About Bagram

Imagine a place with free food, 4 meals a day, including steak/shrimp/lobster every Friday night. If that isn't good enough there's always Burger King, Pizza Hut, and a Green Beans coffee shop. A decent gym is free to use and a game room with billiards and ping-pong are open 24hrs. The showers are usually warm and all of the buildings have heat and A/C. The office floor is so shiny and clean that it is almost slippery. Where there are contractors paid to clean up after you and even do your laundry. The rooms even have wireless Internet and cable (with HBO) available for a nominal fee. Sounds like a pretty nice place, right? I can't complain.

But Bagram is a contradiction. The Port-a-John's are permanent and often disgusting. With only one main paved road on base, everywhere else is covered in uneven rocks which wreak havoc on your ankles. Concrete bunkers are available for cover when the loudspeaker announces incoming enemy rockets. Oh, and thanks to the Soviets there are still active minefields marked around the base which have not yet been cleared.  Compared to my infantry counterparts scattered about the country in small Combat Outposts, Bagram is the promised land. Ensconced by incredible mountain ranges on all sides (see pictures here on the official Air Force website), the scenery is certainly much more visually appealing than Iraq.

Personally my little room is more than sufficient. Keep in mind that the officers and senior non-commissioned officer's rooms are about 50% larger than everyone else. The bed is elevated to make room for more storage. A wardrobe flanks the door with a nightstand, desk and fridge filling up the space. Problem is the walls are made of plywood which has warped through the winter and is weakened by termites in the summer. This also means I can hear every note of guitar hero from across the hall and I'm aware of my neighbor's snoring habit. From the outside they may not look like much, but these 'B-huts' are home, at least for now. I was pretty sick most of this week with what they call the 'Afghani crud' but am now getting in the rythm and feeling better. I'm heading to the evening church service now and will post more about that experience later.