Thursday, March 19, 2009

first hit from Afghanistan

We've been here in Ghazni for a few weeks now, and we're still living in tents, out of rucksacks. Our predecessors are having all sorts of problems getting out of the FOB due to the limited amount of air resources that come and go from here. So needless to say, noone is really happy with the situation, and the men are bitching pretty much constantly since we've been basically transient for 2 months. It gets old.

So Im sitting at breakfast this morning listening to some of the men talking about games, Halo, and some other online games, and Im amused that they are such willing killers who are discussing the merits of video games.

So in the middle of this, one of the other E4s comes up and announces to the bunch that his girlfriend has broken up with him. He plays it off that he doesnt care, calls her names and talks about how he took advantage of her, but I can tell by the look on his face that its bravado. He says, well, now, since I have no reason to go home, I can really do some crazy shit. Then he says in fact, I dont even have to go home on mid term, I can go to europe and nail some euro trash. The other guys all chime in, calling him "number 1" but its a dubious honor. It means hes the first to get dumped on this trip.

So another kid starts talking about how on his last deployment, his girlfriend dumped him after a few months, and it gave him freedom. Since he didnt care if he lived or died, he could do so much more. An NCO sitting next to me, also listening to all this, mutters under his breath "all women are whores..."

Monday, March 2, 2009

see ya in a bit America

I find myself looking down the barrel of my last night in America for the foreseeable future. At least the next 4 months. Many men have stood here with the same view, many of them far more adept at finding a way to help those without such experience have some inkling of what it tastes like.