What you are about to read is a personal description of a place I called home during the summer of 2014 while to deployed to Panjwai
District of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Combat Out Post (COP) Masum Ghar was once a Canadian Forward Operating Base (FOB) established during Operation Enduring Freedom. After the Canadian forces had pulled out of the country, the United States Army took their place. COP Masum
Ghar, situated in a bowl at the top of a mountain range, called Masum. Ghar is Pashtun for Mountain. Thus is the origin of the COP's name. At the base of the mountain was the Panjwai Bazar. The bazaar was large open air market where merchants and farmers would gather from great distances to peddle their goods. The COP consisted of living areas, a Tactical Operations Center (TOC), a chow hall, a landing zone for helicopters (LZ), a motor pool, and defensive positions on the peaks around the COP. …show more content…
The smells of bread baking in the Bazaar is something I always loved. The goat heads that the local butchers would put out on display to let everyone know that he recently slaughtered it was not. The goats heads are skinned to where it was the skull with facial tissue and muscle on it. The head of the goat was a delicacy with the eyes and brains being top choices of meat from the animal. I could never stomach eating it when it was offered to me. You would take your life into your hands if you refused the food the locals provided you as this was a sign of disrespect. Often we would swallow whatever was being offered whole and wash it down with as much water is we could drink. Besides for the cuisine that was questionable at times, the bazaar had many other goods there as well. We would buy trinkets, fresh produce, bread, clothing, games, jewels, and electronics while patrolling through the Bazaar and building a repertoire with the people of the
District of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Combat Out Post (COP) Masum Ghar was once a Canadian Forward Operating Base (FOB) established during Operation Enduring Freedom. After the Canadian forces had pulled out of the country, the United States Army took their place. COP Masum
Ghar, situated in a bowl at the top of a mountain range, called Masum. Ghar is Pashtun for Mountain. Thus is the origin of the COP's name. At the base of the mountain was the Panjwai Bazar. The bazaar was large open air market where merchants and farmers would gather from great distances to peddle their goods. The COP consisted of living areas, a Tactical Operations Center (TOC), a chow hall, a landing zone for helicopters (LZ), a motor pool, and defensive positions on the peaks around the COP. …show more content…
The smells of bread baking in the Bazaar is something I always loved. The goat heads that the local butchers would put out on display to let everyone know that he recently slaughtered it was not. The goats heads are skinned to where it was the skull with facial tissue and muscle on it. The head of the goat was a delicacy with the eyes and brains being top choices of meat from the animal. I could never stomach eating it when it was offered to me. You would take your life into your hands if you refused the food the locals provided you as this was a sign of disrespect. Often we would swallow whatever was being offered whole and wash it down with as much water is we could drink. Besides for the cuisine that was questionable at times, the bazaar had many other goods there as well. We would buy trinkets, fresh produce, bread, clothing, games, jewels, and electronics while patrolling through the Bazaar and building a repertoire with the people of the