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Life in Kabul-Recce Style
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Capt JL Cochrane 23 August 2004
 Greeting from Kabul Afghanistan and week two of the Recce Squadron article program. This program is designed to keep the website and families as up to date as possible regarding our activities, as well as providing interesting information and tidbits from Afghanistan. The week has proved rather eventful and there have been a number of interesting happening ranging from humorous to tragic and even lucky in one case.
The week started off as a they all seem to; incredibly busy and a lots of contingency plans being worked on. The squadron has been maintaining a busy patrol and OP schedule, operating around the clock in all weather conditions which of course here is either sun or sand depending on the moment of the day. The patrols have been going well except for the odd minor accident that are usually a result of some of the crazy drivers that are located in this city. The bumping of cars is a normal occurrence in the city and results in lots of dents and scratches, fortunately our vehicles tend to be a little bigger then the ones that typically operate on the roads here. The contingent did however have one serious accident last week when a civilian Afghani male was killed when his bicycle was struck by a Canadian vehicle, no one from Recce Squadron was involved in the incident. The squadron did however have a close call when one of its vehicles drove off the road as a result of the driver and crew commander being blinded by a sand storm and the dust generated by the vehicles in front of it. The driver did an excellent job controlling the vehicle as it went into a steep ditch and managed to keep the vehicle on its wheels right up to the point where it stopped, where due to the angle the vehicle was sitting at, it fell on to its side. Other than some bumps and bruises the crew and passengers were fine. Following a detailed recovery everyone arrived safely back at Camp Julien.
 Things settled down as the week progressed. As the Squadron continued with routine operations, back in camp, our squadron clerk was fighting a valiant battle against a pay system that was operating eight times zones away in Ottawa. The time difference made it interesting to try and work as the system was down throughout the morning for routine maintenance. She finally managed to complete the allowances for the members of the squadron. The allowances are now, for the most part, inputted in to the pay system and will start to show on individuals pay in the middle of September.
The squadron hosted Commander KMNB's orders group this morning, 23 August 04, it was an extravagant affair in the true tradition of Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians). Following the orders group we put on a demonstration so that the Command Staff was aware of the capabilities that we provided him. The Commander was suitably impressed and as per normal we have set the standard for subsequent orders groups.
 The heat continues to be a challenge for most soldiers as we force our selves to drink obscene amounts of water in order to stay hydrated. The good news is that we are starting to get used to it and the temperature is slowly starting to fall. Most of us are even starting to find the evenings cool.
Well that’s about it here from Kabul, have a good week and be sure to keep checking back as we will be updating this page with different stories weekly. Additionally, check out the squadron's Mission Information Lines at: 1-800-866-4546 extension 1231 and 1232, both of which are different messages. The first message is from the Officer Commanding Recce Squadron and the other line is from the Squadron members. This is updated by each Monday morning. |
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