Hot, dusty, noisy – Afghan luxury

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/08/2009 (5584 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan – Imagine being in a hot, hot, 47–degree–C hot sauna, full of choking dust.

Welcome to Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

Also imagine being Canadian soldier Private Jonathan Guevin of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry putting on his battle gear – including a vest with metal plates and a helmet – and climbing inside a dark green LAV–3 Canadian armoured troop carrier with no air conditioning.

Inside these armoured carriers, the temperatures can turn quickly into a hot oven causing the soldiers’ body core temperature to hit 60C. Obviously, in that intense heat, drinking water – and lots of it – is how they survive.

Summer temperatures regularly hit highs well over 50C and drop only marginally in the evenings. The thick dust that’s always floating through the air make it feel much more humid.

Because of the heat, the folks at Kandahar Airfield (KAF) have made bottled water available almost everywhere. This base is well–organized considering how many troops and civilian workers call it home. Something is always going on, with military and supply trucks buzzing down the roads.

Sleeping is another struggle. Although the tents have air conditioning – an unbelievable luxury in a war zone – the sounds from the air at KAF are tough to get used to. Passenger jets, helicopters, propeller–driven cargo planes and fighter planes are constantly taking off and landing at the military base and sound like they are landing next to your bed.

There’s also a firing range nearby where troops sight in their weapons and start blasting early in the morning.

No complaints from me. I am actually quite surprised at how civilized base conditions are. The food is OK, bathrooms are clean. Generally, our soldiers are living on an A+ base.

Soldiers have made it clear to me that the real challenges come when you leave KAF base. Conditions "outside the wire" are where the real challenges are for our soldiers. Dirty and dusty is what any soldier can expect in the Afghan desert.

The KAF base is home to a large group of coalition forces in the south, including Canadian, Danish, Romanian, Norwegian, Australian, British, French and U.S. personnel and a handful of other countries participating in the Afghan mission.

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The trip from Dubai to Kandahar Airfield was an adventure, to say the least.

A small airline called DFS Middle East flies into the war zone. Their company statement is, "Operating in remote areas under difficult circumstances, DFS Middle East has acquired extensive experience in providing innovative solutions to clients facing a wide variety of transportation challenges."

Yes, flying into a war zone could be considered a challenge.

The first security check was thorough, but I was left wondering how efficient these checks were after walking through the second. Glancing at a box near the checkpoint, I saw a bunch of seized items including a large axe. How did the axe get through the first check? The DFS Middle East aircraft that flew me in is DC–9 vintage, gently worn aircraft. Its age showed when the flight attendant slipped a life vest around her neck for a safety demonstration. A Canadian Airlines (RIP in 2001) logo could be seen beneath a sloppy attempt to scribble it out with a felt tip marker.