Next we're going to see the true difference between the Army and the Air Force. Any good soldier will probably be aghast at this. I guess this fits in the category of "What's wrong with this picture?" No, it's not that the golf club seems to be holding up the piece of paper. That paper is actually tacked to the bulletin board. Oh, and it's not the fact that we actually have golf clubs over here. In fact, we have a driving range right next to our building (built by the Air Force of course). Actually, I don't see anything wrong!!! I'm told, however, by the soldiers that this rack is actually for the M-4s and not the golf clubs---pishaw!!!! That M-4 looks perfectly happy to be standing up outside of our golf club rack, don't you think? When there's room in the rack, we really don't mind if someone sticks an M4 in there.
Remember when I told you about the Afghans tend to decorate their work trucks. Well this is what it looks like when some of them are lined up and ready to enter the FOB. It might be hard to see, but the gaudier, the better. Everyone calls them jingle trucks.
Jack just saw this masterpiece today only it sort of wasn't the Afghans' doing. This was the result of the removal of a tree and the failure to refill the hole properly--not to mention it rained all day. That was actually the FET's (facility engineering team) fault (my organization). What you see here is a rough terrain container handler (RTCH, pronounced "wretch") with its back wheel buried up to the axle (it hit the hole). The KBR crane was called in to pull it out. The RTCH is used to move 20' or 40' shipping containers around. Those containers are how most of the durable equipment that accompanies units is shipped and stored over here. We also use those containers for showers, latrines, offices, and some billeting (those are living quarters for you non-military types).
Now we're getting to the good stuff. OSHA ALERT, LOOK AWAY! This guy looks like he's having a great time doesn't he. Sure hope he doesn't hang himself in all those cables not to mention plummet to his death! Oh, but this is just practice for him along with being a convenient way to transport him up to the top of that obviously sturdy tower in the background. Take a look at the next photo.
This is textbook pouring of a concrete column here folks! And to think US craftsmen have been doing it wrong all this time. Of course that little dude has the sufficient strength to guide that monstrous container while teetering on the edge of that one-inch wide form with absolutely nothing to keep him from killing himself. Oh, my bad, he does have that OSHA-approved safety ladder right there (I've shown you that before). Nothing to worry about here but some organ donations when he gets impaled on those poles shoring up the form.
Jack is electrically inclined, so this is one of his favorites. One of the trucks that we use for personal transportation around the FOB had its battery go dead. We should have known better than to ask our local national heavy equipment operator whether he had a set of jumper cables. In Pashtu that sentence must actually mean "Do you have a set of bare-ended cables that you can hold with your bare hands to the metal post of the battery and the truck frame while the guy on the other end does the same thing?" Who knew bare flesh was a better conductor than those stupid alligator clips U.S. manufacturers keep putting on those jumper cables? What the hell does U.L. know anyway?
Look at that teamwork! At least they'll die together.
Well Jack has to end on a positive note here. One of my contractors gave me this potted flower, and I have no idea what type it is. If anyone knows, leave me a comment, so I can tell everyone else it's not a flowering weed. At least it's not a poppy!---Don't laugh, you've seen the pictures on this blog--it could happen! Jack out!
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