The Holidays in the Hindu Kush

As we approach the new year, a little year end recap is in order.  Before Christmas, Jason and several others had a nice helicopter ride to Kunduz.  Below is a picture of Jason and friend Gentry in Kunduz.  Gentry is also posted to Fort Stewart and is originally from New Mexico.  They started at Fort Stewart together and Jason says that Gentry and is wife (living in Savannah) are super nice.

Christmas itself was not like being home, but they tried to make it as much like home as you can in the middle of nowhere during a war.  Here are several Christmas pictures, including a couple with Jason and his buddies serving both the American and German troops on Christmas Day.  Not exactly the dining room at the Plaza Hotel in New York, but the tent was about as festive as it gets!

What you can not really tell is that the temperature has dropped into negative numbers during the night time and it frequently does not get above freezing for days.  Most of the guys spend the day trying to keep warm. I have talked to Jason over the last several days and outside movement has been somewhat limited by the weather.  The good news is that is supposed to break the freezing mark sometime shortly after the first of the year.  Here is one last picture that gives you an idea of the Hindu Kush and the cold weather which has definitely settled in...

December settles in...

December has brought changes to the Hindu Kush as it gets colder, especially at night.  Jason is pulling through although he wishes the tents were a little warmer.   Army-Navy was a disappointment, but it was the closest game in the last ten years.  Jason wants to thank everyone that has sent packages to him at COP Khiligay and posted this on his Facebook page:

To have friends and family care enough about you to send things to remind you of home while you are away means more that you could ever know, a HUGE thank you to everyone back there.  These are from today.  Sometimes Afghanistan isn't bad at all.  No mess hall for us tonight!

As most folks know, COP Khiligay also has a contingent of German soldiers.  Jason got to take the German marksman test, and he apparently aced it!  Below is a copy of the certificate and medal he received.  He can't wear the medal because he is an officer, but it is pretty cool looking anyway.

ARMY Navy Week

I talked to Jason three times on Saturday: before, during and after the TCU-Oklahoma football game.  "How frustrating was that," he exclaimed at the end of the game.  "TCU didn't lose, they just ran out of time."  One of my co-workers claims that statement belongs to Texas A & M, but I have to disagree.  TCU was in the game right down to the last play.  Jason will argue forever that the game should have been tied, that the referee's over looked a holding call on the Sooner's long touchdown run, which was pointed out and circled by the TV commentators and then promptly forgotten.  Oh well, for TCU there is always next year.  Don't forget they started sixteen freshmen.  Not a bad year for the first year in the Big 12.  Just ask Mac Brown.

Last week's activity in the Hindu Kush was uneventful as far as what was publicly disclosed, but I think there was some activity that was off the ability to disclose list.  Jason didn't say anything specific, but I think I can tell when he is leaving something out.  Whatever it was, it was successful so far as I can tell.  Here are a couple of pictures from Thanksgiving in COP Khiligay which Jason took:

Now for the news of the week:  this is Army Navy week!  America's game!  Army can win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time in years!  There will be all kinds of pranks at West Point and in Annapolis to the Cadets/Midshipmen that are taking part in the Exchange Program.  Jason had an Air Force "Zoomie" one semester as a roommate who the plebes took all of his furniture and clothes and put them on the roof of Pershing Barracks.  It was hilarious.  There will also be a number of "Spirit Videos" which will make the rounds.  Here is a link to one of my favorite Spirit Videos from years' past:

This year's favorite, from West Point:

Finally, in all seriousness, GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!

Thanksgiving Week

Jason had a busy week in Hindu Kush...and Fayetteville for that matter.  He started the week getting to meet the Hungarian Minister of Defense, a Four Star Chief of Staff and the Command Sgt. Major of the Hungarian Defense Forces.  A pretty good group of folks according to Jason.  Later last week he was promoted to First Lieutenant, which put a smile on his face and in his wallet.  Here is a picture of his promotion which was taken on the golf course at COP Khiligay.

Jason wrote the following post on Thanksgiving Day which appeared on his Facebook wall:

There is a lot to be thankful for out there. Thankful to sleep in a warm bed at night and to wake up in the morning. Thankful to have a sackful of naan and a rice cooker to make some queso. Thankful to have a little black bar instead of a little gold one. Thankful to have a good group of guys over here with me. Thankful to be born in a place not resembling the bronze age. Thankful to know all of you. Wish I was back there, don't have too much fun without us.

He later added, and thanks for the TCU win!

Thanks to Mary Noel and Laura, while Jason was in Afghanistan his alter ego, Flat Jason, was in Fayetteville enjoying all Fayetteville had to offer.  You can see that Nancy was still a little bitter over the Longhorn's loss to TCU.  At the same time, Jason is still smiling!  Below are several photos of Flat Jason from the Arkansas-LSU game:

All's Quiet in the Hindu Kush

Not much happening in the Hindu Kush mountains as the region gets closer to winter.  Jason says everything is fairly monotonous right now.  He is inter-acting more with the Germans than he had before.  The Germans seem to have a better set-up than the Americans, with a paved road and get this, a hot tub and sauna.  According to Jason they are available for the Americans to use from time to time, but apparently the clothing optional rule for the hot tub seems to cut into the Americans use of the facility.  Jason was a little bummed that TCU didn't have a game this weekend, so I think he channeled his energy into the Cowboy game.  While the Cowboys won, it was in overtime and I don't know if he stayed up to the end.  The first half was all Cleveland, and the second half favored the Cowboys, so he may have gone to bed after the first half.  He also told me that now that daylight savings time is over, they are only eight and one-half hours ahead of us.

Last bit of news, the TCU Magazine did a short piece on Jason as his never ending support of the Horned Frogs.  You can see the article at:

 http://comradestrue.blogspot.com/2012/11/frog-spirit-in-afghanistan.html

Here is the text of the article:


FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2012

Frog spirit in Afghanistan

Second Lieutenant Jason Bonds (right) is the platoon leader of the Blue Platoon in the Bonecrusher Troop in the 3rd Squadron of the 7th United States Calvary Regiment, deploymed at Command Outpost Khiliguy in northern Afghanistan. His unit is part of the 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army.

Bonds and his Horned Frog spirit are alive and well seen here unfurling a TCU flag at the snowy Salang Pass at 12,723 feet in the Hindu Kush Mountains north of Kabul.

Bonds' spirit exceeds that of most Frog fans. He routinely stays up all night to watch the TCU football team play games. Last week's game against Kansas State kicked off at 4:30 a.m. Afghan time and Bonds was watching. In October, when the outpost experience a bombing attempt, Bonds told his family he was more concerned about the TCU-Texas Tech game.

Interestingly, Bonds is not a TCU alumnus. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2011, but he grew up a TCU fan from birth. His family lived on Greene Avenue, just east of campus, and took Bonds to football games before he could walk.

"I don't remember missing many up until I went to college, and even after that I would time my leave to coincide when TCU was playing at home," Bonds wrote us. "Long story, but I am a pretty massive fan, and to me home, TCU, and Fort Worth are indistinguishable. I am hoping to go to TCU for grad school depending on how my contract with the Army plays out over the next couple of years."

Friends and family follow Jason's service and experiences in the Lone Star Over Afghanistan blog set up by his father.
POSTED BY THE TCU MAGAZINE AT 9:31 AM

On Texas leaving the Union...

Jason posted this on his Facebook page this afternoon asking those advocating that Texas leave the United States to stop.  He wrote:

Dearest FB friends advocating for a peaceful secession of Texas from the Union: please stop.  Just stop.  There are a number of reasons why you should stop:  A) We tried already, and unless my eighth grade history is failing me right now I seem to recall we lost; B) There is no such thing as a peaceful secession, again, we tried this already; C) What you are advocating is on the wrong side of the line that separates free speech and sedition; D) This is why on occasion people outside our fine state think we are idiots; and E) There are a bunch of hardworking men and women doing things you either can't or don't want to do that are a long way from home.  They are working for their country, not our state.  I could go on, but I don't think facts and data would have the effect I am hoping for.

I hope you realize that our state has the 15th largest economy in the world (insert whatever rah rah random fact you'd like) because it is operating in the American system, not despite it.  So again, stop.  If not, and you would like to see what a theocratic nation with a weak central government looks like, feel free to come to Afghanistan.  I am sure they would love to have you over here.

Love,
Me

Salang Pass

This week our hero went to the Salang Pass with an expedition.  The Salang Pass is in the Hindu Kush mountains north of Kabul.  It is at 12,723 feet and is snow covered, or there is snow on the ground, almost all of the year.  If you look carefully in the first picture you can see a village in the valley below.  Jason says it is getting colder every night and that they are already freezing at night.  He stayed up all night last night to watch the TCU game, so he was a little tired today, since the game didn't start until 4:30 Afghan time.

Reenlistments

Even in Afghanistan soldier's commitments to serve expire.  In the photo below Jason administers the oath to a soldier who is reenlisting in the Army.  Jason's commitment on the other hand doesn't expire for a number of years.  The report for the week was that it was pretty boring except for when someone decided it was time to trigger a bunch of IED's outside the wire.  Apparently it had the place rocking.

The other big news from the weekend was the West Point victory over Air Force.  It was the first home win over Air Force by Army since 1996.  Clearly all of Jason's buddies at the Point will be granted amnesty and other privileges for the victory.  This makes the showdown with Navy extremely important for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

Golf?

A couple of new pictures from the Hindu Kush mountains.  The one below is of a couple of soldiers trying to get out of a sand trap the Afghan National Golf Club (it looks a lot like Augusta National where they play the Masters).  I have to admit that the natural beauty of the area takes your breath away (if you are hit by a bullet or other life ending ordinances).

The second picture is of the group and is really added to allow you to follow the growth of the Caterpillar.  This will be a regular feature of the Blog, unless he Caterpillar were to die unexpectedly.  He is the guy holding the flag in the picture.  Jason reports that the week has been pretty uneventful and that they really didn't do anything for Halloween.   I am trying to think of things to send for Thanksgiving.  If you have any thoughts, let me know...

   

And so it grows

Here is proof hat the Caterpillar under Jason's nose, and just above his upper lip is gaining weight.  Since he has another seven or so months in the Hindu Kush mountains it might even get to be full size!  Below you can see his latest attempt to help the Frogs, this week against Oklahoma State.  For those that have not heard the Frogs got off to a great start, but lost the momentum and the game as Oklahoma State bounced back.  Jason said that the week was pretty boring on the whole (which he doesn't like, but I think is great), and that other than the weather getting colder, not much is happening.  He received boxes last week from Grandma and Uncle Ken for which he is very appreciative.  If I didn't know better I would say that he has opened the first Tex-Mex Restaurant in Northern Afghanistan.  Halloween is this week and I think they will do something to mark the occasion, but it is under wraps at this point.  

In coming...

I talked to our hero this week and he is back at COP Khiligay.  The nights are getting much colder and  the days not very warm.  It won't be long until it gets really cold in the Hindu Kush mountains of Northern Afghanistan.  They experienced their first attack on the COP last week.  The ordinances did not land in the COP, but fairly close.  I think it probably shook the Swamp, but Jason said it was nothing to be overly concerned about.  Speaking of the swamp, the guys at COP Khiligay practiced helicopter recoveries of wounded soldiers this week.  Here is a picture that will not remind you of MASH:

Jason was more concerned about the TCU-Texas Tech football game than the attempted bombing.  He and a buddy rigged up a second television so they could watch the game.  It didn't begin in Afghanistan until about eleven and since it was a long game, I am not sure whether he stayed up until the end...triple overtime!  Nancy and I sent him this picture from the game:

The Marne Patch

Our hero returned this week from Marmal, where he spent a little more time than anticipated.  The convoy which delivered him to COP Khiligay works on its own schedule and according to Jason it takes a little longer to get from Marmal to COP Khiligay than the helicopter.  This week also saw the awarding of the Marne Patch to the Bonecrusher troops signifying that the wearer has participated in combat operations.

Here is a little history on the Marne Patch from a prior patching ceremony:

The wearing of patches, officially known as "Shoulder Sleeve Insignia-Former Wartime Service" is to denote Soldiers who have participated in combat operations.  It dates back to World War I, when it was worn to boost unit morale and show pride in the soldier's unit.  The Marne patch is the 3rd Infantry Division patch.  During World War I, a small group came up with the Marne patch idea-three white lines on a blue field.  They had just completed their stand on the Marne River, earning their nickname; had two Medal of Honor recipients; participated in three major campaigns and had seen more than 3,500 of their troops killed and another 12,000 of their troops wounded when they designed the patch.  The three lines stand for the major operations in which the division participated in World War I.  The blue field symbolizes American valor, the same as the blue field on the American flag; instead of stars there are the three stripes.

Here is a picture of the beginning of the patching Ceremony this week:

A little break

Jason called Friday from Marmal, the larger German base near Mozar e Sharif, where he and another guy had gone for additional material for COP Khiligay.  He was somewhat excited about the prospect of different food and other options that Marmal has to offer.  They apparently have a rather large PX which allowed him to buy an exterior hard drive for his computer and some other good things.  They also have a large German dining hall which offers some pretty good stuff, not to mention a Pizza Hut...which isn't exactly available at COP Khiligay.  I sort of see this like a trip Klinger might have taken to Seoul during the old MASH days.  The ride there took about an hour by helicopter, but the drive he will be taking back takes about ten hours.  Not much fun.  The attached picture shows where the lonely caterpillar died between his upper lip and the bottom of his nose...

Welcome to the COP

Look at the German Army Insignia on bottom left vehicle

Welcome to the COP

Jason is doing well, but a little bummed  that the Horn Frogs won't be on TV today, at least on a channel he can watch.  He has had a pretty good week and received a couple of packages.  The weather in the foothills of the Hindu Kush mountains is beginning to show signs of Fall, so I think it is getting a little more comfortable when you have to wear all of the body armor.  As you probably know, COP Khiligay is joint base with Germans, Afghans and American troops.  I am attaching a couple of pictures that gives you a little of the international flair of the place, and the fact that some of the troops compare it to the Mad Max movies.

The German Flag next door

And the beat goes on...

I heard from Jason over the weekend that all was going well in Afghanistan.  The days are a little boring, but he candidly admits that boring beats the alternative.  He also said that he is getting outside of the wire a bit, and when he goes outside the wire it breaks up the monotony of his daily grind.  Jason said the weather is getting a little cooler, especially at night.  He said that they figure the weather at COP Khiligay most closely resembles the weather in Buffalo, New York.  So the nights will definitely start getting colder. 

Home Sweet Home

While there are no chips to be purchased any where along the route outside the wire, he did say that there is a local bread which is a lot like Naan that is pretty good and available for purchase in some Afghan villages.  The guys apparently put peanut butter and Nutella on it to make it a little bit better.  They don't get any fresh bread to speak of, so the Naan like bread takes the place of regular bread, chips and crackers...unless they are sent something from the states.  

Birthday Candles?

Forget normal birthday cake and candles when you are in Afghanistan's high desert.  Undaunted, our hero scheduled mortar practice for his platoon to celebrate his birthday...or was that another TCU win?  While the Queso Dip (thanks Mary Noel!) and bean dip (without the benefit of chips) had to replace the birthday cake, he had a good birthday.  Here is a picture he took of mortar practice:

After seeing the picture I can't get Rat Patrol out of my mind.  Anyone else remember the old World War II series?

The Birthday Boy...er, Lt.

Jason got to watch the TCU-Kansas game on the Armed Forces Network as part of Uncle Sam's birthday gift.  He said he wished the Frogs had put up more points, but that a win was a win.  Here are two pictures of his TCU flag flying over Afghanistan which he flew prior to the game.

With the Hindu Kush Mountains as the Backdrop

In front of the Swamp

The football news was not so good outside of the Frogs, with Army losing by a point, the Cowboys getting routed and the Razorbacks still waiting to play Alabama.  Jason reported that he had received his first packages from home and that he enjoyed their contents, as did the guys in his platoon.  From what I can tell the packages took a little over two weeks to get from Fort Worth and Fayetteville to COP Khiligay.   He is still trying to figure out how to get tortilla chips to Afghanistan and that the food is so bland that he really enjoyed the hot sauce and spices he received in some of his first packages.

3-7 CAV owns the Mission

The 3-7 CAV has officially assumed the mission.  They have unraveled their flags and the Saber Squadron is in control!  The folks they are replacing have put covers over their flags and are preparing to make the trip back to the USA.

Our hero says all is going fine in the COP.  He recently found out that his good friend from West Point, Steve Convery, will be in Northern Afghanistan in early 2013.  Steve is an Army helicopter pilot that just got his wings at Fort Rucker a week or so ago.  His initial post will be Fort Bliss in El Paso (the part of America most like Afghanistan).  Since he will be flying helicopters he may have the ability to visit Jason in COP Khiligay.  Here is a picture of Jason and Steve (lower left of the picture) at a West Point football game.

Revised Address and Pics

The powers that be have just sent a new email with a slightly different mailing address for Jason.  The address the Army would like us to use now is:

LT Bonds, John

B/3-7 CAV

COP KHILIGAY

APO AE 09368

Notice that there is a new identification of the troop-B/3-7 CAV, and the spelling of the COP has changed to Khiligay.   Here are some photos Jason sent today from his travels outside the Combat Post.  They are from a village that is in a more picturesque setting than COP Khiligay.   I had two winners on the reference earlier to the "Swamp" and the "4077".  Cindy and Stacy both correctly identified MASH as the source of the reference.  After looking at some of the pictures, another viewer said the topography reminded him of Mad Max, Beyond Thunderball and Priscilla Queen of the Desert.  Kind of hard to argue with the comment.

Afghan Village

Inside the Village

Scene form the Godfather?

Rif ram from Afghanistan?

It was the first TCU game in the newly remodeled stadium and no Fuzzy's pre-game for the newest war lord in the Hindu Kush mountains of Northern Afghanistan.  Instead, he spent the day and night trying to follow the Frogs on the Internet.  I did hear from him, however, that he was pleased with the score and that he is anxiously awaiting the next game against Kansas on Saturday.  He was a little disappointed in the Black Knights from West Point who went down to San Diego State.   

Jason actually got out of the COP over the weekend and he reports that the local area is like being lost in a time warp,not like in Marion, Alabama which is stuck in the 1950s, but like being back about two thousand years ago in time.  He didn't run in to Prince Harry his first day out, but I am sure they will meet up soon and tell Vegas stories.  Harry is still trying to get Lauren's phone number, but Jason doesn't think he is good enough for his cousin.  So no luck for Captain Wales.  

Here is a picture of Jason in his outside the COP uniform.

Hard to believe that you wear all of that gear when it is ninety degrees outside...

Home Sweet Home...maybe

Jason seems to be settling into a routine at COP Khiliguy in the beautiful Afghani hill country.  I think they are getting adjusted and ready for their mission.  Below is a picture of Jason's tent, which is not really very hard to find.  Not exactly the "Swamp" or the 4077, but about as close as it gets in scenic Afghanistan.  He got up this morning at 4:30 Afghanistan time to watch the Giants-Cowboys game and was glad he did.  Not a lot new to report, but when something comes up, you can catch it here...

I am curious if anyone caught the reference to the Swamp and the 4077, did you?  Bonus points will be earned for the first person that can correctly identify the reference.

The work begins...

Jason emailed last night that they had a great day at the pool, cold beer and bar-b-que as part of their Labor Day celebration.  Oh wait, that isn't exactly what he said.  There is no pool, no cold beer and no bar-b-que.  His actual email said that he and his group are working hard and getting acclimated to COP Khiliguy.  His initial observation is the COP Khiliguy isn't as bad as he had thought it would be, but it wasn't as built up as I believed it was.  They do get the various Armed Forces Network television stations in one of the tents, so they are looking forward to football season.  He said that the season starts on Thursday morning in Afghanistan, which would be the Cowboys game on Wednesday night.

In COP Khiliguy

Jason made it to COP Khiliguy on Saturday.  He actually called yours truly on Saturday night (our time) while I was at the Arkansas Razorbacks/Jacksonville State football game.  We talked for a couple of minutes and he got to talk to Johnny Dallas for a quick minute or so.  He was able to call from the USO tent which he has at least some access to, although he has to pay for the calls.  The calls are clear, with a little delay and the call was dropped in the middle of our conversation, but he called right back.  He does have the use of the internet from time to time, but I am not sure if he has it in his tent or if he has to go to the communications tent to get on line. 

He was happy to be at COP Khiliguy and he indicated that it "was better than I thought it would be."  He will not have a separate tent, but he isn't sure what his ultimate accommodations will be as the Troop they are replacing is still there for another two weeks.  During that time he said that his Bonecrusher Troop would basically learn the routine from the guys that will be leaving.  He did add that the place did not smell good, in fact, it stunk.  I couldn't tell whether that was outside or in the tent he was calling from, but I told him that I had sent a bottle of Febreze in his first package.  The only thing he asked for was stuff to make cheese dip.  I asked him how he was going to cook it and he said that he would find a way...

He sent the photo below, which was the last photo he took in Marmal:

Are we there yet?

So far we haven't heard anything from Jason to indicate that he has made it to COP Khiliguy, although he hoped that they would be in COP Khiliguy this morning, Afghanistan time.  Speaking of Afghanistan time, it is nine and one half hours ahead of central standard time.  That's right, nine and one half hours.  Why the half hour?  I am not quite sure although Sally tells me there is an official explanation that has something to do with the sun. 

Jason did try to call me yesterday and talked to Leah, my trusty assistant.  I was in a meeting outside the office so I was really disappointed.  We think he also tried to call Sally, but she didn't get the call either.  Hopefully he will have some ability to call from COP Khiliguy, at least on an infrequent basis!  

There is also a post this morning on 3-7 Facebook page from the head of the 3-7 Cav, LTC Varney which indicates:

Our Main Body 1 Troopers have all arrived---safe and sound...We are all in the transition stage for the next two weeks until we formally take over the mission.  Thanks for all of the positive postings.
R/
LTC Varney

When and if we get news confirming that the Bonecrushers have made it to COP Khiliguy I will let you know.  In the meantime, keep the faith...

In Afghanistan

Our hero has made it into Afghanistan!  He is currently at Camp Marmal, which is near Mazar i Sharif in Northern Afghanistan.  It is a relatively large military base with about five thousand multinational troops and is under German leadership.  I found two interesting You Tube videos that you might like, but be warned they are both in German.

Camp marmal

Mazar e Sharif

You can see from the map below where Mazar i Sharif is in relation to the rest of Afghanistan from this map.  Hint: look in the north of Afghanistan, due west from Kondoz..

My understanding is that Jason will make his way with the other Bonecrusher Troop soldiers to COP Khiliguy tomorrow or the next day.  He indicates that he is getting plenty to eat, that the temperature is hot with mountains to the South.  One of the descriptions I heard of of Camp Marmal is that it reminds you of the bar scenes in the Star Wars movies.  If you have any interest in Mazar i Sharif, here is a link to the Wikipedia article on it:

Mazar i Sharif Wikipedia

We have also been told that it is now ok to send anything you would like to Jason, so long as it is not alcohol or pornography.  It takes at least two weeks for a letter to reach him, and about a month for a package.  Nothing fresh can make to Jason, so don't even try.  I will leave you with a picture of the Camp Marmal so you have an idea what it looks like:

The Garden Spots of Central Asia

After a couple hour layover in Germany, the main waive of the Bonecrusher Troop made their way to Bishkek, Kyrgystan on their tour of garden spots in Central Asia over the last couple of days.  Bishkek is the capitol of Kyrgystan and is the home of Manus Airport and the Manas Transit Center, through which the majority of US Troops pass on their way to Afghanistan.  Here is a You Tube video on the Manas Transit Center:

Manus Transit Center

We are not sure how long our hero will be at the Manas Transit Center, but we believe it will be a couple of days and that he will have a chance to see the sites in Bishkek, in addition to enjoying the US style accommodations offered by the Manas Transit Center.  Bishkek has about a million people and is a relatively young city by modern standards.  Not real a city until the 1800s, tour books describe it as being heavily influenced by Russian architecture and Russians make up about ten percent of the population.  There is still actually a statue of Lenin in one of the squares.   More to come when we hear from the hero.

And he is off...

The 3-7 Cav left last night for Afghanistan on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Kabul.  The Officers are all in first class and Jason called from the piano bar on the upper deck.  I could tell he was enjoying one of his favorite brands of champagne before his filet and lobster meal.  Oh wait, that is what they tell the new recruits.  In actuality, Jason left last night in what I think is the final wave of the 3-7 Cav's departure for Afghanistan.  The trip takes about four or five days to COP Khiliguy and the only form of transportation he doesn't take is a donkey. He did call before he left and seemed genuinely excited and ready for his mission.  His last Facebook post was classic Jason:

Well America, it's been fun.  Time for a little Afghan vacation.  Friends and Facebook creepers, see you in nine months or so!  Feel free to keep me entertained through here or via my address to follow...

We probably won't hear from him until he gets to COP Khiliguy, but if we do I will fill you in.  The plane for the first leg of his journey is below.  

More basic information...

I have had several folks ask me for Jason's address while overseas.  His address is below, but please hold off on sending anything until we get notice from the powers that be that it is ok to start sending stuff.  We have been told that it takes about two to three weeks for a letter to get to Camp Khiliguy, and three to four weeks for a package.  The powers that be have warned us that nothing fresh  can make it to Camp Khiliguy before it spoils, so any type of fresh baked goods are not good candidates for mailing.  Jason's mailing address is:

LT Bonds, John

B-TRP, 3-7 CAV

COP KHILIGUY

APO AE 09368

Our FRG (Family Readiness Group) has provided the following link for things that are appropriate, and more importantly for my family, not appropriate to send to Afghanistan.  Here is the link:

Army Chaplaincy Recommendations

http://armychaplaincy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/suggested-care-package-items.pdf