Post Office Picture

Day 20

Only two days behind on catching up with my blog. Whew! Today was my day off. Went to the office this morning to complete some of my contracting officer representative courses. There are five on-line courses I have to complete overall. I have finished three of them. Then I have to go to Kandahar to take a two-hour in-person class. The course I am working on right now is worth 32 hours of credit. While I was working on the computer, a couple of my Soldiers were working on a building project in the back of the post office. There was an incomplete section of overhead roofing around the containers in which we store incoming mail. PFC Miller, one of my outstanding troops, put up 2X4 supports and plywood. This project will go a long way to protect the mail (and personnel) from inclement weather. At noon, a volleyball tournament was held. My platoon made a team, and put up a valiant effort. It was of the double-elimination variety, and our "Renegades" did not make it too far. :(  This evening, the two male Soldiers and myself went to the Italian compound at Shindand for dinner. It takes several minutes to get there, since the speed limit is about 20mph. We headed out about 1700. Our intent was to go to the DFAC, but we found out when we arrived that they did not open until 1900! We were not about to wait, so we went for pizza instead. There are two pizza joints, and the one we went to was really great! Of course, I just had cheese (as did the other two). I ate the whole thing, unlike my comrades who just could not keep up! LOL Overall, it was a good day. Got some work done, and still able to take time to relax. Speaking of relaxing, I started a new book, the first in a new series featuring Robert Ludlum's Jason Bourne. So far, so good. Also spent a little time on my Nintendo DS playing Star Wars III Lego. What a hoot of a game!  Oh year, last night we had our first rocket attack! It happened while I was in the shower, so did not hear the sirens, which are not all that loud (unlike Kandahar). I ended up walking around like nothing had happened. I should have been in one of the shelters, but no one bothered to correct me! Keep in mind, it was night and very dark, so it was not obvious that people were gathered around the shelters.  I was totally oblivious! On that note, until next time...

Days 17-19

Well, I have finally taken full possession of the post office. My predecessor left early this morning for Kandahar on her way back to the states.  It is a lot more "quiet" and less crowded now that there are fewer people tripping over each other in our confined spaces. Dealt a lot with my company supervisors back in Kandahar.  They felt some of the reports my Soldiers were sending up were seriously incomplete/wrong.  After much debate and time on the phone, it turned out there were a couple of minor snags, easily corrected. It did not help that the ones we talked to were not the subject matter experts, so there were a lot of redos. I got a call Friday (day 18) that all looked great on the reports, so we should not have any more issues (keeping fingers crossed!). I continue to cultivate a working relationship with my site manager, the individual in charge of the civilians working with us. His replacement is due in the next week or so, as is one for another of the civilians the beginning of December. That means I have to get all the changes I want to implement fully in place so transitions will be smooth. My platoon continues to thrive on learning and working, which is a definite positive. Even with some of the grief they get from our highers, they take it in stride and adjust fire. The weather continues to be nice - 80s during the day and upper 50s-60s at night. Of course, that is not going to last. I am dreading the coming winter. Had some visitors from Kuwait, two LTs and one MSG. They work in the contractor officer representative office; their job is to monitor the postal contracts between the military and  contractors. They wanted to check in with me, since I am the de facto appointee for COR here at Shindand, and see if I had any questions and such. I am not really keen on the additional duty, but there it is.  Once I am done with the training and certified, it will be my responsibility to ensure the contractors are upholding their side of the contract, and to perform audits and such. Until next time...

Days 9-16

This week was all about transitioning. First, of course, was lodging. I, my two male Soldiers, and a couple of civilian postal contractors live in one tent. It has been modified by using plywood and 2X4s to section off individual living areas. For that I am grateful. Normally, it would have been a wide open space. Having no privacy for a year would irritate me. :)  I also started working with the Lieutenant who had been running the post office for the last six months. She basically got it going from scratch this past spring. She was a classmate of mine from OCS, so we already had a working relationship, so the transition was quite a bit easier. There was a lot of paperwork to prepare; assigning my Soldiers their duties and responsibilities, general Army personnel processing paperwork and the like. It was all a bit mundane, but necessary to keep my bosses happy. I was keen on understanding what my role as the OIC would be, and the different duties I would take on. One would think it might be fairly easy - we just sort mail, right?  Well...not so much. I have to ensure that ground transportation assets are available on a routine schedule, and have back-up plans in case of a significant increase in mail flow or vehicle breakdowns etc..., or work with air assets for minor upticks. I had to start building relationships with my superiors in Kandahar, as well as other units here. There is something of a barter system at work here. We all need to help each other out to get things done. I have spent quite a bit of time on the phone or emailing putting out "fires." I am trying very hard to set my Soldiers up for success. I want them to have a good time here, learn something, and go home safe with a feeling of satisfaction. We support three other (smaller) FOBs (forward operating bases). Two of them have some of my Soldiers working there, so I have to maintain accountability of them, and make sure they have things they need. One of the FOBs does not have any sort of PX for goods/services, so I try to get things flown down to them when one of my other Soldiers here at Shindand head out to perform an audit. I am implementing some changes in the way the mail breakdown works here, with the goal of better efficiency, and less stress on the workers. I got the lay of the land, relative to where other units are located in case I have to physically go to them.  Only a couple are within walking distance. It's a fairly large compound here. The Afghans have a section, as well as the Italians. Actually went to the Italian side a few days ago. It is about a 8 minute drive. Went for pizza, but mine was not prepared as I asked, so I did not actually get to eat any. Maybe next time. They evidently have a really good DFAC (i.e. chowhall), where they have Italians cooking Italian food. They even have fresh bread from what I am told! They also have kabobs, which I am bound to try sooner or later. Of course, it was not all work. I volunteer at the USO, helping monitor the morale tent phones/computers use. It is nice. I get to use my own laptop and hardwire to the internet. Have been going from 7-9am during the week, and will probably put in some time on Sundays. The manager, Frank, is a real hoot as well! It is an enjoyable time. There was a dodgeball tournament last weekend. My platoon made a team, but unfortunately did not last long. I did not get to play since I still don't have my tennis shoes, but I cheered them on. I have been setting up my living quarters a little at a time to make it more "homey." It is nice being near my Soldiers as well. It gives us time to bond, knowing what makes them tick, their plans/dreams, any issues.  There are good relationships among the group, and work is enjoyable, though often hectic and physical. Well, I am now only a couple of days behind, but hope to be caught up shortly. Until next time...

Days 1-8

This is my first post on my first blog.  Yikes!  Where to begin?  Fairly nervous at the start.  Heading into the unknown, wondering what life (and work) in the desert would be like.  The first step was getting here.  Spent a lot of time in the air to get to my final destination, with several stops along the way.  I was actually airborne for almost 19 hours, most of it front-loaded at the start of my trip.  The best part was being on a 767, which was fairly comfortable and spacious.  After adding in layovers/way points, I spent a little over a week on the road before getting to Shindand.  Stayed in Kandahar a few days.  Have never been to a more dusty place in my life!  The city is located on really fine dirt.  Given that most of the roads are not paved and there are lots of vehicles, a potent cocktail is produced.  Many people wear masks or clothing over their noses and mouths to protect themselves.  Kandahar Airbase is built up quite a bit.  I was surprised by what was available there.  Prominent among these was a square boardwalk, with a couple dozen shops ran by locals, as well as a couple American establishments like Green Beans, KFC (24 hours), and a full-blown TGIF!  There is also a bazaar on the compound, though I never went.  The days were not too bad, but the nights were rough!  It was not necessarily cold in our transient living quarters (a VERY large tent with 90 bunkbeds occupying half the area), but the ventilation circulated right over me, providing a constant cool breeze.  Add to that the worst bed I have ever slept on, I did not get any real sleep for several days (remember I am still suffering from jetlag).  I could literally feel every spring in this mattress, forming evenly-spaced thin pressure areas down my back.  Brutal!  I was very happy to finally get a flight here to Shindand, my "permanent" assignment for this tour.  Until next time...