Notebook entry
Teachers, met with three/nine, stuff with regimental combat team,
after action report, biometric automated tool set, Naikpai threats, teachers no
class (already left), prisoner no impact no idea, executive officer and
intelligence officer gone
Journal Entry
Suzan brought up a good point when we talked this morning. I mentioned that I thought that I
might get free tuition in California because I am getting the combat action
ribbon (after further research this is not the case). But it seems like I am milking the
system. Maybe my principled
stance is in fact bullshit. I
do think that we get paid too much for the benefit we give the country. I do think we get a lot of benefits,
but I haven’t turned in my paycheck, I haven’t paid back my GI Bill. Maybe I’m just as bad as the rest of
them, my motivations are just as muddled, they started out as God, Country and
Corps, now its that and getting paid, maybe as we
continue on in this it changes for everyone. Maybe by the time you get to CaptBrawny’s number of years those idealistic goals
are completely gone. I
spoke to him yesterday about Sec Gates possibly raising the age at which
military guys get a pension until they are 60. That didn’t sound unreasonable to me,
it is what everyone else gets. He
said, sure it makes sense for someone who hasn’t done the time. Maybe we don’t start as mercenaries,
but we all become them. Maybe it’s a creeping thing that you don’t ever notice
and you get used to saying God, Country and Corps, but silently, smoothly the
self slips in and grows to consume the others. They still sit in your mind as idle
platitudes but that is all they are.
Maybe I am a hypocrite and just as bad as them, but the thing is
about a hypocrite, you should still listen to them because they are still right
no matter their faults, but I know that people don’t.
20110528
I met up with the teachers.
They told me their class schedule. It was during the time that I was
meeting with them and there was only one student in the room. They were saying that the rest of the students
regularly get pulled from class for missions, formation etc. This is understandable, but there does not
seem to be a lot of flex in the schedule, they only really have one night
class.
The new mentors from 3/6 I think it is came out, they are going to
Marjeh. The intel mentor was an 0302
2ndLt who was pretty useless. He was not
really interested in listening to how things worked and what he was going to
face, he was more interested in trying to make the ANA look just like the
USMC. He was also just told that he was
going to be taking on the intel mentorship piece that morning. You will get out what you put in…
I took the IED that hit my truck and the video scout back to the
RCT. Maj Hesco completely ignored me
when I walked past. I think he is really
jealous. Hah
The BATs system was down hard and Lekic did not let me know. He just sat in front of two dead computers
for two hours. He is a good kid, but he
can really be a Lance Corporal at times, by which I mean he will do exactly
what he is told, nothing more and nothing less.
I proofread a piece of Naikpai’s application to go to America. As part of it he had to let them know whether
he had any threats made against him.
Interestingly he believe that the Army has been infiltrated by the
Taliban, that the ANA knowing him is
enough of a threat for him to fear for his life. He also mentioned pictures taken of him by
locals and threats he received while working on a tip line. I feel for these guys. I do, but I can’t get over the fact that we
are causing a major brain-drain on the country by taking them out while moving
them to America where they will only be marginally employable. They are brilliant for Afghans, but no where
near the standard they need to be for America.
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| Brian's most prized kill, a rat that had plagued our tent |
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