Month 8 Day 30

Notebook Entry
Convoy Garmsir, Afghan National Security Forces meeting and video teleconference, Afghan National Army dump trash.

Journal Entry
Went on a convoy to PB [Patrol Base] Amir in Garmsir. Nothing really significant happened. We were slowed up by a report of an IED on the road and the sweep team. It turned out to be nothing.

The morning was a bit rough two MRAPs [Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected Vehicles] went down. We switched to MATVs [MRAP All terain Vehicles]. The ride itself was OK. My new driver is good. Major Valquist is a bit of a pain, he doesn’t like the dust, so he wants to drive on hard-stuff, but hard stuff is hard on the vehicles when the ruts run counter to the direction of travel. We broke two shocks yesterday. You have to make tradeoffs do you want something easy on the vics, hard on the eyes, or what. You can’t have it all. The other disappointing thing is that the ANA [Afghan National Army]were throwing trash out into the canal and all over the place the entire trip. Its like guys, this is your country. WTF?

I guess yesterday was another botched day in the rear. The ANA didn’t show up to the ANSF [Afghan National Security Forces] meeting, they just stopped following Capt Arthur. They showed up for a VTC [Video Teleconference], but it was just a test VTC. They are getting the idea that they need to test stuff, but it is all Marine equipment, so they just pissed off the Marines.