Plaaaaaay Ball

World Cup Soccer has been very big on our base which is predominantly Italian and Spanish. This is a group of Spanish soldiers watching their team play on the big screen outdoors, sporting their jerseys, face paint and really getting into the game.
Here are members of our American surgical team watching more World Cup Soccer. We're in our break room at the hospital. It's funny how something like tv reminds you of home and helps you feel connected. I've enjoyed being able to watch some American shows ever since we got AFN broadcasts here. The best was watching all 7 games of the NBA Finals. I had to wake up at 5 am to watch them but it was well worth it in the end watching the Lakers repeat their championship.

the Insects of Afghanistan

The insects in Afghanistan are huge and nasty looking. This spider was in Dr. Drew's building where he sleeps. He sent me a picture of it next to a pen so you could see just how big it was (it was the full size of the pen). I can't find where I saved that pic. So this one will have to do for now.
I think he said a nurse took this picture below. Sure Dr. Drew, blame it on the nursing staff!
Drew says these flies are totally aggressive. When you swat at them, they don't leave like the flies in the US do. They stay and attack - or do whatever it is they're doing in this picture!

out with the old, in with the new

Transition occurs frequently around here. The CSH that I'm assigned to came out in 2 different groups. The first group left last week. Pictured below are the guys who participated in church services with me on a regular basis. All of these men have already started their trip back home. Notice the excitement in their eyes.
I look forward to wearing the same expression on my face soon.

Pictured (L to R) are Major Tom Zanders (my roommate and intensivist); Lieutenant Jake Ard (ICU nurse); and Captain Ryan Abbott (Dentist and only other Mormon)

Until then I'm trying to recruit some new soldiers who'd like to break up the monotony around here with religion. I've got just a few weeks left in the field. Maybe I should start an ad campaign.

in touch with technology

This is what I see when I Skype the kids and my wife.

Letters used to be the only form of communication between a solider and his or her loved ones. Now we soldiers can Skype home, talking with and looking at our families in real time. It's amazing. It has allowed me to still have a relationship with my children, including our baby boy. We all miss each other, but this technology really helps to ease the burden. And the best part -- it's FREE.

PIGging Out

When I stopped in Kuwait on my way to Afghanistan, I was happy to find a dessert smorgasbord in the cafeteria on base. It was like walking into a bakery back home.

Then I arrived in Herat where the Spaniards run the kitchen, serving up paella and pork. (My girls could go on a treasure hunt and find about 7 sea creatures hidden therein.)
This pic is what the paella normally looks like. I think even the Spaniards stayed away from the paella when they served it looking like the pic above.

Ah, now this is pig's leg, smoked and cured for a couple of months. When its ready to serve, they slice the meat off with the knife you see and then cover it up with tin foil until you want another slice in a few days or whatever.
I tried it and it was like eating undercooked bacon.
Not too tasty.

This is pig's face. Don't believe me? See pic below it, which is the flip side of this mass on my plate.
Told you so ... and there's even some nostril/snout hair to go with-yum
This grand dish is a mixture of pig face pieces and pig hoof pieces.

Now, it's not ALL pigs n pork in the kitchen here at Camp Arena. We also get potatoes and squid.
Or ... the Spanish Cantina on base (where you have to pay for your food) serves hamburgers. This tasted more like a hot dog, but they did put a slice of ham on it so I guess it was a genuine hamburger.
There's fried anchovies for those who still aren't satisfied with the fare.
On Sundays we get bacon and eggs, yes-those are scrambled eggs at the bottom of the picture.
This picture is of one our nurses playing with his food. These are local game hens or whatever they call them. They are really bony. Sure looks better than the pork though.
Last, but not least, this is some version of ham. They put pineapple on top to make it look more appealing I think. I realize it looks like ham. Looks are overrated. It doesn't taste a thing like it.
There are plenty of cafeteria style items that I don´t have pictures of such as the rabbit, fried calamari, and pork intestine. Needless to say, this is not the place for picky eaters.

Now this cuisine is unique just for us as we are on the Spanish side of the NATO base. I have heard that the Italian cafeteria is a little bit better but we are not allowed to go to it.

On the positive side, the lack of good food here has really helped me lose some excess pounds that I didn´t need. The smell of the food, when you first walk into the cafeteria, is a natural appetite suppressant as it often smells pretty bad...

Thank you to everyone who has sent me packages of food and supplies so I am not forced to eat on bad food days which seem to be all too frequent here.

Saluting a Fallen Soldier

The picture below is of the US, Spanish and Italian forces lining up on behalf of one or our fallen heroes. The flash on my camera is really weak but you can see it better if you click on the picture.

We came together at 0230 in the morning and saluted the US soldier as his casket, with the US flag draped over it, traveled between our two lines to a waiting ambulance which took him to the plane. There was a lot of time for reflection prior to and during the ceremony. I was grateful for the opportunity to show my respect for this fallen hero.

Regardless of our political opinions about the war... when we are in Afghanistan, we do our best to work as a team to get our job done and get everyone home safely. To date, every wounded U.S. soldier that has made it to our hospital alive, or with CPR ongoing (as in one case), the soldier has made it out of Afghanistan alive. Unfortunately, as in this soldier´s case, there are some non-survivable wounds that occur on the battlefield.

I couldn´t help but think of who may be grieving his loss... I found a poem by Kelly Strong which expressed well what I was feeling. It is entitled, "Freedom isn´t Free."

I watched the flag pass by one day.
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
He'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of TAPS one night,
When everything was still
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That TAPS had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

Major Man

Recently the NATO troops (American, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Italian, and Spanish) of Camp Arena gathered for a celebration ceremony.

Our (American) national anthem played on the loud speakers.

Nice words were spoken about the guest of honor.

... who happened to be me
I am now Major Belnap- Hooah
(receiving my new Major symbol/patch)

Then the guys filtered through to congratulate me, taking the whole "congratulatory pat" a little too literally.

dodging the chest pump

This soldier is our dentist and is the only other LDS guy on base.
We've held church services every Sunday together since we got here.

Some of my Spanish comrades

Some of my Italian comrades

It was a nice ceremony. I appreciated the support of everyone here.
Business as usual continues in the military, even when on deployment overseas.
Jen and I are grateful for this because a step up the ladder of rank means a step up the ladder of pay$