Christmas spirit at the ‘Dusty Spoon’

[unhappycamper]

Sgt. James Kendall, a medic with Company C, 1st Battlalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, re-enlists on Christmas Day at Combat Outpost Kushmand in southeastern Afghanistan.


Christmas spirit at the ‘Dusty Spoon’
By Michael Gisick, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Friday, December 26, 2008

COMBAT OUTPOST KUSHMAND, Afghanistan — Smiling Santas and glittering bells hung on the plywood walls of the chow hall, alongside cards handmade by school children.

"Barack Obama got elected president," one boy had written to the troops. "I hope you guys soon get electricity. I like to watch wrestling."

Another declared, simply enough: "I wish for a utopia."

Combat Outpost Kushmand, a dusty base home to about 100 U.S. soldiers, probably doesn’t fit the bill. Near the southern tip of the U.S. presence in eastern Afghanistan and a punishing, days-long drive from the next closest base, it is not overwhelming in its amenities. Until a week ago, there was no water for showers or laundry.

Snow covered ridges are just visible in the far distance, but Kushmand is a capital of dust, a plywood town on a barren plain. It’s chow hall is known as the "Dusty Spoon," although some wit removed the "S" and the "n" from the sign.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=59627