During the world wars, our troops cherished any mail they received
from home, and in return, did whatever they could to reply to their families and loved ones. Postcards – some made from fine French silk, others on the backs of cigarette boxes – were the most popular mode
of communication.
Today, our people deployed overseas send messages home
by email, skype or good old-fashioned post.
Well it's been five months since I left the great New Zealand city of Tamaki Makaurau to start our journey to the Afghanistan province of Bamiyan. After a long flight, with a few fuel stops on the way, we arrived in theatre to start our six-month deployment.
A lot
has happened in the months passed, that have made this trip both exciting and a little like groundhog day at times.
I've experienced quite a few exciting things, ranging from flights on an American Chinook helicopter, dressing up as the red Power Ranger for Halloween (strictly for morale), humvee driving, foot patrols, and the best form of morale – the NZ PRT gym! It's the best place to "get away", to focus on something other than work and push yourself to the limit of muscle fatigue and exhaustion.
On the cooking side, there's only so many things that you can cook with the range of food we get. The chefs and cooks here at Kiwi Base are restricted by what's available from the stockist, but that hasn't stopped us putting up nutritious, morale boosting feeds that are pleasing to the eye and receptive to the palate.
I was also lucky enough to experience a month away from Kiwi Base, moving a few hours north to one of the forward patrol bases. This was over Christmas and New Year, so it was good to get away and cook for fewer people. The team had the skills and experience to take on all tasks to a very high standard, and I was keen to take on the challenge of fuelling the machines before an early-morning rise or a late-night return.
On returning to base I found not much had changed. Though being back in this environment was a little bit of a downer, it was good to finally be back in a set routine and try to get that morale back up for the
months to come. Not long to go now, and I'm sure everyone's counting down the days to setting foot on New Zealand soil again.
Able Chef (ACH) Eruera Shelford
Send us your messages and memories of loved ones who have served in past wars or to people currently serving in the armed forces.
You can also post a message directly in the Auckland War Memorial Museum's official Book of Remembrance.
