It had been at least two weeks since I had enjoyed a hamburger. I was jonesing in a big way for my beloved All-American classic sandwich. After my previous burger from the mess hall I was pretty sure that I wouldn’t be having anymore burgers until I was back in the States. I had a few days off between embeds and heard about a massive Fourth of July BBQ that was being held on base for the U.S. forces. Not only would I be able to get a burger but it would provide an opportunity to take a few pictures of the soldiers being treated to something other than the chow they get at the DFAC. I grabbed my fellow photojournalist Ben Brody and we headed over to the festivities.

It was another scorching hot day in Kandahar, probably close to 120 degrees. The BBQ was just getting underway and people were starting to trickle in. Dozens of tables had been set up along with four serving stations that were dishing out burgers, dogs, ribs and corn. The same guys who do all the cooking in the DFAC’s were out in the heat laboring over massive BBQ grills. The troops were also treated to live entertainment as soldiers who had signing or dancing skills performed on the back of a flatbed trailer decorated with red, white and blue decorations and a sign that read “We Love U.S.A.”.  Don’t forget about the Sumo wrestling. Guys squeezed into massive fat suits and hopped around attempting to wrestle their opponent with limited mobility. I imagine spending 10 minutes in that suit in the uncomfortable heat would easily shed a few pounds from your body.

After watching the entertainers and laughing at the Sumo wrestlers, it was time for some BBQ. Ben and I lamented as we made our way to the back of the now lengthy line. All four lines were now about 200 soldiers deep and not moving very fast. We baked in the sun as we slowly inched forward. Two soldiers were doing old school break dancing on the trailer stage while rapping lyrics that were difficult to decipher. They belted out lots of “yeah boy” and threw out hand gestures. After close to 20 minutes we finally made it up the serving station.

High ranking officers from all branches of services served from chaffing trays filled with dozens of preformed burger patties, hot dogs and ribs that were drenched in BBQ sauce. I got a burger and some ribs with a side of corn since it had been weeks since I had seen a vegetable. To my surprise, there were proper sesame seed buns, American cheese and even thick slices of bright red tomatoes. I had almost forgotten what a tomato looked like. I grabbed a couple packets of ketchup and mustard and searched for an empty seat.

I assembled my burger with the cheese, tomato and a mixture of the ketchup and mustard. Once put together, it looked like an old fashioned burger. I couldn’t wait to dive in. The bun was pretty spongy and a little dry but it soon compressed down and moistened up a little from the mustard and ketchup mixing with the juices of the tomato. The preformed patty (that was designed to look like it had been hand pressed) had the exact flavor of the patties that they used to use at my high school. It had a little bit of spice and a stiff texture with absolutely no juice. It wasn’t that bad and was way better than the pucks they sling at the DFAC. The ribs were decent but the corn was a complete disappointment. It must have been soaking in water for hours to give it that “wet sponge” texture. There was no crunch whatsoever.

All in all, it was a fun time at the BBQ and the burger was decent enough to fulfill my burger urge and keep me going for a few more weeks before I could get some good eats. The troops seemed to enjoy the little break from war and the DFAC chow.  Even if it was similar to the food they eat every day, I think the fact that it was cooked on a grill makes it a little better. Did I mention that there was cake and pies? A whole tent was filled with every imaginable kind of pie and there was also a massive sheet cake of an American flag that was cut but 3 high ranking officers with long chef knives. Well, they didn’t cut the whole thing, just sliced into before a team of local workers butchered it to the point that it looked like someone had taken a Roto-tiller to it.

As we were leaving, the sun was setting and we joked about when the fireworks show would start. Someone chimed in that they had heard there was going to be a flyover. We laughed at the thought of that since pairs of planes and helicopters routinely take off from the airfield about every 15 minutes. So, unless they were going to do a flyover with a fleet of three dozen planes, it might go unnoticed. As for the fireworks, I think these guys see enough real fireworks every day.

RATING: 2

U.S. Armed Forces July Fourth BBQ
Kandahar Airfield
Kandahar, Afghanistan

“War is the supreme test of man in which he rises to heights never approached in any other activity.”
- General George S. Patton

It had been an unusually quiet morning – a very good thing when you’re in the middle of a war zone. The pilots and medic crew with the U.S. Army 101^st Airborne Taskforce Shadow Dustoff MEDEVAC are anxiously waiting for the next emergency call to come in from the battlefield. They were well into watching their third movie of the day and luckily had eaten lunch when the radio silence was broken. “MEDEVAC ! MEDEVAC! MEDEVAC – First up report to pad for Cat Alpha.” Before the transmission is complete, two pilots, the medic and crew chief are sprinting out the door into the 120 degree heat to their Black Hawk helicopter. A Cat Alpha call is the highest priority emergency medical call and the goal is to be able to get to the aircraft, don all of their protective gear, ready weapons and go wheels up to the call within five to six minutes. It is truly amazing that they can pull this off.

For sixteen days I will be embedded with the 101^st Airborne MEDEVAC unit – going where they go, seeing what they see and of course, eating their chow. A full day with these guys can be a pretty intense experience. The second that call comes over the radio your adrenaline is pumping and then you’re running your ass off like Usain Bolt. You don’t know what you will end up seeing or how dangerous the situation will be. The medics are often pulling people off the battlefield under enemy fire. Throw in the high heat and the weight of the flak jacket and helmet and you can build up a serious appetite after two or three of these missions.

The crew only had one call today and thankfully it was not a serious injury. We still had to run to the helicopter, gear up and go through the whole adrenaline rush so when we returned to the airfield, I was starving. I headed back to my room to drop off my gear and made a B-line to the DFAC Luxembourg. DFAC is short for dining facility, one of the many acronyms that you have to learn if you’re going to spend time with the military. DFAC Luxembourg is a relatively new building on the scrawling Kandahar Airfield where 0ver 20,000 U.S. and NATO forces reside along with contractors from around the globe. It is one of many dining halls on the base where food is provided for the troops at no charge. There are also a few mainstream restaurants like TGIFriday’s and the soon to be opened KFC for those who want to pay for a little taste of bad food from home.

Luxembourg is a huge dining room that has two hot food lines, salad bars, a dessert bar and a short order counter where you can get a burger during the lunch and dinner hours. I would love to show you what this place looks like but the military said it was not possible to take pictures in the dining hall. That was odd to me since I have taken pictures in many dining halls on military bases. The short order counter usually has a pretty long line and in addition to the burgers you can usually get fries or some other type of deep fried side like onion rings or calamari rings that have the flavor and consistency of an engine gasket.

As I wait in the long line, I watch as the cook plops down dozens of greyish half-thawed patties onto the smoking griddle. The sizzle can be heard throughout the dining hall. There are no proper buns so I find a sesame seed roll and cut it in half with a plastic knife. Once the burgers are tested with a thermometer for proper well-done cooking temperature, the patties are tossed into a chaffing tray and we all use tongs to grab one. There wasn’t much in the way of fresh veggies on this particular day so I dressed up my burger with some unidentified cheese, some cucumbers and a package of Thousand Island dressing. Since I couldn’t bring my camera in, I got my burger and fries to go and ate it in my room.

If salt is your thing, you would love this burger. It was so salty that it cancelled out any beef flavor that it may have once had. The taste was almost like a breakfast sausage with the texture of a rubbery hot dog. The roll that I used was a little dry and bready. If I had to point to one good thing about the burger, I would have to say that the cheese stood out as the best tasting element. Despite the excess salt and dryness, I ate the whole thing. I was in need of food and it really didn’t matter what it tasted like.

I had a few good meals at the DFAC during my time at Kandahar Airfield. The baked eggplant dishes were good as was the chicken gyros. You could always find me with a smile on my face when the chocolate soft serve was being served. If you ever find yourself at Kandahar Airfield, I would suggest that you steer clear of the burger at the Luxembourg and go straight to the soft serve machine and get a big bowl of chocolate ice cream.

RATING: 1

DFAC Luxembourg
Kandahar Airfield
Kandahar, Afghanistan