It’s always better to travel with someone in theater, so that you have someone to complain to and so that you can look at him and think “I hope I don’t look that tired.” You of course look even more tired.
My colleague and I put our names on the waiting list to get to Kandahar days in advance and so by today, when we’re ready to travel, we’ve broken into the top 10 spots. These are good odds for making a flight, and we score a flight with a showtime just after 1700.
We waited just under 4 hours for our flight, put on our IBA and kevlar (required for flights on C-130s) and are escorted across the tarmac carrying our bags. I can’t help but reflect that I’m very used to boarding aircraft from the tarmac now. Proper airports and terminals with their accordion walkways are a luxury we don’t have in theater.
I dislike C-130s, having had two particularly bad flights on them in the past, but this flight is less than full (a rarity) and so we have a little room to spread out. I’m able to get a little shut-eye on the almost 2 hour flight from Bagram to Kandahar.
We arrive around 2200 and as we’re walking from the plane to the APOD where we have to sign in, we’re quickly ushered inside about a minute before a siren wails. We’ve arrived just ahead of a rocket attack and apparently everyone heard the explosion except me.
APOD = Aerial Port of Debarkation
CAC = Common Access Card (military ID card)
IBA = Interceptor Body Armor
kevlar = term we use solely for our helmets
