Month 10 Day 13

Notebook entry

Seven reports given, work giver of self and creator of self-identity? Awards, Salim regarding the country guys, no party, Dinar's sentiments, general flowers, Salim class comments.

Journal entry

I made it almost to the end of Friedan.  She made an extraordinary claim.  “Work is the giver of self and the creator of self-identity.”  This is why she was so distraught that women were culturally discouraged from working outside of the home in the 1950s. That is similar to what I heard Rick Warren say in the TED talked that I watched a couple of days before that. The problem is, I’m just not sure if it is true.  I have a job, I work for pay, I make a lot of cash, my job is very respected by society, I walk around all day and people call me ‘sir’  this should in theory bolster my self-worth, identity and tie me to the broader world.  I thought it would too when I started it. Maybe it will someday, but I have to wonder if this isn’t an Americanism too.  There are a lot of Afghans here who don’t give a shit about work, they would happily steal their way to the top and live in the lap of luxury, maybe Friedan was part of a bigger culture that glorified careers.  I certainly have trouble with the universality of her claims. 

I worke on Awards for both docs most of the morning.  The Gunny went on a tirade about them at lunch he said that only one person, GySgt Young, rated one.  He also said that HM1 was self seeking.  I told him he had omni-directionaly hatred.  He seems to be really unhappy.  I think this is because he has destroyed his marriage, barely knows his daughters, and has been rejected the Marine Corps that he ostensibly did it for. 

I tried to work with Salim, but he was tasked with getting a list of all of the ANA soldiers who had family members who lived outside of Afghanistan. I E-mailed a list for him again a capability he will never have…

At noon I thought that we were going to do the party that the Public Affairs officer had talked about, but no party happened.  Dinar said this is just bullshit that people say.  Times have changed in Afghanistan. I did get a bunch of plastic flowers from the general they were cheap, but it was nice. 

I had a class with Salim in the Afternoon.  I was trying to teach him about water flow in the AO.  It is important because all the people are farmers. He said ‘fuck all of these peoples mothers, I don’t care if they starve’  he wasn’t serious, but would you say that if you thought about these people as ‘us.’

I got into with Fareed because, he wanted to talk to his family at 1500, he claimed he had to meet with maj Davidson, I confirmed that he did not need to meet with him, I tried to get Fareed and he said he wanted to talk to his family.  I had a heart to hear with him and here were some of his remarks

‘I NEED to go to the MWR’

‘when the Marines give me the sat phone they always give me phone 2, it doesn’t work right’

‘it is not my responsibility to pay for the wiFi in the tents the marines should pay for it for me’

‘I can’t wake up at 0400, I have to go to the MWR at night’

The quick sense of entitlement around here is amazing.

The General Presenting me flowers for my promotion

Myself and Dinar (The general is the photographer)