Month 8 Day 4

Notebook Entry
11 reports given, Met GSU Counterintel, lunch, roster work, Conference Call, Qais Back, S1 work MoD-14, detainee back, General to Combat Surgical Hospital, 2/3 Primary Care Manager Surgeon

Journal Entry
Met with GSU Counterintel, Abdul Munir. 20 yrs old smart guy, wants to work hard and do goo[d]. Trained as an infantryman, and addresses every problem as such. He wants to be the action arm he wanted to arrest some guy in Garmsir for selling drugs, wants to take on his commander head-on for extorting the contractors. Bashir said to me “this guy is going to get himself killed. ” I couldn’t agree more. I’m like brother use the USMC as a pressure release valve, you don’t need to take on this stuff by yourself, there is nothing we need from the ANA, we can twist their nuts, you; however, have a life to lose. I took him to lunch and I told him that I hoped he could change my mind about this mission. I meant it.

Had a regiment-mandated conference call at 1500. Only one battalion called in. At least it was not nearly as much of a pain as the Video-teleconference, we didn’t have to drive all over hell for it, and they will actually have that capability on their cell phones when we leave. The detainee got picked up and returned from 2nd kandak. The circumstances of his escape are unclear, but in typical lazy fashion my guys were trying to play the finger-pointing game about who would sit and watch the guy. I had to go up to the general and have him personally say, this guy is going to the hospital because we think he is a suicide risk and he will be guarded by HQ company. I went there three times last night and had to tell the XO [Executive Officer] to get someone there and remind them their responsibilities under the Geneva Conventions. Its not that they don’t know or don’t want to comply they are simply too lazy.

I worked with the Bde S1 [Administration Officer] on a supply request again. He tapped out after about 40 minutes. The personnel chief did not know how to use a mouse, so it was half basic-computer, and half MoD-14 [supply request form].

Medical had some issues. The General went to the combat surgical hospital to get treated without even seeing his own doctors. The Major basically shrugged and said he was the only one who could do that. I am told that the battalion surgeon for 2/3 is at FOB jaker only to be the primary care manager for the district governor. There seems to be the idea that we need to further ingratiate ourselves. With these guys. We are spending upwards of $20million in civil affairs projects alone, building them buildings, basically paying their salaries. How much more ingratiation do they need. Shafiullah, the headmaster for the literacy program that I now manage came up to me yesterday and wanted to know what I brought him from America, I told him I brought him $160billion to build his country, what else do you want from me?