absolute best — accounts of prison life you will ever read.

As the books ends, Dickinson becomes a devout Christian. He comes back to Kankakee County and works in the Salvation Army. Today, he oversees the food pantry there and drives throughout the area to pick up food donations.

Throughout, this is a sharply written text. Best described as a fiction, the account is true, but Dickinson has changed a couple of names. In some cases that hides the identity of mobsters who have not been convicted. In a couple of spots, it may save a convict or two from being shanked in the shower with a makeshift knife.

Dickinson also dropped the profanity so common in prison and gangster talk. Let us say that the dialogue comes across without it as completely real, with capitals, italics and underlining, effectively used so you catch the shouting, the irony and the importance.

This is also one of the best-written books — amateur author, professional author, writing teacher, whatever — you will come across. Good dialogue. Good description. Nice scenes. Short sentences: ” Horses are manure manufacturing machines.” using two literary techniques (rule of threes and the repitition of sounds) at the same time.

With great naturalness, Dickinson uses foreshadowing to drive the narrative and keep you wondering when something will happen. The chapter headers are accompanied by quotes from his federal grand jury indictment. You learn that someone is going to rat him out with a wire, and you can’t wait for the scene.

For all of that, the book begins slowly. Dickinson joins the projectionist union. Projectionists run the movies in theaters. It is a job that was being simplified — and partially eliminated — by technology. Thus, the projectionisits wage a losing battle. New contracts mean fewer jobs in fewer theaters.

The projectionists fight back by vandalizing places that won’t negotiate. Stink bombs are dropped in lobbies. Smoke bombs are set off undrneath chairs. Socks are used to stuff up toilets. Dickinson is the main “hit” man, volunteering to drive all over the country to perform these teen antics gone wrong. He goes, however, to great lengths in carefully planning these schemes. This is not Bluto in “Animal House.”

Once caught, he faces a moral choice. should he fink on his friends? His ultimate decision to tell the truth in all cases is part of his conversion experience.

He hoped for a berth in a country club prison, but wound up doing three years next to drug dealers, child molesters and members of the Aryan Brotherhood. Dickinson’s days in prison are harrowing. He survies through a mixture of kindness and quick thinking. Prison life, he writes, is fear. An inmate is compulsively polite because a misinterpreted moment can cause a rearrangement of one’s teeth.

Sprinkled throughout the book are vignettes, quick portaits of people, deftly done. Dickinson is an astute observer of the human condition. My favorite was a minister who agrees to borrow and launder drug money to start a church. He never gets to spend a dime before he’s caught. In many cases, the people in prison are decent folks, undone by one moment’s temptation to which many of us might have succumbed.

Who among us would consider squirting a stink spray if we thought it might save the jobs of those we worked with? Would not many of us stare at two suitcases full of $20 bills and think how we could put that money to good use?

The line between good and evil is wavy at moments, broken at other times, sometimes invisible. You want to keep reading this book to see where the line goes.

It really is a good book, I say this not just as a publisher, but as a reader. Honestly, when I was reviewing it for publication, I could not put it down!

Anyway, I know some of you have asked a few more questions, so I’ll answer them in my next post. If there is anything you are dying to know, please feel free to ask. Again, you can either ask on here or on Facebook.

One of the things I get asked a lot is “what do you need?”  While it happens to be my favorite question (j/k), I’m never really sure how to answer.  I am extremely fortunate in that I have access to the basics, I’m right next to a DFAC that has coffee 24/7 and I have a wonderful wife who sends me stuff that is not readily available.  So as not to sound ungrateful, I have thus far, avoided the question.

However, today I found an answer.  It is called Operation Outreach.

Dedicated to people who are not so fortunate, Operation Outreach is a group of individuals, both civilian and military personnel, that volunteer their time and resources to help the children of Afghanistan.  They do this by providing supplies to Hospitals, Villages, Orphanages, and Schools in need.   Some of the things that Outreach has distributed include: food, clothing, school supplies, basic medical items, and in some cases they have coordinated medical care with other organizations.

The description above and video below are both borrowed from their website.

Details on how to make donations are also on their website.  You could also send the packages to me directly and just write “Operation Outreach” on the outside.  My office is right next to the Chaplain’s so I promise I’ll make sure he gets it.  If you have any questions, please ask me and I’ll be sure to get you some answers.

I didn’t “go outside the wire” so much as I went to another base in the Kabul area.  Still, conversation is difficult over the roar of the trucks, so I had plenty of time simply to observe my surroundings.  Apparently there are no traffic laws in Kabul, because one of the first things I noticed was a distinct lack of traffic signs and traffic lights.  None.  Cars just go…they go anywhere and everywhere and do whatever it takes to get there.

Pedestrians are the same way…they are not limited to the sidewalks.  They walk where ever and do whatever it takes to get there.  Speaking of pedestrians, there are so many people here.  The population is about 3 million and I think every single one of them were out on the streets today.  Most cities you have to work about other vehicles for rush hour.  Here you need to worry about pedestrians.

Another thing I noticed was just how dirty this place is.  That’s not meant to be a complaint or criticism; it’s just the state of being.  Dirt is everywhere and on everything.  Even the snow is brown.  It mixes with the dirt to form this muddy, snowy, icey, slushy mixture.  Then it freezes at night and melts the day and freezes at night, etc.  It’s not just the ground and buildings, either.  Even the air is dirty.  There was so much smog and haze, the mountains were practically invisible.  All but the very tops were covered by the brown haze.

The came I went to was a little higher in altitude and had some fresher air.  The altitude where I am is about 5900 feet.  The other base was at about 6200 feet.  It may not seem like much, but the difference in air quality was quite noticeable.  The difference in temperature was as well.  I would say about 99% of the base was covered with a layer of ice 3-4 inches thick.  It made walking around very interesting, that’s for sure.

Since we are responsible for all the bases in the Kabul area, it was good for me to get out and 1) meet the BSG on that base and 2) take a look at a few of the things that were going on here.   I went with the base OIC to a meeting where I met some officers from Turkey.  They were very friendly people and they make some really good coffee.

One the way there, I walked by the Queen’s Palace (pictured above).  It has definitely seen better days.  It’s been bombed out and stripped for materials.  The King’s Palace was the same way.  It was probably in worse shape, actually.  I tried to get a picture of that, but it did not come out so well.

Still, the visit itself was actually a good one overall. I got to see some of the projects that were going on here, met some very nice men from Turkey and was briefed on some things that could be improved.   I even managed to walk the entire base without falling once!

As promised, here are some of the questions I have been asked along with answers.  Some questions I cannot answer for reasons that I cannot go into, but all the questions I can answer I will.  If you have a question that I have not covered, please feel free to ask.  You can ask here on the blog or on Facebook.  Once I get a few more, I will do this again.  For now we can get the basics answered, though.

Q: I thought we were leaving Afghanistan?

A:  This is probably the most frequently asked. We pulled out of Iraq, but there are still lots of troops here in Afghanistan.  According to news reports, the president will be shifting the mission from combat to training in 2013 and have U.S. troops home in 2014.  There is still plenty going on here and lots of construction going on all over the country.

Q:  What do you do there?

A:  I work for the Directorate of Public Works.  Exciting, I know.  I am the Operations OIC, which covers Environmental and LOGCAP.  LOGCAP actually takes up a majority of my time.  It means Logistics Civilian Augmentation Program.  Basically it is the contract with a civilian company…used to be Haliburton, now it’s someone else…that covers services and minor construction (the other side of DPW is construction, that covers most projects).  We cover all the bases in the Kabul area.  Any time any of them need water or electricity hooked up to a building or food or what have you, they put together a packet send it to us, and manage it from there.   Basically I am responsible for managing service contracts for the bases in Kabul.There’s more to it, but that’s the general gist of things.  My desk is pictured above. That stuff in the cubbies isn’t mine, it’s sort of community property for the office.  The pictures on the wall were left there by the last group, but I don’t have much to add yet, so I left them up.

Q:  How’s the food? 

If you asked me a few days ago, I would have said it was great!  Today was kind of iffy.   Overall, it’s not bad.  I actually eat breakfast every day (instead of making my coffee my breakfast), and there is plenty of variety at the means, and fresh fruit.  I’m trying to eat healthy…with mixed results…

Q:  What is your room like?

A:  It’s small. This is not a very good, shot, I know, but it was the best I could get.  The room is so small, I could not get a good angle for a photo.  It’s basically half of a 20′ conex box…or an 8′ x 10′ room.  However, it is just mine.  Don’t let the bunk bed fool you, I live alone.  The room also has cubbies, a desk on the one side and shelves on the other.  As you can imagine, that does not leave much in the way of “wiggle room.”  Still, I spend most of my day at my desk and pretty much just use the room for sleeping.  Oh, the memory foam was left by the last tenent.  Some people swear by it, but its not for me.  I have since gotten rid of it.

Q:  What’s it like there?

This one is kind of general, and I’m not quite sure how to answer.  The weather is COLD!  Fortunately the army gave me some good cold weather gear.  I’ve been making good use of it all.  Layers is the key.

There is no self service laundry here, so I have to drop off and pick up my clothes when I am running low.  They do not have same day service, so I drop it off in the morning and pick it up the next afternoon.  Apparently you have to tell them to use soap.  Fortunately I was told this in advance.  Everything I dropped off came back, so that’s good.

I usually put in long hours, but if I have to take off in the middle of the day to take care of things (like laundry, or meeting with someone, or going to the gym, or just going to the PX, etc) it’s no big deal.  I don’t really have “hours”  per se.  I usually get to my desk around 0730 and stay until things are done for the day (anywhere from 1800 to 2000).  I heard a rumor about Sunday being a “half day” but I have yet to see it.  Though I did get to go to church twice.

Q:  Which service did you like better?

A:  This one is tough…there are things I liked about each one. I really enjoyed doing communion at the tradtional service, but I also prefer the “contemporary” style of worship.  The sermon was the same for each, so I’m not sure which I will attend regularly.  I have a few more days to decide though.

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That’s about it for now…sorry for all the typos, today was a particularly long day.  Still, as I hope that answers some questions satisfactorily.  If not, or if you have a different question, let me know and I’ll answer it with the next batch.

…bringing a gun to church.

No, really, I brought a gun to church.  The base here has a couple of different services, one for each style of worship.  This morning there was the “traditional” style of worship and this evening there was the “contemporary” style of worship.

I tried those two to see which one I would like better.  But I had a little trouble getting over the fact that I was “packing heat” in the house of God.

It’s weird.

I was given an M4 and and M9 when I got here.  As I had stated earlier, the M4 is locked in a rack at the office, but I carry the M9 with me everywhere:  my room, the office, the DFAC, the latrine…church…

Everyone was armed, except the chaplain of course, but it still felt weird to me.  About the only place I do not bring my Beretta is the gym.  Otherwise, I put in on when I get up and take it off when I go to bed.  I guess it is just something to get used to.

Anyway, I have been getting a few questions, so in my next post, I will try to answer them all in one shot.  If you have any questions, or are curious about anything, post a comment either here on the blog, or on facebook and I will be sure to include it.

I am still getting settled in and making my rounds putting names to faces, but this morning I accomplished one of the most important things here.  I managed to get on skype and talk to my family.  I was talking to Stacee for a little while when she asked if I wanted to talk to the boys.  Of course I did, so when she called them, I heard Gabriel, “Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!
Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!
Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”

I could picture him running down the hallway.  I talked to both boys and then back to Stacee.  It was very good to see them and talk to them.  It’s amazing the technology we have today, where, halfway around the world, I can sit on an army post, in my quarters, and video chat with my family.

After the video chat, I went to grab breakfast and continue calling on some of the leadership here.  It’s been an interesting two day.  Yesterday, they told me they were going to change my job and move me to a different shop, this morning they told me  they were going to keep me where I am.  Either scenario would be good, and I am happy to support where ever they need.  I must confess, however, I am glad that I will be doing the job I prepared for.  I’m still preparing, actually.  Going to learn by the firehose method, but I’ll get caught up.

Last night I met with the Brigade Commander, and he put my combat patch on.  It’s my first one with the army and felt good.  The Sargent Major gave me the unit patch which goes on the other side, and both make me feel like I am part of the team.  There is a great group of people here and they have made me feel very welcome.  I know I will fit in just fine.

It was a very long trip, but I finally made it to Kabul, Afghanistan.  Four days, six flights and convoy tour of the city before I arrived on post.  This place is has a very strange dichotomy.  The city itself is fairly dirty.  It makes  NYC look like a sanitized hospital, but right next door are the pristine mountains, a very beautiful sight.  The city itself is a strange mixture of 11th and 21st centuries.  The roads are taken up by automobiles, pedestrians and donkeys pullig carts.  There is running water in some buildings and hand pumps to get water along the streets.

One thing that is constant…COLD.  The army gave me some pretty nifty cold weather gear and I am making full use of it to stay nice and toasty.  Fortunately my office, living quarters and the DFAC are all in proximity to each other.  The gym and PX are fairly close by as well, so I can limit my exposure.  The buildings themselves are pretty well heated, too, so that helps as well.

Before I go on, I need to publically praise the Lord.  Not in a grammy, obligatory, “I wanna thank God,” kind of way, but in sincere and humble kind of way.  The trip over was extremely long and fairly complicated, but God was in the details.  It would take a week to list out every single thing He did for me along the way, but I think it is good enough to say that everything simply fell into place along the way.  Sure it was cold, tiring and long, but everything went very smooth.  Myself and all my gear made it and getting settled in is going smoothly as well.  So I want to say thank you, Lord for all you have done and for getting me here safely.

That being said, I have two major goals for myself.  I want to get into shape spiritually and physically.  At Camp Swampy, spiritually was a challenge as it is tough to have quiet time when you are living with 30 of your closest friends, but physically was pretty easy.  The food was horrible and the gym was just a 3/4 mile jog from the barracks.  Now that I am here however, the opposite may be the case.  Quiet time is coming very easily, but, well, if breakfast this morning was any indication, it is going to take a LOT of gym time to get into shape physically.

Still, things are proceding along rather well.  The 648th is taking good care of me and giving me time to get checked in, settled and rested.  Having slept 11 hours last night, I am feeling pretty well rested.  Now to finished getting checked in.

I am sure all of you have heard the phrase, “When hell freezes over.”  It is usually applied when we do not want to do a certain thing, or do not want a certain event to happen.  For example, “Yea, I’ll join the military again…when hell freezes over.”  Or, if my Facebook feed is correct, “Yea, the Giants will win the Superbowl…when hell freezes over.”  Well, I am here to tell you to be very careful when using that phrase.

You see, I am pretty sure I am in hell, and it has definitely frozen over.

I am still enroute to my final destination.  I went from Camp Swampy, to Gulfport, to Norfolk, to Hahn, Germany, to Manas, Kyrgyzstan.  From here I have two more legs until my post.  This particular stop is a frozen wasteland.  It being mainly a transit station for bringing people in and out of theater, there is not much in the way of permanent structures, and it is extremely cold.  Temperature fell into the negatives last night and has now reached positive again.  Right now it is 3 degrees, but it is supposed to get up to a balmy 12 later today.

Their sleeping quarters for transient personnel consist of heated tents where I get to sleep with 40 of your closets friends.  It is called Hotel California…seriously.  I can now say I slept at the hotel California.  I woke up about 0350, but that’s ok, my body is slowly adjusting to the new time.

At least they have wireless internet, and it is located in a building with heat.  So, while I wait for time to pass until I have to check in for my next leg, I can chat with Stacee online and thaw out a bit.  Hopefully it will not be much longer until I am on my post and doing the job I came for.