afghanistan

Publishing Afghanistan Posts

Posted on July 6, 2020

It’s been nearly a decade since I deployed to Afghanistan with the Australian Army. Going has never been a regret but returning was tough. I journalled my experiences with the intent of eventually posting them to my blog. These posts don’t include the more difficult experiences. 2010-12-13 - Arriving In... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan veteran

Heading home from Afghanistan

Posted on May 8, 2011

D’s get degrees too apparently, that was a nice surprise. I’m settling back into civi life, walking slower and getting use to checking I’ve got my phone and keys as opposed to checking I’ve got my pistol and ID. After biding goodbye to my comrades in KAF we spent 3... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan australia veteran

Handover and coffee tours

Posted on April 10, 2011

My replacement (Amy) is here and my handover is complete :) It’s a nice feeling. Today I took Amy for a final drive around base making sure to point out all the decent coffee shops. My handover also involved teaching Amy how to play the ukulele. I’ll leave Amy my... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan ukulele

Two Weeks Left in Afghanistan

Posted on April 4, 2011

Two weeks left in country :) In Kandahar city, 16 km away, 17 UN workers were killed by a mob who were pissed off about some guy in the US burning the Koran. It really annoyed me that a book can create so much hate. It’s not just the Koran,... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan ukulele

Ramp Ceremony for Sapper Jamie Larcombe

Posted on March 22, 2011

I haven’t written for a while because I’ve been lazy. A lot has happened in the month and a half since my last entry. I’ll try my best to fill you in. Another one of our boys (Sapper Jamie Larcombe) was killed on the 20th of February, this time from... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan

Extension in Country

Posted on February 16, 2011

My trip has been extended until April but I’ll be back to party by ANZAC day. Hump day (the halfway mark) had already passed and it was weird hitting that point twice. It was a compliment being asked to stay longer and I’ve got nothing else to do :) The... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan politics

Ramp Ceremony for Corporal Richard Atkinson

Posted on February 6, 2011

Yesterday was the ramp ceremony for an MTF digger, Corporal Richard Atkinson who died last week from an IED. We along with Americans, Slovaks, Dutch, and others helped the MTF line the route to the awaiting RAAF Hercules. The procession was lead by a chaplain and the casket was carried... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan

Visiting Kandahar

Posted on January 17, 2011

The rain turned the runway at TK into mud which delayed my departure date but on the 12th of January a little Hercules aircraft took me for a 30 minute ride to Kandahar Air Field (KAF). KAF is a little city with traffic jams, TGI Fridays, KFC, coffee shops, speed... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan

Happy New Year

Posted on January 1, 2011

Happy New Year! While my Sydney mates were partying I was playing on a radio trying to play it cool while my field mates sent in contact reports. The TB had the decency to allow the boys out field to close one contact report 10 minutes before midnight Sydney time... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan new year

Wikileaks and thoughts

Posted on December 23, 2010

This year has been the deadliest for coalition forces in Afghanistan. Ten Australian soldiers and over 700 coalition forces have died here. While I’ve been here Wikileaks has been releasing more government documents and this hasn’t gone down well here. It has the possibility of making life more dangerous for... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan politics privacy

Toilet trouble

Posted on December 13, 2010

I’m sitting on the toilet completing this entry with a lot of fluid leaving my behind. In the background I can hear an Apache firing rounds and missiles. It feels pretty wary. We’ve had a few rocket attacks so far, nothing too close but I’m sure they’ll get closer as... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan

Arriving In Afghanistan

Posted on December 13, 2010

17 days down, about 90 to go :) I’m in Afghanistan enjoying the taste of the fine dust of Urganzan and the scenic mountains which surround to create the Tarin Kowt bowl. After 4 long months of training, I’m finally here and I’ve settled in. It feels like a dusty... [Read More]
Tags: afghanistan