30 July 2006, Well, with 40 days out of the way now......can I come home yet? No, as I predicted based on the last deployment, the first part of this trip will go by very fast, however, once we pass month 6 it will start to slow down a bit and when we hit month 9-10 it almost stops moving forward all together. Adam Sandler just released a new movie called Click. I haven't seen it yet but if I could find that darn remote, we would all be home by now.
The office is going fine, if you remember, I mentioned something about the server going down, well, Brigade did bring some hot shot young guys who were able to get things restored, I'm back in business. Now, all I have to do is.....work. Brigade also puts out a new safety phrase everyday. Today's is "You can't cure stupidity" I'm not sure what that has to do with safety, am I suppose to take their weapon away from them, not let outside the wire, or just not let them think of any new phrases. They have now decided that just one night a week wasn't enough for NCODP (Non Commissioned Officers Developmental Training), now we need it at least twice a week. I think I am working on keeping myself busy with busy-work, I really don't need them helping out too much. What this camp needs is a "Common Sense Monitor". Yes, I know, common sense and the Army don't work very well together, but as I have been called an oxy-moron before,( and it's typically by those who think marching 12 miles should be preferred to driving 12 miles) I can't help but to keep trying. As I say, "One day, when I become Sergeant Major of the Army, things will change". This could start a whole new soap box, but I'm not in the mood.
Everything else is going pretty good around here. We have a shot at some rain and I'm hoping it will come. Be safe and have a good day.

28 July 2006, First, I have to give a big thanks to Tim and his family back home. I was flagged down yesterday by someone who said I had a large box in the Company HQ. I thought that was strange, but intriguing, so I headed over there and sure enough, a large box for me. Now I was really excited when I looked at the box that said it contained a Multi-Purpose Free Standing Utility storage Rack. I mean, Tim really knows me and to think he sent me a storage rack. Gotta love the guy. Anyway, I open it up and there's no storage rack, there's only......FOOD!!. Oh, could this have been any better. Probably enough food to last the BDOC a week. So, being that I'm a sharing kinda guy, I begin the laborious task of sorting out the items, let's see.....one box for me, one box for them, two boxes for me, one box for them...etc.etc. No, really, I did take part of it to the office today and I'll bring in more tomorrow. Now, of course, certain items for certain people. I get the Scooby Doo Berry and Bones Cereal. So I sat last night in front of my computer eating a bowl of dry cereal and drinking a coke, that's the life. I was working on the peanut butter cookies they made. They had 6 tuperware containers of baked goods, and Little Debbies galour. So, with a gracious heart, thank you. (Honey, add another chin to that picture I sent you)
At the beginning or ending of each blog session, I take a few minutes and browse through some of the other sites. I found one today, I'm wondering why they even bothered. It actually took more time to log on than it did to type out the blog. "It's sooooo boring today, and I'm a drama queen." Yes, well, good luck to you. I'm not making fun of as much as I'm just asking.....why?
I took the big test today for my government class. Let's just say, I prefer Multiple guess or 'true or false' than the pick 6 essay questions and formulate your answers. But it's done now and I can start looking for the next class.
I'll have more to follow in a day or two. Be safe and have a good day.

26 July 2006, So I'm sitting at this computer typing Mrs. Dub an email just a few minutes ago. I am actually falling asleep at the keyboard. I wake up long enough to finish it, I think....I should take a tylonol PM to make sure I sleep well tonight. I was still groggy when I took the pill, I sit back down and BAM!, I'm wide awake again.
I sent an email to a friend the other day who is a big "Lost" fan. It went like this..."ok, so i finally got a haji copy of season two Lost. first couple of discs weren't that great of copies (but I had seen most of it before leaving), the last couple of discs were great copies. I finish disc 5, only one more to complete the season, boy are things getting crazy or what. Hurley and Libbby? John? ballon guy? i can't take it. One more disc. I put it in, I hold my breath.....i'm waiting, look....it's coming up!! Select episodes, wait...that can't be right....i just watched that one.....check again.......maybe it's the next episode....no, just saw that one too.....this can't be happening.....i only have 4 more episodes to watch....they must be on here.......i can't find them......dammm you dharma initiative!!!!!!!!I may have to hurt someone to get that last disc.
Well, as you can see it was a traumatic night here. War is hell. Anyway, I still need to send an email to Ismail to make him exchange the disc for a good disc 6. For those of you who don't know, Ismail is a friend of mine I met on the first go around here. He is currently 19 years old. He was 15 when he started working for Camp Phoenix as an interpreter. He is trying to get assistance to come to America, (he says he wants to come to Oklahoma) to go to college. His family originally wanted to send him to computer school in India, but Ismail wants to learn Business Management. He has had his own business for at least 4 years now as well as working as an interpreter. I've printed off some forms for him for OU and OCU, but if anyone has any good suggestions on what he needs to do to become a foreign student, let me know. He says he needs two letters of recommendations from someone from the US and I'm willing to write one of them. Well, be safe and have a good day.

24 July 2006, Good Day Everyone, well, I have a joke for you, but don't punish me, all the glory (or failure) goes out to Ben. Remember you can check out his blog site over on the right side. Ok, here it is, "Two cows are in the pasture, and one cow says to the other, "How about all that news about the mad cow disease out there, pretty scary huh, what do you think?", the other cow says, "Yep, it is scary, good thing I'm a penguin."

It's Monday around the world. Are you ready? Things here are ok, there maybe some things going on, but either we won't discuss them here or I just don't know. I got a little peeved at work today. Some things went on in the office and somehow I was left out of the loop. Hmmmmm. This of course, is NOT the proper way to run things. Oh, well, I'll get over it. We are still trying to recover all our files from the server. Apparently, larger computer servers require ventilation and air conditioning. I figured if I knew that much so did everyone else, guess not. So we are working on fixing that problem.

I was checking my email today. I got an email from a guy named Yobo. Yobo says his father has died and left him $15,000,000 dollars. But there seems to be a small problem that only I can help Yobo with. He wants me to help by getting the trunk of money into the United States and then trusts me to put the money into investments for him, then he'll give me a 30% cut because of my assistance. Well, this does sound like a great opportunity. Oh wait........does anyone see the problem here. Yep, that's right, I'm in Afghanistan. So all you (gullible) people who could help Yobo out, please send me $10 and I'll forward your information to Yobo. Wait, there's another problem here.....oh yeah, it's a scam, and I'm a cop back home. Well, I did this for Yobo. I sent him an email stating that I have forwarded his email to the proper authorities and they may be able to assist him. (of course, feel free to still send that $10). hehe

Well, that's about it for now. Be safe and have a good day.

22 July 2006, It's the weekend!!, not that it does me a lot of good. It's another day in the office. Things went pretty good, considering that since 0500 hrs this morning everything went wrong. I'm just glad there wasn't anything going on that it could have made difference in. If you're going to have bad days in the office here, you definitely want it on a day that the bad guys are not doing anything. Some of the younger soldiers in the office are allowing every little thing get under their skin and it affects the work they do. These guys signed up to be infantry soldiers and want to be outside the office doing infantry stuff. They want to excel in that field. For that, I can't blame them for feeling down. However, as I told them today, if they want to succeed out there, here in this office is the place to prove they have what it takes to lead troops. It's much like home at the police department. If you know what the detectives want in reports, what the crime scene tech's want salvaged and processed, if you know what stops the defense lawyers from pounding you, get into those areas and see what kind of work they do and how they do it. Then when you are on the streets you can do your job with their job in mind and make a better case all around. As an infantry soldier, and I do speak from outside that realm, your only job is to carry out the orders of the commander and complete the mission. Then by golly (excuse the language), know what the commander uses in making his decisions and how it gets used. Then when you are out there, you know what to report and how to report it. These guys make it sound like they are being punished, I told them they were picked because they looked like they had potential. Ok, I might have fibbed to them a little, just kidding. They have the potential to be good NCO's with time, experience, more time, a lot of luck......We'll just say it was a long day.
Well, I ended the day on a good note. I was told I had mail. What?? Well, I received a nice card from Jo at Draper Park Christian Church in Oklahoma City. They were very supportive during my last deployment and I know their prayers are with me and my family again. I also received a box of goodies from Brad at South Yukon Church of Christ. I will make sure and share these treats with the guys in my office. (make mental note, 1 laffy taffy per soldier). Well, if either are reading this, thank you and I will be responding properly also.
To everyone out there, be safe and have a good day.

21 July 2006, Today's joke had to be pulled from jokeoftheday.com because under all this pressure I can't think of a single one I can tell in this forum. This joke comes from Tommy, "A man who had been caught embezzling millions from his employer went to a lawyer seeking defense. He didn't to want to go to jail. But his lawyer told him, "Don't worry. You'll never have to go to jail with all that money. And the lawyer was right. When the man was sent to prison, he didn't have a dime"
As I told Mrs. Dub today, another Friday is down in history and they seem to be coming at a good pace. I have been back in Afghanistan now for a whole month. I have only left the camp twice to go eat dinner with the Royal Commando Marines at Camp Souter. Friday night here is steak and seafood night. Now anyone who knows me knows that hush-puppies is about as seafood as I get so all I'm left with is steak. Now for those of you who don't know, or haven't heard, the DFAC is run by Kellogg, Brown and Root. This is a company owned by Haliburton. Haliburton is an oil company by rights. I have one suggestion, don't let an oil company cook your steak. Sure, they grill them up for you at around 9am in the morning, then they basically boil them all day to keep the juices in. Now, I have heard of some cultures that like boiled steak, however, I wasn't raised in that culture. I will probably hold out until I get home and then make my lovely bride take me to Cattlemen's. Now, of course, she is hooked on Montana Mike's Steakhouse in El Reno, and it is very good. The price is even better. I just like Cattlemens better.
Today was my last day of class for this term. Of course, the class was only 4 days long to begin with. I've learned a lot from it and will probably continue studying the era around 1776. We take our test this next week, luckily, it's open book. I should proabably write my friend Tim, he was in the Navy then and might remember some interesting things about that period. Just kidding.
I can't think of anything else for now, so be safe and have a good day.

20 July 2006, Sorry no joke today, but I do have a whatchamacallit, something like a parable. It's called "Two Wolves". One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil...It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, inferiority, superiority, and ego. The other is Good...It is joy, peace, love, hope, truth, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about this for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
I believe the moral of the story is not to keep wolves as pets. Maybe they should have gotten a male and female wolf. Of course, i'm just kidding. Anyway, another scratched off the calendar, and that makes us all happy. Today was for the most part uneventful. Of course, I saw my first strecthed limousine in Kabul. Who would have guessed it. Yesterday we saw a man with a handful of helium ballons walking down Jalalabad Road. That's different. And of course, three days ago we saw a herd? of donkies running down the road in front of our camp with nobody leading them. Now back home we have pursued cows in police cars and I've seen a lot of unusual things, so typically I don't get to excited about it. But some of the things we are seeing now adays I'm having to take a double take.
Is anyone having trouble keeping up with all the passwords you have to use everyday? I am soo ready to go to a fingerprint code to get everything, the computer I'm using right now has that capability but I believe it's been disabled so that we can memorized yet another password. Of course, I could use just one password for everything, but first it's not safe, and second they all expire at different dates so by 3 months from now they are all different anyway.
There are several police officers here, and when we get together we begin the with the stories. You gotta love the stories. Some are so unbelieveable but yet we know them to be fact. It brings us closer to home. We are being told that we could be used to help train the Afghan National Police. I feel there are several problems that need to be addressed before I will assist in that mission. Of course, Mrs. Dub, I'm not volunteering for anything, and with my current position it would take an act of.....well, LTC Y. So, as long as I am not beating him badly in ping pong he may keep me around a little while longer.
For those of you outside of the Army, you may not get a whole lot out of it, but I have made contact with a fellow soldier who is stationed in Iraq right now. He has a talent for cartoons and has a series of characters that he has designed that we would recognize at any FOB (forward operating base). He has consented to allowing me to add his blog site to my links. His blog is pretty good too, and it was reading his that helped me get this one started. Please feel free to check out his sight too. It's Bob on the Fob. Bob stands for Band of Brothers.
Well, that's about it for today. Be safe and have a good day.

18 July 2006, I'm gonna need help with the jokes, so let's go to an oldie but a goodie, a guy walked in today and told me he met a man with a wooden leg named Smith, I asked "What's the name of his other leg?" Of course, I borrowed that from Mary Poppins, a Walt Disney Production. (This way i shouldn't get into any trouble)
Now for today's event. Just less than an hour ago I sent out an email to a friend back home. I explained that things here were going pretty good. I even went so far as to say that the temperature here is at a high of 93 but feels like 88-89 because of the low humidity. I mentioned I have my cable t.v., microwave, internet, and today I signed for a frig. Now, without boasting what-so-ever, I said, I really have nothing to complain about. I said I wasn't boasting. Oh, but somewhere, someone thought that. Since I didn't smell my best after going to the gym earlier, I thought it's time for a nice hot shower. WRONG!!! The hot water was out. So, without screaming for mercy, I take that cold shower. Now, I have been called Chewbaca before because of my very cuddly bear like fur. So I leave the shower just a little cold, and enter my room. Like I said before, nothing to complain about, because my room is set for 19 degrees Celcius, which is to folks back home 68 degrees F. And since my room is only 7 x 9, it stays that temperature. So, now i'm entering my room, a little cold, and all I can say is brrrrrrrrrrr.
Well, that's all for now, have a good day and stay safe.

17 July 2006, Ok, I'm already getting new jokes, so this is brought to you by Connie and Katie, "What do you get when pigs fly?" The price of bacon goes up. Good job!! I actually have to laugh when writing that one. Katie obviously understands my higher level of humor.
Ok, with that out of the way, we need to get down to serious business. The first two things we need to talk about come from my AFN(Armed Forces Network) news. The first thing is that they report that terrorist get 80% of their information about U.S. Military movement from the internet, such as blogs, so with that in mind, I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU!
The second thing, is the news reported that the Department of Defense is cracking down on human trafficking, so for all of you who have already placed an order with me, I'm afraid I will either have to refund your money or I can send you a nice rug. Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.
My conex is pretty comfy, I think tomorrow will be a construction day for me. I need to create some furniture in the office and I have drawn up my designs for my room. As those of you back home and those on the last deployment know, it's play time.
Speaking of play time, I have begun to have concerns about the military, or at least Camp Phoenix. I've often thought (SURRENDER NOW!) that the Army was getting softer, the kinder, gentler army as they like to call it. Well, I believe we have reached that point completely. As I mentioned my idea of relaxing is building things, well, I don't know if it's just Oregon or what, but now at Camp Phoenix we are offering.....photography class.......greenhouses and gardening ...... Crochet?....What the heck is going on over here? Have I entered some twilight zone episode. By the way, the v-neck sweater I'm working on is turning out fabulous.
I've seen a lot of soldiers ending their emails in work and outside of work with signature blocks that include famous quotes from (YOU WILL NEVER WIN, WHAT'S THE POINT) people in history that helped shape their times. I've seen Churchill, Roosevelt, Macarthur, along that line. So let me end this one with one from a very influential person who helped mold me into what I am today.
If he looks like an idiot and sounds like an idiot, don't let him fool you, he's an idiot. - Groucho Marx.
Have a good day and be safe.

16 July 2006, I've been blogging now for just over a month. I still have trouble getting this started. Should I tell a joke? Start of with the news of the day? Just begin rambling on about the most pressing issues I have stored in my head? Well, as I have all these going on at the same time, let's start with a joke. Two muffins are sitting in the oven, and the first muffin says, "boy is it hot in here", the other muffins turns to him and says "Yikes!! a talking muffin!" Ok, I said it would be a joke, I didn't say it had to be good. My buddy back home Tim has been sending me jokes he finds (this wasn't one of them), so I may start including his here too.
What's new with me since our last meeting, well, I am a college student again. Yesterday and today we have been in a government class studying the Declaration of Independence. As I indicated on the July 4th blog, this is a very important document as it shapes what our country became. And as I am in Afghanistan, helping this nation build it's democracy and independence, what better subject to study. What have I learned so far? That even in the beginning, (and as I have said I am fond of) debate is at the very core of it all. That this document was a statement of Treason against England, but as Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration, (and I'm paraphrasing) that whenever Government becomes destructive of the rights of the people, that it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, as shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Well, other than getting all excited about America, work has been a good day, of course, I'm getting to leave 2 hours earlier so I can make class, but it's only this weekend and next. It will be a full work week starting tomorrow, or as we like to call it in Afghanistan, Monday, well, I guess you call it that too....
I see that Israel and Lebanon are taking up most of the news coverage. Well, either the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan has completely stopped.....or we are just being ignored. Things in Afghanistan are still going on as I am sure they are in Iraq. I've often thought battles should be fought just by generals or heads of state. A game of chess or even now, maybe a computer based game. The winner takes all and the loser stands down. Most likely this would leave families whole and countries intact, but what if the wrong side won? I do believe that Just Wars must be fought, but wars over hatred?
Well, enough seriousness, and I'm sure most of you think this is foreign territory for me, so I will end this on another joke. An Arkansas trooper pulls over a driver of a pick-up truck and asks him "Do you have any ID?" The drivers responds, "About what?" That was courtesy of Tim.
Be safe and have a great day.

13 July 2006, Gooooood Mooorrning Afghanistan, Well, it sounded good when Robin Williams did it in Good Morning Vietnam. Anyway, another day marked off the calendar. Yippe!! I've mentioned to untold 10's of people that we only have 2 more weeks in country before we go home. I give them a few seconds with that puzzled look on their face before I fill them in. You see, we are the National Guard, we aren't full time soldiers like the active duty guys, (yeah right). Anyway, I tell them that because we are National Guard we only do two weeks a year, so therefore we only have two weeks left, a really long two weeks, but eventually we will hit that point, (about 330 days later, but who's counting) that we can say only 13 days and a wake up.
Of course, I get asked why even bother counting, well, what else do you have to do here? I don't believe you should live in a state of routine. Whatever you do, have a purpose, set a goal, set an end date. Of course, that's coming from someone who has been working on the bachelor's degree for 22 years. I didn't say you can't push that end date back to accommodate things like, LIFE. Back when I was between 5 and 10 years old all I wanted when I grew up was a spread of land and some horses, only took me 34 years to get it, but I am pretty happy with it right now, just wish I was there instead of here. And when I when the lottery back home, well that 5 acres will grow!!
What's happening here? Well, this week not much, remember that's a good thing. Being bored is what we live for. I'm hoping that this deployment won't get in the way of my other projects, but hey, if I have to bag up bin Laden on the side of the road, well, that would be alright too. Anyway, I wish I had more exciting news to send you, but my mission here is to make sure my soldiers make it from point A to point B without incident, and that's the way I like it.
That's gonna wrap it up for now, I hope each of you has a good day and stay safe.

11 July 2006, Ok, everyone out there who knows I am not the sharpest person sitting behind a computer, raise your hand, whoa,...That's a lot of hands. Anyway, through trial and error, error, error, I finally got a dang picture added to my profile. Not that I'm looking to be on Hot or Not, but I figured the blog site was a bit bland. At least I add some texture to it. I guess I could figure out how to add a more picturesque background, but that's another battle down the road.
I've added a couple of extra links to the side, no, the other side, there. The first two are a couple of guys that are here with me. Both are pretty good guys and are experiencing Afghanistan for the first time. In case you are really enjoying this blog and would be interested in reading theirs just click on the link. Cpl. Larkin is with the PAO office and is publishing the blog for the 1-180th INF BN. He is a reporter back home and enjoys his job. Ben is with the S4, they are supply guys for the unit. He is experiencing a lot of new things this year and gives a different perspective on things. I'm hoping to add another site from a guy currently in Iraq. He has nothing to do with us, but one of our soldiers found his blog site and he does army cartoons.
As for me, I think I am getting better with this crud, either that or I'm just getting used to it. I know everyone in the office and probably the person in the connex behind me will be glad when they don't have to listen to me. If I'm doing better by Saturday, I will head back to the gym.
I've had some folks back home ask me what they can send me. Well, actually, I'm doing pretty good here, you've heard me tell you about all the spending I can do here. However, one of the things we are working on is giving to the community around us. Cpl Larkin mentions it in his site, but we have been going out to the elementary schools here and giving out backpacks, paper, pencils, pens, coats, etc. The school systems here are one of the most important things we can support. Because of the wars here for the last 25 years and because of the Taliban rule, education was almost banned completely, it certainly was for girls anyway, and the boys were not taught to read and write unless they had been moved to another country or were more privileged. Anyway, schools are flourishing, those that aren't being burned down by the Taliban insurgents roaming around. So, if you have been wondering what you could send me, (I'll still take those fresh baked cookies), those are just some of the suggestions. I'm being told to stay away from crayons and coloring books, but the other items mentioned are great.
Well, time to end other session, be safe and have a good day.

10 July 2006, Ok, first of, I have changed the background on this page, let me know what you think. Now down to business. Ok, I really don't have any business really, but I can get this blog started. It's Monday evening here and another day of just sitting behind a computer is over. At least as a police officer back home, we got to move around a little bit. (We moved a lot if my LT. is reading this). Anyway, it's the job I signed up for and I do my best. I did get off the FOB yesterday to have dinner with the Brits over at Camp Souter. Army chow halls are amazing, and it's universal. We love going to ISAF, (International Security Assistance Force) and Camp Souter for meetings usually around meal times. The British and other countries like coming over here. Heck, even from Army DFAC to Army DFAC, with them getting the same food, IT TASTE BETTER! I haven't found a reasonable explanation for it other than my wife can't eat at McDonald's for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that's what we do, everyday. So when we get the chance to eat outside the norm, it's fantastic! Well, we met up with our counterparts from Great Britain, took care of business and had a good meal. Has anyone but me noticed an almost common theme with these blogs?
I checked the weather and later this week we are expecting a cold front, yep, it's gonna get down to 85. Where did I put my parka? Our issue of cold weather gear this time around was a much needed improvement. The last trip they gave us something that we called a bear suit. It's a fitting term since if I had put it on, and grabbed a bear mask, I would resemble....A bear. It actually had a dark brown wooly fur on the outside and of course, noone ever really discovered if it was suppose to be worn on the outside or under your clothes. As you have heard me describe the weather here, it's much like Oklahoma, and there are only a few people I can think of that would need such heavy clothing on the worse day. They even gave us mittens. Now for those who have gone hunting or any outdoor sport for that matter during the winter, when have mittens been useful? Yes, they are warm, but certainly carrying a rifle or pistol and thinking you are going to do anything with your hands, mittens are a bit impractical. This go around has been better with more emphasis on functionality.
Well, looks like I need to get out of the box and stretch my legs. I hope everyone has a good day and be safe.

08 July 06, Another day in Afghanistan is over. Although it was very quiet here in the capital city of Kabul (and that's the way we like it), it was none the less here. I'm ready to get back to my family, buy my horse, build my arena, and enjoy riding. Of course, by the time I get home to do all that, the girls will probably be tired of them by then. Let's hope not. I guess I could always check into buying a horse here. Do you think the Camp would let me have one here? Nope, me either. I had the same problem with the city, they wouldn't let me bring my scout car with me.
Everyone's been wanting to know what the tempature here has been like. Well, today is typical of every other day during the summer. It got to 97, warm yes, but less than 20% humidity. And this is much better than Kandahar were they sit in the shade at 111. All I need is a beach, a couple of waves and surf board to hurt myself on. Wheeeeee! Now, a couple of blogs ago I mentioned one of my goals for this deployment was to loose some weight and get in shape. I have been working out to some degree, but the Mississippi crud I got back in the states is still lingering and with the wonderful fresh air here it hadn't gotten any better. I'm taking this week off to try and recoup. I went to the doctor last Thursday. He decided to show the young female medic how to do a more thorough exam. (not that thorough!!) He had me open my mouth, looked at my gums and exclaimed "See his gums, he chews tobacco." I said "No, I've never done tobacco." He then points to a curious looking "growth" on my gums and exclaims that there must be something to that for it to look like it does. I again had to interrupt his monologue to tell him that was a skin graft from when I was 10 years old and had bad gums. Having burst his bubble in front of his young apprentice, he recovers with, "Well, we have saved many soldiers by checking them out, you never know when you might be able to catch cancer early." Well, thanks doc! With that out of the way, he says we need to get back to why I was there to start with. Great idea! I knew I should have finished college earlier. Well, I'm still going to try and knock that out while I'm here too.
I hope everyone out there stays safe and has a great day.

07 July 2006, Well, things got a little busy around here in Kabul. We had 4 explosions in two days. First, I want to say I have an alibi and I might be able to scrounge up some witnesses that would say I wasn't involved. Of course, Mrs. Dub may have to increase my allowance this month if it comes to that. Anyway, I can mention these events because, hey, I was getting more current information from Yahoo News on those days than I was from my sources, so if you didn't hear about them, well, you must be here too.
It's been a couple of days since I posted. This is because the unit we are replacing here lost a soldier earlier this week. We are grateful for his service and pause for a moment of prayer for him and his family............
Here at Camp Phoenix they now have connexes for us fortunate ones. Of course, you can't talk, listen to music, walk, snore, watch t.v. or basically anything that might make noise because you might bother someone. Right now I am wearing earbuds. Two reasons, 1. I want to listen to my music, 2. The person behind me isn't using earphones and I can hear their music thru my thin back wall. We also have a self help section here where we can build things. Well, my connex is about 6 1/2 feet wide and 9 feet long. I'm on the top floor. So, I go get a cutting torch, cut a hole in the ceiling, add a stair case, build a second floor that would cover the length of my connex, maybe extend it by one on either side. I should have a pretty nice loft with a really good view. Of course, I have to eliminate the smog and pollution here in Kabul first, but then it would be a nice view. Ok, I think that covers everything except my plans for world domination, but I still haven't worked out the kinks in that plan. Here is a picture of my re-enlistment ceremony. I'm the one with my hand raised, ok, I'm the second guy on the left. Take care and be safe.

04 July 2006, Happy 4th, America!!! July 4th is different here, it's a place where we don't won't to hear explosions under the stars. I do wish I was home, because I love to pop fireworks. But this day does have significance that I share with my Afghan friends that we (Americans), them, and many many other countries do have something in common. We each celebrate our independence from Great Britain. This is a link that they can understand and it helps to minimize the differences. Heck, even the Brits over here wish us a happy 4th. (they are probably glad they finally got rid of us). Camp Phoenix here, almost represents what America was over two hundred years ago. Here, in one camp, we have Americans, Afghans, French, Rumanians, Russian, German, British, Canadians and more, all living, working, striving towards helping the country of Afghanistan. It's a long haul, don't let anyone tell you different. But, it's a mission, a calling that many men and women have answered and it's a testament that we can work, live, co-exist with each other. Today is a day of celebration for all of us, so I won't get on my soap, today. I feel the media really should spend more time covering what's right, good, encouraging here in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
On another note, SFC M, SFC J, MSG T and myself re-enlisted today and LTC Y did the honors of giving us our oath. Immediately afterwards we stood in formation with those from Oregon National Guard as they took their oaths. We couldn't think of a better day to honor those who have come before us and given of themselves to give us our freedom and to show our support for the freedom of Afghanistan. I will post pictures tomorrow. I hope all of you have a safe and happy day.

02 July 2006, Only 2 days till America celebrates Independence Day. Mrs. Dub is probably relieved I am deployed at this time of year. If I was home I would be bugging her about buying fireworks. I'm sure that she would still rather have me home. It's been a slow weekend and in this kind of place, that's a good thing. I've meet several guys who "wish" they could see some action. I have to explain to them that this isn't something to wish for, that this typically means someone is shooting at them and they usually have the advantage of shooting first.
I've actually been sitting here for almost an hour and really haven't had anything to write. Of course, Capt C hooked up a t.v. and was watching My Name is Earl. Now, really, was that fair. I have already mentioned if it's loud and stupid I'm probably watching it.
LTC Y and I played two more ping pong games, I'm gaining on him. 9-21 and 7-21. That's 16 points I racked up today. Well, I guess I'll make this post a short one. It's been a long day, and I still have to be at work in the morning.