Ghar Notes

MWO Tom Holland
3 November 2009

As always when faced with the challenges of life within the army, we can look back at the solid training that supported our climb through the rank structure of the CF and its missions in support of Canadian policy, as a solid base from which confusion always arises. Thus as I stand now on the rock of Ma’sum having recently received the keys from SSM C Sqn, MWO Richard Stacey, I look back to my 7’s training (yes, I know it is DP4, I’m just old fashioned) and think “Boy, did they get it wrong!”

‘Let’s see… it said on my course schedule PO 40 something or other, that I have to run a semi permanent camp??’ I try to imagine the semi-permanentness of this mountain home of B Sqn as I stare at the tons of solid rock, gravel, granite, etc that have been broken, scraped, drilled, busted, carved and etched to form this ‘semi-permanent camp’. No problem, we’ll just glue it all back together when we leave.

In the meantime as we ponder our semi-permanentness, the Sqn has moved into a comfortable abode, which has and will be, continuously improved as successive tours go on. With this the third tour of B Sqn to the ‘Ghar’, conditions have gone from ‘You’re kidding… right!?’ to something close to Julie Andrews in the opening scene of the Sound of Music (less the important stuff such as clouds, good singing and anything whatsoever coloured green). As the Troops move into their work and establish their routines (General Outline New Afghan Dictionary definition: a pattern that is never ever the same) the spirits remain high and focused.

As the Tango 2,1,3,2,1,3 signs get slowly covered again with 2, I look further back to my training and begin to wonder about the welfare of the Tps. That one should be easy. I saw some card decks under piles of dvds, xbox games and Maxim magazines. I should be able to start a euchre tournament. I just have to figure out how to get on facebook to tell everyone to turn off their laptops and come out of their bed spaces.