The 10 things I like about Afghanistan

1.  The Scenery.  The magnificent mountains of the Hindu Kush - part of the Himalayan chain - and the way they carve themselves through the landscape.

2.  The Sky.  There are ever-changing cloud patterns and the dust kicked up by the winds make the sunsets spectacular.

3.  The Terrain.  The wide variation in topography draws you in and is quite inviting.

4.  The Air.  Except for the dust, and the burn pits that waft our way periodically, the air is surprisingly clean and fresh.  I like the fresh air before the thunderstorms we had when I first got here.

5.  The People.  They are resilient, wise, and reverent.  They have the capacity to stare right through you.  Their smiles are genuine and from their soul.  They are giving.  If the meek inherit the earth, I believe I have found them - at least the ones I deal with!

6.  Working with Troops.  Now they can be hard to work with but for the men and women who go out and do the dirty work, I really like what you do and when you do it.

7.  The sound of outgoing.  The 155s pack a pretty good punch going out and we can hear the impact a little later, not a good sign for the bad guys.

8.  The camaraderie we have in our band of builders - we stick pretty well together and get our projects done for the warfighter!

9.  The fact that I get to go home to see my sweetie every few months, and my boys, and Anne!

10.  And Finally, (does this have to be 10?) I guess each day, this puts me 1 day closer to going back to my permanent home!!!

Happy 4th everybody!

Scott

04 JUL 2009