It was business as usual in Panjawai, on July 4. I did my 2am to 10am guard shift. After that I did a load of laundry and spent a couple hours at the gym.
Then "it got real" as we say.
Toby Kieth, Rolling Stones, etc playing over a loudspeaker that is rated to send sound over 2KM, steak and lobster tail, and chocolate ice cream. A note about chocolate ice cream...it was 115 degrees yesterday. I would really like to thank the cooks here for hitting the spot with the food selections. Not only was it good tasting, but the ice cream was the perfect relief from heat that is so bad it takes out the generators that feed our air conditioners.
After the afternoon meal the guys from 2nd platoon decided to get busy at the ping pong tables. We played for nearly 4 hours as the sounds of CCR, Earth Wind and Fire and others blasted above us. It was as American as any BBQ in Texas, Michigan, or Virginia. The only thing missing was the beer.
As the afternoon turned to evening we did what infantrymen do best...make loud noises! It was a sight and scene that I will never forget. We used grenade launchers to throw colorful flares into the dark Afghan sky.
It was not the grand fireworks of Detroit, New York, or DC...but for guys that have not used a flushing toilet in nearly 4 months, it was an event in which we took much delight. I noticed a group of local Afghan citizens that work on our post watching our cheerful celebration. I can only imagine what they were thinking...here were a bunch of guys who live in a country free of all the terrible worries that go along with living in the 3rd world, who volunteered to come to Afghanistan with all the known risks associated with it. I can only hope it inspired them to be a part of the change in their country. Things have changed for the better here recently. I hope it continues into the 2nd half of our deployment.
Meanwhile, while celebrating with carefree exhilaration, my thoughts turned to the problems in America. Problems we choose to solve with hateful words and political banter. In this, there is something to be learned from the people of Afghanistan. I will write more about this next week, as I must first gather my often too moderate thoughts.
Until next time...
Chris
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