Vactioning in Ashville, North Carolina......welcome home Seth!

Home at Last!

Seth arrived back at Fort Bragg on Saturday July 23. We were in Ashville, NC on that date for the start of a family vacation. Eli and Brittany picked up Seth and along with Josh they traveled to Ashville on Sunday. We spent three wonderful days together until Seth had to return to Fort Bragg for the demobilization process. He'll return to Woodstock, Virginia on the 29th and we'll pick him up on the 30th to bring him home.

Independence Day

Boy, I've done a bad job updating this Blog recently. Not that there wasn't lots to report. Seth's time at the FOB in Ghazni has been very busy, filled with patrols. His last patrol that just ended on the 30th of June lasted eleven days. The majority of his time at Ghazni was spent on patrol BUT he is now safely encamped at Bagram Air Field awaiting transportation home. The 3-116th should be departing Afghanistan as early as the 11th of July. We are hopeful that Seth will be home in time to participate in our family vacation in Ashville, NC. It depends on the Demob process and when leave is granted.
Seth is getting out of Afghanistan at a good time. There have been 56 soldiers killed in 2005 with most of those deaths coming in the last three months. The death toll mounts as President Bush claims victory and Dick Cheney reports that the insurgency in Iraq is in it's last theros. If you repeat lies often enough some people will believe it. The insurgency in Afghanistan is building and the blame can be placed squarely on Bush and company. If they hadn't forced an unjustified war in Iraq all of our assets could have been focused on Afghanistan and the goal of nation building could have been fulfilled. As it is, neither Iraq or Afghanistan is stable and won't be stable for a long, long time if ever. I'll be happy to be wrong on this assessment.
I apologize to any readers for the political bent this post has taken. I support our troops 100%, but feel in my heart that the political leadership has let us down. How many more of our men and women must die for Bush's mistakes?

Polyphasic What?

One of the reasons Seth is happy to be at Ghazni is Polyphasic Sleep. A ployphasic Sleep Cycle is not a new idea, but trying it with the soldiers of the 3-116th was a new idea. In a few words it means compressing a day's worth of sleep into short naps. I looked it up and here's what I found:
Polyphasic sleep (also known as the Uberman sleep schedule and Dymaxion Sleep) is a sleep pattern specification intended to compress sleep time to 2-5 hours daily. This is achieved by spreading out sleep into short (around 20-45 minute) naps throughout the day. This allows for more waking hours with relatively high alertness.
This is an excellent method for using natural human sleep mechanisms to maximize alertness and where sleep time needs to be minimized, but requires a rigid schedule which make it unfeasible for most. It can work well for people who cannot afford sleep (e.g. sailors).
The theory is that ordinary monophasic sleep consists of many cycles, only a few of which is needed for survival. REM sleep, occurring quite late in the sequence, is commonly believed to be one of them. It is believed that after being deprived of sleep during an adjustment period, the brain will start to enter the required stages much quicker - with the result that each short nap contains almost solely of such sleep. Some theories of sleep suggest that REM is largely responsible for the mental rejuvenation effects of sleep, but the role of REM sleep has in recent years been disputed. It has been documented that depriving rats of REM sleep specifically leads to death in 3 to 8 weeks (that doesn't happen with depriving test animals of other specific sleep phases), but it has also been documented that humans survive without REM sleep. Since polyphasic sleepers get a lot of Stage 4 NREM and REM sleep, they may achieve higher alertness levels than those who do not know the art of catnapping.
Concern has been expressed about the long-term effects of suppressing the other sleep stages, although no long-term side effects have been documented yet. Some negative effects may be unrelated to this particular schedule, but to the general lack of sleep. It has been shown that lack of sleep weakens the immune system, decreases the amount of growth hormone produced and decreases the ability of the body to metabolize sugar, but since polyphasic sleep is completely different from simply sleeping less, it is difficult to apply such research to polyphasic sleep.
Several famous people applied catnapping to a large extent. These include Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Buckminster Fuller. Other figures said to be associated with polyphasic sleep experimentation include Nikola Tesla, Napoleon, and Winston Churchill. This method was also popularized on Seinfeld, where the character Cosmo Kramer attempted to adapt to a polyphasic sleeping pattern.
Boat racers use this technique to avoid dangers at sea. Astronauts use this technique during extended crises, and military personnel, especially marines, use this technique in training.
One of the leading advocates of polyphasic sleep research is Dr. Claudio Stampi (Founder and Director of the Chronobiology Research Institute in Boston, Massachusetts).
They don't try this at Ghazne......and Seth is happy!

Change of Scenery

Seth is now at the Forward Operating Base in Ghazni......We talked to him this morning and he's happy for the change of pace from Bagram. They traveled five hours by convoy to reach the new base. According to Seth they traveled through Kabul which was interesting. Since arriving at Ghazni not much has happened. When they are at the base they have a two hour duty to complete each day. Seth's duty right now is monitoring the Morale Tent where the telephones and computers are. It's his job to make sure that soldiers don't stay on the phone or on the computer longer than they're supposed too. Not bad work if you can get it ---a big difference from sitting in a tower for twelve hours. He said Ghazni is much more laid back and relaxed. The accomodations are not as good, the food is worse (he has a leaky roof in his hooch right over his bed) , but he's happy to be there. They'll probably head out on their first patrol next week but Seth's not sure if he'll be part of that operation. When they do go out they're out for days at a time.

Honoring the Fallen

Troops at Bagram pay tribute to fallen in Chinook crash; death toll rises to 18
Bodies will be flown to Dover AF Base for positive identification

By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, April 10, 2005

Michael Abrams / S&S Servicemembers and civilians line the road to the Bagram Air Base flight line as they wait for the procession of Humvees carrying the coffins of the 18 victims of Wednesday’s helicopter crash near Ghazni, to a U.S. Air Force C-17, seen in the background.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — Hundreds of soldiers, airmen and Marines stood shoulder to shoulder Saturday to say farewell — and pay respect — to 18 fellow Americans killed Wednesday in a helicopter crash.

The death toll increased from 16 to 18 after the military found the remains of two more American soldiers among the wreckage.

Sailors, civilians and servicemembers from other countries were interspersed along the route. Those in uniform stood in solemn attention as each Humvee carrying a flag-draped coffin slowly passed by on its way to a C-17 Globemaster waiting on the taxiway.

The brief fallen comrade ceremony was the first base-wide event marking the deaths of the servicemembers and civilians who died Wednesday after their CH-47 Chinook helicopter went down near Ghazni, apparently after a severe change in weather.

More bad weather initially hampered efforts by the mortuary affairs team based at Bagram to reach the site of the accident, about 80 miles southwest of Kabul. The team drove to the site Friday and transported the remains back to Bagram.

The bodies were to be flown to Dover Air Force Base, Del., for positive identification, according to Navy Lt. Cindy Moore, a spokeswoman for the combined forces in Afghanistan.

Moore said the 18 remains were of 15 servicemembers and three U.S. civilian contractors. She said their names will not be released until tests on the remains are completed in Dover.

The roads around base were cleared of traffic Saturday morning before the ceremony started. Servicemembers were told where to line up via the “Giant Voice” intercom system that makes frequent announcements across the base.

Troops offered salutes to the coffins in each vehicle. The vehicles passed through the runway checkpoint and continued along until coming to a stop next to another large group of servicemembers standing in rows near the tail of the C-17.

The lines of troops on either side of the road broke apart after the convoy passed, but dozens of servicemembers and civilians walked past the normally closed checkpoint to see the rest of the ceremony.

The coffins were unloaded simultaneously and carried behind a color guard onto the plane. The plane’s ramp closed. The Humvees peeled off in two lines in a sort of formation of their own. Most of the crowd dispersed.

Some people lingered behind, tears in their eyes. Hugs were exchanged and shoulders were offered as support.

A few minutes later, a pair of A-10 Thunderbolt IIs flew off on a mission and traffic resumed on the base roads.

Laura goes to Bagram

WASHINGTON, March 31, 2005 – “We support you, we believe in you, and we’re proud of you.” That was the message first lady Laura Bush carried to U.S. troops at Bagram Air Base during her March 30 visit to Afghanistan.

The visit with U.S. servicemembers deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom topped off a six-hour, whirlwind visit through Afghanistan, during which the first lady offered support to Afghan women in their struggle for more rights and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to expanded educational opportunities for women and children.

At Bagram Air Base, Bush praised the troops for making these advances possible and thanked them for their service and sacrifice. “Every day you’re protecting the rights and liberties all of us hold dear,” she said. “You’re also bringing opportunity and security to people who have known years of cruel oppression.”

We talked to Seth early Friday morning. On the topic of Laura Bush he noted that the grunts don't get to see the VIP's - just the effects of them. Her visit just meant more hours on patrol to guarantee her safety and a general disruption of base routine. He said that most people just wish the bigwigs would stay away. Other than that everything is going well.......

FYI: Article from Stars and Stripes

Buildings going up at Bagram Air Base as U.S. forces dig in for the long haul


By Kent Harris, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Michael Abrams / S&S Modular housing units on Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. Most of the housing being built can accommodate two people per unit. Michael Abrams / S&S The new Pat Tilman USO center at Bagram Air Base is scheduled to open in early April. Michael Abrams / S&S The foundations are set for the first brick-and-mortar barracks building on Bagram Air Base to replace the B-huts now being used. More construction projects in works Construction at the main U.S. base in Afghanistan has vastly improved troops’ quality of life. Here are some of the projects built in the last year, under way or planned: The first brick-and-mortar Army housing is under construction. It has 38 bedrooms and indoor plumbing. Other such structures, and modular, metal, housing, are planned. A chain fence now encircles the perimeter, replacing concertina wire. Three dining facilities, two base/post exchanges, an Army hospital, offices and headquarter buildings have appeared in the last year. Burger King, an Italian pizzeria, two coffee shops and a Thai restaurant are serving troops now. Popeyes, Dairy Queen and Orange Julius are scheduled to open in the next few months. Besides the two exchanges, there are also a few shops selling local goods. Facilities for continuing education, working out and staying in touch with those back home have also been built across the base in the last year. Construction on the Pat Tillman Center, which will house the USO and a cafe for those coming in or departing, is underway. An additional runway is planned so more fighter jets can use the air base. Airmen volunteers built a post office, recreation room and library on the Air Force side of the base. Modern shower/latrine facilities are coming soon. — Kent Harris

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan — Whether you call it Bagram Air Base or Bagram airfield, the U.S. military facility in northeast Afghanistan is no longer just a glorified city of tents.

Slowly, but steadily, a slew of construction projects is providing troops with better housing and improved work areas as well as a handful of new shops for eating and entertainment.

“We’ve been in expeditionary mode, and now it’s sustainment,” said Air Force Col. Rita Meyer, commander of the 455th Expeditionary Mission Support Group, echoing the comments of her Army counterparts.

For airmen, soldiers and Marines on base, that means better living conditions, though no one is promising an overnight fix.

“In two to four years, we expect that everyone will be living in permanent housing,” said Army Lt. Col. Jim Anderson, commander of Facility Engineering Team-17 and the de facto director of public works on base.

In fact, the foundation for the first brick-and-mortar structure designated for Army housing has been laid.

Its first occupants will likely be members of the 12th Aviation Brigade from Giebelstadt, Germany.

Capt. Paul Salinas said the two-story facilities would contain 38 bedrooms, with the possibility of a single soldier or two soldiers sharing a room.

They’ll also have indoor plumbing — a rarity on a base that has virtually no sewer or water lines.

Lt. Col. Kurt Floyd, Anderson’s deputy, said that fact alone has made developing a blueprint for the base quite a challenge.

Trucks carry water to containers around the base and haul away sewage from portable latrines.

There’s also the matter of clearing any building sites for mines before any construction can begin.

Most troops live in B-huts — though no one on base knows what the “B” stands for — 18-by-36-foot structures made of plywood designed to hold eight troops.

Air conditioning units are installed. Some troops sleep on cots and some have beds.

Toilets and showers are in centralized locations that can be up to a long city block away.

Floyd said the B-huts are an improvement on tents, but not as nice as the SEAhuts — which stands for Southeast Asia Huts — in places such as Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo.

The Army’s newer housing options, metal modular housing and the brick-and-mortar buildings, will gradually replace all of them.

Local nationals will build the brick-and-mortar buildings using materials they’re familiar with, Floyd said.

Command Sgt. Maj. Tim Green, the top enlisted soldier in Bagram’s base operations group, said he’s seen a great deal of changes in his year in country.

“We went from tents to B-huts, tents to permanent structures for DFACs (dining facilities) and the pavement,” he said.

The pavement that Green referred to is a narrow strip of sidewalk that runs parallel to the main road on base: Disney Drive.

The road, which runs from the main gate in the south to the north perimeter, won’t always be the only paved road on base, Floyd said.

He pointed to a road under construction that will follow the base perimeter.

Another major accomplishment is the perimeter itself, Floyd said.

There’s now a chain fence with sensors along the entire perimeter, instead of just concertina wire that encircled it a year ago.

At present, all living quarters and the majority of base facilities are either located off Disney Drive or on small, dirt roads stretching from it.

On the Air Force side, Meyer said major improvements are being made on the existing runway, despite a constant, heavy influx of passengers and material.

New hangars are planned, but that wouldn’t come until maintenance facilities and other offices are built.

Airmen also are living in crowded B-huts, she said.

“We are not living in the best accommodations in the region and we’re going to get that changed,” Meyer said.

Anderson said construction might seem slow to some, but progress is being made rapidly across the base.

“I’d like to see some pictures in five years.”

Seth and friend.....his friend is holding a Russian AK-47

Ready for Patrol

Back to Afghanistan

It's been some time since the last installment of The Seth Chronicles. When I last wrote we were anxiously awaiting Seth's arrival for a fifteen day leave. I can report that he arrived home safely and we spent a wonderful fifteen days together before returning him to Dulles Airport for a return trip to Afghanistan. Some observations from his leave:

1. He looks good (skinny, but good), sounds good and has a good attitude about the experiences he has had and the experiences he will have.

2. There's much more going on in Afghanistan than he has led us to believe during our telephone conversations. We heard many stories that began "Mom isn't going to want to hear this, but......." These stories included the occasional rocket attacks on the airfield, patrols into areas where intel predicted possible ambushes and insurgent activity and movement in and around civilian areas where everybody has a gun.

3. He's the same skinny, white boy we sent to Afghanistan. He has the same wonderful sense of humor, the appreciation for family and friends, and a firm faith in God and belief that he is doing what he should be doing.

During his visit we ate all of his favorite foods (we did the full Thanksgiving feast) visited with many friends and lots of family, played cards and enjoyed each others company.

Seth's return to Afghanistan took a little longer than it should of. He left the United States on March 12 and arrived in Kuwait on the 14th. There were a number of soldiers returning to Bagram from Kuwait and about 30 had to stay in Kuwait - Seth among them. This group ending up spending several days in Kuwait when no other transportation was available to Afghanistan. In the end, Seth traveled to Qutar, and back to Kuwait before finally finding his way back to Afghanistan - a process that took one week. He arrived back at Bagram on the morning of the 19th (his time.) Now, for the interesting part. During his absence, the Army has figured out how to pack more fun into a day. In an effort (misguided as it may seem) to get the soldiers more down-time they have introduced the 28 hour day! A day at Bagram now consists of 28 hours. Seth returned to a schedule that is 12 hours on duty and 16 hours off. He does this for four days, then spends a day on Ready Reactionary Force (Patrols) then back to the 12/16 schedule. I'm not sure the Army understands the concept of a biological clock. Seth's reserving judgement on this schedule although he doesn't seem completely sold on it.

It continues to look like he will move the Ghazni, the forward operating base sometime in the near future. At Ghazni he will only be involved in Patrols. They patrol for days, or weeks, at a time, before returning to base for an extended period of down-time. Seth is looking forward to that move, although Jan and I prefer the relative safety of the airbase.

Be sure to scroll past the next post to find pictures of Seth's visit home.

Finally Home!

After numerous fits and starts, Seth arrived back in the U.S. of A. on the 24th of February. We have him until March 12 when he departs from Dulles for his return to Afghanistan. He had several departure dates from Afghanistan, which were changed for various reasons, but he finally left on Tuesday the 22nd. He trip took him through Kuwait, Germany, Atlanta and finally to Reagan International Airport in D.C. Even Mother Nature is happy to have Seth in the States! After months of complaining about the lack of winter weather and days off from school, the weather has cooperated beautifully. The 24th was a snow day, meaning Jan, Brittany and I didn't have to take off from school to pick Seth up. A major snowstorm starting Sunday night has given us Monday and Tuesday off school. Josh arrived home last night and we've been enjoying some wonderful family time together. Today we celebrated Thanksgiving......one of the meals Seth requested for his trip home. Scroll down for some pictures of the family. Seth brought lots of pictures home and I'll be posting them soon.

Not letting go! After the turkey dinner - you sleep!

The gang's all here!!!!

Thanksgiving Dinner - February 28. One of Seth's requested meals.

Katy, Eli, Brittany and Seth at Roanoke.

Seth and Brittany at Fudrucker's (a hamburger joint) in Roanoke after the ODAC Game.

At the ODAC Championship Basketball Game to watch Katy and Bridgewater play against Randolph Macon. Unfortunately, BC lost.

Coming home and other news!

It's Tuesday morning in Afghanistan. Seth leaves Bargram Air Field today for a couple of days in Kabul. He will be at the Presidential compound assisting with security for the Afghan president. Seth was unsure if this was a routine rotation or if there is something special going on that requires additional security. At any rate, he called today to tell us that he would be out of touch during the time he is in Kabul. And again, short on details he's unsure of how long he'll be there.

Good news.....Seth has informed us that his leave will begin on February 13. He anticipates two days of travel time, arriving at Dulles on Tuesday, February 15. He'll probably be home about ten days before returning to Bagram. He's given us a list of foods he's looking forward to eating, beginning with a his mother's traditional Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings. We'll gladly pamper him for the time that he's home.

When he returns from Kabul he will be going on QRF (Quick Reactionary Force.) During the two weeks of QRF he'll live in a hanger with his squad and some helicopters. They are on call for any emergency or incident that requires a quick response. Since they stay in the hanger they can be airborne in a matter of minutes. A couple of weeks ago he went out on support of the QRF when a helicopter crashed in bad weather. He said they set up a perimeter around the wreck while they stripped the copter of usable equipment, then blew it up. Any time there is suspicious activity of any kind near the air base they call the QRF to respond. Overall, he's looking forward to the next couple of weeks - going to Kabul then doing QRF - because it's a change in routine. QRF also has the added benefit of being able to watch more TV while they're sitting the hanger - just in time for the Super Bowl! He's looking forward to the opportunity to see the game. He was able to listen to both playoff games this weekend as he stood guard in the tower.

It now looks like he will be going to Ghazni sometime this spring. As I've said before, nothing is ever certain with the Army until it done. Ghazni has been an on-again, off-again kind of thing. It now looks like it's on-again for sometime this spring. He's happy about going in the spring. Ghazni currently has about 3 feet of snow on the ground. The weather should be breaking about the time he has to go. Bagram's climate right now is very cold, but dry. They don't usually see much snow, although they did have about 4 inches last weeks. He was amused to hear about our recent days out of school due to our one-inch snowfalls.

I'll close for now with thanks for listening and thanks for your continued support and prayers. Seth thanks God every night for his family and friends and for the many blessings he has received.

East meets west

Post-Holiday messages

We've heard from Seth a couple of times since the holidays. We shared one long phone call last Sunday (talked for over a half hour) and Jan had a long conversation with him the middle of this week. His spirits are very good - I think attributed to the fact that Christmas is over - and he seems pretty content to be doing his job (even night towers!) He even noted that he expects a second deployment before his hitch with the National Guard is over and that wouldn't be so bad. He's hoping for a 2 week leave in April and has plans to meet with the middle school students at my school to thank them personally for their tremendous support. He's hoping to get his computer back so he can do a couple of powerpoint presentations with his pictures.