Random Pics

First is a picture of a sweet dust storm that raged through the camp. I say sweet because it was large but did not disturb anything I heard of. Sometimes those dust storms can knock down tents or make a serious mess. Anyways thought it was cool.

Second is a picture of Chief Stubbs midhaircut. He shaved it all off eventually but not before I snapped this effervescent photo. I am becoming proficient at getting photos with this rinky dink digital camera. Actually if you snap enough photos, some eventually look good. We try to keep ourselves occupied so we get haircuts usually 1-2 times weekly. Anyways, talk to you soon.

The comforts of home

These are some pics from inside the BAS. This is the back where we habg out. The computers are very slow here. But as you can see, there is dust everywhere, it pewrvades everything but we are still smiling.

This section as you might have guessed is on the "Nice" bathrooms here. I say nice because the alternative is port o johns. And poop baking in the 110 degree weather all day is not nice. But form the outside these large metal boxes look very unassuming. Inside they are a treasure trove of hygiene. You will notice the showers with a push button. Like the faucet at a gas station you push them on and they stay on for about 8-10 seconds then automatically go off. The idea is to get wet, then lather with the water off and then push again to wash off. Low pressure, usually warm, wishing for showers from home.

The urinal like at an A's game is nice but takes up room that could be used for a bench to lay your stuff on while showering. The toilets look ok but the room is very small. My knees hit the walls when I sit down. Our larger marines can't fit in there, Chad is too tall to use these. It is a bit akward trying to sit down on one.

Look, I am not trying to complain but I think this will wear on me for 7 months. I have yet to find a permanent toilet here but there are other camps and I am on the look out.

O.k. this section was on really cool vehicles found on base. The first is the John Rambo truck. I believe the Danish own these. The one pictured above is one of four. One says John on it with the Rambo picture. Then there is the one shown above. There are also two trucks that look the same with the names Chuck and Norris on them both with Chuck Norris on them. It's good to think that the Danes are picking respectful American heroes to posterize their vehicles.

The other two vehicles are called the jingle trucks. Locals decorate their trucks for reasons beyond me. Some can be very ornate. If you notice they have metal chains hanging off the front and so they jingle when they drive around. Thus the name.

Hey, these pics didn't make it on the last blog. They are some Disneyland pics of us eating some bingets (probably misspelled) at the D.L. The kids were a bit younger, Andrew and I a bit Chubbier. I thought you are could use a couple throwback pics. I always do.

Old and new pics

O.k., so the top vehicles are the ones we are allowed to drive in. The Toyota Hilux on the Far right is ours. The windows are broken in that they won't roll up or down (automatic) because the dust has gotten in them. There is dust and sand everywhere. The cars need to be taken into maintenance every week just to keep them running. It is great, truly a once in a lifetime experience.

The next pic is the BAS (Battallion Aid Station). This is where I work. In forthcoming blogs I will show you exclusive photos of the inside and of my tent and our opulent living conditions. But for now be happy to see the outside.

This is a sweet pic of an English vehicle. Note the door barely attached on the passenger side and the opnness of the whole vehicle. You can see it has seen better days and is falling apart. It is parked outside of medical so I had to let you all see.

These pictures represent the finest in Camp Bastion dining. First you will notice my Sunday night meal after a couple bites. There is turkey, potatoes, carrots, stuffing and what was called pigs in a blanket. A sausage wrapped in bacon, delicious! It is located in the upper left side of the plate. A lot of Marines used to country food don't like eating here but it is truly fantastic. I appreciate how much effort these U.K. cooks go into the food. The picture below represents a Yorkshire pudding, yorkie for those in the know. I thought Jay would get a kick out of it.

The large vehicle above is an MRAP, supposedly impervious to IEDs. Note the large crane, retractable arm located on the front right side. It is for picking up, or moving IEDs that are found. The truth is that we are pretty safe on base but as soon as you leave the wire, things get very dangerous.

So, there is a small wooden shack next to the medical tent for cutting hair. It is very hot here so less hair I feel is better. I went to the shack and got a free streamlined cut. I totally love it. If you want to support Mike Crandall in Afghanistan perhaps adopting this haircut would be a way to show solidarity. Shannon, you and Sydney are exempt. But Shelby might make this look good.

Hey, here are pictures from the C-17 we flew on into afghanistan. It is very big inside, but as you can see with our flack jackets on and bags it was very cramped. There were a row of jump seats on each side of the jet, but I was not fortunate to get one of those. The ride was bumpy. When we landed everyone was grateful to be on the ground. When we saw how brown it was outside and everywhere, I think most people were suddenly less grateful.

Kyrgi wares

Here are pictures of and from inside a traditional Kyrgistani tent, I think. The pictures are real but I am assuming the tent is traditional. I think that tourists and servicemen sometimes get taken advantage of by locals in buying stuff they think is real but could come from anywhere. Anyway, enough of my personal bias. This is the tent, the doors were very small about 3 feet high.

The next picture is of the inside of the tent and the ornate decorations on the ceiling. The hats are some of the goods they were selling. There were other things including air force shot glasses, barack obama painted on those little wooden dolls that when you open them there is a smaller yet identical doll inside that opens to reveal a smaller yet identical doll etc. ( I assume those are not traditional) But there were also these hats. They looked traditional but again who is to say.

Lastly, I took a picture of me in front of the pizza hut. Basically a large 18 wheeler trailer with a window on the side. I will try to get another.

Food, water and gyms: military essentials

I had to show you this picture. Do you see how many water bottles there are in there? This is at the gym. I drank like five water bottles the first night and was up 3 times to use the bathroom. The second day I was at the gym for 4 hours playing basketball and volleyball and drank 4 just in those 4 hours. There are fridges like this all over the base. They are trying to keep us hydrated and I think its working. There are a lot of free things at this base. Water, food, all kinds including candy bars, gatorade. I will have to get a picture of the dining facility (DFAC). It has three lines for hot food, a panini maker open 24/7, cereals juices milks fresh fruit, cookies everything. It is truly amazing, but I digress, for some reason food is always on my mind.

Below are pictures of the gym, a giant tent with these plastic/synthetic floors made up of thousands 8 inch by 8 inch tiles. It has volleyball, basketball, a ton of weights and equipment and t.v.s showing espn, sports news all 12-24 hours old.

The last picture is of our weapons locked up in the giant tent we stay in. This picture is for the gun loving members of my family, I thought they would like it. You can see behind the weapons are our racks. Bunk beds very close together with old worn out mattresses. The beds go about 3 or 4 deep to the wall on either side of the room. Its crowded but it is nice to sleep on a mattress versus a cot.

another day another blister

I have been trying to upload pictures but they are not going. Perhaps the blogger server is busuy or maybe our server is busy. Either way I will not be blogging today. I will upload the pics later. I am having fun here. Life is easy and I am enjoying it, I don't think it will get easier in Afghanistan. I was at the gym for four hours today. Basketball then volleyball. This has been a nice opportunity for all of us to get our circadian rhythms back. A lot of sleepy marines. Anyway I will continue working on the pics. Just wanted to have something in writing for you all to see. Love you all, Mike

Coolest hat ever

You may not notice in the first picture but I am carrying a rifle, to 9mm pistols on my left and one 9mm on my right leg. With weapons we always need 100% accountability so some people had to leave for a while and so I had charge of their weapons. I am trying to make a scary/angry face but I am not so good at looking mean, though I am sure the kids could give exmples to the contrary.

The second picture is of this Kyrgistan official who greeted us off the plane in Kyrgistan. Is this not the coolest hat ever or what! He did not smile and showed how to look tough and mean while wearing a ridiculous looking hat and everyone watching almost cracking up with laughter. Somehow he pulled it off.

Hi all. On Sunday the 13th I left for afghanistan. We were bused to March A.F. Base where we waited for 8 hours then flew to Bangor Maine. We were greeted warmly and waited for 2 hours after which we flew 6 hours to Leipzig Germany. Leipzig is home to many composers including Bach and Handel. I enjoyed some fine German weiners sent home a post card and rested. I thought it was funny that the Arizona iced tea was on sale for 5 bucks while the becks beer was available for 3. We are not allowed to and we did not drink beer but the irony remains. As one of the highest ranking officers on board I enjoyed first class seating and some o.k. food. We took off from germany and flew 6.5 hours to Kyrgistan. This former soviet block country is home to manas A.F. base. There were signs of the old soviet regime around. This one gentleman was there to meet us and he had the coolest hat ever so we had to take a picture, below. The base is fine, really good DFAC (dining facility - A.F./Army lingo) delicious food and lots of it. Free wifi and beds to sleep on. The A.F. does take care of its people. I am crazy tired as it is now the 15th of September and my circadian rhythms are totally messed up. I will try to get in touch with you but I want my kids to know I love them. Boss, Freckles, Shelby, I miss you. Good luck in school!