Lt. Col. Chris Lozano, USMC

Operation Enduring Freedom
Travelogue

These are Chris Lozano's travelogues for Operation Enduring Freedom. Chris was deployed on September 16, 2001, the Sunday after 9/11.

Travelogue 1

[This travelogue was written as an email to Chris' brother, Bob]

Bob,

I have a few moments and I thought I'd write down some thoughts about life here. Please pass it around to everyone who might like to know about what I'm doing.

Life has certainly been interesting since I left the U.S. I arrived in Kuwait in early February where I was assigned to the Coalition Force Land Componant Command (CFLCC) which is CENTCOM staff that manages the ground war in this region of the world. I was originally assigned as a Safety Officer for some unknown reason. Appalled by the thought that I had trained 20 years for war only to be relegated to checking outlets I took the initiative to find another job. On top of that the first thing my original boss told me was that he had OCD. Fortunately, the Army guys are pretty lame so I just told my first boss I was switching jobs and he just shrugged and said "okay".

My new job is in the engineer directorate as an operations officer. I am surrounded by really smart Army civil engineer types which is quite humorous if you think about it. Naturally, the Marine Corps "charm" wins people over quickly, or at least keeps them entertained. They are actually a great bunch of guys tasked with everything from overseeing mine-clearing to building bases.

Life at Camp Doha is austere but not too difficult. The base is stuffed with about five times as many people as normal so there is an enormous strain on infrastructure. We sleep in enormous squad bays of metal racks. There is absolutely no privacy in these places. Showers and bathrooms are in mobile trailers about 100 yards away. The base itself is outside of Kuwait City and is heavily guarded. It is surrounded by a very tall cement fence topped by concertina wire. It is effective at keeping people out, but nor can you see out which only adds to the claustraphobia. Chow is pretty good with plenty of hot food and fresh fruit, etc. My workplace is in a compound within the compound. I have to show a badge to get in because what we do is classified. Set up in another converted warehouse it is a beehive of activity with people from many nations operating in rows of folding tables, miles of cables and make-shift dividers. Operations are 24/7 and I work 12 hours a day, six days a week. I sit at a folding table against a cement wall with only flourescent light so there is no concept of time.

There is very little to do with off hours. Even though I am working 12 hours a day six days a week it hard to find things to pass the time. There are closed circuit movies but I'm not one to sit around with junior troops in folding chairs. I've actually been writing these things they call "letters" which is quite novel :-) I've also spent a great deal of time at the "library" which is in yet another converted warehouse, complete with cement floors. Occasionally I go to work since that's where I can get internet access.

For the last ten days I've been in Afghanistan working on a pretty important project. First I was in Kandahar and now I'm in Bagram. The flight into Afghanistan was via a C-130. I knew it wouldn't be an ordinary flight when I informed that we would fly "blacked out" once in Afghanistan airspace. I couldn't see my hand it was so black and the pilots flew with NVGs. It was a bit unsettling but kind of exciting too. When I stepped onto the tarmac
it was kind of surreal to see in person what I had been seeing on t.v. The place was pitch black except for the detainee facility which was lit up.

Kandahar has come a long way since the Marines left in January. When the Marines were there they had one "head" which is the bathroom, and everyone slept in their 2 man tents. They did not have a shower the entire time they were in Afghanistan. Now, the Army has brought in a lot of people and equipment to turn this place into a base. The base is still without electricity other than small generators and there is no running water. Bathrooms are old fashioned outhouses with honeypots which are burned daily. You haven't lived until you smell burning crap.

I was in a tent next door to some Jordanian engineers. These guys are only slightly more professional than the Taliban. I did get to watch them slaughter a goat for some religious festival which was entertaining. On the humorous side they set their outhouse on fire accidently burning trash.

The terrain around Kandahar looks just like New Mexico, Arizona or Nevada, with high desert surrounded by stark mountains. The biggest difference is the depth of poverty and destruction. The building material of choice is mud. EVERYTHING, whether houses, fences or roads are made of mud. There isn't a building over two stories tall anywhere. Once I got my project underway there I left for Bagram, which is north of Kabul.

The flight into Bagram was a little easier since I knew what to expect. Glancing out the window I was struck by the near total lack of lights on the ground. As we moved north I began to see mountains covered in snow. Our descent into Bagram was pretty wild. Because of the area they spiral in from about 5,000 feet. We cam screaming over the runway, banked almost vertical then spun the plane till we were just above the ground, when the pilot leveled the wings and we landed. ALL this with the lights off.

Bagram is very different from Kandar. If you look at the skyline it could be Utah. It sits in a bowl and is surrounded by 10,000+ mountains covered in snow. It is much colder here as well. Simply put it is the wild west. The streets are rutted and muddy. An old Soviet airfield the buildings are mostly destroyed. Of course the military has managed to reoccupy most of these buildings. The base is filled with land mines and battle debris. It is also the site of one of the last battles between the Taliban and Northern alliance.

Today I got to drive around the base with some Norwegian and British combat engineers. The runway is surrounded by planes the Soviets destroyed as they evacuated, including some with bombs still on the wings. There is evidence of the recent battles everywhere.

We eat in a tent and the meals are either MREs (Meals Rejected by Ethiopians) or tray rations, which are canned meals that are heated up. There are very few amenities, but there is hot water for showers. Otherwise there is nothing here. I sleep in a tent set in the mud, with wood floors that keep us somewhat dry. I found the "Marine" tent, where the Marines had gathered together and for the first time since coming overseas I felt at home. My "office" is in a building that looks abandoned, with the roof nearly totally gone.

Unlike Kandahar the local village is right outside the base. The poverty is stunning and absolute. It can be hard to see kids as young as my youngest wander amid the debris of war, not knowing where their next meal is coming from. As Americans soldiers have always done they give out much of what they have. The American warrior can be paradoxically as big hearted as they are deadly.

One interesting story. Many years ago I became friends with another lieutenant named Joe Dent. We shared a passion for history and the desire to be tested in battle and perhaps meet one day on a battlefield. While somewhat a romanticized notion it was something that we talked about over the years as it seemed it would slip by us. The week before the attacks on America I drove from New Orleans to Atlanta to see Joe and his family. We sat in his backyard and talked once again of our "destiny" and Joe looked at me and said he thought we'd be at war soon. Of course you know history. Well anyway we both got activated and we both left from Tampa within a day of each other. Well Joe was sent to Bagram. I found him yesterday and under the glow of a full moon we shared a toast in a foreign land serving our country at war.

Well, it looks like I'll be staying in Bagram a little longer than planned because my mission expanded but I enjoy the rugged life and this is as rugged as it gets. I hope to get to "the rear" in Kuwait and pick up some of the things you have sent, so thanks in advance if you have.

I'd like to close by saying that being here is not only an honor but my duty. The people here want only one thing: to ensure our way of life so that our kids will never know the fear of terrorism. Be proud of your country and the men and women who serve. This is our history and this is a historic time. Thank you for your prayers and support. What you can do for your country is to carry on living. Hug your kids and know how fortunate you are to live in America, which is truly a great and fortunate nation. Take care and I hope to be home late this summer. I know I've missed a lot but I'll try to write things down for you all every now and then.

- Maj. Charles C. "Chris" Lozano
February 28, 2002