Life in afghanistan
Tour Facts
Lengths of deployment can vary greatly, but an average tour of duty in Afghanistan is at least 7 months, often closer to 15 months, as tours can be extended for any number of reasons. Servicemen and women often complete multiple overseas deployments during their careers.
Here's an article on the toll Repeated Deployments can take on soldiers.
Lengths of deployment can vary greatly, but an average tour of duty in Afghanistan is at least 7 months, often closer to 15 months, as tours can be extended for any number of reasons. Servicemen and women often complete multiple overseas deployments during their careers.
Here's an article on the toll Repeated Deployments can take on soldiers.
Camp Leatherneck: Hemland Province
National Geographic documentary footage of US Marines stationed in the Hemland Provence of Afghanistan.
"Leatherneck to Fiddler's Green": 15-minute Episode
This clip highlights convoys traveling this area, and specifically focuses on Camp Leatherneck and Fiddler's Green.
At 11:08, during a supply truck inspection, an MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat: pre-packaged, self-heating field rations) package is found, and a Marine explains how these can be turned into bombs. This might be a reason that Lanie makes the leap from Dave's joke about MREs to talking about bombs at the dinner party.
Comment from the playwright: "Dave is making a joke about "how [MREs] taste"... maybe he uses the word 'explosive' but either way no one else knows the info about their being used as bombs, just Lanie. So when he makes a joke, her mind goes to tragedy and everyone else's does not. Which is why it feels odd to others/Bill that she starts talking about legs being blown off."
IEDs, Suicide Bombers and Rocket Attacks: 30-minute Episode
The first 8 minutes detail a convoy sweeping for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) along route 605.
Photo Gallery
National Geographic documentary footage of US Marines stationed in the Hemland Provence of Afghanistan.
"Leatherneck to Fiddler's Green": 15-minute Episode
This clip highlights convoys traveling this area, and specifically focuses on Camp Leatherneck and Fiddler's Green.
At 11:08, during a supply truck inspection, an MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat: pre-packaged, self-heating field rations) package is found, and a Marine explains how these can be turned into bombs. This might be a reason that Lanie makes the leap from Dave's joke about MREs to talking about bombs at the dinner party.
Comment from the playwright: "Dave is making a joke about "how [MREs] taste"... maybe he uses the word 'explosive' but either way no one else knows the info about their being used as bombs, just Lanie. So when he makes a joke, her mind goes to tragedy and everyone else's does not. Which is why it feels odd to others/Bill that she starts talking about legs being blown off."
IEDs, Suicide Bombers and Rocket Attacks: 30-minute Episode
The first 8 minutes detail a convoy sweeping for IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) along route 605.
Photo Gallery
We Are the Not Dead
A project by photographer Lalage Snow featuring triptychs of British soldiers before, during and after their service in Afghanistan.
Photos on Lalage Snow's website
Article with Photos and Excerpts from Interviews with the Soldiers
A project by photographer Lalage Snow featuring triptychs of British soldiers before, during and after their service in Afghanistan.
Photos on Lalage Snow's website
Article with Photos and Excerpts from Interviews with the Soldiers
WOmen in the Marines
When Janey Comes Marching Home
A series of photos and interviews with female soldiers by photographer Sascha Pflaeging in collaboration with writer Laura Browder.
Here's an article with Longer Interview Excerpts.
And another with More Photos/Interviews.
A series of photos and interviews with female soldiers by photographer Sascha Pflaeging in collaboration with writer Laura Browder.
Here's an article with Longer Interview Excerpts.
And another with More Photos/Interviews.
Female Engagement Teams: the battle for "Hearts & Minds"
Female Marines taking on socially-oriented missions to build relationships with communities in Afghanistan.
Female Marines taking on socially-oriented missions to build relationships with communities in Afghanistan.
Marines respond to the possibility of Female Soldiers in Combat.
Coming Home
Partners
CNN Health Minute
Tips for friends and families to help vets get back to normal life.
PostSecret: Soldier's Secrets Forum
"My boyfriend went through two separate deployments to Iraq... While there, he drove a truck and an incident occurred where he accidentally ran over a child who was running to his truck to ask him for food. When he got out of the truck to check on the boy he had killed, several other children swarmed around him. Panicked and upset, he was screaming at the other kids to get away so he could assess the situation and try to help the hurt child but the others wouldn't leave him alone. They were crowding him, reaching in his pockets for candy, and asking for food completely oblivious to the boy that was dying. In an attempt to get the other kids away, he pulled his gun on them... He didn't pull the trigger and had no desire or intention of it.. The kids ran away and he was able to check on the boy he had hit.. But he was already dead.
He now suffers horrible PTSD from the entire incident.. Killing the child, pulling his gun on kids, and his fellow soldiers joking about "speed bumps" and the looks on the kids faces when he pulled the gun..
I have kids from a prior relationship and he does very well with them. They like him and he likes them.. But being around kids makes him sad. "
***
"My boyfriend had 3 deployments the last of which was in 2010. He was in the infantry and I know he did some really bad things but he refuses to talk about them. I have been super patient but I'm getting scared now. He has bad dreams at night and while he's dreaming he hits himself. Sometimes on his body but sometimes in his face. Last night he hit his nose so hard he broke it. He's told me to never wake him up while this is happening and I'm too scared to anyways.
I don't know what to do. I'm scared to sleep next to him anymore. He won't talk to anyone else either and says he just needs some time to work things out. But things are getting worse. I've been hiding the gun he has in his nightstand drawer because I'm scared he'll grab it one night.
I don't know what to do."
CNN Health Minute
Tips for friends and families to help vets get back to normal life.
PostSecret: Soldier's Secrets Forum
"My boyfriend went through two separate deployments to Iraq... While there, he drove a truck and an incident occurred where he accidentally ran over a child who was running to his truck to ask him for food. When he got out of the truck to check on the boy he had killed, several other children swarmed around him. Panicked and upset, he was screaming at the other kids to get away so he could assess the situation and try to help the hurt child but the others wouldn't leave him alone. They were crowding him, reaching in his pockets for candy, and asking for food completely oblivious to the boy that was dying. In an attempt to get the other kids away, he pulled his gun on them... He didn't pull the trigger and had no desire or intention of it.. The kids ran away and he was able to check on the boy he had hit.. But he was already dead.
He now suffers horrible PTSD from the entire incident.. Killing the child, pulling his gun on kids, and his fellow soldiers joking about "speed bumps" and the looks on the kids faces when he pulled the gun..
I have kids from a prior relationship and he does very well with them. They like him and he likes them.. But being around kids makes him sad. "
***
"My boyfriend had 3 deployments the last of which was in 2010. He was in the infantry and I know he did some really bad things but he refuses to talk about them. I have been super patient but I'm getting scared now. He has bad dreams at night and while he's dreaming he hits himself. Sometimes on his body but sometimes in his face. Last night he hit his nose so hard he broke it. He's told me to never wake him up while this is happening and I'm too scared to anyways.
I don't know what to do. I'm scared to sleep next to him anymore. He won't talk to anyone else either and says he just needs some time to work things out. But things are getting worse. I've been hiding the gun he has in his nightstand drawer because I'm scared he'll grab it one night.
I don't know what to do."
The Road Home
Lanie's Road Trip
A - Lanie's home in Valley Center, CA
B - The Desperado Roller Coaster at Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino, Primm, NV
C - St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Henderson, NV
D - Alder Street, Stewart, Carson City, NV
A - Lanie's home in Valley Center, CA
B - The Desperado Roller Coaster at Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino, Primm, NV
C - St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Henderson, NV
D - Alder Street, Stewart, Carson City, NV
Riding the Desperado