Rish Khovr

Ok, so this blog, you don't have to guess where Taz is, but you might be challenged to locate it on a map. Several battles have occurred over the years and the pictures below are of what was once Soviet barracks.

The work we do

Product of our efforts

Moonlight

Sweeping Vistas

A group of us along with civilian contractors went for a hike along our ridge line. Enjoy these panoramic views

Controlled Chaos

Well, barely. We have been here 12 days and even yesterday seems like eons ago. The pace is hectic, the work is hard, but morale seems high. I truly appreciate 15 minutes to myself, I forgot what it's like to just relax.

Technology is such a great way to keep in touch. FaceTime on the iPhone has proven to be fairly reliable. The only place with wifi is my room so I try to connect with family and friends at the start of my day or the end.

I have already received some mail, looks like 1 week transit, which is pretty good for an out station like us.

Weather is turning crisp, and it gets dark by 6:00 pm, so winter can't be far away.

Vistas

Had a chance to climb up the mountain in our back yard and was able to see some beautiful vistas.

Exploring the back yard

Took a short break at lunchtime to hike a very short way up the back hill.  Hope to have many opportunities  to climb the hill during our stay here.

Quick note

Been extremely busy since we hit the ground. Normal duty day is 11 hours, but I approaching 16 a day. Hope to reign that in soon.

We have such a great view from our location. Difficult to capture on film.

Address

We are at our camp, we want for nothing, and for everything.

The address is:

Mark Lachniet
SOD-J / SOAG
Camp Morehead
APO AE 09356

My short list of comfort items:

2-ply toilet paper
Kleenex or Puffs Tissues
Wet wipes
Pledge dust wipes
Colgate or Crest travel size toothpaste

To my delight the dining facility (DFAC) has Coke Zero so that vice is satisfied.

I owe  a couple of blog updates, but will be running full tilt for a couple of days so it might be awhile.

What day is it

Doesn't matter, we are here. Exhausted and running on fumes. Travel, time zones, and lack of sleep is affecting everyone.

Waiting for rotary lift to final destination , will be nice to unpack and claim a bed.

We're Here

Arrived today. Should be moving out to our location later this week.

One last post stateside

Phone will be off after take off and out of service until we return.

A couple of pictures from our departure airfield.

Connectivity

I have been highly dependent on my cell phone for connectivity over the last month that's about to end as of our trip tonight I'll be shutting off my cell phone.

Early Morning Meal

Arrived around mid-night, hotel was nice enough to bring a group of us here for either an extremely late dinner or very early breakfast.

Blueberry appears to be the state fruit.

Our Ride has Arrived

Just one of the many legs we will take on our trip into theater.

5 hours on flight line

After a relaxing evening in billeting, we are now on the flight line waiting for our airframe. A whole lot of hurry up and wait.

Unexpected delay

When we started out this morning for the airfield we didn't expect this. Our aircraft is delayed, again. Since we had already left the training facility and were at the departure airfield we decided to stay. Lucky for us they had that billeting right here on the Airfield
And we were able to move everybody into rooms for the night.

Even better the facilities here loaned us two 15 passenger vans so we could run into town and get meals. We drove out to the coast to get a good seafood meal before turning in for the night.

First month complete

Today marks one month on active-duty. What a slow process to get into theater. We're on our second stop, today we leave for our third stop. Still several more before we finally get in country.

One thing you quickly realize is how much our young men and women give up, both in the way of personal freedom and liberties to serve this country. You have to admire their spirit in the face of what they give up, including a great deal of personal space. They don't have the normal amenities that we enjoy each and every day, TV, Internet, transportation and the freedom to choose where to eat, what to eat. No more weekends off, so many of those things disappear when they decide to serve and go to war.

Waiting

We are doing a slow withdrawal from this location. Waiting for our airframe so we can get overseas. We spend a lot of time waiting waiting waiting and then more waiting. The days are fairly long but we have a lot of free time but no luggage, it has been placed on pallets. Living out of carry on bags for about 6 days.

Amenities Matter

My wife and I enjoyed our weekend in NO mostly because of our accommodations. The hotel graciously upgraded us to a large suite with wonderful furnishings. It was a great place to hole up for the weekend.

The hotel restaurants had some of the best food we tasted in the town. We could have stayed on the property all 3 days and been satisfied.

Not my type of town, a little too dirty & gritty for my taste. Clearly aimed at the adolescent in most of us, with a focus on alcohol and food.

The city has plenty of character and some great architect, could be so much more.