Afghanistan Deployment

Germany Update!

2008-08-17T22:18:00.003+02:00

Well I have been putting this off for quite a while now. My final post about my experience of deploying to Afghanistan for 6 months and returning safely. Once I finish up about the deployment I will write a little about my current status.

Afghanistan: I remember seeing a national Geographic story about how they tracked down and found the girl from the 1980s cover and how all she wanted was the world to help Afghanistan. While it took 9/11 and all of for that to come true. I had hoped that’s what I would find out and it is true. Many, many nations to include a few troops from now war torn Georgia are there to help the Afghanis.

My 6 months was pretty good. In retrospect I which I would have gone off base more often but its easier said sitting safely in Germany than done in Afghanistan having to attend almost daily fallen comrade ceremonies and hearing jets take off to go fight. Either way it sincerely has changed me. I really do not care about little stuff anymore. While I am still super ambitious its in a different way. I realize how good we as Americas have it. I pray to God that we continue to help them as safe as we can so that one day they may live free and have at least a decent life.

Now that I am back safe I have to ask myself if I am willing to go again. While I have already gone if I wanted to go again I could. As it stands now I highly doubt I will have to go again given my time remaining in the service which I will expand upon below. I knew when I challenged myself by joining the Air Force I would face many tests. For me Afghanistan has been one of the biggest. I feel in my job I was serving more in a humanitarian role than I was a combat role. I see myself as a morale builder for my fellow troops, a video/audio connecter to their friends and family, and a historian in that the good things we have done are being documented in video which is hard to dispute.

All in all I am glad I went and even more glad I got back safe. I ultimately pray that that country gets on its feet so we can stop losing great Americans and those people can live a normal life. I have to admit that I have very little discriminatory feelings for people anymore. People are people and everyone wants to eat, be loved, have kids, make a little money, go to weddings and parties, and ultimately enjoy life peacefully. From Afghanistan, China, Russia, and everywhere in between. Afghanistan made me realize that as a 25 years old American I have achieved and done more than most people will ever do in their lives. While my work ethic affords me these luxuries my nationality almost guarantees them. For this reason alone I will always have a certain patriotism about me. Unless you served there is no way to explain it.

I have enjoyed watching the Olympic and applaud the Chinese for putting on a great show both in hosting and competing. Russia seems to be the old Bear it always has been since tearing Georgia apart. I just hope with a new President and some new leaders the world can work itself out. No matter your socio, political, or religious views, the bottom line is that too many people are suffering in this world right now. I have not become a flaming liberal but ultimately we do need to get along. I do not know what I did to deserve to be born an American but I thank God each day.

I got back on July 25th and enjoyed my 2 weeks off after doing the necessary military paperwork to document my return. Michelle and I visited her friend in Holland, played tennis, golf, bowling, and nice walks with our dog Ali. I have to say coming back was no easy as relationships take work and some routine and being away for 6 months allows neither. I was trying to see if I could leave this March of 2009 as I was originally slated, but they will not let me do it. I suppose if I really wanted to get out I could on October 3 2009 but that would entail more paperwork. My slated day for seperation from the USAF is March 3 2010 for those who are wondering. All of that will be served here in Germany unless something majorly crazy happens.

As it stands now Michelle and I are taking a cruise to the eastern Mediterranean in September, which I will post about when I get back. I am going to try to take more leave and go home for Thanksgiving through December 9th or so. Maybe 2 days in NJ, 2in Vermont, and the rest in the Burgh. I also may be back to Baltimore in March for 3 weeks for upgrade training. Of course next summer is the wedding so…

Michelle has still not found a job but we are working our way through it. I am glad to be back, glad to have a schedule of my life, and just glad to have a wonderful life. I really have nothing more to say. Ask me any questions as usual and I will reply to them in my post cruise entry. As always thanks for reading and take care.

Me in Kabul exploring the Queen's Palace.

Finale (Almost)

2008-08-11T20:25:00.001+02:00

I promise to post one last (long) entry about my time in Afghanistan very soon!

Mission Complete!!! (Day WHATEVER)

2008-07-26T13:43:00.001+02:00

I am back safe in Germany and doing awesome. I will sit down later and write a final post but need to do yard work and spend more quality time with my love!

Kerr ga stan (Pittsburghese pronunciation) Day 179

2008-07-23T12:46:00.000+02:00

Well I have been here over a day and already feel better than while at Bagram.

I have realized that the Army’s influence over Bagram is terrible and to some extent like a prison. Up here ay Manas Air Base the Air Force runs it and you are allowed 2 beers a day, they have Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii on nice TVs for use along with tons of movies and daily activities. There are trees, grass, fresh air, and a nice breeze at night. The Air Force folks doing typically 4 months here are on easy street. I would love to deploy here as a broadcaster.

The people are quite unique. Some look Asian, while other mongolish, and yet others much like you would find in Mother Russia. This is a former USSR state so it is no surprise that they speak Russian. The guys that got me onto their computer sell it for $2.50 an hour and are not very hospitable. Then again the whole Cold War thing, and us being here now may have something to do with it. The women on the other hand are very nice and some are extremely attractive. I still think Russians are hard people, harder than Germans even. Either way its nice to get a little break here as I was only here about 14 hours overnight on my way in in January. It was like 20 degrees below 0 then as this place is the coldest I have ever been.

I had some issues getting out of Bagram on time but finally left a few days ago. The pilot took off in a combat mode as he went straight up and then leveled her off quickly. 4 Air Force on a plane with over 150 Army from the same unit and they all sit there asking me what the hell the pilot is doing. I did not enjoy my stomach feeling like it was in my head but it was a nice way to screw with the Army on their way out. The Army unit I refer to is the one who lost those soldiers 3 weeks ago. They are an infantry unit and a rough bunch. They were loud as hell last night before finally leaving the big tent we sleep in.

Of course I had my 2 allotted beers last night. I tried the Russian number 7 which was similar to a German Pils and then the dark number 8 which was very thick and reminded me of a Belgian brew. I slept for like 4 hours woke up because of the soldiers being loud and then slept for like 12 hours after finally falling asleep around 2:30. We are 1.5 hours ahead of Afghanistan time, 4 hours ahead of German time, and 10 hours ahead of my birth given and natural East coast time.

I was able to hand in all of my Army gear form Ft. Dix so I am traveling lite right now. I will be sure to put a post in once I get back to Germany. It has been fun and I will try to write a final long post about the deployment. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.

Almost gone, Obama? (Day 175)

2008-07-19T12:58:00.001+02:00

Well after not having internet in my room for the last 4 days and also having to pack and finish odds and ends, I have finally made it down to the USO to use uncensored (although extremely SLOW) internet access.

If you did not see on the news Senator Obama is in country! I thought about trying to see him but it’s too much trouble and at this point I am just ready to roll.

I will try to post more as time allows but look for a little bit of a longer post once I get to Kyrgyzstan. Thanks for reading and all of the messages.

Ramping up (this war) and Drawing down(Me) (Day 171)

2008-07-15T13:29:00.003+02:00

I apologize for not posting over the weekend but I am just about out of here and so ready to go.

I think everyone saw on the news that one of our small little posts got attacked this past weekend and 9 American Soldiers were killed in action. The worse attack in 3 years. Back home the economy is on the brink, my sister will not get herself straightened out, my Mom is scheduled for surgery, my grandparents are having challenges that elderly age brings with it, and fittingly enough in Germany Michelle cannot be quite enough at home.

Either way life goes on, and I am almost out of here. For some reason it just dawned on me today that our own cat Hopey died this year. I am not sure why that hit me today but it did. Death seems to a much more real thing after having done a deployment to Afghanistan. Life is so real to me and yet so precious. With that being said it is exactly my life, our life in America, which I yearn for.

I love Germany and Europe and will be glad to God once I get back sometime next week but boy do I miss living in the states. Michelle and I had a chat about that this past weekend and it is my intention to try to move back next year. I was originally slated to get another assignment and move this March of 2009 but got bumped because of Michelle coming over so now I still have until March of 2010 in Germany. I have started one route of paperwork that will curtail this. We shall see what happens.

We got our awards today and I got an Army Commendation Medal among others that automatically come with this deployment. That award is usually given to E 5s and above and worth 2 promotion points so I am pretty happy and proud about that.

Michelle has a high school friend in Germany with her right now and they are visiting another girl who is in Germany right now so I am sure she is really enjoying herself.I went with another guy today and shot the first part of a story on the 101st Airborne Division’s band working with the Afghan National Army’s band. Believe it or not they too have a band. After years of the Taliban outlawing instrumental music they are working to bring just that to ceremonies and military events in Kabul. We could not get any one of them to do an interview though in fear of the Taliban finding out personally who they were. I can understand this but they are in the Afghan National Army and need to make the Taliban fear them not the other way around. But who the hell am I to judge after knowing what they have gone through. I saw in the news the Taliban shot and killed two Afghan women who were accused of running a prostitution ring for American and western contractors at a local base in Southern Afghanistan. Just flat out murdered these women. These people over here are straight up fundamentalists who have little, if any regard for human life. It is truly a shame.

The new crew is still getting settled in and somewhat nervous with all this s**t going on. I totally understand but can only do so much to help as once I leave they lose a body. My replacement is going to be a Public Affairs Airman which means they will stay working on the magazine and not slide over like I did. I sincerely wish them the best.

I am so ready to go it is unreal and to a certain extent seems unreal. I am just as on edge about leaving as I was coming. What bothers me is that I wonder years down the line if this place will truly be any better or our time, sacrifices, work, money, and effort will be for nod. Time will only tell but Afghanistan is somewhere that will always have a unique place in my heart for what it has shown and taught me and for the harsh land and people it continues to be.

My internet connection runs out tomorrow evening so I may squeeze one more post in but look for one maybe this weekend if I have time to walk to the USO and use the free internet. I am basically packed but need to pack just my military clothes, mail a box or two, and do the necessary paperwork in order to get out of here. After that I have about a 3 or 4 day travel back to Germany as I have to stop somewhere to turn in some of my military gear and then wait for the necessary flight back to Germany.

As always thanks for reading and please keep my mother and what I hope is her minor surgery in your prayers. Some days I am more on edge about things back home than I am here. I am not sure but I think I saw a gray hair in the mirror this morning….. One more thing Michelle will have to help me with while settling back in. Good day.

Ruthian (Day 167)

2008-07-11T11:55:00.005+02:00

Well first off hello PSU! Mr. Sampsell posted the story and you can read it here.

Next order of business; Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Pirates who took 2 of 3 from the New York Yankees in Pittsburgh this year. Since 1960 they have only played 9 times with the Yankees winning 7 of those 9. All 6 in Yankee Stadium (I was there for 1 of the losses in 2005) and 1 in PNC Park. Three Rivers Stadium was built in 1970 and razed in 2000 and the Yankees near caught even a wift of it. Anyway we won the 1960s World Series in 7 games making up for the loss to the Yankees in the 1927 World Series in which Babe Ruth and murderer’s row swept the Buccos in 4 games. I bring all of this up because last night my mother went and saw the Bronx Bombers lose to the Pirates with me doing the jumbotron intro to the game. I have yet to talk to her but am anxious to find out how it went.

Pics from my 2005 trip with the guys. We followed the Pirates straight to Boston that night for the weekend series at Fenway.

On top of all of this for those who do not know; Yankee stadium is being replaced by another BILLION dollar new Yankee Stadium. AND THEN THEY ARE GOING TO TEAR IT DOWN. The House that Ruth built is going to be torn down for a new one!? George Steinbrenner is an idiot but he does own the team and got some yahoos in NYC to go along with the idea so…. I went twice and got to see the Pirates play there once so I guess I am happy. Never made it Monument Park though… Babe Ruth will live in the hearts and minds of Americans as long as America carries on. The reason for this rant is because the All Star game is there Tuesday and I plan on waking up to watch it as there will be a TON of current and former All Stars and Hall of Famers there to say goodbye. I am not a Yankees fan but Babe Ruth hit the first home run there on April 18, 1923 (the day it opened) and they won theif first World Series that year as well. In my view I will be rooting for Yankee Stadium to go out the way it came in: a winner.

O yeah Afghanistan… I am still here but just like when I first got here my brain and heart have already started making their way back to Germany. I am shooting one more story and then doing paperwork to leave next week. I did my last morning show today and am ready for my day off tomorrow. That’s it work wise. I feel once I get back safe that this deployment will have been a Ruthian accomplishment personally for me. I am still not sure if I would do another one of these but am not even worrying about that now.

I will say I have been very on edge and nervous lately. Not sure why. Although I watched part of a phenomenal documentary on the Bilderberg Group and that got me all worked up. I should not be looking at that kind of stuff while here. It requires in depth analysis and processing for which my brain is not in shape to handle right now. Not sure how much of it I believe but some of it is just interesting history but if you are in the mood to see something VERY EDUCATING: End Game online or for order on DVD.

I am looking forward to getting home but worried we are going to attack Iran. Iran says they do not want war, Israel says they do not want war, and we (ADM Mullen) say a war with them is not good for anybody but all of the chess pieces are being moved into place…

I hope all is well with all of you and as always thanks for reading my blog.

Happy Birthday (DAY 164)

2008-07-08T17:57:00.004+02:00

50 years ago today in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Robert Harry Joswiak was born 2 months premature and subsequently baptized Catholic because they did not think he would make it. Well not only did he make it but he has been making his presence, beliefs, and opinions known on this earth ever since!

Happy 50th Birthday Dad!

In 2006 he was 48 and I was 24 and now for about 2 months he is 50 and I am 25. This is the last time I will be half of his age. The funny part is that when my Dad turned 26 (as I will in September) on July 8th 1984 I was almost 2 and now I have no kids yet. O well Robert Charles Joswiak will hopefully be born someday but not a soon day.

Being away for yet another one of my parents’ birthdays made me think back. I can map out where I have been since 2002 on each of their birthdays.

10 JAN 02: Just moved to PSU (Beaver Plaza on Beaver Avenue) I take that back. I believe I was home because just after getting to PSU I had to return for Mr. Gaydosz funeral and my Mom picked me up in Pittsburgh at the Greyhound terminal that night. I will also note that out of last respects to Mr. G, I had just gotten my hair cut a few days prior after going 1.5 years without getting it cut!

8 JUL 02: Cleberated my Dads birthday with he, my Mom, sister, and Russ Shellhammer in Fombell (Boy does that seem like worlds ago)

10 JAN 03: We celebrated my Moms birthday at Atrias in Wexford along with my Dad, Sis, Bob and Gram, and Jimmy (Robin’s bf at the time) I left for PSU on a snowy night in my T Bird so I could make it back to watch the Steelers lose to the Titans on a BS field goal call the next night.

8 JUL 03: I was living in California

10 JAN 04: I was at PSU (Beaver Hill)

8 JUL 04: Living in Pittsburgh

10 JAN 05: I believe I went out with my Mom in Pittsburgh somewhere since I was living in Carrick

8 JUL 05: Living with Michelle and her family in NJ.

10 JAN 06: Was at DINFOS (tech school) in Maryland.

8 JUL 06: Was back in NJ on leave for something very special!

10 JAN 07: Was in Germany.

8 JUL 07: Was in Germany.

10 JAN 08: Was back at Ft. Dix NJ for pre-deployment field training before this deployment

8 JUL 08: Here in Afghanistan typing this blog entry!

The point is while I do travel and see a ton of things, love my job, and have been culturally educated because of being away; it’s starting to wear on me as I miss my family and friends. The same applies to a much lesser extent in Germany.

So as I was typing this up I decided to incorporate a few pictures from yester year. I am reminded that while I do not think I look any older; 1. My hair line is not what it used to be 2. I miss my longer hair and being able to grow facial hair. If I do end up getting out of the military you may see a mountain man version of me as the barber and razor will be the last thing on my mind.

Well today was a run of the mill day. I did the morning show and then took our commander to the other side of the flight line along with our superintendent. I got these photos near the old Russian MIGs which I have referenced in past entries.

I slept like crap last night so I am hitting the hay early tonight. But time cannot go fast enough now. In a weird way I will miss doing my job here. This is truly what I signed up for and get paid to do. This job in Germany is luxury life as far as I am concerned. People keep asking when I am coming home to the east coast and I have no clue. I am toying with the idea of a European vacation or cruise but will not decide until I land in Deutschland.

Good night and as always thanks for reading.

Its getting HOT! (DAY 163)

2008-07-07T14:38:00.004+02:00

Well yesterday I went and shot the dedication of a dining facility. It was renamed the SrA Jonathan Yelner DFAC as he died here in Afghanistan on April 29th. I interviewed his commander and a co worker and put together a nice little tribute that I am sure his parents will see. It was not quite what I wanted due to some technical issues, but overall not too bad of a piece. You can see it in our newscast below. Also the radio show I posted from the 4th of July does not work and I do not have the bandwidth to upload it. I guess I will have to try and do that once I get back to Germany.

Today I shot an intro to the Yankees Pirates game for Thursday. We have been doing these introductions for the Pittsburgh Pirates because we have some reservists here on Bagram from the 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh. Well this Yankee one needed to be done today so I just did it since I am from Pittsburgh. It will play on the Jumbotron on Thursday night as the teams take the field. (Mom I have more to tell you about this. Check your email.)

The reason I titled this entry as getting hot is because aside from the fact that it tops out at about 110 degrees each day, things are heating up violence wise. Just today in Kabul there was a suicide car bombing that killed at least 40 people and wounded scores more. Last night was not typical here on base either but I cannot detail that. Basically the Taliban is making a push this summer as the winter extremely inhibits their efforts. Our Marines down south just got extended another month. I am telling you Afghanistan needs to be the focus and the election this fall will dictate where that becomes reality or not.

I am coming down the back stretch now and it feels great. Last night reminded me though that I am not out of the woods yet. My Dad can relate a literal story of when I was a kid and I thought I was out of the woods near hunting camp. While I did make it back, it was not without injury. I actually think we have video of that somewhere. Anyway this is my last main week of work as I am handing things off and then next week must out process in anticipation of my departure date.

I guess that’s it for today. Enjoy the newscast and ask any questions that come to mind.

WE ARE… (DAY 161)

2008-07-05T10:46:00.007+02:00

3 July Freedom Watch Afghanistan (Our daily newscast)

Well yesterday was ok but all I did was work. I woke up and did the morning show which you can listen to below.

boomp3.com

For some reason I got a little emotional right before going on air knowing I was doing what I loved on the 4th of July but yet so far away from family and friends on a day that I typically spend with them.

Anyway I got off of the air and worked on a TV story I had to finish. About noon this guy comes in from the Washington Blues Society and wished me a happy 4th of July before giving me his spiel. I literally had to think about it being 4th of July because it did not feel like it. Anyway this guy wants to get more blues on our radio station so I talked with him about that.

I came home at about 2:30 and took a nap as I was no feeling well. I think I got dehydrated, as its been about 110 each day here. I went back and did the sports show last night and as usual had fun with it. I came back and watched Resident Evil 2 and 3 which I had been really wanting to see. They popped up on the community entertainment drive on base so I grabbed them. I am usually not a big fan of scary movies but for me that series is like the Postman plus Zombies. Plus Milla Jovovich is sexy as can be so it makes for great movies.

The new crew is almost all settled in with my old crew almost all back to their homes which is good to know. This new crew could not be any more different that the last but what can you do. I like and dislike things about each. Either way I got like _teen some days left so who cares.

Now for the announcement you have been waiting for. I got an email from Mr. Steve Sampsell who is the Director of College Relations for the College of Communications at PSU. Apparently he wants to link this blog to the College of Comm’s blog and also do something on me being here for PSU live.

So with that if you are reading this via PSU then hello. My name is Rob Joswiak and I am a broadcaster in the United States Air Force currently deployed to Bagram Air Field Afghanistan. I am from western PA and graduated from PSU in May of 2004 with a BA in Telecommunications and a minor in Economics. I attended PS Beaver for 3 semesters and University Park for 5. I am stationed in Kaiserslautern Germany where I work for the American Forces Network there as well.

Feel free to look at the pictures and videos I post and ask any questions you may have. The blog itself will give you a much better feeling for who I am and what I am like. I sincerely thank you for visiting my blog. Since I am leaving soon I have put together a little summary so you can access certain entries with ease. The links to the right are very important or of interest so be sure to check them out as well. Thanks again.

JANUARY

I only posted 6 times this month as I got here late in the month. The posts from January just summarize my settling in here.

FEBRUARY

DAY 9: 4 FEB
I talk about the Super Bowl, my living conditions, and have pictures of where I work and live along with some NFL players and cheerleaders.

Day 14: 9 FEB
I post pictures of my room which has since been rearranged but you get the idea of how small it is. I also show the buildings I live in and the mountains I see each day. There is snow on the ground which is obviously not the case now. I am not a fan of this climate to say the least.

Day 17: 12 FEB
I have pictures of Bo Bice from American Idol being here. If you like him, as many middle aged women do, then this entry is for you. I could not believe the response this blog got when the ‘crazy’ Bo Bice fans linked me to his fan sites. Kind of funny and nice at the same time.

Day 21: 17 FEB
Cool picture of me with an old Russian tank. I think I have written about this but the Russians basically left, and some even got stranded and killed here back in the late 1980s. This base was and is still somewhat a mess from all of the old vehicles, tanks, and planes that they left. That tank is here along with a few jets. We have done a decent job of cleaning up but you ought to see the country side especially down in Kabul. War and its after affects have a very eerie feeling. Maybe it is all the death that goes with it that lingers…… DO NOT MAIL ME ANYTHING AS I LISTED MY ADDRESS BACK THEN BUT AM LEAVING SOON!!!

Day 22 – 29: Late FEB
This was my first trip to Kabul and am awesome one. Tons of pictures and a pretty good entry. CHECK THIS OUT.

MARCH

Day 40: 6 MAR
Pictures of me and Peter king from Sports Illustrated and the old Queens castle that I got to explore. That was one hell of an experience.

Being built in the 1920s

Ravaged by continuous war and dilapidating in 2008

Day 46: 12 MAR
I went on a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) mission where we leave Bagram early in the morning on a convoy and visit a local village. Pictures and story are here and this is another GREAT ONE TO READ. I should note that we lost an Airman in May on one of these as they hit an IED. Makes me thank God it was not my day to leave this world.

Day 56: 22 MAR
I outline this crazy and long convoy I went on down near Pakistan as I was out on a trip to a Forward Operating Base. Pictures can be seen on the next days post.

Day 61: 27 MAR
I call Hillary Clinton a bad word.

Day 64: 30 MAR
I take it back as my staunch democrat and HUGE Hillary Clinton supporting grandmother is in a frenzy about it. (In retrospect I ended up being right because she campaigned too long, did not yield when she should have, and now got herself in to all of this debt… Pride cometh before the fall)

APRIL

Day 66: 1 APR
I talk about a ceremony that I reside over for those Air Force members getting promoted in April.

Day 76: 11 APR
IF YOU READ ONE ENTRY IT MUST BE THIS ONE. THAT DAY MY LIFE CHANGED AND THE PICTURES, VIDEO, AND ENTRY SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. AMERICANS HAVE IT SO GOOD!

Day 84: 19 APR
I talk about show the stories I shot down at ISAF in Kabul where all of the international troops are based out of.

Day 86 : 21 APR
I post pictures of me interviewing (4 stars folks!) GEN McNeill. You can see the edited newscast of that by clicking here.

Day 92: 27 APR
I post about getting pissed off at work along with some other personal stuff. I do however give an address for a place you can send clothes and all. All of the information is there so if you are looking for how you can help this entry is the one with that information.

May

Day 96: 1 May
I talk about the Airman who passes away and the Afghan guy at the chow hall. I need to get my picture with him as he always says hi to me now. I think I will do that today.

Day 99: 4 May
Rainbow day. Where I come from that means God will never flood the earth again but I have personally seen it used other ways like in West LA! Anyway awesome rainbow over the base with pictures to show it.

Day 103: 8 May
My willingness to go off base comes into question as I outline the illogical part of WANTING TO GO off base. That day pissed me off and still bothers me as I rarely question my fellow service members and do not expect it from them. O well those guys are long gone so…

Day 100: 15 May
I post a video form the Ultimate Warrior who is on the comeback trail. Met him when he was at PSU in 2003 and I also note on this day that’s it’s been 4 years since I graduated college. I have been out as long as I was in. Damn does time fly.

Day 115: 20 May
Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders. Good morale builder. LOL

Day 120: 25 May
Me with survivors from the hit TV show and also a preview of my trip to Qatar.

Day 124: 29 May
Trip to Qatar outlined.

JUNE

Day 128: 2 JUN
Pictures of me in Qatar. Hottest Place I have ever been and a reminder that if hell is what popular belief dictates; I will pass.

Day 129: 3 JUN
Talk about the Pens in the Stanley Cup finals and my feelings on alcohol consumption. (I am PSU grad so I think we know where I stand there.)

Day 133: 7 JUN
I meet 7’6’ former NBA star Shawn Bradley.

Day 137: 11 JUN
If you like Howard Stern and/or stories on one’s gastro intestinal issues this is for you. If not keeping on moving.

Day 140: 14 JUN
My day with Brian Williams from NBC nightly news.

Day 145: 19 JUN
Yet another run in with the chain of command issue here in the military!

The rest of June and July are recent enough that you can scan back through.

The 4th of July (DAY 160)

2008-07-04T19:28:00.001+02:00

Just another day here and things are really starting to heat up out there. Nothing I can talk about on here but… Unfortunately this morning show routine has got me dead tired by 10PM now. I have off tomorrow and will post a long one then as you will have to wait one more day to find out what I got cooking. I recorded the first hour of my show today and will try to somehow post that as well.

Everyone have a HAPPY 4th of JULY as the only day in the July that matters to me this year is the one which I safely land in Germany. Take care.

THE RETURN (DAY 158)

2008-07-02T15:46:00.001+02:00

Well I have not talked to my parents so that portion of my rant is still true and even that will cease for a day when I call my Dad on his 50th birthday next week. I would be a complete _______ not to call on that day.

Anyway much like Michael Jordan, The Ultimate Warrior, Mario Lemieux, and I hope eventually Guns n Roses… All great things must make a comeback. I was actually enjoying not posting anymore but got an email from someone who encouraged me to do so. He was not someone I was expecting to hear from but did anyway. He’s got a ton of people behind him as we are all a part of this crazy group.

I will post more on Friday as I want to write a nice post on the 4th of July. Stop back for all of the great details. Take care.

Mended Wings

2008-06-29T16:12:00.002+02:00

I was not going to post anymore but then I read THIS. A Clarion county kid 19 years old got blown up here about a month ago. His Mom keeps her blog here. They are trying to raise money here. I could not help to pass this along as my life here is heaven compared to what she and her son are now going through in TX. While I am still down about the below things I know I have nothing to complain about when young soldiers like this leave Afghanistan the way they do.

BLOG Finale

2008-06-28T23:18:00.002+02:00

Well I thought about not posting or saying anything anymore about my Mom and Dad but I am over my limits and am now going to unleash. What I am about to write and post for the world to see is my raw views, and feelings after 25 some odd years of dealing with this crap.

I sit here tonight typing maybe as depressed and down as I have been since being on this deployment. Its not because I miss Michelle, its not because I have had some health issues and stress that challenge me daily, its not because I worry about my sister and her issues, its not because every time I hear 2 or 3 jets take off I know people are going to probably die, its not because I know I will probably have to see more American covered caskets roll by knowing only may be a head or legs are in the caskets, its not because I see little Afghan kids wave at me when I drive on the other side of the base knowing they have little chance for many of the normal things many Americans take for granted, and its not because I am away from my friends and family whom I love very much; it is because I have two parents who, for whatever reason, will not move on in their lives.

I am proud to be a Joswiak and a Davies. Proud to have two parents who are extremely talented and skilled in their own ways. Proud to be from Pittsburgh where they are from and where they had me. Proud to be raised by them learning right from wrong, good from bad, love, compassion, dedication, hard work, humor, spirituality, and so on. Proud to know that the life I lead is one they can be proud of. And proud to say that I always have and will always try to honor them as it is written.

But tonight I am utterly disgusted and will not honor their hostility towards each other. The truth is that when your second marriage to each other started to fail you also lost sight of your role as parents because you were at each other’s throats so much. Fast forward 8 years later and now Robin has her issues and a little baby girl is stuck in the middle of it all. Robin has made her choices but if there are two people in this world she needs now more than ever it is you two. Let me say this one more time YOU WERE AND ARE BOTH WRONG!!!!!!!!

Mom you need to let go of your anger and bitterness. Dad you need to stop cursing people and instead pray for them. Robin needs you two and so does Emma. Your continued strife and possible legal issues solve nothing. Grow up, move on, and leave me out of it. I have exhausted talking, suggesting, caring, and trying to mediate. I am done for the time being.

I am leading my own life and doing ok I suppose. I was hoping that coming to Afghanistan would allow me to escape these issues but obviously that has not occurred. With that being said I am no longer writing in this blog because it has turned into and led to more bickering between my parents. I am also not calling either of them or corresponding electronically until I get back to Germany. Rob is taking himself out of the equation in hopes that the parents he loves will come to their senses, quit saying God this and God that for God is probably not happy with either of you . Its time for the focus to be on Robin and Emma.

I want to thank everyone for reading my posts and encourage you to email me if you need to know anything. psujozz@yahoo.com I want to take this last month to myself. Michelle will be the only one I talk with. I need to just let go of everything so that I can leave this forsaken land the same way I came to it. Thanks again everyone and take care.

Sincerely,

Robert Herbert Joswiak

DAY 154: 28 JUN 08

2008-06-28T14:51:00.001+02:00

Well today’s going away was short and sweet for me. The chili made by the reservist I mentioned was good from what I hear. I could not eat it because it had jalapenos in it. None the less I was there maybe 1.5 hours and then came back and slept for 4 hours.

I got up early today to shoot some videos for the Pittsburgh Pirates. We did game intros for the jumbo-tron using Air Force members form the 911th Airlift Reserve Wing there in Pittsburgh. It was awesome to be able to speak some Pittsburghese and hear similar mentalities. Boy are Pittsburghers very much alike. It’s very crazy to think about.

Anyway I am sad to see the first part of my crew go. With the exception of the 2 Marines who overlap the AF crews half way between, I am the only one staying back for the last 3 weeks from the news office. We are getting a bunch of Pizza and snacks tonight, cleaning the station and maybe watching a movie. I look for it to be some real fun and will take pictures of the event.

I am officially in operation Stealth Mode. Monday I start the morning show which means I will be into work around 5:30AM or 9 PM EST. I will probably head to the gym each day around 1 or 2 PM and then call it a day. The least I have to do with the new crew the better. Its nothing against them but the sooner they get use to not having me the easier it will be once I am gone. The girl replacing me is a Public Affairs airman, which means she is a writer and will stay in the print office and work on the magazine.

I have to work on some paperwork tomorrow and hand in on Monday to get my flight arrangements out of here. Even once I know when I am leaving I cannot post it here. I will try to be as general about it, but either way I should be back to Germany the third week of July.

For whatever reason the Pentagon Channel did not post our newscast from yesterday. It has been real windy here so maybe the feed was not good enough. I should know something on that by Monday.

Last but not least I want to publicly say that I will not longer be taking sides between my Mother and Father. While I do lean one way or another in certain areas, it is time for me to rid myself of the situation. Hopefully Robin can get better and take Emma to see my Dad more often. Being in Afghanistan (or Germany for that matter) I can do nothing to help any of the stuff they complain about so I am done with it. The funny part is that both Darryl and Shelly tell them to not say certain things to me, and yet it continues. Never did I think the day would come that those two would really be the ones I side with, but there it is. I love you both but have no need to be in between anymore. Either some type of adult, simplistic relationship will forge itself allowing certain things to be worked out, or your thoughts and feelings about each other will fester and bounce around in your own minds. Either way I am done.

Well I got to head to work so everyone continue to enjoy their weekend. Michelle leaves today for Germany so I will be anxious to call her at our place in Germany once she hopefully arrives safe sometime tomorrow. Good day.

DAY 153: 27 JUN 08

2008-06-27T13:21:00.002+02:00

Well another good Air Force day. I am not usually as cheesy and happy about being an Airman but today I walked away proud.

So this morning I went in and got ready to anchor only before having to go to yet another fallen comrade ceremony. 4 American flag covered caskets roll by as I salute and its like a knife into your heart for the first one and a little turn for each subsequent one.

I went back up and anchored and did a terrible job. My mind was just not there, but while I have developed some type of immunity to those ceremonies, at my core they still shake me.

Well then for lunch we got to meet with a 3 Star General who is basically in charge of all of the Airman who are filling ILO (In lieu of) taskings for the Army, like me. It was a small group and boy did some issues come up about various problems we have. I introduced myself and only asked about the crappy combat skills training that I got at Ft. Dix. He was super nice and made me feel proud to be an Airman.

I have promised myself that I will not go off on an Army tangent here but this is exactly why the Air Force is the supreme service in my view. Our leaders make a concerted effort to hear issues from the people doing the work. Not from some report a lieutenant hands over because they are too good to talk to a private (low ranking enlisted person). I came back from the lunch and saw this one guy that has the same exact job as me in the Army and asked him if he would ever be able to meet, greet, and have lunch with an Army 3 Star. He said “O hello no.”

Anyway I had a good lunch and then came back to work and sent the feed up. I am actually writing quite early today because I want to post this, go do the sports show, and then relax.

So we are having this BBQ tomorrow and this one Master sergeant reservist who works with us thinks she is the stuff because she works for AFN. I never have got that because until I am freaking Brian Williams or John Stewart, I am a nobody. Anyway she sends out an email saying to pick stuff up from the dining facility tonight so she can cook and serve 140 people, most of whom she invited.

Now first of all this is a going away for OUR people. Second of all we do not need the Army (101st Airborne Division) barging in on us as they do a good enough job of that without invitation. Instead of having a unit meeting and seeing what everyone thinks, she just went ahead and decided to invite all of her ‘friends’ (AKA smoking buddies).

Well apparently there was some backlash as people were pissed about people from outside of our unit being invited. I could care less because at this juncture I will go, watch, eat, and not say a word. I did however fire a funny comment to our station commander saying that I invited some of my local national Afghan friends who would be hungry for some BBQ after cleaning the toilets. He laughed and walked out of the room knowing that the general consensus was a going away should be some thing intimate for us and genuine to those who are leaving. O well I am sure my after action report of this fiasco will be just as entertaining as the preview.

Now onto the tight rope walking of Dad’s dirty laundry policy. I see that after a little hiatus dad posted only to be followed by Mom’s daily post. Well let’s take care of the White Elephant in the room. It is my view that no matter feelings for the other person, a mother, father, grandmother, grandfather should be able to see their son, daughter, grandson, or granddaughter. (Unless the law has dictated otherwise for good reason) While Robin should be the main point of contact here, since it is her child, I DO think Mom should find some way for Dad to see Emma. Judge Wapner rules in favor of the plaintiff.

If I were home I would try to help the situation, but at this point I can only hope and pray that Robin gets healthy and makes an effort to see Dad and take Emma with her. I will say no more on this matter as I am in Afghanistan and can do absolutely 100% nothing about it.

Well as far as reenlisting if I were offered the Pentagon Channel it would be mighty enticing to say the least. I am not sure about the deploy ability of that slot but reaching, what I feel is the height of military broadcasting, would be awesome! Also only being 4 hours from PGH and 3 from NJ, would make it hard to pass up. O yeah I would then qualify for this new GI Bill they just passed today.

I am trying to track down the details on it but it would REALLY help me in trying to get a PhD or Law degree. Anyway I guess that’s it for today. Word is our replacements may not be here until late, late July but I will remain hopeful until the official word comes down. Everyone have a great weekend and as always thanks for reading.

NO NEWSCAST AVAILABLE TODAY WILL POST TOMORROW

So while I went and did the sports show and waited for the embed code to come up I found out some real gruesome stuff about the 4 that went past me today. This is a sick world. The enemy here is VERY real. Good night

DAY 152: 26 JUN 08

2008-06-26T16:16:00.006+02:00

Well today did not start off well as Michelle and I kind of got into it early this morning when I was not sleeping well. It was totally my fault as I miss her so much I jumped about basically nothing. I called her when she was on her way to work and got a little bit of the cold shoulder. Everything will be fine I just need to get through these 20 odd days or so.

On the up note things at work went well today. I went in and anchored the newscast which you can see at the bottom. Then I had my radio show from 10:30 to 2:30 at which point I took the time to clean the studio and put ALL of the CDs away. Aside from music CDs we have production CDs that have music, and other elements that we use to produce commercial/ ad spots. Its more announcements because obviously we do not have product spots which are annoying anyway (satellite radio does not have them and that is it's main angle). Anyway I got all of them away and some even rearranged as well. With the new crew coming in this weekend I figured it would be a nice thing to do. We are having what is called a GI party on Saturday night where we all get together at work and clean. We are going to get some pizza and probably watch a movie as well.

I want to side step here for a moment and mention something that I rarely talk about. For those who do not know after I graduated college I started working for long time running top 40 station B 94 in Pittsburgh. Not as a DJ but as a sales person. It was after some training and guidance from the late Mr. Bob Zimmerman, that I would try to do broadcast sales instead of broadcasting itself. Well I worked there almost 3 months that summer, and never sold one spot (advertisement), but in my defense also saw them switch from top 40 to Rock because they were getting Howard Stern. I remember having a meeting with this executive from WYSP in Philadelphia who was there to pump us up to sell Howard Stern, telling me he is main stream and all of this BS. I disagreed and voiced my opinion as usual. Anyway the situation went flop totally. I think there were at least 4 of us who quit by September, Stern left for satellite radio the following spring, the stations ratings hit an all time low, and management after everyone tried telling them, brought back B 94 a couple of years later. Pittsburghers do not like change and this was the main reason. I also found that my boss, who was a nice guy but full of BS about our product and its rates, is now a general manager for a little group of stations in West Virginia.

Basically broadcasting is not broadcasting any more but narrow casting as Mr. Zimmerman said. With corporate conglomerates ruling most sales industries, no sales person can make a decent wage anymore selling air time. Not to mention the listener/ viewership is so segmented now it is crazy. Think about how many niche channels and stations you have now a days. The days of having 3 channels and everyone watching the same stuff are over. Because of that all advertisings, salaries, and even fame are skewed within this industry of broadcasting which I love. Eventually we will all have TVs with computers in them and the internet and television programming will almost be one. We are half way there.

I mention all of this because as I sat there sorting CDs today in the studio, I had to admit to myself that even though I am in Afghanistan, I am in a much better place in my life than I was in Pittsburgh PA the summer of 2004. I feel like I found a broadcasting cove with what I am doing. I am very thankful for my life right now but just miss Michelle so much right now.

So anyway while I am on air I notice that the same full bag of garbage is sitting in the print office where I was originally assigned at the beginning of this deployment. My direct supervisor was pissed because it was there for 3 days with no signs of anyone taking it out. After I put a song on I went into the news room and started acting like a news reporter live on the scene of this ‘Garbage stand off.’ Basically all of these guys did not want to take it out so it sat there for 3 days. Well after my show my supervisor told me he wanted me to do my live reporting impression so we could produce it as a joke and send it to them in order to motivate them to take out the garbage. Absolutely hilarious in my opinion. Thank God for YouTube…

Well they ended up taking it out!

Promotion rates for E7 and E6 came out today and the few people whose name I was looking for were not on the list. I was very surprised because I thought my supervisor in Germany would have made it after getting a purple heart last year in Iraq. O well what can you do but try next year. They release the names and scores pertinent to me around August 15th. Hopefully once I get back and test for E 5 (Staff Sergeant) I will know sometime by October.

Making Staff for me is not about being a sergeant (the jump from Airman to Sergeant is HUGE) as is it about having more options for assignments once it comes time to reenlist (assuming I decide to do that). Anyway that was the big news today.

I need to go eat and then call Michelle so that’s it for today. I hope you enjoy the prank news reporting and real newscast. Today is our version of dirty jobs so if you like the tv show then you make like our version. Ok take care and thanks for reading.

DAY 151: 25 JUN 08

2008-06-25T21:45:00.000+02:00

Felt like crap today after work so I took a 4 hour nap. Woke up feeling even worse but after some soup and a rare aspirin for me, I am feeling ok. Germany is playing Turkey in the Euro Cup 2008 Semi Finals and boy do I wish I were back in Germany for that. I also found out I would be missing my favorite Chicken festival near us in Germany. O well I will be back soon enough.

Michelle flys out this weekend but got some bad news today. Her grandma fell early this morning and broke her hip. She is strong and healthy enough though that she is having a partial hip replacement today. I hope that goes well.

Replacements get here this weekend sometime as my crew leaves early next week. They got here early January so it is time to go for them. Thanks it for tonight. I anchor tomorrow so I will be sure to post that. Take care.

DAY 150: 24 JUN 08

2008-06-24T21:35:00.001+02:00

Well nothing major to report. We saw the first guy off today which means the rest of the first crew is soon to leave. We have a farewell this weekend and a little cook out. Work pace is good right now but for some reason I am sleeping 7 to 9 PM and then 1 to 7AM.

Anyway talked to Michelle and my Mom on the webcam tonight which was nice. It seems Robin is a place that is trying to help her. I will have more on that as it materializes. I also talked to an old college buddy. Nice to reminisce but kind of old hat in other ways.

It looks like this new GI Bill is getting passed which will really give me incentive to reenlist once back in Germany. What would be ideal is to get the Pentagon Channel as my next assignment and be in the DC area allowing me to get home MUCH more often.

Well its after 1AM so I need to hit the hay. I am anchoring on Thursday and Friday so we shall see. O last but not least I promise not to mention any more bathroom or bathroom related stories. I will think of those as classified much like some of the war stuff I never talk about. Good night.

DAY 149: 23 JUN 08

2008-06-23T19:25:00.006+02:00

I apologize up front for not posting over the weekend. I will say though that going from day 144 to day 149 is very motivating as that means I am at 30 days left! That’s assuming we leave here right on 179 so we shall see.

Well I rested quite a bit on Saturday and also studied for E 5 which I will test for within 60 days of retuning to Germany. Sunday I was up some weird hours shooting these Ultimate Fighters who came to Bagram and then they watched a live fight with service members which was broadcast live from Las Vegas on Spike TV. They cut live to the service members like one time during the broadcast. I ended up making a package out of it because yet again the Army has little expertise in how to run public affairs (or at least the 101st airborne division - In my humble opinion). They truly are soldiers first and everything else second which explains their lack of attention to detail which is pounded into your head as an Airman. It seems in today’s day and age the Army and Air Force are really butting heads even at the highest levels of command. Anyway today was a good day which I will write about at length.

Well for starters I had to finish this UFC package which I was up until midnight working on anyway. I changed the script last minute this morning and added a few more shots to bring the standard up to at least an acceptable level according to my own quality demands. Then at about 11:30 the day picked up as the St. Louis Rams Cheerleaders came into the studio.

Its not so much that I find every cheerleader hot or whatever, its just the fact that I get to interview and meet them before all of the people on base go see them tonight. They are actually performing right now on base for probably a packed house. They asked me if I was going to watch them and I said yes, as I usually do, but after my mid evening nap I was just not in the mood to walk down there plus I was long overdue for this post. They signed autographs, posed for that picture and voiced a few liners which I will get to in a second. In short a guy like me has to realize how lucky he is to be paid to interview people like them when everyone else on base has to take their own time to go see them. Its days like this I thank God that I have it so good.

Well Mondays are usually a good day anyway because the ‘New Hampshire Radio Child’, SGT Mark Decker, comes in as a volunteer to do the afternoon show on Mondays. He follows me at 2:30 which usually means we talk from 1:30 until I am done on air at 2:30. Let’s go over some background of Mr. Decker. He is 32 years old, been in the Army about 8 years, is married to a Mexican-American woman 10 years his senior who has 5 kids (only 2 still left in the nest) , and is trying to adopt their 5 year old bi-racial child (6th kid) but cannot because he is never home due to deployments to get the paperwork squared away. The child was born in an extra martial affair to a fellow Army couple back at his base in the States, so he and his wife decided to take the child but have yet to finalize the paperwork. His wife has extensive health issues, and they both have struggled money wise in their life. The guy has a job in the Army he really does not like and a supervisor who does not like him for his uniqueness and slightly off center intelligence. (Mark and I pictured below)

Well let me tell you this guy LOVES radio. You know life is good when a guy who works 7 days a week and gets only 6 extra hours off a week comes over to your job and volunteers to go on air. He does have radio experience from his home state of New Hampshire which makes for a very funny and unique show. I love talking to him because while you could not pay me enough to be in his shoes, his outlook is unparalleled to the point that he literally inspires me.

So today Chris shows up at the studios with this spray bottle of stuff that is supposedly able to keep you up for a total of 80 hours. It’s a vitamin spray that you spray below your tongue and hold for 30 seconds. His wife sent it to him, as sometimes in order to do the show he has to stay up to lengths of 30 hours because he works a night shift. Anyway he is all happy about this and shows me the daily nutritional value which included 3333% of vitamin B 12 among others. I am a little leery of it but figure why not. While I do antagonize him once in a while I am always sincere and in this case it meant doing some sprays. He said 5 at a time are the suggestion, but again I was leery so I only did 3.

It had one hell of a tart taste for which I could not hold so I swallowed it immediately, and then chased it with some water. Well about 10 minutes later I felt the need to move my bowels which seemed to come out of nowhere. While I had just ate lunch I was surprised at this development. I asked him if he had experienced any gastro intestinal changes since employing this spray to which he replied not really.

‘Mark watch the board (what we use to play music on air) I need to use the restroom’ I quickly said. So I go downstairs and out to the metal container we call a bathroom. Now usually I would not go into great detail about this but after my situation almost 2 weeks ago I have to report the polar opposite.

I do not know what that spray did but I sat down and released an absolute crowd pleaser. (That term comes from the book ‘What’s your Poo Telling You’ which we have in the news room and is a MUST read). I cannot remember the last time I released such a barge of that caliber. Anyway at that point I thought to myself where the hell was this spray a couple weeks back when my system seemed to be on strike? None the less I finished up, washed my hands, and went back to the studio almost stunned from the excursion.

When I got back I of course had to share the experience with Mark because 1. He gave me that damn spray which I theorize helped lead to such an award winning movement and 2. The things he and I talk about run the gambit from God, Politics, the military, and yes even the occasional poo. (Hey you come here for 6 months and subject yourself to strict rules, work all of the time, and the same routine and see what types of things you are talking about or thinking about. This post is very uncouth but my aim here is to give you a real life deployment experience and not sugar coat things which would is worse than being a little disgusting in my view.)

Now I knew the cheerleaders were coming in today so I asked my supervisor if I could go live with Mark for the first hour of his show. It was OKed so I was excited. When these sports related people come in I usually have them voice a liner saying ‘Hey we are _______ and you are listening to Rob and Steve on the Sports Zone here in Afghanistan’. We play them during our show Friday nights which helps make the show a little more reputable. We did the same thing at my student radio station at PSU. Anyway so I have the cheerleaders voice one for Chris. Once he goes live at 2:30 I run into the other studio and produce the 15 second liner with Nelly’s song Pimp Juice as the bed. I tell Chris I am going to surprise him live on air.

When I come back into the studio I notice a real bad smell so I ask him if he has flatulence to which he replies yes and adds that maybe there is something about that spray. I open the window and tell him I cannot deal with that if he does it again. Its almost time for us to go live together so I can debut his liner so we get ready.

So at about 3 PM we go live and just as I am about to talk I smell what I would label as level 9 potency. It hit me like a ton of bricks to the point where I was having trouble breathing and in turn talking while live on air! I have no other option but to laugh and ask him if he broke wind while live! He starts laughing and replies yes at which point I composed myself, thanked him for volunteering his time and then played his liner which he absolutely got a kick out of.

As soon as we play the next song and are off of the air I get some air freshener in the next room and bomb him. I ask him what his deal is and he replies that yes maybe there is something about that spray and that he had been doing more sprays when I was not in the studio. At this point he is really laughing and I just reply that I will not be able to work under these conditions.

I go back into the news room and do some work. I see the one Staff Sergeant (Jason) who is always ticking and tacking me but is my friend and lives next to me here in the B hut. He is leaving soon so I say let’s get a picture. Well as we walk out into the hallway, since he has heard about Mark's raiding of the radio studio he opens the door to say something to Mark at which point I say ‘I would not’. Before I could finish my sentence the gas hit Jason like a wall of stench. Mark had continued dowsing the radio studio in the time that I left. Jason quickly shut the door and then we got the picture seen below.

I had a decent dinner tonight and then caught a nap which made me feel good. Last week was very tiring so I think I am still catching up. We are having a cook out this weekend to say goodbye to the first portion of our crew as they leave next week and their replacements are due in this weekend. I am a little sad to see them go but know my time to leave nears.

I thank God each day as we had another fallen comrade ceremony this past weekend. It was for a Polish troop. This month is the first time since both wars have been going on that Afghanistan’s death toll is higher than Iraq’s.

Anyway that’s about it. I need to head back to work for a bit. I hope this post made you laugh a little and know that I am hanging in there. I will try to post more regularly than a 5 day gap. Take care and as always thanks for reading.

DAY 145: 19 JUN 08

2008-06-19T18:01:00.003+02:00

OK where do I begin? Well for starters I am in a much better mood, mindset, and manner. I will back track to Saturday and then hop my way back to today.

Saturday night I went out to a remote part of base that is only allowed to those who work there. Since I was ‘working’ there that night I was allowed. Some could debate that its kind of off base but its still inside the fence so... None the less I went out late to shoot a bomb building piece. A night turn crew builds the bombs that they load on planes. So I go out there and have a ball doing this story as some of the crew were reservists on a 40 day stint so they were elated to have me there. In the mean time I am shooting the story and the one older reservist master sergeant walks over to me and says hey we got some stuff in the area so be aware. I cannot go into full detail as to what he said or what he told me to watch out for but lets just say war stuff. So as I continue to shoot video I have in the back of my mind that I may actually see some crap while ON BASE. Anyway so as I am talking to the one Staff Sergeant he tells me that they are scared out there building at night as there is a real live threat. I on the other hand live and work exactly caddy corner as far away on base as possible. I then proceed to tell him about my trips off base and all of a sudden he is amazed.

At that point it hit me. How much we as service members go off base and risk our asses is all relative. You could do it once or 200 times and you just never know. Each branch of the service and each job within those branches are different so it just all depends. So looking back on the news room discussions about who goes off, and who doesn’t, and who is scared and who isn’t: just rolled right off of my back. I came here, having been doing my job both on base and off when needed and pray that I return safe next month. I may have only been off about 12 times or 13 times but to me the number does not matter. 1 to 200 is the same as it only takes 1 time to hit an IED and meet the Big Man. Now on the other hand you will never ever hear me brag about being mister war because that would be an utter exaggeration and BS and an insult to the guys who have been out 200 times. There must be a balance.

Anyway I must be honest about something here. The night I went out there I was hot and sweating all day so I decided to wear my flight suit. It’s the big brown jump suit you have seen me in pictures wearing. My reasons for doing this included the heat, the possibility of getting dirty, being near the fight line where many workers wear it, and just flat out wanting too. Now technically it is only for use when we go off base in convoys since it is fire retardant but I figured its late at night, no big deal. When I was leaving the office I saw our station commander and out of respect and consideration asked him if I could wear it as I told him where I was going and he said no problem. That ended up kind of saving me.

Before I left that night I did a stand up where I talked about the story and then said goodbye. Well today they aired the story, which you can see in the newscast below, and the one staff sergeant who is on me about all the little things comes in and says “And you were wearing your flight suit because?” I replied that I had permission and that I thought I might get dirty. Now technically I was right but he knew I was walking the tight rope on that one. I went and asked my direct supervisor and he said he did not care but the on camera stand up was what brought it up. None the less this tick for tack game is what later gave way in the week.

Sunday I slept in and then went to work. I stayed up all that night doing my laundry and watching Rocco and Tiger battle it out. Of course at about 5:30AM our time Monday morning Tiger hits the putt on 18 to send it to a 18 hole playoff the next day. I came back got like 2 hours of sleep and got to work at about 9:10AM. I was tired as well all day and conked out at 9PM Monday night before waking up and making it to work at about yet again 9:10AM.

Tuesday brought with it some uproar. My routine is to go in at about 9 AM do some stuff and then go live on air at 10:30 to 2:30. Once I come off air it is my job to send the feed up which entails calling Atlanta and make sure they get us locked in on the satellite to receive our feed. That’s how we get it back to the states. After that I usually produce radio news, check my email, work on spots or other news pieces. Well this week they are training the one marine, who I at first had run ins with, on how to produce/ edit the daily newscast so he can show the next crew. Well it is a hard task and takes time but not almost 6 hours like it took his first day. None the less by 2:30 the feed was not ready and I was getting mad because I got dragged into it when my sole responsibility is to take the tape and get it rolling on the machine that sends it via satellite. Here we are all bickering about it, all stressed out, so finally I ask Atlanta what other time they can take our feed and agree to doing it later. 30 minutes later they finally get the feed onto tape good and one of the other guys sent it up at 5 PM. Once that was done everyone left and I kept working as this has been a long ass week for me.

So there I am all pissed off because the one Staff Sergeant who I get along with 90% of the time, but its always ticking and tacking me, leaves once the newscast is done to go to the gym at about 3 PM. As I am writing a script the E 8, our station commander strolls in and asks how I am and all. Now he is a real nice guy and I am always very upbeat in my conversation with him so he immediately notices my demeanor and asks what’s up. BAD TIMING. Unfortunately for me he did not realize that it was Rob blowing off steam to his first name versus SrA to SMSgt. None the less I make a few brief comments and they end up making my supervisor look bad for not handling it between he and I. My bad. Later that night we get an email from my/ our supervisor about having to be at work daily from 8 to 4:30 daily.

Next day I come in and am working on my story and ask the one SSgt who leaves daily at 3 to send the feed up. He says yeah I might as well since I have to be here until 4:30. And then the major uproar ensued! He and the marine (its funny how they work together on me but then knock heads later in the same day) just start going off on me about how I jumped my chain of command, and need to get out of the Air Force, and all of this. I made a few rebuttals but they were pissed because while yes I did not use my chain of command directly, and am wrong, I made them have to hang around longer than they prefer. I will say they do go to the gym and do come back but not much is done on the back side of that coming back.

What really sucked though was my direct supervisor, who I absolutely love working for, felt betrayed and like he made no progress with me about the whole chain of command thing. Then he made the comment that really took me down. He said I have never had such a problem with someone not getting the two simplest things in the military down: being on time and the chain of command. Now I will plead guilty on my allegiance to the latter but being on time when I am AT WORK ALL OF THE TIME really hurt me. We all work a ton of hours and a flexible schedule so this one made me feel like a piece of _____. By the time this barrage was over it was about time for me to head to the studio for my show.

I literally sat in the studio the whole 4 hours and thought about all of the stuff that was said to me and how I felt about myself. I was defeated in so many ways at that point I cannot relate. I finished the show and went into the news room clearly rejected. As I waited for the one marine to get off of the computer that we share the E 6 came in and said hey what the heck is a matter you look like hell. I replied with something very weak and uncharacteristic at which point he said lets go talk in my office.

We talked for probably a good 30 minutes and man was it good. I got it all off of my chest and was able to refocus. He explained so much to me, gave me so much advice, and really set me straight. Whether I like it or not I must yield to the chain of command and will. I commend him for being a good NCO but more intuitively, being able to understand ROB.

I got a great night’s sleep last night, got up got a shower, shaved, checked my personal email, and then went to work and had a killer day. I am refocused and ready to knock out these last 35 days or so. I cannot predict the future but if I had to say there was a turning point in my AF career that conversation yesterday very well may have been it.

Everyone was in a good mood today and things went real smooth. 3 of us agreed to see how much we could bench press and today was the day. I promised 175 and delivered while the one big SSgt, who can get at least 205 up, was not feeling well so had some troubles today. Finally the guy that gave me the great talk put up about 210. He got 205 with no issues so I will give him 210. The amazing part is that he only weighs about 150 or so. I am about 162 so 175 is good for me but 150ish putting up 205 is impressive.

On a future note I am doing a story at the hospital on base tomorrow along with a profile of a Oakland Raiders Cheerleader who is deployed here as a service member. Don’t worry Michelle I find you more attractive and hers are fake anyway. I should not type that because I have only seen a picture of her and the fake part is news room conjecture which we all know is just a bunch of deployed males shooting their mouths off.

I am not sure if anyone saw it but it looks like that new GI Bill is going to be passed. I have yet to get the final details but depending upon the incentives, the odds of me reenlisting may have just gone up. If I do another enlistment I get the GI Bill and that would allow me enough time to finish my masters on the AF’s dime. Then I am set to get a PhD or God forbid a law degree! WORLD LOOK OUT!

Anyway enjoy the newscast with my bomb building story. Everyone have a great night and thanks for reading.

DAY 144: 18 JUN 08

2008-06-18T18:30:00.002+02:00

I am beat again today after not so much of a great day. I will try to post at length this weekend as I should have plenty of time Saturday. Too tired and scatter brained to say any more tonight.

Picture of what they call a little spider here. We trapped it in a ammo box Saturday night while I was on a shoot. I will talk about that more later.

DAY 143: 17 JUN 08

2008-06-17T17:00:00.000+02:00

Ehh I guess I am hitting yet again another wall hopefully my last. I just feel like I have a ways to go yet with the first part of our crew leaving July 2. Anyway there are people who are here for 15 months so I need to shut up. Speaking of soldiers…

Mom I am not a Soldier I am an Airman! Your father was a Sailor and the real hard asses are Marines. We all work towards the say goals and fight the same fight but we are VERY different. Anyway glad you enjoyed the last few posts and had a good weekend. I am again tired although I sacked in for 11.5 hours last night. I think I am just becoming tired/ worn down in general. I cannot wait to get back to Michelle. Although I have heard things at my work in Germany stink right now. We shall see how that goes.

That’s all I really have for today. I know I promised more but I want to get a shower and finish the 5 love languages book so I can give it back to a co worker. Good night for tonight.

DAY 142: 16 JUN 08

2008-06-16T16:21:00.003+02:00

Well I am toast but pushing through so I can fall asleep around 9PM and get back on track. I stayed up all last night and watched Tiger hit that putt on 18 to send it to a sudden death match today. Now after doing my laundry all night I will not have the energy to watch Rocco try to beat Tiger. O well that’s life.

I am beat so this will be short on words and big on media. I will write a book tomorrow. The newscast has my piece in it about Brian Williams. You can see the pictures below as well. The last picture is of me in the field probably back in early March. I recently found it and thought you might enjoy. OK well I need to post this, go back to work and finish something and then hit the hay. Have a good night.

DAY 141: 15 JUN 08

2008-06-15T22:17:00.003+02:00

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

I need to do laundry, make some calls, and watch the US Open so I will be brief tonight and long tomorrow. I talked to my Dad today and it was a nice conversation.

He reported that Zach’s wedding went well, was wonderful, and that Robin made it. While I could not be there this was the next best thing. Dad also reported that Uncle Ricky turned on the after burners which is a good sign as I remember my Dad doing the same thing when I graduated from PSU in 2004. We shall see if PSU strikes senior again next year at my wedding. And I hope next year we can repeat the experience in State College with Uncle Joe and Aunt Rhonda completing the full 6 siblings. Anyway Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Senft!

My sleep schedule is all off because I shot a bomb building piece last night and had some real fun. I have been going to bed at like 3 AM each day so we shall see what I am worth tomorrow. The Brian Williams piece and pictures will be posted tomorrow. I also found a good one of me in the field which I think you will enjoy. Ok well off to do laundry and enjoy watching local western PA boy Rocco Mediate beat Tiger in the US Open!

Dad I love you and just want to air my clean laundry by saying: Happy Father’s Day!

DAY 140: 14 JUN 08

2008-06-14T16:24:00.001+02:00

Well Friday the 13th definitely was a night mare for some. I did not post yesterday because I was up until 4 AM my time or 7:30 PM your time. Death seems to be all around me and I hate it. Fallen comrade ceremonies and then NBC comes to focus on Afghanistan and the war and what happens? Tim Russert dies. I will start from the beginning.

I slept in yesterday until about 11AM my time as I was still recovering from my stomach ailment. I am happy to report that I am back to almost 100% there. I went into work and checked on a few things to get ready for the Brian Williams piece. We had an interesting debate in the news room about some military related stuff which I enjoyed. Sometimes I have to watch myself but none the less I had the guys laughing which ultimately keeps the morale up and my mind working. I set out to the entry control point (ECP) here on Bagram to wait for the arrival of Brian Williams and his team. It’s been hot as hell around here so right off of the bat I was sweating buckets. I met up with one of the Army Public Affairs soldiers and waited patiently. Shortly after 3 O’clock the 4 or 5 vehicle convoy pulled in and we rendezvous up to figure out the plan for the day. At that point it was to go get Brian and company into some form of billeting, do the interview with MG Schloesser and then find out where they would setup their studio live from.

I waited patiently for one of the soldiers to introduce me but it never happened. It’s not like I feel I need to be introduced but being from AFN and low ranking it puts me in a precarious situation. I do not want to over step my bounds but also needed to be frank about wanting to ask him a few questions and letting him know we are doing a piece on his being here. Anyway after I realized the Army was not going to do anything I decide to depend on the person I always depend on: Rob.

Mr. Williams moved closer to me and I stepped in and introduced myself, told him why I was there, thanked him for coming, and asked if he had time if we could do an interview. He was super nice and said absolutely yes. He grew up in NJ and went on about how his Dad was a captain in WWII and how he supports the troops and military. We broke conversation and they left as I took a few audio and video guys with me in the truck.

We drove over to the flight line where the interview with the general was to be. I pulled in got out and started getting ready. In the mean time I started BSing with the cameramen from NBC who had killer equipment. I commented to the guy that I felt like I was playing in the big leagues now. He shot back not to worry, but that his camera was a major league camera. Anyway after about 20 minutes the General and Brian came out and started the interview. They walked and talked and I got many of the shots I needed also making sure that I did not get into the NBC cameraman’s way. At one point one snapped at me ‘You got to get out of the shot’ and I did. After that it was not an issue. Unfortunately I screwed up the white balance on my camera which later ended up being a very miniscule issue. I was pissed at myself though as it’s a rookie mistake. Anyway after they were done I said to Brian 'Sir when can I interview you? He said there is no time better than the present. So as different people, mainly officers, walked up to get their picture with him I got ready for the interview.

I asked 2 questions and at the end if he wanted to add anything. It was awesome. He gave great answers and made it easy for me. I am truly impressed with him not only as a big time news anchor but as a human being. He is smooth, composed, on the ball, funny, and easy to be around. After I got done one of the camera men said wait let’s get you in the shot. They did an over my shoulder and over his shoulder so when you see the piece on Monday it looks like I had a guy running the camera with me. It meant a ton to me because now the interview seems more like you naturally see with the interview subject and the interviewee. Anyway after that I got my picture with him and said thank you. It was funny though because he asked where I was from and I replied Pittsburgh. He immediately went off about the Steelers in the 1970s and Jack Lambert. He asked me if it was true that he is a high school football coach and I quickly replied that no he is a PA game warden and that my dad and I ran into him in the woods once. He laughed and said no way. He also mentioned about Dwight White’s death which is sad in and of itself.

I left happy and very confident as it was a great experience up until that point. I got back to the studio around 5PM and digitized the video so that I could see how bad or good it was. It ended up not being too bad which made me feel a little better about my blunder. I did the sports show from 6:30 to 8:30 and then finished some odds and ends up late before watching some of the US Open.

I came back to my room to talk to Michelle before heading over to the newscast location as I wanted to get some footage of him going live. When I clicked on the internet I had noticed the headline about Tim Russert dyeing! I knew at that point it would be a different night than anticipated. I got over to the set at about 1 AM at which point Brian was preparing for the newscast somewhere else. The mode was somber and I was very quiet. I talked to some of the crew who were very receptive to me, and they told me he was just live talking about Tim about 30 minutes before. I guess he came on with Tom Brokaw and talked about Tim.

So then one of the crew turns to me about 30 minutes before they go live and says ‘Man 2 days of work shot because they changed the whole newscast to be about Mr. Russert’. While I can understand why they are doing this I can also understand the crew members frustration since they worked hard on coming all the way to Afghanistan to cover this stuff and then not even use almost 2 days worth of work and footage for that nights newscast. But hey that’s how the news business goes.

On a side note I could tell these people were dragging and sad about the situation of losing one of their coworkers. The one guy says hey do you know where any coffee is? I said let me find out. Now right off of the bat I know for damn sure if the Air Force were handling them being there, there would have been a table near that TV set with some finger food, pop, water, coffee, tea, and other little stuff. This is NBC and Brian Williams and we do have low ranking people who could knock this out but HELL NO with the Army. All they have is some bottles of water for these poor people. Pitiful display in my humble opinion by the 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs Office. None the less at this point I make my second blunder of the day. As the Lieutenant Colonel walks by me as I ask her if she knows where I can find any coffee. Not the best question to ask a LTC! (I once asked another LTC at Ft. Dix if he knew where we could get a light bulb for our tent when we were at the FOB in the middle of the pine barons in NJ in January) Anyway it was my bad but boy have I never seen officers with such lack of self esteem to need rank so much. I’ll say it once and say it again whether I am an E-1 or O-10 I am Rob Joswiak and my abilities, aspirations, outlook, personality, and character are not, nor will they ever be, dictated by my rank! I cannot say the same for many people in the military. Anyway she fires back NO but these NCO (Non commissioned officers) can help you!

They proceed to lay into me a bit and then go off about some other people at my work! I will not go into details about this as it is a little personal for some but just another example of the 101st’s arrogance and blindness in my view. I later find coffee and give one lady a coke I had. I did the best for them I could under the circumstances.

At about 3:15 he came out and started the newscast. It got super quiet and everyone moved to the sides so his peripheral vision was not distracted. Brian was very quiet and different than earlier in the day as you can imagine. I got a bunch of good shoots as you will see in the piece that I should be able to post on Monday. After the newscast was done I left but I think they went live again for a special NBC Dateline.

By the time I got to bed it was like 4:30 AM here so I did not go into work today until 1 PM. I worked on the piece some and also have another shoot tonight. I just ultimately cannot get over the whole Tim Russert thing being so close to his coworkers when it happened and on Father’s day weekend as well.

I think of my Dad and his health at a time like this and just hope he makes sure his heart is good shape as it can happen to anyone at anytime. I would also like to add that while I am critical of the Army I have great respect for them and their people. I just think many times they do not think enough about a situation where as many times I think too much.

Either way everyone have a great weekend and look for some calls today if not tomorrow. I will post the video and pictures on Monday.

DAY 138: 12 JUN 08

2008-06-12T19:49:00.002+02:00

Anchored the TV newscast, did the mid day show, came home took a nap, and then woke up and went back to work. My stomach hurt most of the day but I think I passed whatever has been bothering me. I hope tomorrow everything is back to normal. Looks like the Brian Williams thing is on but I will not count on it until it happens. Look for a post late tomorrow night if not sometime on Saturday. Enjoy the newscast. And o yeah I am glad my severe pain and escapade made everyone laugh. I would not wish such an event on anyone.

DAY 137: 11 JUN 08

2008-06-11T19:40:00.005+02:00

******* WARNING THIS POST IS GRAPHIC AND GOES INTO DETAILS ABOUT DISGUSTING THINGS **************

Where do I begin…. Well let’s just say my stomach strikes again. I will start from the beginning. I got up yesterday and was not feeling to great stomach wise but had exlax so I figured I would be fine. That day at work we had the local Afghan guy that prints our magazine bring local food in for lunch. I have had Afghan food before so I know what to get and what not to get. Where I think I made my mistake was that I ate too much. I had the bread, a ton of rice, and some chicken (or what I tell myself is chicken) and a coke. I got about 2 or 3 plates worth as I figured it would give my system a good ‘push’. I also popped 1 exlax thinking that would be enough to motivate the troops. Well just as I finished my radio show around 2:30 yesterday the power went out in our building. So I finished up and then went back to my room to take a nap around 3 PM. I slept ok I guess but I could tell my stomach was not doing too great. I figured I just had a big movement coming so I thought nothing of it. I went back to work to finish some stuff up as the power was back on. Well at this point things started going south.

I decide its time to go to the bathroom so I go out back to the toilets, urinals, and sinks in the metal containers that we call bathrooms. I proceed to sit there for over an hour before deciding to go back to work. The pain was coming and going but definitely starting to build. I find a random soldier who I kind of know and bum a cigarette off of him. I will be honest in saying that since I turned 18 I have done my fair share of smoking but since being here I have almost absolutely quit. (I had 2 in Qatar with beer one night.) The air here is terrible and smoking is a terrible habit so I have decided to rid myself of it. One of those changes you realize and make while in Afghanistan. Anyway I bum a smoke off of him as I know my body and usually a smoke can rally the troops quite quick. So I light the Marlboro Red (yeah about as bad as you can get ) and smoke it. NOTHING! At this point I am really getting worried because while the cigarette made me feel less pain it did not do what I wanted. OK so back up to work.

I grab a bottle of water from the fridge, my weapon from the news room, and decide to head back to my room to get another exlax and try to go to the bathroom after that. Well on the walk from work towards my room, my stomach goes into absolute crazy mode. By this time everything had compacted itself in my lower abdomen and I was hurting. I decide to forget the exlax and just get to the nearest bathroom. Once there I proceed to go through unbearable pain for at least another 30 minutes. I am talking worse pain I have ever felt. So then I start sweating and getting even more nauseated when all of a sudden I throw up! I drank about 3 quarters of that bottle of water and my body sent it right back up along with a few remnants of lunch.

At this point I am in the most pain I have ever felt, sweating bad, and feeling so sick. I decide that after almost two hours I need to burry my pride and get help. Only problem is no one is around. So the next guy that walks in is a soldier and I poke my head out of the stall (which are only covered by plastic curtains) and say hey you need to go get my supervisor I am really sick! 5 minutes later Jason shows up and then gets TSgt Hoover and SSgt Pedro. Now mind you they find me basically naked in this stall looking like absolute hell. When I get real sick like this I like to be naked as I do not want anything touching my aching body. I know it’s not good practice in a public place like this but at that point my mind is going I am in so much pain. So they ask me to get dressed as they are going to drive me to the ER. I muster all the energy and control that I have, get dressed and plop into the SUV we have.

It’s now about 9:30PM and I am on my way to the hospital which is only a 4 minute drive mind you. About 1/3 of the way there my stomach drops yet again and I think it’s go time ala Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber after Jim Carrey puts the exlax in his coffee. I jump out of the car and run into a ditch! At this point my stomach feels like it’s going to explode. I jump back out of the ditch while my supervisor is absolutely dumb founded (he told me that today while all the other guys laughed and laughed). I then proceed to the nearest port-a-potty and again nothing happens. I make my way back to the SUV as my supervisor escorts me. He tells me today that I started to lose it mentally at this point. So back in the car and to the hospital. As we pull up I guess I tried getting out of the vehicle before they stopped but I really do not remember. I was in so much pain I was fading in and out. I mean I was ok but when you have never dealt with pain like this your body reacts weird I guess. So we get in there and luckily it’s like 10 PM so hardly any patients are there and they have plenty of people to help me.

I get on a bed and tell them what the deal is. The doctor comes over (Black female which I only mention because of the next part) and talks to me and then listened to my heart beat and the rest of my cavity down to my lower abdomen. Then she says ok take your shirt off. Shirt goes off. Then she says turn to your side and face the wall. At this point I think I knew what was coming but you are never truly prepared. At first I was having no part of it but then she was like you need to relax or I can’t do it. The pain was so bad I relaxed for 1 second and let her insert her finger. I grabbed the medical technician’s pants while she did it which kind of helped. Now let me tell you this is as embarrassing as it gets. One female doing that to me while the other cute medical technician kind of watches. Not a fun time. Anyway she says ‘ok’ and then I rolled back over.

Things start to look up…. They determine I am dehydrated so they put a needle in me which took two sticks. No biggie as the pain from the needle kind of took the stomach pain away. They draw blood and then give me drugs! Now many of you know unlike my sister drugs have never been my forte. Tylenol PMs knock me out let alone this stuff they gave me last night. Within 30 second I was feeling like a million bucks. They told me what it was but I forget. They ran lab work on my blood and then started making me drink these thick shots of stuff so they could do a CT scan on my stomach. I had to do one shot of this syrupy stuff every half hour for 2 hours, then have the scan. Well after the third one I felt like I was going to puke again so I went to the restroom. Low and behold I actually moved my bowels after almost 5 hours of being C_____ed. I do not like mention the C word but that’s what I was.

I ended up getting two backs of saline, the drugs, and something else, along with the CT scan. Everything came back negative which means I was just REALLY constipated. I ended up leaving the hospital at like 2:15 in the morning as they gave me some medicine to help me. Since then its been quite the opposite but after last night I will never ever complain about the Big D.

I thank God that I have medical coverage, great military medical professionals to help me along with wonderful coworkers who truly care. I might also add that I both flirted with the red head who helped me all night (I told her about Michelle and she was the one that gave me the phone) and called Michelle while I was flying in the sky on that stuff. I will be honest it was nice to have the drugs but I felt very out of control which is a feeling I do not like. I guess that’s why people get high because they like not having control. Not me… I like to think, work, smile, see, and enjoy life instead of being in that state. But with the pain I had boy did I need them!

I came back and slept in today. I went into work for a little and then came back and slept more. The guys asked me if I was ok today and once they saw that I was it was joke time. I was good about it as after last night I am just happy to be feeling good.

I was feeling pretty weak all day but feel ok now. We had some comedians in today as they are touring Afghanistan. One was from Pittsburgh so I went to see them tonight but did not stay. They were ok but I like more thought provoking comedy not dumb sex and stupidity comedy. Something that makes me think and laugh at the same time is what I consider genius comedy worthy of my time.

I guess that’s it for today. I will be watching more Euro cup tonight as I have truly become a big soccer fan. Having been around the World Cup in 2006 there is nothing like it. I would love to go to South Africa to see the USA play in the 2010 World Cup. We shall see.

Work wise I missed a shoot today but will be able to reschedule it. Also it looks like the Brian Williams thing is a go for Friday. I will let you guys know but you can read what he is doing in Kabul right now. Everyone have a great day and please do not take for granted the daily things in our life if you catch my drift!

DAY 135: 9 JUN 08

2008-06-09T19:54:00.000+02:00

Well I was in a foul, semi-depressed state yesterday probably triggered by the fact that Michelle spent the weekend in NYC and the Jersey Shore, while her parents opened the pool and enjoyed the weather, my Dad and Shelly enjoyed Lake Pymatuning, and my Mom and Robin went to the pool. The whole time I am stuck in uniform, in just as hot, if not hotter weather away from my family and friends. None the less I snapped out of it today and had a decent one.
I have to report there has been some excitement around base. It seems some ‘locals’ have been getting frisky and trying to make their way onto base. Last week we had a little attack but I will not go into any more details other than to say; it was little.

On the news front; Brian Williams will be coming to Bagram to broadcast the Friday night Newscast live from here. The First Lady, Laura Bush was just here yesterday. I was on the air but still would not have gone to see her anyway. I am sorry that I have little interest in the person married to the most powerful person in the world. It seems like the media coverage is now starting to pick back up as Afghanistan is set to ask for $50 Billion dollars in aid over the next 5 years at a conference in Paris next week. Anyway I sent an email with permission asking to do a story about Brian Williams being here and the renewed media coverage. It may take me off base which drew some sarcastic commentary from a peer or two but none the less whatever pans out pans out. I should know more on this front tomorrow. My friend from California who works for NBC is trying to come out in July so we shall see how that works. Half of our crew rotates in early July as we rotate in late July. The guys are getting excited to leave as they have their fly dates. I am still at about 45 days out or so…. I guess that’s it for today.

I am sorry to those who I told I would call yesterday and never did. Also Dad I keep missing you on the phone but will get you one of these days. Yes Fombell is my home but I am technically a Pittsburgher as I was born there, lived in Allegheny County until 1992, you and Mom were born there, as were both of your parents…… Anyway Western Pennsylvania is my home from Conneaut Lake as far south as Mineral Beach as I have wonderful memories of every area in between including Fombell. (Odds are if I ever settle back in PA it will be in Happy Valley as that is the place to be!) Ok everyone have a great day.

DAY 133: 7 JUN 08

2008-06-07T13:17:00.003+02:00

Well aside from my stomach things have been pretty good. I slept in today and really got the best sleep I have gotten since getting back from Qatar. Yesterday I got a haircut and dropped off that care package to the guy that works at the dining facility. I gave him gum, writing paper, and my old shoes. He was not there though so I have to try to find him to shake his hand at dinner tonight. The guys were getting on me about the length of my hair as the Air Force and Navy have the most liberal regulations when it comes to hair and I take full advantage. Only issue is that downrange everyone is in HOOOAH mode which means everyone keeps their hair shorter than usual. Everyone except me. But now that we are passing 100 degrees each day it’s just easier to have it shorter. I told Michelle I will grow it longer once fall sets in and I am in Germany.

Last night the sports show was good and fun as usual but unfortunately they kept having bad weather in Vicenza Italy where our signal is relayed so we kept getting cut off. It still was fun and we gave away the signed Tiger Woods driver and polo shirts as he sent them to us, Iraq, and a ship in the Persian Gulf. For those who do not know Tiger Woods late father Earl was a retired Lieutenant Colonel form the Army. So Tiger against any political worries does support the troops. This makes me feel good but makes my feelings on Tiger in general a push because he recently said no one cares about hockey anymore which is BS. Anyway it was a fun show and I look forward to playing our new liners next week. As you can see 7 FOOT 6 INCHES Shawn Bradley, who retired from the NBA recently, stands behind me in our TV studio today. I always wanted to meet him and see what 7 foot 6 looks like. Anyway I did not get to see him stand straight up as his head hit our ceiling. Still though you can see how tall he is! I told him about our church as he is a Mormon and he joked to me that Sidney Rigdon came back! I did not get it at first but then laughed. I have come to the conclusion that the Mormon Church does not even teacher the history of what occurred between the quorum of twelve and Sidney Rigdon (Joseph Smith’s first counselor) when Joseph Smith was murdered. For people who like history and are renowned for this lineage, and book keeping, it is ironic to me that they do not go over this part of their spiritual heritage. It would be like a Catholic not knowing Peter was the first Pope! It’s neat to think that from that debate in Illinois over 150 years ago to now two men could meet in Afghanistan and still stand on two sides of the debate! Anyway it was nice to meet him and the other NBA and WNBA players. They voiced a liner for our sport show which I always appreciate. Now onto a few odds and ends.

First I would like to mention that the reason I am wearing old people sunglasses in my pictures is because they are ballistic rated in case I would ever be in some time of explosion and also they are great for the Middle Eastern sun. You can make fun but they get the job done versus designer glasses that while may do fine in the Pittsburgh sun would not do much here. Also I talked about a crazy funny man from Mississippi that I met and well a friend sent me a picture of him and me. I thought I would include it. Its looks as if there is an outside chance that I may be home for Christmas. I want to take leave in conjunction with my upgrade training at Ft. Meade which is 3 weeks in and of itself. Thing is that the next class is not until January so I may be able to take leave before hand and be home for Christmas. I am not sure and will not have these issues worked out until I get back to Germany. I do know that the Penguins open the 2008 – 2009 NHL season in Sweden in October and I would like to go. Tickets are outrageous but I think I may make it happen. We shall see. I guess that’s it for today. I need to go find that Afghan guy, eat, and then come back and study for E 5 with the software I bought. I test as soon as I get back. Ok everyone have a great day.

PS: Tomorrow I will write about our 4 Star General Mosley and the Secretary of the Air Force getting fired!

DAY 131 : 5 JUN 08

2008-06-05T15:38:00.002+02:00

So yesterday I had every intention to post more but my stomach was giving me the opposite issue that it usually does. If you know me that well then you know what I am talking about. I forgot to mention that while in Qatar and we stopped at a local restaurant and ate their food. Anyway I think that messed my system up as I was feeling the effects yesterday. So today I still got up after little sleep last night, and watched most of the game. Once I saw that puck go in off of Fluery’s butt I turned off the TV and went and got a shower. I probably should not have but I knew they were done. I heard the last few seconds were nuts after they scored to make it 3 to 2. We have a young team though so I am not worried as I feel they will make it back to the finals again at least once more. The series did cost me some dough though as I had a friendly wager with a Detroit native. I had to do it to represent my team and city.

Works been pretty good. Our website is up and running and can be view here:

AFN Afghanistan website

Its got everything we do. I am happy its up before we left as it’s a big step in our mission. On another note:

*************** DO NOT SEND ANYMORE BOXES*****************

Starting this Saturday I am officially into sending stuff home mode. I do not need nor want anything else as all of you have been more than generous since I have been here. My room is already packed so I need to start the winding down process. I guess that’s about it for today. I am going to try to get a good nights sleep tonight. I got a few more pictures from a friends camera to post from Qatar tomorrow. Also we are giving away a signed Tiger Woods driver tomorrow on the sports show. It should be our best show yet so I am sure I will go over that tomorrow afterwards. Have a good day.

DAY 130 : 4 JUN 08

2008-06-04T17:07:00.000+02:00

Will post more tomorrow as I was sick tonight.

DAY 129 : 3 JUN 08

2008-06-03T16:47:00.003+02:00

Well let me start by getting the stuff at work out of the way. We finally got internet in the radio studio today and should have AFN tv in there tomorrow. AP radio news for the top of the house should be back tomorrow as well which will all make for great show information. I left my glasses somewhere in Qatar so I have to go have an eye exam and order another pair. Those ones were getting beat up anyway but it still bothers me that I lost them. I have to anchor tomorrow so look for the newscast on here tomorrow. This morning I got up to the surprise of the Pens going to a second OT! I rushed my shower and then got to work to watch the 3rd OT and the game winner! I still do not think they can win three straight against Detroit but that is an old team and a long series does benefit the Pens. Either way I will definitely be up to watch game 6. I went to get the flag today I had flown for my Dad but the idiot there messed it up a 3rd time now. One more time and I am talking to his supervisor. Anyway I am all settled in here at Bagram again and looking to mow through the home stretch. Now onto my trip.

As you can see I posted pictures below. I have so many pictures from this deployment it is crazy. I will try to show as many people once they see me as bandwidth and time do not allow me to post that many while here. So as you can see my crazy driver took us through the sand dunes of the Qatar desert not far from the Saudi Arabia desert. I have never been anywhere so hot in my life. I thought at least 3 times that he was going to roll the SUV. Anyway once we got there we hung out at that one beach location as seen below. The camel was so old but none the less you can see the pictures. The next day I took a trip to a local mall which was by far the nicest I had ever been too(fittingly named the Villagio). The following day I took the city tour. It was there that we went to many shops, a mall, a camel market, and the city itself. See if you are a true Qatar resident born and raised you get money from the government for all of the money they make on oil. Kind of like they have it in Alaska. So while the true local population is very little they are all very rich. Did I mention no taxes either? Then you have all of these immigrants coming to work because there are jobs and money. There were so many Philipino people it was nuts. But good for them. When off base I saw Bentleys, Mercedes, Land Rovers, Corvettes, Mustangs, and a ton of other sweet rides. The landscape was flat, hot, sand, and little grass. Tons of palm trees and basically just like you would imagine a desert area. When my Dad says Pennsylvania is blessed geographically and resourcefully he is exactly right. Hell(no pun intended) we even use to have a little oil ourselves (see first oil well in USA). Anyway most men have 4 wives there and they are dressed from head to toe. Some you can see their faces if the husband lets them go without the veil. I went down to the old area of town and saw the jewelry stores they call souqs. I ended up getting Michelle something but did not want to buy a ton of stuff. Mostly Pakistanis, who speak very good English I might add, pressure you into buying anything and everything. I got a picture there with the hawk which they use for racing and big money game. Horse racing is also huge there. Overall I had a good time and definitely got the rest and relaxation I needed. On the city tour our guide was a Catholic from Sri Lanka who said his ancestors were ‘offered favors’ (probably land and better status) for converting to Catholicism! Ah those Catholics and there ethical ways of getting people to come to Jesus. Exactly how he wanted it too! Anyway he just turned 24 and was a real nice guy. Very informative and I enjoyed talking to him. As you can see in the pictures the city is growing immensely. They are trying to get the summer Olympics in 2016 there. There were more buildings being built than were standing! Apparently Princess Diana and her love hub went there often before her assin I mean death. Well I guess that’s about it. I was not allowed to take pictures of the base as the Qatar government likes to keep the fact that we are there on the down low. Now onto another thought and paragraph just for Lee.

In one of my previous posts I mentioned about drinking three beers a night which were allotted to me. I was reminded that people from various sectors of my life are reading this blog. I do know this, but honestly would not post any different. I know both through personal experience, stories from other people, and teachings at church that alcohol for the most part is not good. I know it can ruin lives, lead to and give into temptation, and be a safety hazard when doing just about anything. But here is the way I look at it. If I as a 25 year old adult cannot control my consumption then what does that say about my self-discipline in general? I think it’s safe to say I got at least one drunk on both sides of the family tree somewhere in there if I go far back enough. So it could end upding me in and for a pure follower of Christ, does not need alcohol for its futile and temporary high or buzz is nothing for only the spiritual high is the best and natural high in this world. But let me say this: After 4 months in a war zone working 6, sometimes 7 days a week, away from family and friends, if 3 beers is what’s going to let me relax and be the worst thing I do then so be it. I have no issues telling anyone that this squared away airman, man, Pittsburgher, PSU alumn, brother, son, etc. can handle it and still conduct a fulfilling and dedicated life with Christ being number one. I know I came on this deployment for a reason but am only beginning to see the results.

I miss all of you and cherish every moment I have ever spent with any of you. I am slightly more liberal and in other ways more conservative after going through a deployment like this. I think I have changed but only for the good. Thank God I have not had to endure what some service members endure down here and that’s if they even return. My outlook on life is so positive now I cannot explain. And yes that does include a few beers every now and again. I will say though that in lieu of Zach’s wedding I am getting tired of missing family and friends stuff back home. I guess it’s the sacrifice for getting to see the world and do a job I absolutely love. But I do not love any of it as much as my friends and family. I miss going to church allot too. I think Michelle is going to benefit most from me being here as well since she is around me the most! Anyway I guess that’s about it for tonight. If you have any questions please ask or email me as I am sure I did not touch on everything that would come to mind given the pictures below. Qatar was nice… for the 5 days I was there. I will take FOMBELL PA 16123 over it any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Goodnight. LETS GO PENS!

Qatar trip

2008-06-03T16:31:00.003+02:00

DAY 128 : 2 JUN 08

2008-06-02T20:51:00.002+02:00

OK well I really wanted to write a long post today but I did not get much sleep last night after traveling all day back to Afghanistan and I still have laundry to fold now. I promise a lengthy post tomorrow. I am safe back on Bagram and doing great. I have posted one picture as a teaser to the rest for which I will post tomorrow. Ok have a great day and look for a book tomorrow.

PS: I did not get up for either of the last 2 games and doubt I will tonight. Its so hard and throws my whole day off sleep wise. Plus if they lose I will be even more depressed but none the less LETS GO PENS!!!!

DAY 124 : 29 MAY 08

2008-05-29T15:47:00.001+02:00

Well where do I begin. Yesterday I went and signed up for today’s trip as mentioned. I then went to the pool for most of the afternoon which was really nice. It has been a while since I have gone swimming and it was nice to just wade around in the pool and relax. I then left and went back, got a shower and returned to the Chili’s they have on base here. I went with this Army guy I meet from Mississippi and this fruity sailor tagged along. So there I am having dinner with a 41 year old soldier from Mississippi who is an E 5, quite low ranking for that age but this guy has been deployed 3 times since 2003. He’s got 2 purple hearts and had to learn to walk again after being blown up in Afghanistan. Or at least that’s what he tells me. Then we got this fruity sailor with us who is quite annoying but a nice guy so it’s not that bad. Well let me tell you dinner with a Mississippi soldier and a fruity sailor made for great dialogue. Then we have the Philippino waiter come over and take our order. Almost all of the people who work on base here are from the Philippines. Not sure how that works but none the less there it is. Anyway they do not have the large majority of what Chili’s offers state side because well we are in Qatar. Anyway I get the mushroom Swiss burger and the bottomless chips. The other guys order and overall we have a good dinner. Unfortunately I ate too much and ended up drinking only 1.5 beers later on. Its ok though as I made small profit by buying my buddy the third one. Anyway this Mississippi guy goes to drink with us and boy is he a hoot. He later runs into a soldier he came to Qatar with and persuades him to buy another one for him. All the time he is talking about woman and very foul things. Normally I do not go for this type of conversation but the guy was hilarious and I have not laughed like this in a while so I sat quietly and enjoy the show. The Chinese kid who is from California via China is in the Army and kind of weird. He buys 2 beers for a couple of guys and then freaks out on me as we walk back to our lodging. I was hoping he would do the same tonight as I would like to enjoy more than 3 but whatever. I get the feeling this guy is an informant for the Chinese military but I am probably just being paranoid. Anyway I am going to eat early and then have my 3 quick. So today I wake up at about 4 knowing that the Pens game started at 3 am. Well I tell myself let it go because every time I watch they lose the game. So I sleep til 6:30, wake up and go to the meeting point for our trip today. Sure enough when I get there I see the highlights of our 3 – 2 victory on sports center. As Borat would say this is a great success! Well I go on this trip to the beach. What a day. We drive out 50 minutes to the desert and in these big Toyota SUVs and go crazy. They drive nuts through the sand dunes scaring the crap out of me but boy was it fun. We then get to the Persian Gulf and the water is clear for about 50 feet then becomes a deep blue. I went in but there were a ton of jelly fish so my time in the water was cut short. We played a little Volleyball; I took a nap, and then ate some local food. Its not much different than the local food I had in Afghanistan a few months back. Anyway I also rode a camel. I have pictures of most of this put cannot post them until I get back to Bagram. Anyway this Camel had to be at least 20 years old and on its last leg. It had hardly any hair, few teeth, terrible breath, and yakked like some sort of animal out of Star Wars. I felt I was violating it by riding it as it was such a chore for the thing to get up and then back down. The guy who owned it lived in the desert about 10 kilometers from our beach area. I was only 10 kilometers from the Saudi Arabia border which is where this guy lives. The ride back was much smoother as I slept most of the way. These Qatarians made you feel like they were going to drive you to a local hotel and kidnap you for video and Allah purposes if you get my drift. O well it was a fun day in the desert and a time I will never forget. Tomorrow I was hoping to go on the Doha city tour but there is none so I am going to the real nice mall tomorrow night. I got one more day after that to try to squeeze the city trip in so we shall see. I am going to go eat now but promise to pictures and more thoughts on those pictures once I get back to Bagram.

DAY 123 : 28 MAY 08

2008-05-28T12:18:00.001+02:00

Well I am in Qatar and doing great. We flew in yesterday morning on a C 130 and it was not that bad. A buddy of mine let me borrow his PSP so I played that most of the time. While I was waiting for the flight I watched the Pens get waxed again! I am disgusted with their play but will wake up again and watch them at 3am here as we are 7 hours ahead of East Coast here. Yesterday we just go settled in and checked some things out on base. I had my 3 beers last night plus a 4th for which I will not divulge how I got. (We are only allotted 3 a night, lame I know and hard for a PSU grad like myself.) Anyway had a good buzz and really relaxed for the first time in months. It’s really hot here. As cold as Kyrgyzstan was in January when I went through there it is equally as hot here in Qatar. The base is just a bunch of big brown pole buildings but they have a bunch of nice stuff in them. I am going to go sign up for some trips here in a bit. I would like to go to Doha and also a mall. I will probably go to the beach tomorrow. June is almost here and I could not be happier. I talked to Michelle yesterday and she sounded good. I should be able to post more pictures and write in length once I get off base and actually see something. Until then I will be relaxing in civilian clothes and just chilling. The United Arab Emirates is not far from here and their capital is Dubai which I really want to visit some day. I have realized I really enjoy traveling and am glad I took this opportunity to come here. Anyway I got to make this meeting for the trips so I got to go. I promise to post tomorrows if I have time and include some pictures once I start taking them. OK hopefully the Pens will win, hell just score a freaking goal! Bye for now.

DAY 120: 25 MAY 08

2008-05-25T18:13:00.003+02:00

Well a pretty chill weekend in all. Yesterday I had off and really relaxed. I met a guy I went to Combat skills with in NJ as he is going on rest and relaxation with me. I took him and a few other people around base and showed them the Russian old tanks and jets on the other side of the base. I watched a movie last night and started reading The 5 loves languages to better help me in my relationship with Michelle. I got to sleep late which was not a good idea because I missed the first period of the Pens game early this morning and then was absolutely disgusted with there crappy play. I went to take a shower this morning with 6 minutes left in the game only to see later that Detroit added 2 more! I talked to my dad during intermission but did not call anyone else today. That’s my bad but I will have more time this week. I did one hour of radio and interviewed these survivors’ contestants. They were cool but I tried to study up on them but I do not watch that show and there is been like 10 seasons now so there are so many contestants. Anyway I got a picture with them as posted below. Then I got a nice outfit at the PX for $28 after taking a nap today. I am basically packed up and ready to go from tomorrow. We are suppose to fly out tomorrow so we shall see. I turned my weapon in today and boy is it nice not packing heat! Anyway I guess that’s about it. I got my whole phone number list with me and may take time and just call back to the states one day. We shall see. I am really look forward to going to: QATAR (map is below, as I will be around Doha the capital). I put the link there so you can read about it since no one knows what I am talking about. Ok good night and I will be in touch.

DAY 118: 23 MAY 08

2008-05-23T21:55:00.005+02:00

Well another interesting day in Afghanistan. Let me start from the beginning. I went into work and helped write the script for the newscast. I then anchored as seen below and produced a little radio news piece for the weekend shows. After that instead of doing my mid day show I went and got a haircut because I thought I had a lunch with the General. Well I went to the dining facility and was told it was canceled. I later found out it was moved to 2:30 but either way I did not end up meeting this General. To be honest I was not that upset. Most Generals in my experience are nice guys (I have met 1 female General) but only talk to you about petty stuff. I would be tempted to get into hardcore politics but that would not be a good idea so I play the good little airman role. Anyway the interview I had with the 4 star in Kabul was awesome as he treated me nice while I asked pertinent questions concerning this war. I guess if I ever could interview anyone aside from Jesus it would be Hitler. I would ask him why he brought war instead of peace to the world after gaining so much power. Maybe no one is strong enough to have that much power. Maybe God wants us to share life while the Devil led him to destruction. Anyway……… I then went on the air at 2:30 at which point I felt the need to call my Mom. I expected her to be going to work or already at but I guess she has to help Gram and Bob today. Anyway we had a long chat mainly about Robin. My mother is a great person in my eyes. I also have a ton of respect for my father. Unfortunately they both like to use me as their rug beater when it comes to how they feel about each other. I have put my foot down and will not tolerate negative commentary about the opposing person any longer. Robin is definitely the common tie here. Anyway after I hung up with her I finish the first 4 hours of radio which Mom got to hear some of while I put the phone down and talked. At 6:30 I then switched to my sports talk show with an Army buddy of mine. His name is Zizzo so we got Jozwiak and Zizzo. A ton of Zs for one sports show. By 8pm I was mentally exhausted and really not hosting very well so I mentioned on air that I have been on since 2:30 and that I am sorry that I sound so bad. Well its just my luck that the one guy I had issues with at the beginning of the deployment was driving back to work and heard me. He comes storming in (he did bring me food which we agreed upon) and says we need to talk. At this point the soldier I do the show with is pissed because if we said something wrong we want to know now. Not to mention in this line of work you do not interrupt someone while on air. It takes a great deal of concentration and effort to do a good radio show let along 2 in a row. So anyway long story short is that he was out of line and we really did not say anything that bad. I handled the situation with composure and he ended up apologizing. I really have learned a ton about working issues and being reserved and thinking. Dad you would be proud. Anyway it gets better. So then I come back and am ready to watch the season finale of my favorite show The Office (I downloaded them from the moral drive; we have someone downloads them each week and puts them there). I check my email real quick and see my Mom told me to call Robin. So I do not want to miss this opportunity, so I get dressed again and go back to work. It’s only a 3 minute walk but you know what it’s like when you come home. You want to relax. Anyway I finally get a hold of Robin! We have a great chat, although I am not totally thrilled to hear her situation, but I set some ground rules and we shall see. I need to order her contacts as she is almost out and has no insurance. Her teeth are another ball game but I do not feel the need to intervene there yet. I can spring for some contacts and see how she progresses and then reevaluate my effort. As she shows effort so will I, and I told her that. So I hear Emma in the background and almost want to cry. I cannot imagine the weight and burden parents feel. The one guy who I have gotten into it with has a pregnant wife who may deliver before he gets back. Another guy here knows his wife will give birth while he is gone. I think of my niece and almost cry, I cannot imagine if it were my own child! Hell I miss my dog and of course Michelle. Anyway the tolls this takes on family is immeasurable. Back to Robin. So we agree to try to talk again this weekend and then hang up as Emma was crying she needed changed. Wait until I get a hold of that little firecracker! I cannot wait to play with her and take her out when I get home. So the whole time I am on the phone the Marine who initially rubbed me the wrong way is playing guitar hero on the Nintendo Wii in the background. Now here is another issue. All these guys up there like privacy when they are on the phone. Mean while I talk to whomever, whenever, and never say a word. While I am loud sometimes I am also easy to live around, especially under these conditions. So as I am ending my convo with Robin the marine leaves. I then go to try find the doctors number on the internet for Robin’s eye doctor because of course she does not know her prescription. Anyway as I am finally leaving for the night the marine comes out and asks if I am ok. We start talking and find we have similar situations. Then the other guy who busts my buts comes out and all 3 of us chat. Now mind you at 6 feet and 165 ponds I am not the smallest in the group but not the biggest either. The marine is one rank above me , 1 inch taller than me, and at least 10 pounds heavier than me. He other air force guy who is my friend but can be challenging at times is one rank above me as well, 3 inches taller than me, and at least 50 pounds heavier than me. Both are 1 year younger than me. Now both of these guys know I do not play games and call it the way it is. I go into work, work hard, listen to my bosses, and go home. They are both talented but have egos that can clout their judgment. Long story short is that they both know I respect them and try my best to treat them good. I realized tonight, against their hard personality exteriors, that they respect me too. The day ends with me finally watching The Office season finale and laughing my butt off. Great show!

Now onto one last thing. I have 2 buddies who have been called up on inactive reserve for the Army. I found the ones blog and will give you the link here at the end. Basically these guys get out of the Army and have now been called back as they are still under their inactive reserve part of the contract. I have this too but the Air Force has too many people so the chance of me being called back if I decide to get out would probably include a domestic attack by China at which point everyone is on the table for duty. So…… I am so glad I joined the Air Force as the Army will screw you when you are in and bend you over when you are out. Sorry for the crewed analogy but wait until you read his blog. He just reported to an Army base to get ready to go to Iraq. He is with about 10 other people just like him. His blog crushes mine in both writing and content as he is smarter than me, more educated, and a real sharp cat. Anyway this guy has a fellowship to UNC Chapel Hill for a masters in journalism and now has to go to Iraq after being out of the Army for 1 year. The guy has a great attitude and I am proud to call he and his wife my friends. Michelle really liked them as they were very much on our level both relationship wise and educationally speaking as well. Anyway I am beat and need to get some sleep. Here is his link:

http://www.chrishigginbotham.com/blog/

PLEASE READ HIS BLOG and comment as you feel needed. My 6 months here isn’t nothing compared to what he is dealing with. Ok good night and Chris if you read this: I am praying and pulling for you man. I want to drink a beer together someday from now and talk about the good old military days that we no longer have to worry about. Maybe you are with the NY Times and me NBC!

PS: I decided to change the background a little to make it look mors crispt. Let me know what you think of the change!

DAY 117: 22 MAY 08

2008-05-22T14:35:00.000+02:00

Well it’s been a good but busy week. I basically go in and work on the script with co workers and then anchor the newscasts that I have been posting. All of this has to be done by 10:30 am as that’s when I do the mid day show. I got like 4 or 5 calls today which are the most since I have been here. Tomorrow I got invited to a lunch with a 3 star general who is ultimately my commander?! Anyway that means I will have to do the afternoon show and then the sports show. 6 straight hours in the radio booth can be challenging but hey it beats at least 90% of what others do here for 6 hours straight or more. My spirits have been up quite a bit lately. I am working to get my old internship boss over here. He lives and works in Cali and is really in for a trip but I know he is up for it. If I was a fish out of water when in Cali in 2003, I will get to see the reverse with him coming here. He basically wants to do a documentary showing the stuff us service members do to help the people of Afghanistan. One of the guys who is stationed with me in Germany leaves this weekend. He and his wife are close friends when we are all back in Germany. Michelle is watching their dog when they go home for leave this summer. They watch Ali from time to time as well. He is a maintainer not a broadcaster thought. I think he would like me to mention that. I will look forward to rejoining him as he’s a great worker and without guys like him our signal would not go out. Well I guess that’s about it for now. Enjoy the newscast as this week I posted everyday but next week will probably be a miss as I will be in Qatar. Look for one big long past late next week with pictures and what not. Thanks everyone for everything you do for me no matter how little or silent. Last but not least LETS GO PENS!!!!!!

DAY 116: 21 MAY 08

2008-05-22T13:14:00.000+02:00

Internet was down yesterday but here is the newscast.

DAY 115: 20 MAY 08

2008-05-20T12:58:00.002+02:00

Well today was the typical anchor and then do the radio show. I did my laundry finally today after almost 2 weeks which is the only sad note of the day. I talked with a contact who has to know about those who pass here as part of her job encompasses that so she said there will be a fallen comrade ceremony sometime soon. 2 dead and 2 ‘not doing so good’. Not exactly what you want to hear when you go to do laundry but I still walk in this world and can only thank God for that. Anyway yesterday I got to meet and greet the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders on the radio show around 1 PM and then shot some video at their show last night. You can see the pictures below and the video of them during the newscast that I anchor. I have to say it was a fun day but I have truly come to appreciate the intangibles that my Michelle has. Yeah hot chicks with killer bodies are nice but there is so much more to life. Michelle is beautiful to me in more ways than physical. I know one of my friends from college has yet to realize this type of beauty…. Anyway I guess that’s about it. I leave for Qatar on Monday I think and am very much looking forward to that. Should be a good time. O I almost forgot to mention I am in talks with my old internship supervisor from California to come out and shoot a documentary. I have to call him tonight to work out the details. Once things are confirmed I will let yinz know all about it. Have a great day and enjoy the pics and newscast below.

DAY 114: 19 MAY 08

2008-05-19T15:26:00.007+02:00

Super busy day as I anchored, did a mid day show, interviewed 5 Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders, produced some other stuff, and then went and shot the cheerleaders show tonight. I am beat and feel bad because I did not call Michelle although I really was busy. O well I will be off work early tomorrow and post a good one with pictures and all. Enjoy the newscast below.

DAY 113: 18 MAY 08

2008-05-18T15:58:00.001+02:00

Well another decent week. I guess I have not posted in the last few days because work has been somewhat the same here on base. I shot and produced a story yesterday morning on a GWOT trot. Basically a run in the name of the global war on terrorism. Kind poetic right? Anyway this past week the whole office got into a verbal debate on pops and water in the fridge and who should get them or what not. The one guy stuck up for me even though I was not really involved in the situation. Overall things are in pretty good shape. I have to be honest in saying I am getting the itch to go off base for one more trip before I leave. I am anchoring the newscast this week as the main anchor will be gone and then I leave for Qatar next Monday. That should be a good time that I am looking forward too. I called and talked to a bunch of folks yesterday but number 1 on that list was unreachable: Robin. Anyway things seem to be good I guess. Gram keeps getting sick and then better, sick and then better. O well she is a strong woman as I expect to see her when I get home. Speaking of which it looks like it may be this fall: They are working to get me some upgrade training at Ft. Meade for my job. It’s a 3 week course so I would take leave in conjunction with it, totaling a month in the states. The website says the next class date is not until January but I think there may be one this fall. Once I know I will let everyone else know although I suspect I will not hear anything for at least another month. Well I am looking forward to watching the Pens tonight as I hope they wrap the conference finals up at home. I also have to watch the Charlie Wilson’s War movie that my Mom sent me. I have heard from several people that its good and about Afghanistan so I suppose it’s time to watch it. Well I am going to go get dinner. Be sure to check out our daily newscasts as I will post them each day. Have a great remaining weekend.

PS: I sent a question into the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and they posted it to their website. Here is the link and posting.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08137/882209-238.stm

Q: I work for the American Forces Network (AFN) and am currently deployed to Afghanistan. My question is about the Pentagon Channel. On its Web site it gives the coordinates and directions for cable companies to add it to their lineup for free. I think many Pittsburghers would enjoy its programming. Armstrong Cable has had it since its inception but the bigger conglomerates have not added it. Is there any reason Verizon, Comcast, etc. will not add a great channel that will not cost anyone any extra money? Thanks for any information you can find out about this.
-- Rob, Fombell

RobOwen (PG): I think it's probably a matter of bandwidth allocation and whether a cable system wants to expend bandwidth on the Pentagon Channel while subscribers clamor for more HD channels.

As to your specifics, FiOS TV does carry Pentagon Channel on Channel 104.
A Comcast spokesman said, "We strive to deliver our customers the most diverse array of programming. We're always evaluating new programming options and making adjustments to best meet the interests of our customers."

DAY 110: 15 MAY 08

2008-05-15T17:32:00.006+02:00

Well believe it or not 4 years ago today I graduated from the Pennsylvania State University! Wow did that 4 years fly by and if you had told me that 2 years from that day I would be in Germany and 4 years from that day I would be in Afghanistan I would have told you to go pound salt up your rear end. But today I have decided its along over due for a positive post. I will mention one thing though. I went to the medic today and was diagnosed with a freaking aphthous ulcer! It’s basically an oral ulcer caused by you guessed it: stress! I really need to start relaxing and I plan on doing that on my rest and relaxation in Qatar at the end of the month.

Anyway now for the good stuff. I have got to be honest in saying that if I had to pick one year in my life that was my best I would pick 1991! Now I bet you are asking why and how could you pick the year that you were 8 and 9 years old? Well let’s look at it. That was the last full year we were on Connie Drive, a year that we visited my Grandpap Davies at Conneaut Lake many weekends, also spent many weekends in Butler with my Aunt and cousins, the Pens won their first cup, the Pirates were actually good, I had no worries in the world, I cannot recall any family uproars or dissension in the ranks, I would visit my gram in Carrick often, my favorite wrestlers (Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior) were in their prime and just overall a great year. The reason I bring this up is because I have to be honest in saying I have been feeling the 8 or 9 year old bug again! The Pens are pushing their way to the Finals for the first time since 1992. The Ultimate Warrior is making a comeback in Europe as is John Daly who is playing some good golf right now. Also this deployment is building up to allow me to have happiness I have not felt since I was a kid in that time period. I was thinking about this the other day and I said to myself: You have not felt as happy as you will when it’s time to leave here, in as long as you can remember. You do the same thing in your life right now. Flat out ask yourself when was the last time you were so happy you could not keep from smiling and did not have a worry in the world? I am glad to report I have virtually no bills now and regardless of that stupid ulcer I really believe for the first time since 1991 I do not have a worry in the world. Now of course I am in Afghanistan and my security can be an issue, I worry about Robin and Michelle along with everyone else in my family. But mentally speaking once, and Lord willing when, I complete this trip I think I can honestly say that I will be as happy as I have ever been. I think part of that also comes from the fact that I have seen how bad some of the people in this country have it so I know how good I have it. Rob before the trip had issues with his Dad and the whole situation. Now I rarely even think about it. Rob before was worried about money and making it in this world fast, now I just want to be safe and able to enjoy each day. Rob before was struggling spiritually and really questioning God, but now I am as faithful as ever although I still, like many, have so many questions about humanity in general. The point is that this trip has made me realize that happiness should not be dictated by what’s going on around you. Yeah I love to see the Ultimate Warrior wrestle and the Pens win the cup. But in the end I have to make the best of each day and be happy with myself. After this trip for me happiness will be my Wife and dog making smile while at home, my family and friends around me as much as possible,and a few beers on the weekend befor echurch on Sunday.(basically the life of a typcial and historical Pittsburgher) Life really is what you make of it, and as Americans we truly do have the FREEDOM to make it WHATEVER we want!

My favorite wrestler (The Ultimate Warrior) of all time is returning and in Europe of all places and yet again I am in freaking Afghanistan for it. Michelle would love to go to Spain too. O well I am definitely looking to see him maybe next year at Wrestle Mania 25!

This is the newscast that includes my Vietnam story. I hope you guys like it.

DAY 109: 14 MAY 08

2008-05-14T16:50:00.002+02:00

Zelienople soldier kills himself in Afghanistan

Well that’s what grabbed my attention today in the Stars and Stripes. So sad, so, so, sad! My Dad sent me an email about it as well. I mean you got these young guys carrying loaded weapons and all they need is for some disgruntled soldier who out ranks them heavily to say something to set them off. It’s so sad because every single person down here looks forward to getting home. However in the Army you are here for 15 months and then also hear about getting orders to come back here or go to Iraq in 2010! No wonder the poor souls have no hope. If you are wondering why I am backing Obama this is very much apart of it. Our military is strained and many of the affects will not be seen for years to come. I think the people of Afghanistan genuinely want our help but we cannot keep the fighting up on both ends anymore. The financial impact to our own country is already apparent.

Anyway I got this real neat story done on Vietnam. I tie two service members together who have a common tie: Vietnam. One is an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, about 40, and is a Vietnam refugee who fled the country in 1975 with his family. The other is a 59 year old Amry Major who was called up out of active retired reserve! He was really cool and I show how they both have come full circle from the throws of Vietnam to helping out in Afghanistan. Its 2:10 long which is by far my longest piece but probably my best as well. Look for me to post that video tomorrow once it airs on our newscast. Also I am anchoring all next week as my supervisor (our news director) is going on R & R. Things should be interesting as 2 E 5s and 2 E 4s will be running the news department. This Marine who is slightly younger than me but out ranks me is really getting on my nerves. He is no doubt a solid, talented, and sharp broadcast journalist but boy can he be condescending, arrogant, and flat out sarcastic beyond any reasonable measure. I am sincerely doing my best to just do my job and go home. Next week will be a real test for all of us though.

And finally how about them Penguins?! I feel like its 1991 again only its Crosby and Malkin not Lemieux and Jagr. O yeah I am 25 now and my life could not be any more different than it was when I was 8 or 9. None the less its great to see them winning. Sad story about the Polish American cop killed by 3 Muslims in Philly with a fully automatic Chinese made machine gun the other day. They honored him at the beginning of the Flyers game as he was a huge fan. So sad…. Philly is just so not what our forefathers wanted it to be. Anyway we are 1 game away from the Stanley Cup finals and what looks to be a killer matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. Should be a great series but first we need to finish Philly off. Ok well I am going to go eat. I will try to make phone calls this weekend. I will leave you with a funny story.

As you may know I am doing the mid day radio show now (10:30 to 2:30). Well we get emails and information for announcements called readers. Some are monthly, some are daily, and some are one time deals. Well we got one in about a power outage on base this week. Its only 10 hours long but I decided to have some fun with it. I call this guy up and record it so I can edited it later before playing it on air. I say yeah is this the power company on base? He says yes it is. I say yeah I heard that the power is going out for 10 days starting on Friday! He goes real shocked: 10 days! I said yeah. He goes no, 10 hours! He then asks where I heard that and I told him AFN at which point he said we cannot read. It gets better though. So then I say well am I going to be able to use the latrines? Now I really have him back peddling. He goes o man well where do you live? So I tell him I live in one of the areas that I know will be out of power. So then he starts going you know that’s a great question, and that did not come up, and let me get my map. At this point I am laughing to myself so hard I break character and tell him it’s me from AFN calling just to have a little fun and get the word out about the power outage. He laughs and gives me the information. I ended up editing it and putting it on air. Boy was it funny to hear me ask this guy about toilet usage due to the power outage. I was rolling and so was everyone else in the office, but in the end I got the information out which is my job. OK well have a good one I am going to eat.

DAY 108: 13 MAY 08

2008-05-13T13:51:00.004+02:00

Well I have to be honest in saying that the reason I have not posted in the last few days is part my fault and part work. I have been getting up to watch the Pens play and then going into work early, coming home around 3PM after my show and then sleeping. I then go back to work later at night and edit stuff as no one is around. We got a couple of Marines here and one is condescending and I just prefer to not deal with him very much. At this point though I am not as fervent as I was when I arrived. I am solely focused on doing a good job and leaving when the time comes.

I hope everyone had a good weekend as it was Mother’s Day on Sunday. I did not call my Grama Joswiak and do need to do that. I also did not get a hold of my sister who is a mother as well. Robin if you read this I really want to talk to you on the phone. I want you to know that you need to move back with Gram and keep working. I am willing to help you if you leave that Ahole. We can work on getting a car for you one way or another and it will be nice as you can help Gram as she gets older. Your life will not turn around instantly but time flies and the sooner you right the ship the sooner things will get better. I will try to call num nutz cell phone this weekend. Also check out the following link that says your job and field is in demand. If you can get some certification you could have your own business doing in the home care that you do:

http://www.eldercare.gov/eldercare/Public/resources/fact_sheets/home_care.asp

Meanwhile in NJ my love celebrated her 24th birthday on Saturday. Unfortunately a coworker of hers broke her ankle at the gathering while having some fun on the trampoline! Accidents happen so I am not sure what more can be said. Things seem to be good in NJ which makes me feel good. Overall if Robin could just get back on track I think I would have nothing to worry about. Always stuff to pray about but nothing to worry about. But if you want a feel good story on life and how precious it is, look no farther than Beaver County PA.
18 year old, Freedom High School senior John Challis is dying of lung and liver cancer. He recently got into the lineup for his high school baseball team and hit a single. The kid weighs maybe 100 pounds. Anyway Mario and the gang had him at the Pens game the other night where he met Rooney, Roethlisberger and a bunch of other celebs in Mario’s box. He has got national attention after being highlighted in the Beaver County Times and Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Check out the story here:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08125/878966-85.stm

I give the kid so much credit for making such a positive impact on this world in such a short lifespan. I do have to say that I was proud or maybe not at how bad his accent was. They had video of him and his family on the PG’s website from the game the other night. It’s sad because you can tell he is weak and it’s a chore for him to talk but boy does he have the western pa dialect. Luckily I am familiar with the local tongue and had no issues understanding him. I still say certain words like Yinz guys but between being gone for a while now, and my formal voice and diction training in Maryland, I am not as bad as I use to be. I think my Uncle Josh takes that cake as he works in Oakland (correct Pittsburghese pronunciation: Oklend) and has been a Pittsburgher since 1970.

Finally many of you have been saying that you are having issues commenting on the blog comment area. I love reading the comments when Mom and Dad are not dominating the forum (just joking guys you know I love you). I am not sure what the deal is but from what I understand you have to sign up with bloggr.com in order to post a comment. You can always email me if you prefer as some have. I think we all know about the dirty laundry policy implemented by my Dad so if its personal or whatever feel free to email me at: psujozz@yahoo.com Well another wacky sleep night as the Pens play at 4am here and there is nothing more enjoyable than seeing them win especially at Philadelphia’s cost. I cannot stand Ed Rendell. He is the east side of the State’s governor. I bet his fat a$$ is at the game in Philly tonight but nowhere to be seen when we make the finals. He is a real shmuck. He does not care about us so I do not care about him. Anyway I will try to post more often from now on although I fully expect to be sleeping weird until the Cup is raised in Pittsburgh sometime early next month!
PS: HILLARY CLINTON PLEASE GIVE UP NOW SO OBAMA CAN MOVE ONTO TAKE OUT MCCAIN AND GET THIS COUNTRY GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. But no doubt that this behavior is typical of a person I once called her!

DAY 104: 9 MAY 08

2008-05-09T21:56:00.001+02:00

Well I had a good day at work and also a great sports show. I am up too late as the Pens game starts in like 4 hours. You can bet your last dollar I will be up and watching it though. I have off tomorrow so I can sleep all day if I like. Anyway today I saw that Afghan man at the chow hall and talk with his supervisor. He was smiling and seemed in a better mood today. I have decided I am going to give him my running shoes. They are getting beat up because of all the walking, especially on gravel I do. I am either going to order a new pair off of the internet or get some when I go to Qatar at the end of the month. Either way this man will get my shoes and maybe give them to his son. His smile today was as satisfying to me as piercing was his frown. Anyway that’s about it for today. LETS GO PENS! FLYER SCUM!

DAY 103: 8 MAY 08

2008-05-08T20:47:00.000+02:00

Today started off great (sadistic sarcasm); fallen comrade ceremony including 3 coffins with American flags draped on them. As they roll by I salute and try not to get wrapped up in whole thought process. I then got a good omelet this morning and had a productive day at work. However the last two days have been interesting at work. Work in and of itself has been normal. I am on the air from 10:30 to 2:30 doing a radio music show. Before and after I have to produce and work on radio and TV stories and get ready for the show when not doing that. Pretty run of the mill stuff for me. Where the excitement comes in is that some of the guys are worried about my mentality, mindset, or heart when it comes to going off base. I told them I think it’s illogical to WANT to go off base; that would mean that one WANTS to put themselves in harm’s way. Now while I do not WANT to; I will and have. In the end the top guy as it relates to us came in and laid the law down. Everyone knows I am the most vocal about my fears but still willing to go do the job and get the story which is my job. I am just much more open about it. I feel good after 2 days of back and forth. My superiors know where I am coming from and know my willingness to complete the mission and my coworkers were explained my thought process. During the same conversation they told me I need to relax more and not be so loud at work. I agree with this and am trying to learn that in my life. Far too many times I rush the moment and miss out on it. I think if I take one thing away from this trip, that’s what it will be! Overall I think the guys are ok with me but ultimately, as I told the one supervisor, I come in, do my work, and only worry about my work whereas others are worried all about me. Anyway it’s just another life trial to live through and learn from. I got a bunch of mail today and was kind of pissed as it was 2 months behind. They bundled it up and sent it so some stuff was already overdue. Anyway Grama Joswiak sent me a picture of me, Sarah, and Ryan (my cousins) from December 1985! Boy was I little and do I feel old now. She also included one of me and Robin circa 1989 (Judging by the sweater I had on and how Robin and I looked). I am going to try to get a hold of Robin this weekend one way or another. Well my cousin Zach and buddy Josh from high school are getting married (to lovely women not each other!) and again I am away. I sent them both a wedding gift and got a great email back from Josh. I hope they have great weddings and even better marriages. Robin if you read this you better go to Zach’s wedding! Speaking of feeling old get this; I feel like my 87 year old uncle Al at night as I have to use lamisil to fight athlete’s foot (you wear combat boots everyday and see what it is like) and ear drops as I got wax stuck to my left ear drum. At night I think about seeing my Uncle Al putting on all this stuff and at 25 I am joining him! Actually they are both just temporary uses as being near jets is not good for ones ears so I got to get rid of the wax and I cannot help the foot situation as it is common in the military. This weekend is a big one. It’s my love Michelle’s 24th birthday, Mother’s Day, and my best friend Kurt, at the young age of 28, is finally moving out of his parents house! I think Michelle is settling into her 20s quite nice now and will have a great weekend with her Mother and Grandmas. I like the fact that she is 2 years younger than me as we can still wait for her to join the club that is celebrated this weekend. I wish I were home to celebrate all of that and help Kurt move but yet again my choice, some call it a sacrifice, keeps me away. I would like to help Kurt as he helped me move out of Carrick in 2005 but what can I do. Well I guess that’s about it for now. I got the sports show tomorrow and then the weekend. I am going to try to get out on base this weekend and shoot some video and produce some much needed stuff that we need for our newscast. I may anchor again next week so we shall see. Everyone have a great day and as always thank you for all of the prayers and thoughts.

DAY 102: 7 MAY 08

2008-05-07T19:54:00.002+02:00

Been and up and down week. Played too much Madden 08 on playstation tonight. Will post tomorrow as I want to be composed for tomorrow's session. I will leave you guys with this: God sent me here to test, train, and remind me of my faith in him!

DAY 99: 4 MAY 08

2008-05-04T16:06:00.002+02:00

Well I definitely got a response from my Dad. He said he will not post like that again but wanted to make a point about airing dirty laundry. Point taken! Today was nice as we all got together as a unit down day and ate homemade food one of the guys made and had some cake as some birthdays passed and one guy is leaving now. This weekend has been very relaxing for me and I feel a little sense of rejuvenation. I am looking forward to going to Qatar at the end of the month and relaxing there. I talked to my Mom and Dad today for almost 2.5 hours combined! While I do know they took my points they still have commentary concerning the other. None the less I believe we are moving in the right direction. Apparently my sister may get internet soon so maybe we can talk online as I have not talked to her in over 2 months which makes me sad. Today a co worker who reads my blog periodically said I have a very philosophical mind and I replied that my bio chemistry is a unique and active one. (What do you expect as a byproduct of two extremely outgoing and unique people like my parents?) But beyond that I am always thinking and can never just relax. Well at least I am trying but the funniest thing happened today. I talked briefly to both of my parents about getting out or staying in once my time in Germany was done. I also talk too much about that with Michelle as she says I say something about it every time we talk. Anyway I was coming out of work and 1 rainbow was spread over our base like a blessing and sign from God that every will be fine. Another one was trying but it was not truly and fully a double rainbow. At any rate I have not posted any pictures in a while and figured I would of the rainbow as I ran back and grabbed my picture to snap one or two. The third picture is of the Polish Camp sign which I have referenced in past posts. I have not been meeting with them as my point of contact is back in Poland now and I think they are rotating out. Anyway I look forward to watching the Pens tonight so that hopefully they win and move on to face Philly for an all PA eastern conference finals. I guess that’s it for today. Thanks again to all who read, pray, and care.

PS: I do not think I will be buying that XP8 any time soon as Michelle says we need to wait!

DAY 98: 3 MAY 08

2008-05-03T11:56:00.004+02:00

Well I was glad to see a positive response on the last post from both my parents and some others although I got a few emails saying that my parents need to grow up and realize my being deployed is stressful enough and petty arguing needs to be put aside. None the less I am glad there is some awareness to my request of being civil and moving forward. Anyway I stayed up last night and really sacked in today. It feels good to get a good night’s sleep as they do not come as often here in Afghanistan. You know I was in the shower today thinking about all of these soldiers who work 12 hours days, 7 days a week, for 12 to 15 months straight. I do not care who you are but that will wear you down if not break you. They wonder why suicide is an issue well there is a starting point. Any idiot who thinks these wars are not taking their toll needs his or her head examined. I would tell that to anyone and have when challenged. It’s not about me being right or whatever but about the fact that this premise, that mainly the soldiers, can handle this ridiculous battle rhythm is a ludicrous and ultimately destructive notion. I am truly blessed to have my job and lifestyle while deployed here. We have a guy who is the same exact job code as me in the Army and he is attached to the 101st Airborne division. He absolutely hates it and said they tried making him do gate guard duty because they do not know what to do with a guy who has a special MOS like broadcasting. Typical dumbass Army. But on the other hand I will say that the Army works very hard and does things I could never do. I go on trips with them for one day and am like ok I am done with that now, yet they do it day in and day out. No thank you. My hat goes off to them in that regard but it still comes down to work smart not hard.

Let’s just say as far as what you have heard on the news things are beefed up around here. I probably will not have to go off base again but am not taking that to the bank yet. The airman we lost last week was my rank and 24! Again I think about him as he was on a mission that I went on before. They are called PRTs or Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Basically they go out and talk to the elders of a village, area, or valley and help them rebuild, recover, and move forward. Ultimately we are doing good here and if we were not in the civil war of Iraq, then we could allocate more resources and money here and truly have this country on the fast track to success. Anyway I am in a good mood today as I have off and tomorrow is a BBQ day. I need to go put together a video for Linda’s students as it must be done today because I have been putting it off. I will try to call some people tomorrow and as always appreciate your time, POSITIVE COMMENTS, and most important prayers.

Before I go today there are a few things in the news and one personal story I want to share. 1. I would say that this guy from Austria committed the worse act in the history of his country but thanks to Hitler being an Austrian I cannot say that. This nut builds a dungeon like living area in his basement for which he keeps his 18 year old daughter captive in for 24 years and fathers 7 children with her all the while telling his wife upstairs that the girl ran away to join a cult. 3 of his kids/ grandkids never saw daylight in their almost 20 years of life. 1 of the babies died shortly after birth so he burned it in the house furnace. What is it about Austrians and burning people in furnaces?

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hVDZOHp0_8ZB_37OxVmoVnCEIsiAD90D6IP80

I am sorry but this man needs to be put to death so that the Jury of God can judge him because this is as bad if not worse than what Jeffrey Dahmer did. I would say worse because these people, his own family, suffered for years and years whereas Dahmer’s victims suffered for only a short time and where not his family. Anyway I had to comment on this one. Now onto the dumbass of the month award.

A kid from TX (same state as that guy who lives on PA Ave.) tried cashing a stolen check from his girlfriends Mom for $360,000,000 dollars. Yes 360 billion folks. I guess he figured he could help pay Iraq’s rent for the next year but none the less when the police picked him up he had some weed and a gun on him and said he wanted to start a record company with the money. A great example of America’s best and the wonderful influence of these ‘Urban influence’ magazines and culture. Absolutely hilarious and unreal.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hVDZOHp0_8ZB_37OxVmoVnCEIsiAD90D6IP80

And finally right here in lovely Afghanistan we got a press release in about a local Afghan guy who takes the cake. So apparently coalition forces recently raided this guy’s house (mud hut) as he was a suspect in supplying the Taliban in the area where he lives. The night they did it he was not home so the next day he comes home and finds out what happens. Instead of knowing they are looking for him and being on the down low about it he decides he has been violated (I am not sure that he hasn’t either as I am not sure innocent until proven guilty applies down here). Anyway he decides to go to the closest base to complain to us at which point they figure out he was the one we were looking for in the first place, so they arrest him. I know my Dad will not like this story, but to complain to any foreign troops here is like asking to China to quit building up their military; forget about it. What he should have done is complained to the local Afghan police or military as that is why we are trying to help them handle their own business.

Well that’s it for today. I look forward to the Pens game tomorrow night and seeing Jagr get bounced from the playoffs back in the Burgh. Also THE vehicle that I want is on Ebay and I am so tempted to bid on it. The last Saleen Explorer ever produced. Check it out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=230248245515&rd=1

DAY 96: 1 MAY 08

2008-05-01T22:25:00.004+02:00

Well May is here and with it brings violence. We lost an Airman the same rank as me this week. It was confirmed at today’s promotion ceremony as we had three people promoted in my office. There is also a ton of sh*t going down in Kabul and even word of issues here. I am trying like hell not to go off base anymore. I got the sports show tomorrow and look forward to that each week. We are cooking out this weekend as well so that should be some fun. I am going to bed late tonight so I will not see the Pens 4th game but I hope it’s another sweep. If not I should get to watch them this weekend and it would be nice to see Jagr lose in Pittsburgh as it may be his final game since he may retire. I talked to my Mom today and was glad to hear that she is fine. I was also mad to see her fire comments at my Dad and he fire back. You know they both tell me they do not love each other anymore. I think I now believe that. But what I also believe is that what they have is called a love vacuum. When you did love someone for so long, and were married to them when the relationship finally ends the love may be gone but a vacuum is created that requires attention in some fashion. For these too it’s done by in direct communication through myself, my sister, my grandparents, or even a message board comment area. I want to make a deal with both of you for the whole world to see. I will openly and lovingly accept both Darryl and Shelly as whatever they become to you two as time progresses. I will show only love and as much as possible forget the past and my very strong feelings concerning the situation. In return I ask that you two act like adults and move on, so some communication can be possible in case of emergencies, issues concerning Robin and Emma, and social functions that require both of you like some weddings coming up. It pisses me off that I am in Afghanistan and there is no collaboration or communication at basic levels to achieve very important tasks like helping Robin, taking care of Emma, and making sure I am informed. This nonsense has to stop so that we can all move on and enjoy life together! I am being straight up when I say this trip and excursion has changed me. Part of that change means loving my parents and those who they love no matter my personal views. But as I adhere to certain requests and ideas so too must those around me. Life is too short and money, possessions, property, and whatever else of this world have little value in the grand scheme of things. God, Family, country, friends, and our memories are what truly hold value. I need to shower and shave now as it is approaching 1 am here. Best part about hitting the showers this late is nobody in your way, tons of hot water, and peace and quiet! Mom and Dad I expect to see apologies on the comment areas and maybe even some sort of plan as to how we all can move forward in a positive manner. And one last thing Dad: you told me to think before I talk and even more before I type. So I have one question: Where in the Bible does Jesus directly curse people and have bad events come into their lives for ‘transgressions’? Dad I do not believe you thought before you typed instead let emotions dictate your response to Moms petty and futile jab. I know two things for sure 1. Jesus is all about love and letting us mess things up for ourselves(free will) not cursing us. 2. NO ONE is guaranteed tomorrow so I am careful in my judgment of events both good and bad for only God knows what tomorrow will bring. On that note here is a question for everyone to ponder. If as a typical Christian believes heaven is where Christ is building us a mansion for us and that it is a perfect world without sin and all of the common worries of this world then why should I feel sorry for that Airman who died this week? May be it is he who is feeling bad for me being stuck on earth still as he rejoices in heaven. I guess it’s all perspective since we do not know what’s on the other side for sure, so we are automatically sad when one dies; Normal, but for me I have thought more about death on this trip than at any other time in my life as my odds are greater here. Anyway I thank all of you for your support and love and if I die tomorrow then you may be sad but I probably won’t be! Now I will pray before bed for protection as I do very often and hope to live another wonderful day in paradise as compared to the other 90% of the people on the earth(like the local Afghans here for example) as my wonderful Dad always told me growing up. Good Night.

PS: Ok I am officially in rambling mode but this story I have got to tell. Today I was at dinner alone as I needed to break away from all of the folks I work with for just a little alone time. As I was eating I saw a local Afghan worker and a KBR employee who speaks the local language, get into an argument. I could tell the older guy who was dressed in traditional clothing was very upset while the KBR guy who was dressed in jeans and a shirt yelled at him and then told him to be quiet so we all could not hear. They were in the little lobby area where you dump your garbage before exiting the chow hall. The guys job is to empty trash bags and put new ones in. As the KBR worker tried to quiet him down I made eye contact with him. I could only stare into his eyes for a second or two because I saw such pain. I could cry right now. This poor man who probably has 4 kids, no education, and lives somewhere local empties trash for a living, my trash! He has seen war his whole life and empties garbage to support his family; maybe his best job ever. Mean while he has got to take crap from this worker who was probably wrong but is a supervisor. I wanted to go say something but they went outside and then I forgot. Plus in all seriousness it’s hard to communicate to them and the guy who would translate for me would not tell the local Afghan guy that I think he is wrong! I just wonder what this world is coming too? China’s military spending sky rocketed recently, gas prices are through the roof, mortgages are in the toilet, the economy is teetering on the brink, none of the presidential candidates will truly put us on the right track, and every day people live as poor as they do like around here. Yeah life can be good for me and you but for the average citizen on earth how good is it? Mom and Dad I love you and want you to know that. With Emma already around I am not sure I will have kids given this experience. Maybe adopting some is the best remedy or at least my contribution to the situation. I need to sleep now but boy am I sad right now not for me but for our world!

DAY 95: 30 APR 08

2008-04-30T19:30:00.000+02:00

Well how about those Pens. 7 and 0 in the playoffs. Looks like it could be Philly and Pittsburgh in the Eastern finals which would be a hell of a series. Anyway I know Kabul and everywhere else around here has been in the news but I am safe. I am most likely not going off base anymore as I am in radio now and have gone off more than anyone except one guy. We have 2 marines that just got in and they are gun ho so…. Mom I heard about your car and all! I hope you are ok and would love to hear from you. Please email me and let me know what’s going on. The more I think abut getting out the more I lean towards it. I think there are only a few assignments I would stay in for. I talked to Siggy today and we had a nice chat. I have firmed up the list of guys in my wedding and have it to 4 including Michelle’s brother who I have yet to ask. I’ve been doing a good job of chilling lately and am glad to be at this pace. My stress level has been way down. I rolled the dice and bought myself a DQ blizzard today and am paying the price as I know I cannot handle ice cream! Anyway I guess that’s about it. Tomorrow is may 1st and my love turns 24 in 10 days and mother’s day is in 11. Yet another holiday I am away for which is another reason to settle back in the states in a few years. Anyway day 100 is quickly approaching and I am looking forward to getting back to Germany. We had a fallen comrade ceremony at like 3 am here. I did not get up and go and feel bad but even if I did it would have emotionally messed with me the whole day if not longer. Anyway I will try to make phone calls this weekend and if you are reading this and want to chat leave me your number on the message board. I love and miss you all. Rob

DAY 93: 28 APR 08

2008-04-28T19:30:00.000+02:00

Well I guess I went off a little yesterday but I needed to get it off my chest. I am better today and have the resolve that if I just go to work, do my job, and finish these 2 months and change that I will be back to Germany with the love of my life, living like a king. This deployment is not easy but easy compared to many others and I lean on that fact. I watched the Count of Monte Cristo today and boy was that a good movie! I also read the GQ magazine today that Danielle sent and it has some great articles. I am starting to really look at getting out and branching out into some things that may require risk. Anyway right now I am just trying to take one at a time and go into work and spend more time in my room reading and being chill. To bed for tonight and LETS GO PENS!

DAY 92: 27 APR 08

2008-04-27T21:04:00.000+02:00

Well it’s been a good weekend for me from the standpoint of my sports teams but a rocky one for me personally. I will start with the sports: I woke up and watched the Pens win a wild one and will watch them again tonight. I am really enjoying this young team we have. If only our Pirates would take a not from Mario and company and see how to run a franchise in Pittsburgh. I also watched the draft last night and am very happy with the Steelers draft thus far. They picked great players for a great value at positions we need. Now onto my work situation; Basically in the military you have a chain of command. I think in a non combat situation that the chain of command theory is out dated, inefficient, and bureaucratic. It’s freaking 2008 and we have technology, instant communication, and tons of resources yet we still MUST use the chain of command. Basically I got yelled at for emailing the E 7 in our shop instead of telling my E 5 supervisor and him telling his E 6 supervisor and then him telling the E 7. While I understand the idea it is undoubtedly inefficient. We are not in direct combat in our office and a suggestion for getting our stories on more platforms should not have to take so long and be so tedious. Anyway I have been writing emails that piss people off since I was 17. I am the type of person that if something needs done or said then damn it I am going get it done or say it. Life is too short for inefficient processes and lack of communication. Basically there is a person in our arena who is not in our office who should do more to help get the story out but instead impedes it. It is very hurting and upsetting to see a person whose job it is to communicate and get the story out do the exact opposite. Anyway if I ‘shoot my mouth off’ as my Dad would say, one more time I will get some paperwork and may not be able to test for E 5 when I get back. But that brings me to another point. Being deployed all I freaking here about is Non Commissioned Officers. That’s anyone Enlisted 5 or above (E 5 to E 9). Maybe I am nitpicking syntax here but who the hell wants to be a Non anything. Imagine being a non professional athlete, non certified/ licensed doctor, non trained school bus driver? It’s the biggest joke in the military. It should be called Enlisted Military Professional of EMP 1 through EMP 9. There is no doubt that the role these people fill is the backbone of our military, but being proud about being a non anything is crazy. And yes I do have my degree and could try to become a real commissioned officer but then I could not do broadcasting anymore and would probably face even more bureaucracy and get even more frustrated. With all of that being said I know I have to stay on the low key and just finish these last 3 or so months out. I do not have the patience, or luxury of wasting my abilities, capabilities, and potential on waiting 10 years to get the rank I need to say and do the things I want too. That probably means then I will get out in less than 2 years when I am done. I say that now and could change my mind but I cannot let rank and inefficient military processes limit me and what I want to do in this world. I signed up for what I got and have to obey orders regardless of what I think for now. In the end I work with great people, have a great job, and can’t complain too much. But I still have the mentality that if you are going to do something then do it your best and for me that makes it hard to depend on anyone else or go through a chain! Now onto more important information: The news piece I did on the humanitarian aid drop with all of the poor kids in Kabul is done through you guys. I got the information from the COL (Yes I emailed a full bird colonel without going through my chain of command and had no issues….see it is possible it’s called communications! Just joking because it was a simple request and not a request for change which the military obviously has major issues with) and he gave me the following. So with all of that being said I will end tonight’s sessions and get back to the Penguins game. I will post tomorrow and am wondering how work will be. I cannot wait to get this deployment under my let and back to Germany. Good night and lets go Pens!

The Camp Eggers Volunteer Community Relations (VCR) program enhances the partnership with the people of Afghanistan while providing a venue for US and Coalition troops to assist others. Through this program, Camp Eggers VCR volunteers interact with local nationals at various locations in the Kabul area, including schools, orphanages, medical centers and
Internally Displaced Persons camps. The Afghan people in these locations are not as fortunate as we are and could greatly benefit from your support to improve their quality of life. Conservative clothing for men, women, and children are most often needed. During winter months, items like gloves, mittens, hats, scarves, coats, and blankets are critical. Shoes, non-electronic toys, school supplies, and hygiene items are of great assistance too.

The VCR program is also involved with forwarding items to US service members located at smaller forward operating bases (FOBs) and other locations that may not have the PX facilities that most of the larger camps have. Donations of personal hygiene items, CD or DVD tapes,
magazines, and other items that service members would enjoy are welcome.

The U.S. Postal Service now offers a new, larger flat-rate box with a military discount for those mailing to APO and FPO addresses. Regardless of how much they weigh, the boxes will cost $12.95 to mail for the general public, and $10.95 if mailed to an APO or FPO address. Customers can begin using the new flat-rate box at the new mailing rates. The boxes are free and are available online at http://www.usps.com/supplies or by calling (800) 610-8734.

If you have any of the above mentioned items that are new or gently used and would like to donate them, please mail to:

VCR
CSTC-A, Pool House
APO, AE 09356

Unfortunately we can't give religious material to the Afghan people, so please refrain from including this in your donations. Camp Eggers VCR thanks you for your support. And so do the people of Afghanistan.
PS: I was only joking about my mother in law having a big mouth. It was truly a joke. I think I may have a future in Ann Coulter type writings as I seem to bother everyone in both my personal and professional writings. I am a firm believer in the truth hurts. Anyway the truth is I am in Afghanistan bending over for General Order number 1 while all you guys have the normal luxuries of life so I guess the truth is that I am the fool!

DAY 90: 25 APR 08

2008-04-25T20:17:00.001+02:00

I got an A in my online masters class. I was very happy about that today. I anchored and did 5 hours of live radio today: 2 music and 3 sports. I am going to sleep now so I can wake up and watch the Pens at 330.

DAY 89: 24 APR 08

2008-04-24T20:59:00.000+02:00

Well I anchored again today and did 4 hours of radio. Its been a little grueling at work but I enjoy it. I am not sure why the videos are not loading fast. It could be numerous issues for which I have no control over. Anyway I am doing a weekly sports show on Friday nights with an Army guy. Tomorrow we are doing a 3 hour special so we have enough time to cover the draft. It should be a ton of fun. I also have a very relaxed schedule this weekend as I worked all last. The Pens play at 3:30AM Saturday and then the Draft start at like 11PM Saturday night into Sunday. The Pens then play again at 11PM Sunday night into Monday. I plan on sleeping around those sporting events since I have the time to do so. I am actually excited about his weekend which is the first time I have felt that way in a long time. And speaking of the White house can you believe the Air Force has a slot there for my job! I emailed the lady today and it does not become vacant until 2010 when I am suppose to leave Germany. But it’s for a rank one above what I will be by then. We shall see but if I can apply for that slot I am going too. It’s a 4 year term, civilian clothes, top secret clearance, and working for the President, VP, or top White House Staff. If Hillary gets in I may not apply but for McCain or Obama o heck yeah. And yes I have had numerous people tell me about Hillary’s winnings. At least Obama won Centre County showing that PSU knows who to vote for. She won 60 of the 67 counties and in some areas won 80% of the vote. I am sorry to say but that is racism at its best or worst depending upon your persuasion. I guarantee if she were running against a white male she would never get 80% of the vote in any PA county. Centre county was the furthest west county as well showing that we, and I do say we, certainly are stuck to our belief systems in western pa aren’t we!? Anyway it looks like my R & R got bumped back to the end of May which is fine by me. I will be going to Qatar for 4 days and doing some sightseeing and jet skiing along with having a few brews. O today we got a huge box of stuff from the organization New Jersey Cares and a local boy scouts troops. I knew my mother in law had a big mouth as a teacher but boy is this surprising. Now I know what you guys do at your unions meetings. LOL I wrote both the boy scouts and the NJ cares group an email today. I cannot get over the box they sent. I of course shared the stuff with co workers and will be taking the rest to the soldiers support center tomorrow. Well I guess that’s it for today. I have a few comments about my sister that out of respect for the rest of the family I will keep to myself! One last thing. I did not write stuff last night because I have been real tired. Well last night I got a Tylenol PM off of a coworker and went to dinner around 7PM. I took it with dinner and by 8:30 I was out, allowing me to get almost 12 solid hours of sleep. I felt like a million bucks today. Anyway it’s about midnight now so I better not start the sleep deprivation cycle again….. Night everyone and thanks for all of your support.

DAY 88: 23 APR 08

2008-04-23T17:37:00.006+02:00

Look at those kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DAY 87: 22 APR 08

2008-04-22T16:26:00.000+02:00

As promised me anchoring and interview with the General:

DAY 86: 21 APR 08

2008-04-21T17:31:00.004+02:00

Well I got the pictures of the General and I as you can see. I was supposed to anchor today but the power was out almost all day so we had to wait until tomorrow to do our newscast. I am in a much better mood but still tired today. I rearranged my room before the trip and have really maximized my living space. I guess what’s on my mind today is our economy, the primary election in my home state tomorrow and eventually getting out of here. I know Hillary will win big because old people, love her and there are many who will not vote for Obama because of his pigment to say the least. I just can’t wait until I have a new boss to say the least. Believe it or not who wins will affect my decision to stay in or get out. I was upset to hear that my sister is back with that piece of sh*t in Ellwood city. Its sad to see what drugs can do to a person. Dad wants me to keep things to myself but there is no hiding that Robin will not listen to anyone and is on a very destructive path. The worst part is that she is very street smart and savvy and could make it without any guy in her life. That’s what she needs to focus on. Anyway if anyone talks to her please tell her to give me a number I can call her at. As for Afghanistan well it is still here. I think I was emotionally drained after this last trip between witnessing the poorness of those people and then having to be on the professional level of a 4 star general for the interview. Big spectrum of emotions there to say the least. I still cannot get over the job these soldiers do. In all honesty I hardly ever see a soldier smile here. I can tell they are genuinely not happy with their choice of joining. That is my personal opinion and view. I truly have it made in the shade with my job which is why I try to work hard each day and put myself in their shoes on my bad days. This place Bagram is the safest but most annoying in Afghanistan. Go to any other base or whatever and they are relaxed about PT gear and what not. Here they jump down your throat for having your reflective belt on the wrong way and then wonder why they have suicide issues. These are of course Army issues as the Air Force suicide rate is nothing compared to the Army’s. I live and work in an Army area and its like you can feel the vibe. All of the blue Air Force is up the road a bit which is fine. The Army leaves us alone for the most part and we do our own thing. I talked to my Uncle Josh the other day which was nice. I webcamed with Mom today and saw Emma. I love that little girl and pray my sister can get her act together for her. Anyway I am half way now maybe less depending upon when I leave. I do not know the next time I will be home but will know more as it gets closer to me leaving here. Well I guess that’s it for today. I am going for some solid sleep tonight to get back on track and feel better. Ask any questions as I feel like I have not been including what people want to hear. All of the stories I produce I will start posting as you can watch and experience them. Ok bye for now!

PS: Thank you to SSgt Marc Nickens for the pictures!

DAY 85: 20 APR 08

2008-04-20T16:12:00.000+02:00

Not feeling too good today. I will post a nice one tomorrow with pictures of me and GEN McNeill. I am also anchoring starting tomorrow for atleast a week so that should be cool. OK everyone have a great Sunday!

DAY 84: 19 APR 08

2008-04-19T09:15:00.002+02:00

Well I am back to Bagram safe and sound. Sorry it took me a few days to post but I have been settling in and playing a ton of playstation 2 to be completely honest. I am just about half way and boy it feel good. Our trip to Kabul was pretty successful as I did get to interview GEN McNeil. I will post the pictures and interview once it becomes available. I am now moving into radio as they do not want me to be gone as I missed the sports show last week but we had a good one last evening. The trip really made me think about a ton. These kids are so poor and even in our own military I have it great. If you get a chance pick up the latest issue of Rolling Stone and read the article about the Marlboro Marine from Kentucky who is dealing with post traumatic stress syndrome! I got into it with a Lieutenant colonel while I was down in Kabul about the war and tour lengths on soldiers. He came at me out of no where as I was talking to a fellow navy sailor who was similar to my rank. This guy started going off about how we should be here longer than 6 months and all. I shot right back that the toll it is taking on our families, mainly the soldiers families is crazy. So then he responds about how so many soldiers reenlist while downrange because they want to be a part of a team. I responded that if you reward these soldiers with 20K tax free bonuses of course they are going to reenlist downrange. Many of them have car payments and families to support not to mention being from small towns where it may take them a year to make 20k if they got out of the Army and went back. There is no doubt there has been a fiscal draft. I see it almost daily. The bottom line is this country and its people do need our help. I got into a very interesting conversation with some Pakistani soldiers about world politics and boy did they have ne laughing. They do not like India, had very little to say good about China, and are obviously not big fans of Israel. They went a little further in one ware that my Dad likes to blame but I will not go there. Let’s just say I learned about a new twist on the Kennedy assignation! Anyway a bunch of international soldiers died recently. I get the emails from ISAF which is where I was. There were a ton of troops from like 20 different countries there in Kabul. It’s funny because everyone except Air Force can drink down there! Of course the Brits do their share and everyone busts on the Macedonians as they eat a ton and drink too much. They probably do not get the same offerings in their home country as they do there at ISAF so good for them. Well the pictures of me interviewing a Marine LTC who was really cool. I also am doing a story on a Vietnam vet serving here and a Vietnam refugee who is now in the air force also as a Lt Col. I will add more pictures of me and the general hopefully tonight of not tomorrow. I will post again tomorrow as more comes to mind about my trip. Also if anything wants any afghan stuff let me know. The newscasts are stories I did on my last trip. I should be anchoring very soon and will post those newscasts as well. Next week on Friday I will be spending a little wad at the bazaar here on base. They have a ton of neat stuff but in the end I really need nothing else in this world but maybe you do! Ok got to run have a great day.

Day 80: 15 APR 07

2008-04-15T10:14:00.003+02:00

Well limited internet connectivity do to the rain but here is a quick post. I am safe and sound but still in Kabul. Interviewing a 4 star General tomorrow it looks like. I should be back to Bagram come Thursday sometime. Today is neat because taxes are due and I only have 99 days left in country! I also found out I am moving to radio when I get back which is a relief. More to come on that later. I will post a ton more Thursday night because I got to go for now. I just wanted to poke my nose in to let everyone know its all good. O yeah Penguins are up 3 - 0 but I have yet to see one game! Ok got to go. Bye!

DAY 78: 13 APR 08

2008-04-13T17:53:00.002+02:00

Just checking in quick as I am tired and have to be up early. I have yet to do the foot patrol and am currently at ISAF with service members from like 20 different countries. I will post more tomorrow but just want you guys to know I am fine and love you all.

DAY 76: 11 APR 08

2008-04-11T18:29:00.003+02:00

*** Warning: Todays blog is quite detailed which could cause some unpleasantness***

Well today was yet another eye opening experience. Probably the most since I have been here. So on our convoy on the way to the humanitarian aid drop the vehicle in front of mine clipped a a vehicle that came onto the road. This caused its back right tire to go flat. About 1 mile later we had to stop and get out to pull security as they assessed the situation. So there I am in the middle of Kabul with my 9mm drawn just in case. It was the weirdest thing because I felt completely safe. I do not know if God has Angles with me but if hes does they sure as heaven made me feel safe today. We all got back in the trucks after about 1 minute and then went to the site. When we got their the first thing that hit me was the smell. This Kuchi tribe of people are nomads and they are bedded down in a little area of Kabul right now. These are by far the poorest people I have seen here. Somehow I kept my composure enough between the little kids and the smell as so not to throw up or cry. They were aggressive little suckers though. They took anything you gave them. I gave away a comb to a girl, gum to other kids, and a pen to a 12 or 13 year old who spoke some English. Just look at the pictures below. On that note I would like to give credit to SSgt Marc Nickens who is a Public Affairs specialist serving with me. Coincidentally enough he is a reservist out of the 911th Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh! Anyway most of the pictures I have on here are from Air Force photographers that go out with me. I thank them all very much. Anyway on the ground was mud and puddles of water as it rained the last three days but I personally saw one of their cows piss right where all the kids walk and play. I am not really sure if you get much more poor! The men even took the pallets at the end. They people handed out bags of items, blankets, rice and other stuff. It was weird though as their were some nice houses in this area. Its like the potential is here but they still have so far to go. Anyway I was really repulsed when I saw the rotting carcass of a dead dog or possibly calf. I did not look close, or long enough to determine. Now for something I mentioned to my Dad on the phone that he did not believe. It is 100% confirmed today: Women here are for child bearing and Men are for fun. What that means is that men engage in relations with women only when they want to impregnate her and when they want enjoyment they either pitch or catch with each other. I am not trying to be a smart a** or be vulgar I am just trying to give perspective on how backwards they are here. Like I said before I went back 1000 years and on a different planet for all intents and purposes. The Colonel who I interviewed (pictured) says he has seen slightly worse conditions. How that is possible is beyond me. Anyway I think i have wrote enough about that today. The pictures speech for themselves and to be honest I do not know how I have held myself together as that little trip today was just unreal. When I say unreal its like you are in a movie or something.. just so sad. OK now for some interesting news and great news. Interesting news first: I will be going on both a convoy and foot patrol tomorrow! I will be fine and i am sure tomorrows blog will be even more engaging. However on Tuesday I am interviewing the ISAF Commander General (thats 4 stars) McNeill. Mom I love you but I know you will ask what ISAF is so here is a link: http://www.nato.int/ISAF/ The Pentagon Channel wants a 10 minute special with me also in the interview like a sit down you see on the big networks. My hopes are not totally up though as until it is shot, edited, and aired will I believe my interview with a 4 star General will go through. Anyway thats whats up for now. I need to go charge my camera batteries and get ready for tomorrow. I love you and thank you for your support. Have a great day. I will try to post tomorrow!

Day 74: 9 APR 08

2008-04-09T13:55:00.000+02:00

I got to Kabul safe and will post more as the week progresses!

DAY 71: 6 MAR 08

2008-04-06T17:13:00.003+02:00

Well this weekend flew by between my hw and work its going very fast. We have a little bit of a developing situation here in our b hut in that an Army soldier moved in. Ok no big deal as the 2 main divisions (82nd is leaving and 101st is taking over) are in a transition period. The catch is that he is married to a woman in the same unit and they are both here. Well she spent the night in our hut last night which is technically against the rules married or not. They do have married living arrangements here but apparently there is a waiting list. I am on the fence about saying something. If it’s one night a week I think I can handle it but more than that and I think we will be having an issue. Well I leave for Kabul this week and will be gone for another week. I am busy as hell at work which is ok. After this trip I will not go on another until June as I am taking my 4 days and going to Qatar in May. More on that as we get closer. I have got this interview with the 4 star general so I am getting a little nervous. I got to get a haircut this week. I get one before I leave for each trip so I look good in representing AFN. One I get back I will also be anchoring which many of you may be able to view on TV and if not definitely on the internet. Well I guess that’s it for now. My paper is just about done and then I have to do my final. Once those are done and in I am done with the class which will give me a total of 9 credits towards my masters. It takes 36 so I have a long way to go. Good night.

PS: can someone please call my Mom and tell her whether her brother got the picture from Ray's niece?

Quick update

2008-04-04T21:05:00.002+02:00

Just wanted to stop in and post a picture. I will update sunday night as I got to hammer out all of my hw tomorrow. The class is over on Wednesday.

Day 66: 1 April 08

2008-04-01T18:06:00.001+02:00

Well every time I see that number I think of my sports idol Mario Lemieux. I have to say I think I performed like him today! Although I wish he would come back and play on the power play and help the Pens with the Cup this season. Anyway I announced the promotion and awards ceremony for the Air Force personnel here on base. I did a pretty good job even though I messed a few things up (This one guy had a crazy African name that the General made me redo!). I had a couple good jokes too. One guy in our shop got promoted to Staff Sergeant (E-5) and we joked before we went to the ceremony that he could not be promoted because it was April fools day. Anyway during the ceremony the 1 star General on base handed out the certificates and saluted those being promoted. Well when Steve came up they, for whatever reason, did not have his certificate. So as he shook hands and saluted and walked back to his seat I said ‘April Fools’ and it got a good laugh from the crowd of about 400. Then at the end all of the people lined up to shake hands and the General said something when I was suppose to end the ceremony from the script so instead I paused and then adlibbed ‘ Thank you for attending today’s ceremony now do whatever the General said” That got a real good laugh as things ended. I got a coin from the Command Chief which makes it my third coin since deploying here. Tomorrow I will post pictures of the event if I can get some. Also today I discovered (on the post gazette’s website which I read daily) that there is a website that you can find teachers in PA and NJ’s salaries. It took me about 2 minutes to find out how much my Uncle Joe and Mother in law make. Its funny too because my Dad just made a comment about how I dry my underwear on the front porch. Well two things here: 1. I believe anyone being paid by the government should have their salary advertised. We are all public servants on different levels and should never earn more than we would be embarrassed for good or bad to have as public knowledge. You can look and see how much I make any day as military pay is public knowledge. 2. I live life so that I do not have dirty laundry to dry on the front porch. (Although Michelle will tell you I hang onto some boxers beyond their rightful life span!) Now that is not to say I am perfect or will not have something bad happen to me in the future. But I look at life as if God knows all and if he knows then we better do our best to live right. Therefore if you ask me something I am going to admit it. I get very upset when people make excuses for their sins or wrong doings. If you did something wrong just admit it, ask forgiveness and try not to do it again. You can thank my parents for that installation of values even though they sometimes come to light in what my Dad would label as ‘laundry on the front porch’. LOL Anyway I love you and miss you all. The funny part is my Dad and Mom are now commenting in the same area. This is the first step of civil communication in the 12 step program! LOL You guys need to understand I am half of each of you so I will continue to bother you both about this nonsense. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow which is why we have to remain positive and love each other no matter how much we feel hurt or offended. So I guess that’s it for now. I got another trip coming up next week to Kabul. I am slated to interview a 4 Star General! That makes my first as the highest before that was a 3 Star. Then in May I am taking my 4 day pass and going to Qatar! Beer, pool, civilian clothes, and 4 days off… I cannot wait. O I won a raffle for the opportunity to buy a Nintendo Wii. They are hard to get and I got one. A guy at work really wanted it so he bought it from me but its cool as it is in our office and we play daily. Golf and bowling. For those who do not know it is the one with the controller that is motion sensitive. You control the guy on the screen. I think I will get another one for Christmas as Michelle loves Mario Cart and it is coming out soon. Nintendo reminds me of my days with my Dad in the basement playing Blades of Steel on Connie Drive (circa 1990). I got a ton of homework to do now so I best be going. Look for some pictures tomorrow and less underwear on my front porch! One last thing though. As you all can see my Dad has yet to discover spell checker but he is still a brilliant and intelligent man. I will never forget his quotes. One of the funniest ones was when I was 19 years old the summer of 2002 we would work together each Friday on his building in Beaver Falls and boy was it fun. Anyway I think we had a great summer but one Friday morning I was having trouble getting out of bed to go to BF with him. (I was most likely out hooping it up the night before) Well when it comes to work there is no half assing it with my Dad. He said son: “You cannot hang with the Night Owls and expect to soar with the Eagles in the morning.” So Dad because I love you and Mom I will try to not hang my underwear on the front porch anymore and will now do my homework and get to bed at a decent hour so I am not late to work! Good night all Rob
PS: Happy belated Birthday to my best friend Kurt who turned the ripe old age of 28 yesterday!

DAY 64: 30 MAR 08

2008-03-30T19:05:00.000+02:00

Well the weekend flew by as I watched a movie Friday night did homework all day Saturday and then worked today. I called home on Saturday as well and talked to everyone and also got a hold my Dad today. To my surprise he has been reading my blog the whole time. He also says he went and saw Robin yesterday which is good. I think a break on my Mom and Grandma and a more balanced relationship with my Dad will help everyone involved. Robin would probably end up listening to my Dad just to show us all plus he can now see Emma without having to blame my mother. Robin is a grown woman who can take her daughter to see or be seen by her grandfather. Anyway I am doing good. Tuesday is April first and boy does it feel good to say that. I am announcing a promotion ceremony for the Air Force here on base. Also we did some videos for the Pittsburgh Pirates pregame show that we are sending back to the states tomorrow. So if you go to a Pirates game you may see me along with some other Pittsburghers on the jumbo tron before the game. Well anyway I have been playing too much play station 2 Madden football and am now tired. I am going to bed. Thanks everyone for reading and Cher I got your package. Thank you. I will post more this week. O yeah I want to apologize for using the b term concerning Hillary. My grandmother is very upset. So I take it back but am still endorsing Obama… Sorry Dad but I am sick of the republicans…..

DAY 61: 27 MAR 08

2008-03-27T18:08:00.000+01:00

Well it’s been another few days since I posted so here I am again. I have to say that I have been feeling sick the last few days. While we all appreciate all of the goodies being sent imagine all 20 people you work with receiving goodies on an almost daily basis. It all just sits there and as you work you eat. I eat relatively healthy at home and also have a nice steady diet of hops on the weekend. Now I am not getting any hops and eating more candy. Anyway I have decided to cut back and only drink water as well. We have a large variety of pop available at the dining facility. I love pop as my Dad always bought when I was growing up. But as I get older I try to drink more water and Gatorade. Anyway the power went out on base yesterday so I came home early and took a nap. I decided the nap was so good I did it again today. I got a couple of boxes today, one from Mom and one from Michelle. That’s always nice. Michelle and I keep reusing the same box to send stuff to each other, it’s kind of funny seeing this same box. As always I appreciate the comments. And YES I have officially endorsed Barack Obama. In fact I got and sent back my absentee ballot just the other day. My vote is in the mail. I see Hillary is campaigning big time in PA. She is such a bitch and phony in my view. While none of them are perfect I see Barack as the most progressive and best fit for the current needs of our country. The current administration, whom I voted for twice, is really not even caring what WE THE PEOPLE THINK. Ok enough on that but I hope Barack wins the democratic primary. I registered democrat a few years ago just so I could vote in this primary so….. Well I guess that’s it for now. Will someone please tell my Dad about this blog. I know if he can reach ebay he can get here. It would be funny to see a comment from him and then my Mom next to each other. I am not sure given their track record that there is even enough room for both of them on a blog comment board!!! You guys need to start talking and getting along. I guess that whole love thing for each other deep down inside has something to do with it!!! Wait did I just say all of that publically? Yes I did because it is the truth and I do not believe in repressing love no matter how much hate or torment the other person has put you through. I am a product of that love and will always believe in it! Anyway I love you all and cannot wait to invite EVERYONE to my wedding. That will be an interesting yet very fun day! Bye for now.

Day 59: 25 MAR 08

2008-03-25T02:02:00.003+01:00

Well its really early here but I am watching the Penguins and waiting to talk to Michelle. I wanted to let everyone know I had a fine Easter and hope the same for all of you. I am now good on phone cards and gushers. Thank you all very much. Also I did not end up winning that best new broadcaster award but the guy who won thought I was going to win as we communicated in an email. Also let me make this clear. I am not in the Army! I am in the Air Force and do work with the Army but am not in it and let me tell you there is a huge difference. I am here until mid to late July of this year on a 6 month tour. Now for the pictures. The first one is of me on my most recent trip. it was taken by a photo journalist out of Washington State who I was with for a week. It was a great experience. The snow picture is form when I first got here but I wanted to show all of the snow. The others are from a few weeks ago. I was at a local village. Well I guess thats it. I will post tomorrow night if I get a chance. Enjoy.

Day 56: 22 MAR 08

2008-03-22T14:25:00.002+01:00

Well I am back from what was arguably the most risky thing I have done in my life. Marriage, commitment to God, choice of school, occupation, and military service can all be reneged upon for better or worse. But for the convoy I went on that was not an option. We left FOB Sharana and headed for FOB Kushmond which is close to the Afghanistan/ Pakistan border. That place is a real crap hole. I feel bad for the soldiers and Polish troops who are stationed there. I rode in a MRAP (Wikipedia it) which is about the newest and safest vehicle available. On the way down we had good intel that IEDs were on our route. Sure enough the crew ahead of us hit a small one. In that I mean it was designed to injure or kill a person walking. It did not have enough power to hurt the vehicle. Anyway that was in the convoy ahead of ours. Then we got there spent the night and stopped at a few places on the way back. I will upload pictures tomorrow. Overall this has been the longest and most remote trip so far. I am really getting out and seeing Afghanistan. I have been working and traveling with combat engineers. Basically guys that can both shoot and build in the middle of Afghanistan. They do have to do both to be honest. These guys and gals are out here for 15 months! They leave in May and the next crew comes in right before that. I am sorry but that’s just too long to be in a combat zone! 1 year at the most in my opinion. I have to say that this deployment is truly changing me. As long as I get home safe, which I have faith that I will, it’s a great experience. It just opens your mind and eyes to so many things. I think if our idiot politicians and average American could see this stuff it would change the way they think. I mean if I ever get into politics I know this trip will shape the way I view the world and the privilege it is to be an American. Unfortunately most of our politicians did not serve, so Vietnam and Desert Storm are nowhere on their radar (John McCain is the exception as he spent 5 or 6 years in the Hanoi Hilton so he gets my applause but still will not get my vote). Anyway tomorrow is Easter and yet again I will not be home. I have to say though I am use to it. For me holidays are important based on their cause, and in tomorrow’s case Jesus died! We all know that but I promise you that your holidays are more shaped by the people you spend them with and the traditions you carry out in front of them. Christmas, St. Patty’s Day, Easter, Super bowl, etc. are all for a good reason and some better than others but in the end if you are not with the people you care about then it’s really not a holiday. I will probably go to some service tomorrow and pray and thank God but without my family it is not the same. I am fine with it though as the majority of my good memories concerning holidays are from circa 1990 – 1994!(our years too but those were the best = all of the family were alive and getting long) Thanks for all of the comments and just know I am fine. I should be back to Bagram this Monday. The 2 month mark is coming up this week so time is definitely going by fast. I love all of you and really miss the states. I know I will be ready to leave Europe but still have a few places to see there. Ok well look for pictures tomorrow and a little post. Rob

Day 52: 18 MAR 08

2008-03-18T11:13:00.000+01:00

Ok well its been almost a week since I have posted but with good reason. This past weekend on Saturday we had a cook out and volleyball day. It was a ton of fun and really a good break. The sun here can take its toll though as I played about three hours and was beat. I am sure I will return with a good tan this summer. On Sunday I woke up and headed to the terminal to catch a plane for my next trip. I am about 50 miles south of Kabul at a pretty big forward operating base. Yesterday I hooked up with the Air Force firefighters and also the Air Force engineers here. I hung out with them and shot some video. Today we will go with the Army Public Affairs Captain who has a bunch of stories lined up for us. When I say we I mean the civilian reporter and myself. He is from a newspaper in Washington state and also a professor at his local community college. Pretty neat guy. It looks as if I will be going off base here in the next couple days which will be interesting. As far as some of my other comments on here let me go into further detail. All I mean by I wonder what it would be like is if I were bron here. Not for me to actually live like these people. Being here makes me wonder about what determines where we are born and how we live. That’s all I meant. Thanks again for all of the goodies and phone cards. The only thing I need now is canned air as my new computer is getting very dusty and this does not make me happy. Ok well I got to head out. I will post the next chance I get. Rob

Day 46: 12 MAR 08

2008-03-12T13:57:00.002+01:00

Well time is flying by and I am doing ok. Yesterday I finally had it out with this guy I work with. He has been bullying people and just being a jerk and we went at it verbally. Then both of our supervisors came and in we talked it out. I do not think he is very happy as I basically admitted he was right about a few things but he basically was told that he has been out of line on many other issues. He is the same rank as me but about to get promoted. Either way it ended well and I am moving forward knowing I can work professionally without having to put up with his petty BS. I am not sure where he stands but I hope it ends well. Anyway today I went off base for a medical aid visit. The village is about 45 minutes from here and very poor. We treated 200 men, 180 women, and 102 animals. Chickens, cows, donkeys, and dogs wander aimlessly throughout the town. I did not get any pictures of them but you can see the town. The other picture is of me chilling out after I got done. I got sunburned slightly on my face and hands today as that was the only skin exposed. On another note I have to say that it is getting hot and smelling like shit. The reason I cuss and am blunt is because on numerous accounts I have been told that 80% of the dust in the air is fecal matter. I have mentioned before that they pee and pooped wherever they like and that is the end result. Shitty dust! As soon as I got back to base today I went and took a shower to clean myself and blow out my nose. It’s getting nasty as the temperature rises. Anyway I saw men treated as the women were hidden in a separate area. These people have nothing in this world. It is unreal. It’s basically like I have gone back in time. I kind of like it in a way but in another way it’s weird. I start having convoluted thoughts of multiple wives and the lifestyle they live!!! Then I realize I am thirsty and grab a bottle of water and realize I am a Christian American and this lifestyle is unaccepted and ultimately unneeded. The example of a bottle of water exemplifies the fact that bottled water is like gold to them which shows how far behind they are. While water is vital to everyone, in 2008 you should be able to gain the system and education to secure and clean itself for yourself. I am sorry but maybe if they were not so worried about keeping their multiple wives’ mouths shut and bellies pregnant they could get some freaking water processes setup. Ok enough on that subject. Anyway the kids hound you all day for food, candy, pens, and water. Water is the only word they can say. It actually gets annoying but I did give them some stuff. The men look super old. Because they grow beards and live in a sunny and dusty environment their skin ages extremely quick. I must say though they all have nice thick hair. It was a good day and I also got my midterm done which is why I have not been posting as I have been working on that. I will try to call everyone this weekend as I am probably heading out on an extended trip next week. That’s it for today and please enjoy the pictures.

Our newscast and my story!

2008-03-10T23:22:00.000+01:00

Day 43: 9 MAR 08

2008-03-09T17:51:00.000+01:00

Well this weekend was ok. I used my day off yesterday to call home and get most of my mid term exam done. I need to finish the essay part tonight. I guess all you guys switched for day light savings time so now I am only 8.5 hours ahead of you as we do not switch here. There was another fallen comrade ceremony this weekend. They really hit me hard as for all intents and purposes that’s me in the casket. O well you just got to be strong and know that you will be fine. The weather is starting to get kind of hot. I say that because the walk to chow and back causes a little sweat and that’s the first time for that so…. This deployment is quickly becoming the biggest challenge of my life. Between Michelle working and me being here working our finances are awesome. But its like I traded the worry of bills for the mental strain and challenge of being here. I guess the old saying that ‘it is always something’ is true. I am not sure when the trip to Kabul will be so we are both in the same boat. I appreciate all of the packages and cards. We got so much junk food here it is nuts. I usually do not eat that crap either. I guess that’s about it. A pretty boring/ usual weekend from me. Now I get to watch the Penguins as they are paying a noon time game!!!!

DAY 40: 6 MAR 08

2008-03-06T16:30:00.004+01:00

Well I know its been a few days since I posted but I have been busy. I decided to write today since I got 4 hours in the radio studio DJing the afternoon show. My masters class only has one month left and right now we have a mid term exam due. On top of this I went and met some NFL players last night along with my favorite Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King. I got my picture with him and hope to talk to him on Saturday when they come to do the radio show. I hope to get some insight into getting a job doing this stuff in the civilian sector. Anyway after that I went and had Polish language night. Those people are so great. I really want to visit Warsaw before I leave Europe. I am helping them out with a few other things as our relationship furthers. I really enjoy those nights as we laugh, learn and really love each other as humans. Anyway work has been pretty good with the Air Force media awards results out tomorrow. I think I have a few pieces up for awards but more importantly I am personally up for the Best new broadcaster award. Its for those who have been working for 2 years or less at their first duty station. We shall see what happens. I am scheduled to go back down to Kabul for a 8 day trip coming up this month. Can’t give details but you’ll know once I am gone. I have not been playing very much basketball as they changed the hours and now on Sundays its packed like a mad house. Anyway I have been lifting at least 2 days a week if not more. I actually opened the Bible the other night as well. I am going to try to read the new testament while I am here. I have read bits and parts but never in its entirety. My spirits have been very good lately. I will say though doing my first fallen comrade ceremony was eye opening. Basically we stand on the main road on base as the flag draped casket(s) rolls by. We salute while at attention and then it moves towards the flight line to go home like the rest of us eventually, only hopefully not in a casket. I know for many reading this is it is very scary but for me its reality. I mean it’s sad but that’s war. If it happens to me then o well. I will have died defending my country doing something I love; highlighting the average service member in the stories I produce. Think of it this way. You could die in a car accident today on your way to work. I walk to work! Just joking but for real death is a daily possibility no matter who you are or where you live. Odds are obviously higher here but that’s just the way it is. Well I guess that’s it for today. I think I may not take another masters class as I want to enjoy my time here and do some things without feeling the nightly pressure of homework. Enjoy the pictures. O and my Mom requested some information about the pictures of me drinking. Its tea. Its honorary to have it with the dignitaries here. So that’s what we were doing. I love tea too. Mom you know how much I hate coffee. My older supervisors drink it like water. I hate coffee; it should be banned! That’s enough for today.

DAY 36: 2 MAR 08

2008-03-02T18:48:00.001+01:00

Well today was probably the best day I have had on base so far. I did the radio show for 4 hours today and then had a little shoot. The weather was perfect: 63 degrees with a little wind and tons of birds chirping. It wasn’t very dusty either. According to my calculations I have done 20% of my deployment. I know it’s not a lot but hey I am getting there. I talked to a good bit of people this weekend and it felt good. It looks as if I will be on base most of March. I got a little 2 day trip coming up but that’s about it. I am also going to be anchoring sometime this month maybe. For those who have the Pentagon Channel you will be able to see me in the states. I will be sure to update that scenario. Anyway that’s about it. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow night. Rob

Day 35: 1 March 08

2008-03-01T10:31:00.002+01:00

Well I have not posted in a few days. I have to admit I have been a little depressed lately. It’s just like Groundhog Day here. Going off base definitely brings a change in pace but it’s like I am exchanging mundane with anxiety. O well time is going fast as it is March already. I cannot complain about that. My relationship with the Poles is getting better. They lost two soldiers earlier this week so I did the language exchange with them on Thursday instead of Wednesday. I also had lunch with them today. Lets just say all those flea markets I went too with my dad have taught me a very valuable less about bartering. I have off today and will get my homework done. We had a big meeting at work yesterday. Work was tough this week as I have been getting very annoyed with my coworkers. Its not that they are bad people as much as it is that we are around each other all of the time. It just gets old. The weather has been real nice. Sunny and around 60. I hope it stays that way all month before the rain sets in. Well I guess that’s about it. I will try to post more pictures tomorrow.

Pictures from my trip!!!!

2008-02-27T16:34:00.003+01:00

These are the pictures from last week. I refer to them all in yesterday's blog.

18 FEB – 24 FEB: In Kabul

2008-02-26T17:41:00.003+01:00

Ok well the pictures will come tomorrow. I was in Kabul at various bases for a week. Let me just start out by saying that I thank God for everything I have. We flew on a little plane from Bagram down to Kabul international airport; a 7 minute flight. The Afghanistan landscape is very barren. The first day I got there I did some interviews on base and met a neat Russian guy who moved to the states and then joined the Air Force. He is married to a Mexican now! Talk about the atypical American family. Anyway later that day we went off base to a school they were working on to give out clothes that came from NYC. We had a ton of protection as I was fully suited up and there were about 25 of us. The school was the shell of a building but good by their standards. The kids basically made me cry as I thought about my niece Emma. We were there about an hour and it was cool. I will post a ton of pictures tomorrow. I know I have been promising them but it takes a little to prepare them and all. Anyway my first trip off base was very eye opening. Kabul is very dirty and basically nothing more than 3 story buildings here and there. The Russians and Taliban bombed and shot the sh*t out of the town throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Over 2 million civilians have died here in that time period. We got back to base and I really felt relieved having survived and accomplished a trip off base. On Wednesday day we went to the logistics command and central movement agency where I had tea with an afghan general. I also met and interviewed like every Afghan colonel there. I will try to use the footage but it’s going to be hard because we have to rely heavily on translators. They speak Dari which is the Afghan language. At this place there is a ton of Russian metal and old vehicles left over that the Afghans will not throw away. Scrap metal is like gold to them but the army owns it so they cannot sell it. I was on top of this truck shooting some video when this old man popped his head out of a caboose like container that he lives in. he had a long straight white beard with weird white eyes that must be in bad shape. It was like out of National Geographic or something. We got to see the new living quarters for the ANA (Afghan National Army) and they were like what I lived in for basic training to be honest. That night we stayed at the Airport which is also a base. NATO and ISAF run the base so Euros are used and many Europeans are there. I took special note of the Czech female types. Oops did I type that? Speaking of women had I came here before committing to Michelle I may have been able to bring one home!! Just joking but my point is that the men here are allowed up to 4 wives. I told an Afghan general I could not handle the one I have and he told me he has the secret to 2 or more as he has 2!!!! Anyway our stay at KIA was the best as the living conditions were brand new buildings and all. On Thursday we got up and headed to a different compound where I met up with a few friends that I met while in training in NJ. I stayed in these big apartment like buildings across the street from base. I felt like I was in Germany in 1946! It was very James Bond like as far as the Soviet Union falling and all. I will get to more of that in a second. So on Thursday we went to this other Afghan command where I saw a warehouse they built. Then they had a women’s council with our female service members. A female Afghan general showed up and boy was she imposing. It was awesome to see these women voice their opinions and all. Its clear though that they have a long way to go. That story is going to be awesome once I put it together. I will post links to these stories once they are done and on the web like I did for Bo Bice. Friday they had a market and its like the day off in Kabul because that’s the Muslims holy day. I got a nice gun holder for 20 bucks. I plan on selling the other one I got on ebay. Anyway Friday was a chill day and I enjoyed hanging with my one buddy from NJ. I am trying to get back down there to do a story with him as he had some very uplifting intel for me. Nothing you guys need to know about; but you can ask once I get home. Saturday was real neat as we went to where they keep their food and saw how they were building up this one base. Then we went to where they keep the fuels. It was on the outskirts of Kabul and was originally built by the Russians. I saw a bunch of dogs there. One had 3 legs as it bit its other one off because it got infected. We had afghan food for lunch and it was good. Meat, bread, cauliflower, fries, and some sauce that was like watery mayonnaise. I ate the whole meal and was very full. No stomach issues which was an accomplishment for me. Anyway we were in the hills and they have these big tanks only 2 of 8 left from the Russians as we bombed the rest. It was neat and the pictures will show you that. Driving there was nuts as we went through the market. Kids carry kids, animals run around, and its dirty as hell. I have never seen so many crappy Toyota corollas. We drive like a bat out of hell and basically go as fast as we want and push people aside. Its nuts. The adrenaline of a war ravaged area is a mix of knowing you can do just about whatever you want (ok more than in the states lets say) and knowing the next step, breath, picture, or smoke you take may be your last. I am embellishing a little as things have been very quiet and safe but people are still dying every day here. The scariest part was every time we went out they told us about security issues. That certainly puts things in perspective. Sunday was the icing on the cake. We got up and went to this forward operation base (FOB) on the outskirts of Kabul. I did some shooting there and then we went up to the Queens old palace. This place was shot to crap and a shell of what it was but boy was it impressive. I got pictures and video so I will post those tomorrow. It was taken over by the Russians as there was a newspaper stuck k to the wall with the date of March 28 1985 on it!!!! The king’s palace was not far away and in just as bad shape. Here’s a picture of the palace. We drove back to Bagram after this and it was a fast wild ride. I was glad to be back safe and all. Yesterday and today I basically have been getting settled in and all. Thanks to everyone for the packages. If I get one more bottle of hand lotion, or moisturizer I think I will just stay in my room on the weekends and lube my whole body in order to use the stuff. Michelle will like having the availability of all of it once I get back. She uses that stuff more than me. I mean skin does get dry here but not until summer mostly. It’s been getting warmer though. Into the 50s so…. All of the snow has melted. Well that’s about it for today. Shorter post tomorrow with a ton of pictures. Rob

25 Feb 2008

2008-02-25T19:12:00.002+01:00

I am tired and going to bed. I got all of my laundry done today and am all settled back in form my trip. I should have the pictures from my trip tomorrow and will post them along with my thoughts and summary of my trip. O yeah I have been here a month now!!!! Will post tomorrow.

Feb 25 2008

2008-02-24T15:13:00.001+01:00

I am back on Bagram and safe. I will post a very long blog tomorrow with a bunch of good pictures. Rob

Bo Bice piece and our Newscast!!

2008-02-22T12:59:00.002+01:00

I will post more of these as time allows.

Day 26: 22 Feb 08

2008-02-22T12:50:00.002+01:00

Ok so everyone has been emailing and wondering where the hell I am. Well the simple answer is Kabul. I have been hopping from base to base and seeing the city and its people. Its been a great trip which I will go into great detail about once I get back to Bagram. Look for a long post, if not individual ones on Monday. I am safe, doing great, and having fun. I will also have some pictures to post as well. Thanks for reading. Rob

Day 21: 17 FEB 08

2008-02-17T21:03:00.003+01:00

Ok well the weekend went by just like the first 3 weeks: fast! I am heading out tomorrow for the week and am as excited as I am nervous. I ate something tonight that is not agreeing with me which makes the situation worse. I kind of got into it with a co worker the other day, but we ended up having a decent discussion. It seems my personality is clashing with him and others he claims. He made valid points that I agree with but I also think he has his own issues to watch out for as we all do. I am looking forward to this trip from a work stand point as it will allow me to see a ton. I will also be interviewing people who deserve the coverage versus petty BS around base here. I do not think I ever posted my address here but if anyone would like to send me something here is the address. I really do not need anything but the guys at the shop enjoy food like cookies, snacks, etc. My personal favorite are gushers candies.

Rob Joswiak
JLC/ AFN Bldg 415
Bagram AF
APO AE 09354

I posted a picture here of me with an old Polish tank form the 80s left around base. Thought it was kind of neat. That’s about it for now. I am sure once I post this week they will be longer and much more interesting. Thanks and take care. Rob

Day 20: 15 FEB 08

2008-02-15T21:05:00.000+01:00

Well today was a good day. A guy turned my ring in on Thursday morning and that made my weekend. I bumped up my internet but have not noticed much of a difference except after midnight once everyone is off of the internet. I called in a favor and am still waiting for the Bo Bice piece to come up on AFN Europe’s website. I will post that link once it’s up. For those who use MySpace I have it as well. New background and pictures there plus more about me. www.myspace.com/psujozz I went to the bazaar today and looked around. I did not buy anything because I did not have any cash on me and also because I just wanted to see what they had. They really haggle down there. It’s like it goes from $80 to $30 in 1 second. Kind of makes you wonder. One guy brings a camel and charges for rides and per picture. I think he is as unique looking as the camel. I will probably go next week and pay for the ride and photo opt. I got my taxes done tonight and submitted and will now play the waiting game. It appears I am heading to Kabul this week so my posts will have to be delayed. I have decided not take my new pc so I will have to type my daily posts on any computer I get too and then post them once I get back. We shall see how that works out. I have off tomorrow and will continue to get more homework done before going in on Sunday and editing some stuff I shot today. I am not too worried about going off base as I have to have faith in God plus to be honest I am a little cooped up right now. A week of roughing it and seeing some new stuff will be a nice change of pace. I am over the all you can eat factor at the chow hall. They say it’s a 28 day rotation but it seems to be the same all of the time. It’s still good food but just very regimented. To date I have made 2 breakfasts! I guess that’s about it. I need to email Bo and thank him again and make sure all his crazy fans see the good video with an anchor and all. Ok well bed time. Feel free to contact me via myspace.

www.myspace.com/psujozz

Day 19: 14 FEB 08

2008-02-14T20:43:00.000+01:00

Super tired and need to sleep. FOUND MY RING and got faster internet. I also will have a better version of the Bo Bice story with anchor and lead. I will also post another cool picture of me tomorrow. I need to email these Bo Bice fans. Anyway look for a great post tomorrow. I am out. Hope its a good v day for ya!!!

Day 18: 13 FEB 08

2008-02-13T18:51:00.002+01:00

Well today was definitely an up and down day. More up then down but unfortunately I lost my Penn State class ring. Let me reword that. I temporarily misplaced it. I have done this before. Like the time my chain that holds a Jesus nail, dog tags, and ring stayed at the local swimming pool for a week. Only after looking everywhere in the house did we call and find that they had found it when cleaning the pool. In today’s case I either left it in the bathroom or at work somewhere because I wash my hands and use hand sanitizer a lot. I posted a flyer in our areas so we shall see. I think I have a replacement agreement with Jostens and personal insurance beyond that. It would just be so much easier to get it back here in the next few days. They have a market on Fridays with local nationals selling things from Afghanistan. If I found it there I would pay for it at a reasonable price for the story and let’s say a finder’s fee. If that’s happens I think that will break my swimming pool record when it comes to losing things. I finished up a story on MRAPS today. I will produce it tomorrow and put a link to it in a few days. I also got a picture with a gift left here for us. I will make sure I am allowed to post it so you can see what I mean. Once I get faster internet, which I decided will happen tomorrow, I will try to upload my TV pieces directly to this blog. So after realizing I lost the ring I posted the flyers and then went to my inaugural Polish night. I have mentioned in the past the Polish camp is like right where I live. Well tonight 4 men, 1 woman and I had a language and culture exchange. 2 of the men spoke a little English while the female who is an officer spoke pretty good English. She provided material this week for me to use, but in the coming weeks I will be providing the materials. It was a real nice break from the normal stuff here. That language is a tough I will tell you. It makes English, French, Spanish, and even German for that matter seem easy. It is very similar to Russian. I will look forward to going there each Wednesday night. They even gave me some candy from Poland which I tried a piece of. I ate it and smiled but truly did not enjoy it. O well it’s the gesture that matters not the taste. After getting back here I checked my email to realize that apparently the whole Bo Bice world is now reading this blog. I appreciate this and just want to thank Bo and all of his fans. I mean people need to realize Bo was here 1 day while the rest of my blog will probably not include anything about him unless he starts emailing me or something. I plan on going to one of his concerts the next time I have a chance in the states. I will also buy his new CD. I did not mention I am a huge Lynyrd Skynyrd fan even though he played Sweet Home Alabama. I have been to like 6 Skynyrd Concerts. I try to remain humble and seamless when doing these pieces as it is important for him to spend time with the troops and not me. I know military broadcasters can get carried away, but that’s just not my style. I found a link that works and will post it at the end. I hope regardless of the topic people can enjoy this blog. Once I start getting off of base the stories and posts will get better. Anyway I need to get my taxes done this weekend along with some homework for my master’s class. I also need to find out about this money President Bush is supposed to be sending us. That will be a nice bonus if I get it. Everyone have a great Valentine’s Day tomorrow. Hug and kiss yours because it’s going to be another 5 + months before I get that chance. Anyway enjoy the Bo Bice piece here:

http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=video/video_show.php&id=35038

Day 17: 12 FEB 08

2008-02-12T18:52:00.001+01:00

I edited the Bo Bice piece today and will post the link once it’s on the web. I can’t get over the amount of random people hits I got from the Bo Bice post. I guess as I interview more famous people that come through I will get more hits. Anyway the pictures are of me interviewing him, standing by an F-15, and the group shot by the F-15. He was the nicest guy and I really put a ton of effort and work in the piece. I hope everyone like it. I missed dinner tonight because I had a nice conversation at work with a guy about race. He was watching American history X and it sparked a great conversation. I then went and played basketball where I pushed a guy from my shop who outweighs me by at least 80 pounds. He got me back later though in an unintentional way. Our team took 2 of 3 and I played alright. Well enjoy the pictures and look for the story to be posted by Friday.

Day 16: 11 FEB 08

2008-02-11T16:56:00.000+01:00

Well today was busy as heck. I did not write yesterday because I fell asleep. I met a French major last night at Dinner and he wants to meet again. I think that’s fine as I may have a chance to score a few French brews! Anyway today I did a shoot in the morning that I have to finish Wednesday and then I interviewed and did a story on American Idol runner up Bo Bice. It was pretty cool. I also got to go out onto the flight line and get a picture with an F 15. I will post that tomorrow. I got a card in the mail from the Cornells which was very nice. Other than that it was just a normal work day. I have yet to go off of base but it looks like I have a trip planned for the first full week of March. I will post a ton more once I get the faster internet at the end of the month. I will try to post tomorrow.

Pictures!!!

2008-02-09T12:30:00.000+01:00

Just thought I would post some more pictures. 1 is of the moutains around us, another of the huts we live in, the hallway of my hut, my room, and my bed. Enjoy

Day 14: 9 FEB 08

2008-02-09T08:01:00.000+01:00

Well two days in a row I did not post and so far that’s the worse I have been. To be honest I am still getting my sleep pattern on. Today is Saturday and I have off which means I will be getting my homework done and just relaxing in my room. I think I am close to getting use to this place. It’s really cold so my hut is cold as well. I guess you just learn to deal with it. I did another shoot on base on Friday and it was cool. Met a reservist out of Pennsylvania who was a part of the story I covered. I found out last night my old supervisor and good friend may be going back into the Army because they need him. This guy served almost 6 years active duty and got out about a year and a half ago. He is on inactive reserve which means he’s still on the books but has no real duty left. Once he hits his 8 years total he does not own the military anything. Its kind of hard to explain. But anyway the Army must have noticed he was getting to his 8 year mark of total service and said ‘hey lets have you come help us. I really am beginning to have a bad, bad dislike for the Army. I have to call him today to get the full story but boy is that BS. Other than that I am good. I know Valentine’s Day is upon us and much like Michelle’s birthday, Emma’s Birthday, my Dad’s birthday, and my cousin’s wedding I will be missing them by being here. I have to say that missing weddings, and in my case that makes the third cousin now (Aimee, Chris, and now Zach), is really starting to bother me. I guess I just got to keep plugging away and then make a good sound decision when it comes to reenlisting and taking an assignment back in the states. Well I got to get to my homework so I am out. I will post more tomorrow and just know that my trip off base got canceled the other day because of all of the snow in the area. It looks as if I will be going out this week. I will be sure to let everyone know. Ok have a good day.

Day 11: 6 FEB 08

2008-02-06T19:00:00.000+01:00

It seems I cannot find enough time in the day. Today I had a good day at work and was told I will be doing a short trip off base tomorrow. Please no one tell my Dad and if you are reading Dad just know I will be fine. I am a Combat Correspondent… Its my job. Anyway not much to report from work but I do have 1 story and 1 conversation to report. The other day we got a story about a kid who was hit by a car near Kabul. If you think you had it bad as a kid check this out. This 10 year old afghan boy was hit by a car on January 30th while he was filling in potholes to earn money to buy food for himself and his 4 younger siblings. Both of his parents are deceased and he has a grandfather that looks out for him and his siblings. Anyway he was flow to Bagram here where his lower left leg was amputated; he had a broken hip, and was on life support. I am happy to report he is off of life support and doing better. Now look at 10 years old what hand this kid has been dealt in life. Hard to imagine and really makes me think about things…. At dinner I talked to an Indian guy whose English was phenomenal. He is a Muslim but loves Americans and acknowledges Christ as an awesome profit. He is also a Sheick (spelling is wrong) which means he can trace his linage back very far. It was refreshing to talk to him knowing that the old saying there is good in all people is so very true. Anyway sorry for being short again but I need to sleep. I still have to read as my masters class has started and I have to be up early again tomorrow. My internet connection stinks too bad to upload that video I wanted to show you. I will try next month once I get the faster and of course more expensive internet or try to provide a link before then. Either way look for tomorrow’s to be very interesting as I am stepping outside of the gate!

Try this link to see me:
http://www.afneurope.net/Home/ArticleDisplayDD/tabid/649/Default.aspx?aid=1540

Day 10: 5 FEB 08

2008-02-05T19:31:00.001+01:00

Another day another dollar. Tuesday nights seem to be my basketball night except tonight my right shoulder is really killing me. I think I strained it when I was in training in NJ and tonight has made it worse. Anyway we got like 4 more inches of snow so that makes like 6 to 8 in the last 2 days. Things are kind of slow work wise but I am still getting into a good flow and am getting settled in. I was told today I am being put in for best new broadcaster from my home unit. I doubt I will win but am humbled by the honor. I do love this job. Its funny because you think more about death when you go to a combat zone. But for me its like there is nothing at this point in my life I would rather being doing. Now once this is over I will be ready to go back to Germany and then the USA in a few years. The being away from the east coast where my old life is starting to wear on me. I know it wears on Michelle as she has no issues voicing her concerns there but I also know we enjoy the traveling. I did a superbowl piece and also got my picture in the snow today. I will try to post those tomorrow. I was kind of talking with a Polish guy in the shower area and forgot that I need to get in touch with the Polish lieutenant to setup that language exchange. More to come on that. If you have emailed me I will try to respond this weekend. I basically go to bed at midnight, get up at 8 and then to work til like 5 or 6 or 7. Plus I work on Sunday so…… Well goodnight for now. Tomorrow’s post should be more visually stimulating.

Day 9: 4 FEB 08 (SUPER BOWL!!!)

2008-02-04T19:17:00.000+01:00

Man o man what a last 2 days. I did not go to bed until 8:30 local time today after watching what was probably the best Super Bowl in my life time next to maybe when the Giants survived the Bills Scott Norwood’s FG try in 1992 or so. We went out and shot the NFL cheerleaders and Players visiting with the troops. I also got some people’s predictions. I will post a link to the story tomorrow. I also did the radio show yesterday and talked with the players and cheerleaders. You can see the pictures I posted.

The big building is where I work and the small wooden building is where I live. The other picture is our sign and another picture of our newsroom. I need to clarify that my room is 10x10 not 6X6. Throw a bed, metal closet, and little desk and it certainly seems very small (and cold right now). We got 3 or 4 inches of snow in the last day. Its not so bad though. I will post more pictures of my room and what not as time goes on. I am pretty upbeat as work is starting to get into a flow and my master class starts. If you keep busy time goes fast. I got a box from Germany as my coworker in Germany is here with me and his wife sent me a couple things I needed. Its free from Germany to here which will be clutch when I got to mail stuff back. Michelle also mailed me a nice package of things I needed. She wrote a wonderful card to me and I now have it on my wall. Aside from my gear it’s the only personalization on the stupid wooden walls. Well I only got 5 hours of sleep after staying up all night to watch the GIANTS WIN!!!!!!! I am going to get a shower and go to sleep now. I should be able to post more again tomorrow.

Day 7: 2 FEB 08

2008-02-02T14:30:00.000+01:00

Well I had off today and it was basically a catch up day. I will be at work all day tomorrow with the Superbowl coming. I got an email from a Polish lieutenant I ran into and we may do a language exchange 1 night a week here. I forgot to mention the Polish camp is like right where I live. I will try to post a picture of that soon. I should have taken some today but was dealing with paperwork at work. Boy can the Air force cause a ton of issues if you do not keep your paperwork straight. We are suppose to get 3 to 6 inches of snow tonight so we shall see. I guess I am getting use to it here. I mean compared to those who are from here I live like a king even in my little room. I guess even on a bad day in my life is nothing to even complain about. I will write more as the week progresses and things pick up. My online masters class start on Monday so that will definitely take more of my time.

Day 6: 1 FEB 08

2008-02-01T08:04:00.000+01:00

Weird Day. Had my first shoot and discovered the Playstation 2 in our office. I will post tomorrow as I have off.