The Vans

This picture depicts the vans we travel in throughout primarily Kabul on a daily basis. Right now, they are lined up along the road outside where our safehouses are located... mine is in a doorway between the two trees. As you can see, there is no shortage of vans in the morning to take us to the military compound where our primary offices are. However, I normally walk with my friend Rob and sometimes others who join us for intriguing conversation.


The military, when moving outside their very secured compound, always travel in a minimum of two armored vehicles with combat certified drivers and of course in full combat gear. These convoys must be scheduled and a patrol brief completed before departing the compound with everyone in the vehicle having a specified responsibility in the event of just about anything.



My procedures? Jump into one of these vans, which later in the morning are lined up outside the military compound, and head off to wherever I am going for the day. Our vans look like about 40% of the other vehicles in Kabul, the company calls them low profile vehicles. I believe most of our drivers have a driver's license, but wouldn't put my paycheck on it. We do wear armored vests but not helmets and as I've already shared with you, no guns. This combination all contributes to what we call "low profile travel." It actually seems to work the way it's intended and sooooooo much easier to arrange transport than the military. It's amazing what they cannot do because of transport challenges so they stay inside the secured compounds waaaaay too much. I actually like the freedom this procedure allows and actually feel safer in our vans than when I travel in the military vehicles.

I wish you all a most joyous Christmas holiday. Discreet signs of Christmas are randomly popping up around the military compound now, a good thing for so many. Many of the guys in the company who've been here over the years are heading home in the next couple of days, while us new guys are holding down the fort. Just think how good Christmas will be for me next year when I'm settled in back home again.