The Most Fun

I know I blogged yesterday but something magical happened. First, this is a picture from Kandahar Air Base. I didn't eat at Pizza Hut but the picture from Pizza Hut Kandahar is priceless. In my opinion, one thing that isn't different from the U.S. to Afghanistan, is that Pizza Hut is sub par pizza. Not good here or there. Personal opinion of course but in case you were wondering, the best pizza ever: 1. New York Pizza, can't pick one restaurant, all the pizza there is better than anywhere else 2. Dewey's Pizza STL-recommend southwestern or a Ham and Pineabble calzone also a salad 3. Chicago Deep Dish pizza-note that the pizza must be ordered and eaten in Chicago, other Deep dish Chicago styles from other parts of the country do not hold up 4. last, I would even eat Imo's before Pizza Hut. It is not the fourth best pizza, hardly. I am just trying to express how much I dislike the Hut.

Last night I was offered the opportunity to go to a HST event. This stands for Helo Support Team. Basically 2 large Ch-53's (see previous pictures and blogs about specific Marine Corps aircraft) each came and picked up two H2O containers to take to Marines at Forward Operating Bases. Each container is like a giant tire. Malleable when empty and round and tight like unto a dish when full of water. Each weighs about 4000 lbs. Seriously. What they did was put two water bags together on this large net-similar to the one used in Return of the Jedi when Luke, Han, Chewy and the droids were caught in that ewok net-trap set off by the big piece of meat hanging that Chewy went after-and then strap the containers together with a large belt with a metal clasp on it.

What I got to do was to wait next to the net/containers for the helicopter to come and hover over us about 15 feet and grab the hook, dangling from the helo with a grounding rod so another Marine could put the clasp of the net on to the hook and than when attached walk back slowly and let the helo take off, now carrying the 8000+ lb load. Needless to say it was awe-inspiring.

I had done mine, I held the grounding rod initially and this is the second helo coming to get the next package. Note the grounding rod in hand. Also note the proximity to the ground of the helo. It was still decending at this point (Above)

Here I just looked up to try and show you how close it was over my head. Maybe 10 feet above me. Seriously, when it came in initially, I thought it was going to land on us and the wind was blowing so hard it took my breath away. Note the hook extending from inside the bird. A nice function of this helo is that if the load becomes unstable or is dragging the helo down they can just release it from inside and drop the whole thing.

The load is now attached. Pen cannot write or word tell the strength of the rotorwash as this was taking off. I kid you not, a grown man 180 lbs or so (haven't checked lately and I have been eating more the past couple days so maybe 190) could not stand against the rotorwash without being unearthed from his foothold. There was a chain link fence about 20 feet away which I was flung into-like a WWF match-and was held there by the wash until the bird had flown far enough away the force dissipated. All in all it was tremendous fun and I only wish we could have done it during daylight so I could have gotten better pics and a video.