I've arrived!

Hello everyone, and Happy 4th of July from Afghanistan! We left Indiana early afternoon on Monday and arrived in Germany to refuel in the early morning hours of Tuesday. After a short stop, we were again airborne and arrived in Kyrgyzstan that evening. Needless to say, the jet lag was horrible. We endured several required briefings, received our assigned follow-on flight for the next day and finally found the dining facility.

We ladies slept in a huge tent—the same size used for our dining facility in Indiana!—that held several hundred bunk beds. We were lucky! Fewer than 50 women shared the space with us and we all managed to get some sleep, but the jet lag kicked in and most of us were up within a few hours. Fortunately, there was wireless Internet and a 24-hour coffee shop, so we were set.

We left Kyrgyzstan the following evening (Wednesday) and arrived in a dusty, windy Afghanistan at dinner time. After enduring more briefings and collecting our baggage, we found our advance team waiting for us. We were so happy to see them and know our travels were over. After making a quick stop to drop baggage in our assigned “huts,” we went on a walking tour of our surroundings and found dinner.

It was interesting to observe our nation's birthday in a war zone. We celebrated by raising the American flag over our building and listening to a reading of the Declaration of Independence. We followed this up with a great barbecue hosted by the current unit. Now. it is time to get down to business as we continue to find our way around and talk to our counterparts on the current team. They have done an amazing job of managing their responsibilities in this diverse province, and we hope to do them proud as we continue their efforts.