Oklahoma Airman Blogs About Struggle To Get Sleep In Afghanistan

Heather Bennett, News 9 Contributor
Oklahoma Airman Serving In Afghanistan

OKLAHOMA CITY – An Oklahoma Airman is sharing her wartime experiences through a blog while she serves in Afghanistan.

ENTRY #3:

What a fun week! The changing season is upon us, bringing sand storms with it. At one point, we were driving and couldn't see but ten feet in front of us. The sand has this crazy way of getting into your mouth, even when it's not open. Don't worry, I have Orbitz gum.

We were told that when the wind blows, the bombs don't drop. Not true! In the last week, there have been a handful of confirmed indirect fire (IDF) incidents, and it was super windy…even worse than those great Oklahoma winds. No worries though, no injuries.

Sleep - my favorite thing to do - when I can. For some reason, there is a two-hour window at work that I get hit hard by the sleep monster. He gets me good. We all find stuff to keep ourselves up until the end of shift. The greatest thing for me is Rip - it's a cheap, yet effective energy drink. Three in one night is my personal best. Once off of work, the epic choice comes: Try to make phone calls or hope for an Internet connection. Then change, shower, computer, and to bed.

Finally in bed, all nice and cozy in my sleeping bag and unwinding from the day, BOOOMMM!!! The dumpster outside gets slammed and scares the living daylights out of me! Now, I can't get to bed because my heart is racing. With all this going on, the greatest thing is my day off, which can only be five days away at the most. So, no matter how crappy sleep is, I'll get to sleep a good amount soon enough.

Sweet Dreams all, this is cutting in to my precious sleep!

Heather