Afghanistan- Why am I here?

Afghanistan…why am I here? This was my choice to come and work for a lot of pay…But what you don’t know is all the work I put in. Sometimes 24/7. And the tasks that I’m made to do. Tote the barge, lift that bale- you do what needs to be done, sometimes without thinking and usually
outside of my job description. Other times I squawk. Who cares…it still has to
get done. So, I do it.

Every day is Ground Hog day, one day is just like tomorrow & yesterday. Which leads me to the being here part? Contractors support the troops. We do the emptying & cleaning of the toilets, cooking meals and feeding & cleaning up the mess halls, pest control, firefighting, and laundry, simple and emergency medical care, among other things. This frees the soldier to fight and do their military thing. Without contractors, the military would need many more young and able bodied men and women to do the daily mundane tasks needed for life. Remember the draft?? Not needed thanks to contractors.

Afghanistan, why don’t we get out of the war on terror here? There are approximately 33 conflicts & wars that the United States has current involvement in. Why don’t we stop participating all together? Why don’t we live locked in and worried about when and where the next bomb will come in like many other countries do. Go back to dreamland! If we are not the power force, we will be the victims. It’s an easy concept to want peace, but realistically there are bullies who will not play by your rules- EVER!

We miss out on holidays, births, deaths, birthdays, parties, family, friends, dependable communication and medical care, new clothes, running water, bathrooms without disturbing bugs to watch out for, beaches and swimming, concerts, entertainment (No, the USO and big name entertainers really do not come here), pets, time to develop companionship and relationships, music, TV…too many things.

I am here because I love my country. I’m here to support my country, to stand by every soldier, to fight with them by taking care of them. I have seen the local people scared & afraid, cold & hungry, but I have also seen them smile as we work side by side together with a common goal. Have you? We serve without thanks or medals or glory. No one even counts contractor
death, (we are such peons), and more of us have been killed, as shown in the latest tallies, than soldiers. They shoot at us, torture us and kill us and even drag our dead bodies through town – we are not immune. No walls or monuments will be erected in our honor. Americans are here with one common goal. We love and support each other and stand for an idea- FREEDOM & LIBERTY. That’s what we do!

You may now be excused to move to France...