News Archive
Amongst the gloom of recent results, it's easy to forget that some have it tougher than us - much tougher.
We might have "heroes" on our pitches, but following the return of Smudge from Basra, we'll soon be able to welcome back another of our real life heroes when James Cooper returns from Afghanistan in just over a month. He has sent us a "postcard" from the East to give a flavour of his current life to those of us who know nothing about what it is like when you are posted to a warzone.
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Coops in Afghanistan - 6th Jan till 8th May 2008
Afghanistan in the winter is cold, I mean it’s cold, wet and it even snows too. Our camp in Kandahar is at 3300feet, that’s the same as living at the top of Mt Snowdon in Wales for four months. However, the summer is now with us and it’s time to turn this milky white body into a pink, peeling skin thing of beauty.
Our camp is a large multinational base
with ourselves, the Americans, Canadians and Dutch being the main occupiers. Due to this large multinational force presence, the facilities are second to none, each nationality providing something different that the other doesn’t. The Americans provide fast food; as you can imagine the yanks wouldn’t go anywhere without a Burger King!! The Canadians offer a very well equipped Gym, while the Brits offer a small coffee shop. We have bit of catching up to do!
There is not that much to do when you’re not working, it’s spent eating, sleeping or going to the gym. As you can imagine work is the main focus for everyone out here. We work a shift pattern out here so that 50% of the manpower is at work at any one time. Our shifts are 12 hours long. The work I do is to maintain and fix the Army’s Lynx helicopters. Since they get used every day there is never a dull moment. The jobs range from day to day servicing to engine replacements and carrying out air tests.
I’m due to come home at the beginning of May, looking forward to the end of season function, a few pints in Boroughbridge and to see Mrs Coops of course (in that order).
See you all soon
Coops
