Rolling Stones addiction

[Nick83]

Wheres that?

Afghanistan

 

[JamieB]

I didn’t get to see there. I saw Iraq. Aside from one Amazing lightening storm, and some cool sunsets/ sunrises, I didn’t see a lot out there I’d call pretty. Southern Iraq where I was is rather flat, very dusty, but there were some trees!

 

[Nick83]

Yea dusty, dirty and depending where you stood very stinky. I was all over Afghanistan from the cities to the flats to the hills and mountains. I only saw maybe one or two thunderstorms. During the winter up in mountains we got a decent amount of snow to build snowmen and hide to launch snowballs at unsuspecting victims walking to the latrine in the middle of the night. Froze our butts off but we'll worth the cheap laughs.

 

[JamieB]

I was on duty at night at the tmc in camp Echo, talking on the phone to my sister. The sand storms had been light, the heavy stuff was rolling off in the distance. It sparked a lightning storm, and wow the colors. I’ve never seen electric lavender lightning, neon pink, or those colors before, or since. My sister about freaked when I paused, then blurred out “Holy sh**!” She thought we must be under attack. I watched that storm all night, and it remains one of the best memories I have of that place.

 

[Nick83]

Wow that's really cool! I've never seen anything like that. Some sandstorms got bad but nowhere near what you experienced. I don't think the terrain was very conducive for an event like that.

 

[JamieB]

That part used to be swamp before sadam drained it fearing that someone would use the swamps to sneak in and attack him. So very dry silty sand, fine dust. I was a fobbit cause we weren’t allowed out the wire, but I’ve been told that since we were running the hospital and tmc, it wouldn’t be held against us! Lol. So I never got to see the big black out sandstorms, although having mud rain from the sky was weird as...

 

[Nick83]

Haha sounds pretty nasty. The dust was crazy outside the wire and driving in a convoy made it worse. There was one location where the silt/sand was over a foot deep and I couldn't even see the hood of my truck let alone see the truck infront of me was stopped until I hit it haha. And my wife wonders how I could have so much crap in my lungs and constantly clearing my throat.

 

[JamieB]

Oddly, being out in the dry heat cleared my lungs. I was having serious issues with the winter crud every year, turns out I’m allergic to dust mites, almost to the point of needing ER visits. Living in Arkansas at the time, lots of humidity, mold, pollen, etc, I was sick every year October to April, and it would kick my butt. Even ended up with pneumonia from it at one point. But dry environments help. The only crud I caught out there was a case of gastroenteritis, and that from working in the hospital.

 

[Nick83]

Yea that dry air was nice but so much dirty air also. I don't even know all the crap I was exposed to and came out unscathed...on that at least. My little brother is a nurse in the Air Force and luckily hasn't been deployed or PCS overseas yet. I know being in a hospital over there isn't exactly the most sanitary place to be no matter what precautions are taken.

 

[JamieB]

Here’s one of the rocks from Nebraska.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I must confess I am also a rock a holic as well, ha ha ha. I laboured for years and collected many rocks from everywhere I could find around town.
I am most pleased with the rock cobble I made over the years. and ALL rocks are Beautiful!