Day 247: DFAC

Nothing is more important to a base that it's dining facility aka "the D-FAC" (dee-fak). Soldiers, both ANA & US alike, see the D-FAC as a place where both physical and social needs are thoroughly met. Where else can you experience a warm & welcoming atmosphere, a hot meal, a succulent desert, and a nice conversation with fellow soldiers...the D-FAC is a deployed soldier's home away from home.

In an effort to maintain standards of cleanliness, one of the roles of an Afghan National Army (ANA) medical provider is to inspect the D-FAC in regards to the food and the people that are involved in preparing it. Probably the least favorite thing that I do with my ANA counterpart.

Colonel Shah Zad Gul stressing the importance of
cleanliness with the employees

We periodically do spot inspections of the employees' uniforms, shoes (I make sure they simply have them on!), face masks, hair nets, food handling techniques, and overall cleanliness of the cooking/preparation areas. Let me take you on an inspection tour...

Onions

Probably one of the more intriguing food preparation areas is the onion-cutting section. This is primarily due to the fact that none of the employees seem to cry when cutting up all of those onions. Man, I recall cutting a small onion at home and literally balling my eyes out after I was finished. The Afghan response to my question, "Do you cry when cutting those?", was "Afghans don't cry!"

Greens

Rice Rice Baby...

Motivation to become Vegetarian!

Several times have I been invited to dine with them in the D-FAC, and several times have I respectfully declined...I'm running out of excuses to avoid a meal there! Actually, the facility is very clean, but I find myself losing my appetite after walking through the large cooking area...perhaps it's the meat cutting section?!?

After the spot inspection I couldn't help but think about grabbing a bite to eat. Perhaps In-N-Out, Taco Bell, or a pizza...oh wait...I'm in Afghanistan:(

"Better is a dish of vegetables where love is than a fattened ox served with hatred."
Proverbs 15:17 NASB

Day 177: Resilience

If I had to choose one word to describe the days events I would choose the word, resilience. Defined as, "having the power to return to it's original form after being stretched, bent, compressed, or altered in any way; to recover readily from adversity".

Dining Facility 0700 this morning...

Last night, at approximately 1030PM, our base was attacked by a rocket which destroyed a wall in our dining facility. Just 2 nights ago I was watching the presidential inauguration and grabbing a snack along the exact same wall that was blown up. Scary when I think about it. Also, I sleep only a few hundred yards away from this building. Actually, I'm doing OK...it all happened so fast, a loud boom, a bum rush for the bunkers, and a sigh of relief. Praise the Lord no one was hurt. The amazing story to come out of all this is to see how quickly we can exercise our resiliency. You see, we as Americans are not very accepting of defeat, we were not going to allow this seemingly depressing situation bring us down.

Dining Facility 1230 this afternoon!!

In a matter of hours, our beloved KBR civilian contractors were on the job. Their sole mission, to take care of the soldiers and maintain the morale of the troops through their food services and base maintenance services (electrical, woodworking, engineering, janitorial, etc...), and this particular group on Camp Clark in nothing short of legendary. Rumored to be one of the best and most skilled KBR units in Afghanistan, they were put to the test. And you can see from the pictures above, they were determined to serve lunch in the very dining hall that was destroyed only hours before. Well guess what...I didn't have to take a to-go box!

Sitting here thinking about the last 24 hours, I thought of all the ways God has tried his people...Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job, David, Daniel, Peter, Paul all come to mind...all men of faith, all men of burdensome trials, all men of great resilience. And now I find myself realizing that He is trying me, allbeit in ways seemingly unimaginable. He continues to steer my faith through bends and stretches in every direction, but through His strength have I found myself unwavering and resilient to my faith in Him.

To my beloved family & friends, please believe me when I say that I thank you for all the prayers that you send up to heaven every day. From the pictures above, please know and believe that they are continually being answered.

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13,14 NKJV