Merry "-f---n" Christmas

Let's keep our minds out of the gutter...that means Afghan....not anything else!  Happy Holidays to everyone and their families.

 The tree at my new FOB: New Kabul Compound (aka NKC).  The beach background is a nice touch, don't you think?

 At my desk on Christmas Eve Eve.

Getting ready to leave on R&R on Christmas Eve.

It's been a long time since the last update and for that I apologize.  Since that time, I have relocated to my final FOB in Afghanistan (they're closing them down fairly fast these days).  My new location is called NKC which stands for New Kabul Compound (see above).  The new FOB is my final destination...about 95 days left, but who's counting?  It's been 240 days since I landed in Afghanistan and let me tell you...I'm ready to be back home. 

Next post:  R&R picks from "Down Under."

The Rogue Staff Judge Advocate Office -- 'Nam Style Group Photo

Need I say more?

Obviously, these aren't nearly as good (or even anywhere near as legit) as those taken in Denang or the Mekong Delta during Vietnam.  We were just trying to have fun with our MoVember mustaches...hope you enjoyed them.

MoVember Winner - "The Selleck"!

As part of my legal office's MoVember competition, we decided to hold a contest to determine who would win...and I won "Best in Show."   Attached are pics from days 25 & 30 as well as my certificate and prize:

 Day 25

 Day 30 - The Winning 'Stache

MoVember!

I'm hoping to win the legal office MoVember!

Here's how things are going so far:

Day 5

Day 10

Day 15

I'm going for the Magnum P.I. look...

Day 20

 This thing's getting nasty!

Five Hundred

Today I crossed the 500 mile mark and couldn't be more happy.  I'm now on my third pair of running shoes (which have yet to arrive, but have been ordered).  You may notice that my pace has slowed down somewhat as I'm about two weeks behind when I should've hit the mileage mark.  This is attributed to the deteriorating weather conditions in Kabul as it is now somewhere between the mid-thirties and low fifties on a daily basis and we just finished 3.5 days of rain.  It was almost like living in the Pacific Northwest again.

Hoplite Trek 2013 - Camp Eggers, Kabul, Afghanistan



Today I completed one of the most challenging physical events that I have participated in. It was a tribute to the Hoplites (ancient Greek warriors) and consisted of a two-person team event where each member ran a 5K followed by a total of 130 pushups (total per team) and 60 pullups (total per team) followed by a a 5K (35 lb.) ruck followed by another battery of 130 pushups and 60 pullups followed by a final 5K run. As the elder statesmen of the competition my teammate and I were cheered on as the "Masters" while completing the race in the middle of the pack. Note that we were the only non-trigger puller types competing as we are Judge Advocates. A shout out to my teammate Major Andy Smith, US Army for pairing up with me so that I could compete in the event.

Some pictures from today's race:



Before the Pain Begins...

First 5K...lookin' easy...or so we think.

The 5K ruck after the first 5K run and first battery of pullups and pushups...still feelin' okay.

Pullups Part II...

Pushups Part II....

Second 5K...beginning to feel the burn...everywhere!

Finishing with a "Fight On!" for my Trojan brothers & sisters everywhere.

Asking ourselves why we did this to ourselves.

Our prize for challenging ourselves!

The Group Photo of all entrants.

This is the Reason I Have Hope

Just got back from ISAF headquarters and interacted with the local children while in the Green Zone...this is the rewarding part of the mission in Afghanistan!  These children will be the ones who remember that the United States and NATO provided stability, health care and education to them.

The New Digs

On 1 October I transferred to my new FOB -- Camp Eggers -- which is located in the capital of Kabul.  What's particularly interesting about Camp Eggers is that it is a neighborhood in Kabul that has been converted into a FOB.  The buildings on camp are a combination of pre-existing structures and portable housing and working units inside a walled off area.  This offers some interesting sights such as: a well pump, trees (something I've rarely seen during my first five months in country), a fountain and some interesting architecture (the SJA's office where I work):

 

Flag Circle showing all of our partner nations.

 Where I live (1st Floor).

 An idea of how crowded things are here.

 The water pump in the middle of camp.

Trees, trees and more trees...something I hadn't seen in a long time!  Next are photos of the building where I work.

 The (dry) fountain that has really beautiful stonework (the fish in background).

Happy Birthday U.S. Navy

Today was the Navy's 238th birthday.  On Friday, October 13, 1775, meeting in Philadelphia, the Continental Congress voted to fit out two sailing vessels, armed with ten carriage guns, as well as swivel guns, and manned by crews of eighty, and to send them out on a cruise of three months to intercept transports carrying munitions and stores to the British army in America.

Here is the first Navy Jack that was flown on naval vessels during the Revolutionary War and currently being flown during the War on Terror:

In celebration of this date the DFAC (dining facility...otherwise known as the Galley by the Navy and Marines) served surf and turf and some pretty darn tasty deserts (pictured below).

 Happy Birthday Navy!

The End [of NROLFSM]

Today was the last day of the NATO Rule of Law Field Support Mission (NROLFSM) in Afghanistan.  While the concurrent U.S. led Rule of Law Field Force-Afghanistan (ROLFF-A) mission will continue, it was the last time that NATO would have a direct role in the development of sustainable rule of law capabilities for our Afghan Partners.  The ceremony involved the "casing of the NROLFSM colors" and partner nation flags at Camp Phoenix in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Here are some photos:

I commented to my fellow American servicemembers about why being an American is awesome during the rehearsal yesterday.  If you look closely at the first picture you'll notice how pristine the American flag is compared to the others, namely the German, French and Romanian flags...all of which look like they were dragged behind a car in the streets of Bangkok.  Those who have been there know exactly what I mean.

Cheers,
Ben