I'm in Afghanistan - General

I am an Imagery Analyst in the United States Army. I've been in for about 9 months and I'm currently with 25th ID 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion. About three weeks ago, I embarked on a journey to the country of Afghanistan. Now that I'm here, I feel I should give Facepunch a decent explanation of what it's like as opposed to the media's portrayal. [b]What are the people like?[/b] Well, it's a different country in a semi-secluded region so you can expect things to be different here. The people (at least those who don't want to kill you) are generally polite and considerate. They are generally interested in what you have to talk about and are interested in the American way of life. That is, until you enter one of their shops. They will try to get you to buy anything you look at as the concept of [i][b]browsing around[/i][/b] doesn't exist for them. They will push things at you and squabble for even one or two more dollars on top of what they are charging you. Haggling is a big item here when dealing with shops, as prices aren't set. BEWARE, if you start haggling and you give in, the shop owner will remember you and remember the fact that you will give in. Traffic is hell over here. You share the road with donkey karts, jingle trucks, military vehicles, and [b]people[/b]. That's right, [b]people[/b] will just walk in the middle of a highway. There are no police designated to monitor the roads and even if there were, there's no regulation on motor transport. Afghan civilians don't require a license to drive. So, if you wanna go for a Sunday roll in Afghanistan, think again. [b]What does it look like?[/b] I've been around a bit, but Bagram Air Field is about the most typical sight you will get of Afganistan. For one, the sun is so bright that it hurts to open your eyes, even while wearing sunglasses. It's hot, and it only gets hotter as it gets into summer. The mountains are rocky, hard to navigate, and [b][i]they are everywhere![/b][/i] The worst part about this is that as you stand in the heat of midday, you can look out at the top of the mountains and see a shit-ton of snow! Dust is everywhere, and dust is the norm. Want to go outside? Expect to breath in about a pound of loose dirt particles. Get used to picking your nose because you'll have so much dirt in your nostrils that you won't be able to breath. Trash is thrown either wherever the citizens choose or in designated trash piles. On the FOBs, there is a waste system, so it's entirely unlike the situation outside the wire. Back when the Russians were in Afghanistan, they planted [b][i]A LOT[/b][/i] of mines. So, cordoned mine fields aren't an unusual sight here. A strange thing to note is that stacking rocks is like a fucking sport for citizens in Afghanistans. That's their way of marking special areas, IED's, construction work, and even their shitting areas. It tends to be confusing when we our guys are outside the wire on patrol and route clearance. Sometimes locals will stack a pile of rocks for a sinkhole and sometimes for an IED. Something worth noting but not entirely about what it looks like is that the loudspeakers on every FOB will play the 4 prayers for the local workers. It gets annoying and it sounds like a guy having an extended (and slightly painful) orgasm. [b]What are the dangers?[/b] I could go on and on about how dangerous Afghanistan is but I'll lay out the typical and most common dangers to ISAF forces. The first being IEDs. You can do a lot of research on IEDs so I'll lay out the basics. The insurgent forces in Afghanistan will use either military grade components left by Russia or home-made explosives. For the most part, they set up victim-operated traps along roads well-traveled by military personnel. A vehicle rolls up, hits a pressure plate, and [b][i]BOOM GOES THE FIREWORKS![/b][/i] Another danger is, of course, small-arms and rocket fire. It's pretty much random as the insurgents hiding out in the villages have little organized movements or attacks. They wait for military to pass and, again, [b][i]BOOM GOES THE FIREWORKS![/b][/i] The last is mortar and improvised mortar. No explanation needed here. The insurgents wake up, decide they're going to use the few explosives they have that day, and then they set them off (usually with little to no casualties). Then, of course, [b][i]BOOM GOES THE FIREWORKS![/b][/i] [b]What's the local food like?[/b] Bland. It's usually lamb kabobs, rice, raisins, beans, and homemade flatbread. Pretty much a countrywide poor-people meal. Not bad, but not amazing. [b]Do they really all have beards?[/b] I'm an Imagery Analyst in the U.S. Army so I have little to no interaction with the civilians (besides a little chat here and there with the locals that work on the FOBs). From what I understand, their beards portray their social status in some manner. So, a really high percentage of them do have beards, but only a few have EXTREMELY AWESOME beards. Compliment them, they enjoy telling you about how difficult they are to maintain. [b]What are some myths about the presence of ISAF forces in Afghanistan?[/b] (These are just three myths I'm commonly asked about by family, friends, etc.) 1.Detainees are tortured No. Just... no. 2.Soldiers kill before they capture Actually... no. If an enemy is wounded we provide them with the same assistance as friendly forces. Friendly forces are ALWAYS treated first, though. 3.Between the Army, the Air Force, the Marines, and the Navy, we can win this war with a final military victory In fact, this is definitely not the case. The Taliban exist without any soldiers. They have warriors. Warriors can make a big bang if they feel like it, but they generally stick to low casualty producing tactics to keep themselves alive. Warriors are also resistant to orders and can leave the Taliban group at any time. Feel free to post your knowledge about Afghanistan, ISAF forces, the United States Military, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Also, feel free to ask me any question pertaining to these things. I want opinions on these things people.

I dont care Afghanistan, I dont care United "Snakes" Military [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Snipe/ Why reply" - Craptasket))[/highlight]

[QUOTE=vBatuhan;29543309]I dont care Afghanistan, I dont care United "Snakes" Military[/QUOTE] That's just disrespectful. You should be ashamed.

I didn't read any of the OP but I hope you come back okay. [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Didn't read the OP" - Craptasket))[/highlight]

Smuggle heroin in the coffins of dead soilders back to america.

Tell us something that you'd might expect living in Afghan as an outside observer, but is completely different once you're actually there for a while.

Bahaha... no Pirate Ninja.

I am an faCePuncher. I am curerntly in canada [b]What are the people like?[/b] Well, it's a different country in a semi-secluded region so you can expect things to be different here. The hockey is more/ [b]What does it look like?[/b] Canadian [b]What are the dangers?[/b] There's an outburst of ferocious beavers. gotta watch out for those [b]What's the local food like?[/b] Bland. It's usually lamb kabobs, rice, raisins, beans, homemade flatbread and all the other worst shit taken from every culture located anywhere from earth to fucking mars. [b]Do they really all have beards?[/b] Shyeah. [b]What are some myths about the presence of ISAF forces in CANADA?[/b] They say there's lotsa but I'm stucking to my igloo. plus there's like shitloads of -55x10^88 degrees celcius everwhere so you gotta watch out for those to. [b]Edit[/b] I also stumbled upon a bunch of boxes *cough cough* in the rating area. Please, if you are going to rate me dumb, please make sure there's some beaver tusks in each box you send me. Your help will be greatly appreciated. [img]http://i55.tinypic.com/ame6wo.png[/img] [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Trolling" - Craptasket))[/highlight]

Good read, whats the strangest thing you've encountered there? Also what's the closest to death you've been?

[QUOTE=DarkWolf2;29543414]Tell us something that you'd might expect living in Afghan as an outside observer, but is completely different once you're actually there for a while.[/QUOTE] Well, with the media covering and only concerned about casualties and firefights, you'd expect to see and be near a lot of violence. This isn't the case. Most violence is oriented around small Combat Outposts and small and quick ambushes in random locations.

Do you know anything about the validity of all those scary legends of camel spiders? [editline]1st May 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Zoran;29543362]I didn't read any of the OP but I hope you come back okay.[/QUOTE] Okay. But it's generally a pretty bad idea to post in a thread without reading it first. And it's an even worse idea to admit it.

Can you give us more information on what your job is as an Imagery Analyst? Sounds very interesting.

[QUOTE=B-hazard;29543439]Good read, whats the strangest thing you've encountered there? Also what's the closest to death you've been?[/QUOTE] To answer your first question, the strangest thing has to be the Special Forces groups here. I saw a group of them eating at a place called Aziz's Restaurant. One guy got too close to him and he choke slammed him to the ground. Those guys have high tension levels and are not to be fucked with. To answer your second question, I was taking a picture next to a mine field sign on the FOB and I slipped and almost fell over the wire. My battle-buddy caught my arm in time. We've also been mortared a few times around our tents.

Good read OP, come back to us safe.

sounds like total crap to be honest

Can you leak some info ?

Whats with everyone being dicks about this and suggesting stupid unfunny shit. Ontopic: OP have you ever been in a really stressful situation like a firefight or really suspicious looking people where you have had to get the fuck out of there?

Have you been in Korangal?

Should post some pics.

I prefer Mannix. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnCcv-nJFJk&feature=feedu[/media]

For those who want to know how the Soviets fought in Afghanistan, here's a book called [url=http://www.ultimatesniper.com/Docs/48.PDF][b]"The Bear Went Over the Mountain"[/b][/url] with several combat vignettes. A lot of fascinating stuff, like regular Soviet units conducting ambushes against mujahideen...do regular ISAF forces go right into the mountains to conduct ambushes against Taliban rather than keeping the bulk of force in security?

That was a good read! Thank you and good luck :D

nice thread I liked it

Do you find that you make a difference? Both locally and nationally? What do you find the most important task in Afghanistan, shooting talibans or rebuilding and building better relations with the population?

[QUOTE=usaokay;29544484]I call B.S. until I see proof. Show your username with your uniform in the background.[/QUOTE] [img]http://i.imgur.com/U3m9k.png[/img]

[QUOTE=usaokay;29544484]I call B.S. until I see proof. Show your username with your uniform in the background. [b]Edit:[/b] The reason I'm calling B.S. is that Facepunch has been tricked by some [i]Army[/i] guy before.[/QUOTE] Oh god what was his name now again, was it Linelor?

I hate you OP for supporting governmential violence tools.

oh god dial up!

[QUOTE=johnT447;29544602]oh god dial up![/QUOTE] So lots of big pictures so he can't see the thread?

That's really cool OP. It's nice to hear that you're doing good things for society. How is the weather there now? hope you have a memorable experience there. :smile: