...One of our training days involved going to the range. The range is located “outside the wire”, or off Bagram Air Base. This would be my first trip outside the wire as a member of a convoy. As we prepared, the reality of where I am was once again driven home. We climbed into an up-armored Humvee with your basic load, which is several hundred rounds of ammunition, not including the crew served weapons that top each vehicle. The best part of being in an up-armored Humvee is the air-conditioning. We moved out of the gate and entered Bagram Village almost immediately. I was immediately struck by the poverty. It was like going back 30 years in the blink of an eye. Also, there are people everywhere, but they know to get out of the way of a convoy, because we don’t stop for anything. We drive down the middle of the road as fast as we can safely do so. Vehicles also know to pull to the side of the road and allow us to pass. We exit Bagram Village and continue out into the county side. We pass by old buildings that have been bombed. Again, the scars of war are everywhere that you look. Little children run up to the side of the road from the tents that they live in and wave and motion for us to give them food or water. Some adults do the same, but others yell at us, or even spit as we pass by. Once we arrive at the range, sheep and goats are roaming in the area. The herders see us and immediately start banging long sticks on the ground to get the animals moving. We also fire a few rounds toward the mountains which gets them moving a bit faster...