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

A welcome visit!

Last night Johnny and Daren Dallas dropped in on Jason and took him to dinner.  Johnny is Jason's godfather and just might have influenced Jason into looking into the service academies.  Johnny is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and retired a little while ago as a full bird Colonel.  He also went to Jason's graduation from West Point and administered his oath at Trophy Point a little later that day.  Johnny and Daren took Jason to Vic's on the River in Savannah and a good time was had by all.

The process begins...

Welcome to the Lone Star Over Afghanistan Blog!  This blog is an attempt to share information with friends and family about the trials and tribulations of our favorite Second Lieutenant as he undertakes his first deployment in Afghanistan.  I will try to provide as much information as I can and answer as many questions as I can over the next nine months to a year.

One of the first questions I am routinely asked is where in the army hierarchy does our hero fit in.  The answer is that our hero works in the US Army, FORSCOM (Forces Command, Active Duty), 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Squadron of the 7th United States Calvary Regiment, Bonecrusher Troop, Blue Platoon, where he is the Platoon Leader.

The follow up questions that I am usually asked  is where is he stationed in the United States and where will he be in Afghanistan?  He is currently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia and he will be deployed to COP Khiliguy in northern Afghanistan.  COP means Combat Outpost and I am sorry to report it cannot be found on a map.  If you look at a map of Afghanistan it is in Baghlan Province, which is north of Kabul and south of Kunduz.

There are two  Facebook pages that may be of interest to you over the next year or so which will contain general information about the next year or so in Afghanistan.  The first is the Bonecrusher Facebook page which is found at:

Bonecrusher Page

and the second is the 3rd Squadron-Seventh Cavalry Facebook page:

3-7 Cav facebook

Both sites have information that you may find useful. The 3rd Squadron of the 7th Cavalry, which I will refer to as the 3-7 Cav began deploying in earnest this week.  Both the Bonecrusher and 3-7 Cav Facebook sites have pictures of the beginning of the process of getting to Afghanistan.  Our hero was not in the initial wave and will likely leave in the next week or so.  There is You Tube video of the first wave of the 3-7 Cav's departure:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrpMyd_gIBM

My favorite picture of the first wave leaving is below.