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!