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...