30 May 09

Another week down. As usual, I had a very busy week. I spent a lot of time mentoring my security officer counterpart. There are several issues that I continue to struggle to get squared away. One of the main ones is proper employment of a drop-arm gate that is manually raised and lowered by an Afghan soldier to allow passage of vehicles and people on bikes/motorcycles. When I first arrived, the gates were used sparingly, and often left 1/2 open...in a manner that would allow bikes/people, but not a truck to pass...but what about a car...like the ones bombers use? I explained this repeatedly, and finally got them to fully lower the arms. The small success came with a lot of push back. One soldier took the time to explain to me that if he lowered it all the way, he would have to open it every time someone walked up...to that I replied, "That pretty much sums up your job description." Another explained that his arm would get tired of the up-down-up all day...to that I replied, "For the longest time, I have heard about the legendary Afghan people. Resilient, tough, fierce fighters...and all I hear is you crying." At that point, my interpreter said, "We go now!"

The latest revolt is leaving these gates unmanned. Yesterday, I came back from a convoy and found the first line of defense unmanned. As soon as I grounded my gear, I grabbed a terp and marched into the security company commander's office and told him we were going for a walk. It was the 3rd time in 24 hrs that I had to contact him for the gate being unmanned and fully raised. When we got to the gate, it was manned and lowered, but he knew that I was telling the truth and proceeded to yell at the soldier that had abandoned his post. When the supervisor arrived, he told him, "A human should be told things once, maybe twice. You people though, are like animals...I have to say over and over and you still don't listen." Well put. I tried to explain that they are the first line of defense and must operate the gate properly to prevent a car bomber from getting to the main gate...many of the soldiers think that their shear presence will prevent such attacks. Many point to their AK47s and explain that they will stop them. I tell them that I have been to the range with them and that they aren't stopping anything.

We did a humanitarian mission this week. We brought blankets, soccer balls, books, pens, shoes ...etc to a school in the city. The sight of the young boys and girls smiling and carrying their new toys was refreshing. However, the retarded ANA soldiers idea of crowd control was disheartening. I witnessed ANA officers stealing some of the goods. I saw some soldiers swinging a 6' fiberglass radio antenna at crowds of kids (4yrs to 15yrs old). Many other soldiers were throwing and swinging sticks. One was brandishing a rubber hose. We even saw one swinging his AK47 by the barrel. I never saw anyone get hit with anything but small sticks or the rubber hose. For the most it was just to scare the kids...so how did the kids react to all of this? About like a dumb stray dog. They would run away laughing when being pursued, but slowly creep back to their previous positions...it was a giant game. Just another testament to the way these people's brains work (or don't work). Although entertaining, it was sad to watch this. Don't get the complete wrong picture. Some of the soldiers and officers are very professional. I watched one soldier in particular talking to the kids and acting like your average American would act on a humanitarian mission.

Sorry that this posting is not as funny or uplifting as others. I just wanted to let you know some of the daily challenges we face besides the threat of the enemy. We are fighting many battles here. Thank you for your continued support, prayers, and emails. Take care and God bless.

BMP