Serving in Afghanistan

Greetings one and all. I often think about posting on the blog, but then find myself at a loss of what to say. My days are often the same and so to me it doesn't seem exciting. More often than not I am dealing with people who for whatever reason have decided they want to try and mail home contraband items. Most of the time it's not a big deal, but every once in a while it is because of the nature of the item, or if there was obvious intent to bypass the system of checks and balances we have in place. First, every piece of personal mail is subject to an open parcel inspection, as are most business or military unit related parcels. Unfortunately, some things get by the inspectors for any number of reasons I won't elaborate on. Second, every piece of mail that leaves theater is subject to x-ray examination. If it's in the box or package and shouldn't be we will find it. If we find something on the x-ray then we open the parcel, search for and remove the contraband item, and then reseal the package with a memorandum explaining to the addressee why the box was opened. Sometimes I have to involve law enforcement because of the nature of the items I find. As you can imagine bringing law enforcement into the picture always complicates things.

Thankfully, most days don't involve such instances but all too many do. I hope everyone is well that reads this. I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Chris