Merry Christmas

Hello,and Merry Christmas from Herat. It all came and went without a hitch. The DFAC (galley in navy terms), or cafeteria for everyone else, had a very nice Christmas dinner. Pretty much everything you can imagine for a festive meal. They even had Christmas music playing...a Christmas tree in the middle, and tons of packages for everyone to pick up on the way out. It is amazing how much love and support people back home send us. The amount of mail that is addressed "to any service member" is overwhelming. So...We thank you very much. It was  a beautiful day. mid 50's and clear as a bell. The mountains were beautiful. Although very different here compared to Bagram.  Not as high. so no snow. Toured the ANA hospital today. Went on grand rounds with many of the ANA Docs and my terp. Saw a lot of pt's. Most of them othopedic pt's. and mostly leg fractures from being hit by cars. A few pt's with battle wounds (gsw, and land mines). Fortunately, only one child in the bunch. Met with head of each department, and the Commander of the hospital. He is a very nice man with a great sense of humor. I thought they would be all serious and medical like...but they are really fun, love to tell jokes and pick on each other. We went to the Bazaar after our visit, and they had and Afghan band and dancers putting on a show for us. Very different, but very entertaining. I love the music. The stars were so many and bright tonight...I felt like I was in Northern Michigan. I haven't seen stars in the sky since landing in Afghanistan. Tomorrow is an Afghan holiday...so no work for us, I'll wander around and get some pics to post...until then...have a great day.