Christmas in Bagrham

[voodidit]

The Christmas Letter from my Uncle



Sunday, 22 December 2002

Season's Greetings from Afghanistan...

Last night I stood with soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and CJTF-180 as we lined both sides of the road from our combat hospital to the flight line - forming an honor guard for one of our soldiers killed during night combat operations along the Afghan-Pakistan border. His name not yet released (pending notification of his family) yet we were very much aware his mother and father's world now dramatically changed by his death. Our fallen soldier had only joined us a few weeks earlier. We paid our respect and said farewell to him in almost total darkness - the moon's illumination and a single light at the rear of the C-17 waiting on the flight line provided the only light as we watched the body loaded aboard the aircraft, the ramp close, and the aircraft taxi away. The images of soldiers forming the honor guard and the quietness of the night interrupted by the sound of the plane's engines were solemn reminders of the seriousness of the terrorism the world is now and forever forced to deal with. This was not the first time I've stood on that flight line and watched as fallen comrades departed Afghanistan to family and funeral back in the U.S. Please remember that soldier and his family in your thoughts and prayers...and remember all the other soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines deployed around the world who are separated from their families this holiday season.

I hope this correspondence finds you all well and enjoying the holiday season. A special thanks to all the wonderful folks in my Sunday School Class at Village Baptist Church in Fayetteville, NC for the Christmas cards and great things to eat. On behalf of all the service members who were/are beneficiaries of the cards and eats, thank you for making us feel a little closer to home, thank you for making us feel special, and thank you for all the prayers. God Bless you.

And thank you soldiers and spouses of the 35th Signal Brigade for the boxes of food, magazines, and Christmas decorations that arrived in today's mail (yes, the Army postal detachment works on Sundays in Afghanistan). Undeniably, a lot of time, money, and love went into getting it all put together. As for the box of stuffed animals...I've coordinated with the Corps Surgeon and we will ensure each stuffed animal goes to an Afghan child being treated in our hospital. No doubt the stuffed animals will help heal the pain and wounds for which they are brought to our hospital. Again, thank you.

Also, as I'm writing a late package arrived from Maureen and Tony. Thank you for playing 'Santa.' You are too kind. I intend to share the munchies with those around me. Again, thank you.

Yesterday (21 Dec) the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (General Richard Myers) and a few celebrities arrived Bagram Air Base to visit the troops. Baseball great Roger Clemens (Boston/Montreal/and most recently, NY Yankees) and actor/comedian Drew Carey also came with him. Of course the entourage of staffers and media were in trail. The troops immediately pulled baseball gloves and ball out of duffel bags and soon Roger Clemens was playing pitch with the soldiers. Drew Carey stopped by the CJ6 cell here in the Joint Operations Center and did a few photo ops and signed autographs. Then, during the night Sergeant Major of the Army Jack Tilley and a USO troupe arrived at Bagram. The USO troupe put on a show earlier today and was enjoyed by as many of the troops as possible. With the USO troupe was the U.S. Army Band, Karri Turner (Lt. Harriet Sims on the TV series 'JAG'), Ms. Kathy Griffin (comedian), Darryl Worley (country singer), John Layfield (WWF wrestler "Bradshaw"), and Mindy Crews (pro-football cheerleader for the Jacksonville Jaguars). An incredibly enjoyable performance! The USO show had just exactly the desired effect: take the troops' mind off the war - particularly the soldier killed only hours before - and being away from family and friends during the holidays. The troops became rowdy, as you would expect. And regardless of talent or message each of the USO troupers brought - all had a very sincere (and emotional) way of expressing their appreciation for the contributions of all our service members. We finished the performance with singing, 'God Bless America.' You could hear a pin drop...through teary eyes and without prompting we all sang it a second time. As a special treat I had dinner following the performance with Karri Turner (JAG series). Just a wonderful young lady and patriot - who just happens to be a TV star. Our thanks to all of these celebrities and entertainers for helping make being away from home this Christmas just a little easier.

This has not been a good week for the good guys. The Al Qaeda and Taliban, having sanctuary across the border in Pakistan, seem to have stepped up attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces all in an effort to try to make it look as though there's been no progress in the war on terrorism. Only hours after the attack on the patrol that resulted in the 82nd soldier being killed, a U.S. Special Operations forward operating base came under rocket attack, wounding one soldier. That soldier is in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries. Then earlier this week (Tuesday), there were two grenade attacks in Kabul; the first one left two U.S. Special Forces soldiers seriously wounded. Both soldiers - and their Afghan interpreter - are in stable condition. All would surely have been killed had they not been wearing body armor. In the second attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of our German contingent (of the international security force) headquarters, killing himself and an Afghan interpreter and injuring two French citizens and a second Afghan interpreter. On Friday, one of our Danish F-16s overshot the Bagram runway and when the pilot realized he was about to plow into a minefield, ejected and parachuted to the ground (with minor injuries). The F-16 plowed approximately 500 meters into a minefield and came to rest on its nose - stopping only a few feet from unexploded mines. And yesterday we had one of our German CH-47 helicopters crash land in Kabul, killing 7 while others are still unaccounted for. Finally, to complicate our lives more, two detainees/prisoners (we call them PUCs) being held for questioning here at Bagram died earlier this week. Apparently they both died from natural causes (one a heart attack and one a blood clot in the lungs). To ensure we are doing the right thing we've launched an investigation into their deaths and brought in several other coalition doctors to perform autopsies. It has been a long week to say the least.

Are we ever going to win the war on terrorism? I guess you could answer that question by asking...if we double the number of firemen, will we eliminate fires...or if we triple the number of law enforcement officers, will we eliminate crime? And the war on drugs...how successful have we been at countering the flow of drugs into the U.S. and to the youth of America? I think the war on terrorism is a similar monster, but we are definitely making progress. We are denying the Al Qaeda opportunity to organize and train. To a great extent we are able to deny them the opportunity to attack political, military and (national) symbolic targets but they are able to shift to softer targets that are easier to hit. We know they will avoid powerful military targets and accomplish their goals while instilling fear by attacking other inexhaustible targets - such as hotels, resorts, industrial complexes, food supplies, transportation hubs, and so forth. This kind of terrorism can exist mostly because it can. It would be impossible to secure every possible target. Terrorists can get weapons more easily (the going rate for a surface-to-air shoulder fired weapon is approximately $2,000) and technological advances now allow them to travel and communicate with each other more easily than ever before. The reality is that small groups of people can create huge and disastrous effects. Seems the new Islamic terrorists want to ensure a lot of people are dead and a lot more watching in order to accomplish their goal. I think they have an advantage...i.e. since we cannot guard everything they can avoid our strengths and attack our weaknesses. Also, to their advantage, they can take few resources (in relation to powerful nations and their militaries) of terror and use it effectively to create the desired effect. All is not without hope...they now know that every time they attack or emerge, we will hunt them down and capture or kill them. And to their disadvantage, as they should have learned following the 11 Sep 01 attacks, is the important fact that terrorism produces significant national (and international) cohesion. Make no mistake, however, suicide squads are in training in Pakistan, Iraq, African countries, Canada, and on and on. Why must we, the U.S., be the lead nation in countering terrorism? Why don't Muslims police their own extremists and why must the U.S. be the 'world's Cop?' I guess because we can...to whomsoever much is given, much shall be expected... One thing I do know for sure, we (the U.S.) should not have to ask the rest of the world if we can go after terrorists that threaten our homeland and citizens living abroad. If a man finds a rattlesnake in his yard where his children have to play and live, is it necessary for him to ask permission from his neighbors to kill the snake?

Finally, you've heard me talk about the tragedy of the children and the loss of life or maiming - all victims of the countless minefields and unexploded ordinance left from over 23 years of war. We, along with other international mine clearing efforts, continue to make progress - however, I'm confident the problem will continue for many years to come. Another immediate and pressing challenge for the children is surviving the cold. Over 2 million refugees have returned to Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban and Pakistan estimates another 1.8 million are planning to return. The majority of the refugees who've returned remain homeless. In most of these refugee camps the Afghan families live in patched-together tents and have few blankets. Forty-one children have died of severe cold just this month in refugee camps along the Pakistan border - most buried in shallow, rocky graves. Just in four camps we've received reports on, freezing temperatures are threatening another 1,200 - most below the age of 8. In addition to the freezing temperatures and danger of exposure, pneumonia, tuberculosis and malaria appear to be the prevalent diseases taking children's lives. We, along with other UN aid agencies and the Afghan government are trying to implement a "Winter Preparedness Plan" that includes providing tents, blankets, stoves, coal, and plastic sheeting. Since the below freezing temperatures have already arrived, we just can't get enough supplies out there fast enough.

I'm at a disadvantage this holiday season in that I'm not able to offer any of you anything for Christmas. The only gifts I have to give are my prayers...and my contributions in fighting the war on terrorism. A missionary along the coast of Africa had done her best to describe the meaning of gifts. A small boy later presented her with a large and beautiful seashell. The missionary asked where the beautiful shell came from and he explained it came from a cove along the coast a great distance away. Knowing how far he had traveled to obtain the shell, she somewhat scolded him for going so far. He defended his actions by telling her that the long walk to the cove and back...was part of the gift. Being here in Afghanistan, the dirty environment, cold latrines and showers, powdered eggs for breakfast, sleeping on a cot in a tent, and separation from friends and family...are all part of the gift. To my wife, Jason, Meagan, Jessica, Aaron, and family gathered for Christmas...I love you and miss you. Put another log on the fire for me...I'll be home when I can.

To all of you I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May God Bless you all.

Wise men still seek Him... RLTW, Bruce

COL Bruce Condrey
Director of Information Systems/CJ6
CJTF

[Daphne]

Wow - what another amazing letter. I'm sitting here with a tear in my eye thinking of this man and the other men and women. All I can do is say a prayer, actually many of them. It really breaks my heart to hear some of this but then I'm also so very proud of all of them for giving up so much for us.

[voodidit]

I wish I had saved all the others he has written on the coputer, the others I have printed off and then deleted. He was able to come home for three weeks at Halloween and hw told my dad that he never really appreciated what my father did for our country in Vietnam until he went to Afghanistan.

[SewCrafty]

Angie, thank you for sharing your letter. It brought it much closer to home for me. I too had a tear in my eye as I read it. I am very proud of our men and women fighting to keep our freedoms.

[frugalmel]

Thanks Angie for sharing.

[tunasalad]

God Bless our troups! God Bless America!

[Sissa]

Thanks for sharing. It is one thing to see what is going on the television but it is another to hear it from someone who is experiencing it first hand. Prayers for your uncle and his entire family.

Melissa