Camp Phoenix Afghanistan

Camp Phoenix Afghanistan is located in Kabul. It is a United States military camp located near the Kabul Airport. The units at Camp Phoenix have the impossible task of training the Afghan National Army.

Camp Phoenix is receiving some of the benefits that service members at home enjoy. There is a full-size gym with an indoor basketball court, racquetball court, free weights, weight machines, treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and more. There is also a new gym under construction. Attached to the gym is an "MWR" (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) room with movies for checkout and ping pong and pool tables.

The Post Exchange has a line of items found in the US, offers the essentials for deployed troops- and non-essentials such as music, movies, video games, and souvenirs. But due to the logistical nightmare of getting things into Camp Phoenix, they will often be out of the stuff you need.

And the price may be high. That is just the way it is when trying to get stuff to the bases in Kabul. One person commented: “As long as you consider $300 dollar televisions as necessary equipment and personal hygiene non-essential, AAFES has everything you need. It is easy to get a new $200 dollar surround speaker system for your room. But please don’t count on them having things such as Socks, T-shirts, underwear, towels. Or anything anyone would actually consider necessary for daily life.”

The PX does the best it can. In addition to the PX, there are many local vendors offering a variety of cheap items. I would not buy anything made of gold from them.

The Dining Facility is run by a United States contractor and offers a large menu, including short order, weekly "surf and turf," daily "Mexican" or "pasta" bars, desserts, soda, Gatorade, and even ice cream. Located at the PX area are a Pizza Hut, Green Bean Coffee, Dairy Queen and Subway.

Also available are an MWR room with phones and computers for contacting home, near the DFAC; a library (free books for trade); a "movie room" with several couches and a big screen TV; and many other free services.

Like many other bases, Camp Phoenix Afghanistan has personal internet available in many of the housing areas through a commercial vendor. Prices in the spring of 2008 varied from $35/month to $100/month. Even the higher end internet is approximately equivalent to dial-up speeds within the U.S. and subject to frequent disconnections, but is capable of supporting online game play or an IP phone.

The $100 a month option will support streaming video or video chat through Skype or Yahoo fairly well, but with constant disconnects it is a challenge to keep the calls connected.

Camp Phoenix Afghanistan tries to make you feel like you are home instead of thousands of miles away from home but remember it is not home. Do your time. Do the best you can to make life better for those around you and those coming in. Then go home knowing you did the best you could. And if you do this, your time will go by quickly.

The weather in Kabul is in the 90's in the summertime. It does not get hot like Iraq and it cools down at night due to its altitude. However, there will be snow in the wintertime so come with some cold weather and rain gear.

I hope you enjoy your stay at Camp Phoenix.

Visit this website for a nice photo shoot of Camp Phoenix.

Thank you for your visit.

Go to Home Page from Camp Phoenix Afghanistan.

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