burger and Smallz dined on some corn and other vegetables. The food at Bagram was better than you’d expect from cafeteria-style entrees, and good for you too - many selections were marked with the calorie count.
exhaustion - trying to undo the damage done by a seven-hour time difference and two back-toback overnight flights. We were in a permanent state of semiconsciousness, prone to drift off during any spare moment that wasn’t committed to partaking in an actual activity. Paul, trying to re-up his energy reserves, sat out during a trip to meet some Air Force pilots and tour the fighter jets. DJ Smallz visited with the pilots and personally autographed one of the bombs for a lucky terrorist to receive.
“We love you!” two Air Force girls (literally holding Taylor Swift CDs in one hand and assault rifles in the other) shouted at Paul while we wandered through the PX. Another female, an Army private from Milwaukee, eyed him lustily. “We Smallz autographing a fighter jet bomb to don’t have much out here, so a little enbe dropped on a lucky terrorist tertainment helps,” she said, after sadly telling Paul that his performance at her base had been cancelled and issuing a challenge to Lil Wayne (“C’mon out here. You’ve made enough albums. At the chow hall over dinner, my ears perked up at the mention of a 5K Come see the soldiers!”). run. Coincidentally, the following morning marked the anniversary of Women’s Equality Day, and the Army was holding a 5K run (a little over 3 Many of the troops we encountered throughout our trip were from miles) around the base to celebrate. Despite a recently sprained ankle, as Texas, and even more were familiar with Paul Wall’s music from their a runner at heart, I was excited to participate. time stationed on the military base at Fort Hood in Killeen, TX. Sergeant McEachern from Goldsboro, NC, proudly showed us the entire That’s how I find myself lacing up at 5 AM the next morning after a restless collection of DJ Smallz’ Southern Smoke mixtapes on his Zune (“this is night of semi-consciousness, my sleep frequently interrupted by the roar the iPod killer,” he clarified, when asked to reveal his iPod playlist. “Do I of jet planes overhead. Air Force Master Sergeant Rodney Reyes from need to show you the Paul Wall selection too?”). Colorado Springs, CO, is waiting at the back door of our two-room shack. “You sure you’re ready to do this?” he laughed. “This will show you the Along the way, we collected video drops for MTV Jams (the drops aired heartbeat of Bagram.” Reyes serves as not only my running buddy, but a on Thanksgiving) and asked the troops who they would like to see live Bagram tour guide, providing a lot of information about the base itself. in person. A wide variety of requests included T.I., Kirk Franklin, ColdDaily PT (Personal Training) is mandatory for the Army, so every morning play, and LL Cool J. “We listen to whatever it takes to make it through from 5:30 AM to 7 AM, Disney Drive shuts down to all vehicular traffic that the day,” said one soldier. UGK, Slim Thug, Chamillionaire, Jay-Z, and isn’t “mission-essential” and the runners take over the road. Z-Ro were all revealed to be on soldiers’ playlists. “The USO shows give us a break from our day-to-day grind,” explained John Porter, a TV an5Ks are a frequent occurrence on base, often with gift certificates or nouncer for AFN Afghanistan. “We can go out and see a show and feel trophies being handed out to the top three finishers. “The last race we did, like, ‘I’m not in a war zone.’” the N.R.A. gave out a sharpshooter air rifle worth like $600 to the winner,” remembered Reyes. “The same Navy guy wins every race. He’s insane. He Our Bagram meet-and-greets included an autograph-signing session can run three miles in like 13:30.” at the Pat Tillman Center, a USO facility dedicated to the memory of the U.S. Army Corporal. Inspired by 9/11, Tillman quit a successful In a cluster around the starting line, plenty of bananas, water, and GatoNFL football career to join the Army and was killed by friendly fire in rade were on hand. Boxes contain hundreds of bright yellow shirts for the mountains of Afghanistan. The USO Center, perhaps one of the Women’s Equality Day, established 1971 to commemorate the passage of most comfortable and inviting the 19th Amendment (women’s right to vote). A few large tanks roll past buildings on the base, is a safe the rows of troops stretching and preparing to run, apparently exiting haven for troops to hang out, get the base to go out on a mission. A typical mission, Reyes explains, might something cool to drink amidst involve making contact with local warlords, checking on suspicious activithe heat, relax on the sofa, call ties, or transporting soldiers for various tasks. home, and watch TV (even if what they’re watching appears A man equipped with a bullhorn summons everyone to the starting line to be a gruesome war flick). at the end of Disney Drive. Although a good amount of women are in sight, the bulk of the participants are male. The chaplain issues a dedicaMuch of our time at Bagram tion. “Father, we thank you for a beautiful day. This run is for your glory,” Air Base was spent weathering he finishes, to a chorus of “amen”s. “If you don’t look back and reflect on the past, you’ll never learn to appreciate the future,” the leader with the DJ Smallz’ chain accompanied us to all bullhorn continues, addressing the women in the crowd. “There were a lot the meet-and-greets, including visits with sick soldiers at the Bagram Air of women that sweated, cried, and shed blood in order for you women to Base main hospital (left) and the staff be standing here where you are today.” of Freedom Radio Station (below)
“Are you motivated to run now?” asks Reyes. Indeed I am. The crowd, by his estimate, is slightly less than the last run, where over 800 participated. Bobbing along with my FlipCam, a sea of runners in Army and Air Force PT gear (standard-issue gray t-shirts and blue or black shorts with yellow reflective belts) bursts forward in one progressive motion. The morning sun is already rising, but a thin haze hangs in the air, sparing us from fullon heat. After the first mile, the crowd begins to thin as the line of runners winds past the main guard tower and around the curved barbed wire fences surrounding the airfield. The road, although paved, is rough. “The roads aren’t that good so the Afghanis do a lot of patchwork,” points out Reyes. “Off base, you can’t tell what’s a newly-constructed area and what’s an IED or bomb buried under some dirt. So you get wary of those [patches] in the road.” Along the perimeter of the base, rows of red triangular signs warning “MINES” are attached to long thin lines of barbed wire. To our left is one of many Soviet graveyards, containing remnants from the Soviet war – pieces of old trucks and tanks and various junk. Many of the explosives in Afghanistan were, in fact, mines planted many years ago by the Soviets, not by Middle Eastern terrorists. OZONE MAG // 51