quick sitrep

Sitting here next to ole Hryniw, pronounced Herandyou, (a.k.a the Jew)..... So I ask him how he got the tag the "Jew". He tells me that at first it started out with his brother on a previous tour as H-Jew then Horrendous Jew, and then when he got to regiment his brother was H1 and he was H2. This morphed into his brother becoming H-Senior and he was H-Jewnior. Being that us army folk would rather not spit out more than 2 syllables when jacking someone up, Jew was the simplest way to shorten the 3 syllable pseudonym. Anyway, we all remain intact during our transition into the last few weeks of an already extended tour. Although we're tired and ready for home we remain focused and diligent in finishing this thing off.

The explosions and random pops in the surrounding area continue. The past 2 days has seen 2 different IED detonations. Yesterday, just after a patrol stepped off we heard and felt a large explosion that rocked our platoon house. Everyone had there kit on in minutes and we ready to respond. The call sign that was out responded that they were all okay so we waited nervously for the other platoons response. It turned out everyone was ok and that the thing had gone off just north of our position. We figured perhaps a local national had triggered an IED just in the town that neighbours our position. We set off on foot through a maze of graperows and began questioning the locals in the surrounding area wher it had gone off. One Afghan pointed out that it had gone off further north than we had expected along a prominant route we use all the time. Whatever had gone off was big considering the sound and shock wave it had emitted. The crater in the middle of the road would measure 4m in diameter and 1.5m deep. No injuries and noone in sight. The command wire had extended into a compound just south of the road. This thing was intended for our vehicles and I'm assuming when the insurgent had gone to hook it up he accidentally high ordered it. Too bad he hadn't high ordered it while emplacing it.

So today we hear another blast just after lunch. The sound of an IED blast is now a familiar one sad to say. It detonates and it sounds like an piston ramming against a sheet metal door. They were targeting a road move and there were only minor injuries. The crew had just gotten into theater. Welcome to Afghanistan.... It seems as though things are beginning to heat up in these last few weeks.

I haven't heard much from my section down the road. I know ole Hawk has bought a new home in the mountains and he's eagerly anticipating getting home. He'll have been here for almost 9months by the end of it all while the rest of us are verging on 7.

Dorner and I just got back from a 2 day operation where we squatted in a compound south of our position. I brought my bug net this time. We scoured grapefield after grapefield searching for weapons caches but found nothing. We were attached to $1W and things were pretty laid back. The first day had us searching for about 5 hours. The sun was baking my brain inside my helmet and we shut it down shortly after noon. The next day we would begin the task at 0600 and work unitl around 1000. It would be around 28 degrees when we finished. Currently the temperature is reaching the mid 30's and it seems as though the winter/spring is hanging on out here. It has been raining intermittently and for very short periods. The prevailing winds are from the west, however when the wind shifts from north to south we know somehting is on the way. Rain isn't so bad. It keeps the dust down and offers a few clues to where an IED may be lying.

Not to much else to report from this end of the world.... Again, we're pushing hard these last few weeks and trying not to count the days... Love you guys... until the next...out

The picture is of an ied in the lower left corner oriented in a way to target dismounts approaching the wadi bridge..... we were lucky on this one.... RCIED (remote control) that for some reason failed to detonate.......this was 2 weeks ago...