American service members at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar are starting to feel the strain from their extraordinary efforts in the mass evacuation from Afghanistan, prompting comrades elsewhere in U.S. Central Command to assist in the airlifts.
Social media posts provided a glimpse of the toll the operation is taking on service members, civilian personnel and contractors processing the thousands arriving in Qatar.
“Been doing this 12-16 (hours), no days off since the s--t hit the fan,” one Facebook user wrote on a page for Al Udeid residents. “Now I love the fact I’m helping people and I wouldn’t know what to do if I was in (their) shoes, but I just want some real rest ... cause I’m shutting down slowly. ... I’m mf TIRED ok.”
The U.S. evacuated over 10,000 people in one 24-hour period earlier this week, the military said Monday. Cargo jets were being loaded with 400 to 450 passengers at a time.
One base resident had worked 22-hour days for three days straight, he told Stars and Stripes by text message Monday. That includes 10 hours a day volunteering.
Some 10th Mountain Division soldiers who deployed on short notice from Fort Polk, La., over the weekend were put straight to work after arriving at 4 a.m., said the resident, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
There are not enough translators, and ice to keep water cool was running low as evacuees were arriving to 120-degree temperatures, he said.
“We (are) going through a lot of water...
Read Full Story: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2021-08-24/centcom-troops-running-fumes-afghan-evacuation-2655027.html
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