Grab your stuff, you're leaving in 4 hours...

That happens to me all the time....


So world, I'm currently in COP Mizan but i'm officially living in Shinkai Detachment. I moved to FOB Sweeney [shinkai] about a week and a half ago. The plan for me is to live at FOB Sweeney and travel to FOB Bullard and COP Mizan more. If you're wondering who is at COP Mizan, well it's 4th squad. They moved out of FOB Lane and went to COP Mizan. COP stands for combat outpost AKA there is less stuff here. Since i'm not part of FOB Sweeney, i packed for about 4 days to be at smart and then return to sweeney but while at smart I got told to pack because im leaving for mizan in about 4 hours. Story of my life. Always getting sent everywhere. I've practically been living out of a bag for about a month and it SUCKS! O well it's a deployment what can I do. Kinda sucks to have to use 4 days worth of clothes for about 2 weeks. I don't even know how the laundry system works here, probably by hand lol who knows.

So here at COP Mizan, it's a little bit of a shock when you arrive. Sleep on cots with sleeping bags, go to the bathroom in a bucket to burn later [think of jarhead] and no lunch chow. There ya have it. A crap hole. I'm going to hate when other folks return from deployment and tell me their 'war stories' at Kandahar, or Bagram, or Kabul or something similar. Pu-Leaseee!

I apologize for not keeping up with this blog like i thought i would have but it's tough to keep a routine. At FOB Smart, we've been going through some new sections of Qalat. It's good to know what is surrounding us because i don't think the previous PRTs did that. Plus, it was SSG Winkowski's idea. Now let me tell you one thing about Sgt Ski. He's just god in many people's eyes lol. He knows so much knowledge that it's unbelievable. Plus his Boston accent just makes it even better.

Also, I completed the October newsletter. For learning how to do this from scratch i must give myself tons of credit. I feel like i can start selling it at the PX [that means post exchange which is the military's Walmart for those of you who don't know]. Ok maybe i can't sell it but i put a hell of a lot of work into it. Kicked my butt. Below is the PDF.


NEWSLETTER LINK - DOWNLOAD HERE



While living in Shinkai for about 2 weeks we have done interesting stuff that none of the other detachments do. They work with the ANA more than any other detachment in my opinion. FOB Lane worked with the ANP alot. Well working with the ANA is a little different than the ANP. The ANA is the Afghan National Army and the ANP is the Afghan National Police for those of you who don't know. So when we go out the ANA go ahead and find the IED [improvised explosive devices] for us. They find the hidden bombs for us, blow it up, and clear the way for us. Cool stuff and their motorcycle scouts are on point. I don't know how they find these things cuz the taliban hide them pretty well but these scouts are the shiznit. Well here are some photos of blowing up IEDs.



Sgt K walking with down the DC

 

Sgt Wall pulling security



Mills posing for AKO. That's all he wanted



The most couragious elder i've met in my entire life.



Blowing up an IED



ANA about to refill the hole where the IED was



Elder sifting his corn

  

Only waterfall i seen in this country. A taliban village that is

 

ANA at the top

 

So Mills made AKO

 So i'll talk about the FOB. Sweeney has a nice setup for their living quarters but the FOB also has a decent chow hall, the MWR is next door [only 2 computers though] and the gym is decent as well. The nice thing about it is that it's not so busy. Also the Dynocorp company there are awesome. The folks are good people and they help us out alot. I think they are the best civilians i have worked with in the AOR. in Iraq we had KBR to work with and they were ok and we got dynocorp at many fobs but the ones at Sweeney are awesome people. Maybe I'll offer some photo services to return the favor. They're a good group. Idk what photos they'd really want though.


Since we work with the ANA alot, they ask for our help alot. Well we were supposed to have a day off one day and they asked us to come out for something so we were supposed to have off about 5 days later and guess what happens? They asked for help again that morning so we get ready and we go out to see what's up. Holy crap! they had 2 vehicles stuck in the river but the ridiculous part was the speed of the river. Well i must say i got some decent photos. 

The Jersey Fist pump at the Afghan Shore



SSG Touchstone and SSG Reynolds



The Ray Charles laugh

 

Enough Said



Ooo mannn

  The best photo I took is definitely the one below. The call this type of photo a 'dot in space' photo. Meaning everything in the photo is the same besides that one dot which you're eye definitely goes to. Also got the 'moment', the moment where he's breathing to catch his breath while fighting the water. It's definitely one of the top photos I've taken here in Afghanistan because of its 'moment'.

Well here you have it!


Rough Rough Day!

  Took me 3.5 hours to post this. Hope you all read and share!