Letter From Afghanistan #14

Another week has come and gone and another has managed to take its place.  As weeks go it has been a relatively uneventful week here at FOB Lagman.  One of the more exciting things to happen here in a while is that the barber shop was finally able to get a masseur in that can start doing massages.  The beds that we have here aren’t really the best and my back doesn’t feel the greatest and so a massage is just what I needed to help that problem. 

This past week, in Bismarck, the Global War on Terrorism Memorial was dedicated outside the main gate of the North Dakota National Guard.  My understanding of the ceremony that was held on September 11th is that they started the proceedings at the exact time that the plane crashed into the Pentagon just eight short years ago.  Having been deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, I am glad to see that a memorial like this has been erected in a place where people will appreciate it and the sacrifice that the families of North Dakota have made.

With events like those of September 11, 2001, often cause people to say that they will always remember where they were or what they were doing when they heard the news.  You can ask many people where they were when they heard of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy or the death of Elvis Presley.  If you ask some of our older friends, neighbors, and family members where they what they were doing when the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred, they can tell you, with minimal thinking, not only what they were doing, but also the feelings they and those around them felt.

I am glad to say that throughout my life there are very few experiences like this.  The attacks that occurred this last week though are one of the few that I can confidently tell you where I was and what I was doing, or preparing to do.  I was sitting at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) in Fargo.  I was sitting in the waiting room waiting for them to take me into a room with several other people so that we could officially be sworn into the military.  We were fortunate that the MEPS had a TV because otherwise we all would have been bored out of minds from the lack of anything else to do.  All of the sudden whatever we had been watching was interrupted by a special news report and we were informed that the first plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.  Of course since it had just happened there was really no information for them to pass along other than that it had just happened and that they were covering the story.  Of course with the lack of information everyone started to formulate their own conclusions and most people seemed to agree that it was simply an accident with the navigation of the plane.  Of course all of those thoughts were changed as we saw the second plane fly into the other tower.  By this point all work had come to a halt at the processing station and everyone’s eyes were glued to the TV.

Shortly thereafter we were informed that a third plane had crashed and that it had hit the Pentagon and with this new, things started to happen a lot quicker.  The MEPS building at that point was secured and everyone that came in or out of the building had to be checked like they were going through security at the airport.  After a while we were informed that all airports had been shutdown and that all planes had been grounded.  With this news we were informed that we were being sent back to the hotel because they weren’t sure when they would be able to get flights to basic training and so there was little sense in us sitting at the MEPS.

The next day we went back to the MEPS at the crack of dawn and this time before we were allowed back into the building we were told to line up outside and they inspected our bags and they used the metal detector wand on each person before we were permitted into the building.  We spend several hours sitting in the waiting room as the staff there tried to figure out what was going on and what the procedure would be for getting us to basic training.  Again after waiting for what seemed like forever, watching the non-stop coverage of the previous day’s events, we were told that we were again being sent back to the hotel and that they would contact us there when they knew what would be happening.  That day my parents decided that they needed to get back home because dad needed to get back to the farm work and mom had work the next day.

The following day we were returned to the MEPS and told that we were to go home and wait for them to contact us to let us know when our new departure dates where.  This caused a small problem for myself and other person from Mandan.  We had both come out to Fargo with our parents and both of our parents needed to return home and so we had no ride to get home.  The people at MEPS were quick to book us tickets on the Greyhound bus.  Once they got us there they were informed that there was only room on the bus for one of us to sit and that the other would have to stand.  The Sergeant that took us to the bus depot decided that this would not work and returned us to MEPS.  There was talk of hiring a cab to take us both home but after looking into this it seemed like it would be very expensive.  I was joking around with them when I suggested checking out a limo.  They didn’t notice the humor in this comment and checked to see what it would cost.  It turned out that it was cheaper to send the two of us in a limo than by taxi and so they did.

And with that I will sign off for another week.  My shift is almost over and so I have to ensure that I have everything finished up for today.  Before I go I would like to thank Rosemary Kunkel for her continued support throughout this deployment.  I would also like to thank Jackie and Robert Slavick for their email.  We all appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers that are continuously sent our way.

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 100°F each day chocolate becomes soupy very quickly.

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