Sunset

Down to our last few days at Salerno, I thought this picture of the sunset would be a good start to what will probably be my last blog from FOB Salerno. In our last week here, I've been looking back and adding up some numbers. First, today is day 184 since I left home back in January and the total will be close to 195 by the time I get home. Most of every day was spent in this building, the FET Office. The porch was nice, but lately the temps have been hitting 110 degrees in the afternoon on the porch.
One thing that has helped me through the days is keeping track of things and numbers and countdowns, keeping track of the days was just one of them. Another, was haircuts, today was my last one, #13, every two weeks. It's a lot of work maintaining this low maintenance hair style. Also, with out the daily chores of home, and no TV (at least in my room), I've had time to do some other activities. I've read 26 books to help pass the time and will probably read a few more on the trip home, as there will be a lot of sitting and waiting for airplanes. Also, going to the gym has helped burn about an hour and a half each day (except Sundays, the day of rest). I started adding it up and figure I've put a little over 300 miles on the treadmills and the same on the eliptical machines in the last 6 months. The math classes also helped fill in the evening hours - over 100 hours of instruction and many more grading tests, and it was much more enjoyable being on the teacher side of the class than the student's this time around.
As a team, Team Panther, the seven names painted on the Air Force rock outside our office, we worked on over 100 construction projects worth millions of dollars and can see the improvements that have been made in the base facilities. The soldiers and airmen on base are now living and working in facilities that provide better protection against the many rocket/mortar attacks the base receives and there are more rocks and less mud as well as many paved roads.

Speaking of rocket/mortar attacks, FOB Salerno is also nicknamed "Rocket City", which I didn't know until I got here, but now I know how it got the nickname. I kept track of the rockets and mortars -20 separate attacks, 40 individual rockets/mortars and the one suicide vehicle bomb just outside the base in the local national parking lot. It's a good thing the enemy doesn't have the technology we do, out of those 40 rockets, they only hit one building on base, the tent in the pictures below.
This tent was hit the first part of July, and luckily it was empty at the time and no one was hurt. The building in the background is the PX (post exchange) and behind the tent to the right is the gym tent. The rocket hit just before 11 am, if they had waited about another hour there would have been a lot more people walking by on their way to lunch, the DFAC is behind me.
The rocket hit the metal support structure of the tent and exploded near the roof of the tent, sending shrapnel all over the area, even into the gym tent.
This is the plywood floor of the tent, you can see the many small holes from the shrapnel.

This is some of the shrapnel from a rocket that hit on the base back in February. It hit out in an open area near the heavy equipment contractors yard. One of the guys picked it up and brought it into the office for us to see.

Early July, with the rocket that hit the tent, and with an increased frequency of attacks, the force protection level was increased and we had to wear our full body armor and helmet everywhere we went, even if we were in our PT clothes. We were even supposed to wear it to the shower and latrine! Also, the gym and other non-mission critical facilities were closed. But after just a few days and with some increased patrols in the area to disrupt the enemies capabilities, we have since went back to normal operations and have not had a rocket attack since July 6.

This sign is located out near the runway and I'll be walking by it in a few days on my way to the aircraft that will be the start of my trip home. See you all soon.