Today started out like every other Sunday has started for me here…a chance to catch up on rest and sleep in just a bit before I got up and headed to work. I arrived at work at my normal time. Now, I say “my normal time” because apparently I have been coming in 30 minutes late for 2 months on Sundays. Of course, when the Ops Senior is “late”, do his people question him? No, they just say good morning and smile. Okay, well I digress, this story isn’t about being late or on time, it is about training and being lucky.
Since, the political uprising in Kyrgyzstan, new arrivals have been a little out of whack and folks have been stuck waiting for flights at different locations in and out of Afghanistan. It means that if a chance to move closer to your destination comes along…you take it. Well, that is exactly what 3 of our newest NTM-A members did. Trying to get to Kabul from some other location in Afghanistan, they were offered a helicopter ride and took it!
Well, soon after they arrive in Kabul, I get a phone call from our Master Chief saying I need to get a convoy together to go pick up our two new CJ6 guys plus 1 at the airport. No problem, it is an easy convoy, one I have done several times as a driver, a Truck Commander, and Convoy Commander, so in the words of the Army…too easy! I get my team together, brief and we move out. As planned, we complete a smooth trip to the airport and begin our search for the new folks. I check all the usual places only to be told by someone who was traveling with them that they weren’t on the flight. At this point, I am beginning to think we just convoyed to the airport for no reason. I call the Master Chief and he informs me that they are still waiting and to keep looking. Aye, Aye Master Chief. The search continues. In our searching, we have now added an AF Col to the convoy. (He was trained with me at Fort Dix and needs a lift back to Eggers. I have offered him the last seat and he has accepted.)
Now for the twist…I receive a phone call and find out that our personnel flew in on an Afghan National Army helicopter and are waiting for pickup at the ANA side of the airport. Great, I don’t know where the ANA side is. And I soon found out nobody at the KAIA terminal knows either. My first stop, a German coalition NCO or Officer (I’m not sure since he never got up to talk to me and never took his foot of the desk) who was clueless as to the location when I asked him where the ANA planes and helicopters land. Glad he works ISAF travel arrangements at the airport! Yeah for us! (Insert sarcasm sign here). Anyway, I was getting nowhere asking around, so I decided to phone a friend and ask my CJ6 embedded training team members for help. After 10 minutes of confusing directions (my fault, not theirs), I think I understand where to go and we brief everyone and move out. We make the left, then the right past the hospital, then we hit the dirt road, another right, then another right…we are headed back in the direction from which we came…no good. Convoy halt, regroup, I use another lifeline and call my phone a friend one more time. Apparently, I didn’t have the directions straight. I had missed the left behind the dining hall…anyway; we find the secret gravel road out the back of the airport and take it. Yes I say out of the airport, because that is where it took us. Looking for the first left, we continue on past the first left since no one was manning the checkpoint and the gate was closed. We are definitely getting closer to our goal, but we don’t really know it yet!
Now for the lucky…we arrive at the second left and find the entrance to the ANA ramp, only to realize it is a fully equipped ANA training base. Apparently, this is where we train the ANA pilots. This is a high security base. This is a base that requires a vehicle pass to get on. Not today my friends. See, if you pull up to the gate and the captain of the guard cannot get through on his radio to ask if you can get on the base for some unknown reason…and you don’t have an interpreter and they don’t have an interpreter… and you look like you should be allowed to get on the base, show your ID card and look just a little confident (or a bit confused), you can get on this particular base. Of course, once you get on the base, you instantly realize that you have zero clues on where to go.
But I tell you this story is about training too and I have been in the AF for over 20 years and if there is one thing I know, I know where helicopters and planes land! Drive towards the flight line! Which we do, only to realize there are too many possible buildings where they could be waiting…we need some more luck…phone rings and it is the new folks. The Master Chief gave them my number and they are going to guide us in…great...if only we had some green or red smoke to pop…it would be so much easier. So, while talking, I see someone in AF PT gear…the first American we have seen on this ANA base…they have to be able to help. I get out of the truck; start to talk to them when I hear the man on the phone say he can see me. I look to my right, and inside a glass door way waving both arms over his head I see our newest CJ6 member. Success, we can pick up our new guys.
After loading up all their gear, we made the trip back to Camp Eggers without any more twists, training, or luck. Everything went smooth and we all made it back safe…which is why we were all trained in the first place!
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Jack,
ReplyDeleteI don't think you can imagine how great it is to read your updates. While I would feel a little better if you told me that you had a special GPS that would guide you around, and not have you drive on the wrong roads!
Even in Coweta there are roads I would not want to go down, but I can only imagine what is down some roads in Afghanistan! And I am surprised they do not AT LEAST provide you with some sort of hand held electronic translation device. But a REAL live translator would be a plus too!
We know you are busy, but please keep writing!
Love,
ron