DAY 13: Independence Day

The flying freezer

This journey is basically a straight shot home on board a new C-17 cargo aircraft with only one refueling stop in England. The cabin inside a military aircraft is quite utilitarian – designed for cargo, it is very noisy and cold during flight. Thus, passengers must wear earplugs and bring a blanket to keep from freezing. The one plus side is the ability to lie down on the steel floor and catch some zzz’s during the long journey – all 17 of us sprawl out into every available nook and cranny that is not utilized by the cargo. One of my folks actually finds some room under the spare engine to sleep!

4^th of July

After our 24-hour trek, we land back in California around 6pm – and it is still the 4^th of July! I am the first to debark the plane and as I walk on the tarmac towards our hangar a sizeable party of greeters is on hand waving American flags – how patriotic! In all of my deployments, this is the first time we had such a wonderful greeting. I hook up with my family and we have such a fun dinner conversation that we miss the fireworks – but all is good on this Independence Day. Mission accomplished, it is good to be home with family and friends.

DAY 12: Out of Africa

Swimming like tadpoles

In the morning, I finally have a few free hours and head out to the pool to swim some laps. Swimming is one of those activities that I truly enjoy – it provides a workout not only for my muscles, but my heart and mind as well. However, the local pool is not in great shape – the pool maintenance is poor with chlorine chunks quite visible and a blue murkiness that reduces underwater visibility. Pool markings are almost non-existent and with no lane markings my swim turns out to be more of a game of survival than an enjoyable physical activity.

A time to ponder

Later in the day, the customs guys perform a 100% search of our personal bags to be checked in and I finally relax and enjoy one last meal before our 10pm showtime. During this downtime, I realize that I had a very unique deployment: I spent more days in transit in Qatar (5) than at my final deployment location of Djibouti (4). Also, the last four days have been intense as I scrambled to ensure that everything happened according to plan. One of my co-workers observes and informs me that I worked more in the four days I was here than some of our team members that were deployed the entire month – I think that was a complement!

Customs-go-round

The last customs inspection for our carry-on luggage turns into a farce. A disagreement between my troop commander and the customs’ personnel devolves into a merry-go-round with the inspection table moving from the inside of the building to the outside and then back inside again. Since I have all of the cargo lock combinations memorized, I am separated from the group and brought directly to the plane – a just-in-case measure if the aircraft loadmaster requires another cargo inspection as it is loaded. After a long delay, the rest of the group finally arrives at the plane 4-1/2 hours later. At a few minutes before 4am on the 4^th of July, we finally take off and head out of Africa!

DAY 11: It's all about the Cargo

Africa Hot

Today is the heavy physical work day that I coordinated, yet eerily anticipated. The skies have also cleared and work starts at 7am to coordinate the movement of cargo into a consolidated area along the flightline. Next, the local fire department brings their fire trucks to hose down the dust and bugs from the cargo – cool! During the heat of the afternoon, the customs guys show up and inspect every crate, box and package. With 14 pallets, this turns into a grueling 5 hour inspection during the hottest part of the day. Finally, my team seals up the crates, installs the pallet nets and after 12 hours in the searing “Africa Hot” sun, we head off to the chow hall for a well-deserved meal. A moment of elation finally starts to hit me as the realization that everything is starting to slowly fall in to place.

DAY 10: The African Queen

Stereotypes

Along with other nations in the Muslim sphere, the local women cover up according to strict Islamic dress requirements. However, many westerners often assume that all Muslim women dress in the stereotypical black burqas that are frequently seen on TV during Muslim pilgrimages. That is only a slice of reality. From my travels throughout the Middle East, the type and amount of cover varies quite considerably from place to place, and with variety even within a country.

Burqa, Burqa, Burqa!

In Saudi Arabia – the home of Islam’s holy sites and most of its pilgrimages – the stereotypical black burqa is standard requirement for all women that is strictly enforced by a zealous religious police. Just across the border in Kuwait, the women wear everything from the standard black burqas to western clothing with light makeup. In Afghanistan, there are different burqas to differentiate the female’s status: young girls wear white sheets that cover the hair only; married women wear bright blue burqas that completely cover everything; and older women wear black sheets that cover the hair and body only.

Individualism in a conformist society

Here in the Djibouti, the local women wore brightly colored head covers – reds, yellows, greens, blues, and purples all made with a chiffon-like material to allow breathing. Underneath, they wore opaque clothing to conceal their body parts except for their faces and hands. It was cool to see a bunch of the local women walking along the road in an eclectic mix of bright rainbow colors – a sign that they were conforming to their culture’s restrictions, yet making individual statements that reflect their personal color preference and taste in clothing design.

A thought to ponder: not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs.