“Enemy combatants until they decide if they should go to Parwan prison. Both of them are tough places.”

She drove a little farther, then stopped the Toyota. She pointed to the prison, off in the distance. “That’s the detention facility run by Deep River. Doesn’t look like much, but they hold twenty or more prisoners at any one time. I know some of the guys with the company. They seem okay.”

“Ever heard of someone named Rick Jackson?”

“I’ve seen the name. He’s a supervisor or something. Why, do you know him?”

“We’ve met.”

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

After our tour, Vicki took me to the main dining hall, named Dragon. The Dragon dining hall was the largest of the four free eating establishments. We had a choice of several locally flavored cafés as well as a regular Pizza Hut. I guess that was there to keep the US servicemen from getting too homesick. I didn’t see how that was even possible.

The place was busy, but not overwhelmed. I saw men and women in every conceivable uniform. Usually, the only way to identify them was by the patch on their arm. Slovakia, Serbia, Denmark, Italy, the list went on and on. It was impressive so many countries decided to throw people into this conflict. It didn’t matter if it was a large force or just a token group of participants. It was still inspiring.

I followed Vicki through the line with a tray. The choices were astounding. There was trout with the tail still on to show how fresh it was. I looked over the burger section, Mexican food, and the usual cafeteria-style stew or casserole. It was nothing like the chow I ate in the Navy years ago.

We found a place at the end of the table filled by burly soldiers from the Czech Republic. None of them appeared to speak English. And certainly none of them took notice of us.

Vicki was clearly an active Army master sergeant and my jeans and polo shirt gave no clue as to who I was. I’m sure most everyone assumed I was a contractor, but I could be a US service member off-duty.

We chatted for a little bit. Vicki told me about growing up south of Chicago with two sisters and two brothers. Then she got the idea she wanted to fly helicopters and that was her only focus.

Vicki said, “I have more than eighty semester hours I’ve earned toward a college degree since I joined the service. When I rotate back to the States, I’m hoping to be near a university so I can buckle down. Money is always an issue. Even here in this godforsaken wilderness, you never seem to have enough cash.”

I had to laugh. “Why do you think I’m here?”