The Daily Grind    June 9, 2006

It’s been a quiet week here in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Kalishnakovs have ceased firing; the shopkeepers have cleaned up the glass; the streets are quiet. Springtime is in full bloom and the poppies will soon be harvested to meet the demand of 80% of the world’s heroin needs. Life has returned to its lovable dusty ways. So have my duties flying the airways and byways of the Taliban influenced Hellmand District in the South of the country.

Outside of the a visit from Air Serv’s International Chief Pilot (My boss) who broke the plane, we have been making daily flights to Kandahar Air Base along with visits to small airfields in the desert, lined with several armed men and the occasional British Special Forces unit, all to make life easier for us. Of course, the best part about desert flying is landing in the roadside airstrip of Shous where our friend Rich always provides us a tasty lunch. Yesterday was dry bread, a slice of canned ham and some parmisian cheese. On a long day, it is the next best thing to a gourmet MRE complete with Louisiana Tabasco sauce to make me feel at home.

The day Keith broke the plane (All that happened was a stone hitting the prop on a gravel runway, it just did more than the usual damage), we stopped in Kandahar and waited for fuel. We struck up a nice chat with a local guy helping with ramp security. He said that the Taliban are starting to act up in the village and gave some local insights. This area has always been active for them and a pre 9/11 Al Qaeda training camp can easily be seen on final approach to the runway. What is interesting was Osama Bin Laden’s open presence there until the attacks. He would frequently drive into Kandahar from the training camp on his days off or when he needed a break from planning world terrorism. They would arrive in a caravan of dark windowed Landcruisers and local folks were quite intimidated by him. He had seven wives stashed away in various locales and stayed quite busy. Anyway, this guy we met goes to and from Kandahar Air Base every day knowing that if discovered by the Taliban, he would be executed and his family also killed. They are worse than Nazis. Interestingly enough, he is so very thankful to have American and other nations in Afghanistan, as life under Taliban rule was unbearable. His father calls George W. Bush “Uncle”. I am amazed at the Presidents popularity in these places as well as Kabul in general. There are Taliban instigators here in Kabul that incited feelings leading to the riots. I biked to the Kabul Stadium the afternoon of the riot and conducted track practice with the lone kid that was able to show up. I felt completely safe.

I was invited to have lunch with Omar and his family last Friday and was informed that I earned 15 seconds of celebrity status here in Afghanistan. Earlier in the week there was a track meet for local schoolboys. It was a chance for them to compete and also to help identify emerging talent. (The girls had a separate meet the day before). I mostly watched but during the presentation of awards, heard me name spoken and was soon pushed to the front where I delivered awards to the boys 100m winners. It seems Omar heard my name spoken and turned to the TV in time to see me dish out the awards. It is so gratifying to know that TV junkies etc. all over Afghanistan now know my name, face and where I like to hang out. After hearing the “good” news, Omar and I went to the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) bazaar to get a permit for him to sell carpets on Fridays.

As you can see, life here is similar to the daily grind most of us enjoy in our slightly safer nations. There are, however, two bits of relevant information I wish to pass along to anyone who has not hit the delete button. First, I’ve been named Chief Pilot for Afghanistan by Air Serv. I didn’t seek the position, but hope to do well. Second, I’ve fallen for a girl named Loriana who has become my Girlfriend. I hope she sought the position and that things go well.

JLH

P.S. The UN enjoys making a fuss over small matters. We are all at ease here and sense no danger whatsoever.

Airport Security

Hail to the victors!

Shopping at the Kabul Bazaar