Interviewed!

I was called by the Program Manager, about a possible job in Afghanistan. The firm has already interviewed my references. This is not an offer yet, but soon! Also, a recruiting firm in New York, has been interested in me for some months, about a possible job in Saudi Arabia. The man called me last week, and we had a short discussion. This unemployment is bad, and I hate it. With luck, one of these jobs will come through. If you are reading this blog, and you know of any possible international employment for a cleared telecommunications engineer, please see http://www.beyond.com/charlesmartin

Possibly heading back

I may be seeing the end of the unemployment. I received a call from a firm, asking if I was interested in a project. The person said to expect a call on Monday, with an interview (job in Afghanistan). And a recruiting firm in New York City, has me in for a possible contract in Saudi Arabia. The firm called me on 30 July, and asked if I could be in the Kingdom on August 11. I said ,that I was packed, and ready for travel. But it can take some weeks to get a work visa, to be able to enter Saudi Arabia. We shall see. I have been out of work since I returned from my last project on 25 January. I keep applying, but no offers. I really want to return to Afghanistan, before the show is over. Stay tuned.

Interviews! Possible Employment

Last week, I got a call from a firm in Manassas VA. The firm scheduled a phone interview for a job in Afghanistan. I did the interview, and I will find out something soon, I hope. Then on Tuesday, a firm called me about a possible job in Afghanistan, and to expect a call on Wednesday. And sure enough, I received a call from the project leader, in Afghanistan. The interview went about as I expected, no offer. This unemployment is really bad. I want to return to the combat zone, before the whole show is over. And if I can get a job in Saudi Arabia, that is even better. No combat.

Still trying to return

I was laid off on 24 January 2013. The firm lost the funding on the contract, and I was laid off. I began my job search immediately, trying to return overseas. I have had a couple of contacts, and I get emails often. To the people who are assisting me in returning to work, I am grateful. I am now in for two(2) different jobs with different firms in Afghanistan, and one in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi job looks promising, but it can drag on and on. I am optimistic, that I will get hired by someone soon. I am also looking for work in the Northern Virginia/DC Metro area. There are firms hiring here. Maybe some company can use me. I found out Friday (June 7), that my brother-in-law was laid off. I hope he gets something soon.

Seeking work

I continue to be unemployed. I lost my job 24 Jan 2013. I am seeking work in the combat zone, and here in the WashDC metro area. Today I had a very good interview about a job in Saudi Arabia. I have a good chance for this position, and I should find out soon. I am also in for a job in Afghanistan, a man here in the DC area is pushing it for me. If anyone knows of work in the Afghanistan area, or here in Northern Virginia/WashDC, please see http://www.beyond.com/charlesmartin

Unemployed again

Well the project I was working on was cancelled. Such is the way of war. I am now back in my residence in Alexandria, VA. I am seeking work. I have been to a couple of job fairs, and I have been on the internet, sending out resumes to employers. I would like to return to Afghanistan, and do some more work there. I have sent in some applications, and I may hit one. There is work here in Northern VA and Metro WashDC. I get a call from time to time, and once in while, one of them is interested. Stay tuned.

I am still at Atterbury. It is COLD here on the Indiana prairie. I completed my out processing, and I scheduled a flight for tomorrow (Tues 22 Jan). I will fly home to WashDC, and see about getting back to Afghanistan.

Returning to the USA

I was hired for a project in Afghanistan. I accepted the offer, and I went to work (in the USA) on Nov 2. I completed my in-processing and got my email account, and insurance, etc. I was scheduled to attend a one-week training course in Maryland, prior to deployment to Afghanistan. I had an administrative hang-up, and I had to go on "leave without pay" status for a couple of weeks. The problem was cleared, and I was scheduled to fly to Atterbury (Indianapolis) on Jan 5. I completed the Army processing, and got all of my shots, and x-rays, etc. I got on the plane and flew to Kuwait. I then got a military flight to Kandahar and went to the barracks. I arrived at Kandahar at 1000pm, and waited in the terminal buidling for two hours. When no one arrived to get me, I just went to the transient barracks. I met with my team, and got my work assignment. Then (thankfully) I was taken back to the barracks, and tried to sleep and get over the jet-lag. I was sleeping, and a man from my company came to the tent to wake me up. I was told that the project chief wanted to see me. I met with him, and he informed me that there was another administrative problem, and that I would have to leave Afghanistan. I had been in the country for less than 24 hours. I packed my belongings, and got a flight to Ali Al Saleem Kuwait (I am there now). I am scheduled to fly back to the USA on Saturday, and then out-process with the Army and return home. I do not know if I am to be released from this contract or not. I hope that my firm can fix the problem, and that I can return to Afghanistan for work. Stay tuned.

Two days in Atterbury

It is COLD here! I have been at my residence in Alexandria VA for three months. The winter has been very mild there. I have been enjoying the USA. I love to watch old "Law and Order" reruns on TV, and sit in a hot bath, and eat mexican-style eggs. Fry a couple of tortillas, and spoon salsa on them. Then fry three eggs, and place them on the salsa, and sprinkle cheese on the eggs. Then pop the eggs under a broiler for a couple of minutes, and melt the cheese. Excellent. My mother-in-law has been in town from Russia. I am not saying she is mean, but her speed-dial is 666. That should tell it. She is a vulgar, trashy person, and she curses at me in Russian. I am glad to be out of there. The Army food here is much better than I expected. Last night, they served a decent pot roast, with pasta and marinara sauce. I gobbled it down. I had to get up at 0500 this morning to meet a 0600am formation, I got out early, and I went to Subway and had a philly-beef sandwich. I think I will get chinese take-out tonight. The guys here watch FOOTBALL on the TV all the time. I prefer some other television, I never liked any televised sports except horse racing. I will continue to do the Army processing, and get my ID card, and clear the medical. I plan to fly out of here on Friday. I have only two green duffle bags, and one of them is filled with my helmet and flak-vest. I will have some additional clothing sent to me in the APO mail, once I get to Kandahar. I have been getting a lot of SPAM on this blog. I moderate all comments, so all of it goes to the trash. I wish you SPAMMERS would find some other place to SPAM! I do enjoy getting legitimate comments. Please send them along.

ATTERBURY!

Here we are. COLD, 20 degrees with wind chill making it lower. Back to Afghanistan on Friday.

Back to Indiana

WELL! I got an email from my firm. I am to report to Camp Atterbury Indiana (Indianapolis) on Jan 3 2013. I will complete the Army processing, and then go on to Kuwait, and then get a military flight to Afghanistan. It is so good, to be going back to work!

Back to Afghanistan

I have been in the USA since 28 Sept. I spent a week in Kentucky, then I flew back to my residence in Alexandria VA. I got some good USA food, and watched a lot of TV. I just love "Law and Order" and "Jeapordy". I will be starting with my new firm on 2 Nov. I will do some paperwork, and get my ID badge and all the in-processing at McLean VA. Then I will have some training and orientation, then back to Indianapolis. I have done the Deployment center now 8 (eight) times. Once at Ft. Bliss Tex, 5 times at Fort Benning Georgia, and twice at Camp Atterbury Indiana. I have been informed that my new duty station is going to be Kandahar, Afghanistan. I am looking forward to a great assignment.

On my way to the USA

On my way to the USA. I am in the holding pen at Ali Al Saleem Air base in Kuwait. It is bloody HOT. There is a roll call at 6pm. The aircraft is not due to take off until 1100pm. Then we will fly all night, and get into Indianapolis at 0800am Sunday. There is a refueling stop in Germany. I have a good feeling that I will be returning to Afghanistan soon. Keep up with me here.

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Heading home

Well, the project I was working on is done. I am heading home. I am sitting in the Recreation Center, at Ali-Al-Saleem Air Base, Kuwait. This place really has not changed much, since I first saw it, in July 2005. There is a McDonalds, and Subway, and KFC. There are much fewer people, than when two wars were blazing away. There were mobs of soldiers and civilians, and now the place is nearly empty. I am trying to connect with another project in telecommunications. The new firm's HR person, has been very kind, and she indicates that I will get the word soon. The money is good, and the work is much closer related than the work I was doing on the last project. The last week that I was in Bagram, Afghanistan, there was a real scare. The base went on Force Protection (C), which means that all personnel had to wear bulletproof vest and helmet, any time they went out. The dining hall closed the dining rooms, and you had to go the serving line, with a carry-out tray, and get your food, and then go outside to eat. I have never been under such a condition, since I have been working in this part of the world. I hate rumors. I do not understand how people can spread gossip. I was at Bagram, and the temperature was over 120 degrees. Somehow the word got back to my firm, that I was complaining that it was too cold! This is bizarre. I wish everyone would consider what they say, and not be so bored, that they have to repeat vicious gossip about their co-workers. I completed a training program in Huntsville, ALA. I enjoyed it very much, notwithstanding, that I was working outside in 106 degree heat and stifling humidity. I worked as a curriculum development specialist at a vocational school, in 1991. I made some suggestions, on how to improve the training program. It got back to my firm, that I was criticizing the program, and complaining. Gossip. I enjoyed all of my co-workers. Somehow the word got back, that some of them indicated that they did not wish to work with me. Gossip. Anyway, I am going to fly from Kuwait to Indianapolis, and spend a couple of days there, turning my military Identification card back in. Then I am going to take the Greyhound bus to Bowling Green KY, and see my mother and my sister. I have not been to Kentucky since Oct 2010, my father's funeral. I will go back to my home in Alexandria VA, and wait for the call from the new firm, and also seek work with other firms. The show is about over in Afghanistan, but the pull out is not until 2014. There will be work there, for a man with my background for at least a couple of years.

Jalalabad, Afghanistan

Here I am at Jalalabad. I was tasked to deliver some tools to a team at Jalalabad. I got up this morning at 0700am. There was no water in our barracks, so I walked across the way, to an adjacent barracks, and took a scalding hot shower there. There was plenty of water pressure, so I just let is spray and spray. I got my body armor and my helmet, and my tote bag, with clothing and personal items. I went to the office, and got the tool kit, and then went to the flight terminal and checked in. The flight was only 25 minutes. In 2004, I rode in an SUV from Kabul to Jalalabad, on a road that was probably laid out by Alexander the Great. There were huge potholes in the road, and my spine was sore for a week. I got a bed in a tent, and met the team here. They only need a few tools, and tomorrow, we will pass on all of the necessary tools, If they get 102% of a standard tool kit, then fine. I will try to get some sleep tonight, and then we will fly back on Friday or Saturday. This is a HOT HOT HOT place, we are at a lower elevation than Bagram, and the desert heat here is terrific. Luckily, the tent where I will sleep tonight is cool. For the time being, I will just pass some time here in the USO tent, and get some food at 5pm.

Completed project at Mez. What a day!

We did the work today. We got up at 0300am, and the job was supposed to last 4-5 hours. We spent almost 12 hours doing the project. I drank about 12 bottles of water, and I still felt thirsty and nauseous. The team lead sent me off site, to rest and drink more fluids. I poured all of the liquid down me, that I could. I am just now getting cool. In a previous posting, I remarked about a co-worker getting terminated for violating a company policy. I am not sure exactly what he did, and I do not wish to speculate. The project I am working is "at-will", Any of us can be terminated at any time, with or without cause. The man is no longer with us, and I will leave it at that. After work, I went to the chow hall. They had some good Salisbury Steak, and also some excellent turkey. I had not eaten in almost 24 hours. I ate slowly, and tried not to stuff myself. I finished off with a slice of pecan pie. I drank some more water and soda, and I am getting re-hydrated. I will soon crawl into the rack, and I will fly back to Bagram in a day or so.

Location: Mez-El-sharif Afghanistan

I am here at Mez. I was informed that I was to fly from Bagram to Mez, and I collected my gear. I was told that we were going to be here for two days. So I took enough clothing for a week. Sure enough, the site was not ready for us to begin work. So I am just sitting here, watching TV, and waiting for the site to be prepared. This is going to be hard, hot work, outside in the heat. Fortunately, Summer is about over, and the Afghan fall will be upon us soon. The work is on deadline, and should be completed by December. If that happens, that will be a miracle. One of my co-workers was terminated. I am sad that he lost his job, but he violated a company policy, and that cost him. Fortunately, I am in good health, healthy enough to pass the military physical. I am 58, and I am amazed that I am in as good health as I am. I am glad that I made the decision not to smoke cigarettes, and my blood pressure is normal. Mez is a typical mid-size post in Afghanistan. I am in a decent plywood "hooch". Air conditioned. Decent chow hall, Today we had spicy italian sausage in red peppers and onions. Rice, and shredded roast beef. Decent pumpkin pie. All I can do is wait, and we should begin work at 0400am this morning.

Arrived at Bagram, Afghanistan

I flew from Indianapolis to Kuwait. I spent two days in the tent city at Ali-Al-Saleem. I got a flight to Bagram, Afghanistan. I am here now, in the transient quarters. I am on a top bunk, with about two square feet of space for my personal gear. This place keeps changing, but it is still the same. Food is OK, I had a crab cake, and rice and chocolate ice cream.
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On the way to Indianapolis

I finished two months in Huntsville ,ALA. I am now in the airport at Arlington VA (Reagan National Airport). There was a near-miss involving three aircraaft here, last week. This is a horrible airport, and it should have been closed years ago. The runways all end in water (both ends). The approach pattern is all zig-zag, aircraft have to fly down the Potomac river. But this airport is 10 minutes cab ride from the Capitol, and the congressmen/senators use this airport. I will fly to Indianapolis, and the get my rental car. I will drive to a hotel in Edinburgh, IN, and check in. Then I will drive out to Camp Atterbury, and register for the NDC course. I will go back on Sunday, and then spend all week, in processing, and getting my paperwork submitted, and getting an ID card, and all of that hassle. I am scheduled to fly to Kuwait on Friday, 10 August. (Today is August 4, it would have been my father's 82d birthday. I lost him two years ago, and I still miss him)