Friday

Cool this morning. Went to breakfast, first time in weeks. Had some eggs, first time in weeks. I am going up to Jalalabad soon, on a training mission. I went to J-bad back in 2004, it was bleak. The place has probably grown, and it is bit more modern now.

I still have trouble sleeping, the tent is too near the flight line. Last night, the mechanics were doing "Static tests" on aircraft engines. That is where they place an engine on stilts, and run up the motor, to see how it runs. It is LOUD, about 140Db.

I like Afghanistan less and less. But it is better to be working here, than unemployed back home.

Sunday afternoon

Got my weekly pizza. It was delicious as usual!

Thurs nite

Went to the other side of Bagram this afternoon. There is a trivia contest at the main recreation center tonight. I am going to enter, and see if I can win. I will let you know!

Wednesday March 11

What a day. Took a shower, and went to lunch. The spring is on the way, I do not need a jacket, in the afternoons. Nights are still cold. At least it is dry, I can get by with one shower every two days.

There will be much work here. The place is ramping up. I would like to stay in Afghanistan until 2011.

Monday

Slept all right last night. The base is getting new plywood huts, and I may be moving out of the tent soon. Biggest hassle is the NOISE. The generator runs 24/7 and the heater blower is loud.

Tonight at dinner, there was shrimp creole and rice. One of my co-workers said I was losing weight. I am.

Life in Afghanistan is strange, to say the least. There is not much for me to do, just now, but the work is ramping up. With 17,000 more troops headed this way, the work is going to hit the fan.

I enjoy hearing from all of you, please continue to write!

8 Mar 2009

Pretty weather at last. Went to church, and got a pizza. I also bought some magazines, I never have enough to read. It is a hassle getting around, the bus schedules are science fiction.

I am going to a trivia contest on 12 March. I think I will be able to do very well.

Just waiting on an assignment.

At Bagram

I arrived this morning. Tues 24 Feb 2009. What a dump! I am in a tent, right next to a 30KW generator, blasting away 24 hours a day. I am in a bunk bed, no room for privacy or my personal items. Bagram is an anthill, crowded and lines everywhere. Afghanistan is adding new people so fast, that the infrastructure cannot deal with them.

I want to get to a forward base, so at least I can sleep in quiet.

New Assignment- Bagram Afghanistan

I am now assigned to Bagram Air Base Afghanistan. If anyone needs my postal address, please email me, or leave a comment here.

Saturday Afternoon

Stuck at FOB Boris. I keep trying to leave, but the winds of good fortune are not blowing in my direction. I just make the most of it. I got a haircut today, including sideburn trim, and close cut on my upper lip. I also took a long shower (I only shower every two days, when I am traveling). I wanted to watch "O'Reilly factor", but a soldier was watching wrestling. I always let the soldiers watch anything they like. I mostly hang out at the recreation center, so that I can read. If you like to read, Afghanistan is the place.

I am a little tired of this "OpSec" crud. OpSec means operational security. In my emails, I am required to let my firm know my whereabouts. This is not classified. Neither is the weather. You just look outside, and you can see if it is raining or snowing. Some helicopters can fly in lousy weather, some cannot. I hate being nitpicked.

I washed my clothes today. The water is safe for washing, but not for drinking. When I am at my home base, I just drop off the laundry, and collect it the next day, clean and folded. The Afghans do a good job. Here, I wash the clothes myself.

I wish I could lose the "blues". Just being in this part of the world, with the loneliness, and the "same every day" routine, gets to be a drag. I get up in the morning, and check with the flight desk, to see if any helicopters are flying. If not, then I just go to the Rec Hall, and watch TV. Lunch is served at 1130. Then I go back to the Rec Hall, and watch "Jeapordy" at 1pm. Then "O'Reilly" at 330pm. In between, I read. Then supper at 500pm. Then back to the concrete hooch.

My bed has two mattresses, the top mattress has steel rods, but, I just position my body, in between the rods. Fortunately, the barracks is quiet, and the heater works well. I try to get to sleep by 1100pm, then it is back up for another day. This place is like "Ground Hog Day", the same every day.

With luck, I can get a chopper back to FOB Salerno soon.

A cold and lonely time

Time now is 0140am Saturday morning 7 February. I am at Forward Operating Base Boris, Afghanistan. The outside weather is cold, just above freezing. The full moon is overhead, making it easy to see around. One thing about the cold winter, it is safer. The bad guys go up into the mountains, and they are huddled up, waiting for the spring.

I have been getting some good feedback about the employment project. We have several good people, back in Virginia, who are assisting. With the unemployment rate soaring, I feel that Masonry should do more to help our unemployed members and their dependents. Doing nothing is unacceptable.

The Army continues to feed me well. Tonight, grilled steaks, lobster tails, crab legs, shrimp, corn on the cob. Only thing they do not have here is fresh eggs and coca-cola. Such is Army chow.

The rec hall here, has a huge selection of videos. I watched some "Law and Order" episodes. Also "Spartacus", one of my favorite films. I also read books sometimes, I have been perusing "Born Again" the story of Charles Colson, the Watergate guy.

I could sure use some chocolate, there is no PX here, so there is no way to get chocolate. There is a little Afghan restaurant, but I have not yet sampled their wares. The soldiers eat there sometimes, I guess the food is safe.

An open letter to the Grand Master of Masons in Virginia

Dear Grand Officers, The USA is now in the biggest recession in the last 80 years. Unemployment is spreading fast, and this tragedy is also affecting our brother Masons and their families. Just last week a man lost his job in California, and then he went home and killed his five children and his wife, then himself. In his suicide note, he asked "Is there no hope for the widow's son?" During the 1930's and for some time thereafter, Many Grand Lodges (and other masonic groups) assisted Brother Masons in seeking employment. I think this activity is part of our splendid Masonic tradition. I therefore wish to make a formal request: Can we revive the employment assistance bureau in Virginia? Is there a way for brother Masons to assist our unemployed Brother Masons (and their wives/widows/dependents) in seeking employment? Some people have said that Masonry has no business getting involved. Some say there are legal issues involved, that there could be legal ramifications if an organization like ours got involved in assisting people who were out of work. Some say that the government, and state employment offices are better equipped to assist the unemployed. I think that is a bunch of crap. Private, non-government organizations can assist people in finding work. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints (the Mormons) operate a national network of employment offices, and no one objects. I request that the Grand Lodge seek out a legal opinion, and determine if our Grand Lodge can re-open the employment services, that we ran decades ago. I am certain that there is no legal problem at all. Please let me know if this is possible, and if it is, I request that we get it underway quickly. There is no time to lose. (BTW- I am in Afghanistan. There is not much I can here, but when I return to the USA in Sept 2009, I would be more than glad to get directly involved. Charles E. Martin
=============================
Here is a "template" of how a program could be operated:


-A service set up, similar to what was done by lodges and Grand Lodges in the 1930's, and what Kentucky ran right up into the 1980's. -The Grand Lodge will serve as a "coordinator", and advisor to individual lodges (and Masonic districts). Districts/lodges will be offered the opportunity to participate in the program at their own discretion.

-The service will exist to assist Brother Masons (and their wives/widows/dependents) in all phases of seeking employment. The service will be open to assist the general public, and any individual who applies for help. Guidance and advice will be offered to anyone on a non-discriminatory basis.

-The service will primarily consist of counseling and providing advice in guidance in helping individuals conduct their own job search. The Grand Lodge will NOT go out and find jobs for participants.

-The service will be educational in nature. Clients will be advised in the methodology of how to seek work in the internet age. Assistance will be provided in how to prepare both a traditional paper resume, and how to prepare an electonic internet resume. Clients will be coached in how to seek work on the internet, and in the print "want ads", as well as other traditional job-seeking venues. Clients will be coached and critiqued in how to obtain interviews, and how to dress, how to answer interview questions, etc.

-The program will be staffed by volunteers. The Grand Lodge can provide office space, administrative assistance, and logistical help.

-District Deputy grand Masters, will be asked to select an employment coordinator in each district, and/or in each lodge that chooses to participate in the program.

-When a mason (or dependent/widow) or anyone who asks for help, needs employment assistance, the district/lodge employment coordinator will assist the applicant, in all aspects of the employment search process, including seeking help from other government agencies (the state employment service).

-Individual companies will be advised of the program, and offered guidance in how to get job openings distributed to individuals who are seeking work. This could be done through the operation of an internet page, run by the Grand Lodge. Non-government organizations have been providing individuals with employment search assistance, with programs exactly like this for many years, with absolutely no objections from any government agency, or any fear of lawsuit. As long as the assistance is offered to anyone who applies, and the help is provided in an educational and advisory capacity, there is no problem. There is absolutely no danger of being in violation of any federal or state laws, nor of any conflict with equal employment and equal pay legislation.

The USA is now in the worst recession that has occured in the last 70 years. See:http://www.manufacturing.net/article.aspx?id=183252I am going to run this proposal past an attorney friend back in Virginia. I am confident that a program run this way, will pass all legal muster. And you can be sure that any Grand Lodge will check it out thoroughly before they get involved.

Been off the blog for too long

I apologize, that I have not made any new entries for some time. I got back to Salerno safely, and I was told to leave for another mission to Orgun-E. I went there last October. Then I was informed to go to Forward Operating Base Boris. I went down to see about a chopper flight, and I have been trying to get a flight for three weeks. I finally got out today (29 Jan 2009).

I have been assigned permanently to Bagram Air Base. When I return to Salerno (After this mission) I will collect my gear, and fly to Bagram. I would really much rather stay at Salerno. I have a bed, with a mattress and sheets. I am in a tent, but it is more than adequate.

I will be on a cot, with no privacy at all at Bagram. The base is an anthill, way too many people for the square mileage. It takes forever to get any where.

Anyway, I am at Boris. I got some decent quarters, and the chow hall is adequate, but not Class 1. The chow hall has three meals per day, instead of the two per day served at FOB Tillman. There is a decent Rec Center, where I can use their computers for my work.

Leaving Tillman

Well, the work is not done here. But there is a shortage of helicopters, and as the winter weather closes in, there will be fewer flights. So I am leaving Tillman tonight, I cannot say that I am sad to leave here, fact is , it will be good to get back to my home base, and clean sheets, and some privacy. Also the chow hall at Salerno is Class1, with three meals perday. Also I have two months of mail waiting on me, back at Salerno.

The work is not finished here. There is a hassle with one of the power supplies. I do not like to leave a base, where there is a problem.

I have been getting some more comments on the blog posts. I am always glad to get comments, 99.9% of them are very positive. Since I changed the "open comments" policy, the comments got much more positive.

Some individuals have offered to send personal care items and snacks for the troops. For this I am grateful. I take the items down to the Rec Hall, and give them out to the troops. I was at a small base, that did not have any soap, and I collected a couple of soap bars at the Rec Hall one time.

It still amazes me, how much these guys like beef jerky. Personally, I cant stand the stuff. Also, I am amazed at how many of these guys dip snuff and use smokeless tobacco. I cannot think of a more disgusting habit, and it destroys your teeth and gums. Live and let live, though.

I am not glad to be flying at night. I have to wait outside in the cold for an hour on the flight line, then I have to fly in a helicopter, with the back door wide open, and the wind whooshing through the passenger compartment. By the time I get back to Salerno, it will be almost sunrise. Then I have to crawl into the bed, and try to sleep.

Sunday night

Wrapped up the work here at Forward Operating Base Tillman. What a miserable and lonely place! I am very anxious to clear out, and return to my home base. I am going to have to fly back to FOB Orgun-E for an installation. When I get there, I may be stuck there for some days or weeks.

The sun came out, and the small volume of snow melted away, leaving the base a sticky mud-hole. I had chicken with penne pasta for dinner. I am appalled at the way soldiers waste food. Truck drivers risk their lives, to bring the supplies here, and then the soldiers pile the food on their trays, and then throw so much of it away. I say, take all you want, but eat all you take.

Physically, I am much better over the past couple of days. The medicine that I got from the Army doctors cleared me right up. The high altitude and the thin air, is still taking some getting used to. I have to walk a lot here, and the rough gravel works like torture on my feet. I have a new set of combat boots, but they are wearing out fast.

The ice froze out the satellite dish last night. On Saturday, the Army TV station broadcasts an episode of classic "Star Trek", and I like to watch the shows. The ice melted off the satellite dish, and I was able to watch some TV this afternoon. There are some new movies being released this spring, and I would like to see some of them. When I get back to the USA, I will go to the movies a lot!

It is now after 10pm here on the roof of the world. I think I will watch some CNN news, and then call it a night.

3 Jan 2008 Still at FOB Tillman

Wrapping up the work. It is cold and snow flurries. Just enough to make the whole base sticky and muddy. With luck, I can get out of here soon.

If anyone wants to donate personal care items to the soldiers, you can send the items to me, and I will pass along the items to the troops. The guys are nuts about smokeless tobacco (I can't stand the stuff), also beef jerky and chocolate. Soap, toothpaste, razors, etc. are also highly prized. If anyone is interested, please send your donations to:

Charles E. Martin
BETTS-C Project
FOB Salerno
APO AE 09314

On behalf of America's finest, I thank you!!

At Forward Operating Base Tillman

Well, after almost a month at FOB Orgun-E, we finally got a chopper ride to FOB Tillman. I tell you, this place is bleak. The team leader got into a heated discussion with the base commander, and I wanted to fall into a hole! One thing I learned, since I have been working here in Afghanistan and Iraq, is you gotta "play nice" with the Army. Especially junior officers! Put a pair of captain's bars on a man, he thinks he is God almighty.

I got a shower, I was able to scrounge a bar of soap, from the Air Force. I am getting some scale and crud on my toes, so I scrubbed my feet until they were raw. I also got a close shave, with an old razor, and brushed my teeth vigorously. I want to keep my teeth for many years, I have spent a blue fortune on crowns and dental work, I try to keep my gums healthy, they are about the only part of my mouth that is natural!

The chow hall here is primitive, and all the cooks are Army, no foreign nationals or USA civilians. Tonight, they had polish sausages and sauerkraut. I got a huge portion, and ate it all up. (I did not get breakfast nor lunch today). They also had Dr. Pepper in the fridge, I have not had a Dr. Pepper in over a year. I will have to do without Baskin-Robbins for the time being.

My bed has a real mattress! After over a month of sleeping on a military cot, a real mattress, what luxury. It is strange what people find important at the roof of the world. Decent food, a decent bed, hot water in the shower, is about all takes to be happy here!

Stuck at ORGUN-E

Got up this morning at 0700am, to get a chopper ride. Waited for some hours, but found out the chopper ride was cancelled. So I went back to the barracks, and unpacked my stuff, and fell asleep on the cot. I will be stuck here through Christmas.

It is not so bad here. The Chow Hall is excellent. Tonight, I had excellent prime rib, with Bernaise Sauce, lobster tails, and fried scallops, and bread dressing. For dessert, I had a fruit smoothie. It is the only way I can get fruit, is if it is pureed.

It was beautiful today, sunshine, about 60. There is plenty of hot water in the shower, but I only shower every two days. I like being clean-shaven, but I do not like shaving.

I found a three-pound Claxton fruit cake, and ate it all up! I love fruitcake, people make jokes about fruitcake at Christmas, but I like it. I also found some chocolate, and Reeses peanut butter cups!

The Rec Hall computers are fine, very fast connection. I watch some TV, today I watched "It's a wonderful life" with Jimmy Stewart. Two days ago, I watched "White Christmas", with Bing Crosby. There will be holiday films on for the next couple of days.

I will just have to wait for a chopper!

Ten reasons NOT to become a Freemason

The Top Ten Reasons *NOT* to become a Freemason.
(1) You have too many friends. Let’s face it, you have so many friends you can’t imagine trying to juggle any more. Half of the time these so called ‘friends’ are more trouble than they are worth; constantly inviting you to social events, inquiring about the health of your family and personal life, and offering their wisdom and guidance. Sometimes a man just needs to be alone.

(2) You like to lie, cheat, and steal. The reality of the situation is that you are good at what you do. You know how to tell people what they want to hear and have never found a situation where a lie, or half-truth, wouldn’t offer you some advantage. The thought of joining an institution that requires you to be ‘square’ and honest in all of your dealings with your fellow man is fundamentally contrary to your character.

(3) You are a nonconformist. You hate every fad, trend, or anything that anyone else is doing in the world. You are so much of a non-conformist that that your are literally a conformist to the non-conformist lifestyle. How could you be a ‘joiner’ of a club and follow their rules? Even if you consider that these are rules you completely agree with, you would still be ‘joining’ something and conforming to a particular code of ethics. This action would be so contrary to your personal identity that you could never join a group that limits its membership to men of good character and encourages them to live their lives by the highest standards of morality.

(4) You are a stingy bastard. The fact of the matter is that you worked hard for your money and see absolutely no reason to spend one penny of it to help anyone else. Senior Citizens, burn victims, children with birth defects, widows, orphans, youth, all deadbeats. Not only do they not deserve any support or help, there is nothing you would get out of either. In fact, even if all they want from you is some of your time, who has that any more either?

(5) You are a religious fundamentalist and believe the dogma of your faith is the only one true path to salvation. You believe that your only duty in this world is to convert other human beings to your faith, or **** them to hell if you fail. You have no room for 'so called' religious tolerance, and this idiotic ideal of ‘freedom of religion’ is a liberal commie plot by those pot-spoking hippies in the American Revolution.

(6) You are a material reductionist. You believe that there is no such thing as God. Not Spinoza’s God and not any one definition will suffice. You believe that anyone stupid enough to believe in a God is a damnable idiot. You believe that the Universe is a Netwonian tick-tock world of billiard ball atoms and molecules, that there was no big-bang, and that human consciousness is a random glitch in the random process of selfish-gene evolution. You believe that life itself is meaningless and serves no higher purpose beyond self-gratification.

(7) You hate the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. You think the American Revolution, and the Enlightment in general, was a scam. You believe the world ran better when men were uneducated, lived in fear of religious persecution, under Monarchies, dictatorships, and that free thought was a concept reserved for dreaming kittens, not the working class of a society. You do not believe all men are created equal, nor do they have the right to pursue happiness. You do not believe in justice, liberty, equality, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, or any form of representative government. Since these are all of the core tenets of Freemasonry, established by Freemasons in the American Revolution, there can be no doubt that this institution would disagee with you most heartedly.

(8) You are too busy. Once again, let’s face it. You have too much TV to watch. You have a two hour commute every day. You have soccer practice, swim-team, World of Warcraft, XBOX, Playstation, and many other critical demands on your time. In fact, it is completely outside of your power to change your schedule and priorties to engage in social interaction with your community. You don’t know who the people are in your community and have no reason to become involved. It is literally impossible for you to ‘make time’, ‘shift priorities’, or re-evaluate for yourself just what really is important in life. You have a job to go to, you have a video game to play, and Netflix and Tivo to get caught up on. How in the world could you attend five, six, ten meetings a year? How could you go to a charity fund raiser or support a youth group? This is all simply crazy talk at this point.

(9) You hate tradition and history. Tradition is stupid. History is stupid. We are in the modern world now. There is nothing worth preserving. Not buildings and, certainly not, oral traditions. Does it matter that a tradition has been around in human civilization for hundreds (if not thousands) of years? Not one bit! Let it die! Remember when people used to try to only speak Latin in the Latin quarter in Paris? What fools! Remember when your Grandfather, Uncles, and other relatives were involved in Masonry? What a bunch of old doddering fools. Why would you want to sustain and support an anachronistic, outdated, and pointless ritualistic ceremony that has long since outlived its purpose? In today’s society there is no point in carying on a tradition such as this, or any other.

(10) You have no intention of ‘improving’ yourself. You are perfect just the way you are, in every way possible. There is nothing you could do to improve your social skills in public speaking, mentoring youth, charitable service, making conversation, or keeping your mind sharp. Your character is impeccable and there is nothing you could do to make it any better than it is today. Were you to join Freemasonry you would merely have to teach others the great skills you already posses, thus making the entire exercise pointless.__________________

Fri afternoon

Still stuck at ORGUN-E. Cold, damp, muddy, lonely. I got an interesting e-mail, asking about life here. ORGUN-E is about average for a mid-size camp in Afghanistan.

There is a gym, about average.
The Chow Hall is KBR run, decent food. Every Friday there is grilled steak and crab legs/lobster tails.
There is satellite TV in the Recreation center. There are computers and phones in the Rec Center. I do not thnk there is any wireless internet on this post.

We got our first snowfall, just enough to make everything all muddy. It is about 200 yards to the shower, so I only shower every two days. Laundry is a two-day turn around.

I will just wait until I can get a chopper ride.

Sunday afternoon

Sunday afternoon. COLD here in Orgun-E. The chow hall served polish sausage and potatos tonight. I walked out of the chow hall, and it was very dark. The moon is at its closest point to the earth in 21 years, and the full moon is now on. When the moon rises, it is spectacular.

I am waiting for a chopper flight, it may be another week here, before one can be had. What a hassle. In the meantime, it is just wait for the chopper.

I am reading James Michener's "Hawaii", and also "Space". I watch TV, I got a lot of football last week, all the football I can stand. I wish the military TV had more educational programs, and A&E, and history,etc.

I am glad that I brought enough clothes. Snow is expected soon. At least I have thick boots, and walking on the gravel does not hurt my feet so much.

I am still getting over a cold. I cough up a lot of mucus, and my chest is sore from all the coughing. I got some tablets from the Army doctor, and they help.