Thomas Jefferson
Given that our battalion area of operations is over a geographic area larger than the State of Georgia, it's only logical that I have to travel to see all of my Soldiers. They perform many roles in support of our mission and operate from remote locations. One such location is FOB Kalsu - a place I'm quite familiar with from my previous deployment. I have fond memories of Kalsu, one of which is the time I had to fill two sandbags prior to going into the DFAC on Thanksgiving. Ah yes, the memories... But back to the present I go. It was a bright, clear and very hot day as CSM, Chaplain, an NCO from my HQ and myself all loaded into a Blackhawk. We wouldn't be making this trip all the same day. Our plan was to fly into Liberty Main (aka Club Liberty Pad) at the VBC complex and then fly on to Kalsu the next morning. Leg one went as planned. A 45-minute flight and we were touching down at another of my old haunts from "The Surge" days. My HHC Commander met us and drove us over to our waiting CHUs. Then we made another stop along my memory lane - DeFleury DFAC. Camp Liberty is a massive complex that reminds me of a dirtier version of Fort Hood, TX. It is a seemingly endless series of CHUs, HQs, motorpools, and mess halls. They say it isn't as crowded now as it was back in 2008. To me it still looks exactly the same. After chow we hit the sack. An "O-dark-thirty" flight to Kalsu awaited us.
0300 the next morning we were all on our way to BIAP for the early bird special to Kalsu. It was too dark for us to notice the haze of a building dust storm. Once at BIAP, we hit the 24-hour Green Beans Coffee for a jolt'o joe. I got the MOAC (Mother of all Coffees), which is a GB 24-ounce concoction of dark coffee mixed with four shots of espresso. In the end, this turned out to serve only as a bowel movement inducing blast of hardcore java. As the sun began to come over the horizon we began to realize Kalsu might be just beyond our grasp. Then the official word came - red air. That's the new phrase for what used to be called weather hold. The wait began. Two hours later our original flight was cancelled. We were shifted to a later flight. The wait continued. By 1100 we were tired, crabby, and impatient. My MOAC had given me a burst of energy that subsided after I dealt with the Mother Nature side effects of drinking something so bold. We called the HHC Commander and had him return to pick us up. Not long afterward, the other flight to Kalsu cancelled. We would have to see Kalsu another day.
That evening we all stopped by the Camp Liberty PX, which is a large complex that is surprisingly well stocked. We all purchased cigars and fake beer. Then we headed out to the smoking area and lit up. The weather won this round. It happens here. I made the decision not to try again the next day. Instead, we would return to Speicher. With the decision made we relaxed and enjoyed our cigars, all the while pretending our beer was real. It was a brief respite from an exhaustive, frustrating day.
As if to mock us, the flying weather the next day was perfect. Truth is, we had the last laugh. We didn't get stuck at Liberty for another day. Kalsu is in our future. We'll spin the roulette wheel on the weather somewhere down the road and it will work out. Another Thanksgiving at Kalsu perhaps? I may plan that just to see if I have to fill another two sandbags to get in the DFAC.
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