KABUL, Afghanistan –
Senior Master Sgt. Chuck Klein
Home Unit: Headquarters Air Combat Command A4F1
What do you do? Flight line maintenance superintendent advisor
What's a day in the life like ... while in Kabul? I wake up and eat in a North Atlantic Treaty Organization dining facility where beans and stewed tomatoes are the staples. I spend the day on the flight line working with Afghan National Army Air Corp maintenance leadership and flight line technicians on the An-32 and C-27 aircraft. We advise them on proper maintenance techniques and procedures. We are trying to help them find solutions to their problems and how to safely sustain their aircraft within their capabilities. Then its pasta, rice and something curried for dinner!
What will you remember about your deployment 20 years from now? The people, Afghan and American. I have a new found respect and admiration for many of my ANAAC comrades.
What's the most useful item you packed? A laptop. There is no television here and movies are the only thing we have to get away.
When did you realize you "weren't in Kansas anymore;" aka your "Dorothy" moment? At my first maintenance roll call where USAF, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, both officers and enlisted, civilian Ukrainian technicians, Czechoslovakian military mechanics and Afghan interpreters are all here to do the same job. I actually said to myself, how did I get here?
What has been the highlight of your tour? Impossible to say, everyday it's something new
What's the best part of the deployment? Interacting with flight line Afghan maintenance workers
The worst part? Not being with my family
What new survival skill have you learned? Convoying in downtown Kabul. It's something that has to be experienced.
What is the first thing you will do when you return? Family time of course, and I really could use a beer too!
What is the first thing you will eat when you return? Anything American or Mexican
What insight experience will you take away from your time over there? These are good people. They care about what they do, they care about their family and they care about their future.