Would be funny if not true.

J B "Wow Seattle is so bad people are leaving for Afghanistan. His leaving Seattle occurred in 2010.

@@focusedeye and 2010 Seattle makes 2020 Seattle look like Disneyland

Currently living in Seattle, it's pretty nice, sun's out, went and got some coffee and walked the dog. I did see someone jaywalk, what an anarchist hellhole......

@@dj007j6 have you ever been to seattle?

except he trafficked himself

@@SevenCostanza lmao

@@SevenCostanza then i guess so did all the people escaping north korea and china. loony ass comment

@@jacobreuter people escaping north korea isnt human trafficking

@@SevenCostanza please go learn more about human trafficking before forming such a stupid statement. Usually the ONLY way out of North Korea is through organized crime and you owe them a debt for getting you out. Again, Google isn’t hard to operate. Learn a thing or two first.

Clearly, poor choices were made.

@@FallofftheMap lol

I'm sure a high pay rate and thinking you're going on an adventure with security being promised is probably alluring to most people. Especially during a global recession...

If people are dumb enough to seek this type of employment then they deserve what they get

Pazazi Morano ouch

I’d be ok with John Travolta. You know that GIF where he’s looking around all confused. That pretty much sums up my experience.

@@FallofftheMap If you cast Tom Hanks with his lame 'southern gentleman' accent, I'll give you a thumbs-down!

Got to be Matt Damon surely..

@@FallofftheMap: Travolta would be perfect for the part, except on Thursday night. :)

i was picturing Danny DeVito

Yes and no. Had some pretty sketchy moments with the new company too. That video should be coming soon if I ever get off my butt and record it.

And good women to keep those good men on the straight and narrow.

Scott Ashe definitely showing your comment to my wife when she wakes up. :)

@Philip Dennis msg me I want to work there

😂 it’s like an ocean front property in Ohio.

@@parabellum1002 well if you wanna stretch it a lil there is ocean front ohio. Ohio is on lake Erie, lake erie flows into lake Ontario, lake Ontario flows into the st Lawrence river, the st Lawrence river flows into the gulf of st Lawrence, the gulf of st Lawrence GOES INTO THE OCEAN

You ever been to afghanistan?

@@mp40submachinegun81 ah, like the Put In Bay Area! I actually forgot all about that and I’ve been there. It was loads of fun and brought back a good memory (thank you!) I see the logic there. We had to ferry over because it’s not connected to land but I agree it’s a stretch to call it ocean front as it’s still fresh water and would take extraordinary effort navigating through some pretty tiny canals going all the way up into Quebec to get to the Atlantic, but touché!

@JOE BLOW FROM COCOMO you get it.

Make Asylums Great Again • 10 years ago I’m really curious about your clever KZfaq name.

Also, how did you get this comment to look like it was made 10 years ago?

@@FallofftheMap It’s part of his user name

@@FallofftheMap the whole thing is username

Most security companies that like their worker make it hard to split off if they need you. Not this bad though. Give you more hours but ruin references usually. Douches

Don't stop for a second and think life's ever fair, it might end.

@@ohemge12 Wise man.

What were their names?

Thank you for your service.

yup that stretch of road that goes by the main gate of shank is where i saw the most lucky afghan. his truck got shot to hell i mean holes every where on the cab except for the shape his seating. even the military vehicle he was hauling got hit by a RPG. when we got up to his truck he was still seating still in shock of what happened.

Butch? I thought he said Dutch, guy with a thick Austrian accent. Last time he saw him, he was yelling “ I’m getting on that choppa”.

@@Owledg Arthur Morgan knows not to work for Dutch.

I worked for a guy named Butch. Never trust a Butch

Ha true, tho I seriously doubt that was his real name... someone who's fake name is Butch is probably worse than a guy actually named Butch

Butch is just a name used by people who are "juniors", like Jack is just a nickname for John.

That’s damn right

God bless you guys 😢 🙏 ❤️

So what happened in Vietnam then?

@@chrystalblu8631 Nixon.

Honestly, I’m totally surprised KZfaq has picked this up and run with it. I’ll take it, but I sure wasn’t expecting it.

@@FallofftheMap I guesse its because the story is so interesting, people watch it till the end, so the algorithm picked it. In any case, great story!

Some nerd is probably going to share it to Reddit and it'll blow up

when you can make a years salary in a few months, that money looks awfully appetizing

Then again you probably never had aspirations to be a YT Star based on your bull shit stories either.

@@jdenmark1287 how is his story BS? Are you that employer or something? Lol

@@NASkeywest haha no, having spent time in Afghanistan among other places like it, and then hearing this story just doesn’t add up. I’m not saying he didn’t go there, it’s just not that scary or difficult to deal with. I think he is more interested in the story even if he has to Brian Williams it.

J Denmark I’m guessing you weren’t outside the wire as a civilian.

Indeed.

Hell Yea.

Once a crazy ex-Marine, always a crazy ex-Marine. ;)

@@GM4ThePeople those crayons arent going to eat themselves

Happy BDay To USMC

Thanks Victor. It’s a relief telling the story, especially to an audience that has a few people that were out there and really understand.

Yeah, I’ve talked to another guy that ran from his employer and ended walking across Kabul alone. There’s definitely no safety net if you choose to walk this particular tightrope.

@@FallofftheMap Maybe you should do a tutorial because there a lot of Americans who want to do what you do for a few years and a upload on what to watch out for would be good. I'm retired Army myself but after this war of wars, I wanted to go home and only travel with my new wife when we could. I like it stateside. Lol... We actually met overseas when she worked for 60 Minutes

John Condon yeah, that was exactly what was going through my head during the weird police stop.

Yup

You can’t just drop a hint about your story and not elaborate. Do tell.

Yeah, this story is not indicative of most of the contracting work out there. Glad your friend is on a good contract.

Have you heard of Vectrus? If so, are they a good contracting company?

Norma Reams I’ve worked around them and with some people that had previously worked for them. I would say opinions are mixed. I’d certainly be willing to give them a try, but I’ll try anything once.

That’s awesome. I’ve stood in some of the same places as you, Herat and Chicken Street... it’s very different country now. I wish I could have seen the Afghanistan you experienced. My Afghanistan had IEDs going off on chicken street several times a year and taliban controlling the countryside around Herat. Funny you mention overlanding. I just bought an old 91 Hilux that I’m setting up as my South American overlander.

Have you published the photos anywhere?

Please we would like to see these historic photos before the war

Derek Miller I second this. I would love to see the photos. Do you have them uploaded to a site you can link or can you put them up on something like imgur and share the link here?

When you go, listen to the old guys, Don't act like you know every thing, I saw that type, They didn't stay long..

@@oldguy7528 most definitely will do that.I want to learn as much as possible

Where area are you going

Thanks, that’s high praise. Man, I don’t know if I’d be excited or terrified to go on Joe’s show.

@@FallofftheMap So I put you as a link on Joes page. Click on it. It was kinda funny what commercial came up.

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gJxomrChntS6dWQ.html

@@FallofftheMap terrified he may bum you

Buck Buchanan I’m sorry if you didn’t enjoy it. Edit: that’s for the edit. Good to know you enjoyed it.

I’ve always had this weird dumb luck thing going on. Really, I should probably be dead several times over by now.

Thanks. Yeah, I don’t know if it was God or just dumb luck. Either way, I’m very grateful I didn’t end up in some Taliban beheading video.

@@FallofftheMap Amazing story indeed. It is rare to hear about the stuff that is going on in Afghanistan form that time that isn't military related. Did your new employer (the ex marines) also shared your view that you would have been kidnapped at that checkpoint if not the convoy?

We're glad you didn't end up in one too ! Great stories keep em coming

@@FallofftheMap don’t believe in dumb luck to that extreme. Dumb luck is winning $30 on a lottery ticket

Just as its an act of god there is war there and children being wiped out on the daily. Smh it was an act of good timing.

@@northpointaxe6167 The guy sort of reminds me of my uncle when he came off the plane from Vietnam.

He is in Ecuador

Thanks, all these positive comments are making think I might just be half decent at this story telling thing.

@@FallofftheMap Your content just flows really well. Very easy to digest and to picture everything in my mind. Reminds me of another KZfaq I listen to a lot @MrBallen, an ex Navy SEAL, who is also fantastic at telling stories. Set the scene, speaks clear, trims the fat, solid structure (beginning, middle and end)

Always trust your gut.

I was half talked into Chad, luckily the Canadian government has enough travel advisory to talk my broke ass out of it

My dad was a truck driver in Iraq for 5 years. He has some CRAZY stories.

Yeah, I actually went back 3 times, but once I was living and working on base it was relatively safe. Thanks for your feedback. I don’t know if I have any stories to top this one.

Dude I've seen that craziness 1st hand. Search the book: "Crisis in Cambodia: The Backpacker Kidnap & the Fall of the Khmer Rouge". Happened in 1994. I was working as a professional diver in Thailand at the time this happened. I had some friends who were working in Cambodia - members of the UN's UNTAC program - EOD landmine removal etc. - I told them of my bucket list item of visiting Angkor Wat before leaving SE Asia. They said, "..now's not a good time. The Khmer Rouge just RPG'd a minivan of tourists up there." They went on waxing in astonishment at all the naive, oblivious backpackers everywhere over there. Traipsing blissfully around, it seemed, at least 1 in 4 with Caucasian dreadlocks, beads, bandanas, natural fiber everything mixed with North Face gear - channeling the "idyllic" 1960's they weren't around to know anything about. The comic posing has always perplexed me. Anyway I had agreed with my UN pals considering this same neo-hippie crowd was (& still is) all over Thailand as well. Even in "relatively safe" Thailand they seemed to constantly stumble into sketchy situations like lemmings. You can read all the Siddhartha & Kerouac you want- ...Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes. The Thai Mafia threatened to kill me and I was doing everything right with 20 years of 3rd World experience! But that's another story. Funny, these idiots would've likely balked at the odds in Las Vegas, but thought nothing of getting high on the roof of a previously shot-up train chugging toward the Elephant Mountains, straight into the hands of the Khmer Rouge.

I’d agree that there is a willful ignorance about many of the hippie backpacker crowd. On the other hand, I’ve done my share of backpacking in dangerous places and had a few close calls. Not everyone who travels like this does so out of ignorance. Sometimes is a certain stubbornness. A few years ago I took a motor-canoe into the mangrove swamps that separate Ecuador and Colombia. I knew it was a dangerous area that was controlled more by the narcos than either the Colombian or Ecuadorian government. In the little communities on the islands in the mangrove swamps there was FARC graffiti. I kept my head on a swivel and I didn’t stay after dark. I took a risk because I had something inside me that compelled me to see and try to understand the area first hand. I know other people will hear this and interpret my actions as stupidity just as they sometimes misinterpret the actions of other travelers that go dangerous places. And yes, sometimes it is a combination of naivety and stupidity, but not always. Sometimes people travel to these places knowing how dangerous it is, but driven by something that other people just don’t understand or identify with.

@@FallofftheMap Thanks for your response. I wholeheartedly agree. I regret not clarifying that the perspective I chose to write leaned heavily on stereotype. Intent was to get to the point. Every adventure has elements of risk - anything from the dark comedy & minor frustration of being ripped off by a cabbie to getting yourself killed. When I lived in Koh Samui I'd befriended a Dutch couple, newlyweds, who were not the granola type. Clean cut, sundress & polo short. Over dinner upon their return from Chiang Mai up North they told me of a strange overnight Elephant Tour they experienced. They said while heading up the Mekong at night their "guides" made them lay down in the hull of the wooden "long tail" boat & covered them with a tarp. When they emerged one of the crew was sporting an AK they hadn't seen when they boarded. They later realized as well, their "elephant tour" (which went just fine apparently) - though escorted by more AK's - seemed to be on the Burmese side! I was astonished. I explained they most likely had booked a "tour" with some of Kuhn Sa's rebels of Golden Triangle fame. These guys were probably just making some extra money on the side. Whoa but that could've turned South in a hurry! I've lost count how many times I've advised novice travelers I meet "out there"., "..just be aware this is not your backyard, While paranoia can ruin a fun trip, many things are not what they seem." Granted we enjoy & thrive on the wonderful people we meet. I lived with a fishing village family for three months while building a boat - way off the tourist path. Salt of the Earth they were. I was treated as a brother! But as you said, "keep your head on a swivel" when sketchy situations arise. I'll suggest that's a sliding scale in places where locals look at you knowing the cost of your airfare is more than their average annual household income. Also had a well traveled French artist friend who went up to the Triangle, rented an Enduro bike & bribed a border guard to let him toodle across the border. Cruising down the road thru the jungle about 2 km in a rifle round snapped past his head. That was enough to turn him around & high tail it back. This example is what I mean by even dicey things are not what they seem sometimes. Not well thought out. A traveler who feels bold enough to take calculated risks might be thinking, "...well there's a chance I could get robbed.. - I'll chalk it up as part of the thrill.", etc., having not considered there are places where highwaymen find it more convenient & less risky to just anonymously shoot you dead & take your things. I grew up right on the Mexican border. There's an element of this there now I never felt before. Certain areas which bring that feeling like you had in the mangroves. Fleeting feelings I had on watch in the early 1980's on auto pilot at night in the Bahamas armed to the teeth. Where Miami Vice was real! Be safe my friend. Cheers & Aloha.

Thanks. People keep telling me I need to go on JRE. Maybe one do I’ll get to.

Derek J. Yeah, over the years I’ve collected a couple stories from other folks that made the mistake of working for Afghan companies. One guy was just a hot head. He flipped out because the Afghans insisted on ignoring him and building everything their own way. He literally threw down his tools and walked out the gate at a base in Kabul. Once he got out to the street he realized he’d probably made a big mistake. This poor guy walked alone across Kabul to another base and cried at the gate until they rescued him. There was a badass lady who was both an electrician and an electrical engineer. She was doing alright traveling around Afghanistan hiding by dressing like a local woman. We were Facebook friends until one day she just went silent. I never found out what happened to her.

@@FallofftheMap Wow, definitely some crazy stuff! Hope that lady is alright. Couple of PSS/ security contractors i knew of got kidnapped in Baghdad couple years back, never heard what happened to a couple of them, a couple others were released/ rescued after a month but not before they were horribly abused/ tortured. Ain't a high risk job for nothing. Definitely got to be hypervigilant outside the green zone.

@@DJTheMetalheadMercenary How they were abused/tortured?

From all I've read really awful stuff goes on - young boys sold in the open to Muslim authorities..if this was in 2010 - yep, that makes sense.

@@Mike-yy4ll There's articles out there on their situation, I'm not going to get into that for obvious reasons.

Awesome. Where are you? I’m currently riding out the pandemic in Ecuador working on building an overlanding rig out of an old Hilux for my next series of videos.

@@FallofftheMap I am in Ensenada, Mexico (originally I am from Southern california.. ive been here in Mexico since March of this year), and im looking for a job online overseas. As of right now nothing has materialized yet, but im keeping my hopes up because I too do not want to be stuck in the US. I don't have education in a skilled trade (I completed upper level university for counseling psychology, and I worked as a substitute teacher for many years), so I feel like I have that going against me, but after pondering some things from your other video ("How to get a job overseas from afghan to Antarctica") ill just continue casting the net, maybe a little bit wider in other regions... thanks for the reply.

If you haven’t already, look into the digital nomad communities on FB. You could definitely get an online gig either in your field or as a teacher.

Hi Nick. I’m glad to hear you got out there ok and are still in the game. It’s tough times with so many base closures happening. I’m about to ship back out, this time to Niger. Well, I’ll be shipping out if I can get through this damn fit for duty. Lots of bureaucracy at the moment. Of course if I don’t make it through I’ll just go back to living in paradise in Ecuador, poor me. I do always try to get that money while I can though. Maybe we’ll see each other down the road somewhere. Till then, stay safe.

@@FallofftheMap you too brother I wish you luck! Actually I got sent home just after this comment! Oh well maybe Iraq will have me... but first beer & sunshine!

Thanks man. I’m really happy so many people are responding positively to it. I wasn’t expecting such a great response to a 17 minute video of me just telling one of my old stories.

You’re welcome. Thanks for watching.

In the early years this was common. Eventually pay went down and the electricians were expected to actually do the work they were hired to do rather than just sit and watch. When I started contracting in 2010 most electricians were making around 120k but there were still quite a few guys that thought their job was to watch Indians work. By 2019 almost all the lazy assholes had been weeded out and the average pay was about 100k.

I was there too bro. After the invasion civilian contractors were making a killing.

Why you say that, the dudes from the MOB dont have electrical experience?

Glad you made it home. 10 years is a damn long time to hang in there. I did a total of five years on 3 different contracts. Left for Ecuador on R&R last March... couldn’t return because of Covid so now I’m just enjoying hanging out in Ecuador.

You are a good story teller! I want more!

You're convinced he isn't?

@@randomragequits6597 I mean...a physically fit, electronically inclined military aged male with Ant Man's "dude, you can trust me, I'm no one special" facial expressions and demeanor....all while being able to talk himself into military bases? He's either a skilled spy or literally just blue collar.

A foreigner walking around in a war zone and doesn't care about the poor living standards. I one entertained someone like that and had the poop beaten out of me by my country secret police who suspected they were spies.

@@africaart Damn which country you’re from?

There will be more. Inspired by the awesome feedback on this video I just recorded the story about my worst day in Afghanistan. 08-07-2012 at Shank. The day of the shit bomb.

Well, this was many years ago. Now my routine is something like: wake up and get the kids into their online classes. Make breakfast. Walk to the vegetable market. Maybe drive to the grocery store in Quito. Driving is the only Nely exciting part of my day because my US license in no longer valid here in Ecuador so I have to dodge the many police checkpoints. Been waiting forever for the Colombian border to open so I can do a border run and her another 6 months legal on my US license.

At the moment I’m stuck in Otavalo, Ecuador. Axle broke on my truck while driving over a mountain pass on Saturday so I’m stuck here waiting for parts. Getting ready for another adventure overlanding in South America.

That's exactly what it is. A script. Its BS.