FFPCogs

Hey for once we actually agree on something.

Well what can you say..stupid is as stupid does. Hopefully these clowns face some harsh diciplinary action and a review of safety protocols takes place at the FD. That said I have to be honest I got a good laugh out of that guy busting his a** in that short fall.... :lol:
If nothing else this should serve to teach him to learn how to use his equipment before trying to use it .
Stay safe
Cogs

Well what can you say..stupid is as stupid does. Hopefully these clowns face some harsh diciplinary action and a review of safety protocols takes place at the FD. That said I have to be honest I got a good laugh out of that guy busting his a** in that short fall.... :lol:
If nothing else this should serve to teach him to learn how to use his equipment before trying to use it .
Stay safe
Cogs

Here's some pics of where we live off duty.

Here's Crash 8 (9's in the background), Crash 5 and the HazMat truck on the taxiway apron at the station

The dayroom at the station

A small camel spider...they get much much bigger (about the size of the average man's hand) and while not venomous they give a painful bite

This one speaks for itself...needless to say when this hits the Talibastards they're having a bad day

An A-10 drill

Blackhawk training

Looking Northeast across the base from Crash 10 at the station

Looking North from our apron on the taxiway...Kandahar city is just over that mountain and this is where most of our incoming deliveries originate.

That's all for now as more become available and pass security I'll post them.
Cogs

Here's a few more mundane pics showing the everyday here.
This is Blue crew saying goodbye to a nurse from the Role 3 next door. Role 3 is the trauma hospital and it is an excellent facility. They have a 98% survivial rate for patients that come in with a pulse.

Here we are at shift chage in the morning, that's blue crew with backs to the wall and I'm on the far right. This was taken the morning of Hector's B'day which is why he's the men at centerstage

Here's Nate (from DC) and Sharma (from India) in front of Engine 3 (my current rig). John (a Brit) is behind the wheel. He was the driver when this pic was taken but he's been reassigned to E-2 on the Southside. I'm still waiting for the E-2 pics from him.

These two are of me giving the lecture portion of a fly the wye drill. The "action" shots are unviewable...sorry.


Just a little bit of news. Yesterday (and it seems more to come) was a first even for me after years over in the sandbox. Temperatures topped 148...yes I said 148. That's the hottest I've ever been outside a fire and damn you can really feel the heat.
Anyway stay safe all and thanks for your efforts
Cogs

Well another week has passed and that means I'm one week closer to getting home for R&R...6 more to go. Speaking of home I think this entry may be somewhat more personal than most because as I get closer to home I find myself thinking more and more about it. Now I'm not the emotional or sentimental type (according to my wife... ) other than the occasional angry outburst, but in keeping with the idea of giving a clear, albeit personal, view of life here for those that may want to embark on this path, I think in todays installment I'm going to share a little more on the trials and tribulations but equally important the positives and benefits of life here.
First off let me digress back to home and the universal malady that affects everyone here....homesickness. Yep even hardened firemen miss home at times, especally those of us with wives and children. For me yesterday was another reminder of what I'm missing. My wife attended the wedding of a friend and later after they were sent, I looked at the pictures. Everyone was happy, as they should be, and life went rolling merrily along except that I, perhaps selfishly, was,...well, saddened. This because of the fact that I was not the one standing beside my beautifully stunning wife enjoying the nuptials of a friend. As we all know sacrifice is a part of all of our lives, and we all accept that as a part of who and what we are. But in some respects it may be just a little bit more so for those that choose to work over here...we can't get relief guys to cover a shift so we can take half a nite or day off for a child's school play or big football game, holidays or birthdays or whatever. You give up alot coming here and again I'm not crying about that, I'm just making anyone interested aware that life will go on without you back home. And sometimes missing those parts of life can leave a large void. Some can't take it. I recall my first deployment to Iraq, my roommate, who also traveled to the camp with me, was there only 3 days and realized he couldn't do it, he couldn't become frozen in time and space in the sandbox. And in some ways that's what working here is like...we call it Groundhog day. At times it seems as if the clock is just spinning here and not moving forward, it stays the same for what feels like an endless cycle of days and nights simply repeating themselves where even the weather doesn't change. This sentiment invariably gets stronger for everyone here as events, good and bad, unfold back home. You quickly come to realize that you are not really an active part of the life back home anymore and have no control over it. Many accept this fact but for those that don't, most quit at their first R&R after they've arrived home and just can't come back because of that realization. Of course this epiphany is really only a minor inconvenience for us, as we can leave any time we want, but for the military it is a situation that is far more than an inconvenience and I am in no way trying to compare the two. In the end anyone thinking of coming over here must have the full understanding of what they will give up, and in some cases that sacrifce can extend all the way to wives and families as couples become lonely and grow apart. Many a marriage has come to a bitter end for guys here as the partners, both here and at home, seek solace to fill the voids.
Ok enough melancholia.
For all the trials and tribulations that have graced these last few installments there is a flip side to the coin. There are positive aspects and benefits to working out here which go beyond the obvious financial ones although that is a good place to start. This contract I'm currently on is one of the lower paying ones and I have no problem telling all that I stand to make just about 80K per year here as a Crew Chief (Engine Co. Officer). A firefighter can expect between 60-70K here at Kandahar. Not that anyone cares but the reasons I took this particular job are threefold of equal importance:
1. The pay, I do have a family to support
2. The desire to support and protect our troops in their mission here
3. The leave (R&R) package. We get 30 days off every 90 days with full pay. And for this family man that is a huge attraction and benefit of greater personal importance than the money alone.
Now as I said this is one of the lesser paying FD jobs out there, and for most guys out here money is naturally the most important motivator. Most jobs pay well over 100K a year with 30 days off annually. Crew Chiefs regularly pull in between 140-150K and Chiefs up to 200K. with 91.5 K being tax free for all. So as you can see this can be a lucrative means of making living. When done right a semi intelligent person can make their life here open doors that would have probably remained closed otherwise. And of course the money allows for many of the other "perks" that come from our efforts.
Travel, who wouldn't like to take long expensive vacations. Most firemen here do, especially the single guys. A single guy with half a brain can see the world and still have a good deal of money left over to build a life back home. Start a business, go to school, buy a house..I think you get the idea there. Or for the less prudent, splurge, go nuts and indulge every perverse whim that strikes your fancy in places like Thailand or the Phillipines, both of which hold the top spot as destinations for the single set here. A single colleague is going to Bali, yeah that paradisical island, for a month come October. Rio, Europe and Greek Isles or the Costa del Sol and Monaco, Japan, China and the rest of Asia, Hawaii...you name it and guys have gone there with the money they've made here. The possibilities are almost endless for the single. Of course for the more subdued or the family men, well it's really nice not to ever have to worry about paying a bill. Or better yet to work a year or two and pay off and OWN your house. How about treating the kiddies to all those things you never had as a kid and treating your wife to the things she deserves for putting up with you, because you can. Maybe take the family on a cruise at a whim. Here's another important one to any parent..college tuition in the bank. These are just some of the things made possible from the money earned working out here.
Self indulgences, yeah there's alot of that too. Cars, boats, motorcycles and all the newest, latest and greatest gadgets or electronic devices and toys out there have been bought outright by guys here. Clothes, jewlery, food, and "wine, women and song" along with just about anything else you can think of can be yours for your time and efforts. Here's one that tops the list for alot of the married guys...new boobs for the wife (thankfully I don't share that "need" as my wife is amply appointed in that department). Yeah that's right, all you plastic surgeons rejoice, I'll bet almost a quarter of the guys I've worked with over the years have invested in, as the joke says, that one of the two things fathers play with that's meant for the kids...the other being toy trains. But alas, of that quarter more than half have found themselves without that investment to play with after all as their wives have moved on to "bigger" and better things...maybe because as men we don't enjoy the luxury of being able to enhance our natural attributes. Well enough about that, as I'm sure you all get the picture as far as the money goes, other than to say that for me personally my time and the money earned over here past and present, has afforded my family and me the opportunity to live a modest yet relatively comfortable life..and that is worth putting up with any depravation as far as I'm concerned.
There are of course other far less tangible benefits to working out here which, depending on your personality, can be very rewarding. For most, supporting the troops is, if not tied with first among the reasons to be here, certainly one of the top five. Patriotism abounds out here especially with the Canadians, Brits and us Americans and I have seen it lived on every deployment I've been on. I too feel a deep sense of responsibility and pride in working for my Country and our military, even if it is indirectly. We regularly go above and beyond or to use the business term, "push the limits of the SOW" (scope of work) when dealing with the troops because to the vast majority of us they deserve at least that. Those that don't believe in "helping out" usually don't hang around too long, since they quickly come to find out (with a little help) that this isn't the kind of place for them.
Then there's the work. I love being a fireman and have since I was 16, (for those who feel that as a volunteer back home I am not one, well I won't even dignifiy that idiotic view with a response). Quite honestly it is probably the only thing I'm even remotely good at and I don't hold a candle to most of you. Anyway, while this isn't a major metropolis with fires and incidents every day, nor do I want to give that impression, all things being considered we do get relatively busy and we do a very diversified bit of work out here. Many guys (myself included) have taken advantage of this and the opportunites that have presented themselves. We have had both the good fortune and desire to take a number of training classes and attain certifications that we may not have otherwise been able to. These along with the work have been translated into practical experience both here and back home for most of us. For me, I have now spent a number of years as a Company officer out here as well, and this has put me in a position to deal with issues and gain experience to better serve back home. This again is a "perk" worth well beyond it's weight in gold, at least to me.
Another attraction, and to some of us a benefit, is the adrenaline rush of working in a environment which is full of dangers in addition to the normal fireground ones. Being in a war zone (and make no mistake this is an active one) is just the kind of lifestyle suited to those of us who, like me, thrive in crisis. I'm sure everyone here can relate, at least on some level, to the satisfaction we get from doing a good job while facing the life threatening dangers presented by our nemesis..Fire. You get that same satisfaction here along with the satisfaction of facing down people that want to maim and kill you at every turn. Again not to mislead, this is not the front lines and I'm not saying we face anywhere near the dangers of the troops, but the possibilty of an untimely death at the hands of a cunning, determined and fanatical enemy is ever present and doing our duty in spite of it can be, and for some is, very rewarding.
This job, like my previous tours has also given many of us an opportunity that I am positive we would not have otherwise had, the opportunity to meet and work with firemen from all over the U.S. and now the world. For some that may mean nothing and that is fine, but for others (again myself included) this work presents an opportunity to not only expand, but share our knowledge and experience far beyond what would have been possible at home. The work over here, by it's very nature, puts a variety of skill sets and methods together and forces them to meld into a working fire department. While some may see this as a drawback it is in reality a chance to build fire service from the ground up using the insights, knowledge and experiences of all of the personnel available. It may sound chaotic and in a sense it is. But I have been fortunate I guess in that for me, most times have found that for our efforts the results have been far more suprising and in the end rewarding than anyone thought possible. And in an extension to just the job itself, working these contracts can open up the world to those who want it in the form of friendships made out here. There are not many places with such a diverse population as there is stationed here where a firemen can spend the day making friends with a group of people from Romania in the morning, England at lunch and any number of other nations (including the locals), stationed here for dinner? The cultural and historical facets of all of these diverse groups is here and for those interested, open to exploration.
Well I seem to be getting a little (or alot) long winded so I'll cut it off there.
In closing I can only say that which I've said before...life here is, as it is everywhere, what you make of it. Guys that make it over here tend do so because they come in with eyes and minds wide open, so if the idea of working here is stirring in your brain, just try to remember that simple premise. To that end I have tried to paint as realistic and objective a picture of life here for you as I can, I hope I have done so thus far.
There is some news and I am still going to share the differences between UK and U.S. tactics, but since I've droned on long enough here we'll save those for another day.
As aways stay safe
and thanks for protecting the homefront
Cogs

Here's some pics of Engine 2. This rig was built in Germany for the Spanish Forestry Service and now serves the residents of Kandahar Airfield with distinction in all it's flourescent orange magnificence...
Here's a frontal view. In the background is station 2...yeah guys that's all there is...a small connex and a little shaded sitting area outside.

In this one E-2 is at the front of station 1. At the rear of the rig is the entrance to our bunker

John's working the pump at a drill in this one. Notice how little room the pump takes up, the hose reel (about 125 ft) and no hosebed

Here E-2 is parked in it's normal position back at station 2 alongside one of the Medic units that shares the "station"

Al's doing morning cleaning here, blowing out yesterday's dust. Although a little difficult to see the driver's side rear compartment holds all the hose this rig carries besides the hose reel..it ain't much

After my R&R in Sept I'll be assigned back here to this Engine. By the way I fly home on Sept 11th of all days and hope to make it in time to attend the dedication of a 9/11 memorial in Mt. Kisco..maybe I'll see some of you there...just look for the really tanned, fat bald guy...
Until next time
Stay safe all and as always
Thanks for your efforts in protecting the homefront
Cogs

Many people have PMed and emailed mre asking about life "over there" in Afghanistan, so I thought I'd write a quick decription of how it is for those interested.
To start I am now assigned to Kandahar Airfield which, unlike all my previous jobs, is a NATO run base. At present I believe the British are the ones technicaly in charge of the base but almost all NATO countries and a few others are represented here. This makes for some interesting interactions as cultures do clash occasionally, usually with comic results fortunately. It is hot here, I mean really hot. Average temperatures this week have been just above 130 with the nights cooling down to a balmy 100 or so. It is also dusty here to the point that everything has a permant shade of tan covering it, no matter how often you clean it.
My FD here or to use it's proper name Kandahar Fire Crash Rescue Services is comprised of 60 men manning 6 crash trucks, 2 structural Engines and a Tanker along with a Chief and as they call them a Plattoon (our Depruty Chief or Shift Commander) Chief for each of the two shifts. Work schedule is 24 on 24 off or on average an 84 hour work week, which may sound like alot but trust me most would rather be working everyday as there isn't much to do otherwise. We do have a gym at the main station as well as a number of military ones throughout the base that we are free to use. There are 6 DFACs (dining facilites), 1 British, 1 French or Continental, 1 Asian and 2 American, the other I havent found yet but it is reported to be Arabic serving only Hallal food (similar to Kosher). The food itself is edible although as any former soldier can tell you, everything is cooked well beyond well done. Kandahar also boasts a Boardwalk which is just exactly what you'd expect it to be, a wooden sidewalk on which fromts a number of commercial establishments. We have a KFC and Friday's, 2 pizza joints although the term pizza is a bit of a stretch to anyone from our area, a Nathan's open 24 hours to boot a coffe shop and a French Deli/Patisserre. Along with the gastronomic choices there are a number of small "Haji" or locals run shops carrying everything from cigarettes to jewelery and trinkets to a full tailor shop that will make a hand tailored suit for you for about $250. There is also a Bazaar every Saturday with the ubiquitous bootleg movies as well as an impressive selection of junk, haggling a must.
About the FD itself aside from the above. Well I started at the main station, Station 1 which sits on the Airfield. Housed there are 5 of the 6 crash trucks and their attendant crews. I was assigned to Engine 3 one of the two structural units on base. Station 3 houses another crash truck on the opposite side of the runway. Station 3 is a luxuriously appointed Army tent with none of the comforts of home. Station 1 is more akin to a Stateside firehouse with an alarm room, offices, a large dayroom and sleeping quarters (3 to a room). The crash side of the house is busier here since much to my suprise Kandahar Airfield is the busiest single runway airport in the world with between 850 - 1000 inbound and outbound flights a week. And there is quite a wide variety of aircraft in and out of here including C-130s and C-17s, C-5s as well, F-16s, F/A/18s, Harriers, A-10s. We also get 737s, Antonov A-12s and the other really huge Russian one whose designation I can't recall as well as a few 747s. Choppers abound with Blackhawks and Chinooks, Cobras, and Apaches and a large contingent of old Russian machines like the Mil-8 and the Mil -10 for transpot duty. And of course the UAVs which are really quite impressive.
My current assignment is as the Crew Chief (Capt) of Station 2 "Southside". I have with me 4 crewman and our rig is a European spec'ed Rosenbauer from Germany. Needles to say that it takes a bit of getting used to with the pump in the rear and it's overall lack of hose and equipment by our standards, not to mention its all metric. I have a pump that in liters!! Damn Europeans now I have to do math.
Our first due is about 8 sq. miles with roughly 25,000 miltary and civilian residents. Building range from one and two story PEBs (pre engineered buildings) of metal and wood. wooden B and C huts (think ranch houses except it's many offices or sleeping rooms off a central hallway), tents of various sizes up to 200 x 75 and a large number of two story masonary barracks (think garden apartments). Along with these living areas we on the Southside enjoy the distinction of being what back home would be called the industrail side of town. The majority of the mechanical shops, warehouses, stortage facilities fuel points and motorpools are in our first due, along with a host of HazMat goodies. All in all it's a diverse and challenging district.
Now what makes KAFs Fire Department somewhat unique is the fact that we are comprised of a multi national force. There are Indians, Philippinos, South Aficans and a sizeable contingent of Brits. Then there's a few Canucks and representing the good ole USA is Nate who hails form the metro DC area and myself. While English is the required language I have found that it's use is somewhat impeded by the variety of accents in use. In fact I've found that I'll need to invest in an English to English dictionary to communicate with my comrades form the UK...LOL
One of the most common questions I get is, is it safe? Well safe is a relative term in a war zone. We do get regular presents of the 81, 120 and 240mm variety from our Taliban friends outside the wire and they do at times cause casualities. The last was a soldier a few months ago. Our towel headed friends also like to try and crash our party here often by trying to get through the wire. They don't get too far. In fact just prior to my arrival about 100 or so of them got their wish with a one way fast track ticket to meet Allah...isn't that nice for them. Hopefully their buddies will be right behind. Our boys here are more than happy to oblige that wish and we all support them. Vigilance is a necessity here, just like home complacency kills. We do all we can to stay safe, but the reality is, if your numbers up then it's up. Until then I and all of us have a job to do and we just do it.
Some may think this a noble or courageous endeavor, for that I thank you, but please give your kudos to those that really deserve it, the brave and dedicated men and women of our Armed Forces. These folks are as courageous as they come and they are in a sense our kindred spirits....they too put themselves at risk to protect and serve others, all of us here and back home.
In closing I would ask a favor from all who read this. As you go through your day stop for just a minute and think about those service members over here and what they are sacrificing for you and yours. And if it should strike you please find an organization that send things over and send something to a soldier, sailor, or airman here. It couild be anything, a letter, a card and damn tube of toothpaste...anything so that they know that you remember and support them. They will appreciate it more than you know. Freedom is not free and these folks are paying the price for our freedom, please don't forget them.
Cogs
________________
Peter Cogliano
Crew Chief Engine 2 "Southside"
Kandahar Fire Crash Rescue Services
Kandahar Airfield Afghanistan

2nd Capt / Asst. Training Officer
Belltown Fire Dept.
Stamford, CT

Time for another installment of "Life in Afghanistan". In this episode we'll deal with what happens when it rains.
For anyone whose ever lived in the desert the phenomena of the flash flood is something you are all too aware of. Well here in Kandahar we are as prone to them as anywhere else like say Nevada or Arizona ect, which brings me to the other night. Wednesday was like most days here except that for the first time this year we had a significant amount of rain...well significant by the standards here anyway. Morning had some drizzle off and on which lasted a few hours with the sun popping it's head out for about hour here and there. About 1 pm it started to downpour. Now out here in November that means just what we would call a steady rain back home. This lasted a few hours with varying degrees of rainfall throughout, but never heavier than slow speed on the wipers on the rig. As this rain came to an end it was just about 6pm which for us at the South Station is dinner time. So we hop on the rig for the short drive to the DFAC with me fully expecting to indulge in some nice baked fish and potatoes, with a side salad of course. Alas, like so many crews around the world at dinnertime, enroute we get banged out for an AFA , this time in the Deep South portion of the camp. As we begin making our way south we notice that there are a series of large puddles in the roadway, which out here is not at all unusual when it rains. What was unusual though was that as we proceeded down the road the puddles turned into a flowing river of muddy water about a 6 inches deep. I thought this flowing water was coming from the wash rack assuming a pipe or water bladder had burst, except it didn't slow down...in fact it began to rage and increase in depth by about 1 or 2 inches per minute. As we approached a six spoked roundabout (we call it Malfunction Junction) to make the swing south we began to see alot of vehicles becoming stranded and the road was now completely submerged ahead of us. A quick look out the cab and jumpseat doors (I was backstepping it) and we figured we'd be alright as the water wasn't even near mid tire yet. So we make the left to head down to Deep South and the waiting AFA. As we came around the roundabout to bear left the road before us was becoming clogged on the left side....this because people were trying to go around all the stuck vehicles closer to the edge on that side of the road. Although the street is technically only two lane there is generally ample room to get by and this we started to do. We made it past 6 or 7 cars and pickups when up ahead we saw a large pile of debris floating right at us down the middle of the road. My driver gently turned the wheel to the right in an effort to go around it which he had plenty of clearence to do.....or so we thought. You see as I said the road was submerged under a maybe a foot of water and while not a problem to usually negotiate safely, today was turning out to be anything but usual. Did I meantion that along the sides of the majority of roads here there are drainage ditches about 4 feet deep. Well there are and there were on this road south. So as we edged right to avoid the debris we ended up very close to the edge of the road and the drainage ditch which because of the flooding was concealed under water. We proceeded maybe 15 feet and then slowly, ever so slowly the rig beagn to list right....yep we had gone too close to the edge and the road gave way and into the ditch we went.
See.............


The rig took on a pretty good list but thankfully no one got hurt. It was rather comical to see us all trying to get out of the rig on such an angle, especally the Officer who had to climb over the dog house to get out the driver's door. I managed to slip down inside the cab a couple of times myself while trying to retrieve some equiment and personal items....laughing the whole time I might add since it really was a comical scene.
So now here we are stranded in an ever increasing flood with our rig firmly ensconced in this ditch. The pics above are from about 3 minutes in and from there it only gets better. We radioed in and told dispatch of our dilema and ensured that the other engine took in the call (AFAs here get a single engine response). That done we drained our tank to lighten the rig and then had to just wait to get towed out. So while we waited the water began to rise..and rise...and rise and flow faster and faster and faster. MPs had by now blocked the road the way we had come, but some thought they could make it through only to end up off the road as well. I tried, using my usual colorful language, to turn people back, but they wouldn't listen. This comedy of errors only adding to our amusement at this point. Finally about a half hour later a wrecker showed up in what was now 3 feet of water, only to determine that he couldn't get the rig out...it was too wet...well Duh!!!
Now we had a choice, stay with the rig and do nothing except get soaked or walk back towards the station and get soaked. We choose the latter since no one was going to be able to get down there to pick us up anyway. Off we went wading through thigh high to waist high water. Progress was slow and with the water deeping we began to think that maybe we'd made the wrong choice and better head back the 1/2 mile to the knee high water back by the rig instead. Then like a shining beacon they appeared...lights...headlights. Much to our delight an MRAP (mine resistant ambush protected vehicle) was heading our way. As we approached this armored beauty the crew inside asked us if we wanted a lift...and as you can well imagine we readily accepted. Now this was a ride. High up out of the water and virtually unstoppable. We rode on the hood and roof directing the driver whse vision was limited by us and the humidity. Around we went to our station only to find it submerged and uninhabitable as well. Generously our new Army friends offered us a lift to our accomadation block which for all we knew was also swimming. Enroute we pulled out a few cars and trucks, another MRAP and picked up a few more stranded souls. After about 2 1/2 hours and a few near misses with wayward empty connexes we made it back to our block which mercifully was just outside the flood zone. After accepting a few packs of ciggs for their trouble our Saviors were on there way...off to rescue others still out there stranded. A quick shower helped to wash off the contaminated water..(lots of septic tanks and mechanical shops in the path of the flood waters)..and fatigue. After that there was one final ignominy...dinner. See, we had missed all the DFACs serving hours save one called Luxembourg. Now while they do there best, Lux is generally regarded as the worst of the worst DFACs here and in the true spirit of living up to it's reputation it did not disappoint on that front. The Turkey ala King I ate..if 3 bites constitues eating... had neither turkey in it nor was it fit for even the king of the damned..it was in a word appalling ...and the perfect end to the perfect evening.
Fast forward to yesterday. Engine 3 lies in the KBR workshop "drying out". We did go to pick it up yesterday evening only to find that it won't shift out of first gear...so back to the shop it went for a little more "work". Worse still...South Station is no more...my home that I had looked so forward to returning to after spending the better part of my first 3 months at the main station is condemned, a good 2 inches of fetid excrement and waste oil infested mud covering everything. Yes my sanctuary away from the politcs and BS of the main station is gone...along with a bit of the fun of being here. I'm sure some of you who prefer the smaller stations to the environments at HQs can relate. So now we wait..it is possible that as I sit in my room on my day off Engine 3 is back on the road, I'll find out tomorrow. To all the safety nazis out there, my driver did an excellent job under the circumstances as did the rest of the crew. In the end though we did learn one valuable lesson...stay to the middle of the road!!!
Hope all is well back home
Stay Safe
and thanks for all that you do protecting the homefront
Cogs

I'll do my best to answer your questions with the understanding that the views expressed are mine and mine alone
On this subject I must say that it is unfortunate if your views in regards to my relating my experiences here have been skewed due to my fervent beliefs regarding my hometown situation, they are in fact unrelated. Stamford is in turmoil yes, and in part that turmoil is due to bad decisions made on the part of all the players invloved incuding your union brothers of L-786. Let me be as clear as I can about something, I do not now nor have I never advocated for or supported the loss of anyone's job from SFRD....period. In fact I will say once agian that the option put forth by a group of us did address the job situation and guarantees no layoffs and promotions as well as two new hires and all that within the confines of no increase in spending. But enough about Stamford.
Yes I believe this is our Nation's the longest war. As for when do we leave, well I say we leave when the threat to our Nation is eradicated. To that end I think that we will need to have a military presence in this part of the world for the foreseeable future.
We have made our Country safer by rooting out and eliminating those who seek to do us grievous harm where the are. The blood spilled on these foreign shores has not been in vain because I subscribe to what I know is a general feeling among our troops here who often express it with this sentiment: "we would rather be doing this here than at home". And I believe that if we desert these operations here we will face a dramatic increase in terrorist activities and violence which will require a military solution at home. America's strength since the early 20th century has been our ability to keep the fight off our shores, failure to meet violence with violence here will only encourage our enemies to attack us at home. And quite frankly as I see it they use what resources they have fighting us here, not using them to get at everyone back home.
1)Yes I believe the Taliban can be eliminated, but not by military action alone. Life must get better for the people here to lessen the draw of groups like the Taliban. But the Tailban is just a symptom of a much larger problem facing the World.....radical miltant Islam
2) I think the Karzai government is a rotted bloated corrupt corpse in need of burial
3) I do not have first hand knowledge of corruption, but the signs are pretty evident all around us
4) Drugs are a major source of income here, not only for our enemies but for the regular Joe ( or should I say Akmed) as well. The trade although illicit and despicable is how many people simply feed their families here. And in what I'm sure will cause consternation to some, I believe that in the end it is not the drug growers or even pushers who are to blame alone, after all for them it is a business, but more so the users. There has to be a demand for the product otherwise it would not be profitable to engage in the drug trade in the first place. Drug trafficking as a way of life needs to be eradicated here, but there must be something to replace it if we are to gain the support or at least acceptance of the people here. It will be next to impossible to convince people to stop engaging in drug trafficking if they have no other way to feed temselves.
This war could end in a relatively short time if we approached it as a war. The restraints placed on our forces are hampering their ability to win a war and are in fact prolonging it. I do not advocate killing innocent people, but I do advocate winning our wars by whatever means necessary. If villagers are not with us they are against us and as far as I'm concerned they are the enemy and should be treated as such.
The end game here is the destruction of the Taliban and their supporters as well as a stabilzed country that wll no longer harbor terrorists nor aid them in their activities.
Here is the problem with this option. Pakistan is a soveriegn nation and a supposed ally, attacks on their territory will only widen the conflict and feed the insurgency. Also wars are not won by long distance engagements. We must have troops on the ground and the infastructure to support them and help move this country forward to secure the gains we make..and we are making them albeit very slowly. The whole issue of this region is containing and eliminating radical Islamic militants. This is happening here in Afghanistan, but it is Pakistan that is the breeding ground for the majority of this scourge. Until we face that demon we will be holding back the flood at best, but holding back that flood is a necessity or it will only get worse. When the time is right we will have to deal with radicalism in Pakistan if thye do not do so themselves, but for now we must work on eliminating it here first.
Yes we do face a myriad of problems back home, but failure to address the enemies outside will only end up leaving us more vulnerable at home. The troubles back home are severe and it will take sacrifices on the part of every American to get us moving out of the morass we are in at home. Maybe some type of new "New Deal" is in order to help jump start that process, but we can't just leave here now no matter the burden. The consequences of that would be dire and such a move would end up creating a worse problem in the end as our departure would signal to our enemies that all they have to do is wait us out. We will have a chance in a year to change direction of things back home and hopefully this time we will make the right choice.
Which is why I didn't vote for him
Well I think I've covered this, but I will reiterate that as far as I'm concerned and in a nutshell our involvement here and throughout the Middle East is necessary to act as a bulwark against the spread of radical Islamic militancy. We as a nation and as Americans are a target in this world and to me that means that we must be ever vigilant and ever ready to use force to protect ourselves. I do not take the shedding of the blood of so many young and honorable Americans lightly, but I do believe that like their forefathers their spilled blood has made us safer in this world. For that they have my most hearfelt and eternal gratitude
Stay Safe
and thanks for all you do on the homefront
Cogs

Willy,
Mine and my family's most sincere condolences on your loss. May your wife rest in peace and your memories of your life together never fade. Our hearts and prayers go out to you and your family.
Cogs

I'm a volunteer in Wallingford, and I gotta say it works REALLY well there between career and volunteer. Obviously each volunteer house is a bit different, but I'm very happy where I am.
The difference I've noticed between Wallingford and other combination departments that I've been a part of and/or observed. Yeah, the volunteer officers can be in command, but that's not what makes it work, and I feel like this article focuses a little too much on that aspect.
The reason the volunteers in Wallingford can be in command, and the reason that everyone gets treated equally there is because of training. Volunteers are held to a specific training standard. If you don't meet that standard, you don't get on the rig. Period. We also had a voluntary OSHA assessment to identify gaps in what we do and what we train in. Basically the way it works now is there is a database run through HQ with everyone's names. If you don't make your mandatory trainings within 1 year of the last one (365 days exactly) you go offline until you make it up. We have quarterly live burns, I believe you have to make 1 per year. Officers are required (according to what OSHA told us) to receive additional training above the Firefighters, so we do that too. Since everyone is held to a standard and that standard is non-negotiable, the Shift Commander and the rest of the career department knows that the guys stepping off the truck have a reasonable idea of what they are doing and can be trusted to make intelligent decisions. Not only that, but we train WITH the career department. That way we know what they expect from us and they know what our capabilities, equipment and limitations are. There are certain things we take active roles in, and certain things we take support roles in (some of the special ops stuff, specifically) simply because we lack the equipment and training to do proficiently. So we maintain our training in how to best support the career staff on such a scene (IE: proper sizeup of a tech rescue incident, setting up an initial system, etc)
But in all honesty, we don't make a big deal out of the "who is in command" business, we don't really care as long as the person knows what the hell they are doing. Which is the way it SHOULD be everywhere.
Just for informational purposes, Wallingford runs the following:
Headquarters (Career)
Car 4 (Shift Commander - Captain)
Truck 1
Engine 2
Medic 1
Numerous Special Ops and spare vehicles
Station 1 (Career)
Engine 1
Rescue 3 (ALS pickup, runs from 9-6 on weekdays I believe)
Station 4 (Volunteer - Cook Hill Company)
Engine 4
I believe the HAZMAT pickup/trailer is stored here as well.
NOTE: Station 4 only runs from 6PM-9AM, staffed by volunteers from Company 5, due to a lack of volunteers at that company.
Station 5 (Volunteer - Yalesville Company)
Engine 5
Squad 5 ("Medium" sized engine, used for EMS, rescue, brush, service calls, etc)
Station 7 (Volunteer - North Farms Company)
Engine 7
Rescue 7 (Heavy Rescue)
Tanker 7
Station 8 (Volunteer - East Wallingford Company)
Engine 8
Squad 8
Light/Generator Tower

Well now the fact is the point I was making is that mistakes have been made by all involved, it was you who stated that you "come down squarely on the side of the Brothers of SFRD". As for my neutrality, well quite frankly I never professed to be neutral. Just as you feel strongly that " Any plan that could possibly put SFRD firefighters' jobs on the line, obviously abhors me", I feel just as strongly that any plan that in effect eliminates volunteers, abhors me. I also feel strongly that SFRD would be hard pressed to effectively cover the entire City with the resources presently at it's disposal and that in reality neither current plan is sufficent, therefore an alternate plan is necessary.
To these points I will only say that everyone of us is entitled to our own opinions. I have made mine pretty clear as have you, and as Americans that is our right. I respect your views and more importantly your right to them, but I know that I will not be changing mine any time soon, nor will I argue them here. Fact is my continued presence in this cesspool of a country only solidifies my beliefs and reinforces my commitment to serve those who serve our nation. For now I will go back to relating my take on life here in Afghanistan and my personal views and experiences of that life. You or anyone is of course entitled to comment on any part at any time, but I think I will follow the advice of some very wise men and leave the debates about politics and religion for another thread.
Stay safe
and thanks for protecting the homefront
Cogs

I'll do my best to answer your questions with the understanding that the views expressed are mine and mine alone
On this subject I must say that it is unfortunate if your views in regards to my relating my experiences here have been skewed due to my fervent beliefs regarding my hometown situation, they are in fact unrelated. Stamford is in turmoil yes, and in part that turmoil is due to bad decisions made on the part of all the players invloved incuding your union brothers of L-786. Let me be as clear as I can about something, I do not now nor have I never advocated for or supported the loss of anyone's job from SFRD....period. In fact I will say once agian that the option put forth by a group of us did address the job situation and guarantees no layoffs and promotions as well as two new hires and all that within the confines of no increase in spending. But enough about Stamford.
Yes I believe this is our Nation's the longest war. As for when do we leave, well I say we leave when the threat to our Nation is eradicated. To that end I think that we will need to have a military presence in this part of the world for the foreseeable future.
We have made our Country safer by rooting out and eliminating those who seek to do us grievous harm where the are. The blood spilled on these foreign shores has not been in vain because I subscribe to what I know is a general feeling among our troops here who often express it with this sentiment: "we would rather be doing this here than at home". And I believe that if we desert these operations here we will face a dramatic increase in terrorist activities and violence which will require a military solution at home. America's strength since the early 20th century has been our ability to keep the fight off our shores, failure to meet violence with violence here will only encourage our enemies to attack us at home. And quite frankly as I see it they use what resources they have fighting us here, not using them to get at everyone back home.
1)Yes I believe the Taliban can be eliminated, but not by military action alone. Life must get better for the people here to lessen the draw of groups like the Taliban. But the Tailban is just a symptom of a much larger problem facing the World.....radical miltant Islam
2) I think the Karzai government is a rotted bloated corrupt corpse in need of burial
3) I do not have first hand knowledge of corruption, but the signs are pretty evident all around us
4) Drugs are a major source of income here, not only for our enemies but for the regular Joe ( or should I say Akmed) as well. The trade although illicit and despicable is how many people simply feed their families here. And in what I'm sure will cause consternation to some, I believe that in the end it is not the drug growers or even pushers who are to blame alone, after all for them it is a business, but more so the users. There has to be a demand for the product otherwise it would not be profitable to engage in the drug trade in the first place. Drug trafficking as a way of life needs to be eradicated here, but there must be something to replace it if we are to gain the support or at least acceptance of the people here. It will be next to impossible to convince people to stop engaging in drug trafficking if they have no other way to feed temselves.
This war could end in a relatively short time if we approached it as a war. The restraints placed on our forces are hampering their ability to win a war and are in fact prolonging it. I do not advocate killing innocent people, but I do advocate winning our wars by whatever means necessary. If villagers are not with us they are against us and as far as I'm concerned they are the enemy and should be treated as such.
The end game here is the destruction of the Taliban and their supporters as well as a stabilzed country that wll no longer harbor terrorists nor aid them in their activities.
Here is the problem with this option. Pakistan is a soveriegn nation and a supposed ally, attacks on their territory will only widen the conflict and feed the insurgency. Also wars are not won by long distance engagements. We must have troops on the ground and the infastructure to support them and help move this country forward to secure the gains we make..and we are making them albeit very slowly. The whole issue of this region is containing and eliminating radical Islamic militants. This is happening here in Afghanistan, but it is Pakistan that is the breeding ground for the majority of this scourge. Until we face that demon we will be holding back the flood at best, but holding back that flood is a necessity or it will only get worse. When the time is right we will have to deal with radicalism in Pakistan if thye do not do so themselves, but for now we must work on eliminating it here first.
Yes we do face a myriad of problems back home, but failure to address the enemies outside will only end up leaving us more vulnerable at home. The troubles back home are severe and it will take sacrifices on the part of every American to get us moving out of the morass we are in at home. Maybe some type of new "New Deal" is in order to help jump start that process, but we can't just leave here now no matter the burden. The consequences of that would be dire and such a move would end up creating a worse problem in the end as our departure would signal to our enemies that all they have to do is wait us out. We will have a chance in a year to change direction of things back home and hopefully this time we will make the right choice.
Which is why I didn't vote for him
Well I think I've covered this, but I will reiterate that as far as I'm concerned and in a nutshell our involvement here and throughout the Middle East is necessary to act as a bulwark against the spread of radical Islamic militancy. We as a nation and as Americans are a target in this world and to me that means that we must be ever vigilant and ever ready to use force to protect ourselves. I do not take the shedding of the blood of so many young and honorable Americans lightly, but I do believe that like their forefathers their spilled blood has made us safer in this world. For that they have my most hearfelt and eternal gratitude
Stay Safe
and thanks for all you do on the homefront
Cogs

I'll do my best to answer your questions with the understanding that the views expressed are mine and mine alone
On this subject I must say that it is unfortunate if your views in regards to my relating my experiences here have been skewed due to my fervent beliefs regarding my hometown situation, they are in fact unrelated. Stamford is in turmoil yes, and in part that turmoil is due to bad decisions made on the part of all the players invloved incuding your union brothers of L-786. Let me be as clear as I can about something, I do not now nor have I never advocated for or supported the loss of anyone's job from SFRD....period. In fact I will say once agian that the option put forth by a group of us did address the job situation and guarantees no layoffs and promotions as well as two new hires and all that within the confines of no increase in spending. But enough about Stamford.
Yes I believe this is our Nation's the longest war. As for when do we leave, well I say we leave when the threat to our Nation is eradicated. To that end I think that we will need to have a military presence in this part of the world for the foreseeable future.
We have made our Country safer by rooting out and eliminating those who seek to do us grievous harm where the are. The blood spilled on these foreign shores has not been in vain because I subscribe to what I know is a general feeling among our troops here who often express it with this sentiment: "we would rather be doing this here than at home". And I believe that if we desert these operations here we will face a dramatic increase in terrorist activities and violence which will require a military solution at home. America's strength since the early 20th century has been our ability to keep the fight off our shores, failure to meet violence with violence here will only encourage our enemies to attack us at home. And quite frankly as I see it they use what resources they have fighting us here, not using them to get at everyone back home.
1)Yes I believe the Taliban can be eliminated, but not by military action alone. Life must get better for the people here to lessen the draw of groups like the Taliban. But the Tailban is just a symptom of a much larger problem facing the World.....radical miltant Islam
2) I think the Karzai government is a rotted bloated corrupt corpse in need of burial
3) I do not have first hand knowledge of corruption, but the signs are pretty evident all around us
4) Drugs are a major source of income here, not only for our enemies but for the regular Joe ( or should I say Akmed) as well. The trade although illicit and despicable is how many people simply feed their families here. And in what I'm sure will cause consternation to some, I believe that in the end it is not the drug growers or even pushers who are to blame alone, after all for them it is a business, but more so the users. There has to be a demand for the product otherwise it would not be profitable to engage in the drug trade in the first place. Drug trafficking as a way of life needs to be eradicated here, but there must be something to replace it if we are to gain the support or at least acceptance of the people here. It will be next to impossible to convince people to stop engaging in drug trafficking if they have no other way to feed temselves.
This war could end in a relatively short time if we approached it as a war. The restraints placed on our forces are hampering their ability to win a war and are in fact prolonging it. I do not advocate killing innocent people, but I do advocate winning our wars by whatever means necessary. If villagers are not with us they are against us and as far as I'm concerned they are the enemy and should be treated as such.
The end game here is the destruction of the Taliban and their supporters as well as a stabilzed country that wll no longer harbor terrorists nor aid them in their activities.
Here is the problem with this option. Pakistan is a soveriegn nation and a supposed ally, attacks on their territory will only widen the conflict and feed the insurgency. Also wars are not won by long distance engagements. We must have troops on the ground and the infastructure to support them and help move this country forward to secure the gains we make..and we are making them albeit very slowly. The whole issue of this region is containing and eliminating radical Islamic militants. This is happening here in Afghanistan, but it is Pakistan that is the breeding ground for the majority of this scourge. Until we face that demon we will be holding back the flood at best, but holding back that flood is a necessity or it will only get worse. When the time is right we will have to deal with radicalism in Pakistan if thye do not do so themselves, but for now we must work on eliminating it here first.
Yes we do face a myriad of problems back home, but failure to address the enemies outside will only end up leaving us more vulnerable at home. The troubles back home are severe and it will take sacrifices on the part of every American to get us moving out of the morass we are in at home. Maybe some type of new "New Deal" is in order to help jump start that process, but we can't just leave here now no matter the burden. The consequences of that would be dire and such a move would end up creating a worse problem in the end as our departure would signal to our enemies that all they have to do is wait us out. We will have a chance in a year to change direction of things back home and hopefully this time we will make the right choice.
Which is why I didn't vote for him
Well I think I've covered this, but I will reiterate that as far as I'm concerned and in a nutshell our involvement here and throughout the Middle East is necessary to act as a bulwark against the spread of radical Islamic militancy. We as a nation and as Americans are a target in this world and to me that means that we must be ever vigilant and ever ready to use force to protect ourselves. I do not take the shedding of the blood of so many young and honorable Americans lightly, but I do believe that like their forefathers their spilled blood has made us safer in this world. For that they have my most hearfelt and eternal gratitude
Stay Safe
and thanks for all you do on the homefront
Cogs

I'll do my best to answer your questions with the understanding that the views expressed are mine and mine alone
On this subject I must say that it is unfortunate if your views in regards to my relating my experiences here have been skewed due to my fervent beliefs regarding my hometown situation, they are in fact unrelated. Stamford is in turmoil yes, and in part that turmoil is due to bad decisions made on the part of all the players invloved incuding your union brothers of L-786. Let me be as clear as I can about something, I do not now nor have I never advocated for or supported the loss of anyone's job from SFRD....period. In fact I will say once agian that the option put forth by a group of us did address the job situation and guarantees no layoffs and promotions as well as two new hires and all that within the confines of no increase in spending. But enough about Stamford.
Yes I believe this is our Nation's the longest war. As for when do we leave, well I say we leave when the threat to our Nation is eradicated. To that end I think that we will need to have a military presence in this part of the world for the foreseeable future.
We have made our Country safer by rooting out and eliminating those who seek to do us grievous harm where the are. The blood spilled on these foreign shores has not been in vain because I subscribe to what I know is a general feeling among our troops here who often express it with this sentiment: "we would rather be doing this here than at home". And I believe that if we desert these operations here we will face a dramatic increase in terrorist activities and violence which will require a military solution at home. America's strength since the early 20th century has been our ability to keep the fight off our shores, failure to meet violence with violence here will only encourage our enemies to attack us at home. And quite frankly as I see it they use what resources they have fighting us here, not using them to get at everyone back home.
1)Yes I believe the Taliban can be eliminated, but not by military action alone. Life must get better for the people here to lessen the draw of groups like the Taliban. But the Tailban is just a symptom of a much larger problem facing the World.....radical miltant Islam
2) I think the Karzai government is a rotted bloated corrupt corpse in need of burial
3) I do not have first hand knowledge of corruption, but the signs are pretty evident all around us
4) Drugs are a major source of income here, not only for our enemies but for the regular Joe ( or should I say Akmed) as well. The trade although illicit and despicable is how many people simply feed their families here. And in what I'm sure will cause consternation to some, I believe that in the end it is not the drug growers or even pushers who are to blame alone, after all for them it is a business, but more so the users. There has to be a demand for the product otherwise it would not be profitable to engage in the drug trade in the first place. Drug trafficking as a way of life needs to be eradicated here, but there must be something to replace it if we are to gain the support or at least acceptance of the people here. It will be next to impossible to convince people to stop engaging in drug trafficking if they have no other way to feed temselves.
This war could end in a relatively short time if we approached it as a war. The restraints placed on our forces are hampering their ability to win a war and are in fact prolonging it. I do not advocate killing innocent people, but I do advocate winning our wars by whatever means necessary. If villagers are not with us they are against us and as far as I'm concerned they are the enemy and should be treated as such.
The end game here is the destruction of the Taliban and their supporters as well as a stabilzed country that wll no longer harbor terrorists nor aid them in their activities.
Here is the problem with this option. Pakistan is a soveriegn nation and a supposed ally, attacks on their territory will only widen the conflict and feed the insurgency. Also wars are not won by long distance engagements. We must have troops on the ground and the infastructure to support them and help move this country forward to secure the gains we make..and we are making them albeit very slowly. The whole issue of this region is containing and eliminating radical Islamic militants. This is happening here in Afghanistan, but it is Pakistan that is the breeding ground for the majority of this scourge. Until we face that demon we will be holding back the flood at best, but holding back that flood is a necessity or it will only get worse. When the time is right we will have to deal with radicalism in Pakistan if thye do not do so themselves, but for now we must work on eliminating it here first.
Yes we do face a myriad of problems back home, but failure to address the enemies outside will only end up leaving us more vulnerable at home. The troubles back home are severe and it will take sacrifices on the part of every American to get us moving out of the morass we are in at home. Maybe some type of new "New Deal" is in order to help jump start that process, but we can't just leave here now no matter the burden. The consequences of that would be dire and such a move would end up creating a worse problem in the end as our departure would signal to our enemies that all they have to do is wait us out. We will have a chance in a year to change direction of things back home and hopefully this time we will make the right choice.
Which is why I didn't vote for him
Well I think I've covered this, but I will reiterate that as far as I'm concerned and in a nutshell our involvement here and throughout the Middle East is necessary to act as a bulwark against the spread of radical Islamic militancy. We as a nation and as Americans are a target in this world and to me that means that we must be ever vigilant and ever ready to use force to protect ourselves. I do not take the shedding of the blood of so many young and honorable Americans lightly, but I do believe that like their forefathers their spilled blood has made us safer in this world. For that they have my most hearfelt and eternal gratitude
Stay Safe
and thanks for all you do on the homefront
Cogs

I'll do my best to answer your questions with the understanding that the views expressed are mine and mine alone
On this subject I must say that it is unfortunate if your views in regards to my relating my experiences here have been skewed due to my fervent beliefs regarding my hometown situation, they are in fact unrelated. Stamford is in turmoil yes, and in part that turmoil is due to bad decisions made on the part of all the players invloved incuding your union brothers of L-786. Let me be as clear as I can about something, I do not now nor have I never advocated for or supported the loss of anyone's job from SFRD....period. In fact I will say once agian that the option put forth by a group of us did address the job situation and guarantees no layoffs and promotions as well as two new hires and all that within the confines of no increase in spending. But enough about Stamford.
Yes I believe this is our Nation's the longest war. As for when do we leave, well I say we leave when the threat to our Nation is eradicated. To that end I think that we will need to have a military presence in this part of the world for the foreseeable future.
We have made our Country safer by rooting out and eliminating those who seek to do us grievous harm where the are. The blood spilled on these foreign shores has not been in vain because I subscribe to what I know is a general feeling among our troops here who often express it with this sentiment: "we would rather be doing this here than at home". And I believe that if we desert these operations here we will face a dramatic increase in terrorist activities and violence which will require a military solution at home. America's strength since the early 20th century has been our ability to keep the fight off our shores, failure to meet violence with violence here will only encourage our enemies to attack us at home. And quite frankly as I see it they use what resources they have fighting us here, not using them to get at everyone back home.
1)Yes I believe the Taliban can be eliminated, but not by military action alone. Life must get better for the people here to lessen the draw of groups like the Taliban. But the Tailban is just a symptom of a much larger problem facing the World.....radical miltant Islam
2) I think the Karzai government is a rotted bloated corrupt corpse in need of burial
3) I do not have first hand knowledge of corruption, but the signs are pretty evident all around us
4) Drugs are a major source of income here, not only for our enemies but for the regular Joe ( or should I say Akmed) as well. The trade although illicit and despicable is how many people simply feed their families here. And in what I'm sure will cause consternation to some, I believe that in the end it is not the drug growers or even pushers who are to blame alone, after all for them it is a business, but more so the users. There has to be a demand for the product otherwise it would not be profitable to engage in the drug trade in the first place. Drug trafficking as a way of life needs to be eradicated here, but there must be something to replace it if we are to gain the support or at least acceptance of the people here. It will be next to impossible to convince people to stop engaging in drug trafficking if they have no other way to feed temselves.
This war could end in a relatively short time if we approached it as a war. The restraints placed on our forces are hampering their ability to win a war and are in fact prolonging it. I do not advocate killing innocent people, but I do advocate winning our wars by whatever means necessary. If villagers are not with us they are against us and as far as I'm concerned they are the enemy and should be treated as such.
The end game here is the destruction of the Taliban and their supporters as well as a stabilzed country that wll no longer harbor terrorists nor aid them in their activities.
Here is the problem with this option. Pakistan is a soveriegn nation and a supposed ally, attacks on their territory will only widen the conflict and feed the insurgency. Also wars are not won by long distance engagements. We must have troops on the ground and the infastructure to support them and help move this country forward to secure the gains we make..and we are making them albeit very slowly. The whole issue of this region is containing and eliminating radical Islamic militants. This is happening here in Afghanistan, but it is Pakistan that is the breeding ground for the majority of this scourge. Until we face that demon we will be holding back the flood at best, but holding back that flood is a necessity or it will only get worse. When the time is right we will have to deal with radicalism in Pakistan if thye do not do so themselves, but for now we must work on eliminating it here first.
Yes we do face a myriad of problems back home, but failure to address the enemies outside will only end up leaving us more vulnerable at home. The troubles back home are severe and it will take sacrifices on the part of every American to get us moving out of the morass we are in at home. Maybe some type of new "New Deal" is in order to help jump start that process, but we can't just leave here now no matter the burden. The consequences of that would be dire and such a move would end up creating a worse problem in the end as our departure would signal to our enemies that all they have to do is wait us out. We will have a chance in a year to change direction of things back home and hopefully this time we will make the right choice.
Which is why I didn't vote for him
Well I think I've covered this, but I will reiterate that as far as I'm concerned and in a nutshell our involvement here and throughout the Middle East is necessary to act as a bulwark against the spread of radical Islamic militancy. We as a nation and as Americans are a target in this world and to me that means that we must be ever vigilant and ever ready to use force to protect ourselves. I do not take the shedding of the blood of so many young and honorable Americans lightly, but I do believe that like their forefathers their spilled blood has made us safer in this world. For that they have my most hearfelt and eternal gratitude
Stay Safe
and thanks for all you do on the homefront
Cogs

Well it's been awhile since I added anything here so I thought I'd just give a little update on things and maybe spout off a little about some recent developments in this part of the world.
So first off I'm just back form R&R, starting my 3rd shift back on tomorrow. It was great to get home, be the wife and kids, smell and feel the rain and see things with colors other than tan. My little guy is playing football and my daughter is a cheerleader so weekends were spent watching them on the field. I managed to get home in time for a 9/11 memorial dedication ceremony which was beautiful, and in my travels saw a number of really great ones as well...I must take this opportunity to pass along that I think the one a 5 Company in Stamford is one of, if not the best one I've ever seen...great job guys!!!!!
That said, we had some interesting incidents just prior to my departure home and a couple since I've been back (10/20). The most notable occured my first shift back when a suicide bomber attempted to detonate a tanker truck of propane at one of the entry points. Thankfully (and quite honestly mercifully) the bomb makers wired the device wrong and it not only exploded prematurely but because it was ill placed it only destroyed the cab and driver (only his feet remained in the cab) of the vehicle. No coalition forces were injured and the propane tank was emptied and then destroyed. This one could have been much, much worse. An assesment by the military concluded that had the device exploded properly niether I nor up to 2500 other people here would be talking to anyone right now. They estimated the blast radius would have easily encompassed a 1/4 of the base. Another note on this: it has been said that the VBIED exploded prematurely because the driver did it early purposely. Why you might ask? Well becuase his family was being held hostage to force him to carry out the attack. I saw this many times in Iraq and find it to be quite plausible. Whether that's true or he was just an idiot either way this guy saved hundreds if not thousands of lives...so thank you Mohammed.
Another noteworthy event took place just short of my R&R when an incoming rocket hit a wooden schoolhouse used by the kids of locals that work on base. No children were in the building at the time. A rocket hit it square and it was engulfed upon our arrival send a huge plume of black smoke int the morning sky. An adjacent wooden building roughly 100X50 (exposure 1) was also involved upon arrival. The schoolhouse was a total loss but we did save the exposures. A job well done by the boys who, in addition to the heat, regular turnout gear and dust, also had to contend with our body armor for the duration as it was a while before the all clear was given.
And the day I was leaving another suicide bomber on the North side met his maker before he managed to blow himself (and more importantly any of us) to Allah thanks to the quick work of our Force Protection guys. Along with that is the usual 3 to 5 calls a day and incoming on a fairly regular basis as described earlier here.
September and October have brought about some interesting and to me potentially disturbing changes to the landscape over here in the Middle East. As I'm sure we all know by now the world is rid of Moammar Khadafiy. I for one am as happy as pie at that outcome, but what baffles me is the calls for an investigation into his death. What's to investigate?... a murderous barbaric dictator got what was coming to him from his own people. Who cares if he had a trial or not in a world court...he had a trial on the spot, was sentenced and the sentence was carried out...bye bye Moammar and good riddance!! Another rather profound change is the recent announcement of the removal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. Now on this I'm not so sure we're taking the right path. I know a pledge was made by our President and he is in fact adhering to a tentative timetable set by his predecessor, but in reality folks the Iraqis are in no position to survive without us there. Ok so some may say so what screw them anyway...and that's one option. But I take a slightly different view on it. We have spilled the blood of thousands of American service members (and some civilians too) on that soil. Do we now just walk away and let their sacrifice be in vain as the country degenerates into chaos once again until Iran steps in. One may not agree with why we were there in the first place, but we would be safer in the long run to keep a presence there awhile longer if you ask me. And as far as this place goes, well I don't see us pulling out in 2014 but of we do it will most lilely be another mistake as this cradle of the taliban will once agin become a breeding ground and save haven for terrorists. Which brings me to the latest statement from that squeaky clean, most upstanding poster child of the incorruptable politician, Hamid Karzai. This "President" of Aghanistan has publically stated that in the event of a war between Pakistan and the U.S., he would side with Pakistan. So much for loyalty huh boys and girls? This POS seems to forget that he exists only because we, in an effort to promote self determination, let him. But hey judging from what I've seen the Afghan National Army is not a real source of worry on the battlefield...except maybe to each other. One more opinion if I may....Pakistan is a powder keg waiting to blow my friends. It is from there that the majority of this war's "freedom fighters" have emerged. They have been playing both sides for years and with the death of Osama and Karzai's statements relations between us are becoming more and more strained each day. I fear things will get worse before they get better in this part of the world and hope that all of you will stand in support our Nation if these troubles increase. Hey if the Mayans and Hollywood are right and 2012 is the end I'm sure it is right here that the end will start...this part of the world is as f****ed up as it gets.
Stay safe
and thanks for all you all do on the homefront (especially my Belltown Boys AtW since 1928)
Cogs

I appreciate the thought of passing along my experiences and I don't have a problem with it, so long as it for informational or entertainment purposes. I am very familiar with some of the Red Horse guys as they oversaw the construction of our fire station at Leatherneck last year.
As far as British forcible entry goes, truth be told I have not gotten too deeply into that subject with my UK colleagues yet. Our only discussions have been centered around the Irons and they're use. As with most of what we do although there are differences in techniques or tools, in the end the same procedures need to be caried out. One big difference is that they do not subscribe to VES. Thre is no way a search team will enter a building without a charged hoseline (or more often than not the hose reel in their case), so venting, entering and searching is an alien and almost it seems suicidal concept for them. The other responsibilites of that position carry a similar unfamiliarity to the Brits as well since they're ventilation is most often done after or just as the fire is being doused, not as an integral part of the extinguishment process. Roofs are also generally cut from the "safety" of an aerial platform only, if at all, so it would be rare indeed to see a roof team actually on the roof. In fact verticle ventilation seems to have become a lost art (if it ever was one) across the pond, so any venting will be done horizontally after the fact by what we might call an OV team.
On a side note in a discussion with my British counterpart from the other (Red) shift this morning outlining some equipment changes I made to the rig, I was quite shocked to find out that most times his crew did not take tools with them off the bat. To me that is an alien concept for sure as I still remember and am a firm believer that, as I was taught, you should always have a tool, the proper tool, in your hand and ready to use at a scene. I explained that for me I designate jobs for the crew based on where a member sits on the rig. Can man sits behind me, so his extinguisher and hook are now readily available within easy reach. The Irons man sitting behind the driver has his set of irons now mounted directly across from his seat in the cab. In the event of a job the guy behind me takes nozzle and the Irons man keeps his tools and ends up as the back up or door man depending on our staffing. The middle seat or 3rd FF in the rear (when avaliable) acts as the gopher at smells and bells and the back-up man at a job. As the Officer I'm expected to remain outside and "direct", but in the work we've done thus far I seem to end up inside directing, and or searching as needed. I also subscribe to the belief that at a working fire our primary job when first due is to get water on the fire and as such the crew seating/assignments are designed to meet that goal. For better or worse that philosphy has now been adopted as defacto SOP because it has been proven by events to work here.
In closing let me just say welcome to the fire service, I hope you make a lifetime of it and gain as much from it as many of us have.
Stay safe
Cogs

Well it's been a little while since I put forth an installment of the ongoing "Life in Afghanistan" saga, so here's the latest.
It's been a busy couple of weeks here in terms of work and our unsolicited visits from the towel heads. First up is the work. We've had a number of working fires of late including 2 barracks, 2 small storage sheds, a food warehouse and a fire which consumed 10 seacans (connex's) and their contents. All of these have been on blue shift leaving red shift to only dream of putting out a fire, (seems all the white clouds have congregated on that shift). On top of those fires Blue has also had 3 car fires, 1 truck fire and 4 MVA's two of which were rollovers. Why we even had to do some extracation on one of them which landed on it's roof in a drainage ditch. All of these incidents were during the day except the connex's, which happened just as we sat down to dinner. The others were all middle of the day 125-135 degree ambient temperature events. Well if nothing else the pounds do drop away in turnouts at 125. In all instances injuries were slight and damage held to a minimum by the quick work of all involved. Another example of training paying off as we've been hammering the basics and the results have proven to be worth the effort. I do have pics but they will not load for some reason, (most likely a Hajji conspiracy to prevent news from reaching the outside world...LOL). As soon as our internet issues are resolved I'll get them up.
On to the other news. It's Ramadan which for those that don't know is a monthlong Muslim holiday, or should I say religious observance. It seems that although all devout Muslims will not drink, smoke or eat anything during daylight hours in honor of this observance, they sure as hell have no problem throwing the mortars and rockets our way. We've spent quite a bit of time in the bunkers, which being concrete retain all of the days heat well into the overnight hours. We've had numerous impacts on base including a couple in the ammo storage areas....alot of big booming things in there...but thus far the only really close ones were dudus save on phosphorus round which caught a tent on fire but was quickly handled by the staff. The fuel points still seem to be of intense interest as well, but again thanks to the Chinese made presents we get mostly duds. We did get a close call when a 107mm hit just outside a barracks in the Canadian compound. Two injuries which we treated prior to the ambulances arrival. Both will be fine with just some shrapnel to the legs and back. We did learn that our T-walls (think Jersey barriers on steriods) can hold up to the rockets pretty well. This one impacted and exploded against one and the wall held firm while taking the brunt of the blast, although a 4x4x6 storage box ceased to exist. That's not to say there was no damage, in fact the barrack suffered some pretty extensive hits. The main entrance was blown inwards in a V pattern for a good 4-5 feet and all the windows shattered. We also found the padlock from the disintegrated storage box implanted in a leg of a bunkbed, (being a Master Lock ™ it was still locked firmly a testament to American padlock ingenuity and integrity). This was one of many shrapnel holes which dotted the sides of 3 buildings altogether. Yeah when these things go off they can inflict alot of damage and pain. Anyway it does get better. The very next shift as two of my Blue crew "mates" (like the Brit influence...LOL) sat outside another 107mm rocket came screaming in and landed a mere 50 ft...yeah that's right 50 feet...away. No one saw it land, all that was seen was a cloud of dust followed immediately by the rocket alarm. Off to the bunker we went until the EOD guys arrived. The entire area around the firehose was cordoned off and the ARFF crews and rigs evacuated...structural had to hang around just in case...of what I don't know, but just in case. So in the end our near miss did not go off and EOD decided to leave it where it landed and came to rest...9ft underground through, as anyone who's ever been in a desert knows, hard packed almost rocklike soil. And this incomng has continued unabated with only 2 of the last 10 days being quiet. Today has been in and out of the bunker all day, (I think right now were at 6 times and it's only three in the afternoon). Ahhh Ramadan gotta love it!!
Of course we were all saddened by the loss of the 31 last week, along with another 8 or so recently..I know for sure 5 just the other day in a roadside bomb...they went home Thursday night I think. As always we pay our respects respectfully from a distance to honor the fallen.
On a lighter note I'm outta here and homeward bound for a monthlong R&R in four weeks and I can't f***ing wait!!!!!!!
Stay safe all and to all thanks for your efforts on the homefront
Cogs

Well it's been awhile since I added anything here so I thought I'd just give a little update on things and maybe spout off a little about some recent developments in this part of the world.
So first off I'm just back form R&R, starting my 3rd shift back on tomorrow. It was great to get home, be the wife and kids, smell and feel the rain and see things with colors other than tan. My little guy is playing football and my daughter is a cheerleader so weekends were spent watching them on the field. I managed to get home in time for a 9/11 memorial dedication ceremony which was beautiful, and in my travels saw a number of really great ones as well...I must take this opportunity to pass along that I think the one a 5 Company in Stamford is one of, if not the best one I've ever seen...great job guys!!!!!
That said, we had some interesting incidents just prior to my departure home and a couple since I've been back (10/20). The most notable occured my first shift back when a suicide bomber attempted to detonate a tanker truck of propane at one of the entry points. Thankfully (and quite honestly mercifully) the bomb makers wired the device wrong and it not only exploded prematurely but because it was ill placed it only destroyed the cab and driver (only his feet remained in the cab) of the vehicle. No coalition forces were injured and the propane tank was emptied and then destroyed. This one could have been much, much worse. An assesment by the military concluded that had the device exploded properly niether I nor up to 2500 other people here would be talking to anyone right now. They estimated the blast radius would have easily encompassed a 1/4 of the base. Another note on this: it has been said that the VBIED exploded prematurely because the driver did it early purposely. Why you might ask? Well becuase his family was being held hostage to force him to carry out the attack. I saw this many times in Iraq and find it to be quite plausible. Whether that's true or he was just an idiot either way this guy saved hundreds if not thousands of lives...so thank you Mohammed.
Another noteworthy event took place just short of my R&R when an incoming rocket hit a wooden schoolhouse used by the kids of locals that work on base. No children were in the building at the time. A rocket hit it square and it was engulfed upon our arrival send a huge plume of black smoke int the morning sky. An adjacent wooden building roughly 100X50 (exposure 1) was also involved upon arrival. The schoolhouse was a total loss but we did save the exposures. A job well done by the boys who, in addition to the heat, regular turnout gear and dust, also had to contend with our body armor for the duration as it was a while before the all clear was given.
And the day I was leaving another suicide bomber on the North side met his maker before he managed to blow himself (and more importantly any of us) to Allah thanks to the quick work of our Force Protection guys. Along with that is the usual 3 to 5 calls a day and incoming on a fairly regular basis as described earlier here.
September and October have brought about some interesting and to me potentially disturbing changes to the landscape over here in the Middle East. As I'm sure we all know by now the world is rid of Moammar Khadafiy. I for one am as happy as pie at that outcome, but what baffles me is the calls for an investigation into his death. What's to investigate?... a murderous barbaric dictator got what was coming to him from his own people. Who cares if he had a trial or not in a world court...he had a trial on the spot, was sentenced and the sentence was carried out...bye bye Moammar and good riddance!! Another rather profound change is the recent announcement of the removal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. Now on this I'm not so sure we're taking the right path. I know a pledge was made by our President and he is in fact adhering to a tentative timetable set by his predecessor, but in reality folks the Iraqis are in no position to survive without us there. Ok so some may say so what screw them anyway...and that's one option. But I take a slightly different view on it. We have spilled the blood of thousands of American service members (and some civilians too) on that soil. Do we now just walk away and let their sacrifice be in vain as the country degenerates into chaos once again until Iran steps in. One may not agree with why we were there in the first place, but we would be safer in the long run to keep a presence there awhile longer if you ask me. And as far as this place goes, well I don't see us pulling out in 2014 but of we do it will most lilely be another mistake as this cradle of the taliban will once agin become a breeding ground and save haven for terrorists. Which brings me to the latest statement from that squeaky clean, most upstanding poster child of the incorruptable politician, Hamid Karzai. This "President" of Aghanistan has publically stated that in the event of a war between Pakistan and the U.S., he would side with Pakistan. So much for loyalty huh boys and girls? This POS seems to forget that he exists only because we, in an effort to promote self determination, let him. But hey judging from what I've seen the Afghan National Army is not a real source of worry on the battlefield...except maybe to each other. One more opinion if I may....Pakistan is a powder keg waiting to blow my friends. It is from there that the majority of this war's "freedom fighters" have emerged. They have been playing both sides for years and with the death of Osama and Karzai's statements relations between us are becoming more and more strained each day. I fear things will get worse before they get better in this part of the world and hope that all of you will stand in support our Nation if these troubles increase. Hey if the Mayans and Hollywood are right and 2012 is the end I'm sure it is right here that the end will start...this part of the world is as f****ed up as it gets.
Stay safe
and thanks for all you all do on the homefront (especially my Belltown Boys AtW since 1928)
Cogs

Well it's been awhile since I added anything here so I thought I'd just give a little update on things and maybe spout off a little about some recent developments in this part of the world.
So first off I'm just back form R&R, starting my 3rd shift back on tomorrow. It was great to get home, be the wife and kids, smell and feel the rain and see things with colors other than tan. My little guy is playing football and my daughter is a cheerleader so weekends were spent watching them on the field. I managed to get home in time for a 9/11 memorial dedication ceremony which was beautiful, and in my travels saw a number of really great ones as well...I must take this opportunity to pass along that I think the one a 5 Company in Stamford is one of, if not the best one I've ever seen...great job guys!!!!!
That said, we had some interesting incidents just prior to my departure home and a couple since I've been back (10/20). The most notable occured my first shift back when a suicide bomber attempted to detonate a tanker truck of propane at one of the entry points. Thankfully (and quite honestly mercifully) the bomb makers wired the device wrong and it not only exploded prematurely but because it was ill placed it only destroyed the cab and driver (only his feet remained in the cab) of the vehicle. No coalition forces were injured and the propane tank was emptied and then destroyed. This one could have been much, much worse. An assesment by the military concluded that had the device exploded properly niether I nor up to 2500 other people here would be talking to anyone right now. They estimated the blast radius would have easily encompassed a 1/4 of the base. Another note on this: it has been said that the VBIED exploded prematurely because the driver did it early purposely. Why you might ask? Well becuase his family was being held hostage to force him to carry out the attack. I saw this many times in Iraq and find it to be quite plausible. Whether that's true or he was just an idiot either way this guy saved hundreds if not thousands of lives...so thank you Mohammed.
Another noteworthy event took place just short of my R&R when an incoming rocket hit a wooden schoolhouse used by the kids of locals that work on base. No children were in the building at the time. A rocket hit it square and it was engulfed upon our arrival send a huge plume of black smoke int the morning sky. An adjacent wooden building roughly 100X50 (exposure 1) was also involved upon arrival. The schoolhouse was a total loss but we did save the exposures. A job well done by the boys who, in addition to the heat, regular turnout gear and dust, also had to contend with our body armor for the duration as it was a while before the all clear was given.
And the day I was leaving another suicide bomber on the North side met his maker before he managed to blow himself (and more importantly any of us) to Allah thanks to the quick work of our Force Protection guys. Along with that is the usual 3 to 5 calls a day and incoming on a fairly regular basis as described earlier here.
September and October have brought about some interesting and to me potentially disturbing changes to the landscape over here in the Middle East. As I'm sure we all know by now the world is rid of Moammar Khadafiy. I for one am as happy as pie at that outcome, but what baffles me is the calls for an investigation into his death. What's to investigate?... a murderous barbaric dictator got what was coming to him from his own people. Who cares if he had a trial or not in a world court...he had a trial on the spot, was sentenced and the sentence was carried out...bye bye Moammar and good riddance!! Another rather profound change is the recent announcement of the removal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. Now on this I'm not so sure we're taking the right path. I know a pledge was made by our President and he is in fact adhering to a tentative timetable set by his predecessor, but in reality folks the Iraqis are in no position to survive without us there. Ok so some may say so what screw them anyway...and that's one option. But I take a slightly different view on it. We have spilled the blood of thousands of American service members (and some civilians too) on that soil. Do we now just walk away and let their sacrifice be in vain as the country degenerates into chaos once again until Iran steps in. One may not agree with why we were there in the first place, but we would be safer in the long run to keep a presence there awhile longer if you ask me. And as far as this place goes, well I don't see us pulling out in 2014 but of we do it will most lilely be another mistake as this cradle of the taliban will once agin become a breeding ground and save haven for terrorists. Which brings me to the latest statement from that squeaky clean, most upstanding poster child of the incorruptable politician, Hamid Karzai. This "President" of Aghanistan has publically stated that in the event of a war between Pakistan and the U.S., he would side with Pakistan. So much for loyalty huh boys and girls? This POS seems to forget that he exists only because we, in an effort to promote self determination, let him. But hey judging from what I've seen the Afghan National Army is not a real source of worry on the battlefield...except maybe to each other. One more opinion if I may....Pakistan is a powder keg waiting to blow my friends. It is from there that the majority of this war's "freedom fighters" have emerged. They have been playing both sides for years and with the death of Osama and Karzai's statements relations between us are becoming more and more strained each day. I fear things will get worse before they get better in this part of the world and hope that all of you will stand in support our Nation if these troubles increase. Hey if the Mayans and Hollywood are right and 2012 is the end I'm sure it is right here that the end will start...this part of the world is as f****ed up as it gets.
Stay safe
and thanks for all you all do on the homefront (especially my Belltown Boys AtW since 1928)
Cogs

Well it's been awhile since I added anything here so I thought I'd just give a little update on things and maybe spout off a little about some recent developments in this part of the world.
So first off I'm just back form R&R, starting my 3rd shift back on tomorrow. It was great to get home, be the wife and kids, smell and feel the rain and see things with colors other than tan. My little guy is playing football and my daughter is a cheerleader so weekends were spent watching them on the field. I managed to get home in time for a 9/11 memorial dedication ceremony which was beautiful, and in my travels saw a number of really great ones as well...I must take this opportunity to pass along that I think the one a 5 Company in Stamford is one of, if not the best one I've ever seen...great job guys!!!!!
That said, we had some interesting incidents just prior to my departure home and a couple since I've been back (10/20). The most notable occured my first shift back when a suicide bomber attempted to detonate a tanker truck of propane at one of the entry points. Thankfully (and quite honestly mercifully) the bomb makers wired the device wrong and it not only exploded prematurely but because it was ill placed it only destroyed the cab and driver (only his feet remained in the cab) of the vehicle. No coalition forces were injured and the propane tank was emptied and then destroyed. This one could have been much, much worse. An assesment by the military concluded that had the device exploded properly niether I nor up to 2500 other people here would be talking to anyone right now. They estimated the blast radius would have easily encompassed a 1/4 of the base. Another note on this: it has been said that the VBIED exploded prematurely because the driver did it early purposely. Why you might ask? Well becuase his family was being held hostage to force him to carry out the attack. I saw this many times in Iraq and find it to be quite plausible. Whether that's true or he was just an idiot either way this guy saved hundreds if not thousands of lives...so thank you Mohammed.
Another noteworthy event took place just short of my R&R when an incoming rocket hit a wooden schoolhouse used by the kids of locals that work on base. No children were in the building at the time. A rocket hit it square and it was engulfed upon our arrival send a huge plume of black smoke int the morning sky. An adjacent wooden building roughly 100X50 (exposure 1) was also involved upon arrival. The schoolhouse was a total loss but we did save the exposures. A job well done by the boys who, in addition to the heat, regular turnout gear and dust, also had to contend with our body armor for the duration as it was a while before the all clear was given.
And the day I was leaving another suicide bomber on the North side met his maker before he managed to blow himself (and more importantly any of us) to Allah thanks to the quick work of our Force Protection guys. Along with that is the usual 3 to 5 calls a day and incoming on a fairly regular basis as described earlier here.
September and October have brought about some interesting and to me potentially disturbing changes to the landscape over here in the Middle East. As I'm sure we all know by now the world is rid of Moammar Khadafiy. I for one am as happy as pie at that outcome, but what baffles me is the calls for an investigation into his death. What's to investigate?... a murderous barbaric dictator got what was coming to him from his own people. Who cares if he had a trial or not in a world court...he had a trial on the spot, was sentenced and the sentence was carried out...bye bye Moammar and good riddance!! Another rather profound change is the recent announcement of the removal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. Now on this I'm not so sure we're taking the right path. I know a pledge was made by our President and he is in fact adhering to a tentative timetable set by his predecessor, but in reality folks the Iraqis are in no position to survive without us there. Ok so some may say so what screw them anyway...and that's one option. But I take a slightly different view on it. We have spilled the blood of thousands of American service members (and some civilians too) on that soil. Do we now just walk away and let their sacrifice be in vain as the country degenerates into chaos once again until Iran steps in. One may not agree with why we were there in the first place, but we would be safer in the long run to keep a presence there awhile longer if you ask me. And as far as this place goes, well I don't see us pulling out in 2014 but of we do it will most lilely be another mistake as this cradle of the taliban will once agin become a breeding ground and save haven for terrorists. Which brings me to the latest statement from that squeaky clean, most upstanding poster child of the incorruptable politician, Hamid Karzai. This "President" of Aghanistan has publically stated that in the event of a war between Pakistan and the U.S., he would side with Pakistan. So much for loyalty huh boys and girls? This POS seems to forget that he exists only because we, in an effort to promote self determination, let him. But hey judging from what I've seen the Afghan National Army is not a real source of worry on the battlefield...except maybe to each other. One more opinion if I may....Pakistan is a powder keg waiting to blow my friends. It is from there that the majority of this war's "freedom fighters" have emerged. They have been playing both sides for years and with the death of Osama and Karzai's statements relations between us are becoming more and more strained each day. I fear things will get worse before they get better in this part of the world and hope that all of you will stand in support our Nation if these troubles increase. Hey if the Mayans and Hollywood are right and 2012 is the end I'm sure it is right here that the end will start...this part of the world is as f****ed up as it gets.
Stay safe
and thanks for all you all do on the homefront (especially my Belltown Boys AtW since 1928)
Cogs

Well it's been awhile since I added anything here so I thought I'd just give a little update on things and maybe spout off a little about some recent developments in this part of the world.
So first off I'm just back form R&R, starting my 3rd shift back on tomorrow. It was great to get home, be the wife and kids, smell and feel the rain and see things with colors other than tan. My little guy is playing football and my daughter is a cheerleader so weekends were spent watching them on the field. I managed to get home in time for a 9/11 memorial dedication ceremony which was beautiful, and in my travels saw a number of really great ones as well...I must take this opportunity to pass along that I think the one a 5 Company in Stamford is one of, if not the best one I've ever seen...great job guys!!!!!
That said, we had some interesting incidents just prior to my departure home and a couple since I've been back (10/20). The most notable occured my first shift back when a suicide bomber attempted to detonate a tanker truck of propane at one of the entry points. Thankfully (and quite honestly mercifully) the bomb makers wired the device wrong and it not only exploded prematurely but because it was ill placed it only destroyed the cab and driver (only his feet remained in the cab) of the vehicle. No coalition forces were injured and the propane tank was emptied and then destroyed. This one could have been much, much worse. An assesment by the military concluded that had the device exploded properly niether I nor up to 2500 other people here would be talking to anyone right now. They estimated the blast radius would have easily encompassed a 1/4 of the base. Another note on this: it has been said that the VBIED exploded prematurely because the driver did it early purposely. Why you might ask? Well becuase his family was being held hostage to force him to carry out the attack. I saw this many times in Iraq and find it to be quite plausible. Whether that's true or he was just an idiot either way this guy saved hundreds if not thousands of lives...so thank you Mohammed.
Another noteworthy event took place just short of my R&R when an incoming rocket hit a wooden schoolhouse used by the kids of locals that work on base. No children were in the building at the time. A rocket hit it square and it was engulfed upon our arrival send a huge plume of black smoke int the morning sky. An adjacent wooden building roughly 100X50 (exposure 1) was also involved upon arrival. The schoolhouse was a total loss but we did save the exposures. A job well done by the boys who, in addition to the heat, regular turnout gear and dust, also had to contend with our body armor for the duration as it was a while before the all clear was given.
And the day I was leaving another suicide bomber on the North side met his maker before he managed to blow himself (and more importantly any of us) to Allah thanks to the quick work of our Force Protection guys. Along with that is the usual 3 to 5 calls a day and incoming on a fairly regular basis as described earlier here.
September and October have brought about some interesting and to me potentially disturbing changes to the landscape over here in the Middle East. As I'm sure we all know by now the world is rid of Moammar Khadafiy. I for one am as happy as pie at that outcome, but what baffles me is the calls for an investigation into his death. What's to investigate?... a murderous barbaric dictator got what was coming to him from his own people. Who cares if he had a trial or not in a world court...he had a trial on the spot, was sentenced and the sentence was carried out...bye bye Moammar and good riddance!! Another rather profound change is the recent announcement of the removal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. Now on this I'm not so sure we're taking the right path. I know a pledge was made by our President and he is in fact adhering to a tentative timetable set by his predecessor, but in reality folks the Iraqis are in no position to survive without us there. Ok so some may say so what screw them anyway...and that's one option. But I take a slightly different view on it. We have spilled the blood of thousands of American service members (and some civilians too) on that soil. Do we now just walk away and let their sacrifice be in vain as the country degenerates into chaos once again until Iran steps in. One may not agree with why we were there in the first place, but we would be safer in the long run to keep a presence there awhile longer if you ask me. And as far as this place goes, well I don't see us pulling out in 2014 but of we do it will most lilely be another mistake as this cradle of the taliban will once agin become a breeding ground and save haven for terrorists. Which brings me to the latest statement from that squeaky clean, most upstanding poster child of the incorruptable politician, Hamid Karzai. This "President" of Aghanistan has publically stated that in the event of a war between Pakistan and the U.S., he would side with Pakistan. So much for loyalty huh boys and girls? This POS seems to forget that he exists only because we, in an effort to promote self determination, let him. But hey judging from what I've seen the Afghan National Army is not a real source of worry on the battlefield...except maybe to each other. One more opinion if I may....Pakistan is a powder keg waiting to blow my friends. It is from there that the majority of this war's "freedom fighters" have emerged. They have been playing both sides for years and with the death of Osama and Karzai's statements relations between us are becoming more and more strained each day. I fear things will get worse before they get better in this part of the world and hope that all of you will stand in support our Nation if these troubles increase. Hey if the Mayans and Hollywood are right and 2012 is the end I'm sure it is right here that the end will start...this part of the world is as f****ed up as it gets.
Stay safe
and thanks for all you all do on the homefront (especially my Belltown Boys AtW since 1928)
Cogs

Well it's been awhile since I added anything here so I thought I'd just give a little update on things and maybe spout off a little about some recent developments in this part of the world.
So first off I'm just back form R&R, starting my 3rd shift back on tomorrow. It was great to get home, be the wife and kids, smell and feel the rain and see things with colors other than tan. My little guy is playing football and my daughter is a cheerleader so weekends were spent watching them on the field. I managed to get home in time for a 9/11 memorial dedication ceremony which was beautiful, and in my travels saw a number of really great ones as well...I must take this opportunity to pass along that I think the one a 5 Company in Stamford is one of, if not the best one I've ever seen...great job guys!!!!!
That said, we had some interesting incidents just prior to my departure home and a couple since I've been back (10/20). The most notable occured my first shift back when a suicide bomber attempted to detonate a tanker truck of propane at one of the entry points. Thankfully (and quite honestly mercifully) the bomb makers wired the device wrong and it not only exploded prematurely but because it was ill placed it only destroyed the cab and driver (only his feet remained in the cab) of the vehicle. No coalition forces were injured and the propane tank was emptied and then destroyed. This one could have been much, much worse. An assesment by the military concluded that had the device exploded properly niether I nor up to 2500 other people here would be talking to anyone right now. They estimated the blast radius would have easily encompassed a 1/4 of the base. Another note on this: it has been said that the VBIED exploded prematurely because the driver did it early purposely. Why you might ask? Well becuase his family was being held hostage to force him to carry out the attack. I saw this many times in Iraq and find it to be quite plausible. Whether that's true or he was just an idiot either way this guy saved hundreds if not thousands of lives...so thank you Mohammed.
Another noteworthy event took place just short of my R&R when an incoming rocket hit a wooden schoolhouse used by the kids of locals that work on base. No children were in the building at the time. A rocket hit it square and it was engulfed upon our arrival send a huge plume of black smoke int the morning sky. An adjacent wooden building roughly 100X50 (exposure 1) was also involved upon arrival. The schoolhouse was a total loss but we did save the exposures. A job well done by the boys who, in addition to the heat, regular turnout gear and dust, also had to contend with our body armor for the duration as it was a while before the all clear was given.
And the day I was leaving another suicide bomber on the North side met his maker before he managed to blow himself (and more importantly any of us) to Allah thanks to the quick work of our Force Protection guys. Along with that is the usual 3 to 5 calls a day and incoming on a fairly regular basis as described earlier here.
September and October have brought about some interesting and to me potentially disturbing changes to the landscape over here in the Middle East. As I'm sure we all know by now the world is rid of Moammar Khadafiy. I for one am as happy as pie at that outcome, but what baffles me is the calls for an investigation into his death. What's to investigate?... a murderous barbaric dictator got what was coming to him from his own people. Who cares if he had a trial or not in a world court...he had a trial on the spot, was sentenced and the sentence was carried out...bye bye Moammar and good riddance!! Another rather profound change is the recent announcement of the removal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq. Now on this I'm not so sure we're taking the right path. I know a pledge was made by our President and he is in fact adhering to a tentative timetable set by his predecessor, but in reality folks the Iraqis are in no position to survive without us there. Ok so some may say so what screw them anyway...and that's one option. But I take a slightly different view on it. We have spilled the blood of thousands of American service members (and some civilians too) on that soil. Do we now just walk away and let their sacrifice be in vain as the country degenerates into chaos once again until Iran steps in. One may not agree with why we were there in the first place, but we would be safer in the long run to keep a presence there awhile longer if you ask me. And as far as this place goes, well I don't see us pulling out in 2014 but of we do it will most lilely be another mistake as this cradle of the taliban will once agin become a breeding ground and save haven for terrorists. Which brings me to the latest statement from that squeaky clean, most upstanding poster child of the incorruptable politician, Hamid Karzai. This "President" of Aghanistan has publically stated that in the event of a war between Pakistan and the U.S., he would side with Pakistan. So much for loyalty huh boys and girls? This POS seems to forget that he exists only because we, in an effort to promote self determination, let him. But hey judging from what I've seen the Afghan National Army is not a real source of worry on the battlefield...except maybe to each other. One more opinion if I may....Pakistan is a powder keg waiting to blow my friends. It is from there that the majority of this war's "freedom fighters" have emerged. They have been playing both sides for years and with the death of Osama and Karzai's statements relations between us are becoming more and more strained each day. I fear things will get worse before they get better in this part of the world and hope that all of you will stand in support our Nation if these troubles increase. Hey if the Mayans and Hollywood are right and 2012 is the end I'm sure it is right here that the end will start...this part of the world is as f****ed up as it gets.
Stay safe
and thanks for all you all do on the homefront (especially my Belltown Boys AtW since 1928)
Cogs