I remember it like it was yesterday, sure the day started off as usual, dusty and hot with a hint of optimism wafting through the early morning air. I had trouble sleeping the night before so I phoned my driver to have him take me to work early so that I could get back by 1400 and possibly catch up on the sleep that I had missed out on. I wish I could say that there were indications of what was to come but as I recall it, it was just the opposite. The skies were the clearest they had been since I first arrived about 2 months earlier. The streets were clear and free as was my mind, save for the sleep that was awaiting me. I arrived to the villa before 1400 and caught up with a few folks just to shoot the proverbial shit for a few minutes then off to my room I went just as carefree as ever.
I took this job back in March of 2013 and was excited about seeing a part of the world that I had not seen before. When I first arrived I was amazed at how I could hang out in bars and clubs and walk around in broad daylight. As far as I had heard this would not be the case, but I suppose being there and living it is different then what you may hear in some cases. At any rate I lived it up and had no worries nor fears in my first 65 days but day 66 would prove to change absolutely everything in my world.
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A loud boooooooommmmm, then a plume of black smoke could be seen over the horizon. I went out to the roof to see what the hell was going on. The smoke seemed to be about a block or two away. Rat-ta-tat-ta-tat, now it's the sound of AK- 47's going off in the background, non stop. My colleagues all ran upstairs where I am to see what is going on. As I looked over the roof top an officer yelled at me to get back in the building and stay off of the roof. We are under attack! WTF! I'm seeing green and red flashes (the trail that bullets leave as they exit military firearms and rocket launchers), hearing booms, watching the police and military scramble for cover to gain offensive positioning. Talk about 0-120 in less than 20 seconds, and here I am left wondering how in the hell I came to be at this spot at this particular moment. Kabul, I warn you is not for the faint of heart. Hell it's not even for thrill seekers. Sure jump out of a plane, raft the rapids, swim with sharks, jump into a pit of poisonous snakes but take your ass to Kabul and you will know what thrill seeking isn't. To know that you are completely helpless in a situation is debilitating and can have a lasting effect on you and your psyche. I decided to call up my loved ones and pass messages that I was safe and out of harms way and fell asleep. It's all that I could do, after all I was already worried and I was smack dab in the middle of the fray but the last thing that I wanted was for my family, a world away and more helpless than me, to worry for even a minute. The standoff lasted for a bit over 4 hours. Can any of you imagine how long 4 hours is in a situation like this? I assure you that time is not a constant, that shit felt like 4 months. This was the first eye-opener of my time in Kabul, Afghanistan but it was far from my last.
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If you have not had a chance to see Argo I beg you to do so as there are elements in this movie (the opening 4 minutes of the film) that inspired me to write this post. While the movie does very little to celebrate the Canadian's that actually took on the mission, the first 4 minutes does a great job at describing the way that I felt on this particular day and what I felt was to come. I beg that those of us that are out of harms way (in your office at work or on your couch at home) be careful of the things that we say, post and "put out there" as we have countrymen that may pay for your opinion and reckless musings. Go out a see the situation for yourself in order to garner a more educated assessment before waxing poetic about the political climates and our involvement in other countries. By my unscientific estimate, based on conversations I have had with strangers and friends, most Westerners think that Afghanistan is in the Middle East, when if fact it is in Asia. Yet when most are asked about the area and situation, I have yet to have one person decline to opine. Yes, everyone is entitled to hold their own opinion but placing yourself in the belly of the beast just may have you keep your perspective to yourself for the good of others that might be in harms way. I pray for all that have lost their lives and continue to place themselves in harms way for whatever their reasons may be. I hope that you will join me in doing the same. We have soldiers around the world that place their lives on the line everyday and they deserve our prayers and commendations. We also have contractors that do the same in support of our soldiers, that are not allowed to arm themselves, so they should be in our prayers and thoughts as well. Please take the time to think about what you are posting before you post, for your fellow countrymen. It's no laughing matter when you are facing the barrel of a gun of someone that has allowed the media to define who you are simply by an image, propaganda or one's limited viewpoint as shared from a couch.
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| March 20th 2014 Kabul |
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| Feb 20th 2014 Kabul |
What I picture in this blog is unbelievable. Literally!
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what it's like to be in the trenches of this type of chaos and death that surrounds these "missions", for lack of a better word.
Dude, my hat goes off to you for being in the heart of the storm.
I couldn't do it unless I was smack dab in the middle of it. Then, of course, I'd have no choice.
Great article, my man!
Teronze, Trust me on this, I had no idea until it all went down. It was really "life flashes" moment that I am happy to have behind me now. Thank you for your kind words.
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