AWAC Primer
The cast:
Capt Doug “Bear” Traversa (me), USAF, editor and ringmaster
Capt Doug “Rat” Templeton, USAF, my hut mate and regular contributor
Maj Steve “Odie” Odum, USAF, contributor
Capt Mike Toomer, USAF, another hut mate and contributor
Capt Drew Morton, USAF, another hut mate and contributor
1st Lt Dany Barcan, Romanian Army, fellow soccer player and contributor
SSG Carrie Sawyer, US Army, contributor
Maj John Rogers, USAF, contributing photographer
Hamid, Han, and Wali, CMA interpreters
Cute dogs provided by Papillon 911, Pom Posse, and North Central Maltese Rescue
The setting:
Camp Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan, home for most of us
Central Movement Agency (CMA) - Afghan Army transportation base where I work
Logistics Command - Afghan Army base where Rat, Mike, and Drew work
ANA - Afghan National Army
KAIA - Kabul Afghanistan International Airport
22 Apr 07
Roadside Store Photo by Maj Rogers
Today was our second Vehicle Rodeo at CMA. Hamid and I supervised the “back up a Ford Ranger while weaving through cones” contest. This was good for a few good laughs, and many crushed cones. I only had to dive for safety once. The men had a great time, though the highlight of the day had to be the egg-toss contest at the end. Today’s post really lends itself to many photos and few words, so I’m going to get to work. Lest you think I’m just being lazy, I’ll probably spend 2-3 hours getting these photos up.
The Americans line up for the opening
SMSgt Reynolds explains the rules
The contestants
More contestants
Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV) course
The Back up a Ford Ranger while weaving through cones contest
Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV) Course
After the vehicle competitions, everyone lined up for the egg toss contest
One of the finalists
When we got back, we all went over to Romania to see Dany’s Wall of Fame. He is now out looking for people to hang up patches or nametags as a memorial of our service here. Naturally we participated. I’ll put up more photos tomorrow, but here’s one of Dany and me under his masterwork. Yes, that is the plaque that Rat draw hanging in the center.
Finally, just when I thought it was safe to relax, the Zombie Project rose from the grave yet again. I fear that even after I cross the ocean, it will follow me. So most of my remaining day was lost to it. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, and I’ll have more time to write.
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Tonya’s Cute Dog of the Day:
Here’s a photo someone sent me a while back. Don’t know who to credit for it, but the cuteness factor is off the scale.
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Five Seconds of Fame:
Yesterday’s quotes, “You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do” was from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ralph Gulko, Sam Dworkin, and Bruno Mota are today’s famous people.
Remember, you too can be famous. Just identify the quote (without using Google) and send me an e-mail. You can also send a photo of your choice to be posted.
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Quote of the Day:
"Would you say I have a ‘plethora’ of piñatas?"
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It would be a greater day if the Zombie Project would stay dead!
- Bear
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Here’s Rat -
What can I say about today other than it was my next to last time outside the wire except to leave this country and for the change of command. I did a ride along with the new folks, and let me tell you the feeling of not being in control was overwhelming. Now I know they did an adequate job getting us to and from the office, but it is very different when you don’t know or haven’t built up the trust factor we have with our group.
I spent the morning with my Afghans and drank Chai and talked about my impending departure. They are sad to see us go as I said the other day, and they are slow to warm up to our replacements as they were with us in the beginning. They are a society built on relationships and it will take time for the new folks to develop that trust and friendship. They should be fine in a short while as we have broken the Afghans in for them. I said this in the office and it took a minute for the joke to cross the language barrier but we all had a good laugh afterwards.
We headed out to the airport for lunch and the meal was great as always. I got to have my fresh bread and savored the moment for maybe my last time. I am a bread snob, I will admit so being able to have the fresh baked rolls is a dream come true for me. After lunch, Mike and I sat on the porch of one of the coffee shops and enjoyed a cigar. As we were finishing it, a Navy brethren joined us with some other friends of his to enjoy a cigar as well. He is headed to Iraq for 9 months after just completing a 12 month tour over here. He even volunteered to do it, so someone married with kids would not. God Bless him for his sacrifice and for thinking of his fellow sailors. That is a true friend!
He had just purchased a $250.00 box of cigars, from the unmentioned place, and offered Mike and me one to enjoy with their group. We are never one to offend, so we had a second of much higher quality than the one we had just had. WOW, what a difference and smooth too. My wife would kill me for spending that kind of money on cigars!
Well we made it back to the camp one more time without incident, and so for that I have to say it was a great day, not to mention having a supreme cigar as icing on the cake.
Ratman
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Here’s Mike -
It has been a while since my last post; been busy with turn-over for our replacements. Ahhh, yes, the end is getting very near, and I can’t wait to get back to my family and life. It is with mixed emotions though, as happy as I am to be going home, I am also sad to be leaving the people (both Afghan and American) with whom I have spent virtually every day of the last year. Enough of the mushy stuff, though. I have something that has got my knickers up and wanted to share the rant with people who might actually listen (the other three quit paying attention to my rants along time ago).
My wife and I have both read the book ‘The Kite Runner.’ If you have not read it yet, I highly recommend you do so, as it is a very good look into Afghan culture. Kite fighting is a popular sport here in Afghanistan; they have kite fights every Friday on the hill where the King’s tomb is located. Essentially, people take kites, glue broken glass to the string and attempt to cut the string of other kites. The last kite standing, or flying, wins. When a kite string gets cut, there is a race to retrieve the downed kite. This is where the term ‘kite runner’ comes from; those who run after the downed kites. As the title of the book would indicate, kite fighting and running plays an important role in the story. Well, Hollywood is turning the book into a movie, and I would expect that it will make millions of dollars, as the book is wildly popular in the States.
I was IM’ing with Mia, my wife, and she was telling me that she read an article about the most renowned kite maker in all of Afghanistan, Noor Agha, who had been hired by the makers of the movie to make the kites for the movie and to teach the actors how to kite fight. She wanted to know if I could go to his shop and purchase a kite and possibly get my picture taken with him. I spoke to Akram, one of my interpreters, about this guy and he told me that, yes, he is the most famous kite maker in all of Afghanistan and that his shop is in a bazaar not far from Camp Eggers in Kabul. I asked Akram to visit him, to buy a kite for me, and to take his picture. He did all of that, paying 35 dollars for the kite. Once he brought me the kite, I decided to google the kite maker to make sure he was the same guy (you just never know in Afghanistan). Sure enough he was the same guy. It is what was written in the article I read that got me so mad.
The article talked about how Noor Agha is the most famous kite maker in the whole of Afghanistan. It opens with the line “A man living in a graveyard in a rubbish-strewn, rundown Kabul district is the unlikely hero behind the scenes of one of Hollywood's most eagerly anticipated movies this year.” It goes on to talk about how he is making the kites for the movie and teaching the actors how to kite fight, just like Mia had said. I was thrilled to have one of his kites. It will make a great conversation piece when I get it back to the States and get it framed. Then I read on. Noor Agha told the reporter that “"I got $30 a day for 45 days, teaching them all I knew.” Yes, 30 bucks a day to teach them all he knew about kite fighting!!!! What a disgrace! Here is a poor Afghan, living in a garbage strewn slum and the good old liberal elites of Hollywood paid him a mere 30 dollars a day to teach the actors a critical skill for a movie from which they will make MILLIONS of dollars.
Yes, the sum is probably close to a year’s income for Noor Agha, but that isn’t the point. The point is that they, the filmmakers, could have paid him so much more. Would it have made a whit’s difference if they had paid him a thousand dollars a day? Would it have busted their budget? NO! They saw an opportunity to save a few bucks at the expense of an Afghan and took it! Shame on them! The same good liberals who chastise the rest of America for being too rich and not sharing the wealth with the poor nations of the world, blow an opportunity to put THEIR money where their mouth is. Great example, and even better look at what they really mean by their rhetoric; give more of YOUR money, not ours. I was disgusted! I could have taken the kite for free; Noor Agha wanted to give me a kite as a guest to his country, but instead I paid what was asked because I knew the 35 dollars I paid him was a pittance in comparison to how much I make per paycheck. I could not take advantage of him, unlike the Hollywood elites.
It is too bad; there was an opportunity for Hollywood to make a difference, even if it was a small one, and they blew it. I know we, the U.S. military, are making a difference here; small and large. Just wish the condescending liberal elites in Hollywood would follow our lead, but then again, we in the military are despised by these idiots. Oh well, I know that I have done my part, and in the end that is what matters I guess.
-Mike
I went from amusement over the lack of liquor but the ready availablity of unmentioned location cigars to indignation over the film makers underpayment to the kitemaker. You guys are that good.
Posted by: Lynette | April 23, 2007 at 09:41 AM
Yep Mike, that's typical Follywood.
Posted by: Solo | April 23, 2007 at 07:04 AM
I'm with you Mike! You would think that Hollywood could at least beat the rates that the U.S. military pays its interpreters! And what we pay them is 10 times more than your average Afghan professional is payed.
I found a U.S. News article from last October that says Afghan "government prosecutors... currently earn $65 a month (interpreters for U.S. forces are paid $650)... the Taliban, who pay part-time fighters between $12 and $14 a day, triple the $4 a day they make in the Afghan national Army." (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/061008/16afghan_print.htm)
Posted by: Teri Centner | April 23, 2007 at 06:35 AM
Darn it Rat after that puppy picture I want a doggie. Come on!!!!! And would I'm thinkin' we're gonna need the recipe for that bread. The way you write about it I can almost taste it over here!
Mike - I'm ranting just like you over this payment to Mr Agha. Makes me wonder - did Hollywood learn from the UN or vice versa? Hmmmmmm
I'd never heard of the Kite Runners until you brought them to our attention. Thanks for doing so. I'm ordering the book today.
STAY SAFE men and safe travels cuz I know any day now I'll log on to AWAC and the same old post will just be there and be there and be there cuz you're traveling home! Ah!!!!!!
Posted by: Leta | April 23, 2007 at 06:31 AM