Meet My GREECE Peeps!

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Melissa M

In stark contrast to my disappointing experience in Portugal last spring, my September R&R to Greece was fantastic because of the people! The trip guides set an upbeat tone and wrangled 13 of us hikers from (and back to) Athens around four islands through four hotels via three ferries, a private boat, a flight, and countless busses on a tight schedule, all while remaining energetic, patient, and accommodating, and showing not a hint of exasperation or exhaustion!

I’d like to give a big shout out to my trip-mates, whose lively and delightful company made every day a party:

The group! front row L-R: Steve, Tami, George; second row: Noreen, D-, Sheri, Linda, Bill; third row seated: Arne, Jill, Kara, Toby; standing: guides Maria and Christos

Guides Christos and Maria give us the island overview for the day’s hiking

Guide Maria dressed for the city instead of the trail

Maria and hiker Kara take a pause on the trail

Kara being epic

Sheri on the trail

Bill takes a break on the trail into Oia, Santorini

Mom and son: Tami and Toby

Gotcha, Toby!

Tami checks out Kouros parts

Noreen and Steve

Steve kept the group in stitches most days!

Noreen strikes a pose

Jill and Noreen enjoy lunch al fresco

Jill at dinner

Sister and brother Jill and Arne at the summit

Arne on a through-town hike

Christos shopping in Santorini

George soaking up the Santorini sun

George on the town

Linda on the beach

Bill and me

Group dinner

The group on Santorini

After a rough summer at BAF I needed a really good R&R, and thanks to the beauty of Greece, the marvelous weather, and the company of these lovely people, I got one! I was thoroughly relaxed and re-energized upon my return. Whenever I need to de-stress, I look at my trip photos or even just reflect on one of our meals or hikes or other events and I get a great big smile on my face.

I miss you all! Take care, be safe, keep in touch, and I hope to see you again someday!

Meet My Peeps: Mr. Jim and Mr. Dave S.

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Melissa M

When I arrived at Bagram, Afghanistan, last November, a large proportion of the folks on staff in the Directorate of Public Works (DPW) had arrived within just a few weeks before me. Now they have started to leave as their one-year deployments are being completed or as other circumstances cause their departures to become necessary. Saying goodbye to these people is sad as their absence changes the whole atmosphere of the workplace.

Two recent redeployments (which sounds like people are deploying again – as in doing a second tour for Operation Enduring Freedom – but which really means they are ending their deployment and returning to home station) are Mr. Jim, Director of DPW for most of my tour, and Mr. Dave S., Master Planner. (We have lots of Daves here, so THE Mr. Dave is my old office-mate whom you met in this blog entry, and all other Daves are designated by a last initial.)

Mr. Jim:

Mr. Jim has departed BAF and his absence has left a gaping hole. He is a big man with a big, gregarious personality and booming laugh that echoed the hallways like nothing else. Everyone was met daily with hearty greetings, rock-and-roll music trivia, and the nicknames he bestowed on everyone regardless of sex or status: “bud”, “man”, and “dude”. From one of his trips back to Colorado for R&R, Mr. Jim brought back roach clips for everyone to hold their stogie stubs on cigar nights.

Mr. Jim (standing in for too-nervous me) doing an American Forces Network (AFN) interview about the expanded Solid Waste Management Complex and new incinerators:

Mr. Dave S. (far right) enjoying near-beer with some of his staff from at a recent recreational event:

Mr. Dave S., who left a couple weeks after Mr. Jim, is nearly his opposite: slight, pensive, understated, with a dry wit and a serious, becalming mien that provided a perfect counterpoint to the animated Mr. Jim. It was Mr. Dave S. who stood in for the Deputy Garrison Commander when he went on R&R, and who stepped in to become the O&M (Operations and Maintenance) Chief during a time of turmoil and frustration among the O&M staff following the unexpected loss of their previous chief. When Mr. Dave S. was in charge, everybody felt confident that all would be well.

Mr. Dave S. providing some thoughts and reflections at his going-away event (note all the medals for his outstanding service during deployment!):

Together, Mr. Jim and Mr. Dave S. made a super team that I enjoyed working for and with; being without them has been something of a dark cloud despite other excellent individuals who have stepped into their leadership positions.

You’d think I’d get tired of people I’m working 12-hour days with. Some I do, but others not. Here I am with Mr. Jim, Mr. Dave S., and some others from the DPW gang at the weekly USO cigar night:

I miss you guys! Take care!

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Melissa M

It’s springtime in Bagram, Afghanistan, when young men’s fancies turn to… erm… lube. And making money.

This instant classic comes from Nakslist, our local e-commerce source. You may recall a Nakslist employment opportunity for an Egg Peeler shared in a previous blog post. I don’t even know where to begin with this, so I’m just going to free-associate:

Restricted lube sales by the Dixie-cup: crazy or genius? I don’t know which way to go.

Swiss Navy? Never heard of it. Do the Swiss even have a navy? Last time I checked, Switzerland was land-locked.

“Bacon bazooka”: I have no words.

Lube for everyone!

Insider Threat Countermeasures

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Melissa M

Over 6,000 local nationals enter Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, every day to provide services ranging from food service to water delivery to facility repairs. These men are accounted for through entry and exit points, badged, screened, searched, biometrically cataloged and tracked, and subject to random checks at any time. Despite the military’s efforts to keep nefarious troublemakers away from BAF, we are always aware of the potential for “insider threats”.

Insider threats are the people who appear like the good guys, but intend to do damage. News stories of military and civilian workers and trainers being shot by their own Afghan body guards remind us that anybody can be an insider threat. So, we don’t let our guard down, and we don’t give people the opportunity to create trouble.

Case in point: bag bans.

Pretty much every building on BAF enforces a bag ban. No backpacks, laptop totes, laundry duffles, gym bags, shopping bags, purses, fanny packs, briefcases, or packages of any kind are permitted because a bomb, biological weapon, or other implement of mass injury or destruction could be hidden inside. This rule applies to everybody (military and civilian), not just local nationals, because anybody can be an insider threat.

Bag bans explain why our uniforms have so many roomy cargo pockets, which you just can’t fully appreciate until you’re not allowed to carry any bags, boxes, or packages with you into any building.

Bag bans force you to plan your day carefully. Shopping at the PX (Post Exchange), then want to stop off at the Green Bean for a smoothie? No, get your smoothie first or plan to drop off your purchases back at your room (not your office) before you enter the Green Bean. Bringing your laundry bag to work so you can drop it off on the way to lunch? Think again: no laundry bags are coming into the office building. Heading to a meeting with your laptop and a bunch of handouts? Pile those loose-leaf papers on your naked computer and haul it to the conference room with a bungee cord around the stack because you’re not packing a bag.

It takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it you find it’s really great to get around hands-free.

Passover at Bagram

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Melissa M

Many faiths are represented at Bagram Air Field. The diverse, combined Chaplaincy of the various branches of service and Coalition forces means you will find a celebration for every holiday, including my favorite: Passover.

We are fortunate to have an enthusiastic Rabbi (Captain Heather), a core group of dedicated regulars at Shabbat services each week, and countless boxes of donations from stateside volunteers and sponsors who ensure that we have everything we need to conduct services, eat Kosher, and put on two fantastic Pesach Seders.

Captain Heather gets things started:

Where the mission could spare the troops, the military released Jewish service members from duty and flew them to Bagram from outlying bases and camps to celebrate Passover with our Rabbi. How awesome is that?

We had quite a crowd — over 30 people the first night:

Bagram Air Field is officially “dry”, but wine is allowed for religious services and holidays. On Passover we each drink four cups of wine during the Seder, and we had plenty on hand. No leftovers, though.

Looking for the Afikomen:

The winner claims his prize (amongst other things, Afghani cash and cans of matzo ball soup!):

In addition to all the wonderful edible goodies sent to us by Kosher Troops (a Jewish-oriented offshoot of Operation Gratitude, source of many Love Notes From Strangers), we got packets of hand-written Passover greetings to take with us:

Handwritten notes and pictures (especially from kids) are one of my favorite things to get here, so I thought my packet was an absolute treasure trove! And check out the awesome artwork on this hand-colored matzah cover I scored:

Thanks to everyone here at Bagram, those who traveled from afar, and those who sent us love, good wishes, and treats from home for making this Passover one I will remember warmly for the rest of my life!

Chag Sameach!

In Case You Weren’t Aware of Our Bad-Assery…

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Melissa M

On a military base in Afghanistan, when you don’t carry a gun or wear unit insignia that identifies you as a stone cold killing machine, you have to find some other way to communicate to the world that you are no one to be trifled with. So, you make up a wicked scary patch:

I can neither confirm nor deny that we Department of Public Works (DPW) employees are trained to kill the enemy using a Number 2 pencil. That’s classified.

Believe me when I tell you that we can put the hurt on anybody in ways you don’t even want to think about. Just a few of the areas we control in full or in part: food service; access to non-tactical vehicles, electrical power and water supply; trash removal and wastewater services; housing and office space assignments; placement of defensive T-walls and bunkers; fire and emergency services; entry to and exit from the base; roads and facilities operations and maintenance; service contract oversight.

So, yeah, you probably don’t want to mess with the people who provide your meals, living quarters, and hot showers. Regardless of whether we’re wearing a patch featuring a black skull with glowing red eyes or just the bone-tired expression of people working 12+ hour days trying to keep this base from falling apart.

Cemitério Dos Prazeres, Lisbon, Portugal

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Melissa M

Miss your stop on the Number 28 cable car route in Lisbon, Portugal, and you could find yourself here — not as a resident, but as a visitor.

I arrived at this cemetery on an overcast afternoon, quite accidentally, and was captivated by the crowded jumble of single tombs and family mausoleums arranged on narrow cobblestone paths, mimicking the Alfama district neighborhoods I had seen earlier in the week. The damp, flat light from the cloudy sky lent an extra measure of spookiness to the place, which I enhanced with some different photo filters:

Some of these structures are hundreds of years old, and they hold the remains of families both rich and (relatively) poor:

Many of the mausoleums have doors with glass windows so you can see inside. There is often a chair and a small altar inside, I presume for the living to come visit with their ancestors and other departed loved ones. The structures contain shelves upon which coffins are stacked. While I could view the coffins through some of the windows, it seemed disrespectful to photograph them. I found an empty mausoleum, however, so you can get an idea of what they’re like inside:

This formerly-used space begs the question: what do you have to do (or not do) to get your deceased family kicked out of a mausoleum? I like to think that maybe their descendants came into some money and had a larger or nicer final resting place constructed.

Surprisingly, this cemetery turned out to be my favorite “find” in Lisbon. Mostly because it was so unexpected, but also beautiful and full of history and love and heartbreak. It made me think of my mom, and those who’ve died in Operation Enduring Freedom, and the 236 lost on flight MH370 (who, as of this writing, have not yet been found).

Rest in peace, all you departed souls.

Around Lisbon: Baixa, Alfama, and Saldanha, Part 2

Posted on March 30, 2014 by Melissa M

It isn’t a European city without fountains and statues and cobblestones:

(Note: I do not recommend walking across this plaza after two glasses of wine)

Impressive architecture:

And, of course, a castle:

Lisbon can be a challenging city to navigate. The streets are twisty with long names, and they change names often. Plus, the street signs/names are carved in stone and mounted on the sides of buildings, often the worse for wear:

I had fun getting lost and stumbling across cool stuff I wasn’t even looking for like vintage neon signs:

Hidden alleys:

And sweeping city views:

I’ll share my very favorite accidental find in a future post.

Around Lisbon: Baixa, Alfama, and Saldanha, Part 1

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Melissa M

Lisbon, Portugal, is such a beautiful city, and a perfect break from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. However, the buildings are often strangely like some of the older stone structures at BAF, with years of wear-and-tear evident in the crumbling facades:

Those doors are only 5 feet high! I very much enjoyed seeing the various dwellings (such character!), many with tile work. And I don’t believe there are two doors of the same size or style in the entire city:

As you can see, the streets can be quite steep. Whereas BAF is relentlessly flat, Lisbon is nothing but hills. It was a delightful novelty to walk up and down hills all day for a change. Some of the streets are so narrow and twisty and perilous, cars can’t use them and some are barely wide enough to allow passage of Lisbon’s iconic yellow cable cars:

More coming in the next installment…

Arrival in Lisbon, Portugal

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Melissa M

I had no intentions of blogging about my Rest & Relaxation (R&R) leave in Portugal, but this place is simply too wonderful NOT to share!

After living in a shabby, windowless shipping container for over three months, going to my room at the Hilton DoubleTree Fontana Park Hotel was like a trip through a modern art exhibit:

Notice how the room numbers are on the floor, not on the walls or doors. It took me a while to figure that out.

My room had a very hard-edged outer-space-supervillian-lair vibe:

No art, but lots of mirrors, concrete, and glossy black:

Complete with open tub/shower weirdly lit from below with color-changing LEDs:

My favorite part was the wall of windows and the terrace:

Especially in the mornings with my coffee:

Best surprise: fabulous breakfast included! Close runners up: free wi-fi, luxuries in the room (fluffy robe and slippers, umbrella, espresso machine), and lovely wine shop one block away.

Feature I could really do without: lighted magnifying mirror only slightly less powerful than a scanning electron microscope. The only thing more awful than seeing your face that close up is hearing the sound of your horrified screams echoing in all 20,000 of your cavernous pores.

Decorating advice for anybody contemplating a daring toilet cubicle with two walls consisting of floor-to-ceiling mirrors and the other two walls (and door) made of black glass with a single 5-watt light fixture providing indirect illumination from behind a black ceiling panel: don’t. Trust me on this.

Lisbon is a wonderful city, and I’ll be sharing some beautiful sights in upcoming blogs.

Tactical Underwear

one civilian woman's deployment to Afghanistan

Category Archives: Briefs