Last weekend, my husband and I went to Wisconsin to visit his cousin’s son, former Northbrook resident Jason Geiser.  We had just seen Jason a few months ago at a family gathering but this time the circumstances were a little different.—Jason was on a 3-week leave from his one-year tour of duty in Afghanistan.

Now, I’ve never personally known anyone in the army but while speaking with Jason I kept thinking that it must be so strange to be fighting a war in Afghanistan one day and then barbequing with family and friends just a few days later.  

“Yes, it is very different,” says Jason whose rank is Specialist.  “I feel very overwhelmed at times.  I’m so used to being by myself or with only 1 or 2 people.  At the same time you remember what family and friends are to you and know that they love you so much if not even more now.  You just have to push past that uncomfortable feeling.  It’s kind of difficult to say exactly how it feels because everybody reacts differently coming back from war.”

Below you will find the rest of my conversation with Jason Geiser:

What is the weather like in Afghanistan? Are you in the middle of a dessert?
“It’s a hot, dry heat.  It’s a mixture of the desert with some green.  There are a few major rivers in the area with vegetation but for the most part it’s dirt and sand.”

What are your living conditions like?
“We have tents and sleep on bunk beds.  Each tent holds 12 people.  We built our own rooms inside the tent with 2 people per room.”  

What is your job? 
“I search for roadside bombs.  They are actually called IEDs—Improvised explosive devises.  I drive one to five miles per hour down the road looking for them in different types of wheeled vehicles.  My company’s job is to find the IEDs before they blow up.”

Have you ever found a roadside bomb and if so, what do you do?
“When we find a roadside bomb we try neutralizing it or making it safe and disposing of it in a safe area away from anything, persons or personal property so it can’t harm anyone.  My vehicle has actually been hit with a bomb two different times.  No matter how much training one has, the bombs are well-hidden so you don’t always know they’re there.  I saw a big red flash and then the vehicle flew up in the air.  The vehicle I was in just holds myself and is like a cockpit of a jet.  It’s such a small space and I’m tightly strapped in and secured down.  I was fine but shaken up both times.  It’s the safest vehicle the army has for the job I’m in.”

Who goes down the streets anyway besides the military? 
“The locals go through here every day.  It’s like driving down the 94 where the locals are going back and forth to work.  It’s traveled very heavily.  We are the targets, though.”

What is your work schedule and daily routine like?
“We work 24/7 and there’s no daily routine.  We could wake up at 2 in the morning, 9 in the morning—every day is different.”

How do you know what to do?  Who do you get your orders from and how is it communicated to you?
“The orders come from people who’ve been in the army a lot longer than me.  They get passed down from my superior.  It goes day by day.”

What do you do in your free time?  How do you do to entertain yourselves?  Can you leave the base? 
“There’s really no such thing as time-off.  But when we’re not on the road we have down time where we can relax.  During this time we work out, play cards, watch movies on our computers and listen to music.  There is also a phone and internet.  We’re not allowed to leave the base unless we’re in our vehicle looking for roadside bombs.  ” 

What about food?  Is it awful?  Is there any candy out there?
“The food varies from day to day.  It’s survivable—not a 5-course meal but not out of a dumpster either.  You can buy the typical convenient items at a small store for the soldiers.” 

Do you ever get bored?
“Picture taking a very long and slow walk down a road and you look at the ground the entire time for 6 to 14 hours at a time.  You might get complacent but at the same time your nervousness and fear keeps you awake and alert.”

Are you terrified at all times?
“Not the entire time.  When you go through the villages and see the little kids you know you’re safe there.  The enemy is out to win the hearts and minds of the locals so when we’re there we can loosen up a little and get back to reality.” 

What other troops from other countries do you see?  Do you interact?  Are you all doing the same thing?
“Every country that has an alliance with the U.S. is there.  We interact with them on a daily basis.  We eat with them, we shop with them.  We’re all there for the same reason and we’re all in the same area.”

What type of clothing do you wear out there?
“We wear army combat uniforms all day.  You get four of them and you just rotate them.  You can sleep in whatever you want.”

Have you made new friends?  Do you have any fun? 
“Everyone we work with is who we’re friends with.  Everyone gets along.  You have to have some fun, so you can keep your moral up.  You’ve got to find something to ease your mind.”

What do you miss most from here? 
“Family and friends.” 

Why did you enlist?
“For my daughter.  So she would be able to have an education and health care.  To live knowing that there are things set in place to take care of her.”

And finally, how does it feel to be in the army representing the United States?
“It’s a very proud feeling to be in the military.  Less than one percent of the U.S. population is in the armed forces and to be in that one percent is actually a really good feeling.  I’m extremely proud to serve my country.”

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