A Gilson no longer in Afghanistan

New Blog

2008-03-24T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hey, y'all, since I'm no longer deployed I decided to begin a new blog. I'm showing my nerd underwear by calling it "Captain's Blog"...maybe I should have called it "The Captain's Blog," let me know which you like better and I may change it. Anyway, link on over to

www.captaingilson.blogspot.com

and I'll get something up pretty soon!

Capt G

Armed Americans

2008-03-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

So...I've been thinking about buying a handgun. This isn't any kind of recent thing, I've been wanting one for several years. Now we're financially able to buy one and can even afford to shoot it once in a while. So the last few weeks I've had this burning desire to go out and buy one. Maybe it's because I packed one for 9 months (which actually was not near as cool as I'd thought it'd be; it was mostly a pain) and sometimes I still feel funny not having one on me. Maybe it's just one of my mini-addictions and it'll pass just as soon as I've bought one and shot it a couple of times. Then it'll sit in the closet (locked up so the kids can't get ahold of it, of course) with the other toys I've bought from my other mini-addictions.

Whatever it is, I've been researching handguns in a certain price range, mostly in 9mm. I've been looking at a Glock 19 (I think it's a 19, maybe it's a 17), a Springfield Armory XD, the Beretta Px4 Storm and the S&W M&P. I've also looked at the Taurus PT1911 which chambers .45 ACP. I've decided against the Beretta as is doesn't fit my small hands (and short thumbs) all that well with the safety on the slide, similar in location to where it's at on the M9. I have a tough time hitting it with my thumb which makes it difficult to get it off safety and into action. The gun looks nice enough and felt alright in my hand, it's just the dumb safety that drives me nuts.

Pictured here, left to right, Beretta Px4 Storm, Glock 17

I figured before I make any decisions I oughtta get some range time in with the different weapons so today I went to a local range with gun rentals and put some holes in some targets. I first put 20 rounds through an SA XD9 (very light trigger pull), 15 rounds through a Glock 17 and another 15 rounds through some kind of Sig (just for fun, it's a little out of my price range). I wanted to see what it felt like to shoot a 1911 with the bigger round so I rented a Kimber 1911 as well and put 50 holes in another target. The 9mms all shot right where I pointed them. The Glock had the nicest sights of the bunch, at least to my eye, though I didn't like the way it shot as my wrist was hurting a little bit after shooting it. The .45 kick wasn't too bad, not a lot more than the 9mm, at least it didn't seem like it to me, though the grip left an imprint in my hand after every eight rounds. Plus, it felt weird to only have eight rounds. The ten in the XD/Glock was bad enough after being used to 15 in the M9. But with the size of the .45 I guess it only takes a couple if you can put them in the right place.

Conclusion: I'm leaning towards the SA XD9 as a concealed carry type weapon (though how much I'd actually be carrying I don't know) and maybe pick up the Taurus PT1911 just for fun later on after I've saved up enough allowance. =)

Taurus PT1911

Let It Snow

2008-01-08T06:46:00.001-08:00

It snowed for over 24 hours straight here this week. Not that any of it stuck around the Alamo, but it sure did up in the mountains. I climbed up to the roof of the tallest building on the Alamo and took some pictures this afternoon. It was gorgeous!

Christmas Decorations

2008-01-08T05:49:00.000-08:00

Jamie and the kids sent me some Christmas decorations along with a wonderful instructional guide (if you haven't seen it go to youtube and search "My Soldier in Afghanistan for Christmas"). I've had the decorations up since just after I got them in the middle of December and finally got my desk cleaned off enough that I felt I could take a picture.

Since I'll be taking all the decorations down later this week I figured I'd better get on it.

Christmas in Afghanistan

2007-12-27T20:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, this picture's actually from a couple of days before Christmas, but it's with a Christmas tree and it's snowing. What more can you ask for?

We had Christmas day off. It might have been better to actually be working as it turned into a very long day.

A Little Fog

2007-12-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

I got up the other day and headed for breakfast and found the fog as thick as pea soup. The weather's been a lot more fun the last month or so than it was the first few months I was here. As you can see, if you look carefully, we've had some changes here at the Alamo as well.

Rice

2007-12-20T21:46:00.000-08:00

One of the main staples of the Afghan Soldiers diet, at least during training, is rice. They get a huge scoop of rice with every meal. Afghan rice is actually pretty tasty. They do a good job of cooking and seasoning it. It's a lot better than the rice we get in the Alamo DFAC, anyway.

To prep the rice the cooks first dump it out and pick through it, looking for I'm not sure what, rocks or bugs maybe. Then they put the rice in pots and rinse it well. That's what the picture is of, the cooks rinsing the rice. Then they boil it. That's pretty much a theme when you're cooking for as many people as they feed. Everything is boiled. Except french fries.

Fresh Meat

2007-12-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the daily meat delivery to the DFAC where I mentor. They bring the meat (currently beef, though when I got here is was mutton) from downtown in the back of this box truck, no matter what the temperature. One of the things I've been working on is trying to get them some kind of refrigerated truck so when it's over 100 degrees they're not packing meat for an hour in the back of this tin box. Once the meat gets here they unload it and put it in the meat locker.

From the meat locker it's taken to one of two butcher rooms where it's hung on racks so the butchers can cut off chunks of it. There are no cuts, like steak or roast, they just grab a handful, chop it off and throw it in the bucket. It's then put in a pot and boiled. Each soldier is served a 'handful,' one portion, of meat.

Here's a picture of me holding the hatchet they use to break the bones into small pieces so they can be cut off as handfuls of meat.

Troop Transport 2

2007-12-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the number one form of troop transport. As you can see we've also had some weather changes recently. It rained about two weeks ago for the first time since I arrived and has been cold ever since with occasional precipitation.

Yesterday morning was bitter cold and it was actually snowing for a little while, though none of it stuck.

Mentoring

2007-12-02T20:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of me mentoring. The guy on the end is Major Wahid, the Service Company Commander and the officer I 'mentor' the most. I also spend some time with the other officers and some of the NCOs of the company. Seated to my left is Rahimullah, Maj Wahid's chai boy. He's a young soldier that pretty much does whatever Maj Wahid wants. Chai is the national tea of Afghanistan. Kind of like mate in Argentina. In fact, there are a couple cups of chai on the desk.

To my right is Abdul Wali Khan, he's Maj Wahid's assistant. I don't actually see a lot of him. I'm not sure where he's at a lot of the time, but I don't think it's around the DFAC.

This is how I spend a lot of my 'mentoring' time. Sitting in the office while the officers drink chai and we talk about what's going on in the company and how the projects they're working on are progressing.

Here are a couple of the other officers in the Service Company. On the left is Munawar, he's in charge of the dining rooms. On the right is Capt Najibullah, he's the DFAC Commander. Pretty much everyone except the Major and Abdul Wali works for him.

I Bought A Carpet

2007-11-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

I finally succumbed and bought a carpet. I think it's gorgeous. It's a lot darker than it looks in the pictures (the flash really lightened it up). It's about 5'x7' and is 100% wool and hand made here in Afghanistan (or at least that's what the guy said). He just kept going down and down in price because of the cold weather and the rain which leads to little business. I finally ended up buying it when he dropped to $100. He claimed his cost was $90 which means he only made $10 profit. I've got to quit going to the bazaar! =)

Makin' Pizza

2007-11-27T20:28:00.000-08:00

Last week we made home made pizzas for the club. K, not really home made since we're in a 'commercial' kitchen, but they were fresh made pizzas. I'm cutting cheese. =) The pizzas turned out pretty well. Capt Cronin, the post Doctor, and I did most of the work and had a fun time. It was nice to eat something besided cafeteria food.

You also get a nice shot of my weapon in this picture.

Standing on a Rock

2007-11-27T03:57:00.000-08:00

K, here's a picture of me standing on a rock.

Carpets

2007-11-24T01:44:00.001-08:00

One of the few things I have not bought at the bazaar is a real carpet. I bought a cheap one (machine made) for $20 the first few weeks I was here. However I have not bought one of the really nice, hand made carpets. For one thing I'm not quite sure what we'd do with it. For another, they're expensive! I think the cheapest I've ever heard starting out was around $300 but the really nice, silk, pretty ones are probably closer to $400.

The blue one that's kind of hidden away on the left was really gorgeous. I also liked the red one on the right. It was shiny. These are handmade carpets, most are a blend of silk and wool, though some, like the two I just mentioned, are made almost entirely from silk. They're really soft.

Thanksgiving at the Alamo

2007-11-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving here at the Alamo was, for the most part, business as usual. I went out with my terp and did some mentoring, trying to get some projects moving along. We had a late Thanksgiving lunch which the contracted DFAC staff did a good job of trying to make it special. And then, just like at home, we had the same thing for dinner!

So here's a picture of me eating Thanksgiving Dinner. Hope y'all had a good Thanksgiving. Next year I should be with my family again, and this time we'll be in San Antonio.

And here's a picture of dinner itself. I didn't think to take any pictures until I was half way done with the meal. The turkey was really good, especially with some cranberry sauce.

Four Day Pass

2007-11-13T21:32:00.000-08:00

The last four days I've been on a four day pass. That means that I had four days off. The rules are that if you're deployed for six months you get a four day pass though we're currently not allowed to leave the country during that pass. If you're here for 12 months then you get at least one four day pass where you can leave the country (usually to Qatar or Kuwait) plus you get to take 15 days of leave to go wherever you want. I could have gone to Bagram or Phoenix or a couple of other places but I chose to stay right here at Camp Alamo.

If there was a picture to go with this blog entry it would be me laying on my bed as that's where I spent most of the last four days. Just relaxing. We aren't allowed to wear civilian clothes in theater so I was wandering around in my PT gear for four days. It was lovely not having to put on my ABUs or boots. And sleeping in...one day I didn't get up until 0845 and just made it to breakfast. Most days I didn't get up until after 0800. It was difficult getting up at 0715 this morning and I'm feeling it. I keep wanting to snooze sitting here at the computer.

It was good to get a break, anyway. Only around two months to go!

8 Things

2007-10-26T23:50:00.000-07:00

8 Things I'm Passionate About
- My marriage
- My wife (Jamie)
- My four wonderful children
- Reading
- My gorgeous wife (Jamie)
- Financial Peace/Dave Ramsey
- playing games
- Did I mention my wife?

8 Things I want to do before I die
- buy a house
- get a season pass at a ski resort and use it often (for snowboarding)
- go on a cruise
- take the family to Hawaii
- build wealth
- get stationed in Italy and learn to speak Italian
- get stationed in Alaska and drive all the way there
- spend lots of time with my family

8 Books I've read recently
- Book of Mormon
- State of Fear
- What's Holding You Back
- Angels & Demons (for the second time)
- A whole lot of Louis L'Aumor's books
- too many others to list...I'm a readaholic!

8 Things I often say
- Sob Bakhair (Good Morning in Dari)
- Tashakur (Thank you in Dari)
- Mornin'
- Howdy
- Chaio
- I love you
- I miss you
- Lock the door

8 Things that attract me to friends
- Sense of Humor
- Shared values
- If our wives get along
- shared interests
- easygoing (I don't like bossy, opinionated people)
- decent looking (I mean, who really wants to hang out with ugly people?)
- cleanliness (is next to Godliness)
- Religion (what can I say, I like Mormons! =)

8 Songs and/or Albums I could listen to over and over
- Sons of Provo Soundtrack (too funny!)
- Anything by Josh Groban
- Randy Travis' Greatest Hits
- pretty much anything by Brad Paisley
- Greater Than Us All by Kenneth Cope
- My Servant Joseph by Kenneth Cope
- Greatest LDS Hits of the 90's
- Anything by George Strait

8 Things I learned this year
- How to place an IV
- How to use a Close Combat Optic (CCO)
- How to fire an M4 at night using Night Vision Goggles and a night vision laser
- How to be patient with the way the Army does things (Ok, I'm still working on this one!)
- How to deliver a baby (see our family blog for a description of that one)
- How to shoot an automatic grenade launcher
- A better way to shoot the M9, good enough to qualify Expert anyway!
- That the Air Force is better than the Army any day

8 Random things about me
- I love buying things for my wife, especialy jewelry and clothes
- I hate going to bed but I really like to sleep
- I love snowboarding, maybe because Jamie and I learned together
- I love shopping, especially for clothes
- I'm a very physical touch kind of person (and this deployment is killing me!)
- I want to settle down somewhere with four seasons
- I love being in the military (I never have to decide what to wear to work!)
- I've only ever kissed three girls, including my wife

Target Practice

2007-10-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went out to the range to get a little bit of target practice in. It was a pretty good time. We shot 30 rounds with the M9 (9mm Beretta) at man sized targets about 15m away. I did pretty well. All the M9 shooting I've done over the last year has taught me some things and if I stay focused I can usually put the round right about where I want it. Unfortunately, after a few shots, I have trouble focusing. =) We then moved to shooting the M249 or SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) which shoots a 5.56mm round, the same round as the M16/M4, just a lot faster. We shot 100 rounds out of that at targets about 150m away, which was alright except you couldn't really tell if you were hitting the target at all. After we'd spent the rounds we pulled out the M9 and shot 10 rounds at a target about 15m out. I blew his head off. It was a pretty good time, though it was the first time I've worn IBA for that long, especially standing up, since leaving Ft. Reilly.

Spare Time 2

2007-10-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

Last week I went to throw some darts and had the best throw of my entire life. Three bullseyes! None were dead center but all three were in the green. I was pretty excited. Unfortunately no one was there to see as I throw darts by myself. Oh well, I went and got my camera and took a picture.

I'm Vanilla!

2007-10-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

K, I got this link off of Jessica Jone's blog and thought I'd see what ice cream flavor I am.

You're as popular and relaxing as vanilla ice cream. You go with the flow, and get along with all sorts of people. You appreciate peace and simplicity, so you sometimes find crowds and loud noises overwhelming. You are a chilled-out, calming influence on the people in your life, and your friends appreciate how supportive and flexible you are.

It always amazes me how close these things are to accurate. Is that because they're like fortune cookie fortunes--created to have lots of different meanings? Or is it just cuz we read into them what we want to read? Though I do have to admit I've never thought of myself as very popular so maybe it's not all that accurate after all.

Outdoor Cooking

2007-10-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

The main DFAC here at KMTC has two kitchens (appropriately labeled kitchen 1 and kitchen 2). Kitchen 2 is currently undergoing renovations to replace the woodburning stoves with propane stoves. In order to keep up with the amount of people they feed here the contractor brought in temporary gas stoves. They were originally in Kitchen 1 (there was plenty of room) but someone thought the gas cylinders were getting too hot so one morning when I went over to make my daily visit I found all the temporary stoves outside. The local maintenance contractor was busy erecting a wooden enclosure to give them some security and minor protection from the elements. So half the cooking for around 10,000 people is going on outside at the moment. Too crazy.

The last picture is of a guy outside grinding spices. They don't buy prepared spices here, they buy the little dried bits and grind them up by hand with a mortar and pestle. Too fun! One of the spices is cumin and I have no idea what the other is. Something fairly local, I think, as I don't know if I've ever tasted it or smelt it before.

Troop Transport

2007-10-11T23:33:00.001-07:00

We just finished up the month of Ramadan here in the Muslim world. During the month of Ramadan all good Muslims fast from sunrise until sunset each day. This makes training soldiers a little difficult as they normally march them to and from the ranges where they do weapons and tactics training. So for the last month we've been treated with a unique kind of troop transport. I've never ridden in one but it's fun to watch them drive by!

Spare Time

2007-10-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

I knew I was gonna have a lot of spare time here. I mean, I've got no kids to put to bed, no meals to cook, no dishes to do, I've got a little bitty room that no one cares if I clean or not, I do laundry about once a week, but it's just mine and I don't have anything else to do in the evening.

So what am I doing with all that spare time? Well, one of the things I decided to work on after getting here was throwing darts. I've always enjoyed throwing darts and a few years ago I learned how to play Cricket. And they've got a nice, quality dartboard here but they didn't have any good darts. So I ordered some online and now have my very own darts. I try to go at least once a day and throw a game of Cricket. Sometimes I'll throw two games just for fun. =)

The other night I was throwing darts and was just finishing my game when I had one of the most outstanding throws I've had since getting here. And since I had my camera along I went ahead and took some pictures and I am now sharing them with you.

I'm not gonna claim this happens every time, cuz that would be lying. =) Though I will brag that similar things have happened a couple of times. I figure if I keep throwing at least a game a day then by the time I get home I'll be pretty good. We'll see.

Decorating

2007-10-05T05:14:00.000-07:00

Y'all saw what my room looked like when I moved in--very blah! Since then I've had fun at the bazaar buying things to decorate with. I did some little touches today and got it clean enough that I felt like I could take pictures worth sharing.

Welcome to my room!

I'm a sucker for these blankets, all they have to do at the bazaar is pull one out that catches my eye (shiny cloth =) and there's a good chance I'll buy it. Thankfully they're only $10 for a double size blanket with two pillowcases.

I also had fun with my door. Instead of a boring emergency blanket I'm now showing my school colors! Thanfully BYU football isn't doing too awful this year. They beat the AF Academy and we've got a couple of those around. Most of the folks here are from South Carolina (Army National Guard) so they're all Clemson or USC fans and don't really care about BYU.

And this is what my window looks like. I bought the two little vases yesterday and decided that it would look nice with the shawl behind it. I'll have to see what it looks like at night, whether it lets too much light out or not.

French Bar

2007-09-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Across the street from KMTC is Camp Warehouse, also known as ISAF (International something something something) which is an international FOB. There are a bunch of different international forces over there. They've got several restaurants, a bunch of bars (they don't have the same rules about alcohol as we Americans do) and some other stuff. We had a going away dinner for one of my troops a couple of weeks ago and went over and ate at the Italian restaurant. I had pizza and it was good!

After dinner we went to the French Bar which has an actual bar as well as a large sitting area, pool tables, some computers and a little bitty BX. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures from the French bar.

Tank Cemetery

2007-09-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

When the Russians finally left Afghanistan in 1989 they left quite a bit of junk behind them, lots of ruined tanks and armored vehicles. This is a 'tank cemetery' a few miles from where I work. There's a Dining Facility right next door that we check on fairly frequently.

Here you can see me with an armored vehicle of some sort. The soldiers will use these as bedrooms sometimes and others they will use as bathrooms. They also hide in 'em during the day to get out of working.

And here I am with a broken down, rusty old tank. This'd be a lot cooler if we didn't have our own tank playground at Nellis.

At the Bazaar

2007-09-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

We have a bazaar here at the Alamo every couple of weeks. It's a lot of fun bargaining with the merchants. Here are some of the interesting things they sell...

First off we've got all kinds of leather jackets. I bought a sheepskin one a couple of weeks ago for $30. I was thinking about getting a cycle jacket but then saw an American made one and the quality of the leather was so different that I think I'll just wait. But my sheepskin is really nice. =)

Next we've got any kind of 'namebrand' watch you could possibly want. A matching set of 'Rolex' watches (his and hers) goes for $20-$30, though it takes some bargaining.

They sell stoneware of all kinds. I've already bought a carved jade vase and may buy another. You can get an entire plate set carved or formed from stone as well as chess sets, cups and other dishes.

And if you're going to be taking belly dancing classes these two guys are more than willing to sell you the outfit. I think the starting price is around $70.

Mountain Climbing

2007-09-19T06:12:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago for a Garrison training day we went to a local mountain and hiked up it. I believe it's about 1,500 ft. When you're going from around 6,000 ft. to over 7,000 ft. it turns it into a pretty good climb. I know I had to stop and rest several times! For the most part it was just really steep hiking, not what I'd consider 'mountain climbing' I guess. The last few feet were real rock climbing. You can see it in the picture where I'm sitting down. I climbed up onto it but not across it to the peak. Just a little too much for me. =)

However, the view from the top was worth the climb.

Living Conditions

2007-09-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

Living here isn't too bad...if you don't mind communal bathrooms and showers. =) At least I've got my own room. When I first opened the door to my room the smell almost drove me back out. Apparently whoever occupied it before I did was not the cleanest person. In fact, they left dirty sheets and a dirty towel on the bed for me to take care of.

This is the 'hallway' leading to my room and then...my door! They've got big glass windows so it's necessary to find some kind of shade or curtain so people can't see in at night. One of the medics offered me an emergency blanket which I was able to tape up. Open up the door and...

As you can see the room is very plain and very gray. Almost depressing unless you're in the Navy and used to those kinds of colors. =)

And, finally, here's a quick shot of the showers. They're not quite as communal as they could be (ah, the good old MTC days =) but I still end up seeing way too many naked men.

Welcome to the Alamo!

2007-09-17T23:32:00.000-07:00

So, after seven straight nights of sleeping in a different location each night I arrived at what will hopefully be my final destination--Camp Alamo.

Camp Alamo is the FOB (Forward Operating Base) located inside the Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) in Kabul, Afghanistan. The KMTC is the basic training base for the Afghan National Army (ANA). I'm here as part of the Training Assistance Group (TAG) working as a mentor, currently for the ANA Services Company.