Hey Roadies!

So who felt the earthquake? I know I did. I was dreaming that my older brother was picking on me and shaking my bed to wake me up....ouch! What's that all about? The reality is that a hundred or so miles north of Kabul there was a 5.9 quake last week. Exciting right! There's more.
Some rocket attacks and an explosion downtown at the Hospital. Can't we all just get along? I mean if you want us to leave, quit blowing stuff up. Wait a minute...they don't want us to leave because we bring money and work right. Sorry, looks like I am drifting into other topics.

Anyway, for the most part things are back to normal here in Kabul. I am getting back to a steady state. I know things are really busy down in Helmond. Our guys are playing a part in quite a bit of that.

Couple of things. I need to know you’re out there Roadies. Where you at Lauren G.?? I know you’re out there. Call my Afghan cell: 070-734-7915. For that matter, any Roadie in this nation call my Afghan cell. I don't care if we have never met personally. It would be "most excellent" for my cell to ring and here any of your voices.

Also, sound of if you are enjoying the 120 days of wind. I have decided I don't like wind any more. It's good for a little bit, maybe a day, but it seems like we have 30 to 40 knots all day....everyday!!!

Maybe I should rebuke the wind like Christ did in Mark 4…..ok maybe not.

Either way, my prayers are with each of you. Don’t hesitate to call me. I know one thing is for sure about serving in Afghanistan….time goes by pretty fast, so hang in there.
God Bless,
Matt

Hey Roadies! Guess What!

I am back up as a PIC in the Mi-17. YAY! After the last couple of weeks we have had here I can tell you that going flying a couple of times was the perfect dose for me. I needed a bit of out of the office time. It felt good to challenge myself a little bit too. I got to fly up to the HLZ's just west of BAF. Shout out to me if you know where that is! The first one I picked on was right at 8700 MSL and the second was over 10500 MSL, so it was exciting. These LZ's are definitely the right way to practice the minimum power pinnacle landing. Never take mountain flying lightly. Read the books about the windward and leeward sides, how to fly through valleys, etc. Most importantly is performance planning. How much power will be available to me when I climb up and land? I think its really fun. I like to do the planning and then go see if it works. I hope you enjoy the planning too.

Well let me say Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there. I am thankful for both my mothers and my beautful wife who is also a great mother. Make sure to go out of your way for your mother.

Hopefully in the next week or so I will be totally back to normal here in Kabul. My replacement will be coming in soon, so that means it's getting closer to my return. I will really be ready for home this time.

I also want to give a shout out to the faithful patriots at my mom's American Legion post in Indiana. Thanks for reading!

Must go for now!
God Bless.
Matt

Hey Roadies!

It’s been a tough time over here. First the crash of an OH-58D which resulted in the loss of one US Army Warrant Officer and then the shooting in Kabul which resulted in 9 US killed.  That's 10 in 4 days. As long as we have been in Afghanistan it is easy for those at home to see these numbers on TV and move on with their daily routine, but I can tell you first hand these losses are very heavy on those of us on this side. That is not to mention the families of those that were lost. The loss of not one person is acceptable. In a military operation it is understood that the loss of a team member is a possibility and maybe even a likely hood, but never acceptable. Measures must be taken, tactics changed, and procedures manipulated to do whatever conceivable to try and prevent the same type of events in the future.  

Finally the most important thing is that we continue our work. We cannot stop or be deterred.  We must ensure that those that have fallen did not fall in vain. Many feel the guilt of “why not me”, many have seen things no one should see, but all must go on. Trust has been lost and a once stable relationship is now less solid, but still we must continue in order to honor the dead.

I am safe, I am confident in the purpose of our work, and I feel your prayers and concern. May I take a moment to speak to all the Roadies who may have this type of work in their future? Study Hard! Get far away from the “Rucker University” mentality and understand that the training you receive at Ft. Rucker is life and death stuff. I know many of you may have heard this before, but the “Instructor Pilot and the less experience pilot arrive to the crash at the same time”. What that means is that you are responsible for you! Know all you can, ask all the questions you can, study all you can; and come over here as prepared as you can.
God bless you guys. I am still in austere conditions right now until we can get back to operations normal. I will be back soon. Go to the link to read details of what happened in Kabul.
Thanks again for all your prayers and concern.
Matt