MY FRIDAYS

FRIDAY MORNING COFFEE CLUB

HARRY on the left: Puerto Rican Jewish guy who's nuclear family now lives on an island just outside Seattle, WA. Wife, two childrern. He is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel and here in Afghanistan he mentors on transportation of supplies/equipment for the national police. He was awarded THREE Purple Hearts during his military career... truly a national hero. Note: USAF cup in his hand, present from me to rub it in about the USAF. Humor is tough to come by here.

KELLY on the right: Has a home in South Carolina where his wife and son live, his daughter is married and off on her own. His son was severely wounded in Iraq as a soldier and now significantly handicapped but progressing well. Kelly's Dad was career Air Force, so he was raised all over. He joined the US Army at a young age and retired as a Command Sergeant Major (highest enlisted rank in the Army) and here serves as an advisor on enlisted personnel matters.

QC not here: Took the picture. QC and his wife Apple live on Lake Martin outside Montgomery Alabama. QC is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF. Here, he is a mentor to the National Police Academy

History of Friday Mornings: I do not have washers/dryers in the Grant House where I live and am supposed to do laundry in the connex down the road. However, I'm just not at all comfortable walking back and forth with all the security guards watching/cackling and there is definitely no place comfortable inside the connex. So, one of the guys in the Conn House invited me to use theirs which I started doing. As an aside, I do have a "laundry guy" that works in the house during the day along with a cleaning guy. But, I'm just not comfortable with the way he washes/dries especially my "delicates" and the fact his hands alway appears dirty and he folds the clothes on the dirty floor. Given these factors, I do my own thank you.

Back to my story. So, I started meandering over to the Conn House early on Friday mornings before anyone else occupied the laundry facilities, bringing a book or postcards to write off to you. Well, all of this takes a couple of hours and my coffee "low light" was coming on every week... not good for others around me. Then one day I wandered upstairs in the house where to my great joy I found a pot of coffee made and no one around... I stole, yes my friends, STOLE. Well that did not bode well for me, so the following week I brought over some coffee to more than adequately replace the previous weeks. This time I got busted!! Well, the gents up there welcomed me with open arms and my dreaded laundry drag has evolved in a much anticipated weekly gathering to discuss political, social, and Afghan development topics. The coffee has gotten better too with the support of friends like Michelle who's been keeping me in the "good stuff". Other friends/friends family have provided a wonderful supply of quality peanut butter and some jellies which I now serve on some really good bread I abscond from the European dining facility on Thursday nights. Oh ya, some crandberries supplied by my friend Kt. Nothing real exciting, but those Friday mornings are now becoming an event I look forward to every week. Any donations of mailable breakfast food for this gathering would be greatly appreciated by our coffee club.

OFF TO THE BAZAAR

Sorry, you'll have to wait til next week for the bazaar story... this is my bazaar club.