My 1st Email from Afghanistan

An hour ago, I received my 1st Email from my Husband who just arrived in Afghanistan,

for a year long tour. Those of you who read my blog, know that my Husband just retired from the United States Army with 35 Years & 7 Months, Yet, There was still one thing he wanted to do, He wanted to serve in Afghanistan, He never got a chance too,,,,So he thought he'd take a different road, One that wears a Civilian Uniform... I'm not too pleased with the Month & Date his new company choose to send him, However ...Military Wife or Civilian Wife I will support him 110%.. I would also like to Thank everyone for their thoughts & prayers for Jack & I during this time, Your supports means the world to us!

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Howdy BB....and Everybody else.... First I want to say how much I miss everybody...my beautiful wife... my fantastic son...Mom...Ed and Sally....oh...and that hairy thing... she would love it here...we have two camp cats that she could chase... I have never been to a place that needed a tree this bad..... actually this place could use a few million trees... I am in Kabul this evening on the 23d of December.... I wore a short sleeve shirt all day today...it was probably in the mid 60's and the sky was very blue...what little you could see of it...the locals burn everything in sight to keep warm so there is a serious air quality problem here. After crossing over the southern portion of Afghanistan it was still another two hours of flying before arriving in Kabul... we flew close to a thousand miles and I did not see one road...town ....railroad...tree....or any sign of civilization...just huge beautiful... incredibly rugged mountains covered in snow.... This could be such a paradise for outdoor enthusiast... unfortunately...there are some very angry people on the ground who would like to keep this place in the stone ages... Our camp is named after a contractor killed in Mosul the same time I was there. Everybody here has been just great making sure us newbees get adjusted as soon as possible... The Ghurka guards from Nepal are great...very polite...always smiling... and they only get leave once a year...my room is almost comical... .its eight by sixteen feet and I share it with another contractor.... I have to go outside to change my mind...hopefully more space will come open in the near future. Tuck...you would have loved the airport...I have got to get some pictures ...DC3....flying!!....Russian HIND D attack helicopters.... Russian bombers converted into freight haulers....every imaginable type of helicopter.....and a whole bunch of stuff that will never fly again... .the mechanics are slowly cannibalizing these poor old warbirds to keep something else flying... While driving through the neighborhood this morning we were slowed to a crawl...a herd of goats were walking up the main road ahead of us....they need "goat crossing " signs here ...imagine Washington DC with goats walking up to the Lincoln memorial.... the people are extremely poor here...I saw a young boy pushing this wheelbarrow bigger than him down a muddy side road full of scrap wood.......he should be in school...not working... we are sooo blessed...I love you all Jackie ************************************************************************************************

There you have it: Jack's first impression of Afghanistan... Thank You for letting me share this tiny insight with you all...