5 awesome perks of an Air Force Afghanistan deployment

Everyone knows the Air Force has some cushy accommodations and, as a result, they often get flack from the other branches. It's pretty obvious that most of these jokes stem from pure envy. Let's face it, the Air Force is the youngest of all the branches and they get the best that Mom and Dad have to offer, even on deployments.

That's what we call an Air Force MRE.

(Photo by Master Sergeant Christian Amezcua)

Surf and turf Fridays

In 2018, every Friday at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, the dining facility served surf and turf. It might not be the best quality steak or lobster, but who else gets steak and lobster on deployments!? Between steak and lobster dinners, the daily dishes are pretty up to par, taste-wise. There's definitely no carrot pound cake or chili mac being served in this chow hall. Okay, I lied — there is chili mac, but it doesn't resemble that sh*t found in MREs.

Everyone knows WiFi is essential to an Airman's way of life.

Photo by Chad Garland of Stars and Stripes)

Free WiFi in work areas

You heard that right: free WiFi in the work areas is the norm for Airmen in Afghanistan. There's WiFi provided by certain companies in sleeping quarters, but personnel pay upwards of .00 per month for access. To save some of that deployment bankroll, many Airmen spend a portion of their days off in or near their workplace to mooch off that sacred WiFi signal.

Is this why they call it the Chair Force?

(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joe Yanik)

Movie night

It's okay, laugh it up — but I bet forward operating bases' don't provide a makeshift movie theater with recliners where you can watch newly released films every Saturday and Sunday night. An Airman can watch a new movie that's currently out in theaters every single weekend of their deployment if they choose to do so. Services also provides free, all-you-can-eat popcorn!

Running can be fun, right?

(U.S. Air Force)

5K fun runs

There are 5K fun runs almost every month, held on the main boulevard at Bagram Air Base. You can choose to run in formation, run in your flack vest and helmet, or even walk! It's all about getting that exercise in and making the days a little less monotonous. All that Netflix binging on work WiFi can get tiresome. Woe is us.

Above, Kandahar Air Base Afghanistan where you can find a T.G.I. Fridays and KFC.

A taste of home

Tired of dining-facility surf and turf and instant coffee? Go to the on-base Green Beans Coffee, get a Chai Latte, and, while you're at it, stop by Pizza Hut next door and order a pepperoni pie. Sure, the pepperoni doesn't taste like pepperoni and kind of smells like fish, but beggars can't be choosers, right? If you want to pick up some new headphones or something to read while you sip on that Chai, the Bagram BX is stocked with all the amenities you'd find at home.

This post originally published on WATM in 2018. But we still feel the same way about the cushiness of Air Force Deployments.