Operation "Get the heck out of the sandbox" is happening

[peyton]

Hello from the Sandbox. As the rapidly occurring drawdown of forces out of Afghanistan we are bound to have a few mistakes!!

We told the Marines to tear down and pack up, they were quick on the draw, Camp Dwyer which the Marines were located in, had to get rebuilt. The only way the marines could of done more damage to the camp was by dropping a nuke on it!! Dwyer also has a runway.

Dywer replaced FOB Bastion Leatherneck, which we gave back to the Afghan Army today.

FOB Shank was also turned back over, the "Special Operators" gave the regular Army guys 24 hours to vacate the FOB. That argument got heated quickly as the helicopter guys told them to start walking, instead of expecting a ride everywhere.

The helo guys got everything moved back to Bagram Airfield, my buddy said a few choice phrases were yelled as they flew away.
I know the helo guys will save the SF guy's bacon if things go bad.

It is easy to move soldiers, not equipment, several billion dollars of stuff is getting destroyed, planes, buildings, vehicles, etc, etc.

The mystery is that we probably have 75,000 contractors/civilian personnel still here and it is crazy, they have no plan on how to move them. The support personnel are the cooks, maintenance, life support and even the porta john people. I fix computers, and I tell soldiers I am no more important than any of these other workers. This is a global workforce, and I hope we don't have to grab onto the skids of the Huey helicopter!!
The plan is to get to 9,000 (roughly) soldiers by DEC 2014.

NATO promises Afghans air support after 2014 as it shuts key base - Middle East - Stripes

http://www.stripes.com/news/parting...for-82nd-paratroopers-in-afghanistan-1.309782

https://www.google.com.af/search?q=...pedia.org%2Fwiki%2F22_Gia_Long_Street;825;541

 

[GerSan69]

Best wishes, Peyton. Thanks for being there, hope the rest of your contract is "boring."

 

[Ματθιας]

Good luck and stay safe!

 

[gdnagle]

This is what happens when politicians try to run the military they haven't a clue what their doing.

 

[therevjay]

Billions of $ ? Oh "poo it's just OPM" (other peoples money)

 

[bushmaster1313]

The importance of the port a john people cannot be overstated.

I knew a plumber who was a concentration camp survivor.

He was rightfully proud of keeping the plumbing working in the barracks. Without plumbing the disease and vermin would have gotten so bad that the SS would have killed all the prisoners.

 

[FredBart]

In 1892, Winston Churchill published his remembrances of the British campaign in Afghanistan. Today, the British signed out of Afghanistan and promised to "never go back with armed troops". This backward nation is has been the middle of great conflicts for hundreds of years. This will continue, even as the USA pulls out in December. Good luck and thanks to those still serving there.

 

[Lee in Quartzsite]

This is what happens when politicians try to run the military they haven't a clue what their doing.

The very same mistakes were made in Vietnam.......

 

[peyton]

A funny incident occurred at one of the FOB's in Kabul. It got transferred to the Afghan Army. The Porta John guys went it to pick the porta johns up since the Afghan's did not extend the contract. The soldiers went to "fixed bayonet" mode and would not let them get taken!!
The contractors wisely relented and left those behind!!

 

[shouldazagged]

Thanks for the post, Peyton. Good to get an inside look at what's happening. Stay safe.

 

[Cobroller]

Stay focused Peyton, remember to turn out the lights and unplug the deep freeze when you leave.

 

[lawandorder]

I ask that God keeps you safe until your are back with your family and friends.