Andreas Meyer - YOU COULD DIE ANY DAY

Regarding our predecessors’ organisation of procedures, the ones that proved to be effective we kept. Other things were adjusted or let´s say improved to our requirements. Best example we had to face for the need of improvement was the topic fuel. Once having a closer look to the books, we found out that there was quite a difference between the amounts given out stated in the reports and the real amounts missing.

That time I got to get in touch with a LTC of the Civil Military Cooperation (CIMIC), Armin F. He was brought to Kabul just for a few weeks to replace an CIMIC Officer being on leave. It was his second deployment to Afghanistan. We got along quite well from the very first day. Like being on the same page. We even found out that both of us were stationed in the same BN back home but at different times. I got the same positive feeling with Armin like I had with Christian before.

Since Armin was doing his job mainly outside and I basically inside the camp we only had chance to catch up in the evening for a drink in the MWR tent and talk about the day. Armin had an interesting job at CIMIC and understood quickly what his major tasks were and in fact also why we were in this country and what our main goals were: To advise and help its people rebuild their land in every meaning of the word.

Armin told me about our Forward Operating Bases (FOB) and outposts which were also run with the fuel I was responsible for. We agreed on a trip to these outposts to give me the opportunity to get my own picture of the situation. Shortly after I reported this idea to my commander and received the order for a drive to KUNDUZ area. It will be my first mission outside the safe walls of the camp.

As soon as you want to leave the camp with a vehicle you need a driving order with a detailed description of the route. The reason for that is simple. The command staff need to be informed at all times which forces are moving or where they are located in order to be able to coordinate them or others if needed. Therefore, it is also mandatory to report your status every hour.

Due to Armin´s vehicle already being packed with him, two other soldiers and the interpreter (a local Afghan person who is able to translate the Afghan languages and whose background is checked by our military counter intelligence service), I had to join the convoy with my own vehicle. Before starting we had a detailed brief about the route, how to act in various threatening situations and our individual roles in case of enemy contact.

The first planned destination would be the ALIABAD outpost where the German Bundeswehr was operating together with Afghan national police. That is the first place where they use the mentioned fuel operated generators I wanted to take a look at. After that we planned to go to a printing house in POL-E-KHOMRI that was printing flyers for the upcoming elections of the afghan parliament. From there we would head back to our camp.

Next morning at 0900 we get ready to deploy. I put on my bullet proof vest, my helmet, lock and load my rifle, do a radio check and move to the vehicles waiting already with running engines. We start. The afghan guards are opening the gates and we turn on the main exit road. The holes on the way are as big as truck tires and I have to drive carefully to avoid them. The streets are full. Not filled with cars but with donkey carts. Children playing in the street holes filled with yesterdays’ rain. "Wow, what a cool pool!" comes to my mind in the first place. But shortly after I realize how sad this picture actually is. How sad it is that these children don´t have proper playgrounds.

The tour is done without any negative inncidents and we arrive back at camp late evening. The following days will be packed with lots of work. Due to the mentioned elections our contingent gets stocked up both in personnel and material. To house the planned amount of people we had to rearrange certain structures of the camp. I knew that in nearby future such short notice requirements won´t be a problem anymore since the new depot at the airport was almost done and was about to become operational at the beginning of 2006.

Since the beginning of the ISAF mission in 2001 not only did the manpower increased over and over again, but also the combat equipment and all the support related material, which of course, had to be stocked up multiple times.

Regarding all my tasks already described, you can imagine how fast the time went by. Days, weeks and months were just flying by. Sometimes strange things happened along the not so thrilling everyday tasks, like containers which were actually addressed to KABUL suddenly turning up at our camp while others addressed to us somehow popped up in FEYZABAD.

But sometimes and all of a sudden good things also happen. One day I could not believe my eyes when Bridadier General A. shows up for inspecting the unit and I recognize him to be that Officer from back then tasting cake fudge in my field kitchen years ago. Now and then I also got the chance to join the transportation platoon at the airport and help them to load and unload the arriving and departing airlifters. There are airlifters coming in every day and night. This work takes a whole day although the airport is only less than 8 km away. Since the inspection of the transportation platoon is also part of my main duties I started to use this opportunity to get out of the camp as often as possible for a little variation.

A few days later I got the chance to join the supply transportation flight to FEYZABAAD with a Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter that I was more than happy about in order to get some new impressions. FEYZABAD is about 1200 meters above zero.

waiting for material from Germany

Normally, supply transportation is made via local so-called jingle trucks on the land route. For the distance of 240 km these trucks need about eight to ten hours because of the poor road conditions, you just cannot compare them to the ones back home. But on these routes, it is not possible to transport sensitive or dangerous material. In these cases, airlift capacities are used. The flight proceeds without any incidents. I am placed next to the door gunner to secure the zone to the back and below the helicopter.

The CH-53 is flying as low as possible over fields and mountain tops and offers us an incredible view on the afghan nature. Once landed we stay only half an hour till everything is unloaded and loaded with stuff for us and head back

immediately to KUNDUZ. It´s already noon when we arrive at the airport and it´s awfully hot, feeling like 45 degrees Celsius or more. Once our material and field mail is unloaded I receive a cold bottle of water which I gratefully empty within seconds. At home I have to force down every sip, but in Afghanistan I drank 4 to 5 liters for sure.

flight with CH-53 to Feyzabad

I

n addition to all our tasks there was another huge challenge that had an effect on all of us. The Afghan elections on the 18th of September. They were the first free elections for this country’s people since 1988 in which they had to vote for the 249 seats in the parliament as well as for the provincial authorities. For the first time women were also given the right to vote and to run for the representing positions. Among the 2800 candidates were 330 women. Due to the threats by the Taliban, other terrorist militias and opposing forces against these elections the ISAF forces had the order to secure the preparation and execution of these elections. Therefore, we received support by the Austrian Response Forces Team (AUCON3 / ISAF). This Austrian contingent consisted of 85 men and was put under German command. For the duration of their mission they were hosted by us in the camp.