Month 11 Day 27

Notebook entry

16 reports given, met with Munir, met with executive officer, class afternoon, CJ Radin here.

Journal entry

In the morning I went to see Munir to make sure that the boys were going to come to class.  He confirmed that they were, but he had to go wake them up first.  Both Salim and Najib were sleeping. 

I talked to Qais about this and their plan now that they had three sergeants was to do exactly the same amount of work, but to always have someone sleeping.  Ummmm, no.

I come back and 1000, the time they asked to have class and they didn't show up.  Najib said

"we have too much work to do for the Corps and we can't come to class"

I said "You don't work for the Corps you work for the Brigade and the brigade commander, and the S2 officer, if he tells you that you've got class at 1000, then that's when you have class, and if you'd woken up on time this wouldn't have happened. "

Munir finally got the point and told them to go, but Najib refused. That was not going to happen, so I went to the XO and explained the situation.  I was also not about to give them the reports that they wanted for the combined briefing the next day if they didn't show up for class.  He agreed to send them to class at 1300 (their normal nap time) because they didn't show up at the right time.

1300 rolls around and I try to meet up with them again, only Salim shows up.  I go back to the XO.  He tries to round all of them up.  Munir and Qais are located. Najib is yet to be found. 

I talk to the XO. 

"I'm out of ideas" I say "I have to play this stupid game every time that new guys show up, or that the leadership leaves. I try to treat them like adults, I try to give them discipline like Marines, but they just don't seem to get it."

"How old is the Marine Corps?" He asks me

"235 years old" I tell him.

"Our military is a year old"

"Do Marines sell their uniforms?"

"No"

"Do Marines sell the fuel out of their Rangers?"

"No"

"Do Marines sell the break they are given?"

"No"

"Are Marines Criminals?"

"Not usually"

"Nearly every soldier in this brigade is a criminal, they came here because they didn't have any other option.  It will take a long time to turn them into the same type of military that you have."

Munir arrives and says "Capt Scott Shane told me I didn't have to go at 1300 I was at the mosque"

I say "sure the class isn't for you, but you need to make sure that your guys are there, you have to supervise, you're an officer"

Najib still cannot be located and Salim is ordered to unlock the container in the corner of the camp, the hot box. 

Najib is finally located he says "I was in the mosque" 

"bullshit, Munir was there and he didn't see you" the XO says.

"Go to class, then afterward he needs to come see me" the XO said.

"Is it always going to be like this rie-saib?" I asked of the XO "are you always going to have to beat the hell out of your soldiers and put them in a hot box to get them to do what you want?"

"They'll be at class tomorrow. I gaurantee it."

"Saist rei-saib, besyar tashakar" (OK, XO, thank you very much)

There is one truth here.  I have more patientience and discipline than any of these Afghans.  You don't need infinite amounts, just more than they do.  I may not get my way right away, but I will outlast all of them.  I'm like the Taliban to America.

Class went fine.  Capt CJ Radin came to work on the slides.