Monday, April 6, 2009

Military Transport is Under the Weather

The U.S. military’s Afghan surge has clearly made its way to Bagram. This place is jamming with all kinds of folks in uniform newly arrived in-country. The military transportation system appears to be groaning under the weight of the burden, with weather adding to the hassles.

A producer from the CBS show “60 Minutes” has been trying to get to FOB Salerno for five days, but can’t get a seat on a flight. Adding to the problem is low cloud cover and rain in the south that’s kept both helicopters and fixed wing transport (airplanes) from flying into the area.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a problem with the assets as much as it is with the weather,” says Capt. Scot Keith, a public affairs officer at Bagram. “It’s just a difficult time to move around right now.”

Afghan Desk is scheduled to head out of here on a helicopter tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for an on-time departure.

2 comments:

  1. Hey AD,

    A couple of questions:
    -What's the weather like generally?
    -How crowded is it compared to the last time you were there?
    -Is Kabul more crowded as well?

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  2. I guess Troy is right. Afghanistan is now the POPULAR Forgotten War. He gets the royalty checks.

    I sure hope the newbies are learning that Afghanistan IS NOT Iraq. And there ain't no green zone. You gotta get your boots muddy, or your neck dirty (depending on the weather).

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