My nephew, George, has gone to Afghanistan as a civilian who helps the troops. I wrote him an email to ask where he is exactly, and what is does and this is what he answered:
I’m currently on Kandahar Airbase. It’s a U.N. facility and there are many nationalities of soldier here. Look in south central Afghanistan for Kandahar. On Monday I’m flying to one of the Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) for some training. The name of that FOB is leatherneck but it won’t be listed on any map. We work 12 hour days, 7 days a week. So by the time I get back to my room I’m ready to just sleep. Work and sleep, broken up by meals in the mess hall.
During the day I’m in training to serve as a QA (quality assurance) inspector. The QA team inspects many of the facilities on each base to make sure they meet minimum U.S. standards. That includes everything from the mess halls to the sign shop, the plumbers’ work, etc. I find the whole process very interesting.
I’m glad that he finds this interesting. I’m proud of George for getting involved.
That’s a lot of work and a really different environment to be in. It should pay well at least.