Well, a few things have gone on at work this week. We had some visitors come in to perform an “inspection.” I would consider it something between and inspection and audit actually, and it did not involve just the APO, but DHL as well, since we are joined at the hip to get the mission done. Two gentlemen came, one from the Military Postal Service Agency and one from the Joint Military Postal Agency. You can tell by the names of their employers that these were “big wigs.” We at the APO did learn a few additional things we need to do or monitor. These were things not brought to our attention before, and we will be making adjustments.
I coordinated to have two more containers moved onto our yard. They take up more space, but are necessary to keep the mission going. They are actually on the ground, but after seeing what one of my other APOs did (will explain shortly), this will change. We are expecting an influx of personnel here from several units here in RC-W (regional command –west), so one of the containers is going to be used for unit mail sort. The other will be utilized as a second supply container. The single container we had was overburdened and disorganized. With two, we can solve this.
Our 4K forklift broke this past week. The brakes went out. We are relying on our 10K forklift to do all the moving, but this is less than ideal. This piece of equipment is cumbersome and less maneuverable. It also does not allow for stacking pallets without the significant possibility of damaging mail. This is a problem on the yard, as more of our limited space is used. It is also an issue for the convoy containers, which take stacked pallets. This essentially means that our effectiveness is reduced 50% since containers go out half-full. We again have to try to get air assets to help; otherwise we will have mail held up on the yard, waiting to go out. Of course, I am working on getting the 4K turned in for maintenance and repaired, and returned to us for use. Don’t know how long that will take.
I paid a visit to one of my SAPOs (satellite post office), in Farah, this week. Two of my Soldiers work there. They have a nice facility; a hard building versus a tent like I have. It is organized and clean, unlike mine which is more disheveled. My “moneyman” here at Shindand had to do his monthly audit, so I accompanied him. It was my first time at this location. They have made a lot of improvements to their operations, which gave me an idea to improving mine. Remember those containers I mentioned earlier? Well, they have a couple of containers on the ground, parallel to each other, but with a fairly large gap in between (essentially a walkway to the rear door). They then stacked a couple of containers, perpendicular to the ground ones, and bridging the gap. They also built some wooden stairs to provide access to the upper containers. I think I will do the same thing at Shindand. We’ll get back our “floor” space, and still have room for storage etc…
I rode in a Blackhawk for my trip. That was the first time. It was a neat experience, but being that the weather is not really warm, it made for a cold experience. Unlike my first helicopter trip in a closed aircraft, the Blackhawk is equipped with M60 machine guns on the sides, and so a nice breeze is afforded to the occupants. I am sure it would be more enjoyable during warmer climes. We were lucky to make it back when we did. Ours was held up for weather delay most of the day, so the possibility of staying another night in Farah was ever-present. Fortunately, we did make it back. The mission to Farah was at night, and let me tell you, without many lights, it is pretty dark out there in the wilderness. It wasn’t black, but rather like looking through a gray fog at charcoal and dark gray. I couldn’t see the horizon either. It was kind of eerie.
Shindand had a significant amount of rain while I was gone. I had to trudge through the mud from the helipad area to my tent last night. At least it wasn’t actively raining. It also feels warmer than a couple days ago, which I appreciate!
Finished season 4 of “24” and started season 5. I think this was the only time the seasons were linked. At the start of season 5, it says, “previously on 24,” and heralds back to the previous season. I like that. I am in for another week (or so) of being hooked on the show. I need to look into the movie status, see what the current news is. I only wish I could see it in the theater, but last I read it was going to be released late summer, early fall. Guess I can’t have everything!
Well, that is all for now. Until next time...
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