http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/soldier/ en-US Copyright 2009 Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:02:52 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification
Some of my first impressions are of a mundane character, the amount of dust in February and March is astounding, living and working in pods (UK army tents) and old decrepit buildings usually leaves my kit covered in a thin film of dust and waking up in the morning most of the time includes a blocked nose - Oh the joys of being in the military, however, I'm still chuffed to bits about being in Afghanistan and compared to some of my colleagues, I have nothing to complain about with regards to accommodation. There is always someone worse off than you.

It's kind a strange feeling being in a warzone/zone of conflict, don't really know what term to use, where I am is fairly safe (by Afghan standards anyways), but sure when you go out the gate you got to be ready for anything, it's strange how one's sense of awareness can go up and down depending on what environment you are in. Before I travelled to Afghanistan, friends and family would ask big and small questions about my stay - How will you be accommodated, what's the food like, is it dangerous where you are going to stay?

One of the greatest surprises must be the cookhouse in our camp, I reckon people tend to think of British army cooking as being something out of Lad's army, it's very far from that - Having a prize winning British army chef putting together the menu is fantastic, several dishes to choose from morning, midday and evening. Of course the cooking in less established places around Helmand might not be so inspiring, the guys staying in Upper Gereshk Valley, Kajaki, Garmsir and elsewhere live off MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) or similar type rations, which has a tendency to lose its' charm after a while.

Maybe I'll invite fellow Frontline members on a well cocked meal if your work takes you to Gereshk, it's worth the travel. Apart from getting settled in the ISAF camp and cracking on with the job at hand, there's also the social aspects to take care of, mixing it with the British, American and Czech colleagues enjoying ourselves and supporting each other with whatever your oppo might lack - or simply getting the inspiration to solve a task at hand, in a way you are not used to. In more quiet times it could carry the traits of a boy-scout jamboree.... just with guns.]]> http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/soldier/2008/03/getting-settled.html http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/soldier/2008/03/getting-settled.html General Afghanistan Helmand province Sun, 16 Mar 2008 07:02:52 +0000 Helmand and serve with ISAF, where I hopefully will be able to make a positive contribution towards a better life for the Afghan people.

This contribution will be but a drop in the ocean and you might ask, why do you do it? Does it matter? And yes I think it does, it has to. Secondly I'm a soldier and this is my job. Had I had a dislike for weapons and command language I would have chosen to be a librarian or something else that doesn't carry such a potential for violence. Though this might be taken as provocative, I think soldiers are motivated to go to war for some of the same reasons as people of the press (and other trades usually found in a conflict zone).

You go to war just because it's there, we want to see it with our own eyes, each man has his own angle, this is what we train for, be it press, military, etc. And for some there is a wish to make a difference, to help other people. Deciding to go to Afghanistan isn't an easy task, you have to engage with what feels like a million issues. You have to explain your family and friends that you are going, why you choose to do so, handle their concerns for your security and a myriad of other concerns. The fact that death and injury is a potential outcome, either for yourself or your workmates, makes you ponder over what it really is that you are venturing into.

Besides going over practical soldiering skills, a lot of emphasis is put on cultural briefings, how to handle the indiginous population, how to handle the environment in Afghanistan. On top of all this you have to go through a medical certification, receive an arm full of shots from the doctor, have your respiratory and circulatory system checked and your teeth are also checked. All this is to ensure that the soldier doesn't break down in theatre, due to something that could have been fixed before deployment. Despite the nature of our trade, the green machine is responsible for our health :-)

On the more sombre side, you also have to look at what should be done in case you die. We are encouraged to write a will and jot down notes on how we wish to have our funeral carried out. You might ask what that is like? And yes, it feels immensely morbid to go throught those details, however, this is not something that one's relatives should have to handle should the worst happen, this stuff needs to be sorted before deployment.

I look forward to the deployment and the challenges it offers, getting stuck in with the complex situation is exciting in it's own way, wether you are a soldier, journalist, aid-worker or governmental employee working in a foreign land, we are sometimes driven by the same motivations despite the difference in nature of our respective trades. Maybe our paths' will cross each other.]]> http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/soldier/2008/01/going-to-afghanistan---why-do-i-do-it.html http://frontlineclub.com/blogs/soldier/2008/01/going-to-afghanistan---why-do-i-do-it.html General Afghanistan Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:55:03 +0000