19 Feb 2007
AWAC is now ranked 8th on milblogging.com. Thanks everyone!
Jingle Trucks, Ford Tough!
This story takes place yesterday, though I’m writing it today (yesterday) so that when I post it tomorrow (today) the reference to today (yesterday) will make sense chronologically. Got that? Good, please explain it to me.
Hamid has been very excited about all the new guys coming in. For a while it looked like many of us weren’t going to be replaced, and Hamid was understandably concerned about his job. It looks like it is secure for another year, fingers crossed. He is especially interested in the captain that is replacing me, as Hamid will most likely be working with him a lot. He wants to know if he is funny (since I am endlessly entertaining), have I met him before, what is he like, did he volunteer to come, and so on. Unfortunately, I don’t know him, and can’t provide much insight.
As we were walking across CMA in our latest blizzard, I looked down at my watch and said, “It’s almost lunch time, Hamid’s favorite part of the day. Time to fill up four plates full of food and make that belly fat.” Hamid laughs, both because he agrees, and because it is true. His ability to put away food is legendary.
“I sure hope the new captain is as funny as I am. What will you do if he never makes you laugh?”
“Oh, I hope he is funny. Do you think he tells jokes?”
Once again I have to explain that we have never met, and our e-mails have mainly dealt with getting all his people in touch with all our people. I have no idea what he is like, though once I did tell Hamid that the new guy hated all people with the name “Hamid.” I told you I was funny. Don’t worry, Hamid never believes me when I yank his chain.
For the first time in a long time, we ate lunch alone at a table. This usually leads to some of best conversations, and I wasn’t disappointed today. After we stuffed our faces with over-cooked hot-wings (are hot wings allowed to be crunchy, or do they get classified as something else?) he hit me with, “What is a friend?”
I paused, trying to figure out what generated this one. I gave him one of my exasperated looks, which he always finds hilarious. “You know very well what a friend is. What exactly are you asking me?”
“I mean, when is someone truly your friend? How do they act? Do you have friends here at Phoenix? How many?”
“Well,” I considered, “I certainly consider the captains in my hut to be my friends. I also have a Romanian friend I play soccer with. I like all the people I work with, though we aren’t really supposed to become close friends, because of our ranks.”
“Maj Apple is your friend, right?”
“Yes, though he is my boss, I would certainly trust him like a friend.”
“How about at home? Do you have many friends?”
“My wife and my kids are my best friends. I don’t have any friends I hang out with. My family is most important to me. But I have many people that are friends all over the country that I still keep in touch with by e-mail. One of my closest friends used to be a student of mine when I was a teacher. Another was a friend back when I was 14 years old, and now he writes me almost every day.”
“And these are friends you can trust, that you could share a secret with?”
“Yes, absolutely. I could trust them with my life. But why are you asking this? Don’t you have friends?”
Hamid sighed. “In Afghanistan, friends often leave or stop being your friend when things change. For instance, when I was in that bad car accident (a few years ago Hamid was in a wreck that killed two people and knocked out some of his teeth and severely injured his back). I had a very good friend that I called. He said he could not come to see me in the hospital because he was in another city. Yet a couple of days later I saw him in the street, and he turned and walked away. We had been friends for over ten years.”
“So what happened?” I asked. “Why this change?”
“Money. He gained lots of money, and he didn’t want to be with his old friends. He wanted to get new friends with more prestige.”
I snorted. “Yes, that happens in America. People are always foolish to think that new friends who come around when you have money are real friends. They leave when the money is gone.”
“Yes, you are right. But your friends here, will you keep in touch? Will you see each other when you get back to the states?”
“I certainly hope we can keep in touch. I have kept in touch with some people for over ten years after I moved away. However, we all live far away from each other.” At this point I started estimating the driving distances to the homes of Doug, Mike, Drew, and Maj Apple. He was amazed at how far everything was.
“What’s really interesting,” I continued, “is that you make friends with people you might never have even met back in the states. Many guys like to drink and go to bars or parties. I don’t like these sorts of things, so I doubt we’d ever have become friends back in the states, because we’d like doing different things.”
Hamid’s face lit up with a smile. “That is good. I don’t like drinking either.” Hamid is always so happy to hear I don’t party. I’m sure he still holds out hope that I will become a Muslim. He talks about god more and more to me. He has a very firm conviction in his beliefs, and is certain Allah is taking care of him.
Hamid continued. “I believe that the three most important things are God, money, and family.”
Hmmm. “You think money is more important than family?”
“You must have money to survive. You must have money to take care of a family. Besides, I am not married.”
I laughed, “Hopefully you’ll change the priorities once you get married. Have you told your mother I want to see you get married before I leave?”
“No, I don’t want to rush her. I am afraid she will treat my wife badly, and we will have to live with her. She treats my sister-in-law badly, even though she is nice and works hard.”
“So, are you going to stay single?”
He looked very serious. “Oh, no, I NEED to get married.”
“Yes, I’m sure you do. I have little doubt of that.”
We talked about friends some more, and it seems poor Hamid is down to only one close friend. All the others have disappeared.
“But we are friends, aren’t we?” he concluded.
“Absolutely. We will always be friends. You just need to learn to use e-mail so we can keep in touch.”
After this we left, and parted for the day. Hamid had tried to assure me that Allah was watching out for me, and reaffirmed our friendship. There’s nothing he wants from me; his job is secure, and he has held off on trying to immigrate until after he gets married. There is no guile, no agenda, just honest friendship between two guys who literally grew up a world apart. Sometimes I think humans are not a lost cause.
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The William Arkin Obscene Amenity of the Day (a new daily feature)
I was remiss yesterday in not having an amenity for William Arkin, my favorite blogger filled with a seething hatred of the military, to rail against. I was hoping I’d get some inputs from other mercenaries (as Arkin calls us), but alas no. I’ll just have to do it myself. He needs to know how good we have it.
Here’s a photo of my daily breakfast routine. The computer and TV are mine, so we can’t blame the government for that. But the paper bowl, plastic spoon, and instant oatmeal are indeed wasteful luxuries provided at government expense. Each morning I sit down at my plywood desk (more waste) and log on to my favorite blog site to see what I wrote last night. While I do this, I can eat as much instant oatmeal as I want. Really, no limits. I could eat six bags if I wanted to. How I am wracked with guilt as I contemplate such gluttony. I wash it down with the finest boxed orange juice from the United Arab Emirates. A day without orange juice is a day without heartburn. There you go, Mr Arkin, more ammo for your self-righteous crusade against the obscene quantities of amenities being shipped over here. Go get’em, big guy!
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Care Packages:
Pam Sande sent a bunch of gloves, tea, coffee, jerkey, drink mixes, candy, and two rawhide bones for ISAF, the airport dog. Also got another box of books for the library from the American Legion Post and VFW Post of Stapleton, NE. Thanks everyone!
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Five Seconds of Fame:
Yesterday’s quote was from Star Trek IV. Although Matthew swore off guessing, he could not pass on a Star Trek quote. My son Taylor also got it right, as did newcomer Chief Jerry Dunham. Bask in all that glory guys!
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Quote of the Day:
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
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How much do you think you would have to pay for a great day like today? $49.99? $39.99? $19.99? No, It’s free!!! Just call 1-800-AIRFORCE, and you too can be enjoying great days in exotic countries ABSOLUTELY FREE! Hurry! Call now! Operators are standing by.
The quote of the day was said by Mandy Patinkin's character to Wallace Shaun's character in the Princess Bride.
The word he kept using was "Inconceivable!"
Posted by: Teri Centner | February 20, 2007 at 04:19 AM
Hamid sounds like a very good friend. It must be lonely there for him. Actually, it gets the same way here! (As far as fly by friends.)
I'm glad you received some care packages. The dog even gets one! That is so cool.
We had a snow storm up North East. I think it was over 100 inches. I still can't reach my family in NY! lol. (They're fine, I hope.)
You take good care of yourself! God bless your family, you and Hamid. (He just doesn't know it is Jesus who is looking out for him, but we won't get into that, eh? LOL)
Posted by: Rosemary | February 19, 2007 at 11:43 PM
I liked the breakfast, but regular old fashioned Quaker Oats in milk with raisins, nuts and grapenuts eaten cold is the way I make my gruel now. I thought that picture I lifted from someone last week of the soldiers sleeping in holes beside their trucks said more about the amentities, but I have been there before, I do understand a bit. Take care out there.
Posted by: William Earl Dungey | February 19, 2007 at 12:53 PM
It was Inigo Montoya from Princess Bride as the word inconceivable was used incorrectly yet again.
Posted by: Taylor | February 19, 2007 at 12:04 PM
That's from the Princess Bride! Inconceivable!
Posted by: Elise | February 19, 2007 at 09:42 AM
Great posting today. You crack me up, and Hamid is quite a guy.
Posted by: Marieanne | February 19, 2007 at 07:23 AM