1. This vehicle is called an MRAP (Emm-wrap). It is our primary mode of transportation when we have to travel on the ground. It is made to give the Soldiers inside maximum protection from dangers on the roads. The large rollers it is pushing in front of it look for, and detonate, mines or IEDs that may be in the road.

2. This is the typical “police car” for the Afghans. It is a Ford Ranger pickup truck. It is the same type of truck that most of the Afghan military rides around in.

3. This is what the landscape looks like in southern Afghanistan, near the edge of the desert. The land will be very flat, and out of nowhere a mountain grows from nowhere. They are very steep. Most of the mountains in this part of Afghanistan are about 6,000 feet tall. Up north they get much taller.

4. This is taken from a helicopter. The small structures you see below are Bedouin tents. These people are nomadic. They travel around the desert, usually with flocks of sheep or goats. The only homes they have are these tents they carry with them.

5. This is what it looks like looking out of a small military base. The mountains are very beautiful early in the morning, or just before dusk.

6. The safest way we travel is by helicopter. There are many different types of helicopters we fly in. This is called a “Chinook”. It can carry large amounts of supplies and people.

7. This is a truck owned and operated by an Afghan man. We call them “Jingle Trucks”. These trucks are usually the homes of the men who operate them. They like to decorate them and make them unique. They like to hang chains all around the truck, like on the bumper of this one. When they go down the road, you can hear the chains “jingle”.

8. This is looking at the inside of a military airplane. It is called a C-17. As you can see, it is not as comfortable as a normal passenger jet. Soldiers wear all of their special gear, and it is very cramped. There are no stewardesses, and no in-flight movie! Sometimes they drive trucks onto the plane as well!

9. This is looking outside of one of our military bases. Those are wild camels grazing out there! The camels are free to roam where ever they choose. There are no other large wild animals in this part of the desert.

10. This is not a tornado. It is called a simoom. This is a small one. Simoom means “to poison”. It is called this because the air inside this is as hot as 130 degrees! If a man is caught in it he feels as though he has been poisoned. They can move across the desert as fast as 45 miles per hour.

11. This is Toby Keith! He volunteers his time to travel to Soldiers all over the world to give free concerts! He is a very patriotic man who makes the troops very happy!