Waiting Game

As troops deploy into Kandahar at a frantic pace, aircraft are in constant motion and flight delays often stretch out for days.

While waiting for the first leg of their flight from Forward Operating Base Ramrod back to the United States on July 7, Staff Sgt. Sang Lee (left) and Staff Sgt. Daniel Rabidou play cards. Their unit, part of 2nd Infantry Division, has been in Kandahar Province for over a year and is redeploying to their home station in Fort Lewis, Washington. The area formerly controlled by about 700 soldiers will now be controlled by a brigade, which has about 4,000 soldiers. Lee, Rabidou, and the rest of their unit waited with their gear for four hours before being told that all flights had been canceled. The unit got out the next afternoon, after a six hour wait in the blazing sun.