NATO on the Boardwalk: Allies Chill Out at Afghan Base

By Peter Graff

Reuters

KANDAHAR AIR FIELD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Down on the boardwalk, a knot of Romanian soldiers are sitting under the umbrellas at the French patisserie, sipping non-alcoholic Becks beer in the shade. At Tim Hortons, the Canadian doughnut place, U.S. airmen are drinking coffee, surfing on the wireless internet on their laptops and listening to Beyonce on British Forces Radio. The only people sitting in the scorching sun are the bright pink British officers, a dazzling glare shining off one sweaty bald pate. Super-secret special forces guys stroll by, glowering coolly in baggy shorts, T-shirts and floppy sun hats, "under cover" in their tell-tale woolly beards.

Welcome to Kandahar Air Field, or KAF, the most cosmopolitan NATO base ever assembled inside a combat zone, where troops from a host of countries relax after missions on a boardwalk that feels like a multi-national beachside resort. The United States and many of its allies have been fighting shoulder-to-shoulder in Afghanistan and, to a lesser degree Iraq, for almost eight years. In both war zones, large bases are usually run by a single country, bringing restaurants, shops and amenities to make the troops feel like home. But the headquarters for NATO forces in southern Afghanistan is a bona fide alliance mish-mash.

Command rotates every nine months between generals from the Netherlands, Britain and Canada. Troops from more than a dozen countries work here full time. The United States is represented of course -- not just by the Army, Air Force and the Marines, but also by Subway, Pizza Hut and Burger King. But Americans are far from the majority on the boardwalk, built in the centre of the base in a square about 90 metres (100 yards) on each side. It is covered by a wooden awning that provides shade. In the sandy centre are two volleyball nets, a beach-style soccer field and the large wooden hockey rink, with bold red Canadian maple leaf emblems, in case anyone might wonder who plays hockey in Afghanistan. Like any good boardwalk, it's cool even in the hot part of the day.

The smells of its various fast food shops waft pleasantly -- except for a few times a day when the wind blows from the direction of the camp's giant septic pit, known as "poo pond". Afghan shops sell rugs and bootleg DVDs, and rent bikes for pedalling around the base. The Kyrgyz shop selling fur hats has few takers in June. Most of the shopping is at the PXs -- the military shops each country maintains separately and which have a not-so-subtle competition for hearts and minds. The American PX is the biggest, with the longest lines and cheapest underwear. The French one is neat and clean, with much trendier clothes and a cafe serving espresso and croissants. The Germans are coming soon. Posters on the boardwalk announce that "Deutscher PX" is opening this month. "The first real military store in KAF!" the signs boast.

Allies: you have been warned.

Thoughts on Deployment

Department of Defense Press Release

February 17, 2009

Pursuant to President Obama’s decision today, Secretary Gates ordered the deployment of two additional combat units, totaling more than 12,000 troops, to Afghanistan. The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), from Camp Lejeune, N.C., with approximately 8,000 Marines will deploy to Afghanistan in late Spring 2009.

The 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division from Ft. Lewis, Wash., will deploy approximately 4,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in mid-summer 2009. This Stryker Brigade and the MEB will deploy to increase the capabilities of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Approximately 5,000 additional troops to support these combat forces will receive deployment orders at a later date.

Thoughts on Deployment

Preparing for a deployment is about the most surreal experience I think I’ve gone through. It’s almost an out of body thing; while you prepare yourself mentally and go through the days of packing up to move down range, it’s still hard to associate those actions with the person you see in the mirror. This might be because if you attempt to take on an entire 12 month deployment all at once, you probably can’t get your head around it. A year away from life, a year away from family and friends, a year away from everything you’ve ever come to know or feel was comfortable for you. It is the ultimate in going outside your comfort zone. Either way, in the coming days and months, coping with life in a combat zone will become very real and in the end, we make the best of it. We don’t really have a choice and they do what they can on the other end to bring some home to the field.

On a professional note, we’ll be working with a lot of different people from different countries. Operation Enduring Freedom has become largely a NATO operation, so we’ll be working a lot with British, Canadian, Dutch, German, New Zealand and Afghani forces. The common goal is to secure the country for the people of Afghanistan, and eliminate the Taliban. Every person, no matter of race, creed, color, or national origin deserves the inalienable rights we enjoy in the United States. Our goal is to stop those who restrict it. That’s by far the greatest thing about being an American; we are not indifferent to the suffering of people not yet ready or capable to stand up to their oppressors. American’s come to liberate, not conquer. That being said, the success of our combined mission is ultimately hinged on the ability of those aforementioned peoples to stand up and secure their country and their futures.

I’ll do everything I can to stay in touch in every medium I can. Anyone can mail me via letter, or email. If you don’t have it you can talk to my mom or dad and get it from them. I would put in on here, but for security reasons I don’t want to post it publicly. I’m thinking contact via telephone is going to be a one way thing, but one I’ll do my best to keep up with. Through the internet there are VOIP phone services from free to relatively cheap, so I’ll try to keep up with that. Either way, I’ll do everything I can to make the transition as painless as possible. Just because I don’t post for a few days, or maybe even weeks, it doesn’t mean something bad has happened to me or anything. I might be busy, tired or just have spaced off posting for awhile. I’ll try not to do that. I want a written record of my time overseas probably as bad as some people might want updates, or to know what’s going on with me in Afghanistan. Even still, I’m always emailing family directly back and forth, so if there is anything pressing, or you wish to say something personal I encourage you to get my email address. Personal correspondence via email, or written letter is always appreciated.

Thanks for all your support.

-Danny