FOB Ghazni Bazaar

Finally feeling like I am getting settled in. This place, which lays on a plateau along a mountain range, is really what you imagine a FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Afghanistan to be. Rugged in every way without lots of lavish comfort. The buildings we live in are hardened structures which resemble a long warehouse. Inside the buildings, the ADT 1 guys, who were the first ADT in Afghanistan (GO TEXAS), built plywood rooms. The size of your room is largely determined by your rank. The lower enlisted get a 8' by 10' plywood room and senior enlisted and officers get a little bit larger room. I lucked out and I think mine was built to be about 10' by 10'. The main goal when we arrived was to make the room our own. Two years of ADT's have built some of the rooms into palaces! The guys are so creative. They use lumber to raise their beds to about 5' off the ground so that they can reclaim the majority of their room for daily activities. Your bed is much less used than your desk/laptop area. This allows them some space to call their own and to have a space to get away from all of their fellow soldiers.
Where do you get fine furnishings for for your plywood room? Well you go to both of the local bazaars. One is open 6 days a week and one is only open Wednesday and Saturday. These bazaars are like an open air flea market. The one open two days a week is all Afghan locals and it is located about 25 feet from the front gate. They have pirated DVD's and Folex watches as well as Foakley sunglasses. The bartering is universal kind found worldwide. They ask $40 for a big blanket and I say WOW! way to much. They say in broken english that business is slow today so just for me they will sell it for $34 which cuts their profit. I finally talked the guy down to $25 which he claims is a loss of money for him. I personally feel guilty when I open my wallet and pull out 2 $20's and ask for change. I feel guilty because the average Afghan lives on $1 a day and I am bartering away over two weeks worth of wages!
The bazaar holds many things for many people, for me a new blanket and for the Afghan blanket seller a small profit that would otherwise not be in his pocket if not for our presence here trying to help.

The USO

SO I am sitting in the barracks, half packing and half feeling homesick. Just being bored mainly when as it always happens in the Army someone comes in and says that the Sgt Major wants everyone out in the street for some information. We are told we have to be at the USO building at 1800. The soldiers who are napping suddenly start moaning and groaning about "mandatory fun" and about how they just want to be left alone BUT when the Sgt Major says fall out then everybody better fall out! Like good soldiers we walk down to the USO office and are greeted right away with free snacks and that cold Dr Pepper I was craving. With the free snacks come the warm and friendly smiles of the USO volunteers. Mostly older folks from the Atterbury area but some imports from Indianapolis I imagine. The little building is warm inside and smells of the popcorn machine which is mostly empty and it has multiple internet terminals which only require that you sign in to use. We are then told that there is a USO concert planned for 1900 out at one of the training areas and that we have been assembled to go watch it. Now the grumbling really starts, why do we have to go, who is singing, how long will it last??? We board the bus and they transport us to an area where we did some of our training. Once there we walk in and see Ruby Tuesdays is catering the event and the band is in full set up mode. The mood starts to lighten when the USO volunteers show up and start mingling. We are told that the band is called Blue Suede Shoes and they are a Johnny Cash and Elvis impersonator band. Wow they are impressive! The Johnny Cash is dead on and Elvis gave a great concert. Soldiers are dancing with USO girls, dinner is served and everyone is now happy to not be in the barracks including me.
I will not lie to ya, I was feeling pretty down earlier. I was in my area packing and was mainly bored. When you get bored you have time to think about how the world at home goes on without you. My wife and daughter in Canton buying ducks and enjoying dinner, My best friends at a Stars game, Northpark and then a great dinner and here I sit in the barracks. I guess that is where the USO finds their place and always has. The event coordinator told us that this is the first live USO concert at Camp Atterbury since Bob Hope appeared in 1942 during the train up for WWII! How cool is that? How cool is it that you find people willing to volunteer their time and money, the Ruby Tuesday crowd was on their day off, to come and support a bunch of guys and gals they have no connection to. I guess in a way they do have a connection, the American spirit and love for the men and women who are willing to go where most won't. It is so refreshing to see that spirit, to feel the support and the love from strangers who just want to do their part. I made sure to shake every employees hand from Ruby Tuesdays, I wanted them to know what it meant to us that they were there. The USO group were just totally amazing and the band was great! Overall it was a big morale booster and I am glad the Sgt Major made us all get out and go.
I can't go into details but I will be sending my next blog update from the mountains of Afghanistan. Talk at ya'll soon!