Christmas decorations in the bhut

I sent Mat a tree and decorations for it and his room. He made it feel a little more like christmas there. He said that it is nice to have some color to his room. Although they do not like them to have Christmas lights up. Its practically forbidden. Its is a fire hazard. if they started a fire the whole bhut would be up in flames in a matter of 3 minutes. then

all of the men would be sleeping out in the cold under the stars. I can only imagine what would happen the the man who burnt down the bhut. Mat says Merry Christmas to all.

Thanksgiving Dinner

This was Mats Thanksgiving Dinner. If you wanted to you would have to be there early. The lines were very long and you could wait an hour or two just to get dinner. They served Lunch and dinner for all. Mat said it was a good dinner but nothing like being home with family on Thanksgiving. And it makes him realize there is much more then he ever imagined to be thankful for.

caught red handed

This is the sign of the friends Mat lost in the plane crash. They were called 'caught red handed'

Not Mat's plane but his friends

Americans' bodies recovered after plane crash in Afghanistan
October 27, 2009 5:22 p.m. EDT
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
3 contractors killed when plane went down in mountains of Nuristan province
Plane, a C-12, crashed October 13; crew worked for Lockheed Martin
Cause of crash not yet clear, but it is not thought to be enemy action
Crew of copter sent to recover remains had to be rescued after hard landing
RELATED TOPICS
Afghanistan
Nuristan Province
Lockheed Martin Corporation
International Security Assistance Force
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The bodies of three American contractors who died in a plane crash in Afghanistan earlier this month have been recovered, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Tuesday.
The C-12 plane went down in the mountains of Nuristan province October 13, but the military withheld information about it until the recovery operation was complete, ISAF said in a statement.
The crew were subcontractors working for Lockheed Martin, the company confirmed.
A spokesman named two of them as Jeff Lehner, a former Air Force member working for Sierra Nevada, and Randolph Bergquist, a former Marine working for Avenge. They are not releasing the third name at the family's request. Thomas Casey of Lockheed Martin confirmed the third victim was the co-pilot and also worked for Avenge.
The cause of the crash that killed them is not yet clear, but it is not thought to be enemy action, ISAF said.
A helicopter sent to recover the remains October 17 itself made "a hard landing" that required the crew to be rescued, ISAF said.
The helicopter was stripped of sensitive parts Wednesday and destroyed in place Sunday, ISAF said.

Mucharem comes from Russia. There are many nationalities out there helping fight this war.

Manny from India. Mat

is very friendly and makes friends easily.

New friends

Alfanso, Max, Chova, from Mosambique, and Bosnia.

Mat is having fun with his new friends, and loving learning the different languages.