A Soldier's Life

Chapter 29 - Afghanistan

Y/n's POV:

4 days to go. That's all I kept saying to myself. The last week and a half had really dragged. Any hope for getting home after two weeks were quickly dashed when we realised how bad the situation actually was. But thankfully, we were starting to get somewhere.

Tensions were so bad that our platoon and the Afghan Army unit, barely spoke to each other, and when it came to carrying out their duties, it was like they were two separate teams. The whole point of the initiative was for our units to integrate with the Afghan Army to help support them, thus enabling them to be better fighting units when our forces ultimately left the country.

Jimmy and I spent the first week speaking to each of the soldiers from both sides and were able to determine the issues which were causing the rift.  They ranged from things such as not understanding each other's culture, to the way some soldiers hadn't tred to learn a small amount of Pashto to communicate. Some of the Afghan soldier's weren't happy that they were given orders by western forces within their own country which was understandable. It was important that this felt like a joint effort. 

These issues had built up into the aggression we had seen.  We then spent the next week working to improve those relations. It took time but, eventually we were able to get them working as a cohesive group. Over the last few days, we were making sure things were in place for when we left, to keep the progress moving forward.

The last three days we have been joining them on patrols and have stayed with them in the compound they were based at. It was good to finally see some commandry between them and we actually were having a pretty good time. It was nice being in that focused military environment again.

It had been a struggle though as I hadn't been able to send any emails or call Ava and Sophie since we came to the compound 3 days ago. I miss reading about their days and the adventures they were going on. I also missed hearing Ava's voice. She was always so excited to hear from me that she would ramble on about everything she could think off. I would just happily listen to her.

We were sat waiting to head out on our final patrol of the day. I was sat chatting with the Major from the Afghan army called Hamza. We had gotten on well and were currently sat sharing stories about our families. He reached into his pocket and pulled a picture. "This is my wife Saba." He said with a grin on his face. "She's very beautiful." I responded which seemed to widen his smile. "She's pregnant with out first son. She is due in a month and I can't wait to meet him." He said proudly.

"You're very lucky Hamza. When you first hold your child, there is no feeling like it." I respond remembering the moment I first held Ava. "Do you have kids Y/n?" He asked. I nodded and pulled out a picture of Ava from my own pocket. He took the picture and studied it. "She very beautiful. She looks just like you. How old is she?" He asked with genuine interest. "Thank you. She's 6. We celebrated her birthday a couple weeks before we came out here. They grow up so fast, so make the most of every minute." I say. He nods and goes to speak before we're interrupted by one of the Sergeants telling us it's time to head out on patrol.

We make our way to the local village market and take the time to talk with the locals. A huge part of the role out here is to support the Afghan people and ensure that they are safe. I enjoy these parts when you can talk to them. It's a huge part of why I made sure I could talk Pashto so I could communicate with them in their own language. We're in their country after all.

The atmosphere is good. The lads are all interacting with the locals as well as each other and I just observe them as there is lots of laughter in the air. Knowing that things seem to be on the up, it has made the journey out here worth it. If we've managed to save only one life, then it's a job well done.