Month 10 Day 18

Notebook entry

Six reports given, military intelligence company moving in, table of organization and equipment to intelligence, area of operations familiarization, Salim gave class, lunch with linguists, SPG-9 class, “these marines are doing it right", General Petraus, Lieut. Gen. Rodriguez coming, sing a song.

Journal entry

Had a bit of an issue with the Military Intelligence Company guys from the ANA moving into our AO.  They decided they were just going to come and not inform the Brigade, send a message, etc.  This is a bit frustrating.  They are going to just exist and the kandaks with no support relationship defined.   They are still going to report directly to the Corps.  The worry is that the kandak will misuse them.  This is a well-founded fear.

I had a pretty good meeting with the S2.  We talked about the Table of Organization, who was missing etc.  I gave him a quick rundown of what was going on in the AO.  He was really worried about having a good showing at the meeting in the morning and at the commander’s conference.   Apparently, he speaks excellent English, but he hasn’t said anything yet.  I think he’s been trying to scope me out to see if I say anything incriminating…intel guys 

I had lunch with a terps again.  We agreed that all women are the same everywhere in at least one regard.  When you are a little boy, only three feet tall, they think they can placate you for an entire day of shopping by getting you and ice cream cone.  IT’S NOT TRUE. 

After lunch Salim presented all of the information he knows about the AO to the RCT and to the new S2.  The RCT intel chief was not impressed, and came out saying ‘God bless you, sir.’ The S2 officer said that Salim was doing very well, and that we should continue to teach him along those lines, teaching him cardinal directions, where stuff is in the AO.  The S2 officer really talks a good game, he wants to get to the kandaks, wants to get the right amount of people, he clearly wants to learn what’s happening in the AO.  I’m trying not to get too excited.

After dinner we had our evening meeting. Apparently LTG Rodriguez is coming down from the Highest level of command in Afghanistan to visit.  Gen Petraus saw what we were doing with the Combined Combat Operations Center and said ‘this is the model to follow’ if only he knew that just today the Amer-Tachnique, told Dr Noori, the linguist “why don’t I say a bunch of bullshit, sing a song or dance a jig in the evening turnover meeting with the Marines and you just tell them what they want to hear.”  Now we have been tasked with flooding the CCOC with a bunch of guys who aren’t retards for the day that the general arrives to see it.  It’s easy to see how Generals get a screwed-up picture in their heads. The proof is in the output, not in how it looks, but I guess that is too much of a pain-in-the-ass to measure.