What you are about to read is news right from Afghanistan.
Tim is a friend in the Air Force. During this winter a major base is being built to support 20,000 troops that will arrive this spring.
The time after the date is our time when he posted to our site. (Not Afghanistan time)

11-15-08 9:00am
Well it's dusty and the food they said was horrible I just have to say these youngins haven't had to eat some of the stuff I've had to over the years. Now it's not momma's cookin but it beats MRE, C Rats or K Rats. The food certainly isn't as good as Iraq was but It'll keep you alive. I think! Only time will tell! I took some pictures of the conditions and will send some to Chief to post from time to time. I can't post pictures from here. Also for security reasons there are many things I can't take pictures of. I had a good nights sleep so in a few days I should be acclimated to here after the jet lag wears off. My office is plywood.

11-16-08 1:34am
News Update: Last week our Kandahar boys intercepted 59 tons of Hashish meant to finance the Taliban’s war against us. The biggest drug bust we’ve ever had. It was burned to destroy it and there was a run on all chow halls. Just kidding! Anyway your boys are working hard to stop the money flow to the Taliban to finance their war operations against us. This is a NATO operation and we have 9 countries trying to work together here. You can imagine the language problems let alone the way each group operationally works and were all trying to work together. So far it has been good. I met my counter parts in Safety and the head Safety person who is Danish. I’m to pay a visit to him this week and do lunch so we can get acquainted. I’ll offer my assistance and some of my safety programs to him. The more we can all do same thing the better our safety efforts will be. Well I have been tasked to write the Lock Out/Tag Out Safety Program for our base and our lead base. Then it will be sent off to be evaluated for the entire AOR. I better get to work on it. Your Brother Tim

11-19-08 9:14am
My computer died yesterday and I had to get a new one today. They are meant to be subjected to this environment. I cover it each night and in the morning there is a 1/16 inch of dirt on the cover. We have to blow out the key boards daily. The bad news is I lost everything I had done since I got here so I’m redoing it. We are forbidden from using CD, DVD, external hard drives, and thumb drives of any kind. Makes it kind of hard to back up your work huh? Computers do not last long over here. The other guys have all had their computers replaced too. This one has office 2007 on it so some of you may not be able to open things I send them unless you download the Microsoft compatibility pack. Ron/Chief, Clee and anyone else I l lost all those email addresses again damn it. Temps have been low to mid 20’s at night and 50 to 65 during the day. Okay, I’ve been here a few days and here’s my initial assessment. NATO, oh boy where do I start? Well in Afghanistan are 44 countries trying to work together. We have 17 of them here. It’s hard enough to get the Air Force and Army to agree to something now throw in 17 countries and you figure it out. We have an airfield with 17 camps around it. So, to make something happen you have to invite 17 people to a meeting and then convince them to do it your way. Sound like fun? Oh yeah! This is the only NATO run base. All other bases are owned by a particular country so they control it and then everyone else follows their rules. NATO has a cluster f@#k here. I think they know it and want to give it to us but feel it will make them lose face. I think they want us to take it over but publicly they will cry foul if we do but privately they will be relieved. They are struggling now and we are going to increase the base by 5 to 6 times its personnel. Then what are they going to do? We’ll be the size of the base I deployed to in 2007. Some of you will know what that means. We have to be very careful what we say and shred everything especially if it has personal info on it like addresses from home. Intelligence gathering is constant by our enemies. The international airport manager here makes about $200 a month so imagine what a sentry makes or a janitor. $10 bribe goes a long way so we must be vigilant. Rocket attacks are down. Thanks to our work outside the fence. But they have hit assets and personnel have been injured. We do not know an attack is under way until the first round impacts. Then the alarm sounds. Better late than never I guess. The Brits and the Canadians are doing a great job also. One group seems pretty poor but I still like the fries. Well love from the dirt.Tim

11-20-08 9:06am
I was out hunting this morning. Yes I get paid to hunt! Killing birds, varmits, vipers, and wild dogs. They can really mess up a multi million dollar aircraft. That's also why the arbor theory gets shot down. It just gives them a place to roost. I had killed several ducks when I heard a noise and being an old firefighter I knew that noise. I popped up out of the pond to see the dust cloud. Spent the a good part of the day working the investigation. I'm a little sunburnt! Tired too! And dirty!

11-22-08 12:52am
We had our first attack in two weeks just after dark yesterday. My first since arriving. I haven’t heard anything so it probably didn’t hurt anyone or anything. It’s Saturday morning so I’ll take a break later and visit the Haggii market. Vendors bring their wares on base. They sell DVDs for $2 each or 6 for $10, rugs, belly dancers outfits, lots of jewelry, clothing, junk watches, brass and Onyx carvings. They even sell ladies silver or gold underwear. I’m not kidding. You can buy bras, bikini panties and thongs made of metal. I’m probably misspelling it but they are made out of chain meil like the chain armor a knight wears in movies. Of course old Taliban money and water pipes are big sellers. The tarantula spiders are as big as your hand and the camel spiders are about half that size. There are 13 varieties of snakes/vipers. All poisonous! Including two types of cobras. There are no lights at night and the dust looks like fog at night so you have to be careful when walking. It is dark when I go to and from work but the temperature usually has dropped to the mid 30s at night and is around low to mid 20s in the morning. I walk about a mile each way from the barracks called a Mod short for Modular housing. Which is another name for a metal barn/building bolted together with rooms. You can see light pass through the walls at all the panel joints. We have to keep everything up off the floor if it rains because the building will leak and puddle in your rooms. Although there has been no measurable rain in 9 months. When the wind is blowing 15 mph outside it is blowing dust in and our room has a 5 mph breeze inside. It’s better than a tent. I’ve taken pictures but with the current virus that is attacking military computers I am not allowed to hook anything up to my computer so unless they loosen restrictions later you’ll have to wait till I come home to see them. The pictures I have sent out so far are pictures that are already on our computer system. Well I have a big day ahead so I better get to work. If anyone is thinking of sending any packages make sure it is in a heavy box and the contents are protected. When we unload mail you should see the condition some of the boxes come in.

11-22-08 6:14am
Care PackagesThings we could use List:1. Phone cards, In Iraq the 1st Sgts had them and we could get them from them but here no such luck so we all have to buy them.2. Jerky3. Gum4. Powered drink mixes for individual size packages to add to a bottle of water.5. Artificial sweetner in individual packets6. Magazines: Motorcycle, car, truck, fishing, hunting, camping, gun, National Geographic, Life, Time, running, cycling (bicycling), fitness, body building, and the ladies asked for some magazines like Womens Day, Marie Claire and the sort but they especially asked for Cosmpolitan (Cosmo). I was told on the QT that they like them for the sex advice and ideas for their men when they get home. Who Knew! LOL It’s a long tour for them too!7. Homemade cookies, fudge and brownies are always a hit.8. Small personal anti bacterial hand soaps.9. Body wash mens and womens10. Shampoo and conditioners11. Lip balms, like chap stick12. Sun screen, because the sun is always out and the anti malaria medicine makes you burn easy.13. Tooth brushes, tooth paste and mouthwash14. Individually packaged oatmeal cereal or other cereals individually packed.15. Baby wipes16. Lens cleaner wipes for glasses, computer screens and TVs17. Cleaning wipes for dusting. Baby wipes do work for this.18. Any individually wrapped microwave food that does not have to be refrigerated19. Combs and brushes20. Peppermint Patties21. Red Licorice from Rural King and some of the other flavors. They ate all mine!22. Chocolate bars and candy bars

11-22-08 10:10am
I started this morning at 0600 and now it's 1939 hrs. I still have a few hours to go after dinner. I’m getting about ready for dinner now. Moral is high amongst the troops. I’ve noticed something. Our US forces, the British, Canadians and the Australians moral is good and their attitudes are good. I sit and talk with them during meals. US forces have a definite edge. I think it’s because we “live to work”. We love what we do. Some of the other countries act as though they “work to live”. They only do what they have to do. That makes a real difference in the way each of us does business. The countries I mentioned above can’t wait to get outside the wire and find the enemy. We aggressively seek contact with the enemy. Others seem more content to only venture out when they have to and would be perfectly happy if they never met the enemy. The problem is the enemy seeks out these guys because they’re perceived as soft targets while they run, hide and fight when cornered by us. The Afghan military respects the US forces very much. We are training both the Afghanistan Army and Air Force here. Someday when this is over for the US they will still be here standing for their country. They are tenacious fighters.

11-24-08 4:59am
Taylor contacted me and asked if we were gathering items for the Afghan children. So I asked. As luck would have it we are right now gathering school supply items for the school across the street from our base. There are 500 kids there. They are children from the Afghan Air Force and Army. School supplies are desperately needed. Also small toys and small dolls, really small are appreciated. Small is the operative word here. Not big enough to put/hide a bomb in! Deflated soccer balls go over big. They love soccer! We have an air pump to inflate them. If anyone wants to send these sorts of items just send them to me and I’ll get them to our chapel folks. No books because they can’t read English. Coloring books are okay but nothing Religious in nature!

11-24-08 9:31am
I’ve seen some beautiful and strange things on the way here and since arriving. In Bagram AB while transiting through I witnessed the most awesome display. I heard the Giant Voice aka the base PA system announce, “ At 0300 (names omitted) are leaving Bagram. You are invited to say goodbye”. I asked what that was about and I was told two Army soldiers had given their lives in Afghanistan and their bodies were being sent home to their families. I got up at 0230 and got dressed. I walked out of my transit tent to see a wonderous scene I will never forget. Military personnel voluntarily lined the street on both sides form the morgue to the parked aircraft waiting to take them home. I’m crying now as I write this. I thought by waiting till now I could do this without breaking down. It was a little less than a mile but the streets were lined at 0300 everyone in uniform standing. As the two Humvee’s left the morgue with the metal casket on top there was a chirp from somewhere in the distance and the road with one loud snap popped to attention. I was there in line with the rest of them. I had a camera but this was not a place to take a picture. As the vehicles turned onto our road I watched every military person raise a slow salute as the vehicles drew near them. I can do this! As the vehicles past the salute was slowly dropped back to attention. Marching in formation were friends of these young men with tears streaming down their cheeks as mine are now. No one moved until the Aircraft taxied out. It was so moving a goodbye as I have ever seen. This is not an official ceremony orchestrated by the military It is a voluntary salute to our fallen brethren. No one had to be there it is voluntary. It was beautiful and sad. I’ve said I’ve seen some strange sites also. Most countries have opted to buy our Hummers and MRAPs but the British in true Brit fashion stuck with the tried and true Land Rover. I will try and get a picture of these. They’re stripped down with tops, doors and windshields removed. They have absolutely no armor but have 3 machine guns mounted on them. The soldiers are very exposed.You ole timers remember the TV show Rat Patrol? You got it that's what they look like.I told you we were at the end of the earth well it seems we are also at the end of the supply line also. We have all kinds of Rube Goldberg inventions to make things work when you can’t get the right stuff. Our Air Traffic Control Tower is two overseas shipping containers wide with three stacked for a total of six containers to house all the electrical equipment. Then on top is the round glass tower for the controllers to guide traffic in and out. No photography allowed on the flight line. Many people have an office that is one of those shipping containers with a door cut in it and a steel door and frame welded into it. Often they are stacked two high with a stairway. You just cut a hole and run conduit in if you’re lucky for electricity. Need a comm line then drill another hole. I have pictures! Well enough of a break time to get some more work done.Love from the dirt

11-25-08 8:02am
Incoming again

11-26-08 10:45
We heard this afternoon that a US Marine was standing with a group of fellow Kandahar US Marines. When he ran from the group and tackled a motorcyclist approaching them. They found enough explosives wired to the motorcycle to kill everything within 150 feet. The Marine saved his fellow Marines but I know to him it was not heroic. It’s just another day at the office. Looking out for his buddies! We heard when asked what tipped him off about the motorcyclist he said he just didn’t feel right. I’m hearing outgoing rounds now. Someone’s near! Maybe probing! There was sporadic 50 cal fire this morning from one of your perimeter vehicles. It’s been a busy day for all! Earning our money keeping you safe! The last incoming mortar round hit the shit pond and threw shit everywhere. We smell the pond everyday but it’s worse now! The laundry facility was covered so doing laundry is going to really suck for a while. I just know those Taliban Bastards knew I need to do laundry tomorrow on Thanksgiving.Love from the dirtTim

11-27-08 5:55am
HAPPY THANKSGIVING, We’re hard at work. Our British brothers stopped a huge truck bomb today in Kandahar with over 10,000 pounds of explosives. However a suicide vest bomber blew himself up in a market place. The Taliban has been very busy and active the past week. I think the warmer weather has something to do with it. It’s over 70 today and just like everyday sunny with no clouds. They have been caught several times cutting into our fences this week. Also they have tripped several flares outside the fence at night. They’re looking for holes in our defenses or someone sleeping in the job.Thanksgiving dinner was nothing like mom makes. If your mom makes dinner like we ate you should run away from home. LOL Well back to work since it’s a holiday I may only put in 12 hours today. I hope I’m not boring you with these postings. It’s what I do when I need a break for a few minutes to refocus.Love from the dirtTim

11-27-08 8:40 am
Rules, a US Air Force male has gotten in trouble for being in an Army woman’s quarters. We are under General order 1B. Basically it states no opposite sex in your quarters and you can’t be in theirs. No alcohol, no sex, no gambling. Now I don’t know about you but these are all the things I’m fighting for. I’m fighting so the Afghani people can have these freedoms. The Air Force allows no fraternization. The US Army allows married couples to share the same room. Men and Women are allowed to visit each other in their rooms but not spend the night. This is how our guy got in trouble. The Army female told him it was allowed. By her rules it is. All US Forces must be in uniform at all times. You can’t even roll your sleeves up. We are allowed to be in our PT (Physical Training) when going to the gym or when off duty. I don’t get know who has time to have off duty time. Our other NATO partners are walking around in crocs and flip flops, shorts and tee shirts. I did laundry this morning and a little Aussie soldier lady in short shorts and a tight tee shirt came in wearing sandals. I did enjoy the view when she bent over to load the dryer. She was followed by the little Dutch girl. What she was wearing couldn’t be called a tee shirt. More like a te sh! It was that small! Well back to work before I get in real trouble. Sorry honey I looked but I did not touch! I was only window shopping! Oh yeah, we are under attack again the siren just went off right after I felt the first thud followed by the sound of another a little further off. We have an IMP (International Military Police) Force here made up of all our NATO groups. They go around issuing parking tickets and speeding tickets. The speed limit is 10 mph around most areas and 5 mph around a few areas. The tickets are sent to your commander and back home to your home station so the points can be put on your license. Don’t speed or park in a war zone brother they mean it! RULES! Happy Thanksgiving!Love from the dirtTim

11-30-08 2:24am
I had a left handed black leather shoulder holster made for me by one of the local Afghanistan shops. $30 and it is very comfortable. Stamped into the holster it says “Made in Afghanistan” in English and Arabic with the Afghanistan National Seal. I looked at the holsters he had and they were all right handed so we talked through sign language to get him to understand I needed a left one. It took him about 30 minutes to make it while I watched. The leather sewing machine was foot treadle operated. No electricity!Love from the dirtTim

11-30-08 5:08am
I talked about rules before. Here’s some more. The US military are not allowed to have anything that might offend someone (political correctness at its finest). They tell us that we can’t have any magazines that show the human body. We are forbidden to bring muscle or fitness magazines because they show women in bikinis. We’re not allowed to have pictures suggestive pictures from our loved ones. We can get in trouble for them. However you can walk around the Canadian, British, French and Dutch camps and find topless and naked pictures of their wives, girl friends, and just plain friends all over the place. Like pictures taped to the sides of their computer monitors, stapled to the walls and taped to their desks. There are girly mags lying around too. Their magazines are far more explicit than Playboy, Penthouse or Hustler. While I was waiting for my prescriptions I read a sign on the wall about them having a BBQ with beer and wine served. I asked a dental tech about the alcohol and he said oh yeah we drink. Only you Americans aren’t allowed to. Then he offered me a pint bottle of beer from his refrigerator next to his desk. I turned him down. Why have Americans gotten so afraid to insult anyone? About 25% of the personnel over here are women but not one of them is complaining about the pictures or calendars. The US has become a group of pussies afraid to say tough shit to people when they complain. I think you can thank the ALCU, lawyers, courts and people just trying to get some money for nothing by claiming they’re upset. They can all kiss my hairy ass! Any way that’s my opinion and I’m fighting for the right to speak freely. You have a right to disagree after all we’re Americans. Love from the dirtTim

11-30-08 12:40pm
We just had the ground shake as the sound of an explosion was heard. Then the base attack siren went off. I hear the sound of sirens as emergency vehicles respond. We’re in shelter until we get the “all clear.” I’m hearing secondary explosions and counter fire outgoing. Earlier this morning a large VEID Vehicle bomb detonated near the base. Only the suicide driver died. He failed to get through and blew himself up. When the all clear is sounded I’m heading for a shower and bed. Love from the dirtTim

12-1-08 3:11am
The Taliban have been at us all week. We have a toehold in their back yard. Now with all the construction they’re beginning to realize their days are numbered and their poppy fields are going to be lost. They have no other way to finance their operations except taking aid from Iran. They do not want to do that. Iran is trying very hard to assert themselves into Afghanistan like they have tried to in Iraq. Like Iraq most of the new weapons come from there. However Iran would be financially strapped to give the weapons away without payment for them. Without the drug money the Taliban can’t buy weapons. I think if the Taliban strikes some of the other countries with a devastating attack they will fold and go home. The US military would hunt them down and double our efforts. The Taliban fear and respect us for that. Our only fear is the President folding or Congress. We won’t! Love from the dirtTim

12-5-08 1:32am
We’ve had no entertainment for the last two nights. Eerily quiet! I suspect they are regrouping. I think they’re planing something special. It’s a week of holiday for them so I’m thinking they’re planning something big. It’s just my intuition. Due to the increased activities, size of the entertainment we are on increased watch. We’re ready! I’m keeping my body armor close by. My gut feelings are usually right. I’ve learned to trust those hairs on the back of my neck.

12-6-08 2:53am
I told you yesterday that our Canadian brethren were hit by an IED. Well some of them will make the long journey home today. Pray for their families as they will be told today. We are having a celebration of these brave men’s lives in a little while (like an old fashion Irish wake without the alcohol). We will reflect and tell stories of their goodness and friendship. Following this we will escort them in proper military fashion to their ride home and render a last good bye (salute). It is a small place and our Canadian brother’s camp is right next door. While I did not know these men personally I recognize them and have sat with them in the dining facility. We all feel the loss! Today we are not Canadians and US, we are all Americans!Love from the dirtTim

12-6-08 8:58am
I just returned from saying good bye to our Canadian comrades. There were over 2,000 personnel were there to form a 200 yard by 200 yard formation of military personnel with a walk way down the center. 12 countries showed up to say good bye. Our Canadian heroes were escorted by 2 tanks and rode in an armored personnel carrier. They were hoisted onto the shoulder of their comrades while bagpipes played. As they passed by the sun had just set and the sky was orange and blue as the flag draped caskets went by. They were taken by 2,000 saluting hands as they were carried the last 200 yards to the aircraft. A short ceremony was conducted with prayer. We learned that one man was on his second tour to Afghanistan and was a husband and father of two, another young man was on his first tour and the third man was wounded during his first tour in Afghanistan in 2006. He worked hard to get fit for duty so he could come back. Just last week this man was cited for bravery when an Afghan interpreter was wounded and lying in the open. This man crawled under fire and pulled the injured man to cover where he administered first aid saving his life. The mission for all three of these men was to train the Afghan Army. They were with the Afghan Army in the field when an IED hit them.Love from the dirtTim
12-7-08 3:24am
It rained last night for about an hour around 0330 to 0430. It was a nice steady rain. How do I know? I sleep under a tin roof. If it had been a heavy down pour we would have had to put in ear plugs. By 0700 all was dry as if it hadn’t happened except for the leaks in our plywood office. We mopped up this morning and shook the water off our plastic bags we put over our computers every night to help keep the dirt out of them. Good thing we did that. Intel says the Taliban want to launch something big like drive a large vehicle through our fence line or a gate with several bombers on board that will run and hide and hit some strategic targets. A few days later the ones that were hiding will try and hit soft targets like a gym, dining facility, BX/PX, hospital or a worship service. Any place there is a large crowd! Do you remember the story of the prison break in Kandahar City where the Taliban broke out 400 prisoners? We’re talking something alone that line. They need something big to keep up recruitment and get support from other rogue regimes. They know their days are limited here in this area and they hope to cause some NATO countries to pull out. They’re thinking that will stretch us thin and prolong their hold on this area. It might but only for a few months. I don’t think they have any idea how large an operation this is about to become. Anyway we’re fortifying our defenses adding concrete Jersey barriers along area where vehicle could break through and several other things I can’t discuss. We’re not sleeping on the job. But we are waiting for the Calvary to arrive. The wagons are circled!Love from the dirtTim

12-9-08 3:03am
Thanks to the news media and someone leaking the information that 20,000 troops are due in here starting in January through April. We are the Taliban’s new number one target. Now they know what all the construction is for.We're getting ready for tonight. It's been really quiet for the last few nights. Intel folks says the Taliban are planning something big and may want to strike on the 10th. It's the peak of some Muslim holiday. For the Muslims the next day or the 10th begins at sundown. We believe they want to drive a bus or large truck into our defenses and then blow it up. Then pore people in and many of them will wear suicide vests. So were going to be ready. It's been foggy the last few nights and cold. They're hoping they can use it for cover. Infrared night vision picks up on heat so the fog will make little difference. Not everyone has this thought so we have to spread them along the perimeter. There are only some places that they can get vehicles through due to the terrain and mine fields. Talk to you later.

12-10-08
Well, we’ve had a quiet week. The days Intel said we were to be attacked came and went. We just lost some sleep. My opinion is they couldn’t recruit enough people willing to run a suicide mission like they wanted. They have been able to do one man missions but to convince 20 people to do it at the same time was too much for them. Or they’re just waiting for us to let our guard down. Time will tell! It could be that it has gotten cold so they haven’t attacked. Nights in the low 20’s and days highs are 45 to 50.
12-13-08 12am
Remember we were talking about the intel that they wanted to drive a vehicle through the fence. Bingo! Happened last night! After crashing through our perimeter fence and meeting 10 different kinds of hell they decided that it wasn’t such a good idea and tried to drive back out but we stopped them and have em in custody. This morning we blew up the explosives off base. All is well! We suffered no injuries.Love from the dirt! Still on the job! See you soon!MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

12-13-08 7:34am
We just got the word we lost 4 more Canadian Comrades today. IED destroyed their vehicle. So we’ll have another farewell soon. Four more families to pray for and four more good men to say goodbye too.Love from the dirtTim

12-13-08 10:47am
I just got back from the British camp where I went for dinner. The stroganoff almost past for food. Or maybe my standards have really lowered. Anyway as I was walking in yopu could hear a lot of heavy machine gun fire coming from over towards the Kandahar base perimeter. It was several weapons of differtent calibers but ther was no mistaking the 50 Cal sounds. It was a sustained fire from several towers. We must have had more probing from our entertainment committee. It's a full moon and clear out.Love from the dirtTim

12-13-08 10:49am
We heard about a little Afghan boy who blew himself up and killed 3 British Royal Marines too.

12-14-08 6:11am
12/14/08, 15:00 Hrs. It’s 05:30 Eastern time Ramblings while our communications are down. Last night at 23:42 hours our camp came under rocket attack. The PA system that ties all the camps and the base together is operated by the Dutch. So when they sound the alarm they announce rocket attack or whatever type of attack it is. However their accent and English sometimes is funny. It sounds like we were under a “woket attact”. It’s hard to run and take cover when you’re laughing. We were hit last night and we’ve lost most phones and all computer connectivity. So no email or internet! I’m writing this in a Word Document that I will copy and paste later into our site. All night and all day the Taliban has been hitting us. At night they harass with rockets, mortars and skirmishes near our perimeter fence line. All day today they have tried ambushes outside the wire and terrorized the civilian populace. The Medical Evacuation helicopters with Para Rescue personnel have been flying nonstop bringing in the wounded. At each ambush site a fighter aircraft fly’s high cover to help pin back the ambushers while the helicopter swoops in to take out the injured. An Apache helicopter flies low cover to keep the bad guys at bay and protect the medical chopper because the enemy tries very hard to shoot down the chopper and injure the rescuers and personnel that are exposed while carrying litters to the aircraft. Ground personnel throw a hail of lead to keep the enemies heads down while this all takes place. It’s a carefully choreographed procedure. For one thing both helicopters have to stay clear of the air space that the top cover fighter is going to be shooting through to protect them. Then there is the air command and control aircraft that are keeping aircraft available for the fight where needed and tanker aircraft that are kept nearby to provide fuel for the aircraft so they can stay in the fight and keep our ground personnel safe. The US provides this service to all civilian, Afghan Forces and NATO Forces. I think this is a sign of desperate people. Now that they know 20,000 US troops are coming the Taliban is striking in desperation because they know it’s over and their days are numbered. Also I think Iran is panicking because they fear we’ll next turn to Pakistan to help quell terrorism. Once the regions are quiet then they know their 10 year and 100 year plans have failed. Their 10 year plan is to break the western powers financially, control all oil production and the financial markets of the world. The 100 year plan is to control the world bringing one Islamic world controlled by them. This is why they must break the US. They must be able to bully the rest of the world to win. You’ll either be Islam or dead or a slave. Of course this will never happen because of us. Some of you are thinking man this guy is really out there. I’m not! Just use your own heads and look back at what’s been happening. None of this was accidental. It’s all been planned from long before 9-11. We’ve just been sleeping! Love from the dirtTimApparently I'm up at least the internet is up. Still no email or phones.

12-14-08 6:34am
16:00 local and we're being rocketed again. 2 explosions just went off.

12-14-08 7:00am
We just had got the all clear when we heard another boom and the alarm went off again. It's another woket attact! LOL It's 16:30 hrs

12-14-08 7:14am
Ground attack! Armor on locked and loaded taking up positions see you all later! Yeah haw!

12-14-08 11:06am
Second wave of fighters are just taking off. We spent the better part of an hour exchanging fire. They send in rockets and mortars and we send out mortar rounds. They hit the foundation of our new hospital under construction. The current hospital is a series of tents. In the morning we’ll have it patched and the crews will work on getting the walls up. The hospital foundation is about 75 feet from my office. On Kandahar in the distance you could hear the sirens of emergency vehicles responding during the battle. They attacked the gate but we had no problem holding them off. During the attack the three of us from the safety office where shoulder to shoulder with a group of British troops who had sought shelter with us. They had been caught out on the road when it all started. We joked about our enemy’s ability to shoot and so forth. Finally the NATO command gave permission for us to go get them. Two US fighters F-16’s screamed into the air followed by two Apache helicopters and two Kiowa hunters with mini guns. It became quiet after several explosions out there in the distance. At Kandahar another truck tried to run the main gate with six gunmen. They died! We’ve had 5 spearate rocket attacks in 5 hours. It’s been a busy Sunday. It's 20:35 hrsLove from the dirtTim


They deserve our thanks no mater where you stand on issues

Leave No Man Behind

The Lyrics of a song written by Iris Harden & Thomas Brooks http://www.survivingyellowrain.blogspot.com/

Leave No Man Behind Not just soldiers, but real heroes - in real heroes you will find For only one or for a million - as the stars forever shine They both paint a picture - they leave no man behind I'm sure it broke their hearts to leave their families But these soldier's call to duty was to keep this nation free Someone's son, someone's father, someone's husband, now they're gone Gone but not forgotten, for real heroes, they live on Jumped into the line of fire, gave all they had to give For it was their heart's desire to see their comrades live A question of their honor, they upheld the Warrior Code The truest of real heroes, for they carried the load From the battlefield, in the frigid cold Strength and pride revealed, as their story was told Don't give up the fight, let real colors shine through Ol Glory, stars and stripes, the red, the white, the blue (Spoken Word) Looking eye to eye Seeing heart to heart They all know We're all coming back We leave no man behind

"We were honored to write this song in memory of Sgt. Bradley Crose and others who died while trying rescue their comrades. Bradley was only 22 years old, deeply religious and kind-hearted. He proudly served his country and paid the ultimate price in the name of freedom. We were able to give a copy of this tribute song to his mother. She should be very proud. Sgt. Bradley Crose was and will always be a real hero. Never forget the sacrifice. We Leave No Man Behind".

Bradley Crose was my Cousin. Although I never met him.....He is Family.
A simple Google search of his name will lead you to hours of information about him, his life, his Ranger Brothers, and proud parents.
Bradley had to be quite a Man to inspire songs and books. I know he inspires me even now!

I write this as we prepare to honor, and lay to rest yet another Hero today.
Bradley is on my mind each time I stand a flag-line with the Patriot Guard Riders.

Thank You Bradley! RLTW