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November 2, 2007
Well hello once again to everyone! Captain Jason Carter coming to you again from beautiful and exotic Afghanistan, where the sunny days are as blue as the Burkas the women wear. Let’s get started, shall we?
Well OK, this week has been pretty much the same. We were still grounded this week until this past Wednesday when Major Brooks came back from leave. We had a lot of stories to tell. Well, with him back and another guy still gone we could roll out but needed 1 more person. We went to Kabul yesterday to take care of some issues and when we got back, SGT Nesmith who had been on leave was back. We told him all of the things that have happened since he has been gone and man, there were a lot of stories to tell him too. Now, we are combat effective and can roll out to Spina Shegha but we are not scheduled to go up there, so we just stay here in base camp in Gardez.
This past Wednesday was Halloween. It was also my 11th anniversary as a commissioned officer in the Army. YEAH FOR ME!!!! It is all downhill for me as far as my 20 years goes now. Just 9 years left before I can retire if I so wish. Halloween was also a time for us to let go a bit and relax and have a costume party that night. I dressed in my Manjams (native attire) and placed 2nd in the costume contest! Ok, this is 3 times in a row for placing 2nd. First it was pool, then Texas Hold ‘Em and now the costume contest. Do I see a pattern here??? I had a great time but had to leave fairly early so that we could go to Kabul and take care of some issues there.
Not too much else to report at the time. All things have been really smooth, and this is always a nice change of pace. I have finished all but one person’s paperwork for her award. I should have that taken care of by tomorrow. That is my goal. I have a few more items to do as well before I leave on my mid-tour leave coming up next week!
Speaking of my leave, I am going home next week for some well-deserved R&R (Rest & Relaxation) so there will not be another weekly e-mail next week. I am going home to see family, friends and spend my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, with my family. Since this is my mid-tour leave, it is hard to believe that I have been over here 6 months already. To my family it might seem like an eternity but the 3 months I spent at Ft. Riley, Kansas and now the 6 months here that is 9 months of my 15-month tour already down. Just another 6 more months and then it is time to go home. I just have to survive the cold weather here. Brr…I know that will be something to really write home about then. The cold. I’ve seen pictures of last years’ snow and it is more snow than I have ever seen (with the possible exception of Kansas or the storm of 1988 when North Alabama got 13” of snow 1 night). Other than the above, that is all coming from Camp Lightning, Gardez, Afghanistan.
I hope that everyone enjoys the weekly e-mails that I send. Just remember that there will not be another e-mail sent until I get back over here in country and that should be the first week of December. Until then, I’ll talk to everyone soon and I wish that everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!
CPT (Now Lieutenant Colonel )
Jason Carter
-Lieutenant Colonel, Jason Carter
Jason lives in Hazel Green, AL with his wife, Linda. He has served for over 21 years and had a total of 41 months active duty deployed after 9/11/01. He is a senior buyer in the electronic manufacturing industry and serves his country proudly in the Alabama National Guard. In his spare time he likes to metal detect, not only to stumble upon a few treasures, but to learn about the history of a place as well. “My greatest hope is that we all remember the sacrifices soldiers make to each other
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