As everything that is something must begin somewhere I will venture into my Point A without any idea on how I will get to Point B. The beginning of my journey thus far has been one overload of my senses after another so I suppose a basic chronology will be the best way to convey what I have experienced in the few short days I have been away.  

Oct. 6 1300

After spending the last three weeks touring around Western Canada and spending time with my family I climbed upon the bus to leave for the airport in Winnipeg feeling more resolve than I ever have about what I am about to do. On top of this I am nursing a crippling hangover as my brothers and I decided to celebrate Alexander Keith's Birthday and my deployment with cheap pints of beer and too many shots; so the bus was also a place to catch up on the sleep I had missed from the night prior. As we pull away from the base my head hits the seat and I am out only to wake up as we are pulling into the Air Force base in Winnipeg. We boarded at 1700 and with a brief stop in Trenton Ont. we are on our way to OPSEC OPSEC. Again I am saved from the poor on-flight movies and uncomfortable seating by my hang over.

Oct. 7th ????

By this point I have no idea what time it really is and I realize that my internal clock has gone hay wire as we left Canada in the daytime only to arrive in OPSEC OPSEC in the daytime. Our stop here only lasts about three quarters of an hour and we are off to OPSEC OPSEC which should be a three hour flight. As we touch down I look out the window, after another nap, and see that it is finally dark. This is finally feeling natural as I haven't seen the dark in nearly 24 hours. The air was muggy and the temp was very Mediterranean at a nice 30 degrees. Our stay was short but the mood somber as the expressions showed the general knowledge that our next stop was Afghanistan. To this point I cannot convey the feeling of knowing the next place you are to land is hostile. It would be an understatement to say that the uneasiness rests in the pit of your stomach because it doesn’t; it vibrates through every fiber of your being. We hopped on a bus and were driven to a CF 17 which is in all respects a mammoth of a jet and a Goliath to look at. The flight was longer than we originally thought and we touched down around 0300 local. 

0300 October 8

The next few hours was simply a haze as we were force fed paper work and received briefings about the next few days in Kandahar Air Field (KAF). 

*I have not had much opportunity to write for my blog over the past week so from this point onward it might seem a little rushed and disjointed but I will try to capture all the main happenings*

The briefings were more or less the theme for the next two days. We did have some opportunity to take in the sights, so to speak. KAF is essentially the heart of the mission in Southern Afghanistan and the organized chaos, which reigns supreme, never stops through every second of every day. The proud troops of all nations parade through the streets of this small city wearing every sort of camouflage imaginable! The unique pink desert combats of the Dutch, the US Marine Corp. tan combats that render them nearly invisible from even a short distance away, or the arid combats of the British army with the distinct feather pattern; all march proudly in-unison and purpose through KAF. This unified camaraderie gesticulates with nods and simple eye contact. Most of which happens within the extensive lines at the Tim Horton’s on the board walk in “downtown” KAF. 

With incredible prejudice I can proudly say that no place gets more attention than Canada’s one and only Tim Horton’s. The line ups for morning coffee extend beyond half hour waits. When you understand that to miss a “timing” in the military is to leave ones fate in the hands of a higher rank then you understand that soldiers from all over the world are factoring in the time it will take to buy a Timmies Double Double on top of their morning routine to get to where they need to be on time. The American company called The Green Bean has a coffee shop down the boardwalk but if you blink you will miss it, like many do on their way to Tim Hortons. 

My time at KAF was short. A lot happened in a very short time and even the allotted personal time was mostly spent packing and getting kit ready for leaving KAF. So much of the initial experience was lost as it usually is in the hustle and bustle of the beginning of an adventure. The impression is still there but the details blur on reflection. I will try to write my next post with more haste to preserve some of those little nuances that make a trip memorable. 

Until Next Time!

Sorry for taking so long to post. The internet where I am is unreliable at best!