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101st in Kabul has it tougher than al-Qaeda at Club Fed
They're forced to use communal latrines without doors. When they "bathe" they can do little more than wash themselves with baby wipes or take the rare cold shower. When they sleep, it's outdoors, under the stars in freezing temperatures. These aren't the detainees at Guantanamo Base in Cuba. These are the American soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division, scratching out a barebones life in southern Afghanistan while fighting the war on terror. While the international press dedicate excoriating columns to allegedly inhumane treatment of the Al Qaeda and Taliban prisoners at the U.S. camp in the Caribbean, the 3,700 U.S. troops based at Kandahar airfield are still waiting for the day they can live in tents. But it's the toilets that get some. Until a few days ago, when wood panels were put up in front of the doorless concrete male latrines, men could be seen sitting in rows â up to 10 at a time â with their rifles. Each morning, Afghan workers burn the waste in metal drums. The smell is not for the faint-hearted.
Ah, the smell of burning poop. Brings back memories of my younger days in Vietnam. Wonder if they'll try that at The Mirror.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-01-29 |
