Kandahar; 25.DEC.2011

Posted by Jack on Dec 25, 2011 in The.Dispatches | 3 comments

[From Max]

The last two weeks have dragged by.  I spent most of it working, hoofing it back and forth across KAF.  This place is short on charm.

The wind picks up for days at a time and the air is thick with dust.  It has the texture of talcum powder.  We are not authorized to wear scarves to filter it out.  I snort and sneeze and cough up mouthfuls of vile yellow phlegm.

I spent three days outside without a break, sixteen hours at a rip.  My eyes and nose were raw.  They all ran simultaneously, dampening my face with tears and snot.  No amount of dabbing or coughing or blowing made it stop.  At night, the mixture hardened and stifled my breathing.

Doc saw my frustration and tossed me a box of pseudo-ephedrine.  Bless his heart.  It took two days for the pills to dry me out.  Once more able to breathe, I slept like a corpse.  I didn’t stir until six.  I stuffed my swollen feet back into my boots and scraped my face with a razor.  I had coffee and pills for breakfast and moved out.  I stole a little gym time.

A few days passed like this.

Last night the CO sent me on a wild goose-chase.  He wanted me to reserve a space for the company at the American chow hall.  At 8:00 PM, on Christmas Eve.  I put my boots back on and headed out.  The manager just shook his head at me.  I relayed this to the CO, and he promptly lost his temper.

Not long after I heard him bellow my name across the tent.  I hopped the wall.

He tore me a new ass over something I’d told him about a week ago.  I’d reminded him twice in the days between, but he didn’t seem to register it.  He joked with the other PLs, but I made no attempt to join in.  He ignores me while they’re around.

I feigned attention through the evening meeting.  I scribbled unrelated notes and said nothing.  Everything takes longer than it should.  Half of everything said leads nowhere.  Afterward, I stepped out into the cold.  The night sky was hazy with dust.

I sparked up a Lucky and stared at nothing.