Afghanistan 2003

I deployed to Afghanistan in January of 2003. I got to the deployment late (the rest of the unit had been there since September) so I was detached from the battalion (which was headquartered at the Kabul Military Training Center, or KMTC) and spent almost all of my time at Bagram Airfield. I was only in Afghanistan for about 2 1/2 months. In early April of 2003 the whole unit redeployed to Colorado. I would like to have stayed longer, but I didn't want to get stuck with a different unit.

Above: Getting ready to board a CH-47 for a trip to Bamian in February, 2003

Below: Sunset on the stunning Hindu Kush mountains

Afghanistan is one of the most rugged and beautiful places I've ever seen. Growing up in Colorado and going to school in Wyoming, and having seen the Rockies, the Alps, the Sierra Nevadas, and the Cascades up close, I thought I could never be impressed by mountains. Well, I was wrong! The Hindu Kush is one of the most awesome mountain ranges in the world. The ranges north of Bagram Airbase towered nearly 20,000' above sea level, which is even more impressive when you realize that Bagram itself is only at about 4800'! In early February, I also got to go to Bamian. Bamian is the site of the huge Buddha statues that were built around 500 ad and which stood for 1500 years until the insane Taliban destroyed them in 2001.

Above: Bamian. In the distance you can see the ruins of the giant Buddha statues that the Taliban destroyed in 2001.

Above: "Jingle Trucks" in Kabul. They are called "Jingle Trucks" because of the metal chains that hang like whiskers from the underside of the truck body. As they drive by, they make a most merry sounding jingle! Notice also the very colorful paint schemes.

Below: "Winning hearts and minds" with a little hard candy. This was at the "new palace" in Kabul. We had stopped to look around and take photos and these girls ran up and started talking to us excitedly in Pashtun. They were quite adventurous and friendly at this age, however, once they hit puberty and go under the burka, they virtually disappear from public life and actually turn away from us as we drive by.

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