Life in a box... Afghanistan

I stumbled across some photos today so I figured I share them along with a story.

(look I had hair)

The year I turned 21 I had just gotten back home from San Antonio after my Army training. It was September 2004, I had been in training since March of 2003. My life was a bit of a mess... but I’m not going into detail on that. (Maybe another time)

But, on October 28th I received a call from my Army Reserve unit in Seagoville. I hadn’t even reported there yet. Here was the exact conversation because I’ll never forget it. I was at the restaurant I was working at in the morning, rolling silverware.

Phone rings

Me: “hello”

Lady: “ PFC Siar? This is ____ and I have good news, we flipped a coin and you lost. You need to report here Monday because your’re getting deployed to Bagram Afghanistan..... next week”

Me: “uh, ok”

So, I was at work at the time and well, I left to go tell my mom. She cried obviously, maybe freaked out a bit! Haha like any mom would do.

Skip a week, after reporting to the unit and filling out paperwork I was in Ft. Benning, Ga to “train” for deployment for 2 weeks.

After that I hopped on a commercial jet with 1 other guy and flew to Germany. I was stuck in the middle seat with 2 very

Large guys. It sucked!

I was in Germany for a few days then hitched a ride on a C-17 into Bagram. I was on plane with a group of mixed soldiers, some Hum-v’s and my gear.

So, when I arrived I had my hat tied up like the guys in the jungle. I remember vividly stepping off the plane and a high ranking officer telling to pull that sh$& down because I wasn’t Crocodile Dundee. I reported to the Hospital unit where I was assigned and there is was.

Bagram was actually an old Russian base back when the Afghans and Russians were at war. The whole base was riddled with land mines, blown up building and crashed planes. It was almost like a movie set.

I arrived in November and was there till June, I was filling in for someone who had to come back home. We were the main distribution center for all medical supplies in Afghanistan and parts of Iraq. We received shipments, distributed, then shipped them to other bases. We were also the main hospital for that regional, it was the same hospital that Marcus Latrell and his team would be shortly after I left. As in like weeks after I left....

It was a crazy experience all together, I’d never seen such a place where no one had running water or electricity. It’s unique to have to do some of the things I did and I am grateful for them.I was proud to be promoted in a ceremony by the General of the Army reserve, and to receive an award for my efforts to change things.

But, my best memory was when I got to go outside the wire and qualify with the German Special forces! It’s a rare badge to earn and those were some crazy MF’s.