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\tBelieve me, I was nervous, and I rarely get nervous.<\/p>\n
\tOnce you get out to the combat zone, you better have everything you need with you, or you’re screwed. In the same breath, you better not bring too much, or you’re equally screwed.<\/p>\n
\tSo I compiled a list of everything I brought, and why I brought it.<\/p>\n
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\t<\/p>\n
\tBelieve me, I was nervous, and I rarely get nervous.<\/p>\n
\tOnce you get out to the combat zone, you better have everything you need with you, or you’re screwed. In the same breath, you better not bring too much, or you’re equally screwed.<\/p>\n
\tSo I compiled a list of everything I brought, and why I brought it.<\/p>\n
\t\u2014 At least five pairs of good, cushy, wicking boot socks.<\/strong> You want cushy because you’re going to walk everywhere, for miles (and miles). You want wicking because you’re definitely going to sweat, and there’s nothing worse than walking around in a soggy sock (keep walking in them, and eventually you’ll realize they’re also soggy because your wet feet have been bleeding into them).<\/p>\n \tSame goes for underwear,<\/strong> at least five pairs of the higher-end, athletic kinds, that wick away moisture. Nothing like a knot of wet underwear balled up downstairs to make getting shot at a whole lot more uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Black T-Shirts.<\/strong> I always wanted to wear a T-shirt in combat, and I always hated having long sleeves when I was deployed as an active duty Marine. I wore T-shirts, but you can get long sleeves of varying protection (flame retardant, etc.).<\/p>\n \tI also brought a shemaug<\/a>,<\/strong> or an Afghan scarf. It helps with the dust and the cold at night, and believe it or not, will keep you cool during the day.<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Camera gear<\/strong> in a pelican case.\u00a0<\/strong>You’re in Afghanistan, you’ve got thousands of dollars of camera gear, protect it. Also,\u00a0<\/strong>I rented a $5,000 satellite in order to access internet and a computer and hard drives; all of which need to be protected. In the end though, I didn’t use the satellite, since there’s internet pretty much on every base and combat outpost.<\/p>\n \tMake sure you bring two of every charger:<\/strong>\u00a0there is no Apple<\/a> Store in Kabul.<\/p>\n \t\u2014 <\/strong>Sleeping gear: this consists of a cold weather sleeping bag, thick and likely black or green. Also do not forget your combat pillow \u2014 <\/strong>a pillow about a quarter the size of a regular pillow.\u00a0<\/strong>If you buy one at Bed, Bath and Beyond, it’s a travel pillow, but if you buy it from a military website, it’s a combat pillow.<\/p>\n \t\u2014 Two six-inch blades.<\/strong>\u00a0Insurance stipulates that I cannot be a combatant, nature stipulates that I can neither be a victim. I can’t carry a rifle or a pistol, so I opted for knives. If the Talibs are going to take me and throw me in a terrorist YouTube<\/a> video, I want to have given at least one of them a reason to get stitches.<\/p>\n
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