The Pace is Picking Up

Nov 2 Hi Everyone,

Things are picking up pace as the military discovers what I am able to do and what they are trying to get me to do. The whole canal and flooding thing is slightly out of my league, but I give them fresh insight on what materials are available locally as well as surplus from the military complexes. My solution to the flooding at the Dasht camps is to give the locals several pallets of empty sand bags to fill and strategically place and ask that a bulldozer be run up there to create the initial temporary drainage ditches and walls to stop the high flood waters from reaching the camp area. For canal inlets and distribution boxes I'm recommending using the surplus 't' wall material we have in various configurations to make controlling the water flow a less labor intensive job.

Me, I'm doing well. 1/3 of my trip is done and I'm looking forward to coming home. The guys I live and work with are a good group and make sure I'm invited to everything they do...I don't play basketball or kill zombies, but the rest of the activities are welcome. I read a lot on my off time and I really should go to the gym they have here more often.

All for now. Love, -J-

Nov 4 Hi everyone;

I'm not sure what I should write about. Lots of odds and ends happening...some of which I may have reported on already and will probably repeat myself...my apologies in advance. We're assembling another 150 birthing kits this weekend. It is a fun, semi-mindless task . My sister, Barbara, is helping out a lot with getting the umbilical clamps for the kits. She has already had one company donate 1000 clamps and promises from 3 other companies to donate more. My personal goal is 10,000 clamps in Kandahar before I return home in early January. One company is asking if we want a 'pallet' of them...I think all we have to do is pay the shipping. I will have some really cute pictures of Afghan women and babies posted to this site as soon as I figure out how to degrade the quality of the pictures we have on the camera's 'sd' card enough so that the e-mail can include them as an attachment.

SPC David W and I worked on the second, larger rocket stove for the ANP at the Ag. Center yesterday. Our inspection of the canal inlets was postponed for a few weeks due to 'too many leaves on the trees'...it makes sense, the 'enemy' uses the foliage as cover for nasty stuff. I also got out with a camera and took pictures of flowers and other plants for making up an order list for the 9 or 10 planter boxes (6' x 6' x 2') that we ahre having built for the Agriculture Center. The place is sprucing up nicely. One group of soldiers is clearing and spreading gravel by the main gate for a kid's play area. Another group is building a bunch of stuff for the area...swing sets, monkey bars, merry go round, teeter totters, etc. The administration building is patched up and getting a fresh coat of paint, the entrance is repaired...stuff is happening! I selected the generator that will supply power to the CHU's (Containerized Housing Units) that are being given to the ANP stationed there. I even have asked (and been granted) for a slit trench bathroom to be temporarily installed for the ANP there...what they are using now is really disgusting. I want them to think fondly of me every time they use it...

I spoke with Krista and Lisa the other night (night for me is lunchtime for you) and had a great set of conversations. Keep your e-mails coming...I especially appreciate it when you include the mundane details about stuff like weather, dance, sports, pets...I'm a bit 'out of the loop' and this helps me be more aware of what is really happening.

The local "Haji Shop" an Afghan owned store in one of the ANA compounds here at FOB Pasab sells all kinds of odd items...bootleg DVD's, raw and cut gems...they have a bunch of fist sized and smaller Lapus Luzili (a blue gemstone/rock), along with rubies, saphires, emeralds (all small) for sale...anyone interested in having me get some...no real bargains...but probably cheaper than you can get in the US. The Lapus is really neat, they have raw rocks, polished rocks and some neat, but crude necklaces and pendants. If I remember I will take pictures and post them too...Guess I have to get the camera going!

"Mustafa" aka Maverick just gave me the following fairly
recent pictures of a trip out of the FOB. Note my great hairdo in the second picture.
The younger looking guy near me in both pictures is Mustafa. A polite, local guy
working for the US Army as a translator. His command of English and comparative cultures
is excellent!

Have a great day! Love, -Jim-