April 5, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Today we have a day off. Well, kind of. Basically, the Public Affairs Office (PAO) has nothing for us so we stood down and took it easy for the day. I still got up at 6am (I’m not sure why I can’t sleep in any more) and came down to the media tent to get some work done. I let Shaun sleep in because I’m sure the ride out from the FOB the night before shook something loose.

The media tent is pretty basic. It’s almost a piece of history unto itself as the all war correspondents have worked out of here for the last 6+ years. Every reporter seems to have left stuff here and the place is littered with old helmets, body armor, hard cases for video cameras and even racks of video boxes. Its dusty but everything here is dusty. I had to scrub down the desk I was working at because based on the dust accumulated, you’d think nobody had sat there for 30 years. Nope, that’s just Afghan dust. The reporters in the media tent are a quirky bunch. Matthew Fisher from Canwest is gruff, outspoken and swears like a former soldier. And he’s also brilliant, professional and extremely knowledgeable about the war. He is Canada’s most seasoned war correspondent and has covered every war, conflict and engagement in recent history. It was an honor to meet him. Tara Brautigam is a staff correspondent with the Canadian Press. Great guy and I appreciate him sharing his space and faux beer with us. We also hung out a bit with Jeff and Crystal from Global. Great people one and all. Thanks again for your hospitality.


I know we’re not media but it’s been fun to be treated as a reporter, at least up to the point where you have to interact with the soldiers. When they think you’re media they tend to be apprehensive and aloof and rightly so. Although the media has been generally supportive about the war, soldiers remember Somalia. They know that when the media is around they have to be on their best behavior and present a positive picture regardless what they think. When we explain to them that we’re not really media and that our project is about document the real experience (their experience) then they tend to loosen up and let us in on all the good stuff: stories about their experience, what they’ve seen and done ect. Its not newsworthy but it is story-worthy and that fits with our goals.

Shaun makes the best use of his time finding everything and anything to photograph including some great photos of the base graffiti. Brilliant stuff. I’ve created a couple of decent little watercolors so far and I’m hoping to do a few more with my down time in KAF. I predict a lot of down time in KAF…

Road Moves

April 4, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Unfortunately we’ve had to move from our FOB in the South Panjwai area back to Kandahar Airfield (KAF). I’ll state that we did this under protest as our goals cannot be attained back in the confines of the main base and to date we’ve received nothing but support and encouragement from the leadership on the FOBs. This was a logistics issue only and after it was explained to us (a couple times) we packed up our belongings and waited for the Combat Logistics Patrol (CLiP) back to KAF.

Our trip in was via Chinook was fast and efficient: the trip out was via road-move and it was hot, long and bone-rattling. Canada uses ‘people-pods’ to move troops on the ground in southern Afghanistan and its best to describe this mode of transport as odd. We’ve moved about a fair bit in the back of LAVs and TLAVs which are confined but with the hatches open, provide some relief. The people-pod is a sealed, armoured sea-can on the back of a large (24 ton?) truck (Mike B will be sure to correct my truck-ignorance). Basically you’re sealed into a large can on the back of a truck, on convoy from the FOB back to KAF. I can’t give specifics but the ride ranges from 2-6 hrs… Oh, and the air conditioning in the tuna-can was broken and Shaun was having an active bowel day. Yes, it was that kind of trip.

  

Shaun did not enjoy this ride and in all honesty, neither did I. The poor Airforce SSgt beside Shaun REALLY didn’t enjoy the trip but again, that probably had as much to do with the smell coming from Shaun as the boat like motion of the pod. We had a short stop at another FOB and managed to get into KAF late the same day. Our handler Sgt R met us at the depot and got us to our lines which we’re really thankful for as we had no idea where we had landed. The Public Affairs group here runs a tight ship and thanks to people like the good Sgt, we’ve always had somebody here to point us in the right direction when we hit the ground all discombobulated.

We ended out day with a walk on the boardwalk. It’s a bit surreal to be out in a FOB at the start of the day and having chicken strips in a TGI Fridays at its end. Welcome to Afghanistan.

For the Love of Porcelain

April 3, 2011, South Panjwai, Afghanistan

Another beautiful day in Afghanistan. Waking up here is both surreal and grounding: there is calmness in the country-side with the fields turning green and the birds chirping but this is in contrast to the seriousness of the mission. The fact that we’re in the middle of a war zone where IED explosions and the occasional shooting is ever present is a great reality check. Nothing like painting a pretty water-color of a nearby village only to be interrupted by a plume of smoke in the distance from some ordinance being detonated. Surreal and grounding.

Today Shaun went out on a dismounted patrol with some engineers. Again, he took some great photos and was treated very well. He got to experience what many who come to this country as a soldier never experience and I think he was pretty happy for it. While he was outside the wire I was up on the high feature in the FOB watching his progress at a distance. I took the time to work on a modest little landscape-watercolor that will eventually be turned into something more grand in the future. Working on watercolors and sketches here is difficult due to the environment (dust, wind and harsh sun) and the distractions. I try to cram in some work when I can but there is so much to see and do and I can’t sacrifice opportunities to talk and capture photos that will be more useful to me in the long run. We’ve been able to capture a lot of stories here and some of them will be worked into the paintings. Some will not because they are too personal and I’m just not comfortable sharing them (even though the soldiers shared them with us).


One lesson I’ve learned here is that nothing is what it seems and you can’t take anything for granted. I guess that’s a pretty cliché point of view but some of the stories we’ve heard here really cement the cliché. Personal relationships at home, internal conflicts and external recognition are common themes. Probably the funniest story came from a troop that was providing security for Shaun on his dismounted patrol. He was going home soon for his HLTA (mid-tour leave) and was complaining that as soon as he was home, his wife wanted to go camping. Imagine roughing it in a FOB (and outside the FOB) for six months only to go home to more camping. Too funny. As one MCpl mentioned, as soon as he got home he was going to kiss his daughter, his wife and his porcelain toilet (not necessarily in that order). Security, safety, hot water and a comfortable bed to sleep in are not things these people take for granted. Everybody should have to experience what they experience, if only for a week or two.

This might be our last day in the FOB: extenuating circumstances that we have no control over and no, it was not Shaun’s behavior (although he risks much with the SgtMaj.) Whatever happens, we’ve accomplished at lot in the short time we’ve been here and if we never get another chance to get outside the wire, we still have captured everything we needed.


Lastly, I wanted to thank the Arty troop that hosted us in the FOB. Frank, you have an amazing team. Thank you so much for taking care and putting up with our antics (mostly Shaun’s antics ;). Andy, thanks for great stories and banana bread (I’m pretty sure we’re the only embeds to leave a FOB with a care package). Look out for Gille. Buzz, thanks for setting us up and making sure we didn’t blow anything up. Seriously, I didn’t know grenades would come tumbling out of that seacan when I opened it up. Bon Chance my friends.

Going on Patrol

April 2, 2011, South Panjwai Afghanistan.

Today Shaun and I headed out with some Infantry folks from Quebec for a mounted patrol. We moved from our FOB out to provide security and support for engineers who were building a paved road north of our position. Paved roads might sound frivolous in a place that struggles to provide clean water but paved roads really deter the planning of IEDs. As much as we westerners think that IEDs are bad for our troops, we are reminded that for every soldiers killed by and IED, 25 Afghans also lose their lives to them. IED’s are a terror weapon and paving the roads is a great project to protect solider and civilian alike.


In the district we are in the Canadians area responsible for patrolling the roads. This task falls on the engineers and infantry with the support of the ANA and ANP. If I were to assess risk in Afghanistan it would start with an administrator sitting in an air conditioned trailer in KAF and end with the engineers and infantry outside the wire, driving or walking the roads. I don’t assign importance as every role supports the end goal but after riding in the LAV out on these rough roads, one develops a certain appreciation for the risk these soldiers are taking. Very gutsy stuff. Shaun did a brilliant job capturing images of the soldiers on the move, during dismounts and when we hit various smaller patrol bases (austere indeed). All in all it was a great day and we captured enough info for at least 3 paintings.

I might start to sound like a broken record but again today we were amazed at the level of cooperation with the soldiers we were attached to. Nothing but love. All the troops we worked with were happy to see us, happy to have us along (although a little amazed that we’d want to go outside the wire) and more than a little interested in what the end results would looks like. Shaun spends a fair amount of time over here getting some of the photos ready to hand back to the soldiers. They focus on their jobs and don’t really get a chance to snap pictures and to boot, Shaun’s photos are better than anything they’ve ever seen. While in the FOB we are attached to the gunners (also from Quebec) for accommodation, care and feeding and they have been exceptionally accommodating. A happy, professional crew who, at over halfway through their tour, are still keen and ready to dole out a world of hurt when called on.

We were informed today that for reasons I can’t go into here, we are ordered back to KAF. Can’t release the details but its quite a bit ahead of our original schedule. Its bittersweet as we’d much rather stay in the FOB than in KAF. We’ll miss this place (and Shaun will waste away with the loss of the flying kitchen) but we have captured a lot of content and I’m confident we’ll get another chance to get outside the wire before heading home.

Friends in High Places

April 1, 2011, South Panjwai Afghanistan.

Today Shaun and myself moved from KAF to a forward operating base (FOB) in the South Panjwai district of Afghanistan. Along the way we ran into our good friend Mike S at the linkup for the ride into the FOB. Its was great to see another friendly face in KAF and indeed, it was because of Mike and others that Shaun and I have the gear we need to be able to operate here. Mike was generous enough to provide our body armor, ensure we had transport to the FOBs and even the day of our meeting he showed up with more goodies. Thanks again Mike.



The ride out to the FOB was quick and efficient. Rotary transport into FOBs is all business and they don’t want to hang around any longer than they need to. After a few quick stops to drop off personal at other patrol bases, we arrived at ours (name withdrawn due to OPESEC). Those who have been here will know it for its high feature that was built by the Russians. We were met by a young MCpl who gave a quick briefing of the base and walked us around the perimeter. Immediately, Shaun and I felt very welcome here. Our accommodation was better than KAF, we were surrounded by cheerful, efficient soldiers going about their business and there is very positive vibe about the entire base. We met the base commander and SgtMaj and again were welcomed and afforded every courtesy. Once we explained what we were doing there (you’re a what??), everybody got it. More than that, they truly appreciate that somebody has come all the way from Canada to document their story. I think they feel a little bit forgotten about over here as they do watch CBC and the only time they are mentioned, is when one of their own is flown back to Canada under a flag.
A word on food. Anybody who has ever served knows the importance of food and when you’re operational, in a theater of war, it becomes more than just food: it becomes part of your existence, your routine and if its well prepared, it becomes a highlight of your day. The food on the large bases like KAF and KAIA is managed by a catering contractors from the US and UK… and it was very uninspiring. Plastic food at its best. In contrast, the food in the FOBs is created by military cooks who take a great deal of pride in work and it shows. The food in this particular FOB is as good as any I’ve ever had. I’ve actually had to cut back for fear of gaining weight. My associate Shaun on the other hand dives right in.

The Arrival

Getting to Afghanistan is much easier than I thought. All it take is 3 flights and 18hrs of flying over 3 days. Easy-peasy. I even found the experience of flying Ariana (Afghanistan's national airline) not unpleasant: we had great seats, food was decent everything was pretty well organized. I will state one simple fact: the plane was ancient. The crate we flew in/on should, by all account, not be able to fly. But it did and it got us to our destination ahead of time and even cheery... and then you land in Kabul.

The Kabul International Airport looks like its getting some major investment thrown into it. Despite all the new seats and fixtures, its still a bit of a gong-show going through customs. Thankfully Shaun had a friend Dave and his assistant meet us at the airport and take us to their secure villa. CanPro Villa is an oasis in the middle of Kabul. Our host pointed out several places on route where suicide attacks have taken place. He also pointed out where the trauma-pack was in the truck and where safe houses were on route in case we were attacked. This isn't paranoia. Indeed, Dave was attacked inside a market just down the street from his villa back in January this year. A bullet and grenade wound latter and he's showing us how he escaped the attack. There is a grit to this city that is quite humbling. One one side you see abject poverty while on the other, you see Afghan's trying to meek out a living through industry and trade. Its a city in transition. Courage isn't necessarily confined to the act of strapping on a gun and going on patrol: sometimes the very essence of courage is the fact you can start a business in a place where things have a tendency to blow up all the time.

So again Dave, thank you for your hospitality and help.

Gala's and Ranges

Last week Shaun and I traversed some unusual ground in preparation for the trip. Everything from attending a black-tie fundraiser to refreshing our wpn handling drills.

On Wednesday, Shaun and I attended Operation Western Front dinner at the Vancouver Convention center. This event raised $1.5M for the True Patriot Love Foundation in support of Canadian military families. Shaun and I got to speak to the CDS, General Walt Natynczyk, veterans and leaders of industry. Gene Simmons and his partner Shannon Tweed also attended and between the two of them raised about $120k. It was a great event and I wish we could have contributed more. Maybe next year.


We also hit Dave's Surplus this past week to pick up some more kit. Slacks and dress shirts won't cut it in the desert so I picked up some pants and tops that are more appropriate. A HUGE thank you to MP and CanPro OH&S. They sponsored our little shopping spree there and I can't begin to express how much both Shaun and I appreciated it.

On the weekend Shaun and I headed out to the range. Some of our regimental friends suggested (heartily suggested) that we refresh out weapon handling for heading over to Afghanistan. I should note that Shaun and I will not be armed while in Afghanistan. That said, we also don't plan on being shot but we're still wearing body armor (IE: it doesn't hurt to be prepared). Its been a couple years since I was on the range and I'm amazed how much of the drills and SOPs have changed. Lots of muscle memory still there ("don't bother with the forward assist Bair...") and its still a rush to put holes in the target.

Thank you SB, DB, TS and JS for helping us out. It was great to get out there and go through the drills. I'm really doubt we'll need them but it was great to go through the motions.