tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22105990299402182362024-02-19T07:23:20.861-08:00Exit StrategyExit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-1327673186719817902013-09-01T22:22:00.000-07:002016-01-03T20:26:41.629-08:00Month 13 Day 1<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">This morning was approximately as fun as a heart attack. I
took all<br />
of my bags over to get scanned along with the rest of the guys from<br />
the RCT. When they put one of my big bags on the Robert Burns they said
that<br />
they saw a round under one of the armor plates that go in my vest.<br />
The colonel had just promised to use non-judicial punishment to<br />
restrict anyone’s leave and generally make anyone’s life harder if<br />
they were found with a round. I thought it was bullshit, and that<br />
remains to be seen, but I was like, oh shit.<br />
<br />
They tore apart my bag and couldn’t find this round. Then they put my<br />
stuff on the conveyer and came back. When the guy came back I asked<br />
him<br />
“Where was it.”<br />
“I’m not sure, I did not find it with the scanner, but it was rolling<br />
around on the ground by the scanner.”<br />
<br />
Awesome, so they tore apart my gear because there was a round on the<br />
Robert Burns but not in my gear. I put my shit back together and headed
out.<br />
<br />
I pounded four melatonin and slept through the day until 8PM. I woke<br />
up, had a shower, chow, I was feeling great, mostly because I was<br />
going home. Then we had to march out to the search facility again<br />
with all of our carry-on luggage at 10:30. We did the same stupid<br />
procedure as this morning and were informed that we were going to have<br />
even more stringent search criterion on us than in a regular airport.<br />
I threw out my shave gel and squired a bunch into a plastic bag so I<br />
could meet Suzan clean-shaven. We’ll see if that works. This is
more<br />
than a little bit stupid because I have my rifle and pistol on me. We<br />
all get through the search facility and then march all of the way back<br />
across the base to another holding facility. We are told if any of us<br />
get out of line we will have broken quarantine and will al have to go<br />
through the process again. Then when we get to our destination or<br />
guards all bug out and leave us standing in the middle of base. What<br />
the hell was the point?<br />
<br />
So I’m sitting here waiting to board my flight that leaves at 04:20 in<br />
the morning. I have been prepping for the move since 08:30 this<br />
morning. The efficiency of this is just amazing. The really stupid<br />
part is that the whole point of this base is to do just what we are<br />
doing, transit to and from America. The way the USAF has set this<br />
place up you’d think that is the secondary goal and that the real<br />
point is to live in giant sheet-metal buildings with air conditioners,<br />
drink beer at night, and stuff your face during the day. They don’t<br />
even maintain the base themselves. They’ve got contractors in the Chow<br />
hall, picking up trash, and dummies in the guard posts. We did see<br />
USAF personnel working on trash pickup, one guy rode around with the<br />
contractor and watched him work, they also supervised the chow hall<br />
contractors. The Army did all of the searching. The USAF did weigh<br />
us before we got on the plane. They are really in-the-shit to be<br />
getting their combat pay.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-71636951783572950632013-08-31T22:20:00.000-07:002016-01-05T00:29:21.815-08:00Month 12 Day 31<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The days are all starting to run together. It is getting all messed
up<br />
because I am sleeping during the days and working during the night.<br />
<br />
At midnight. I was awake and had midnight rations at the chow hall.<br />
After I whad finished I came out and spoke to Brian, he was sitting<br />
alone on a picnic table. He reasoned that there was no point in being<br />
in a country with good weather if one did not actually go out and<br />
spend time in it. I can see his point.<br />
<br />
We had a good conversation for over an hour. WE talked about a lot of<br />
things Calvinism, determinism, the extent to which someone can really<br />
be culpable for their actions if we live in a determinisc universe.<br />
This came about because we were again talking about how Brawny<br />
specifically but everyone else to a lesser degree is still offended at<br />
me calling them a bunch of pussies. We talked again about how guys<br />
are just not willing to put the country or what is right ahead of<br />
their careers. We talked about how Brian could stay in for two more<br />
years and bilk the system without fear of deploying, but he has chosen<br />
not to.<br />
<br />
Again we came back to the question that still plagues me. It has<br />
appeared in different forms, but it it always something like this. Is<br />
doing the ‘wrong’ thing in a system that is wrong really the wrong<br />
thing (The specific instantiation was me calling the other guys out as<br />
cowards for not putting what was right ahead of their careers when it<br />
had no effect other than to piss them off, and diminished our cohesion<br />
for the last couple of weeks). As a matter of fact, I would say no,<br />
there was nothing wrong with the Montgomery bus boycotts, nor the sit<br />
ins in the 1960s, they were doing the right thing in a system that was<br />
wrong. Here is the problem. If you always act like that, then you<br />
will probably be screwed. The saints among us don’t produce anything<br />
that society thinks is worthwhile, they might live piously, always be<br />
forgiving and always be generous, but they rarly make an impact. If<br />
you want to have an impact you need to be able to play the game long<br />
enough to be in a position to make an impact. For instance, when the<br />
congressmen and sentors came and we did the dog and pony show, I could<br />
have continued up the chain and talked to Col Schmitt, and then up<br />
from there if they would allow it, bI could have written my<br />
congressman, whatever. I didn’t do that. I brought it up with my<br />
superior two levels up and that was as far as I went. Was that right?<br />
How do you choose your ‘ditch to die in’ when should you stop<br />
pushing a moral position. If you don’t think that it will have any<br />
effect should you just keep your mouth shut, and choose to fight a<br />
battle you can win? Does acquiescence prolong a system that is broken<br />
and create a system in whith others need to bide their time as well<br />
because ‘that is just the way things are done.’ If all men were<br />
angels there would be no need for government but men are not angels<br />
and often bad things like war need to be done for the sake of the<br />
group or the sake of mankind. I don’t know what the answer is. Are<br />
Kantians in the end just group utilitarians, if so, at what point does<br />
the sacrifice of a few justify the death or removal of liberte of a<br />
few for the sake of a group, my just tells me never, but it seems to<br />
be internally consistent with a philosophy that allws you to make<br />
morally correct decisions based on their effect. I just don’t know.<br />
When should doing what is right be calculated for effect? What if you<br />
risk the potential to do a lot of right in the long run by throwing<br />
your hat in the ring on a morale issue in the short run?<br />
<br />
I came back and worked on my book proposal for a while.<br />
<br />
I wrote a bunch of lude messages to Suzan about my arrival home which<br />
probably inhibited her workday, but they made me smile.<br />
<br />
I took two Melatonin in the morning and crashed until 1600.<br />
<br />
I got up, went to chow, spoke with Bobby Brumfield, he was bithching<br />
about the ANP. He said<br />
“you know every one of those chiefs wwas just like shrugging their<br />
shoulders about what they will do if the Taliban come back. One at<br />
least said he would go to Pakistan, the others are like, I don’t know<br />
who I’ll side with.”<br />
<br />
I went to the gym and now I’m typing this, looking forward to a shower<br />
and midnight rations again.<br />
<br />
Oh I found out the English/Spanish name of the program they like<br />
watching so much on Tolo TV. Its simply called Daniela, staring<br />
Litzy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-47073292742007282302013-08-30T22:17:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:39:14.314-08:00Month 12 Day 30<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We
touched down in Manas, and as I got off the plane I didn’t<br />
instantly start to sweat. As I inhaled I remembered the feeling I had<br />
when I touched down in Parris Island in 2003. It was like breathing<br />
liquid. The air didn’t smell like the dead air out of a hair-dryer,<br />
you could smell life in it. This is a ‘Stan no doubt, but I felt like<br />
I stepped into the apogee of civilization.<br />
<br />
We were trundled into busses and then into a briefing tent where we<br />
were repeatedly admonished by an obese Airman-First class not to take<br />
our rifles of pistols anywhere we went, not to the linen facility, not<br />
to the smoke pit, and not to the gym, just lock them up and put a<br />
guard on them (though we were also advised that females could not<br />
guard male’s weapons in their ‘dorms’ as the USAF calls them). A few<br />
of the Marines even tried to use the restroom down one of the halls<br />
and were reprimanded by Air Force personnel. What a different world.<br />
We had a brief from a US Army sergeant in workout gear about customs<br />
and were told “when in doubt throw it out” and that our bayonets would<br />
be confiscated if we put them in our carry-ons, though our rifles and<br />
pistols were somehow fine. We were told that this was a salute-base,<br />
but that transient personnel were not allowed off base because of the<br />
threat from locals (though the permanent personnel go out in town in<br />
civilian clothes routinely). Incongruously, the US Air Force<br />
considers this a combat zone and all the pay accrued while here is<br />
non-taxable and they get all of the same benefits we did in<br />
Afghanistan. Most stupidly, we were briefed about the alcohol on<br />
base, every other service branch gets to have a beer on the way home,<br />
but not the USMC, the guys who really need a drink. It’s a different<br />
war.<br />
<br />
We took our gear out, put it in big boxes for customs, and went to<br />
chow, it was now 0500.<br />
<br />
After chow I stayed awake for a while. I wanted to get back onto<br />
California time. I didn’t got to sleep until 0700, I took a bunch
of<br />
Melatonin. Woke around midday, took some more and slept until 1500.<br />
<br />
I went to the gym. On the way I slipped out a side gate onto a<br />
running path that had a view of the mountains which was constantly<br />
patrolled by USAF personnel. The gym was packed and circadian rhythm<br />
was all screwed up, so my workout sucked.<br />
<br />
I came back and had some chow in the chow hall with the veritable<br />
mountain of chocolate (I took a picture), and now I’m back catching up<br />
on E-mails and writing this.<br />
<br />
I am going to try to pull an all-nighter and keep trying to get back<br />
on CA time.<br />
<br />
We’ll see.</span>Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-42815273984292505902013-08-29T22:16:00.000-07:002016-01-03T20:16:11.289-08:00Month 12 Day 29<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Our
last day on Dwyer. I woke up really early because all I had with<br />
me was my poncho liner and I froze just laying on my bed. I had a<br />
0300 wakeup vs my 0400, but that was after about an hour of shivering.<br />
Some of the other guys had the same problem. They said that they<br />
roused themselves and went to the restroom merely because they were<br />
cold.<br />
<br />
I used the gym and the MWR before anyone else woke up. While in<br />
between sets I worked on my admissions essays for Yale and Columbia.<br />
<br />
When I came back the tent was alive. Everyone had to get up to be<br />
ready to pack their bags into an ISO container.<br />
<br />
I went to breakfast and had a conversation with Josh and Maj Davidson<br />
about Brawny. Josh said “he has a list of preferences because of<br />
what he has been exposed to. He doesn’t really know why he likes any<br />
of those things, he merely does.”<br />
I said “He’s like a ribosome, he just faithfully replicates the DNA<br />
that he is supposed to, he doesn’t have to know why, he just acts.<br />
Society needs lots of guys like that, not everyone can question the<br />
paradigm, the bulk of people need to replicate similar DNA patterns<br />
and will be ideally suited to the world as it is, not the world as it<br />
might be.”<br />
“Right, not everyone can think about the reason for everything that<br />
they do in life. I agree with GK Chesterton, Dogma has a purpose.<br />
What is frustrating about Brawny is that he tries to replicate his<br />
preferences in everyone else and doesn’t realize that all he has are<br />
preferences, not real thought, and that when you try to engage with<br />
him about why he believes what he believes, he gets angry. There may<br />
be hope though, he did say once that ‘maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on<br />
the Muslims, they believe just as much as I do.’”<br />
Maj Davidson came in with a few comments and Josh then piped up again.<br />
“It has been interesting to live in a tent with Chris and Doug all<br />
year, you can’t get more polar opposites. It’s an interesting social<br />
experiment.”<br />
“The only interesting social experiment in my sent is trying to figure<br />
out which of the Bash Brothers stink today.” Maj Davidson groaned.<br />
<br />
We ambled back to our tent and drug out expeditionary wheely bags to<br />
the ISO. Not even half of the company took up a full semi’s worth of<br />
space. In all it totaled 5 10x10 aluminum pallets stacked 10 feet<br />
tall.<br />
<br />
I came back and set to work on my essays and watched a TED. That<br />
worked for a while, then I passed out for about two hours at midday.<br />
<br />
I went to lunch and met up with the CISE Marines in the chow hall,<br />
they asked me some questions about the ANA. I gave them the answer<br />
that I knew, but it seemed odd that they were asking me. Somehow it<br />
felt like they should have been asking someone else. My instant<br />
mental response was ‘this is no longer my job.’ Steve did something<br />
similar. I gave one of the CISE linguists a Dari greeting, and he said<br />
“leave it here.” It’s odd, something we worked so hard on for a year<br />
everyone is eager to forget and leave behind. I wonder if this is<br />
because we all saw the whole experience so negatively. So maybe this<br />
is how the brand new war starts. The guys who fail and come back<br />
don’t want to talk about it, don’t want to think about it, they just<br />
want to move on and do something else. Maybe this is why no one knows<br />
anything when they get here. Not just because guys like me are denied<br />
the opportunity to train the incoming teams, but also because those<br />
who have the corporate knowledge just don’t want to talk about it. I<br />
think I have proof of this. I know damn near everyone who<br />
participated in the “march up”—invasion of Iraq, but even if I know<br />
that others were once on an embedded training team, I have no idea<br />
what they actually did.<br />
<br />
I worked out a second time in the afternoon, ripped the nametapes off<br />
of my worn-through cammies and put them in the uniform disposal bin.<br />
I put on the cardboard camouflage that I will wear when I march back<br />
to see my wife.<br />
<br />
In true Marine Corps fashion we showed up at the AADCG (Aircraft,<br />
arrival, departure, control group) or as everyone else in the world<br />
calls it, an airport. We were lucky, this wasn’t like Qandahar where<br />
we showed up half-a-day prior to the flight, we only came six hours<br />
early.<br />
<br />
I quickly hogged one of the few power outlets in the building and<br />
again shaped my grad school essays.<br />
<br />
Gunny has been more involved in the past few days. He was actively<br />
involved in passing word about when and where we needed to be, but it<br />
started before that. When the new guys showed up he was out there<br />
with us on our walkabout, and he had a comment at every turn. Capt<br />
Nowak mocked him for this and Gunny replied that he got most of his<br />
information about the camp from Facebook posts that he read. None of<br />
that was odd, the Gunny deflecting with humor and Capt Nowak taking<br />
personal offense that his once-confidant didn’t do any work with the<br />
Afghans during his year in Afghanistan. What was striking was the<br />
LtCol’s reaction. He used to actively solicit the GySgt’s opinion on<br />
all kinds of matters, treat him like commanders treat their senior<br />
enlisted men. These requests for comment tapered off after it became<br />
clear that the Gunny was not doing anything to advance the cause, yet<br />
as soon as the Gunny started getting actively involved again, speaking<br />
up on our tour for instance, the LtCol went back to openly asking for<br />
his comments in front of the new group of Marines.<br />
<br />
Two things are striking about this.<br />
First, why the Gunny gave a shit in the first place. I think I see<br />
why. The Gunny is the master of the weak tie. He makes great short<br />
impressions on everyone, he comes across as effusive, engaging and<br />
entertaining. Most of the time this is over-the-top and it is easy to<br />
see when he is putting it on, like he did when he spoke to some female<br />
Army Psychological Operations Staff Sergeant in the AADCG. After this<br />
period his interaction falls off. I don’t understand why that happens<br />
except that maybe he is right, that he is a really shy guy who has<br />
developed this ‘not me’ persona that helps him get by.<br />
<br />
The Second odd thing is the LtCol’s response. I am not sure why he<br />
allows the gunny to step back into that role so quickly. Neither of<br />
these are mutually exclusive, but as I have said before. Perhaps he<br />
wants him to become that guy, so he treats him like that.<br />
Alternatively, perhaps he has been so conditioned to the roles that we<br />
all play (e.g. an Officer in Charge/Commanding Officer needs to treat<br />
the senior enlisted man like this____) that he easily falls back into<br />
it even when the senior enlisted is not doing his part.<br />
<br />
We hopped on our C-17 and sat because the Manas Airport was not open<br />
yet. I was doubly fortunate. I was able to sit next to Rob LaFranchi,<br />
and I got one of the inward-facing bulkhead seats with legroom. I<br />
thought I would feel more as I left. I thought I would feel elation<br />
at leaving, or some type of angst that the next team was now bumbling<br />
their way forward. When the turbofans wound up and all of the gear<br />
shifted a few inches to the rear of the plane and clunked as the locks<br />
held it in place, I felt nothing. Was I just tired, was I somewhat<br />
loath to leave the place that I now thought of as ‘mine’, was I<br />
mentally drained? I don’t know</span><br />
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Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-75650891570699593622013-08-28T22:13:00.000-07:002016-01-05T01:00:05.230-08:00Month 12 Day 28<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In
the morning I did the last of my morning routines at Camp Garmsir,<br />
came back, packed up, and loaded up the truck. I took a photo of it<br />
before I left. It is amazing we still call ourselves expeditionary.<br />
The truck was visibly sagging under the weight of just three men’s<br />
gear.<br />
<br />
We left the gate at Garmsir for the last time and moved back to the<br />
circus tents that we arrived in one year ago.<br />
<br />
I spent a good part of the afternoon pecking away at my school<br />
admissions essays. I was tired of looking at them (I can only imagine<br />
that they will be tired of reading them), so I did a second workout<br />
for the day. That was nice.<br />
<br />
They did an inspection in the evening searching for rounds in Marine’s<br />
gear. Col Schmitt, in his typically blustery fashion has promised to<br />
use Non-Judicial Punishment against anyone who is found with a round<br />
the moment that we make it back to the grinder and in front of all of<br />
our families. A round has already been found in one of the advon<br />
guy’s gear, so we’ll see if it’s an empty threat. It just seems<br />
stupid. There are 500 guys here, somewhere someone is going to have a<br />
round. I used to do line-outs with my platoon and plant three rounds<br />
on three people and have my platoon search until they found them. It<br />
took 30 minutes one time, and I ended up with 5 rounds instead of 3,<br />
and we were only searching cammies and daypacks. There is no way<br />
these Marines are going to be able to comb through every little bit of<br />
gear well enough to find a round. We don’t have Xrays here, so the<br />
test becomes the Xray machine in Manas, but you can’t adequately prep<br />
for it. Anyway, its just another instance of the ‘tough guy’ attitude<br />
and it has got everybody all stirred up because they don’t want to be<br />
embarrassed in front of their families, and they don’t want to lose<br />
their leave. Brawny has been paranoid, he has packed and unpacked his<br />
stuff about 3 times. In the evening, he confessed again “I’m not a<br />
Major yet.” Maj Davidson replied “the only thing that could prevent you<br />
from becoming a Major is if you put your dick in a Lance Corporal, and<br />
since we don’t have any females around, I don’t think that’s going to<br />
be a problem.” Back to garrison bullshit.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYezOKXr4g8FO7Br9wpdfN8_8yogHDWr3pEVUMqtdqNOhT0z33RIu-LWzQF1zs9LlwFIP2bjp7BhqJhyphenhyphendeFVisLJJroHQC1aijVHabduEWBiru80B0QcQEgCe0PzSIBaAqMiRI8boIaKWZ/s1600/DSC02139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYezOKXr4g8FO7Br9wpdfN8_8yogHDWr3pEVUMqtdqNOhT0z33RIu-LWzQF1zs9LlwFIP2bjp7BhqJhyphenhyphendeFVisLJJroHQC1aijVHabduEWBiru80B0QcQEgCe0PzSIBaAqMiRI8boIaKWZ/s640/DSC02139.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Three Marines Gear in an Afghan National Army truck</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaf2RC02AjQoe_8PPJlhggsgh-VyjZ0VnxzPOyCPPC7W9dZvvzBTRktOlVqUStcrEPMrXxPaXqs-k_Brsk5Ii5CfkFlzIeD1q-avM-7w_dxtLorX0KKcD1oldy_awEKd9_J_a_Zyreguj/s1600/DSC02140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqaf2RC02AjQoe_8PPJlhggsgh-VyjZ0VnxzPOyCPPC7W9dZvvzBTRktOlVqUStcrEPMrXxPaXqs-k_Brsk5Ii5CfkFlzIeD1q-avM-7w_dxtLorX0KKcD1oldy_awEKd9_J_a_Zyreguj/s640/DSC02140.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Marine's Camp on Camp Garmsir from the watchtower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5ldavCBKJUUVigLjKMnGRcg860w_om_4M_bPc_dt1omCJwui5cn6khNOQzg1vmccjdwGBNYQwI2H5nBOJjWHx5ovIE4lCLnTVGOdR1fI0N1XDQd398cXEjZQfy9R1CzVwCwn0sOQUDfq/s1600/DSC02141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr5ldavCBKJUUVigLjKMnGRcg860w_om_4M_bPc_dt1omCJwui5cn6khNOQzg1vmccjdwGBNYQwI2H5nBOJjWHx5ovIE4lCLnTVGOdR1fI0N1XDQd398cXEjZQfy9R1CzVwCwn0sOQUDfq/s640/DSC02141.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the generators powering the Marine Camp (left foreground, a few borrowed trucks, and the ANA parts of Camp Garmsir)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YIB8wnv3-4TYywBadVCY58KhEhwgROZc_QpqhXfkGTDnl40evDmuUGgk2cpWPhnUYYGkQg6Udh1S2lSCYviIOojqZfT7NNGF4fEHg5VI8bCFhEt9bIe5TDXS17HAfghE1TuwAATKdhpT/s1600/DSC02142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YIB8wnv3-4TYywBadVCY58KhEhwgROZc_QpqhXfkGTDnl40evDmuUGgk2cpWPhnUYYGkQg6Udh1S2lSCYviIOojqZfT7NNGF4fEHg5VI8bCFhEt9bIe5TDXS17HAfghE1TuwAATKdhpT/s640/DSC02142.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the General's office and some of the office containers. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-jlOcljtw-7gpJYYSNzUXV2UvQkXWljDRTbkfYCu5loY8alevaYKtcYTch7kEAW3tQcLQ5rRx2A_W7Skd3ck_fFbj1MCXOvcldojfWL6Rr-0Aitco-La6G3rgzbJDsfG7q3-Xt90EOTN/s1600/DSC02143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-jlOcljtw-7gpJYYSNzUXV2UvQkXWljDRTbkfYCu5loY8alevaYKtcYTch7kEAW3tQcLQ5rRx2A_W7Skd3ck_fFbj1MCXOvcldojfWL6Rr-0Aitco-La6G3rgzbJDsfG7q3-Xt90EOTN/s640/DSC02143.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Afghan Motor Pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoY3m4tJdJFV6s1mNfKDb6nzsSoKqrZadWj-N4X5Rlgu66-wP6hWGPnLegKkIxncO07VV8DugOvjfxopbZHfyRgxLLc9PY7W_o7V6qOMUBCpjyPW2dFE4z92u17-xqUtc18VaI6waOuDl/s1600/DSC02144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheoY3m4tJdJFV6s1mNfKDb6nzsSoKqrZadWj-N4X5Rlgu66-wP6hWGPnLegKkIxncO07VV8DugOvjfxopbZHfyRgxLLc9PY7W_o7V6qOMUBCpjyPW2dFE4z92u17-xqUtc18VaI6waOuDl/s640/DSC02144.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic view of the Afghan Motor Pool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBEvRR8XRZwc2dFikixWuBNugDn7wFIRU1l-0hrFhjP8ez2L2v-EvmgPZAjIBtTXz9tiZOa_SxM3F3P-Up6mo0LHAmMp6ZCtx2k0ZBcjOSMTBwgQyUSMiIKkBuQZzZwZTqQkoNhSnOuYk/s1600/DSC02145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBEvRR8XRZwc2dFikixWuBNugDn7wFIRU1l-0hrFhjP8ez2L2v-EvmgPZAjIBtTXz9tiZOa_SxM3F3P-Up6mo0LHAmMp6ZCtx2k0ZBcjOSMTBwgQyUSMiIKkBuQZzZwZTqQkoNhSnOuYk/s640/DSC02145.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVH_fu40cRfaEv1HgM1pnb5FPsdsWUk8q0by3ctkYG3nFLOKug7Hww77TTOwwSvL5NlcDaOhuA_P9EEjSD40-mHUjC9rfqPtWPrz3NZPj9WSR-11AR8qaBLUaZ0s4IukMAXpsGe1VFmng/s1600/DSC02146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoVH_fu40cRfaEv1HgM1pnb5FPsdsWUk8q0by3ctkYG3nFLOKug7Hww77TTOwwSvL5NlcDaOhuA_P9EEjSD40-mHUjC9rfqPtWPrz3NZPj9WSR-11AR8qaBLUaZ0s4IukMAXpsGe1VFmng/s640/DSC02146.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the remnants of torn apart or destroyed Afghan National Army Trucks in a dump ground</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6cPWnsIn3hQj0btA3K6_Xg7162Sxf4YRCMTKoOrpx9hyphenhypheng0veJDJZKYgz1udEyyXx_jUDxMxP0XIC6wFVvDQFG6JVt25mND_Wc41Q_cKsJ0ysgg44ZUs_VH7vZr8Jsk8IVWpUEXtxluij/s1600/DSC02147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6cPWnsIn3hQj0btA3K6_Xg7162Sxf4YRCMTKoOrpx9hyphenhypheng0veJDJZKYgz1udEyyXx_jUDxMxP0XIC6wFVvDQFG6JVt25mND_Wc41Q_cKsJ0ysgg44ZUs_VH7vZr8Jsk8IVWpUEXtxluij/s640/DSC02147.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLc4RF6AruxacM9iBuPpII6U1jf5WuO4uLnIVmmXPIKZ552OANUTdJdLuWgEOWcpMFBy2JndfV3ZHTQKPwuhDHaUwE8c0XPv8UEJtYXSfpO2E-UsJxUSBLjgBsZKpJ5r-XeF7Q4SNCn1yy/s1600/DSC02148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLc4RF6AruxacM9iBuPpII6U1jf5WuO4uLnIVmmXPIKZ552OANUTdJdLuWgEOWcpMFBy2JndfV3ZHTQKPwuhDHaUwE8c0XPv8UEJtYXSfpO2E-UsJxUSBLjgBsZKpJ5r-XeF7Q4SNCn1yy/s640/DSC02148.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the new buildings being built to replace the tent city</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHTTRYAoqFb8tUQEOSc9dPMvOUzACQpMh5l4Oxd-Tg_-hkh747UeoRVmoDpRyqKX1JcaU3ePC0UvdBmy4qbAgQnt4bkVjqozWwmyueAG6kleVthVbce50Vv9ws6JolaoKZHtJ7c7XUahs/s1600/DSC02149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHTTRYAoqFb8tUQEOSc9dPMvOUzACQpMh5l4Oxd-Tg_-hkh747UeoRVmoDpRyqKX1JcaU3ePC0UvdBmy4qbAgQnt4bkVjqozWwmyueAG6kleVthVbce50Vv9ws6JolaoKZHtJ7c7XUahs/s640/DSC02149.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFOgik0QH9LWX6V5q2AEFuLHkRFQAD33NA9r-DKv0GXVanSM6l0_RhHePn2kBP0kgHOjmG6FByzK4bGluKzzjZJOK3FL_vIGPrbSDQaorKzcVZ8sgLuZPzZH8fgrxlDPtNQVW1Xzt3eja/s1600/DSC02150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpFOgik0QH9LWX6V5q2AEFuLHkRFQAD33NA9r-DKv0GXVanSM6l0_RhHePn2kBP0kgHOjmG6FByzK4bGluKzzjZJOK3FL_vIGPrbSDQaorKzcVZ8sgLuZPzZH8fgrxlDPtNQVW1Xzt3eja/s640/DSC02150.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fuel Containers on the Afghan base</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhV7Q5y8cnRGbHN5U8P6emeDOYVsJM54GF_1FQeBoi6a_WDDGdPu6OFdhZABOazCsQr2dQszbDX878ys0AN37nlXlHF2n7CstIxajGk4VvOJsXjIgg9XRmwOU8pSGTRmTkzMRSPIT264w/s1600/DSC02151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhV7Q5y8cnRGbHN5U8P6emeDOYVsJM54GF_1FQeBoi6a_WDDGdPu6OFdhZABOazCsQr2dQszbDX878ys0AN37nlXlHF2n7CstIxajGk4VvOJsXjIgg9XRmwOU8pSGTRmTkzMRSPIT264w/s640/DSC02151.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXJ6w9UjAjJmSfDNvBx_fit02lncB5arTeFnHbsxn9B_2tV4aasJGaOnzj6AM8Ir302SrGZ3Qv6oNMsDoO_4f2YuK_7GPHVWEQR6iJrYjTroj3Ms51122PTsS3qRx5-E5SJMIF2ZtrOqS/s1600/DSC02152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXJ6w9UjAjJmSfDNvBx_fit02lncB5arTeFnHbsxn9B_2tV4aasJGaOnzj6AM8Ir302SrGZ3Qv6oNMsDoO_4f2YuK_7GPHVWEQR6iJrYjTroj3Ms51122PTsS3qRx5-E5SJMIF2ZtrOqS/s640/DSC02152.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the chow halls on the Marine Side of the base</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-79035753534728673102013-08-27T22:11:00.000-07:002016-01-05T01:04:24.136-08:00Month 12 Day 27<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I
forgot to mention on the battlefield circulation day that when we<br />
were doing the BFC that we were being pelted with rocks from little<br />
kids basically every time that we came in range. They would first pat<br />
their mouths to ask for food, and almost immediately thereafter they<br />
would grab a rock and throw it at us. This was not just in Marjeh,<br />
but in Nawa and Garmsir as well. These are the supposedly safe areas<br />
where the people are turning towards GIRoA.<br />
<br />
I worked on a bit of turnover stuff with Siegel in the morning. He<br />
really is pretty quick to speak and slow to listen. He came in and<br />
spoke to me about the GSU S1 sergeant who had his hand broken by one<br />
of the GSU officers when he told him that he was not allowed to go on<br />
leave. I had already told him about the incedent, but I guess he was<br />
thinking that I was just jaded and angry because I had been here for a<br />
year. While that may be true. It is also true that I know what I am<br />
talking about.<br />
<br />
Lekic taught them the BATS system and the database while I fielded<br />
questions. The new SSgt is pretty sharp and he picked it all up fast.<br />
It was nice to see that they were trying to learn. While I was<br />
supervising that I was striking up conversations with all of the guys<br />
in the COC. We were having a grand old time. Munir came in and said<br />
that he wanted to talk to me in his office. Siegel went first in case<br />
it was anything work-related. I went in after he got back. Munir
had<br />
kindly bought me a scarf and a jersey. The jersey happened to be<br />
skin-tight see-through nylon mesh, so I don’t know if I’m supposed to<br />
read anything into that, but it was very kind of them. They all had a<br />
few words to say. They all said something like “thank you for all of<br />
the lessons that you taught, I know that a lot of the time we were not<br />
very good students, but thank you for being patient with us.” I<br />
didn’t make the pictures that Qais asked for, but we snapped a dozen<br />
photos with their cellphones. I went back to my hooch and I picked up<br />
the AK-47 sight adjusters that I brought from America a year ago and<br />
gave one to Salim, one to Amir Dad, one to Qais, and one to Munir.<br />
Qais wanted to know if he could bring it back on the leave flight with<br />
him, and Munir was excited because he had an AK-47 at home. I think<br />
that after we go, they are going to us AKs not M16s, they already do a<br />
lot of the time even though the weapons aren’t issued, they’ll just<br />
capture them from the TB, or buy them. In one last little way, I am<br />
trying to make them better soldiers. I must admit, that I don’t think<br />
it will work, but I tried.<br />
<br />
In the early afternoon the soldiers decided to leave on the taps in<br />
the ablution buildings. They were continually instructed not to do<br />
this if the water tank was not full. Because this ran all of the<br />
pumps dry every one of the several-thousand dollar pumps burned up.<br />
The GSU’s response was what it always was “we can’t keep the soldiers<br />
from using the buildings—really—how about take your bodyguard and have<br />
him watch the buildings rather than your stupid ass. Anyway, it might<br />
turn out ok in the end, they might just move the water tank above the<br />
level of the highest faucet, this would allow gravity to feed the<br />
system like every other place in the world. Maybe then they can add a<br />
newfangled ‘windmill’ and this ‘windmill could operate a pump without<br />
diesel.<br />
<br />
While we were waiting to have dinner Capt Nowak was sitting in the<br />
door of his truck and said to me. “the whole point of this thing is<br />
to make the ANA independent, but they don’t want to be independent.<br />
I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life. With the Iraqis<br />
at least you could see improvement. You knew that they wanted you out<br />
of their country. They were happy to put up with you in the short<br />
term, but in the long run they wanted to have their country back, and<br />
get you out. These guys, they are perfectly happy to have us here,<br />
just keep the stuff flowing in.” I said, “Steve, as you’ve said you<br />
can’t teach will and want, and these guys don’t want to be<br />
independent.” He nodded.<br />
<br />
In the evening we had our dinner with the terps, or to be exact we had<br />
two dinners. I was hungry and didn’t want to wait until later to get<br />
food, so I ate at 1730. That was a mistake. They had the delicious<br />
burritos that I like so much and I had two giant ones. By the time I<br />
was done eating the next meal I thought my stomach was going to<br />
explode. I was really obliged to eat a second time because Steve had<br />
gotten a bunch of special-order food for the occasion.<br />
<br />
The presentation to the linguists went well. They were all very<br />
jovial. I made sure to tank each one of them, Tony, Naikpai, Dinar,<br />
Sammy, Bashir, Fareed, and the new guy, Jon, who just showed up. I<br />
got up and gave a short speech about Bashir, how patient he was and<br />
how humble. I did not mention his religious intolerance.<br />
<br />
I also went around and thanked all of the chow hall workers<br />
individually. A lot of them don’t speak any English and they are from<br />
the Philippines, Nepal, etc, so I don’t think they really understood.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicp-Fvs4lF0NiayBcxMj2LgNMS49tcQlvFjL6A3-2oUI7NZtHJB1Xkk4h2ng2sYEtbOqYHoGoBtwCqrL0hxzD_rfIYahlKs_7n-rP9jCq8cxajIt-b4eXh5iBmMkOgy9ncphX2lxiiJu1D/s1600/DSC02138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicp-Fvs4lF0NiayBcxMj2LgNMS49tcQlvFjL6A3-2oUI7NZtHJB1Xkk4h2ng2sYEtbOqYHoGoBtwCqrL0hxzD_rfIYahlKs_7n-rP9jCq8cxajIt-b4eXh5iBmMkOgy9ncphX2lxiiJu1D/s640/DSC02138.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Special Goodbye dinner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-77725759595437042402013-08-26T22:06:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:38:01.902-08:00Month 12 Day 26<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I worked out this morning.
The gym is still up, fortunately.
I cut my hair. It was a little
more awkward this time because there are so many more Marines over there
because MWSS is moving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The workout was good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We went to the RCT and turned in our ammo. I had to borrow some more from the next team
so that we can protect ourselves while we are on camp. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I sat down with Siegel and gave him my list of tasks that remain
unfinished. A lot of them he didn’t really understand. He has a tendency to speak before he
listens. Ah well, at least he is eager. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I found out that his brother was a guy who I went to the Citadel
with, he was in my company while I was a knob, we were on the same scholarship,
both in the honor’s program. Small
world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I packed my stuff. It is
almost all in one giant wheely bag now.
So much of it is stupid. Did I
really needed a second flak vest? 15 different types of warming layers. This is just stupid. They dance around giving units special gear
when they are heading into combat, but if they just kept all of this shit here,
issued it when you arrive and deissued it when you leave, then life would be
simpler, transit costs would be lower (my bags weigh almost 200lbs). I suppose they think that would make us less
expeditionary, but really do they think that lugging around 200 lbs of
individual gear is expeditionary? It’s
not like we don’t have the room to just store the shit here, and it’s not like
we don’t have the time when we arrive and depart to get it if we need it. Maybe we could start acting like an
occupation force because we are one rather than pretending that we are
expeditionary when we aren’t. Really I
lug around two wheeled bags that are basically giant brown suitcases, and I
carry a pack that can’t contain all of this shit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Anyway. After that fiasco
was done I helped one of the power guys install a small transformer in our tent
that will drop the voltage from 220 to 110.
That kind of stuff is interesting to me, it makes sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">After lunch I came back and watched Patton. That is a whole different type of war than we
are fighting here. It really is a war,
not nation-building counter-insurgency.
That kind of war, the kind where the existence of your civilization is
at risk if it is not fought, that kind is the kind we should entertain. Wars of option, they are really costly with
marginal benefit. I want to be around
for those ones where I am really needed.
I think a lot more folks will be getting out if they change the
retirement system like they say they will.
No more 20 years and go. You have
to save into an IRA, you can’t start drawing until you are actually retirement
age. That should make trimming the
force easier in the future. It will make
wars of option like this much less tenable.
There will not be a bunch of guys hanging out hoping to save their
careers in the military. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the evening the cries for the boss to get a new air conditioner
became too loud to stand. His died
yesterday, and no one knows why. They
slept last night without one. We offered
for them to stay in our tent, but they preferred to send Casbarro around to try
to take air conditioners from the ANA.
Exactly the type of shenanegans we tell the ANA not to do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-73112243995962079592013-08-25T22:04:00.000-07:002016-01-05T02:05:53.056-08:00Month 12 Day 25<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Today started out at FOB Geronimo<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I was not happy when we started out. I thought that our route was unnecessarily
risky. I told the LtCol as much over
breakfast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Sir, I’ll be happy to see Nawa in my rear view mirror.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It was a delicious breakfast, as it always is at Geronimo, egg
white omelet, French toast, fresh fruit, biscuit, gravy, everything. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I got an intel update from the S2 shop, we were skirting Red-Air
most of the day. Meaning there would be
very little ISR or air support for our trip. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We set off south and I decided to break a lot of desert to be well
clear of the ‘graves’ two ‘women’ who did not have the typically hunched walk
of women were screwing around with them and walking away just as we were
driving up. They also let they burqas
flap too freely. We steered clear and
pressed on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We went through “Indian Country” as I call it, southern Nawa where
the ANA have taken over security and we (Marines) have very little visibility
on what is happening. I was not thrilled
about this part of the trip. We made it
through with no real incident. Thank God
and my heart felt pretty good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We stopped at Geronimo. I
met up with the Legacy mentor there, Steve, and his linguist, Sherif. We gave them some of the IR strobes that we
had given out to everyone else. He
really believes in the mission, and is a team player. He doesn’t give a shit who gets credit, he
wants to put his guys to work and teach them how to kill Taliban. It is amazing given that he’s been here a
year and a half. I met up with Strom
there too. He is doing well, but he is
stuck at the HQ. His Princton Physics
degree was too much to waste at the companies.
By his own admission<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Once they figured out that I had reasonable written and verbal
communications skills, they decided to never let me off of the FOB.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We moved from Dehli to PB Shamshad.
This is now their training academy for the ANA in 2<sup>nd</sup>
Kandak. It has expanded a lot since we
arrived. When we got here a year ago
they’ve pushed out the wire and added a lot of amenities, power, a big COC. When we were there last it was four MATV’s
and a hut, the SSgt there didn’t want any generators because he didn’t want to
be tied down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">While at Shamshod the new team was busy questioning Petranzio, the
team lead from their kandak. LtCol Valquist
sat down in the back. I got a chair and
sat next to him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Sir, it’s not our fight anymore.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We overheard them talking busily with Petranzio about ATG, how the
training package was still oriented toward the ETT alone and unafraid, how they
didn’t learn any of the ANA policies or procedures, they still just did
medevacs. I snapped a picture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Overwatch.” He said, not giving away too much<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">There was a pause. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“I was thinking about it the other day, no matter the hell I’ve
been through with these guys, I can’t just not care. Does it get easier when you have a bunch of
deployments?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Most guys who are just ready to turn over and get out of here are
those guys who have a desk to sit behind, who walk to chow, then to their
computer, then to chow, then to their computer, then to the gym, then to
sleep. Look at Hesco, he’s turned into a
basketcase since he took over the current Ops Job.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Maybe, but it didn’t answer my question. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We loaded up and went to PB Barcha.
There was no real point, the LtCol just loves the damn place. It is an old fort the Ghaznavids probably
built that has been used intermittently since. Being the highest piece of
ground around, the Marines naturally took it.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I sat down with Dan Petranzio.
The poor bastard was really feeling bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“I feel like I’m about to pass out.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“What’s up.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“I’m fasting.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Ramadan?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Yah, I just get useless in the afternoon. At first it was seven then eight, days then I
figured what the hell.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Brother, you are nuts, 50 years ago it wouldn’t have been so bad,
Ramadan would have been in the winter, you poor bastard.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I found out later that he was doing it so that he could have the
credibility to say to his Afghans <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“I’m fasting too, and I’m working, so figure it out.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Maybe I should have done it.
The Afghans were asking me if I was at the beginning. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We rolled from there, dropped Dan off, he got out and shook my hand
as he left. Good dude. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We rolled across the long bridge for the last time, our minroller
had the winch cable snap and it was slightly off to the right. The end of the
bridge had collapsed because a jingle truck fell off a couple of months
ago. As we came off the mini bridge and
down onto the real bridge with our mineroller the thing climbed the curb and
started bending the right railing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Gunny yelled<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“LEFT MONDT”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mondt didn’t respond immediately. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">By this time the cab settled down and I could see too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I yelled, “JESUS, LEFT MONDT.” It was about 60 feet down to the
Helmand river, the bridge is so narrow that pedestrians and motorcycles all
need too clear out before we cross, and then we only do it one at a time. Our
mineroller kept bending the guardrail like it was nothing. I could barely feel it because my truck
weighs 24,000 lbs. Fuck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mondt pulled it out, but what was normally 6 inches of clearance
became two inches. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Gunny made fun of him from the turret when we stopped. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Here lies GySgt Louis Casanova, savior of Afghanistan drowned in the
Helmand river.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We moved back to base, the dust was bad, I tried to mitigate the
dust, but picking a cross track that would keep everyone out of it, but then
when we got back everyone bitched about the bumps. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The LtCol shook all our hands, gave us what he called a “man hug”
and told us we were not having a meeting.
He basically told us we were done. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXOzsZCYhqrOo2MIvG3wIIM3rYVB2SYU8dbARC36itUzZ_m_mSQffcv_xWzqskl6fASgVZuHbOY7RZDeQspFG1jPv1vR3FCv0LysNUUtpQ6HfuNAhLQ43VxLgX0BhyphenhyphenupVf9Cp-tOhD0ts/s1600/DSC02132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXOzsZCYhqrOo2MIvG3wIIM3rYVB2SYU8dbARC36itUzZ_m_mSQffcv_xWzqskl6fASgVZuHbOY7RZDeQspFG1jPv1vR3FCv0LysNUUtpQ6HfuNAhLQ43VxLgX0BhyphenhyphenupVf9Cp-tOhD0ts/s640/DSC02132.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jokes for days...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNX-DkzuNRt92lo5fQrfTOKH1mQfYWf5IzgH9kM_DuqJXQddRyMs5pYx5db1VOwe4LUxOfxQeR6ajd2QEWNbxgualMSkQ3qDs29qYM-TSs4A5y8Tqm_RV1CF1h_EEO3d0yBF70ckaUcMCQ/s1600/DSC02133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNX-DkzuNRt92lo5fQrfTOKH1mQfYWf5IzgH9kM_DuqJXQddRyMs5pYx5db1VOwe4LUxOfxQeR6ajd2QEWNbxgualMSkQ3qDs29qYM-TSs4A5y8Tqm_RV1CF1h_EEO3d0yBF70ckaUcMCQ/s640/DSC02133.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'It's not our fight' the new mentors were on deck.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nufrgq53g-drzv4w6z3zFgRajP4LUhSPNsNMnN8PynYRtIMJoQhfv1_iv0ha_hyphenhyphenlIiZDIXQdVmW0YkQ3PhlsUOaqfn4dmzoMpVOzlMLm4UoPe8Niurec3CVkFWn69oKlsRpdMaytSv04/s1600/DSC02134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nufrgq53g-drzv4w6z3zFgRajP4LUhSPNsNMnN8PynYRtIMJoQhfv1_iv0ha_hyphenhyphenlIiZDIXQdVmW0YkQ3PhlsUOaqfn4dmzoMpVOzlMLm4UoPe8Niurec3CVkFWn69oKlsRpdMaytSv04/s640/DSC02134.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PB Barcha</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-34796452934645038462013-08-24T22:02:00.000-07:002016-01-03T18:18:03.815-08:00Month 12 Day 24<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Left Dwyer this morning.<br />
<br />
I could really feel the excitement from the new guys about going.<br />
They were ready to get their first taste of combat, and Lt Love kept<br />
talking about combat action ribbons. I was not feeling the same. I<br />
just wasn't feeling right about going. I was worried about a couple<br />
of spots on our route that were pretty useless to go through, and were<br />
dangerous, but the LtCol wanted to go through them anyway.<br />
<br />
We went to Marjeh in the morning. It has really hollowed out since the<br />
Marines have left. They built a massive OCC-D for them, a center<br />
where all of the different security entities can come together, but<br />
there were only about 6 guys in there. Similar to the CCOC. I dropped<br />
off some IR strobes to the British Legacy guys and let Lt Siegel come<br />
in on a white horse so to speak and deliver them.<br />
<br />
We then moved to Fiddler's Green. The Kandak mentor team had just<br />
returned. They were trying to move a few of their soldiers around the<br />
battlespace from one position to another. when the soldiers arrived<br />
at the new postion and found out that there was no A/C, they decided<br />
to just leave and come back to the headquarters and deal with their<br />
upset commanders.<br />
<br />
We moved on to Nawa. I saw a couple of fake 'graves' on the side of<br />
the road as we were making our way to the fob, they were clearly<br />
markers for IEDs. We walked through the new combined COC here as well.<br />
It is a huge artifice, but none of the Afghans are in the giant<br />
offices that we built for them. It looks great on a tour, but there<br />
is minimal work actually being done here. They did have one success a<br />
few days ago, the Afghans from one of the PBs snatched up a few<br />
Taliban driving by after they were told by the CF they were coming.<br />
We talked to the kandak mentor team in Nawa. They were having some<br />
problems with the contracts to build the permanent facility here in<br />
Nawa. The bricks are low quality, the electrical is fucked, and the<br />
mortar is wrong, but these buildings are far from sub-par by Afghan<br />
standards. By that measure they are great, but some Navy Chief from<br />
Leatherneck wants to pull them all down because they don't look like<br />
American ones. What do you want American buildings, or buildings<br />
built by Afghans? This is as good as it gets. The other funny thing<br />
that came up in conversation was that When the Kandak commander, Gul<br />
Ahmad talked about building the new jail he said<br />
"I only want two rooms one for detainees and one for my soldiers."<br />
I guess this was immediately following an incident where two of his<br />
soldiers dressed up as civilians, tried to shake someone down, but one<br />
of the civilians said<br />
"Hey, why do you have ANA boots on?"<br />
The soldiers fled and the civilian told the battalion commander, to<br />
his credit he locked them up for a couple of weeks.<br />
<br />
Had milkshakes at dinner-yum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">20110824B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The day ended with the “Blue Collar Comedy Tour” Jeff Foxworthy,
Bill Engval, Larry the Cable Guy and one other dude. It was low brow humor most of the time, but
really good natured even with the occasional bodily function joke. By the end, my cheeks were hurting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">When I stood up to return the DVD the Major, LtCol and Gunny were
behind me and Josh. Maj Davidson asked
me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Isn’t it past your bedtime?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Yes, but I make exceptions”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“This is like vacation, eh?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Basically, the chow is better, there is no work to do, there is a
huge TV, free stuff and a big gym.
That’s a vacation if I have ever had one.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr2MGTfi4FKSXscv4Jp8cDY0qawQj2BP5WgA4DgOU3OUhZ58GeI0jPp8hvbi-zVe0TgVAGKf6OHQJqNtvAXOq7ninmea7r_iBcwP7xSNxnAJGsKnL6EYhZu1vwpVrLiYjFtkzxzKy4Rop/s1600/DSC02131.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr2MGTfi4FKSXscv4Jp8cDY0qawQj2BP5WgA4DgOU3OUhZ58GeI0jPp8hvbi-zVe0TgVAGKf6OHQJqNtvAXOq7ninmea7r_iBcwP7xSNxnAJGsKnL6EYhZu1vwpVrLiYjFtkzxzKy4Rop/s640/DSC02131.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-49106004596783284652013-08-23T22:00:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:36:57.968-08:00Month 12 Day 23<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">24 reports given, us in the backseat, Petranzio’s advisor training
group comments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The following are undated comments from the notebook:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">throwing rocks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">They don't want independence, mesh shirt, Siegel and broken hand,
pump burnout, gunnery sergeant and the new team Lt. Col.'s response<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal Entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Went on one of my last trips to the gym in the morning. It was a good time. I am tired. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I showed the new S1 SSgt how to use the insanely complicated excel
that I came up with to track all of the personnel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Siegel and I then went over to schedule a class with the Sgts and
with Munir. He did most of the
talking. I hinted at a few key things,
like making sure he IDed a time and place for the classes. I told him that the
Sgts were acting well to try to impress him.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He said, sagely<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“but as soon as you leave they are going to test me. They are only acting well because you are
still the hammer.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">When Siegel and I came back we got changed over and met with Sgt Drees
and one of his LCpls. Siegel gave them a
brief on where the Sgts were up to, observed the class, and then he gave the
Sgts some type of talk at the end. I was
only there for the beginning of it. He
wanted to step up and do it, he is a Marine Officer, he wanted the training
wheels to come off, and wanted to make this his own. I was done providing advice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">On my way back one of the Tajik soldiers stopped me and asked me
for a set of glasses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At noon we did some more work.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I did what will probably be my last sell ever to Munir. He wanted to go out and talk to the guys
outside of the wire. I told him that
was not his job and that he should come to class. My broken Dari, and his desire for
reports/weather won out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I came back and gave an enemy threat brief for our operation
tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Siegel wanted to teach the class by himself in the afternoon, so he
did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I taught Siegel how to give them the weather. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At the evening meeting LtCol Valquist ordered Capt Arthur to
provide the keys to the well and build a Hesco barrier around tent city. He said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“They’ve trained on it for several weeks now with our
supervision. They know what to do, if
they screw it up, then it’s on them.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Capt Arthur was resistant because the pump cost about $6000 and
will not be replaced for months if it is broken. He is trying to play God,
preventing them from using their free will to make choices that they are not
good for them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“It will set them back 6 months from independence if we give it to
them now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I don’t know who is right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Hesco is a major fire hazard, the fire trucks will not be able
to make it through to the fire. They
want the Hesco because they can’t stop their own soldiers from driving through
the camp and smashing the electrical wires.
The original solution was to put sand bags on top of them. We provided them sand bags, but they were too
lazy to fill them up from their dirt pit.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As I lay here on my cot I have mixed emotions about letting
go. I want to help Siegel. I want to guide him and prevent him from
falling into the same traps that I did. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I feel something more odd than that. It struck me this afternoon Salim was being
his same grouchy self when I woke him up the afternoon to give him the
weather. Once I finished with him, I
asked him why what he was circling was important. He played coy for a minute,
then said what he was trained to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“The high temperature is important because it makes long patrols
and operations difficult, the high wind is important because it picks up dust
and makes it hard for us and airplanes to see.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I grabbed his oily head pulled him to me and kissed the top of his
head. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I made him this way. I feel
like I imagine a father must feel letting their kids go. You invest so much time and energy into them,
you can’t help but want them to succeed.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Perhaps that’s why they were listening today, perhaps they look at
me like a father, or a big brother who tries to look out for them. I may be a mean bastard, and make them come
to class even though none of the other sections do, but they know I care. They know it is important to me, so they do
me the honor of listening to Siegel when he tells them to show up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">For as much as I want to go, I think I do love these little bastards. They have accepted me as a half-breed. When they hold my hand as we walk grasp my
knee as we sit, or take offense when I don’t give them a fully verbose
traditional Farsi greeting. They yell at
me with excitement in their Afghan pronunciation of my name:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Abdul…chutor Hasty…Sengayee”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I don’t think this is going to work, but it is painful for me to
say that. I want to be wrong. I don’t want Salim or Qais to learn to run
the chain roads. I don’t want munir to
flee to Tajikistan and work in some restaurant there. I want them to succeed, but I just don’t
think they will, and I want to be wrong.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It’s funny what a capacity to surprise myself I have. I never thought I’d say that I love these
little guys, that I want them to live good lives, and that I even feel pain at
leaving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-67773442861662062522013-08-22T21:58:00.000-07:002016-01-05T02:33:05.987-08:00Month 12 Day 22<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">20 reports given, teleconference, class with sergeants, one last
request.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the morning I woke up and did my normal routine. Siegel didn’t wake up at the same time. He woke up at 0600 and decided to go running
with me, and to the gym, etc. I felt bad
because I didn’t tell him not to bring his uniform with him, but it ended up
working out in the end because he didn’t have any chow for the morning, and he
would not have been able to go into the chow hall in just PT gear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I turned over the classified Material Custodian job at 0730. That’s one thing off of my plate. We then rolled into getting him set up on his
SIPR and NIPR workstations and me walking him through everything that he needed
to know about how I organized my files. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The connection to the network was extraordinarily slow. Come to find out, that was because the built
a hangar in between the microwave shots.
Gunny called comm and their response was, uh, well we’ll get to it, but
probably not today. We are like
really? You didn’t forsee this
problem. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We had pretty good participation from the Brigade on the
teleconference this morning. They
actually called and reminded the kandaks to show up because I told them to, so
we had pretty good participation. The
problem is that they are still treating it like a radio. Each kandak just gives their own report, and
then they leave. They feel like their
job is done, and despite the fact that the kandak boundaries touch one another,
they act as though it doesn’t matter what’s happening on the opposite side of
the road because that isn’t their job. I
had Salim and Qais try to back-brief Siegel and the new S2A on what they know.
We worked on the places in the area, the cardinal directions, and they provided
them with an overview of the IPB as they know it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I spoke to the S2A and I was more than a little bit surprised at
how little he knew. He said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“That guy didn’t sleep at all last night” gesturing to Salim<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Are these guys on something?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Yah, they smoke weed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“I’m not worried about that, as long as it’s nothing that’s going
to fuck them up. That guy looks like him
mom smoked crack while he was still brewing.” Motioning to Qais. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“You know it is still Ramadan, these guys are just starting to show
some of the wear from that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Oh, yah” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“How are their tactics? What if the Taliban attacked us right now?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“They probably wouldn’t do very well, but how many of the RCT
sections could fight as a squad very well?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“The intel shop could.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Maybe he’s right, and if so, then good on him, he probably did all
of the predeployment training to a T, but that’s not what they do here. They are not Marines, not basic infantrymen,
and basic infantry platoon commanders.
They are Afghan soldiers. That’s
a totally different thing. A whole new
war nothing learned. It seems that the
bid by the ETT to take over the PMT (their PMT made it all the way over here
before they figured out that there were no Afghan police to train) has failed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I talked to Siegel about what they needed to do, how they needed to
interact with the Regiment, with the Afghans, etc. He wanted to know when he should go sit and
drink Chai with them and all that stuff he learned at the Advisor Training
Group. I told him to forget about all of
that. They don’t need to like you to
learn from you. They fundamentally don’t
want to learn, so if they like you, then you are probably not doing your
job. It is all brand new to him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Siegel wanted to know if I had taught them threat weapons (soviet
bloc weapons). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Why does that matter to a Sergeant at the Brigade level?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“because that’s what the enemy is using.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“OK, but you can’t teach them everything, what you are suggesting
is teaching them something with a low marginal utility compared to their job,
they need to figure out where their own units are, how to read a map, the
cardinal directions, who to display enemy activity, a whole lot of things are
more important than that.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“I just think it will be easy and keep their attention.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“OK, but I thought that four cardinal directions would be easy
too.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“that can be conceptually hard to grasp.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Brother, I’m just saying if I could press the ‘everything’ button
and just have them know everything that they need to know, then I would press
that button, but here we need to make choices.
I need them to know about their job before I need them to know about
threat weapons.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We bantered some more, and when we were done the Gunny called me
back in and said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“you know sir, I had that blow-up the other day about the turnover”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I nodded. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“They’ve already got a campaign plan. If they want to do something, just give them
your recommendation, and leave it. Don’t
worry about it anymore. I could see your
heartbeat increase over there, and for what?
They are going to do it when you leave anyway.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I just can’t not care. A few
minutes later we walked into my tent and Siegel asked Brian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Sir, are you going to miss it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Not at all.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I spoke up, “I just don’t think that’s true for me. I just can’t not care about it. I want these guys to succeed; I want America
to stop hemorrhaging money and blood.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Brian nodded. He said “the
only thing I told them when I gave them a few gifts was that the only gift I
needed in return was the promise that in a few years they would be doing this
without America. Then they said khuuuh,
that would be too much work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I just can’t help but be a little passionate about this. That is a
little surprising to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the afternoon, I was going to work on some more turnover stuff,
but I was not able to. Lt Siegel got
pulled away to deal with the crisis du jour for the next team, they didn’t have
enough weapons and ammo to draw for the convoy.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I fought the battle of the inbox, signed Siegel up for a bunch of
distros, worked on some GMAT prep stuff, and that is about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">On the way to chow Steve said he was close to being touched
today. The Battle Captain called him
into the conference room. He started
reaching behind the podium. Steve
thought “wow, maybe he’s going to give me a gift for all of my hard work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Before you go…” He pulls out the body of a fan and some blades. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“Could you get this installed in the COC for me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Awesome<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the evening meeting it came out that Col Mustafa wanted to take
the trucks back. Maj Trevino, now
knowing the program after a month here said<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“well, you can do that, but it is going to make fuel and water
deliveries very difficult.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mustafa shut his mouth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">One other seminal event occurred in my life today. I used a cubit as a unit of measure. I had to calculate the volume of a diesel
fuel tank, and the volume of the box
that is designed to keep the fuel in if anything goes wrong. It turns out that there was no issue. The tank hold 36 cubits cubed and the box it
sits in will hold 48 cubits cubed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Next the Ark…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">People would think I was as odd as Noah building one here in
Helmand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-18731626229057677842013-08-21T21:57:00.000-07:002016-01-05T02:28:08.239-08:00Month 12 Day 21<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Eight reports given, I am the anti-tribe, Munir flirting, executive
officer wall and stage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Today was a day to remember.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It started out like any other day, some weird dream about a mouse
infestation, normal routine, normal run, normal 3S. But this day was extrodinary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">When I came back from the shower, a wet back against my backpack, I
stepped into the COC. It went to the
desk to fish my two CLIF bars out for breakfast. I turned around and looked at the nametapes
of the Marines congregated in the center of the COC. Lt Siegel, my savior, was there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He was shorter than me and excitedly grasped my hand when I said “Capt
Scott Shane”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I think I was gladder to see him than he was to see me though. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It seemed familiar. I was in
his shoes not long ago. He is eager to
do the things that he has been trained to do.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Before we really had a chance to meet I met with the literacy
instructors and talked to them about class attendance. They had offered up their classroom for
recoilless rifle training (rockets). I
asked Shafiullah what the deal was and I got “wazi fai ma n’est” its not my
job. “If the students don’t show up,
then what am I supposed to do?” I could
tell him what he is not supposed to do.
Be sleeping during class time, like I found him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We gave them a series of classes in the morning on all of the
reports that they will be expected to submit. I covered my piece of the pie,
the literacy instructors, Data Transfer Agent, Foreign Disclosure
representative, the attendance program, the command chronology. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We went on a walkabout with the new guys, showing them all of the
buildings in progress. The Gunny piped
up at several spots throughout the tour which elicited, askance views from Capt
Nowak and the others, “how do you know how far the run is around the
camp?” “I got it off of a Facebook post”
was his quick reply. The LtCol told me
that the new team was wowed by my Dari. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">After that Lt Siegel was all mine.
I barraged him with information until the 1815 meeting. Even when I did the class with Munir I was
really teaching him. When I told him
that the next class was going to be his he was happy. When I woke Munir up, and asked why he was
sleeping while he said he was on duty, Lt
Siegel seemed a little taken aback. The
guy has a good perspective. He knows
that these guys are the way out, but he doesn’t really understand the people
yet. He understands what he reads in
the newspapers about what is happening in Kabul, but he doesn’t yet understand
that this is not a country, but merely the place where all of the other
countries end. He took my pointed advice
as dissatisfaction with my job. I didn’t
intend for it to come off like that. I
was trying to tell him what makes these guys tick, what they want. Ultimately, he will have no command authority
over them, merely influence, and the only way to really secure that influence
is by appealing to their desires. Not
what they expect from him (to give them stuff).
But to their desires. He still
thinks like an American, and he thinks like a Marine (he wanted to know who
wasn’t gay on the Afghan camp—I had to tell him that despite them having sex
with each other I don’t think many of them were gay, they just don’t treat
women well, ever see them, so they’ve got to have a sexual outlet). Inside of every one of them is a Marine,
buried deep down, or so he thinks. I
feel kind of bad because he seems crestfallen, maybe he will just think I am a
nut until he learns it for himself, but maybe that will take many wasted
months. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A couple of things occurred to me today. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">First was about me. I think
I am the anti-tribe. It’s not that I
don’t have the urge to join a tribe, be it of a political type, or another
type. I have the same urges as everyone else.
The difference is that I am very reluctant to give up my own judgment
about things. To the group, any group.
Perhaps this is why I am such a slave to my routine. Because it allows me to offload a lot of the
thinking about daily actions that most people depend on cues from others to
obtain, there is no carpooling to breakfast, no deviating from lunch for me. I’ll just run there myself, and walk
back. I think I am afraid of tribes
because they will make me more stupid.
There is nothing wrong with a collection of people who believe the same
things that I do, but I don’t want to believe the same things that others do
merely because I belong to a section of people.
Its not that I’m not a member of a tribe, it’s that I am anti-tribe. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The other thing that occurred to me recently and I don’t know if I
mentioned it was that Munir has been trying to flirt with me. Every time that I get upset with him he kind
of lowers his head, looks up at me through long lashes, gives me a creeping
smile and says nothing. It’s the kind of
wry look that a boy gives a girl when he is being coy. I think this is because he has always been
able to use his good looks to flirt his way out of trouble with other men. At first I thought it was just his way, but
now I think I see more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The other things to note are that the XO is now finished with his
giant wall around his container, and that he has a stage built for himself
now. It is made out of a couple of the
old pallets that we were going to use to boost the tents, I pounded the damn
thing together myself when it was being used as a port-a-john shade, and anyone
to stands on it is taking his life in his own hands. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJf4woMbu2zoJtDQWj7oQBM6wab7OVS-ZXpGKixRX6GNWoe7Q6-7PbmtKGDV-lpTDmJcOcP6ASKNYaIFOZKneiZdr7njNRb92Zw6IZxptsCKvuWTl6v_saS-T39EW2eaju2OE0Ymfdgwm/s1600/DSC02129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRJf4woMbu2zoJtDQWj7oQBM6wab7OVS-ZXpGKixRX6GNWoe7Q6-7PbmtKGDV-lpTDmJcOcP6ASKNYaIFOZKneiZdr7njNRb92Zw6IZxptsCKvuWTl6v_saS-T39EW2eaju2OE0Ymfdgwm/s640/DSC02129.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handover Briefings with the new guys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQvFBCTo555opRCbubP9EAw59gjJx0mnAt0gNJfwuEwzUQyYLCbFVAOA46BgQmnCbXYytnDDdZf3l4dV8Eh1ZTAmJM3XYpNiUKeSwLxzCsE_arHeHbOGtB-KTAO2w3HQj5NkWV7DTvJ0k/s1600/DSC02130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQvFBCTo555opRCbubP9EAw59gjJx0mnAt0gNJfwuEwzUQyYLCbFVAOA46BgQmnCbXYytnDDdZf3l4dV8Eh1ZTAmJM3XYpNiUKeSwLxzCsE_arHeHbOGtB-KTAO2w3HQj5NkWV7DTvJ0k/s640/DSC02130.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-66890391044520192862013-08-20T21:32:00.000-07:002016-01-05T02:34:25.332-08:00Month 12 Day 20<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Three reports given, kick out the British, Salim and Qais sleep,
1030 meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I went to the ceremony for Afghan Independance Day. It was
the<br />
anniversary of the end of the 3rd Anglo-Afghan War, a pretty short<br />
nonsense war that just reaffirmed what was already decided, the Durand<br />
line would be the border. I kind of wonder how the ceremony went over<br />
up in 3rd Brigade where the Brits are the mentors. They invited LtCol<br />
Valquist to speak and he pulled out the revolutionary war era phrase<br />
"give me liberty or give me death." At least Afghanistan and
America<br />
have independance struggles against the Brits in common.<br />
<br />
Salim and Qais were supposed to do class at 1000, but they were both<br />
asleep and Munir didn't have the khootsba to roust them.<br />
<br />
At 1030 they had their morning briefing. Graham, Brian and I all pulled<br />
our gear out of our tent so that the next guys could move in. This<br />
has clearly been a traumatic experience for Graham. He reminds me of<br />
my dad "don't throw that away, it might be useful." Brian calls
him a<br />
"junkist." That is, one who collects a bunch of junk for not<br />
particular purpose. For me it was a labor of love. It is wonderful<br />
to be able to turn over this place, and move onto a cot in the<br />
knowledge that the next time I sleep on a real bed, it will probably<br />
be my own.<br />
<br />
We gave away the chairs that Brian and Graham made to the linguists.<br />
They kindly made me a chair, though I didn't do anything but beat out<br />
some of the stuffing. Maj Neller, the new team's XO came in and said<br />
"they don't need those things, we'll take them back." That
really<br />
pissed off Brian, he said "we made those things, they don't appear on<br />
the team's density list, they were gifts to our linguists."<br />
<br />
At noon, nothing eventful.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon our power went down, they claim it was the battery on<br />
the generator, but I suspect the new enclosure was trapping too much<br />
heat in. I took around the Gunny from CISE and showed him where all<br />
of the contractors live, and because the Route Clearance Company<br />
decided to play ball, there was a big line to get BATed, so none of<br />
the contractors were done this week.<br />
<br />
The new team started to show up and put their gear down. I felt bad<br />
because we hadn't really cleaned our old tent yet, so I ran a broom<br />
around for a while and wiped the floor with some sanitizer wipes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkyc4U27HFiELReqwOSU30asa2mzEjevTLV6YQeOLLnPUQNtSvHCpD9UP7EBBz3Sn54K4RzQC3aqqKvGosGSr_dzwAKy_gXwiNt3bDYBHkQRCnsrcNElqcXd3f2pFoBacTCfFYOkWdPDB/s1600/DSC02127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkyc4U27HFiELReqwOSU30asa2mzEjevTLV6YQeOLLnPUQNtSvHCpD9UP7EBBz3Sn54K4RzQC3aqqKvGosGSr_dzwAKy_gXwiNt3bDYBHkQRCnsrcNElqcXd3f2pFoBacTCfFYOkWdPDB/s640/DSC02127.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The XO's new privacy shade</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT62516OG9qXCzXFMc-lIxOlC5J11lOifD0v-v2DuYx115vboGI84UWtjKHWNoMqsO1K4gtuIHLsc1yA_FNObFS3EqebKnr_UcTRVJ1_khGRY25_G0lRfArBNQtfVJ9i_7IC1O9z_j5WL/s1600/DSC02128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT62516OG9qXCzXFMc-lIxOlC5J11lOifD0v-v2DuYx115vboGI84UWtjKHWNoMqsO1K4gtuIHLsc1yA_FNObFS3EqebKnr_UcTRVJ1_khGRY25_G0lRfArBNQtfVJ9i_7IC1O9z_j5WL/s640/DSC02128.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We beat the British Ceremony</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-40933800853257253422013-08-19T21:31:00.000-07:002016-01-05T02:49:50.745-08:00Month 12 Day 19<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Four reports given, maintenance day pack up, last of the Mohicans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<br />
In the morning I woke up at 0500, did my routine before Brawny was up<br />
so that he could use the truck.<br />
<br />
I talk to Suzan and fought the Battle of the Inbox for a while. I had<br />
a rather refreshing cleanup of my desk, saving only the things that<br />
the other guy might find useful.<br />
<br />
At noon I went to eat with Graham and Brian. Fareed met us once we were<br />
in there. He is not doing Ramadan because he has Asthma, or so he<br />
says, though he seems to have little trouble with physical activity.<br />
Just another dedicated Muslim.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon, I loaded up a bunch onto the SharePoint site so that<br />
others could access it. That took forever. I started watching Last<br />
of the Mohicans. It is funny to see the difference between a movie<br />
made in the early 1990s and one made now. I can't really put my<br />
finger on it, but a lot of the epic moments just seemed to be a little<br />
bit corny. One thing is clearly different, my own perspective. I<br />
remember watching it as a seven year old and not understanding that<br />
plot, it was too complicated for me. I also remember being confused<br />
about the scene where the younger sister commits suicide rather than<br />
be taken as the bride of Magua, the bad indian dude. I didn't<br />
understand it at the time. I remember asking my sisters, "why did
she<br />
do that?" "She'd rather die than be with him." At the time
I didn't<br />
understand all that 'being with him' entailed, but I couldn't concieve<br />
of anything worse than death. Hmmm.<br />
<br />
I wondered another thing about myself yesterday. Brian said to me<br />
"most people would be bothered by the fact that they just pissed off<br />
their entire team by calling them pussies, but it doesn't seem to<br />
matter to you."<br />
He's right. I don't care. I wonder why that is. I like to
blame it<br />
on my Asbergers, but maybe it's something different than that. Maybe<br />
it is that I can't care about people I don't respect. I have a<br />
tendancy to bifircate humanity. There are people who are worth my<br />
time, and people who are not. I generally try to be curtious to the<br />
latter, and I used to beleive that there was always something that I<br />
could learn from anyone. I still intellectually feel that is true,<br />
but I don't often act like it. Maybe it is because dealing with<br />
people requires so much energy from someone like me. I can do it, but<br />
it is hard. I also wonder if my perspective hasn't changed. I can't<br />
articulate it. There are lots of reasons that different people<br />
frustrate me. Some people because of internal inconsistencies, others<br />
because of vacuousness, others still well, I thought there were other<br />
things, but nothing is coming to mind. The former is a point of honor<br />
and courage, if you are internally inconsistent if your values<br />
conflict you are either lying to yourself or lying to others or you<br />
don't have the courage to act on your beliefs. The latter is an<br />
unevaluated life, a life where people don't find something worth dying<br />
for, they just act on their thinly-veiled genetic predispositions and<br />
childhood perceptions with no thought to why. Perhaps the most<br />
frustrating thing here is that if you ever want to rise above your<br />
origins, and by extension if you want humanity to progress, you need<br />
to be able to step out and do something different than what you have<br />
always done. I admit my own irrationality in this. I certainly have<br />
not consulted every facet of humanity that annoys me, like everyone<br />
else, I am a human, and I am subject to the incomplete reference of my<br />
memory, these two particular annoyances were probably made more<br />
salient in my brain by the movie I watched last night, but I felt the<br />
annoyance viscerally prior to that.<br />
<br />
I should also recount at least one more conversation from the day that<br />
I pissed everyone off. and make a couple of reminders.<br />
<br />
First the reminders. There were actually two conversations with Capt<br />
Brawny. One where he called me a punk and I told him if the shoe<br />
fits, then were it, and asked him why he came to Afghanistan, and the<br />
second that I largely recounted before.<br />
<br />
GySgt Casanova walked into the COC and the LtCol said<br />
"Hey with all of this talk of pensions, it looks like they are<br />
changing the scheme"<br />
The gunny suggestively tapped the release button on his pistol leg-holster.<br />
"Yah that's how its gonna be" the LtCol said acknowledging the
Gunny's threat.<br />
<br />
The other thing was a conversation with GySgt Young, our comm chief.<br />
I talked about the economics of the unsustainable system.<br />
He said "yah but everyone knew that social security and medicare were<br />
not going to be around"<br />
"They could say the same for you and the military, that is, 'you<br />
should have forseen that we couldn't pay for your big salary, and two<br />
wars, and pensions.'"<br />
"Yah but that's different. I just want was I was told I was going to<br />
get. I would have gotten out a long time ago and gone to school and I<br />
could be in a better place right now. If give up all of this time<br />
with my family so that I could retire early and enjoy life. At first<br />
when I joined the Marine Corps I just wanted to serve the country. I<br />
thought about being a plumber, but once I was in and realized that<br />
this could be a viable career I stuck around."<br />
I believed his intentions, I believed what he would have done if the<br />
incentives were different. I don't believe that America should be<br />
culpable for his lack of forsight.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubivBgdvyLBJE6UEwjsId6lxvFVwXHFCOAKza8dOUadrAqM1Xl-U8-yHpHl4r-JlY3xneE1fCX1Lwa55RknM-IStzou-AWXoW5BuLtrJbMevu9GCja5pH97JM-8b073dmcveMawNyogBh/s1600/DSC02125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubivBgdvyLBJE6UEwjsId6lxvFVwXHFCOAKza8dOUadrAqM1Xl-U8-yHpHl4r-JlY3xneE1fCX1Lwa55RknM-IStzou-AWXoW5BuLtrJbMevu9GCja5pH97JM-8b073dmcveMawNyogBh/s640/DSC02125.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hedghog that my tent-mates brought me. They thought it would be funny to put on my rack. I agreed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-52544462127213456832013-08-18T21:28:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:35:08.465-08:00Month 12 Day 18<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">15 reports given, other conversations, on pussy down, bird in gym
goes up, CJ Radin coming over yesterday, why doesn't being hated bother me?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I went to the gym in
the morning. A sparrow, was trapped inside, or<br />
so he thought. Both doors were wide open, easy enough for two men to<br />
walk through shoulder to shoulder, but the bird was trying desperately<br />
to get out by flying up to the top of the tent, he just kept ramming<br />
into the tent walls, turning, and falling. His default is to fly up,<br />
it doesn’t matter that the exit is wide open, but down a mere few<br />
feet, he tries to fly up to safety, that is what he is hard-wired to<br />
do, up is the only horizon, the only solution that he knows. This<br />
struck me as a metaphor of Afghanistan, in two ways the people, all<br />
they have known their entire lives is to be selfish, it is the only<br />
thing that gets them by, the most reliable choice in a world without<br />
an overarching hand to enforce the rules. The environment has now<br />
changed, but they don’t see it, they can’t fly to the exit, they still<br />
act like they are preprogrammed to. If they spent their life in the<br />
new environment, then they would understand, but now it’s too late to<br />
change.<br />
<br />
So how does the bird make it out, he works himself to death and either<br />
wanders to the exit on the ground because he has exhausted himself, or<br />
someone moves him out of the tent. This made me think of Amir Dad, my<br />
S2 soldier. He was able to just go and pick up a bird off of the<br />
ground and it didn’t fly away. I have never seen a wild bird act like<br />
this. Every time I tried to approach, it fled, but Amir Dad could go<br />
retrieve it with ease. I couldn’t help but believe that there was<br />
something fundamentally different about Amir Dad and me. Amir Dad has<br />
to be one of the most gentle, unassuming and nice boys here. I asked<br />
him why he became a soldier and he said to me “what’s one to do”<br />
meaning that he had to do something, and this seemed as good as<br />
anything. He was a farmer back home in his little Hazara community,<br />
but he did something uncommon in leaving and coming here. That bird<br />
was undoubtedly exhausted when Amir Dad picked it up, but it wouldn’t<br />
go to just anyone, it had to go to someone kind, not like me. Once<br />
Amir brought it outside, it stayed with him for a while and eventually<br />
flew away.<br />
<br />
We were on our way to wake up Munir at 0900. Amir Dad just finished<br />
telling me “it’s not good to wake up people from sleep and then expect<br />
them to work, they will be in a bad mood.” Such a wonderful and<br />
dutiful Chai boy.<br />
I asked Amir Dad why he became a soldier and I pointed to a small<br />
scrub growing next to the cement pad where the Afghans do ablution.<br />
“Amir Dad, why are you a soldier, if I told you to kill that plant I<br />
don’t think you could do it.”<br />
“If my commander told me to, then I would kill it.” He replied<br />
Sammy, in tow, chimed in. “All Afghans are like this, they will kill<br />
anything if they need to I have seen it with my own eyes, my uncle was<br />
killed in front of me, and believe me, I wanted to fight. For 80,000<br />
Afghanis a man can be killed, for 200,000 a commander, it happened to<br />
my cousin and when I called my uncle to ask why he said that he had no<br />
idea, actually” the last word is a Sammyism that he throws in whenever<br />
he is saying what he believes.<br />
“Where does that come from Sammy, Afghans in America don’t act like<br />
that, yah, we get honor killings of girls wearing western clothes, but<br />
not random deaths for no reason.”<br />
“Actually, I don’t know, sir.”<br />
“Do you think it will ever change.”<br />
“Maybe in 100 years”<br />
<br />
So there are the two different views of Afghanistan and I don’t know<br />
what is right, the metaphor of the bird is all screwed up, but the<br />
question is this. Are there some gentle souls like Amir Dad who are<br />
young and don’t remember the irrational solipsistic reasons to do<br />
things who can live in the new environment of security, or are there<br />
only damaged souls who are only a millimeter away from the exit, but<br />
still choose to act as though they are in chaos.<br />
<br />
If it is the latter, then how long will be have to hold the security<br />
blanket on before the find the exit? How long does it take to change<br />
their programming? Do they have to be completely exhausted and fall<br />
to the ground first? Can it be done in a lifetime? Can some kind<br />
soul like Amir Dad lead them out of their self-imposed prison? If so,<br />
then who is that man? I think Karzai is still in his own<br />
cage-of-the-possible. Can we, can they sense that we are here to help?<br />
Will they come when they are exhausted?<br />
<br />
One thing is certain; it seems that the Afghans don’t believe it is<br />
possible, even the gentlest soul will say that he can kill at a whim.<br />
Does their belief comport with reality? Does their belief matter? I<br />
find it personally convincing that it does.<br />
<br />
One thing I forgot to mention from yesterday. Chuck CJ Radin came over<br />
and didn’t bring a linguist. He must have thought he could force my<br />
hand by just showing up. When I reiterated to him that I could not<br />
give him a linguist because I had been ordered not to, he came up with<br />
the brilliant suggestion<br />
“Why don’t you act as my linguist.”<br />
“Really, you want me to violate the spirit of my commander’s orders if<br />
not the letter.”<br />
I handed him my Persian-English dictionary and said<br />
“Good luck.”<br />
He did come back successful because Munir knows enough English to<br />
understand that he was telling him that he was going to be briefing<br />
these slides.<br />
<br />
That was really the reason that I was bound to see Munir in the<br />
morning. The RCT had made his slides for him and wanted me to show<br />
them to him so he knew what to brief. I complied. I showed him the<br />
slides and talked to him about the different between written and oral<br />
communication (they normally just stand up and read their reports<br />
aloud). I then transitioned into a basic IPB class. When I started<br />
to show him all of the areas the ‘Dueshman’ come from he asked me:<br />
“Why don’t we have troops there?”<br />
“We don’t have enough Marines to put there in that spot in<br />
Afghanistan, we have a limited number mandated by our congress.”<br />
When I started talking about weapons flowing North out of Pakistan and<br />
drugs flowing south, the same things that Gretchin Peters talks about,<br />
but naming the specific locations he asked me.<br />
“Why don’t Marines go there?”<br />
Such a child-like question, I felt bad for him.<br />
“Brother, my country cares about you, but if we go there, then we<br />
would be at war with a country with 100,000,000 people. We care about<br />
you, but we can’t do that. The best we can do is try to stop them as<br />
they come. We even have a special Marine unit down there that is<br />
protecting your whole brigade from the deushman, without them, a lot<br />
more of your soldiers would die.”<br />
He nodded, but I don’t know if he really understood. Would I<br />
understand if I were him? If some alien came to me from outer space<br />
and said.<br />
“We are here to show you a new way of living, we need your help, but<br />
we have certain constraints put on us buy our alien form of government<br />
in a place that you can’t even imagine. Trust me though, we are doing<br />
all we can to help you, and we are doing the best we can.”<br />
If I believed him, I don’t think I’d understand. I might even get<br />
pissed at the aliens.<br />
<br />
I finished my class with Munir, he went to the combined Ops-Intel<br />
meeting. I met up with Qais for class. We reviewed the symbols, the<br />
map locations, cardinal directions. He is getting very proficient.
I<br />
am proud of him. He asked me, “why don’t you give me that notebook<br />
that you make me take notes in so I can study?”<br />
“Because I have given you notebooks in the past and you always lose<br />
them, maybe your next mentor will be willing to give you another<br />
chance.”<br />
“When are you leaving, I want you to take pictures and you need to<br />
print them and we can hang them and remember you.”<br />
It's kind of nice, but even when they are trying to be nice, they are<br />
asking for something.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon nothing amazing happened. I worked I what I hope<br />
will be the last command Chronology, and worked on putting together a<br />
binder for turnover.<br />
<br />
The other guys stayed up late waiting for a leave flight that didn't<br />
end up coming. The LtCol mercifully let me go to be early rather than<br />
subject me to a 2100 meeting and the requisite "Call on Me" video.</span>Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-63029047408636516492013-08-17T21:26:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:34:47.186-08:00Month 12 Day 17<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qais ready Salim sleeping, Munir operational terms and graphics,
police advisory team coming, fire extinguisher plane.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Munir, with his excellent personnel management skills, had Salim up<br />
working really late, so when it came time to do class Munir said he<br />
was 'sick' even though he was sleeping. I gave a class to Qais, who<br />
was a willing participant, but I didn't have a linguist, so I couldn't<br />
hit the finer points, just a review. After that I took him to the<br />
office. We worked on putting the boundary lines down between the<br />
districts. That was a tedious process, but they learned how to use<br />
the acetate, remembered how to plot points, and started to see the<br />
fruits of their labor. Munir followed me to class immediately<br />
following. I gave him a class on Operational Terms and Graphics.<br />
Basically just a dictionary and reference guide. You'd be surprised<br />
how difficult it is to get someone who is not ised to using a<br />
reference manual to learn how to look things up.<br />
<br />
In the morning one of the soldiers in the drivers course cracked his<br />
head open after he was messing around with a fire extinguisher in one<br />
of the trucks in the drivers course. The fire extinguisher itself did<br />
not hurt him. It just scared him, but he tried to get out so quick<br />
that he opened up his head on the door as he was leaving.<br />
<br />
At midday we had a meeting about the turnover, how we are going to<br />
make sure they get all of the information that they need. We have a<br />
reasonably short time to work with them. In the meeting it came out<br />
that the next LtCol wants to make sure that Maj Neller and Lt Love are<br />
Field Ordering Officers (they can order stuff up to a few 10s of<br />
thousands of dollars) before the next fiscal year. He wanted to make<br />
sure that he 'had that option.' When he got here. Like he could curry<br />
favor with the ANA by buying them stuff. The problem is they don't<br />
look at it as a favor, they expect it. Thier RCT is even worse than<br />
ours in one way. Their police advisor team made it all the way<br />
through training and are in-country without anyone bothering to check<br />
if there are Afghan Uniformed Police, or police of any type at this<br />
level. They are fighting a brand-new war.<br />
<br />
I worked on the Concept of Operations for our first convoy, that took<br />
a while, it is going to be a big one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-64449071631412939822013-08-16T21:24:00.000-07:002016-01-15T22:08:56.400-08:00Month 12 Day 16<br /><br />Notebook entry<br /><br /><br />14 reports given, sleep of excitement, where from, class with Qais Salim no-show, Munir no-show<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Journal entry<br /><br /><br />I woke up still tired because I had slept an excited sleep the night<br /> before. I don't know why it was so exciting. It was great to be able<br /> to call the guys out. I don't know why that gave me such a surge of<br /> exhilaration.<br /> <br /> In the morning I woke up to two E-mails one from the Gunny and one<br /> from the LtCol, the LtCol ensured that 'maximum punishment' woudl be<br /> metted out, and the Gunny said that it was not a good career move. I<br /> stored that E-mail. In Gmail. <br /> <br /> That stirred up the hornets nest. the LtCol ordered me to recall the<br /> E-mail austensibly because the RCT-5 guys were on it and tried to<br /> assert in conversation that the Gunny's E-mail was not about career<br /> moves even though the text says as much, twice. Brawny said I<br /> offended him and called me a punk, he said my 'perspective' was all<br /> skewed. When I reminded him that he had told me that he came here<br /> because he thought it would give him a better shot at getting selected<br /> for Major after being passed over, he started talking about how he<br /> just wanted what he had been told he would get, he needed his pension.<br /> Ah and there's the rub,<br /> 'I may not be a good communications officer, but I've worked hard, and<br /> I've had a string of shitty bosses who don't evaluate me fairly.'<br /> 'OK, but if you are not very good at it, and you are in it to serve<br /> your country then shouldn't you bow out?'<br /> 'I have been promised this, I've got a family'<br /> 'OK, but is that the American taxpayers responsibility, how are you<br /> different from a glorified welfare recipient?'<br /> 'You're perspective is all wrong, I've been doing this for seventeen<br /> years and I've got to put my family first, I need that money."<br /> 'That's fine, but how is that different than the desicion the guys<br /> from Blackwater make?'<br /> 'I see it as different.'<br /> And then he left.<br /> <br /> The day was abuzz with conversations about pensions. It's funny how<br /> many guys took my E-mails to heart, Steve, John Soltz, the gunny, and Capt<br /> Brawny all said it was directed at them personally. In truth, it was<br /> directed at all of them, but it was good to see that they finally see<br /> the inherent conflict between their large paychecks, generous<br /> pensions, and 'service.' It's all about heart condition. Capt<br /> Brawny told me one other thing, that a bunch of guys were pissed off<br /> at me. I told him that I didn't care (Asberger's has its benefits).<br /> It's hard to care about what people think when you don't respect their<br /> values. God, Family, Country, Corps. That's the hierarchy, if<br /> something is in conflict you must bow out of the lower responsibility,<br /> but you are not supposed to have the hierarchy God, Family,<br /> laziness/fear of the unknown, Country, Corps. That's what the real<br /> hierarchy is when you try to dick the country for the sake of your<br /> family, you can do other things, you are just scared, and you are<br /> making that everyone else's problem. Grow some balls and step out. I'm<br /> not leaving the Marine Corps, the Marine Corps has left me.<br /> <br /> In the morning I worked with Qais. He has been having some eye<br /> allergy problems, but he still showed up. CJ Radin sent Sgt Salima from<br /> the RCT over here. I sent him back because I had been ordered not to<br /> supply one of our linguists to the RCT because their linguists are<br /> screwing our linguists by claiming they can't work during the fast.<br /> Sgt Salim came into the class for a moment, then left, he is<br /> protesting because I pulled him out of the drivers course. He really<br /> wanted that certificate so he could get a license in Kabul. He knows<br /> how to drive, he took the seat from Amir Dad, the soldier, whose job<br /> it is to drive, and is going to use his certificate of attendance to<br /> try to get benefits that it was never intended to provide. The XO,<br /> Munir, and Bashir all said, just let him finish the course. This must<br /> be some odd Afghan way of thinking. I said to all of them.<br /> "What is that going to teach him, that if you do the wrong thing with<br /> the wrong motives for a week, then it becomes ok?"<br /> <br /> Went to an uncomfortable chow with Graham, Brian, and Lt Love. The<br /> Gorilla in the room was that Graham was still pissed that I called him<br /><br /> out for being a pussy when he always talks about trying to be 'tough'<br /> and how his boys need to be "tough."<br /> <br /> I worked on some turnover stuff in the afternoon. With Maj Neller,<br /> showing him the complicated personnel database I created to track the<br /> whole brigade to make sure they are not lying about the number of<br /> leave days they have taken.<br /> <br /> Munir didn't show up for class, at the time he chose. I'm shocked.<br /> <br /> Watched a TED last night. It was from the founder of transparency<br /> international, it was about western countries and corporations bribing<br /> third world officials and being explicitly involved in corruption. I<br /> thought it was fitting.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />E-mails Mentioned (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1nUGpgvzlxzOUtWXzRxWDNBY0p1N0czQnFsU05CaWdhb0Jj/view?usp=sharing">PPT</a> is also in Gmail)<br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br />Where has my Marine Corps gone? A couple of references for you Pete<br /> Ellis=Marine who was a drunk, too wild for real service even in the<br /> pre-WWII era, active duty status uncertain, and predicted the entire<br /> Japanese invasion to a T. There was another E-mail from the LtCol not<br /> in this string that promised the maximum punishment.<br /> <br /> Capt Scott Shane,<br /> Regimental Combat Team 1 Embedded Training Team S-2 Mentor<br /> <br /> SIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.smil.mil<br /> NIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.mil<br /> <br /> RCT-1, HQ CO Embedded Training Team<br /> Unit #40145<br /> FPO, AP 96427-0145<br /> <br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> And once we get assured that we'll get that cash what do we do...nothing<br /> at all because that is the only goal.<br /> <br /> Capt Scott Shane,<br /> Regimental Combat Team 1 Embedded Training Team S-2 Mentor<br /> <br /> SIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.smil.mil<br /> NIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.mil<br /> <br /> RCT-1, HQ CO Embedded Training Team<br /> Unit #40145<br /> FPO, AP 96427-0145<br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 04:32<br /> To: Casanova GySgt (RCT-1 ETT); Arauzarios SSgt Alejandro (RCT-1<br /> S-3 ETT); Davidson Maj Christopher E (RCT-1 ETT XO); Brawny Capt Graham (RCT-1 S-3 SIGNALS OFFICER); Kucera HM1 David; Young GySgt<br /><br /> Christopher (RCT-1 ETT COMM CHIEF); Nowak Capt Stephen (RCT-1 S-3 Ops<br /> O); Love 1stLt Daniel C (RCT-5 S-4 MT OFFICER); Arthur Capt Brian<br /> (RCT-1 ETT); Mondt Sgt Michael T (RCT-1 ETT S3A); Neller Maj Shannon J<br /> (RCT-5 S-3 OPS ADVISOR); Soltz CWO2 John Soltz (RCT-1 S-4 MOTOR-T MAINT<br /> OFFICER); Valquist LtCol Andrew (RCT-1 ETT Chief); Kirell HM3 Nicholas P<br /> (RCT-1 ETT)<br /> Cc: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Subject: RE: The Gauntlet<br /> <br /> Sigh...and this is why I bow out, not because I am no longer a Marine,<br /> but because the reserves is the only place Marines still reside. The<br /> slightly off-kilter, self-second, brave men who have plenty to lose, but<br /> don't give a shit... Though I still fail to see how they could be pissed<br /> about us taking gear not on their CMR, perhaps you are exactly right,<br /> it's not a good career move...It all become about that magical twenty<br /> years...forget winning, forget service, forget what's right, forget fun,<br /> forget the truth, forget having a life, just remember the pension,<br /> anything for a pension, anything for cold-hard-cash<br /> like...well...mercenaries, or like...well...the Afghans. Look how<br /> different we are from them...<br /> <br /> Semper Fidelis,<br /> Major Pete Ellis<br /> <br /> Capt Scott Shane,<br /> Regimental Combat Team 1 Embedded Training Team S-2 Mentor<br /> <br /> SIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.smil.mil<br /> NIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.mil<br /> <br /> RCT-1, HQ CO Embedded Training Team<br /> Unit #40145<br /> FPO, AP 96427-0145<br /> <br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Casanova GySgt (RCT-1 ETT)<br /> Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 20:33<br /> To: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR); Arauzarios SSgt Alejandro<br /> (RCT-1 S-3 ETT); Davidson Maj Christopher E (RCT-1 ETT XO); Brawny Capt<br /> Graham (RCT-1 S-3 SIGNALS OFFICER); Kucera HM1 David; Young GySgt<br /><br /> Christopher (RCT-1 ETT COMM CHIEF); Nowak Capt Stephen (RCT-1 S-3 Ops<br /> O); Love 1stLt Daniel C (RCT-5 S-4 MT OFFICER); Arthur Capt Brian<br /> (RCT-1 ETT); Mondt Sgt Michael T (RCT-1 ETT S3A); Neller Maj Shannon J<br /> (RCT-5 S-3 OPS ADVISOR); Soltz CWO2 John Soltz (RCT-1 S-4 MOTOR-T MAINT<br /> OFFICER); Valquist LtCol Derek (RCT-1 ETT Chief); Kirell HM3 Nicholas P<br /> (RCT-1 ETT)<br /> Subject: RE: The Gauntlet<br /> <br /> Don't think it would be a good "career move" if you got caught stealing<br /> the gear. Yeah, great quote from Krulak. I'll give you another one,<br /> "You're not a real Marine until you have had an NJP" --- Chesty Puller.<br /> May have been sound back in his day, but if you get an NJP these days<br /> your career slows down dramaticially. I say good on the people who<br /> exercised good judgment and didn't put themselves out there for<br /> something stupid the last few weeks we are here. But that's just me.<br /> I'm a grumpy old Gunny.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 08:23<br /> To: Casanova GySgt Louis (RCT-1 ETT); Arauzarios SSgt Alejandro (RCT-1<br /> S-3 ETT); Davidson Maj Christopher E (RCT-1 ETT XO); Brawny Capt<br />Graham (RCT-1 S-3 SIGNALS OFFICER); Kucera HM1 David; Young GySgt<br /><br /> Christopher (RCT-1 ETT COMM CHIEF); Nowak Capt Stephen (RCT-1 S-3 Ops<br /> O); Love 1stLt Daniel C (RCT-5 S-4 MT OFFICER); Arthur Capt Brian<br /> (RCT-1 ETT); Mondt Sgt Michael T (RCT-1 ETT S3A); Neller Maj Shannon J<br /> (RCT-5 S-3 OPS ADVISOR); Soltz CWO2 John Soltz (RCT-1 S-4 MOTOR-T MAINT<br /> OFFICER); Valquist LtCol Derek (RCT-1 ETT Chief); Kirell HM3 Nicholas P<br /> (RCT-1 ETT)<br /> Cc: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Subject: The Gauntlet<br /> <br /> Gentlemen,<br /> <br /> We have a problem of khootsba, or balls, or shall I just come out and<br /> say it, we have a pussy problem.<br /> <br /> Let me explain what I mean. Per the E-mail string below, and per the<br /> attached conops, tonight at 0500 I was planning to heist the gym<br /> equipment that the MWSS stole in Feb so that RCT-5 would have something<br /> to work out on and so that the fat-asses from MWSS could burn some<br /> calories walking to their new mainside gym. I was not going to inform<br /> the LtCol because I wanted him to have plausible deniability. This was<br /> going to be a fun evolution that would right a wrong and be memorable.<br /> Here's the rub. I can't do this without seven Marines, and I could only<br /> find three other Marines with the balls to pull this caper.<br /> <br /> Gentlemen, I feel it is my duty to throw this gauntlet down. If this<br /> gym equipment is still in that gym by the time RCT-5 gets here we are a<br /> bunch of pussies. They stole it. We can keep it here. They are leaving<br /> in early Sept to mainside, we are leaving the same time. They are<br /> RIPing out. There are a million good reasons, but most of all this will<br /> be fun as shit and semi-dangerous. I need six Marines with balls to<br /> come with me. Two to lift on the gym side, two on top of the HESCO, two<br /> to load and one as a watch. We are following in a proud Marine heritage<br /> of reappropriating gear to the greater good-General Krulak et all.<br /> <br /> Don't be a Pussy,<br /> Capt S<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Sent: Sunday, August 14, 2011 10:43<br /> To: Love 1stLt Daniel C (RCT-5 S-4 MT OFFICER)<br /> Cc: Neller Maj Shannon J (RCT-5 S-3 OPS ADVISOR); Valquist LtCol Derek<br /> (RCT-1 ETT Chief); Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Subject: FW: Old Dwyer Gym/showers<br /> <br /> Lt Love,<br /> <br /> FYI. I came up with nothing when I spoke to Capt Chau. I've come up<br /> with nothing here. Perhaps you will have more luck, or perhaps you<br /> would like to pursue the options from MSgt Sumida.<br /> <br /> The final option is perhaps the most fun. I am happy run a covert op if<br /> it helps your team. As Krulak said, institutional theft is a part of<br /> our heritage, and since it doesn't belong to anybody...<br /> <br /> R,<br /> <br /> Capt Scott Shane<br /> Regimental Combat Team 1 Embedded Training Team S-2 Mentor<br /> <br /> SIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.smil.mil<br /> NIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.mil<br /> <br /> RCT-1, HQ CO Embedded Training Team<br /> Unit #40145<br /> FPO, AP 96427-0145<br /> <br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Sumida MSgt Ryan N (Camp Dwyer Mayor)<br /> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 21:13<br /> To: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Cc: Andazola Jr SSgt Miguel E (RCT-5 BOS-I CAMP OPERATIONS CHIEF);<br /> Hawkins Capt Jon W (RCT-5 HQ COMPANY COMMANDER<br /> Subject: RE: Old Dwyer Gym/showers<br /> <br /> Understand the cynicism. I felt it too when I wrote my reply to you.<br /> How long can I promise a shower and latrine for these guys? We had the<br /> shower system, only the power was 110 vic3 220 which you are running in<br /> Garmsir.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately there is a shortage on what I have available. I can't<br /> readily put anything into your compound as your power will not work with<br /> the rest of my facilities. You are correct that we could use the area<br /> near ANGLICO. I sent over a couple of slides showing the future of Old<br /> Dwyer Development. Will attach it so you can see where it is headed.<br /> <br /> As for the fitness equipment, there have always been options to get<br /> equipment, one being to do a JARB package, and the other to see about<br /> using FOO funds. Since you are in direct support of the ANA, it may be<br /> possible to use FOO money. Worth a inquiry, and worth trying to set up<br /> the next team with a few more creature comforts.<br /> <br /> MSgt Sumida<br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 19:45<br /> To: Sumida MSgt Ryan N (Camp Dwyer Mayor)<br /> Cc: Andazola Jr SSgt Miguel E (RCT-5 BOS-I CAMP OPERATIONS CHIEF);<br /> Hawkins Capt Jon W (RCT-5 HQ COMPANY COMMANDER; Scott Shane Capt<br /> (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Subject: RE: Old Dwyer Gym/showers<br /> <br /> MSgt,<br /> <br /> The shower has been planned for the last year (it's only been 2 weeks<br /> out for the last 52 weeks), so you'll have to forgive my cynicism.<br /> <br /> I didn't know the air guys had showers, we'll head over there when the<br /> time comes.<br /> <br /> The RCT-5 advon is here, and they are not planning on moving out of Camp<br /> Garmsir. We are all too familiar with odd smells, but mission<br /> first...Moving or not, the gym problem for the fifty Marines on this<br /> side of camp will remain. Any solutions other than letting Marines duke<br /> it out over the shit the Brits made two years ago? We basically need a<br /> bench press, dip bar, and Olympic bar, a triceps machine, some<br /> dumbbells, and any spare cardio you've got.<br /> <br /> Personally, I'm going to be off of this camp in a couple weeks and it<br /> doesn't really matter to me, but it isn't fair to the next ETT and<br /> ANGLICO. They already live a with the ANA, and the nearest running<br /> water, chow hall are a mile away, and now they're not even going to have<br /> a place to work out. All while the other side of camp has all of the<br /> amenities in the world, and is about to get a few more because the MWSS<br /> can't walk 200 ft to the existing showers, shitters, and gym on MSide.<br /> <br /> R,<br /> <br /> Capt Scott Shane<br /> Regimental Combat Team 1 Embedded Training Team S-2 Mentor<br /> <br /> SIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.smil.mil<br /> NIPR: Scott.Shane@afg.usmc.mil<br /> <br /> RCT-1, HQ CO Embedded Training Team<br /> Unit #40145<br /> FPO, AP 96427-0145<br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Sumida MSgt Ryan N (Camp Dwyer Mayor)<br /> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 18:31<br /> To: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Cc: Andazola Jr SSgt Miguel E (RCT-5 BOS-I CAMP OPERATIONS CHIEF);<br /> Hawkins Capt Jon W (RCT-5 HQ COMPANY COMMANDER<br /> Subject: RE: Old Dwyer Gym/showers<br /> <br /> Sir--<br /> <br /> There is a shower and latrine unit planned for the ETT in Garmshir.<br /> VMGR also has showers and latrines. As far as the left over gym<br /> equipment, it is not on the camp account, so if they leave anything....<br /> <br /> I do not know if you will want to use the shower and latrines for the<br /> Jordanians. We located them there to allow them to maintain their own<br /> personal hygiene standard.<br /> <br /> Additionally, there is a new ETT that I have proposed gets nestled in<br /> just between Red Horse and ANGLICO. Red Horse may be leaving around the<br /> end of the year or so from what I am hearing, so that whole compound may<br /> open up as fair game.<br /> <br /> MSgt Sumida<br /> <br /> -----Original Message-----<br /> From: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 15:49<br /> To: Sumida MSgt Ryan N (Camp Dwyer Mayor)<br /> Cc: Scott Shane Capt (RCT-1 S-2 MENTOR)<br /> Subject: Old Dwyer Gym/showers<br /> <br /> MSgt,<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I'm wondering what your plan is for the gym/showers on Old Dwyer. As<br /> you know the MWSS is moving to mainside, and they will be taking all of<br /> the new gym equipment they procured for themselves, but I'm wondering if<br /> you have a plan for the equipment that was left over from the old dwyer<br /> gym? ANGLICO, Harvest Hawk, ETT, et all are still over here, and<br /> Anglico is probably the most centrally located of us if we pop up a GP<br /> tent. Same-same with shower facilities. If the MWSS takes the old 3rd<br /> Infantry Division Army showers with them, then do you have a plan for<br /> the rest of us? Is new stuff going to be brought in for the Jordanians,<br /> or what? I think that Red Horse has a gym and showers, but they don't<br /> play well with others, they've told us 'good luck' on using the showers<br /> in their compound after the MWSS leaves. Any help would be appreciated.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Thanks,Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-79577266523384034032013-08-15T21:21:00.000-07:002016-01-14T18:59:36.479-08:00Month 12 Day 15<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">10 reports given, teleconference one showed up, Munir thinks base
his responsibility.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Today I met up with Munir in the morning. The XO has told him
that he<br />
personally needs to leave the wire every day to check on what is going<br />
on outside, make sure the contractors are not a threat, etc. I told<br />
him this is not his job, he is supposed to be paying attention to the<br />
entire AO, and that local security is the job of the garrision support<br />
unit. He said the GSU is too busy stealing to worry about security.<br />
Either way, it is emblematic of some of the problems we face here, the<br />
officers remember what it was like to be Lts 25 years ago under the<br />
Russians, but have no idea what it is to be field grades.<br />
<br />
I did the teleconference in the morning. Up here Salim, Qais, and the<br />
GSU CI guy showed up. Only one of the kandaks showed up. After we<br />
were done they spoke up and said "what is the purpose of this, they<br />
just pass the same reports we already have." I agreed it was<br />
pointless. So we had an impromptu class on how to run a meeting.<br />
They learned a new word, 'agenda' (the same in Dari as in English),<br />
and I talked about what we coudl do to make it better next week.<br />
Remind the kandaks, it is happening, send them and agenda, talk about<br />
the things on the agenda, and then send out the minutes/taskers. That<br />
took an hour. Salim went internal and kept trying to go to sleep.<br />
<br />
Munir didn't show up at the time he said he was going to show up for<br />
class, 1400. I'm not shocked.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon I worked on that opplan and tried to rally the<br />
Marines. To come have fun by taking back some of the stolen gym<br />
equipment, only three Marines had the balls, Lekic, Doc Kirell, and<br />
Capt Arthur. My sentiments on this are well expressed in those<br />
E-mails.<br />
<br />
I'm disappointed that the USMC has become so career-oriented. I just<br />
sent a good E-mail to Erik Sand encapsulating my feelings. He wrote<br />
about he had the same problem in the Navy.<br />
<br />
Erik,<br />
<br />
Yah we didn't get to talk much, but I do vaguely remember you. I hope<br />
I didn't say anything nasty about the senior service. Perhaps it is<br />
something we can rectify our lack of conversations if you ever park<br />
your boat in San Diego.<br />
<br />
Since I live in a glass house, I won't throw any stones, but I do<br />
think a lot of things would be better if the pension system were<br />
removed. I see three types of Marines.<br />
<br />
First, Basically everyone on their first tour who believes in service,<br />
is still having a rough go of it--real Marines<br />
<br />
Second, The High-fliers, they are brilliantly suited to their jobs,<br />
and well-exceed the expectations put on them, the future flag<br />
officers--real Marines<br />
<br />
Third, The rotten middle, those who stay in because they are scared of<br />
the outside world, don't know what they would do, and really want the<br />
pension. They are willing to do anything for a pension, bend the<br />
truth, forget about the country, forget about what is right. Once<br />
they hit sanctuary, or are guaranteed retirement you see their true<br />
colors come out, they generally don't do anything. These guys rapidly<br />
expanded in the last ten years, and they are dragging us down.<br />
America would be better without them. If we cut the pension-leash I<br />
believe they would roam free.<br />
<br />
I bring this up with a lot of the pensioners here, but I think they<br />
are confused. They don't see the conflicted lives they lead. I<br />
think that is because everyone starts off in the first category, a few<br />
press on to the second, but the majority of those who stay in are<br />
absorbed into the third, and the absorption is slow. They still hold<br />
an idea of service in their mind. They believe it when people say<br />
thank you for your service, but they are living a lie. I don't blame<br />
them entirely. I feel the pull, I've got a mortgage, a wife, and I<br />
can't just do whatever I want and I think about my fast-approaching<br />
pay cut and am occasionally given to bouts of fright, for some people<br />
who just scraped through college, have lesser skills, have kids, have<br />
a true 'dependant.' the prospect of leaving must be terrifying. I<br />
just wonder if that is the right thing for the country.<br />
<br />
Thoughts?<br />
<br />
Rock on,<br />
Scott<br />
<br />
The Marine Corps I once knew is dead, replaced by mercenaries.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFObXnceuTsJXjrrpKtV7ipNjC5XhdJCX1SsH1V6NYpeOzKVbW_9-QjD_EX8MR0c-pP7Bfde40mdAu7Pon3J9qZwQsTspzJ6A2Y6r7EGJ8BXrav8QmsKOnn-8UDfVGas5_F1O6YTqKH4l/s1600/DSC02123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjFObXnceuTsJXjrrpKtV7ipNjC5XhdJCX1SsH1V6NYpeOzKVbW_9-QjD_EX8MR0c-pP7Bfde40mdAu7Pon3J9qZwQsTspzJ6A2Y6r7EGJ8BXrav8QmsKOnn-8UDfVGas5_F1O6YTqKH4l/s640/DSC02123.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-20201585578142737212013-08-14T21:19:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:33:38.492-08:00Month 12 Day 14<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook
entry<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">13
reports given, Qais not at class, corruption Garrison support unit, Munir and
Garrison support unit 1400 no-show, DRMO plotter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal
entry<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Normal morning routine.<br />
<br />
I met up with Munir briefly in the morning. An inspector from the<br />
Corps Topographic section was there. He is part of the overall Corps<br />
inspection team. I said 'welcome, did you get our map requests, and<br />
what's up with this form that no one can show me that we are supposed<br />
to fill out to get maps, since you are here, do you have a copy?'<br />
Well he didn't like it, he is down from corps and things he's big<br />
shit, I don't fucking care any more. I just want to get stuff done. I<br />
scheduled a class time with them, and went to talk to the GSU CI.<br />
Munir said that he couldn't compell the CI guy to come to class even<br />
though his unit is subordinate to the brigade, and that he couldn't go<br />
remind him every day "oh, you mean like I do for you on a daily<br />
basis." I went to talk to the GSU CI Mohammad Aqa, I told him
about<br />
the class he said<br />
"I am very busy"<br />
"with what"<br />
"I'm making this roster of all of the contractors on base"<br />
"How is that part of counterintel? Do you have a database you are<br />
going to check them against? This is Afghanistan, such a database<br />
doesn't exist"<br />
"Well, the commander told me to"<br />
"Why do you think he did that"<br />
"I don't know"<br />
"Think real hard"<br />
"I don't know"<br />
"Lets step outside"<br />
We moved about ten feet outside of his office and looked at the<br />
unmortared cinder-block wall between the General's office building and<br />
the GSU commander's office building.<br />
"Where, did this come from? Do you have a block machine on the camp?"<br />
"No"<br />
"So where did it come from?"<br />
"The contractors."<br />
"Yah, the contractors that are trying to build your camp. You are<br />
stealing from them and putting together half-baked walls over here so<br />
that the General can have a private shitter and shower. This is<br />
bullshit, the contractors factor this stealing into their budgets, and<br />
they end up charging the US more. You are stealing from my country."<br />
"Oh..."<br />
"So what does that mean about your list?"<br />
"Maybe I shouldn't make it."<br />
"Congratulations, you can be an intelligence officer."<br />
<br />
At 1400 they were supposed to show up for class, but they did not. I,<br />
for one, am shocked. Both Munir and Aqa didn't even let me know.<br />
<br />
Instead of class fought the battle of the inbox. I found out that the<br />
plotter they are using at the Corps level is one of the ones that I<br />
was so glibly rejected on by the MEF G4 almost a year ago.<br />
<br />
this was his original E-mail:<br />
-----Original Message-----<br />
From: Knapp LtCol Karl (IMEFFWD G-4)<br />
Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2010 17:49<br />
To: Nguyen Maj Thai N<br />
Subject: Giving gear to ANSF<br />
<br />
Absolutely not! No printers no computers no parts no end items no<br />
uniforms etc. They have their own supply system they can use. We have<br />
been over this a dozen time with units, the answer is always no! If<br />
the kits are excess they better WIR them so another Marine unit can<br />
use Marine funded gear. You need to get this word out to the 'new'<br />
guys. We have already lived this pain last rotation.<br />
S/F<br />
K<br />
<br />
LtCol Karl Knapp<br />
I MEF (FWD)/RC-SW C-4<br />
Supply Officer<br />
DSN:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="tel:318.357.6413"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">318.357.6413</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br />
NIPR:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="mailto:karl.knapp@afg.usmc.mil"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">karl.knapp@afg.usmc.mil</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br />
SIPR:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="mailto:karl.knapp@afg.usmc.smil.mil"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">karl.knapp@afg.usmc.smil.mil</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br />
<br />
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional,<br />
illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream<br />
media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible<br />
to pick up a turd by the clean end." - R. J. Wiedemann LtCol. USMC<br />
Ret<br />
<br />
Funny what a difference a new command element makes. I guess the<br />
answer is to just ask when the next guys arrive.<br />
<br />
The XO is also putting up a HESCO fence around his container, keeping<br />
up with the General/Jonses.<br />
<br />
I was so excited about planning my raid to take the community gym<br />
equipment that MWSS has claimed as their own that I had trouble going<br />
to sleep. This is going to be fun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-87599525581810068962013-08-13T21:15:00.000-07:002016-01-14T19:04:31.176-08:00Month 12 Day 13<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Seven reports given, Qais at class Munir nowhere, Salim at drivers,
class with Marines<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I tried to meet up with Munir in the morning. He wasn't
around. Salim had put himself back into the drivers course, again, so he wasn't
around. Qais was able to make it to class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I told Chuck CJ Radin that we didn't have any linguist
support. The LtCol told me to deny the RCT any linguists because they
have linguists, but they have not been able to get them to come over because is
Ramadan, so they are depending on our linguists. CJ Radin send the new RCT-5
GySgt anyway. He showed up and I wasn't going to torture him, so I gave
him a linguist and then watched part of his class to see exactly what he needed
and provided him with a lesson, maps, and markers. He did pretty
well. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qais was pretty engaged. He did his first trip to the AO
since he has been here the day prior and finally, he was able to see some of
the things that I have been talking about. I am not going to go chase the other
guys down. I'll just report it, and the XO will have to manage his
staff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Came back worked on my book query, ate lunch, and worked on some
GMAT prep stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At 1400 I had a class for the junior Marines covering mutual funds
and real estate. It was a slow start, but they took to it a bit at the end.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Worked on some stuff for turnover, my 'best practices' uploaded
some more stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I sent an E-mail to ATC offering to come help them train other
advisor teams while the rest of the advisor team is on leave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Went to chow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Came back and watched a good TED with Brian about simplicity.
The guys was talking about the four characteristics of 'simplicity' which Brian rightley pointed out was really 'functional simplicity.' Things need to
be<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">1. functional<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">2. low cost<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">3. reliable<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">4. stackable<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The issue that we then spoke about for about an hour was whether
the financial system was simple. All of the component parts are simple,
but together they get mashed together and have unexpected 3rd and 4th order
effects that are very dependant on the tiny fluctuations in the constituent
parts, opinion leaders, etc. They are also not simple for the rational human
being. Our brains evolved to deal with plains hunting, not risk
derivatives. There are already some saveguards in place that stop us from
acting like dumb herd animals and sticking our proverbial spears into one
another (e.g. if the market falls far enough it shuts down), but perhaps the
system can get too complicated for the average Joe to understand so it becomes
increadibly dependant on the finance mavens. I was thinking about the Marines
in my financial management class. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Its great to talk to Brian. <span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-75230131568434539472013-08-12T21:10:00.000-07:002016-01-14T19:05:21.921-08:00Month 12 Day 12<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">24 reports given<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We were in river city all day, so communication with the outside
world was down. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I did my normal Friday routine in the morning. Maj Davidson
wasn't here, so I was able to use his truck to go to the chow hall
afterward. It was my first hot breakfast in weeks, and it was good.
After I got back Brian and I worked on putting all of our stuff into a box to
mail home. It is stupid how much stuff we were required to bring
here but we didn't use. Tarps, all kinds of extra warming layers,
extra damn near everything it seems. The Issued gear alone adds up to
about 200lbs. Multiply that by the number of guys going into and out of
country per year (x>100,000), multiply that by the overage of 100 lbs,
assume the cost of fuel from here to America is only $1 (a pipe dream I know),
multiply that by the cost of fuel $4.00 (lets assume JP-8 costs as much as gas
though it actually costs more) and you end up with a grand total of $40,000,000
just for hauling around shit that we don't need. Here's the really stupid
part. This is completely avoidable, but the problem is again that
everyone is an amature. The 'experts' the commanders who told us to bring
this crap had no idea what to expect of the weather in one of the most
predictably dry and hot places on earth. What does that say about their
ability to predict what the enemy is going to do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Anyway despite the annoyance that I would have to mail back stuff
(it cost me $69) It was nice to hit that milestone. We are almost out of
here. You can feel it in everyone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the afternoon I cleaned my weapon. I made some suggestions
to Danny Vassar from RCT-8 who is planning the same crazy trip to Kabul that I
did, and I watched Ray. I didn't check to see how long it was before I started
it. Jamie Fox was really fantastic in it. I didn't have any idea
how diverse Ray Charles was, there wasn't a song on there I hadn't heard
before. The guy really was a genius. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-46697406912705367712013-08-11T21:09:00.000-07:002016-01-15T22:16:47.276-08:00Month 12 Day 11<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">10 reports given, class with Salim, doctors from Ministry of
Defense, combined staff, tram in a hole, fire steal wood <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I needed to do the class at 0900 because we had a 'don't beat your
wife, shake your baby, or kick your dog class at 1000.' When I was trying to
search for them I walked past where the two tents burnt down. There were
no less than 10 rat holes in the ground where the tents once stood. it is
a freaking infestation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the morning I did a half-assed class with Salim. It would
have been better, but the Gunny was busy uninstalling Windows Black and
installing the real version of XP onto their office computer. He was also
late because he was at the drivers course, despite the XO's orders. He
admitted again that he was just in the course so that he could get a license
when he goes up to Kabul. We went over SigAct pattern tracking, and
that's about all. At the end he called me lazy for not giving him everything he
wanted, even when I just arranged to get his computer fixed, gave him 18
reports the day prior, just finished teaching him a class. He still
doesn't get that I'm not going to give him a hand-out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I had our lingists translate a bunch of documents that I got while
the MoD CI guys were in town. I basically stole the docs from them.
they implicated the GSU commander in selling 400 liters of fuel in Garmsir,
extorting 45,000 Afghani out of the contractors we use to build their camp,
bringing hashish and alocohol onto base, and trying to keep his own
counterintel guys from reporting on him because he was stealing so much
stuff. He did this by taking away their vehicle and forcing them to stay
on base. The documents also implicated the GSU Security Company Commander
for stealing seven months of his soldiers pay by not reporting him in an
unauthorized absence status. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">They had the combined staff meeting in the morning, that went ok,
but in the middle of it one of the front-end loaders that the Marines were using
to spread gravel backed into a giant drainage hole, it fell, thankfully the
Sergeant was not hurt. Maybe Marines aren't so different from Afghans.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I went to lunch and just after I got back one of the Marines
screamed 'FIRE, FIRE'<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I grabbed the truck keys and we all went racing to the next tent
that we on fire. Naturally when I arrived all the Afghans were just
sitting there looking at the tent burning and not paying any attention to the
adjacent tent which could catch-fire at any moment. I grabbed water
bottles out of the bed of the truck and started the douse the adjacent tent, I
threw some bottles to the ANA to do the same and they just shook their
heads. I made fun of them. "that's right just watch the
Marines fix the problem, don't do anything to help. To their credit the
ANA fire department showed up pretty quickly and used their new fire truck to
great effect (even though it still had the tow strap dangling from the bottom
from when it was taken from Leatherneck. It was an interesting sight,
guys in flip-flops fighting the fire. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The tent that burned down was the S2 tent. I tried to rib
Salim for smoking in the tent. He would later get really upset at me
about that saying that everyone now believed he was smoking because I said so,
and that would mean he was breaking the fast. He might have
been, who knows. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br clear="all" />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I came back and worked on the Gazette article for a while. I
stopped to take a pee break, went to talk to Munir about a crazy soldeir who
was getting transferred to ANA custody. He had shot himself in the chest
and was now threatening other soldiers and officers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I had just got that out when Amir Dad came in and said 'Qais and
the GSU Security Company commander are fighting.' I went with Munir and
he told me on the way 'we need to hurry.' We come out of the back office
buildings where the GSU have their offices, and I see Salim and Qais surrounded
by about 13 GSU guys. Qais is beat red, and the Security Company
commander raises his right hand and punches Qais in the face. He then
tells all of his soldiers to 'get him.' Qais<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I'll have to send the rest later. I'm out of sniper hill<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">So I see Tahir bring up his right fist and punch Qais in the face.<br />
Qais raises his fists and hits back. Tahir tells his soldiers to ‘get<br />
him’ and they all start swinging at him. I yelled to STOP and a lot<br />
of the soldiers backed up, but Qais was still yelling that he was not<br />
a woman and trying to come at Tahir. I grabbed Qais and told him that<br />
he was done and this was not the time. He kept jumping and as he did<br />
the buttons on his uniform popped off one by one as my grasp fought<br />
against his momentum. I turned around and pushed Maj Tahir back as<br />
well and told him this was not the time. I saw Qais reach down and<br />
grab two handfuls of gravel and he threw them at Tahir. That was<br />
enough. I turned Qais around and pushed him back to his office.<br />
Salim and Munir grabbed the truck.<br />
<br />
I grabbed Sammy because I wasn’t sure of all of the words that they<br />
were saying and we went up to the tower. Munir called and spoke to<br />
the Bde Cmdr, and S2. The story they gave went like this. Qais and<br />
Salim were driving to their new tent because their other one just<br />
burned down, and Tahir told them tostop. Once they came out he asked<br />
them why they told the MOD that he had stolen seven months of this<br />
soldiers pay. Qais told him that it was his job and Tahir started to<br />
call them names and wanted to fight. I talked to Qais about how<br />
stronger men were the ones who backed out of fights that involved<br />
their own honor, and weaker ones went to fight at every personal<br />
insult. He kind of smiled and agreed, he said that in the ANA the<br />
punishment for someone who fights is the same. It doesn’t matter if<br />
they start the fight, or if they are the recipient. I think I know<br />
why a lot of this is happening. You can see it from the spittle<br />
crusted lips. All of these guys are exhausted because of Ramadan,<br />
they don’t eat enough, they don’t eat at a sane time, and most of all<br />
they are dehydrated as hell. Of course they are going to fight. I’m<br />
just glad that not many of them are much more than a hundred pounds,<br />
so when they get into it you can literally just grab them and throw<br />
them apart.<br />
<br />
At the evening meeting Casbarro said that the Troute Clearance Company<br />
returned the plywood and 2x4s that they stole from the contractors who<br />
are building the new ANA buildings. No punishment for the ANA, they<br />
just gave it back.<br />
<br />
At least this isn’t boring.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-62313124075892954312013-08-10T20:55:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:32:16.101-08:00Month 12 Day 10<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">18 reports given, Munir maps, Salim not in drivers, Ministry of
Defense form 14, $250,000 Darrell, zero parts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I went to the gym this morning . I am growing thankful for
every additional day that I get in there. The MWSS guys are going to be
taking all of the gym equipment with them when they leave. The trouble
for me is that they don't actually own any of it. A bunch of it was here
before they arrived. Fair enough a bunch of it was shipped in about a
week and a half ago by them, but a lot of the rest of it has been here for over
a year, and they said that they promised some of it to other people on
camp. I'm like cool, so I can promise a public part to someone now.
anyway the reason that I bring it up is not because it is especially
annnoying, but because it is emblematic of the difference between the ANA and
the US military. even using the USAF Red Horse showers is a big dela they
think these are 'our' showeres. Obviously that is bullshit the American
taxparyer didn't earmark money for the USAF in Afghanistan, nor did they
earmark certain fuel trucks or certain water trucks to carry water for them,
but they take ownership of their stuff. Even when an NCO walks into a
room he starts using the possessive, he'll say to a yound Marine 'get me
my trashcan' even if it is just sitting there and it is a classroom. The
Afghans don't do this. they don't have personal weapons, they don't have
take ownership of their tents, their showers or their facilities. They
will generaally just run it into the ground and ask for someone else to come
fix it. Tragedy of the commons problems are rampant here. If
everyone has access toa resource and they can gain some marginal utility
form it suse, then they will use the hell out of it well, that's what these
guys do. For most people these problems are solved by and external fore
like a government taxing and restricitng use or dealing with upkeep, like in
public parks. But even in the more hierarchical organizations, like the
Afghan military the leadership does not step up to this responsibility, and the
underlings do not want them to. The attitude is like Col Mustaga and the
Ablutions buildings. "I know you will find a way to secure my
buidlings for me and stop my soldiers from pooping in them." That is
what happens when you have no sense of common identity, common claim, or common
heritage. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
I came back and CJ Radin wanted to come by early to work with them on their
slides. That was a good idea because we are solow on terps because
of the drivers course-main effort. HE worked with them and ten rolled
aroudn and I still didn't have a linguist I came over and started to work with
Munir and my sergeants were like "what about our class" I kind
of smiled and I said, lets do some review. We did and it was pretty
good. I was proud that they asked. Salim has been kicked out of the
drivers course so he's around now. I worked with Munir on three more map
requests. He did pretty good on the subsequent iterations. I was
pretty proud of him. He then wanted to work on getting supplies. I
sent the Sergeants on a search for the CD that I had burned them with all of
the supply information on it. They found it. I gave him a quick
run-through told him to take a stab, and that I'd help him the next day.
Again I was pretty proud that he wanted to work on stuff. Salim wanted me
to uninstall "Windows Black" an iranian pirated version of windows
from his computer. I talked to the assistant code officer, and they gave
it a try and failed. At least they are trying.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
I had lunch with the LtCol and told him about the Semi-successful map requests
which were then deflected by Corps saying that there is some other type of
special form that no one can seem to find a copy of that we need. He said
"it's almost done, it's a shitty way to look at it, but it is almost
done." He told me to go have a look at the Generals new toilet, the
plumbing is just a pipe that runs through a small cinder-block wall between the
buildings. The feces will travel three feet and sit on the ground or
he'll tell his soldier to clean it up. all so that he doesn't have to
shit with his soldiers. Awesome.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
I worked on the Gazetter article in the afternoon. To my surprise the
LtCol didn't tone it down he increased the tone. He is so good at hiding
how he really feels about this place.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The only other thing of note that happened today was with our
communications maintenance contractor. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>There
are basically no repair parts in the country for ANA radios, and the pre-fab
repair shops which are like pop-up trailers (about 90 of them) were all stolen
in Kabul before they could make it to this level. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>So we not have a contractor living on
our camp with no ability to do his job making over 200K per year. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>Awesome. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-59688659179133269802013-08-09T20:51:00.000-07:002016-01-01T20:56:12.721-08:00Month 12 Day 9<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">12 reports given, geometries of fire, Suzan argument, maps with
Munir, executive officer maps not from intelligence, drivers course switch,
Salima here, translate Maj. B broken hand, Gazette.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">One thing that I forgot to mention from two days ago was that the
two new guys from RCT-5 were out talking about new places to put guard towers
to enhance their fields of fire. The point here is not that it is
tactically unsound because they are turning what would be grazing enfilade fire
into plunging fire. The point is that they are already focusing on the
wrong thing. They believe that their security is going to come from new
guard posts and walls, not from good partnering across the street. We
thought just the same thing when we came here. I remember looking at the
RCT-7 guys and thinking 'why don't they always have their weapons close at
hand.' This is a brand new war for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I got into it with Suzan this morning. These deployments are
just unnatural and I think that any couple with have trouble with them because
if you are a coupling of two people, then you will have trouble being without
your partner for a year, and you will have an equally difficult time reintegrating
upon your return. I hope that a heated conversation is as bad as it
gets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I worked on mapping with Munir. I got him to plot grids on a
map and find a grid for a point that I picked. I was proud of him.
While we were in class together the XO came in. He wanted to know why
were were ordering maps for the S3 section. He said 'they have their own
mentors and they can order them themselves.' He's the most professional
soldier we've got and he doesn't realize that maps and all things related
to terrain are in the S2's perview. He did make the right decision about
Salim and the driver's course. He said that Salim knows how to drive, but
when I told him that our soldier who is supposed to know how to drive does not
know, he made the switch. He also got into Salim for half-racking out
during my class last week. I like the XO. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I bade the General adeau and I resisted the temptation to ask him
for a medal as he did from the SecDef for his 15 min of interaction. Not
sad to see him go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I came back to the tent met with Sgt Salima and one of the new RCT-5
Sgts, they taught Qais some IPB stuff. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">We were all out of linguists because of the leave flight, and I had
been working with Munir all morning without one. Maj Davidson wanted to
get some stuff done and I got thrown under the bus by Capt Arthur. 'Tarjimon
Abdul can help you.' Thanks. So I became the Major's linguist for
the next hour. It is really hard to do. The last time I did it was
in French in Haiti. It made my head hurt. We got the perstats from
the Bde, GSU, and the RCC. When we were almost finished with the GSU one
of their Sgts came in and the GSU S1 officer spoke up. 'I'd
like to talk to you about something serious. My sergeant went out this
morning to monitor the leave flight. He told one of the
officers, Mohammad Naim, that he was not allowed to get on the flight because
his name was not on the list and the officer in turn hit him, told him he was
going on leave and broke his hand. He then went to the General, got his approval,
had the Gunny put his name on the list and is waiting at the airport right
now' I was taken aback and relayed the story back to them in Dari to make
sure that I understood. Maj Davidson took it for action. He went
over to pull the guy from the flight. I don't know what exactly happened
on the flightline, but when I came back after chow Maj Davidson told me that
the guy left on the flight because the General wanted him to go and the LtCol
backed him up. I said "I wonder why the LtCol did that? He doesn't
have a relationship to preserve anymore, we are never going to see the general
again?" Maj Neller, the new OpsO spoke up with his school-house
wisdom "you can't undermine the General"--Good luck with that, you
are not doing your job if you don't undermine someone who is doing
something wrong. Anyway just then the LtCol Bursts in and says
"Everyone but Maj Davidson, get out." OK well, I don't know how
that went, but I know an officer who had just come back from leave a month ago
assaulted a soldier who was trying to do the right thing, and we failed the
soldier. The guy shoudl be in the hot box, not in Kabul right now, on an
$18,000 flight contracted monitored and produced by the American public.
If we can't stand up to a fat little emperor of a General and tell him that
there have to be consequences for assualt, leave policy violation, and that he
can't use American air with impunity (even if the guy gave him cash to get on),
then what the fuck are we here for? There are no consequences, we are
just enablers. Maj Davidson took the guy to the Combat Surgical Hospital
in the afternoon. He told the docs 'I know they can handle it here, but I
feel so bad for the guy, and I want to show him I care and will support people
who do the right thing. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br clear="all" />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2210599029940218236.post-85293136887946393162013-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:002015-12-15T23:31:28.191-08:00Month 12 Day 8<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Notebook entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">11 reports given, math class, teleconference, Qais review, drivers
course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Journal entry<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the morning I did a map class with Munir. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>We had to do it in my tent because
Munir couldn’t find his soldier. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>He
was pretty receptive and is relearning pretty quickly. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>I had to divide my time a little bit
because I was helping Capt Nowak with his contribution to the Gazette
article. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>No one has taken
the time to sit down with him and explain formal grammar rules. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qais did the teleconference. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>We had two kandaks show up. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>That was a pretty good result. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>After the teleconference I went to do
some review with Qais on the map, operational term and graphics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I would have liked to do more, but we are pretty short-handed on
linguists right now. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>I am
glad that we came back off the ledge of sending Tony to Fiddler’s Green.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the afternoon I kept correcting submissions for the
Gazette. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>The Doc wanted me
to correct his paper only to know if he had less errors than Cap Nowak. <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>I told him I was not going to
entertain that question. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">I worked on the intro to the article, transferring a bunch of files
from SIPR to NIPR, went to the meeting and racked out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Exit Strategyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15513137598233195224noreply@blogger.com0