Old >>64521167Continuation of Afghan pic and story thread. Contributions and questions welcome.OP's Note: Nothing I am posting is new to the internet. The pics I'm sharing this thread were taken by the photographer in the South African journo team that embedded with us. If I knew his name, I'd credit him loud and proud. I will take no measures to censor anything as it detracts from the image and omits the human elements.
weirdo (probably canadian) poster trying to troll with my opsec can go ahead and stay outta this onethanks nerd>>64525142glad youre continuing
>64525024Thanks for the pics you've posted already. Been appreciated.>64525093That was a typo, my mistake. I meant to say treeline there. Along most of the larger irrigation ditches, the banks are lined with trees. Their roots hold the banks, and their shade is valuable too. These treelines and the ditches they follow were often chokepoints for us, and the most common spots to find or get hit by IEDs.Caption: Some locations I can only infer by the photographer's filenames. This is confounded because he was incorrect with a few. I believe this to be close to Shrine, west maybe.
>>64525170Messed up the post references.Picrel is an example of a treeline crossing. They varied. I realize that the ditch is kinda the main feature and not the trees, so why call it a treeline? I think it's because we mostly saw and thought of them from the peaks above, where you mostly just see trees. It made more sense to think of them in that sense.We subdivided them and named the different segments after colors, black, blue, green, so on. They appeared on all the range cards in the posts and were the landmarks by which we navigated in that part of the AO.
At top left of pic you can see some of the structures up on Sparrowhawk East.
The kids were pretty cutthroat with each other, at least by western norms. Older kids would throw elbows at or kick the little ones to take some candy or a marker we had handed them.Would occasionally witness some of their parenting too. Didn't see much in the ways of compassion or understanding. At least not outside their homes. Lots of getting beaten with a flip flop though.
Presumably west of PB Shrine.
>>64525238The chancla transcends culture.
Oh and if the narrative isn't clear from the filenames, there was TIC on the way to a pow-wow at some compound. The journo must have thought that significant and named the whole folder "gun fight".
>>64525219Great pic!
What was the food situation like for you? Did you eat a lot of MREs? Do you have a favorite MRE?
We referred to the portion of irrigated land in the southern portion of the AO as the greenzone. Sparrowhawk West loomed over it.You could get away with a little more bullshit up on West than about any other position. Command rarely wanted to make the trek over there to check on things personally, so conformity to shaving and uniform regs relaxed while there typically.
Have some vintage photo. Posting my dad (in the center) in 1980 Afghanistan.
>>64525285If you were at the FOB, the chowhall served daily breakfast and dinner of mostly rehydrated freeze dried rations. But it approximated real food and the hot sauce was plentiful. Lunch was always expected to be an MRE for everybody. On some holidays, small quantities of actual meat were flown in. We had turkey on turkey day, ham on Christmas, and steak and lobster on the USMC birthday. If you were on West it wasn't feasible to get the food out there really so you were SOL. A bud and I cooked the squad's lobster tails on Athens. Never cooked lobster before. Despite the tough, often freezerburned nature of these things, they were welcome and I do think it provided a morale bump.On one rotation at West all we had was the remnants of a big wooden crate of those fire team size MREs. I do not remember what they were called. Meant to feed a couple dudes. The only menu left was Szechuan chicken, so that's what we ate for the month.Great question. Thanks for asking.Caption: Another treeline crossing. Real easy to get slowed way down in them, especially when that heavy.
>>64525285>What was the food situation like >for you?Not OP, the other anon. Totally depended on where you were. Nobody ate MREs unless they had too. Smaller FOBs might have like powder eggs for breakfast, but at a larger base you get real eggs. Most larger places had surf and turf every week. SOTF had shrimp cocktail on ice at the salad bar every night. Nothing was 'standard' over there. Pic rel a third serving of breakfast, my dessert for the morning if you will. KAF had three distinctly different DFACs. I'd go to one in the morning and get a plate of half a dozen egg omlette with everything in it, next would be a full plate of fresh fruit, and then the pancake honey hazelnut peanutbutter and bacon sandwiches. Lunch would be a huge salad and a huge plate of fried rice with everything in it. Dinner was whatever. Point was we were eating good if we were in the right place.
>>64525142thread stinks, something off here
>>64525344>>64525355Thanks for the insights. My favorite is the Mexican Chicken Stew or the Beef Goulash.
>>64525285Oh so yeah, MREs. Yes, ate one roughly every day, sometimes more if not at the FOB. I do not have strong food preferences. Especially under the circumstances, it was just sustenance to me. I looked for macros and tended to eat the leftover menus. I ate a lot of Veggie Omelets. Unless it is actually vile to eat I don't really care.Myself and others would occasionally pilfer the NATO stockpile for halal and Brit MREs for some variety though. The jewish ones come with bagel chips lol.>>64525341Incredible. Can you share anything about his time there? Thanks for posting.Caption: You can spot Tower and the tops of other posts up on Sparrowhawk West in the upper left.
>>64525371>The jewish onesthose and the vegie ones were ironically the best imo, the fucking bastards
>>64525355Thank you for pointing that out. Absolutely, at Leatherneck and Manas we ate like fucking warlords or something compared to Zeebrugge. Take as much damn steak as you want and have a box of 100 candy bars to go too.
To OP but open to anyone really.I know we are on /k/ but after your service, do you continue to train and carry weapons? Do you own an AR-15, either built or out of the box? If you do own weapons, how do they compare to your service weapons? My understanding is the weapons you use in the military can often be pretty clapped out and with the exception of full auto, a midrange AR is nicer than a rack grade M4. And any Beretta is miles nicer than the M9s that have been in service since Desert Storm.
>>64525384newer is always better. we replace uppers and lowers for a reason. >do you continue to train and carry weapons?Ironically, no. Never really had a reason to, I don't live in an area where they're really needed and I got all that outdoors shit out of my system by my 30s. Call me soft or whatever, would I buy an AR? Maybe. What am I using it for? Target practice? I know how to shoot. >with the exception of full autoagain, I had a Mk14 issued to me, why would I want to have a downgrade?Don't misunderstand, if I need a firearm I can get access to one pretty quickly, and I have friends that build their own from scratch. I just don't feel the need to constantly wear one like a piece of clothing where I reside.
>>64525376Deets on the vic? Used as an on-base shuttle, or did that leave the wire?>>64525384Shooting with friends continued as a hobby for years after. Lots of ARs have come and gone. I do maintain a few yet with a PC and some other basics. But family, career, and other hobbies occupy me more now so the arsenal largely just collects dust and kills my deer in the autumn. Once in a while I'll get the itch to plink cans with the glock but not frequently anymore.You are correct about service weapons typically being clapped. But again that's conditional. I'd bet the other primary contributor here probably saw a good share of brand new stuff. Our M9s were used to drive fenceposts, rifles got dropped and knocked over, they're out with us in every type of weather. They get beat on. Confirm your zero and carry on.Caption: When going to the greenzone, bringing a ladder was typical. Useful for making your own treeline crossings and gaining access to the upper levels of compounds without necessarily having to enter them.
Another frame from the one controlled det I detailed in previous thread.
>>64525416>Deets on the vic?Was actually hoping that the Russian that posted that pic of his dad might know. It was a running leftover relic from the Soviets that I came across in Farah. It was used for a variety of things but I never had the opportunity to drive it.
>>64525433Neat nonetheless. Hope that guy comes back.
>>64525444nice trips desu
I'm fairly tired of captioning tee bee aych.
>>64525444Pretty sure it was the year before you were there, but it rained so hard at KAF one time they had roads sink like 10ft, trucks were all buried, it was a shit show. All the NATO bases were a pain in the ass with all the different countries, contracts, etc. Very eye-opening, a 'red-pill' on how the government really works if you will.
how many of you guys were CLS qualified?how much weight would you carry on patroL?
>>64525475lol, I was. Kept two of those bags in my car stateside, we'd use them on the weekends after benders and then get new saline from the hospital on post on Monday. Deployed I don't recall anyone really using them after we got quick clot.
Fuck yeah, my wallpaper folder was severely lacking /k/inography
What were your reasons for joining at the time and how did your experience shape your thoughts when you got out? If you could do it all again, would you do anything differently? If you have kids, would you want them to join or not and what would you tell them when they asked why?
>>64525467I had kinda wondered what the place got like when it really, really rained. The answer is not surprising. And I guess neither is the government response.>>645254751. All of us.2. I never summed it. If you'd like to look up the weight of everything, here's a typical gear list>249 w/ full barrel & stock, & acog w/ rmr>400-1200 5.56 + the links>PC w/ 2 medium ESAPIs, w/ ab & throat protectors from the MTV, 2 IFAKS, & a dumppouch full of gauze and candy>low range jammer w/ its 2 batteries>camelbak & canteen w/ water>probably another 10lbs for admin shit, smokes, and flares, and other crap>plus uniform, helmet, boots, and my own 180lbs ass
>>64525142>>64525115could you elborate on what you men by that anon? asking as I've actually been to Uzbekistan so I have a somewhat vested interest in the activities of the uzbies
>>64525495>What were your reasons for joining at the timelegal shit>and how did your experience shape your thoughts when you got out? No trust in the government for one. I saw all the bs going on and that's why I went back after I got out, to try to make things better.>If you could do it all again, would you do anything differently? No, I learned a lot, and it opened a ton of doors for me.>If you have kids, would you want them to join or not and what would you tell them when they asked why?General consensus among my peers and myself in this situation is we don't care. If they want to join, we would support them, and offer as much advice about career opportunities as possible. Personally I'd prefer they join a branch and learn a practical skill, or something career oriented. >>64525521We split the country into four (5) distinct regions after a while for a reason. The northern part of the country is literally a different country from the rest of it. Terrain, politics, etc. You're dealing with China and Russia a lot up there, and the Germans weren't really helping. Politics is a big thing with NATO faggots.
>>64525533>legal shit"To think I believed the judge when he told me the Marine Corps was a superior alternative to jail. I should have shut up and done my time."
>>64525500I forgot my M9 and its ammo/holster.>>64525491Glad to help. I genuinely would credit the photographer if I could. I never got his name back then and the SA publication website that hosted the story is kill. "Once Was Paradise", I remember was the name of their story. If anyone could find that. Detailed their time with us and their trip to Kandahar? I think.>>64525495My reason for joining the USMC was a common one: getting away from something.I spent some time being frustrated with civilians in general after EAS. In a lot of ways, Afghanistan was a simpler environment for me. The rules were easy to understand. Don't snooze on post and don't get caught lackin.I got over it, but there was certainly an adjustment period. If I could do it again? I'm not sure I would, if I had the temperament I do right now. I'll discourage service with my kids and the reasons are simple: the conditions of my deployment to the stan no longer exist.Besides, this new sort of drone warfare is just the gayest crap. If Haji would have had the drones I see in the Ukraine vids, we would have been fuckin invalidated. I think that is here to stay. If it comes to it I am not against showing them stuff like the guy drowning after getting droned, kicking and panicking, completely terrified and alone. Fuck dying like that for people who hate you.
>>64525540For me, it's the guy who decides cutting his own throat with dull rusty razor wire is a better death then whatever he was going to die from.
>>64525201Who's the guy with the slick helmet?
Locals marked roads where they didn't risk driving their motorcycles.
>>64525459does that helmet say >one day i will kill my team?
>>64525538I was 17, going to be charged as an adult, DA suggested it. Only the Army was willing to let me in, the others all turned me down. My enlistment was a rollercoaster by itself. I almost became an apache pilot lol, thank god I turned that shit down. >>64525540It's that 'just do your job' bit I liked the most. Yeah, drones are a problem, but we can block them if we want, we have the technology. Our strategy actually shifted to drones while we were over there, around the same time you were deployed there.
>>64525543I believe I may not show them that one, but it sounds powerful.>>64525544He accompanied the journos. Never bothered talking to him, so couldn't say for sure.>>64525553Today I Will Kill Taliban With My Team
>>64525557I think I've seen the one you're talking about too. It's the one with the guy with broken spine right? He drowns facedown in a puddle? Fucking 3 inches of water kills him. Brutal.
>>64525555Yeah I should have considered that we could block them. I carried a fucking jammer. Not sure why I thought it'd be much different.
>>64525540>I'll discourage service with my kids and the reasons are simple: the conditions of my deployment to the stan no longer exist.Man i feel you on that. My little brother just finished highschool keeps hinting about joining the Navy. Wants to get away from my mom and dad since they're kinda nuts, And finding a job in the city sucks since no one is hiring beyond some 15-20 hour a week warehouse job. I keep telling him at least finish up an AA degree and re-eval afterwards. He saw how i came out ok after my six years but i wanna tell him shit has changed and it really isnt worth it anymore (not that it was before). I keep telling him to tough it out and shoot to be a fireman or an electrician but you know how hard headed kids are.
>>64525561Yep. Just rolling over would have saved him, if he could possibly have done it.
Coming out of a lurk to say that these are phenomenal threads. I would dearly love to go there on a holiday were it not so dangerous for a white westerner. Maybe it's worth the risk. As a student of geopolitics the history fascinates me.
>>64525533>>64525538could you elaborate even further? sorry I just find uzbeks very interesting. specifically, in what ways is the northern part "literally a different country" in terms of the human element? and how did you find china and russia getting involved? I'm well aware that they both have many fingers in the pie that is uzbekistan but I wasn't aware of their involvement in the uzbeks of northern afghanistan
It's not a piss bottle, it's CLP. There's very likely a pinhole in the lid of the bottle. This was pretty typical as the sole source of the stuff was a 55gal drum at the armory.>>64525576It is rough, and particularly for a lot of people recently burdened with debt because they followed instructions to go to college. Instead of, as you said, a trade school or the like. I have had enormous mobility in my trades career because there are not nearly so many guys my age present. The industry is seeing a little uptick in people returning though, so a good start. I encourage the construction trades to anyone that is at a dead end or whatever. The pay gets pretty decent after a few years, some places pay for your apprenticeship, and it can be rewarding work depending on your ethics.
>>64525595fellow student of geopolitics here, currently doing a masters in war studies at the best place for it. Have you been to uzbekistan/kyrgyzstan? because both of those places are 1. remarkably easy to access (depending on your passport) and 2. absolutely brilliant tripst. has been on a proper trip to uzbekistan and planning on visiting kyrgyz soon
>>64525600>and how did you find china and russia getting involved?It was in your face obvious anon. All the 'help' we had, all the shitty jobs, lower level KBR/Supreme management was mostly Russians lol. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parag_Khanna>>64525613Kyrgyz women are prettier. Read the books of the guy I linked above.
>>64525607We need L.S.A.Given the prevailing climaticconditions, using this lubricantis like trying to buttfuck a virginunderaged phutak whore with chalk...when KY is clearly called for, sir.
>>64525595People have made bucket lists pretty gay, but I do have one. Just 3 things on it and visiting Afghanistan somehow is one. Not where I fought though. I don't think that'd be right. Somewhere without memories of violence attached.I have to go shortly, and won't be back until long after thread has slid.
>>64525626>Somewhere without memories of violence attached.It's Afghanistan, not a single square inch of that place doesn't have memories of violence stretching back thousands of years.
>>64525626You can still fly over there anon, pretty sure you're white so you can probably be ok just not being a problem. I flew from Dubai to Afghanistan like every other month for a while. Anyways, found thishttps://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/EE34B4E1525F3F8562CF248A7C872AD9/S1557466008005913a.pdf/waving-goodbye-to-hegemony-china-europe-and-the-us-in-the-new-world-order.pdfworth a read.
A lot of the time at Shrine was for nothing, just there for overwatch for another squad doing something nearby. Most patrols did not include TIC. One in ten, maybe. It varied a lot though. An AO is always changing.So yeah, about 9 times out of 10 you'd be hauling all that up to Shrine, just to sit on it through the day, then haul it all back. You get your steps in.
>>64525630personal ones presumably, dear autistic anon
>>64525613I am jealous. Would love to do a masters, but here in aus it is stupid expensive. Perhaps later, I need to get working soon. Took a gap decade out of school so I'm 10 years behind the eight ball.>>64525626Which area would be your pick? The eastern mountains look phenomenal.
>>64525614Black on black crime :(
>>64525630To clarify, I meant my memories.>>64525637Oh I know. But I don't intend to come back if I go, and I have responsibilities here for a few more decades.Thank you. I have bookmarked it for a later read.This is my last pic post. I have IRL stuff to do. I may pop back in after getting ready for one last salvo of questions, but not guaranteed.Thanks again for the great questions.
