Letter From Afghanistan #16

We are another week closer to this deployment being done and quite frankly it’s been a pretty busy week.  We are starting to prepare things for the next crew that is coming to replace us and so there is even more work to be done than normal.

This week I had the opportunity to fly to one of the other FOBs nearby.  As one of the newer FOBs in the area, FOB Wolverine is still in the process of being set up and so there is a lot of work that needs to be done to get it ready.  A while back one of my other co-workers flew over to Wolverine to set up some of our weather observing equipment.  This has made it so that each hour an observation is taken and sent out via the internet.  This can be very handy for when air crews are flying to that specific FOB so that they will have a general idea what the weather is going to be like when they get there.  Of course the system isn’t perfect and in order to get a better idea of what the weather is over there a trained observer would be required to be located in the area.

For my trip over to FOB Wolverine I was tasked with the job of creating a visibility chart for the air traffic control tower that will be built there on the FOB.  Since I work at night at the pictures need to be taken during the day, I was on an extended work day that day.  It proved to be somewhat of a long day but it wasn’t too bad.  After my shift was over I had a little bit of time to relax before my short flight.  It was an interesting flight and only the second time I have ever had the opportunity to fly in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter.  It was really the first time I was able to get a good view of the area surrounding FOB Lagman.  We flew near a few small villages that are constructed in an interesting fashion.  In a day and age where space seems to be at such a premium (especially in places like Seattle, New York City, and Chicago), with all of the skyscrapers and the desire to build up more rather than expand outward, this area of the world isn’t affected by that.  There is plenty of space and there aren’t really any large buildings to speak of.  As I mentioned in an earlier letter, most of the buildings in this region are made of dried mud.  The houses are usually connected to others in a group with a “fenced off” area behind each one.  You can’t really call it a fence that they have behind their homes since it is more like a mud wall that was built to give each family their own private area.  These mud walls are everywhere and even surround their fields.  The fields are also rather small but since this area of the world still uses somewhat primitive technology to grow their crops, it is easier to work a small field.  Many of their fields have walls that go through the fields as well.  I’m not entirely sure what those are for but it kind of looks like they would be used for irrigation and erosion control.

As we continued to fly over to FOB Wolverine I also saw that there were many shepherds out with their herds.  I call them shepherds because of the fact that it is their job to keep watch over the animals.  A lot of the animals that they are shepherding are goats.  From a few hundred feet up they are rather small but you can still tell what they are (having lived on a farm probably helps too).  I believe that I also saw some sheep in a couple of the herds and as we would flow over the area any that seemed to be roaming away from the rest of the flock seemed to realize the mistake they had made and would quickly run back to the security of the group.  Another animal that we saw as we were flying over the area were camels.  I am not sure if they were wild camels or if they actually belonged to someone.  I tried to take notice to see if there was anyone out watching them but was limited to what I could see on the side of the helicopter that I was sitting on.  We also flew over a winding river.  It wasn’t real deep but that would be due to the fact that we are still in the dry season.  Once the rains come I’m sure that it will fill rather nicely.

After my very short flight over to Wolverine I met up with the Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC) of the tower there on the FOB and she was kind enough to take me to the site of the future Air Traffic Control tower.  While we were up there I took 360° pictures so that I could take them back and make a visibility chart.  I also used the laser range finder so that I could get an accurate distance to some of the different buildings and other objects that could be seen from that spot.  It didn’t take long and my work on the FOB was complete and then it became time to wait for a flight back to FOB Lagman.  Early in the afternoon we had a flight that was going back to FOB Lagman and I was able to hop on that and return.  Once I got back I off loaded all of my gear, took a very refreshing shower, and went to bed.

You are probably wondering what this visibility chart is used for.  It is actually quite simple.  We take pictures of the surrounding area and once we put them on the computer we point out different objects that can be seen from that specific spot and how far away it is.  This is extremely helpful for observing the visibility because you can look at the picture and know that the object that is at 1600 meters (overseas we measure in meters) is obscured by dust and so you know that the visibility is less than a mile.  This is especially helpful for the tower folks who aren’t as thoroughly trained to observe the weather but still help us report it when we can’t be right on the airfield.

Well I suppose I had better sign off for this week.  In a little while I have a meeting that I must attend to and then after that it’s off to bed until the start of another day.  I have recently had a couple of people ask if there is still time to send letters or care packages and I would like to inform you that there is plenty of time.  It normally takes about a week for things to get here, but in the off chance that it arrives after we depart, I will let a couple of people here know that they can open the boxes and distribute whatever  you send.  If you would like to have the box returned to you please mark on the customs form to return to shipper and they will ensure that it is taken care of properly.

I want to thank all of you that have been so generous with spending care packages and letters and keeping us all in your thoughts and prayers.  We live in a time where everyone is very busy (especially now with the harvest) and often times it can be difficult to stop what you are doing.  I want you all to know that your caring hasn’t gone unnoticed and that we appreciate everything that you have done for us.  I know that even after I leave Afghanistan that you all will continue to show your support to all of the men and women that are deployed away from their families.

I would love to hear from you.  If you would like to contact me you can email me at john.iraq@hotmail.com.  I love to hear news from back home.  I also would love to try and answer any questions that you may have.  If you would prefer to send a letter, card, or care package they can be sent to me at the following address:

SSgt John B. Ferderer

Task Force Pegasus

HHC 2-82 (SWO) Task Force Corsair

APO AE 09355

If you are sending a care package please know that everything that is sent is shared with everyone here on the FOB and that everything is greatly appreciated.  Due to the heat I must ask that you please refrain from sending chocolate or anything else that will melt.  With the temperature still reaching over 90°F each day chocolate becomes soupy very quickly.

Have a great week and have a great Air Force Day!