Roads...or what passes for'em
Roads here in Afghanistan...are...well they really don't quite deserve the name...they're more like well used ruts in the desert. You can see, in places, that there was once a road intended to be there, but 25 years of war and neglect have transformed the former roads into kinetic Torquemada torture devices. Especially for the crewman riding the gun. Riding the gun...is standing between the two rear seats, with your body through the top hatch...in the dust, sun and wind...
For me, being a bit taller than average, the hatch coaming is right at my hip level...and with the bumpy roads (we call it a**-kicker road for a reason) ya get banged around and rubbed raw in some very tender places. If you try to ride lower in the hatch...you are face to face with the butt end of the machine gun...and you don't want your face to meet that on the wrong end of a bump...kinda bad for your nose placement, ya know?
Anyhow...we rolled out about 50 klicks down the road...took some pics and rolled back...pretty countryside, when I had time to look...but mostly I was hanging on for dear life...literally at times.
Other than that...its been a bit cooler here, only into the upper 40s rather than the low 60s (thats in the 120s rather than the 140s to us Yanks).
Well...more to follow later...
For me, being a bit taller than average, the hatch coaming is right at my hip level...and with the bumpy roads (we call it a**-kicker road for a reason) ya get banged around and rubbed raw in some very tender places. If you try to ride lower in the hatch...you are face to face with the butt end of the machine gun...and you don't want your face to meet that on the wrong end of a bump...kinda bad for your nose placement, ya know?
Anyhow...we rolled out about 50 klicks down the road...took some pics and rolled back...pretty countryside, when I had time to look...but mostly I was hanging on for dear life...literally at times.
Other than that...its been a bit cooler here, only into the upper 40s rather than the low 60s (thats in the 120s rather than the 140s to us Yanks).
Well...more to follow later...
Labels: Afghanistan, Military
posted by Mik | 7/17/2005 05:26:00 PM
2 Comments:
Haha. Taller than average? You can say that again. =P Gah, it sounds hot over there. I don't think I could handle it. I'm already dying and it only gets to about 95 on a normal day.
Well...we are almost acclimated to the temps, this morning it was about 95 at 0630 and it felt chilly.
Hanging on, back in the back seat for awhile.
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