"Are you nervous?"

"So are you nervous?"

I thought carefully. I didn't want to rush to answer this question even though I had now been asked it about 25 times. I didn't want to play everything off like I was hard, like all the wannabe super-soldiers I had met who couldn't wait to, and I quote,

"Kill a fucking hadji."

I'm not Rambo, nor do I wish to be. I feel mildly sick every time I hear someone talk like the soldiers described above. It should also be noted that the younger they are, the bigger they talk. They have a real wake-up call coming.

"Whoa! Are you nervous?"

That question again! The night I left the United States I called just about everyone in my cellphone. Family, friends, teachers and bosses, even some people I hadn't spoken to in over a year. It was such a great experience. You can't even recall the times you have had with people until you talk to them one on one again. I remembered an awesome song lyric...

And I've got some friends some that I hardly know
We've had some times I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go

Swing Life Away
Rise Against

After ten or so phone calls filled with memories I began to choke up at the slightest happy thought. I knew full well that in Afghanistan I would have internet access and still be able to easily keep in touch with all of these people. I had already been gone for three months so it wasn't new to anyone that I wasn't around. But still, something about actually flying halfway around the world kind of finalized all the thoughts and feelings of separation. I drove on, destroying my cell battery and blazing a trail of voice mails as I sped through my phone book. Finally I finished my last conversation. We boarded the first flight to Maine from North Carolina. Two hours later, we are allowed off of the plane into the Maine airport for an hour break. I used a phone to call the most important person on my list. Shelly Torkelson. Shelly is my best friend and I can discuss more topics with her than anyone on the planet, and I often do. We talk on the phone often and were well aware that I wouldn't be able to call her for quite awhile. Like the other calls that night, it was full of happy memories and soon I was fighting the manly battle to choke down tears. Shelly was teary and said,

"I'm mad and I don't know why..."

I'll miss ya.

"Dude, are you nervous man?"

Am I nervous? I probably should be but after 3 months of BS at Ft. Bragg North Carolina we were more than ready to get into a combat zone. I have spent 9 months out of the last 16 training for this. Hours of medical classes, combat lanes doused with fake blood and screaming actors, shooting ranges, mortar drills, language training, hundreds of miles ran, thousands of push ups. If anything I am ready. In fact, I was starting to get disgusted by preparation. But the day finally came to deploy. After we left Maine we flew to Turkey. After a short stay in Turkey we flew again to Kyrgyzstan. Here we had to wait a few days for, you guessed it, ANOTHER plane. We were at Manas Air Force Base. It's great to work with the Air Force because they have all the money and the best amenities. I was talking to my friend Scott about two days into deployment. He asked

"So where are you now?"
"I'm in Kryzgstan, in an internet cafe enjoying a Latte," I replied.
"Sounds rough."

So maybe getting deployed isn't all bad. After another day of ping pong, gourmet coffee, and Soviet era memorabilia shops, we had to fly to Bagram, Afghanistan. This time we were flying on a huge freaking Air Force plane. This thing was so loud we were required to wear earplugs during the flight. They had bolted old gray airline seats to the floor. All of our bags were sealed up in giant pallets in the back of the plane. I remember about two seconds of that flight and it was two seconds too long. Staying up all night has its advantages.

click on picture for full size

After arriving we had to perform the "duffel bag drag" and move all of our gear into a gigantic clamshell tent. This tent houses at least 200 soldiers on cots. Sometimes I wake up and feel like a hurricane refugee when see the piles of bags and cots and people everywhere.

"I gotta get out of this tent," I thought and began to explore the base. Let me add that Bagram was the beginning of a combat zone so we now have a loaded rifle and 9mm pistol with me at all times. I'm beginning to worry more about getting shot accidentally rather than shot by a terrorist.

Holly and Nikki, my special girls.

On all sides of the valley Bagram sits in rose huge peaks capped in snow. It is strange to see snow when it's 70 degrees where you stand. I started shopping around the Bazaar and was looking at various swords and flintlock pistols. I realized how much money America was bringing into these countries and hope it was improving the country somehow and not just funneling into already rich Afghan's hands. I realized that even if I bought something my bags were stuffed to the brim so I wouldn't be able to take it to Methar lam. As I walked around i saw all over the base entire pallets of bottled water. The water there is so unhealthy that I suppose it is cheapest to just buy a ton of bottle for the soldiers.

The next day we were scheduled for DBPP. This is a popular military acronym for "Death by PowerPoint." We had 14 briefings in one day. I was feeling pretty good about deployment and by the end of the day I had learned,

1. Afghanistan has more land mines than any country in the world, over 10 million.
2. Methar lam is in the highest category of risk for malaria in the world.
3. The Taliban start their offensives in spring, aka now.
4. Suicide bombings in Afghanistan have risen dramatically.
5. We are along the Pakistan border, the Taliban hide in Pakistan.

SWEET! Something to really look forward to.

"Oh my god Alex, are you nervous?"

Nah, I'm here for a year and it's going to be great. Stay tuned.