2010: I remember one particular day rolling in to support a TIC in Nakhoney. Troops being engaged by Taliban from the grape-rows west of FOB Madras. As we rolled in, the shots were directed towards our helicopters but quickly stopped as the enemy hid not to get identified. Soon after, the i-comm chatter was reported … More Military Time subordinate to Stomach Time
First thanks for coming. Please share, like and post. Please visit my FaceBook site as well: Go For Shakedown on FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Go%20For%20Shakedown The adventures in Afghanistan as a military pilot for a year were one in a lifetime. Some good, some bad …all memorable. I hope to both entertain and educate my audience on the … More How to read this Blog? Is this true? Who is that character?
Blog 13. Nakhoney – A Response to ‘Casualties of War’ Nakhoney is a small village about an hour drive south of Kandahar, ten minutes by helicopter. It was a hot spot for my section. We had been responding to attacks on FOB MADRAS (school); where a small unit of Canadian Infantry was based. It holds … More 13. Nakhoney – Response to Casualties of War
Hi friends… When I first retuned from Afghanistan, I retired from the military and started commercial flying. In this roll I visited all over North America and worked in very isolated locations. During pauses in flying or bad weather days, I remembered many things about my year in “The Stan” and figured I would write … More You may LIKE this story, please Share.
Scrappy observed my exhaustion as I stagger into operations. I was soaked in sweat, my face red from sunburn. Fender was the same. I had an ice-cold unopened can Pepsi in my hand rolling it across my face to provide some relief. “Stood down eh?” Scrappy stated. “Yup, but what a rush.” I exhaled. “We … More 11. Welcome Home Team.
This entry is based on true events. However, the time line has been modified. Characters and dialogue were fictionalized. When pilots are away from flying for a few weeks, it takes a day or two to get past robotic skills and smooth again. It’s like any other skill; you get rusty and lack fluidity. Combine … More 10. …Just RAMROD and back…
9. 408 TASK FORCE FREEDOM – ROTO 8, OP ATHENA MONTREAL route. It was a standard logistical resupply mission conducted by BLOWTORCH. I was in Shakedown 30 and 31. Our mission was to keep them from getting shot at. Basic training 101 – Keep your fire-team partner alive. It was no different in aviation. My … More 9. Welcome Task Force Freedom
GLOSSARY I realize that military writing is often hard to follow. Acronyms take years to learn and as soldiers, we become desensitized and often forget they aren’t real words. Despite explanations given in early blogs, I know trying to remember what they mean can be difficult in later blogs. I’ll build it as I go. … More Glossary
8. Casualty of War. I saw this many times. I speculated through dialogue and imagined a plausible situation. How would it transpire? What would the outcome be? What are the other perspectives? There are so many casualties in war. Perhaps the most damaged veterans are the one’s that didn’t even know they were in the … More 8. Casualties of War
7. Last Party for 430… It was a cool 35 degrees in the shade next to the helicopter maintenance hangars. Our combat gear was kept inside a wall of sea-cans along the flight line. Often we sat bantering in this band of shade while cleaning weapons and preparing gear. Today we were preparing our ‘go-bags’. A … More 7. Last Party for Task Force Faucon
"Go For Shakedown" -- Canadian Griffon Helicopters in Afghanistan 