So the last few weeks has been a complete whirlwind.  Once the Holidays were over, my relief showed up so went to go collect him and begin turnover where our headquarters is located and where he will base himself out of.  He is older but not in Officer years.  He will do fine I am sure.  Once he learns how to sell the program and himself he will be killing them just like I did.  So the night before I was to head to where our HQ is I was sitting in my buddies room when an im request came in.  It was from a guy in the British Army I had met two years ago while in Baghdad, Iraq.  It just so happened that he was on his way to the same city as me, back from leave but not with the British Army this time, but a private security company.  He was as shocked to hear from me as i was him.  So we agreed to try to meet up at the coffee shop near the airport, were my HQ is.  I get settled in and the reliefs get here and we try to get a ride out to the airport but no one is going to Dave and I miss each other for coffee.  Luckily we have each others cell phone.  The next day my relief and indeed to fly out and start the turnover process which includes a meet and great of everyone I do business with. So we get to the airport, check in and we have an hour and a half until take off.  I am not one to sit still long and I needed to show him around anyway so when the French soldier walked off who was keeping an eye on all of us for the flight back we ducked out.  Enroute to meet the guys at the airport who would eventually be helping my guy like they helped me I decided to show him the coffee shop.  I ordered up two cappucinos and as walked out, who was sitting at the table ten feet away, my home boy Dave Brisco.  I could not believe my eyes, he just happened to be having aa coffee with his mates at the same place and same time.  Unbelievable!

Not to be out done, a few months back around the last week of November when I was on travel last at the same airport, stuck for the night, I was inline to get some dinner when a guy aproached me and said, Tim , it me Max, I Max!  It was my buddy Max Buzzoni I  had met and become friends with him in Djibouti last year. He was one of several Italian helicopter pilots stationed aboard the ITS Granetiere.  Their ship frequently pulled into Djibouti and I being the people person I am would go and see if I could do anything for them, and if they needed to get rid of some cappuchino, I could help with that as well.  It did not stop there, we ended up having dinner that night and catching up over several missed months and some of the people we both knew, to include Luca Roseano, who was kinda the ring leader of the helo pilots on the ship.  He was funny, his english was great and he was married to a US Navy helicopter pilot, and both were stationed in Italy.  As a side note Luca and Michelle had just had a baby recently and he sent me the Christmas card/picture via email just days before I ran into Max.  That night after dinner, we went back to the Italian compound and searched for another member of the Granetiere crew, Andrea Martino.  Of course we could not find him.  Since he slept so much whenever we could not find him we always assumed he was sleeping.  The next day while still waiting for a flight, I was on my way to the gym and who walks up behind me and yells my name?  Andrea himself!  We were standing there in the middle of the parking lot and not believing what our eyes are seeing!  Can I run into anyone else in this place?  So with the invitation to join the Italian command for a pasta dinner, my relief and I departed.

How about running into a guy in Kabul International Airport that you met in Baghdad two years ago.  Life is full of surprises!

The top pic is of a small boy and girl at the front gate waiting for their father to conclude his business at the camp.  I had some coloring books and crayons in the humvee that had been sent by my mom.  So I retrieved them each a coloing book and one box of crayons to share.  Superman for him (of course) and the animals of te forest for her and a box of crayons.  At first she was very shy and would not walk over to me.  Thanfully the interpreters hang out in the vacininty so one cam eover and asked the man if it was okay to give his kids the items.  The manof course said yes and the terp started elling the little girl what I was blabbing in my best english.  She eventually wamred up to me as most kids do and before you could turn around she was babbling on and showing me how to color.  So she and I colored some lions and come to find out she knew what to do without my assistance.  The boy on the other hand just stared at me like I was trying to lift his wallet.  Eventually I got him to color a litle bit of the Superman even though everytime he would get close to coloring his siter would hop down off the

Christmas Day Bon fire, chestnuts anyone?

Me and Gonzo after laboring all day to help stack wood palletts in prepartion for the nights festivities.  Just kidding!  We were just walking by and stopped or the pic.

The first pic was taken at a civil affairs project we did at the school for the blind.  We gave each family that is supported by the school a ten pound bag of rice, a gallon of olive oil sna dwhatever clothing we had to distribute.  The next pic is an awesome little Afghan girl who was at the school for the blind the day we passed out the supplies.  She herself was not blind but a sister to some one who is.  So the school suplies in the pics below that were sent to me by my mother went to her and a few of the other girls who could use them.  She had a great big smile and bright eyes.  Her mannerisms were shy, yet she was a very sweet little girl.  A big differenc efrom what you see as a whole throughout the country some times.

Poker night.  I lost, but did make the camp newsletter for this funny face!  Notice the opiece of paper next to me, that helps me recall what beats what. 

Posing in front of the legally aquired Afghansitan Christmas Tree.  The flag at the top was placed by a good friend of mine.  I saw safety asessmnet written all over this evolution.  But he made it down and the COL did not see anything!

Hanging wiht Capt Luciani, 1LT Gemma, Sgt Loi and WO2 Tolldore at the FSB.

Christmas Gift Night in the Navy Hooch!

Funny gift from Jon's folks.  Ink pens that box, clever.  Not as clever as silly string, but clever.

There I am opening up my first gift.  Thanks mom, of course with no letter the contents of the box were left up to my deductive reasoning.  The bubbles I thought cute but likely unusable.

Then came the rice crispy treat, fun for the whole family.  I knew what to do with those.

Then I got deeper and deeper into the box (so to speak) and discovered several coloring books, boxes of crayon, pencils, pens (which I kept), socks (which I initially kept as well, but then noticed they were size 6 youth, obviously for someone else) and various other school supplies for children.  Then it hit me.  My mom had sent school supplies for the less fortunate children of Afghanistan.  More importantly I will be the one to give these these supplies out and will give them to an all girls school.  For some reason this country views girls as inferior or second class for the most part.  Well, I may not be able to change the whole country or culture between now an March but I through my moms kindness I will help out a few school aged girls with some supplies where the boys usually get first pick.

Jon pictured here with a shipload of teas his folks sent in his Christmas present.  Little does he know I will be liberating him of most of them just like the fake Indians at the Boston Tea Party baby!  Where is my war bonnet? 

The final and probably coolest gift for any true "red neck".  Whether far from home or on the front porch of the single wide, moon pies are a welcome addition.  Right up there with white tank tops, NASCAR, and natty light. 

Thanks for the hat mom!

Pics Around Afganistan

Shaved head, ready for anything, but really I was just looking for a place to relieve myself on the trip home.

A pic of a local guy and his wife on an ass.  Surprising number of Asses out here. 

Gonzo and I on the way to Kabul.  Once again looking for a porta John.  We found one and almost got left.  Luckily I made friends with the pilot.  And I probably would have shot it down had they left us!

A pretty good picture of a local kid tending his flock with his pet horse, I mean dogs.  They are big as me, no lie.

Czech Republic Shocka!  Representin'