I still vividly remember the moment that this short phrase became my way of life. On my first day of my first ever college class at Evangel University in 1993, Twila Edwards in Essential Christianity uttered this phrase. At first I was appalled, I thought we were to have faith, my fresh out of basic training mind told me to obey without questioning. Yet this was her first lesson to this first time college student; and I remember it all these years later. Just because someone tells you something, never take it at face value. Dig deep and find the truth.

When someone says something from a pulpit, whether the pulpit is at a church or at one of our political institutions, does that make it truth? If enough people say it enough times does it then become truth? Can I have my truth and you have your truth? The answer to all these questions is obviously no. There can be only one truth, and the only way to know it is to question everything until the truth is found.

When I say to question, I don’t mean in a disrespectful challenging manner. What I am talking about is being informed and not relying on just one source. I am talking about having an open honest outlook on each issue. I am talking about digging beyond the surface and seeing what is really going on.

Something odd has happened as I have questioned everything about the war here and the war in Iraq. I have found that while I thought my opinion would be rare, it is actually the overwhelming majority of the troops I know here. Many of these Soldiers that agree with my opinion have served both here and in Iraq. Before I came here I thought that few in the military would agree; however, I guess the truth is just the truth and those here are much closer to it than anyone back home.

The sad thing about these two wars is few at home have taken much time at all to question anything about either war. Basically they are unaffected in their daily lives and therefore don’t take time to find out the facts. I challenge you to make it a way of life; question everything!

I have so much that I would love to write about; however, with each topic my opinion could easily get me in trouble. With that, we will see how many of you really know me. I will give you some hints, and you can see if you know how I feel about it.

-Congressional Votes

-Congressional Hearings

-Half our company being sent to Baghdad to support a surge.

There, now I feel much better; and to think, some of you think I may be one of those crazy Missourian’s that is a die hard conservative Republican who voted in a Democratic Senator just for one vote that she cast this week

While spending a couple of hours in a bunker this evening with my neighbors I became educated on the plight of a group of people I thought were local nationals. I was very wrong. They are actually US citizens and have been for a number of years. They are hired by one of the firms with a contract to provide interpreters.

After being in the bunker for almost two hours one of the older ladies sneaked over to her B-Hut and came back with some tea for all of us. She had lived in Kabul for over twenty-five years before naturalizing and moving to Dallas, Texas. She said she lived in Dallas for almost twenty-years before moving to California. She has spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last couple of years working for her firm.

Had we not spent that time together, I would have thought her and the group she was with were just more trusted local nationals living here and working some labor job. It is funny sometimes how wrong you can be about people based on appearance. Good lesson to learn!

When I first saw one of these mud huts I thought it was an abandoned, bombed out building; either bombed by us or the Russians years earlier. As I looked closer I began to see people moving around; and when I got closer it became obvious that several families were living inside. The fact is these buildings have not been bombed at all; the erosion caused by the wind and rain gives that appearance. These huts are sprinkled all over the country side; many like this one in the middle of a yet to be cleared mine field.

When I think about our living conditions, one of the first things I thought of is Brother Freddie at Tri-State Youth Camp saying, “Welcome to the Hilton, you’ve never had it this good!” That is so true when you compare our living conditions on the base to their’s just a stones throw away from us. When I make it back to camp in a couple of years I will believe Brother Freddie when he says I’ve never had it so good!

Like most buildings in Afghanistan, our bathrooms are made out of 20 foot steel containers welded together with a door and window cut on one end. The sinks, urinals and toilets are all hooked up with exposed plumbing that goes to holding tanks that are filled and emptied multiple times daily. Upstairs, the walls of the three wide containers stacked two high have been cut out making for one large open area with 18 private showers and several more sinks.

A couple of days ago I walk into the bathroom in the morning to discover that above each urinal a number has been painted with stenciled letters. There is UR1, UR2, UR3, etc…And as you move to the toilets, above them is WC1, WC2, etc…The pattern holds as you go upstairs to the showers; SH1 and so on.

Knowing how the Army works, I picture the meetings that surely took place before this decision was made. The discussion had to be passionate as someone’s big idea was tossed about. I’m sure the color was discussed, the appropriate abbreviation for each was debated, and even the consistency in the numbering sequence for all bathrooms at BAF (Bagram Air Field). My only question is with all the money that was spent to cause this to occur (probably thousands if not tens of thousands); what possible purpose does this numbering system fulfill?