More from American Idols Supporting the Troops in Afghanistan

Justin Guarini's second note from Afghanistan, two of his photos, and a link to Brandon Rogers' photo album:

Here are 2 of the many photos that I've taken in Afghanistan. The first is of two ANA (Afghan National Army) soldiers outside of a base south of Bagram called "Morales-Fraiser".

They are stationed there with the French and American troops, learning from the Marines. They were very nice, and all they wanted to do was take photos with the girls that came along with us.

The HumV behind them is mounted with a "240-Bravo" machine gun on the turret. The Marines were nice enough to take us outside the base and let us fire the 240 at the mountain range, as well as a 50-cal gun mounted on another HumV that they let me drive out to the range. I killed a lot of innocent rocks with both...but all is fair in love and war. The interesting thing about the 50-cal gun is that standing about 20-25 yards away you can actually feel the imapact of the recoil in your chest. The velocity of the bullets is such that the soldiers can't really use it during local urban combat. The houses are made of mud, and the bullets would rip through at least a city block before stopping...probably taking a lot of innocent civilians with it.

The other photo is of one of our guards looking at the Afghani countryside out of a Blackhawk helicopter. The Blackhawk is our only method of transport from our base (Bagram) to the outlying FOB's (Forward Operating Bases). I swear the military has invented abbreviations for everything, for example: DFAC (Dining Facility), B-HUT(Barracks), not to mention the multitude of rank symbols. I'm proud to say that I can pick out most any rank (at least the basic rank, the various levels inside the ranks are still spotty for me)...anyway. The Blackhawk rides were amazing, especially when we rode with the doors open. The photo hardly captures the fact that Afghanistan is a beautiful mess of a country, but I took it with that thought in mind. The mountain ranges, the emerald lakes, and the vast stretches of desert dotted with lush valleys (most of which have large fields filled with Poppies & Marijuana) are a stark contrast to the abject poverty, lawlessness, and human rights abuses that prevail in the country.


ANA Soldiers at Morales-Fraiser FOB


Sgt. Page/Afghan Desert

Brandon Rogers' photo album