Thanksgiving 2006,
Firebase Wilderness,
Afghanistan

After not hearing from her for almost a month, I finally was able to communicate with Heidi yesterday. Thank goodness for Yahoo Messenger. She survived Thanksgiving in the Wilderness (see below) and joy of joys, the Christmas Tree arrived (more on that, with pictures, in a blog soon).

Apparently, after the ten day Thanksgiving mission was over, Heidi and the PSD escorted two deceased soldiers to BAF for the trip home to their families. Following this difficult, heart-breaking journey, they returned to the original mission location, only to be snowed in for a week. They leave again in a few days and hope to be back on base for Christmas.

Double click the photos to see them better.


Some of you might remember PA Fish from previous blogs. Here she is helping serve dinner on Thanksgiving Day, 2006, Firebase Wilderness, Afghanistan.

Later, Fish was awarded the dubious honor of "Mrs. Sandbag, 2006", a title Heidi coveted and of which she is still fuming.


Heidi eats her Thanksgiving Dinner, 2006. Some of these pictures were posted on the Army Times website. "Thank goodness for the cold weather Under Armour," Heidi said much later. "It really helps".


Soldiers from the 10th Mountain (Heidi's division) celebrate Thanksgiving in their tent at Firebase Wilderness in the Afghanistan Paktia Province. The soldiers had saved up cheeses, sausages, pretzels and other treats from home, which were sent out in care packages. If you don't think all those goodies from home you have been helping me send out these past months don't matter, think again.



'Currier and Ives' Snow Storm from Hell