Marty McFly: Doc, we better back up. We don't have enough road to get up to 88.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.
Dr. Emmett Brown: Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads.
Back to the Future, Star Trek, Bill and Ted, The Time Machine, Hot Tub Time Machine…the list of movies about time travel just keeps going. Did you ever think time travel was possible? Me neither. That is, until this week. That’s right; I had a Marty McFly experience. Sunday July, 18th 2010 started out like any other normal day with one exception- I was leaving for Afghanistan that evening.
The family and I went to the motor pool for family time that afternoon. Later that evening we boarded a plane for Afghanistan. We had a few stops before our plane change. We first flew to Indianapolis where we picked up some Army reservists who were going with us. We had to wait a few hours longer, as our plane was having mechanical problems. When we finally boarded again, we took off for our next destination, and the subject of my time travel- Shannon, Ireland. After what seemed like years on the plane, we finally arrived in Shannon. The first thing I did while waiting for my time to deboard the plane was to check my cell phone for the time. (While I can’t use my cell phone in Afghanistan, it still has a working alarm clock and my Text Twist 2 game!)
That’s when it happened- my time travel. As I looked at my watch, I was shocked and amazed when it said: 8:01 pm January 1st, 1980! (The actual day was Monday July 19th, 2010) That’s right! While I don’t remember much about that time, I do remember that it was about a month before my 6th birthday, so I was probably getting ready for bed. I was living in Melbourne, Fl at the time. My Mom and step-dad weren’t even married yet. Ronald Reagan wasn’t president either. Yet, here I was- Happy New Years! WOW! My Soldiers and I had a good laugh with that one. We weren’t able to leave the air terminal, but it was still a great experience.
Next we flew to Bucharest, Romania, and arrived on Tuesday July 20th, 2010. Again, we were not allowed to leave the air terminal, but still a great experience. The coke tasted a little off, and the sandwich I had was ok, but at least it wasn’t airline food! Our next destination was Manas, Kyrgyzstan, and we arrived there later that day. We knew we had at least 48 hours there. This was a chance to relax and start acclimatizing before we reached Bagram Air Field (BAF) Afghanistan. Everything there is free- free food, free clothes washing, free internet. It was almost like paradise, only we weren’t allowed outside the friendly confines of post. Kyrgyzstan was formerly part of the Soviet Union, so who knows how friendly they really are!
We were slated to fly out on the morning of Thursday July 22nd, and we boarded the military plane (C-5). It was then that I remembered how sardines felt- we were elbow to elbow with our carry-on bags in our laps, our weapons by our sides, our helmets on our heads, and our bullet-proof vests (IOTV) on our bodies. NOT FUN! We sat there for like 2 hours without leaving; which coincidentally was the length of time it would take to get to BAF. The Air Force personnel then informed us that the elevator was broken and we weren’t leaving, so we had to get off. For those that don’t know, the elevator is the rear door. It opens up like a giant mouth, and you roll the gear (which is on pallets) up the rear into the back part of the plane. It was broken and wouldn’t close. Here was another day at beautiful Manas! We were told we weren’t gonna leave until Saturday morning, but in true military fashion, we were awaken around 1 am and told to be ready to fly in just over an hour! Another plane had magically appeared, and later that morning (Friday July 23rd) was landing at BAF, in Afghanistan.
This is where the next chapter of my life will begin. I invite you to stay tuned for the insights of war from the perspective of an Army musician. Invite friends to read, and y’all enjoy; but most of all, keep us in your prayers. God Bless!
