On the way to breakfast yesterday morning, we passed a heavy salvage vehicle (read “industrial-strength tow truck”) with a small MRAP, known as a “Rhino,” hitched up to it. The engine compartment was blow away, and twisted metal surrounded the front end. The front tires, though, looked intact, as was the passenger compartment.
Come to find out that some of our boys hit an IED while on patrol yesterday. No casualties, no injuries, just one seriously-messed-up vehicle. It was reassuring to see that intact passenger compartment, to know that the Taliban had been foiled again.
The wind continues to howl, almost knocked me over last night as I slogged from the data center to my office. And I am no dainty little thing, you know. The dust continues to blow, so hard, in fact, that my optician is replacing the glasses I sent back for repairs to the frames, the lenses are scratched beyond any hope of polishing or refurbishing.
Wednesday morning, the wind is still here, but the dust storm is abating. We could actually see the mountains on the way to breakfast. Not crystal-clear, but they’re there, and the sun was shining.
The TV is showing a rerun of the Kathy Lee Gifford morning show. Why are these people paid to run their yaps all morning? And what really caught my eye … “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” … who are the Kardashians and why should anyone bother keeping up with them?
Back to the topic of that infernal dust … we’re now getting more confirmation that the dust is not good for one’s health. I’d heard anecdotal evidence about increased levels of asthma and other respiratory ailments among people who’ve spent a minimum of four to six months here. Now, a study being circulated on a USG-sponsored web site provides more substance: https://ronna-afghan.
Yet another reason for me not to go running along the roads here (aside from the fact that my creaky knees won’t handle it).
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