Afghanistan Update #11 – Christmas at FOB Fiaz
Happy Holidays Friends,
I wanted to get a rundown of our Christmas activities out to people in a timely manner and even managed to get the pictures uploaded into an album to send out with his update. A real Christmas miracle!
My Sergeant Major is a self-proclaimed Scrooge, so he would prefer that Christmas be just another day. He is not a big believer in celebrations of any sort or of pretty much any activity that detracts or distracts from our mission. However, he does know that this opinion is not shared by everyone and that the younger soldiers often need the celebrations and some of the distractions. Consequently, we had several holiday related activities mixed in with our mission activities over the past few days.
The first of these was a USO Tour that was scheduled for the Asadabad PRT from which we get most of our direct support. The tour included several entertainers – none of which I have heard of – and three Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders. Of course, the cheerleaders were the big attraction for our younger guys so we made arrangements to be at the PRT at the scheduled time. After waiting about an hour past the scheduled time, we were just going to leave when a Chinook helicopter approached. We waited and found out it was the USO troupe.
The cheerleaders set up in the DFAC to sign autographs and have pictures taken. I got pictures of several of our guys with the cheerleaders. The Sergeant Major in charge of the group noted that some singer was going to perform shortly. None of us knew who he was so we headed back to FOB Fiaz.
The next day was Christmas Eve. We had scheduled a foot patrol to the Provincial ANP Headquarters (PHQ). The weather was pretty much perfect – sunny and cool. Unfortunately, our new guys hadn’t acclimated to the elevation here and probably hadn’t done too many foot patrols recently, so they struggled a bit. Even so, they didn’t gripe and should get better with time. During the foot patrol we passed the soccer fields near FOB Fiaz and walked along the Pech River. It was actually a pretty scenic route.
At the PHQ I met with BG Jalal and some of his staff. I noted that we had a nice walk to the PHQ. BG Jalal said that we could have enjoyed it more without all our protective gear and weapons and that Asadabad is perfectly safe so we don’t need all that stuff. For the most part, he’s probably right, but we obviously can’t take that chance. BG Jalal and I then headed over to a Security Meeting with Governor Wahidi and others from the ANSF (Afghan National Security Force) and CF (Coalition Forces).
On the way back from the PHQ we crossed an area where a small dam runs out into the river. We also passed the Sub-Governor’s Compound where the Deputy Chief of Police has his house. He was outside and asked me to stay for lunch. I had to decline, but did take a picture with him. We also got up close and personal with some of the local livestock that roams freely throughout the area. I was hoping to get a nice side-by-side portrait with one of the cows, but he didn’t like that idea so I settled for more of a group photo. I almost felt like I was back in Wisconsin.
Once we got back to FOB Fiaz we had to get equipment put away and everyone had to get out of their wet clothes and boots. Fortunately, the sun continued to shine and it was fairly warm, so things started to dry fairly quickly. Some folks heated a few things for lunch and several people watched Christmas movies in the MWR building – including A Christmas Story (“You’ll shoot your eye out!”) and some Hallmark Hall of Fame type movie. There was a quick run to the PRT to pick up mail and a couple other things. I ended up getting several care packages from people back home and the timing was perfect as you will soon see. I also worked to put the finishing touches on the Christmas Eve Worship Service I was planning.
After supper, another Christmas movie was being watched – though this one was a far cry from Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was called Four Christmases and I think showcased one disastrous family gathering after another for a married couple whose planned Christmas trip was cancelled due to bad weather. The movie was put on hold when we started the Worship service. About half the people on our FOB attended and it went pretty well with several Christmas hymns, prayers, a Psalm reading (98), the Christmas story from Luke, and a homily of sorts. The homily was interrupted twice by phone calls that couldn’t wait, but that’s the way things go in a combat zone. We ended with a singing of Silent Night and even turned most of the lights off for that; unfortunately, I hadn’t been able to find candles. Maybe I should have used chemlights.
After the service, many of the guys finished watching Four Christmases while I went back to get some work done. I waited until pretty much everyone was asleep and then went into the MWR building to set up a Christmas Tree and presents. One of the ETT guys was practicing guitar in the MWR and one of the interpreters was in looking for a movie to watch. Otherwise, things were pretty quiet. We didn’t have a big tree, but did have several smaller ones. So I set them up with some garland and other decorations on a table. Then I laid out items from the care packages that arrived that day. There were blankets, sweatshirts, other shirts, DVD’s, packs of candy bars, cans and bags of nuts, and numerous other items. I added some candy canes and it was all set.
So – a huge thank you to everyone who sent care packages with stuff for the soldiers here!! Of course, thanks to everyone who has sent anything; it is all really appreciated!
The next day everyone awoke to find that Santa had in fact visited FOB Fiaz. Almost all the “gifts” left under the trees found homes with someone. The movies will all end up in a movie library we have, but most were grabbed by people to watch right away and then will be available for others to watch. I even think Sergeant Major Scrooge appreciated it a bit. At least he didn’t make any disparaging comments about the entire hullabaloo.
While it was Christmas Day, we did have some missions to run. We had to escort one of our colleagues from the PRT to the PHQ and then back later in the day. We also had to drop off two SECFOR from our old team who had stayed to help train up the new SECFOR. I talked in a previous update about the outstanding soldiers in our old SECFOR. This was a great example. These two could have been relaxing at Camp Dubs or Camp Phoenix in Kabul just waiting to get on a plane to go home. Instead, they volunteered to come back to FOB Fiaz to help out. They worked incredibly hard the entire time they were here and would have stayed longer if we didn’t have to get them back. It’s unfortunate that all the U.S. soldiers aren’t as dedicated as these two; if they were, we could accomplish what needs to be done here much, much faster. In any case, we got them on a Chinook and watched as they began their journey home.
By the time we finished all our missions for Christmas Day, our big meal was about ready. We were not able to fry up a turkey as we did for Thanksgiving. When our head chef went to get it ready the night before, it had some pretty ugly green spots; and while this is the Army and we typically like things that are green, the consensus was that the turkey would be best not used. Instead, we had some turkey patty type things as our turkey substitute (they’re actually not bad, unless you’re comparing them to deep fried whole turkey). We also had most of the fixings that we enjoyed at Thanksgiving and all ate very well.
After dinner we had some volleyball games making for a good end to our Christmas festivities. I do want to note that our new SECFOR (did I mention at some point that SECFOR is short for Security Forces?) are much younger overall than our previous SECFOR. Consequently, several of them are still eating like teenagers causing us to go through food and milk at a much faster pace than previously. Anyone who has been around teenage boys I’m sure can relate.
On a personal note, I was able to video chat with a few family members on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And I even got to watch and chat with my sons and wife as they opened presents on Christmas morning. It’s obviously not the same as being there, but it was very nice none the less.
Of course, we are in an Islamic country, so the people in the area are not celebrating Christmas. I took some pictures – included in the photo album – of Asadabad and the area on Christmas Day as we drove through. It doesn’t appear any different than most days. However, as we drove through, there was a different feeling for me. I think it is the sense that comes from carrying Christmas in ones heart. While the world around us may not have actually changed any, it looks different knowing what Christmas truly represents. I also noted to the guys in my truck that Muslims could celebrate Christmas because they believe that Jesus was a prophet from God – just not that he was the Son of God and our Saviour. As it turned out, the Afghans with whom we work regularly – our interpreters and day workers – all wished us “Merry Christmas” and joined us for our meal. My old interpreter from JBAD even called me today to wish me a merry Christmas and to pass along those wishes to my family back home.
So that’s a quick synopsis of Christmas in Konar Province. I believe it was a pretty good Christmas all things considered, but I am quite certain we will all be happy next year when we can spend Christmas in person with our families at home.
As a final note, I wanted to share some blogs I just learned about that I think many of you will really enjoy. These are others serving in Afghanistan on Army or Police Mentor Teams and, while I have only read a little of their stuff so far, what I have read is very well written and entertaining – though one of the bloggers makes no apologies for spelling and grammatical errors. I must also tell you that they are not afraid to “tell it like it is.” And, for the most part, they don’t pull any punches.
Now, that differs from my approach. I prefer to stick with the positive aspects of my experiences to the greatest extent possible and prefer not to air dirty laundry very often; when I do, I try to provide some explanations for why I think the problems exist. That being said, the issues pointed out on these blogs are – unfortunately – pretty accurate from my experience. The extent of the problems varies from command to command and area to area, but I have experienced some of these myself and can tell you they are real and create very real challenges to accomplishing our mission. That being said, some of the changes I believe are coming in the organizational and command structure for U.S. forces in Afghanistan should help improve many of these challenges – though probably not before we leave.
So here are links should you want to get some other perspectives on the Afghan experience (and please don’t be offended by their colorful and occasionally non-PC comments; they reflect a level of frustration being felt by many here in Afghanistan):
http://afghanistanshrugged.com/
http://billandbobsadventure.blogspot.com/
It’s time now to get this sent out. I truly hope all of you had a blessed Christmas and have a wonderful start to the new year!
Merry Christmas!!!
Kevin
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
From Kevin Miller
Greetings Friends,
Since my last update was largely from a soap box, I think for this one I’ll focus on less passionate but hopefully still interesting topics. Today – at least as I start this update – I experienced my first team departure of sorts. Another team who was also residing at FOB Fiaz – a mentor team for the Afghan National Army – left to begin their out processing and prepare to return home. Most of that team – possibly all of them – had been here at Fiaz since sometime last spring. And they had shared the FOB with most of our team for much of that time. So they were leaving behind a large part of the “family” of which they had been a part for the last eight to nine months.
The departure wasn’t overly emotional, but it was clear that these were people who had shared many challenges and hardships of a sort. Because we are not in a combat role in our positions as mentors, I don’t believe the bonds that form are the same as they are for soldiers and others whose lives are at much greater risk. Even so, people do become like family and, in some cases, friends. There is a distinction between friends and family. Not all family members (in a traditional, nuclear family) would consider themselves friends, but because they’re family they feel a responsibility to look out for one another and care for one another at least to some degree. In that respect, soldiers serving together almost anywhere are usually much like a family. Then, if the circumstances are right and, to some degree, if the chemistry between some of the soldiers is right, they can also become more like friends. That is, the bond grows deeper and stronger.
In the case of the group that was leaving when I began this update (about a week ago now as I continue it), I believe they were all from the California National Guard. And in the case of our team’s Security Force (SECFOR), they were all from the New York National Guard; so the soldiers on both these teams had some things in common from the get go – beyond being soldiers, that is. They also arrived in Afghanistan about the same time and are now heading home together – both the Afghan National Army mentor team and our SECFOR. Now as I write this, our SECFOR is being dropped off at Camp Dubs to begin their out processing so they can head back to the U.S. (there was a several day delay between starting this update and continuing it). Unfortunately, I was not able to see them off at Camp Dubs as I had a meeting to attend in JBAD, but I was able to see them all this morning and get a picture of them before we left ABAD.
In the case of the first group (the army mentor team from California), I’m not really sure if they reached the “friend” stage. I just wasn’t around them enough to get a sense of that. Our SECFOR – for the most part it seemed – had become friends. It was clear in how they treated each other, how they joked together, how they worked together, and how they looked out for one another.
Now, these bonds were between peers – soldiers of close to the same rank. The friendship bond doesn’t typically extend to those in the leadership roles. Rather, in the best of circumstances, the bond might become more like sons to a father. I believe this was the case with our SECFOR and the other two mentors on our team who had been with them since August. Given more time, I think the same may have been true between them and me. I did have all of them sign a Wisconsin flag that I just received, though this was not an original idea; one of the SECFOR guys had done the same thing with a New York flag. And, one of the other SECFOR – the one who just received his citizenship – was having everyone sign a Polish flag. In my case, I will also have all of my new SECFOR sign the flag before we end our deployment here. And I’ll fly the flag over the FOB at some point.
One last comment on the SECFOR team that is heading home – they were dedicated and hard working beyond pretty much any team I’ve seen in theater. They never let up or slowed down even as their departure date approached. Many teams and individuals start to “coast” a bit when they are becoming short timers. They lose some – or a lot, in too many cases – of their enthusiasm and dedication. Also, many will look for ways to avoid going out on missions where the risk might be greater than staying on the FOB. Not our SECFOR. Even as we jokingly made suggestions about going to some of the more dangerous places in Konar, they were ready to roll. I know I will miss that aspect of them a great deal; I will also miss them as people; they were some outstanding individuals. Fortunately, one of the New York SECFOR extended so will be staying with us for a few more months.
This leads into the related topic of leadership, command structure, and team building. Afghanistan, like Iraq previously from what I understand, is in the process of a changing organizational and command structure based on lessons learned here and in Iraq. The good news is that the higher commands are making adjustments regularly based on lessons learned; the bad news is that many of those changes have challenged the way most of us in the military are used to doing things.
Traditionally, units deployed as units. Soldiers who were assigned to a unit and trained with that unit were deployed together and served together for their entire deployment. When their time was up, another unit came in and replaced them. While that is true in some places and roles in Afghanistan, there are many places where it is not the case. That can create real challenges for leaders trying to build effective teams. Now, it’s understandable why this is happening. The military structure was not set up as a nation building force and, in many respects, that’s what we are now doing.
In our role as mentors for the Afghan police and army, we are taking on a task that traditionally was given to Special Forces soldiers – though on a much smaller scale. In order to provide mentors on the needed larger scale, it became necessary for the military to tap into the entire force and provide the specialized training needed to be a mentor. Our team went through that training at Fort Riley, KS over the summer. Once deployed as mentors, we need to have enough personnel with us to provide needed security. The additional personnel, however, don’t need to be trained as mentors nor do they need as much experience as those soldier serving as mentors. Therefore, Security Forces – or SECFOR – are taken from other units and matched up with mentors to create each mentor team. In addition, each team is either assigned a medic or draws a medic from a pool whenever going out on a mission. These medics typically went through the mentor training course at Fort Riley.
As if this wasn’t complicated enough, throw in the National Guard and Reserves who, for some reason, deploy for a different period of time than the Active Component forces – and who are mobilized on various schedules. Consider also that the implementation of police and army mentor teams has been phased in over the course of several years meaning there isn’t a regular cycle for when new mentor teams are created or existing ones are replaced. Finally, know that various circumstances arise requiring personnel to be moved during the course of their deployments.
The result is that we have teams and individuals regularly coming and going. An example is my Police Mentor Team in Konar. The team that was in place in Konar when our team arrived from Wisconsin in August had changed several times during the previous several months. Then, when we arrived, three mentors and a medic replaced three mentors and a medic. They joined the SECFOR who had been assigned to the old mentors. Many of these SECFOR, however, had moved to the Konar team at different times and had been previously assigned to different locations in the country; while they all arrived in Afghanistan at the same time and all came from New York, they had not been together on this team the entire time.
This group – the new mentors, medic, and SECFOR – did work together without much change for a little over two months when a need arose for a PMT Team Chief in another province. Our higher headquarters wanted someone with Provincial Team Chief experience. Thus, the Konar chief was moved to that other province and I was moved to Konar. The Konar team, with me as the new chief, worked together for about six weeks, but the SECFOR are now gone and a new group of SECFOR are coming on board. Because of our timelines, this new SECFOR will still be part of this team (pending other changes that could arise) when it is time for us to finish our deployment and head home.
By the way, the name for this change of personnel is RIP – Relief in Place – and it refers to the idea of having teams or individuals fall in directly on a mission or position that already exists and is occupied. It is also supposed to include an overlap during which the old team or individual provides some training and guidance to the new people. This is typically referred to as the “Left Seat-Right Seat Ride.”
Of course, other changes can be expected and there is one other factor to throw into this mix – Leave. Anyone deploying for 270 days or longer is allowed a 15 day leave. With travel time in and out of the country, this can mean an individual might be gone as long as a month. In the case of our Konar team, my NCOIC (NCO in Charge) left for leave about a week after I came on board. He was gone for a month. Before he had returned, our medic left for leave and, the same day the NCOIC returned, my assistant Team Chief left for his leave. That day we also picked up another medic to fill in for our regular medic on leave.
I think it’s easy to see how this structure and situation can challenge the leadership skills of any officer or NCO. I have been extremely fortunate. My Assistant Team Chief and NCOIC are clearly among the best of the best. They have done an incredible job of building an extremely effective team; and I already mentioned what exceptional SECFOR we had helping to make that effective team possible. Now we will work on rebuilding that team with the new SECFOR coming on board. Of course, this structure and situation can also contribute to soldiers catching “short timers” disease. If stronger deeper bonds are not formed with teammates and the team itself isn’t being all that effective, it’s understandable that people become anxious as their deployments come to an end causing them to have trouble staying enthused and dedicated.
Now, before anyone starts wondering how such a convoluted system could exist and worrying that it speaks badly for the military and/or our ability to succeed in Afghanistan, keep in mind what I said before. The situation here – the way we are working to rebuild Afghanistan as a democratic nation – is constantly evolving. That very evolution is one of the reasons things are so complicated and challenging. In addition, that evolution is demonstrating a need for a different type of military force which, in turn, is requiring the military to adapt. This adds to the complications and challenges.
There hasn’t been a war or related conflict fought anytime in history in which things couldn’t have been done better. It’s easy to play Monday morning quarterback and point out the problems that need to be fixed. The good news I see is that the next step of evolution for our efforts in Afghanistan is a more coherent structure and effort using larger organic units. That, however, is in and of itself another change; and it’s not possible to go directly from the current structure and systems to a new one. There will need to be a phased process. I am optimistic we will see a much more effective system in place over the next year. In the meantime, I am willing to do the best with what we have – and even face a few more complexities and challenges if they are part of the process of moving toward something significantly better.
I’m going to shift gears now. I have mentioned to a few people in other correspondence how incredible the stars look from FOB Fiaz. Most of us in the U.S. are either unaware of or have forgotten just how many stars are visible from Earth – when “light pollution” is not an issue. There is so much artificial light where most of us live and travel that it never gets truly dark at night; there is almost always some artificial light coming from somewhere. At FOB Fiaz, everything is pretty much blacked out at night and, because electricity is so scarce, there are very few sources of artificial light anywhere in the area.
Consequently, going outside on a moonless night reveals stars in a quantity almost impossible to imagine. It is even possible to see the dense band of stars that I believe form parts of the Milky Way so far off in the distance. On such nights I will just stop and stare every time I walk outside. Now, on nights when the moon is in the sky, the appearance is much different. In fact, it’s hard to believe just how bright the moon can make it. This past week we had a full moon and walking outside seemed almost like daytime on a very cloudy day. Of course, it is much harder to see the stars on these nights, but there is a different kind of wonder then.
This brings up another, but related, topic – wearing a “headlight” at night. Most of us here – at least at the smaller, more remote FOB’s, have strap on headlights for walking around on the really dark nights. These are common among campers, of course, but it’s interesting to think of wearing them regularly for walking almost anywhere on the FOB. I often think about how strange this seems while also realizing that I use the headlight so naturally after having done so for a while. It’s rather strange to think about a number of things that have become routine and natural here that a year ago I would never have imagined I would ever do.
Since this will certainly be my last update before Christmas, I will finish with a few comments about that holiday and spending it in Afghanistan. As with Thanksgiving, I am not personally feeling bad about being here for Christmas. I feel bad that my family will have to celebrate Christmas without me, and I will certainly miss being with my wife and kids – just as I miss them every day. But I feel good about what we’re doing here and truly believe we’re making a difference; that’s not something that can be wrapped up and put under a tree. Consequently, it makes the presents that can be wrapped and put under a tree seem not quite so important (please note – that does not mean I don’t want presents on future holidays when I’m home).
Of course, that’s not to say that everyone here feels the same. On the other bases, many of the offices and even buildings have Christmas decorations in place – and many did the same for Thanksgiving and Halloween. Since we have a new group here at Fiaz, they really haven’t had a chance to decorate and – to some degree – I hope they haven’t had a chance to miss home too much.
That being said, I’m going to hold a Christmas Eve service for anyone wanting to come. We don’t have a Chaplain here and I’m not sure if there is one assigned to the PRT nearby, but we are a small group and I think we’ll do fine on our own. I believe it is important for those of us who are Christians to have the chance to remember what Christmas is truly all about. And in many respects, it is God’s gift of Jesus, the sacrifice he made for us, the example that set, and even Jesus’ teachings that – to me at least – are why we are here. We have a responsibility to take care of those who are unable to take care of themselves – even if they are of a different faith – and we are to love others as Jesus loves us.
So while those of us here are spending Christmas away from our homes and families, that is not such a great sacrifice compared to that of Jesus dying for us. Of course, there are Americans who have made that sacrifice as well; and it is for them, also, that my belief in our mission remains rock steady. Jesus did not give up when most people failed to listen to him and follow his teachings and examples while he was alive. Rather, he remained steadfast in his mission – even knowing the end to which it would lead. So while our progress at times seems slow – or even might seem to degrade some – our resolve must not falter.
Those of us serving in the Armed Forces anywhere in the world know the risks we are facing and know the end to which our service might lead. But we also know that the sacrifices of our predecessors have given us the lives we now have, and now it is our turn to make sacrifices for the sake of our families, our friends, future generations of Americans, and people like those in Afghanistan who, without us, would be completely vulnerable in so many ways.
It is truly a privilege to serve our country and in so doing to act out many of the ideals that Jesus taught us. I will be thrilled to spend Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and many other special occasions at home with my actual family and my long-time friends next year. In the meantime, I am happy and proud to be doing the job I’m doing – and celebrating these holidays – with my Army family here in Afghanistan.
For all of you and your families, I wish the absolute best and hope you find and celebrate the true meaning and joy of Christmas; you could not ask for a greater blessing than that (though a 60” HD Plasma Screen TV wouldn’t be so bad).
God’s Peace to All,
Kevin
Since my last update was largely from a soap box, I think for this one I’ll focus on less passionate but hopefully still interesting topics. Today – at least as I start this update – I experienced my first team departure of sorts. Another team who was also residing at FOB Fiaz – a mentor team for the Afghan National Army – left to begin their out processing and prepare to return home. Most of that team – possibly all of them – had been here at Fiaz since sometime last spring. And they had shared the FOB with most of our team for much of that time. So they were leaving behind a large part of the “family” of which they had been a part for the last eight to nine months.
The departure wasn’t overly emotional, but it was clear that these were people who had shared many challenges and hardships of a sort. Because we are not in a combat role in our positions as mentors, I don’t believe the bonds that form are the same as they are for soldiers and others whose lives are at much greater risk. Even so, people do become like family and, in some cases, friends. There is a distinction between friends and family. Not all family members (in a traditional, nuclear family) would consider themselves friends, but because they’re family they feel a responsibility to look out for one another and care for one another at least to some degree. In that respect, soldiers serving together almost anywhere are usually much like a family. Then, if the circumstances are right and, to some degree, if the chemistry between some of the soldiers is right, they can also become more like friends. That is, the bond grows deeper and stronger.
In the case of the group that was leaving when I began this update (about a week ago now as I continue it), I believe they were all from the California National Guard. And in the case of our team’s Security Force (SECFOR), they were all from the New York National Guard; so the soldiers on both these teams had some things in common from the get go – beyond being soldiers, that is. They also arrived in Afghanistan about the same time and are now heading home together – both the Afghan National Army mentor team and our SECFOR. Now as I write this, our SECFOR is being dropped off at Camp Dubs to begin their out processing so they can head back to the U.S. (there was a several day delay between starting this update and continuing it). Unfortunately, I was not able to see them off at Camp Dubs as I had a meeting to attend in JBAD, but I was able to see them all this morning and get a picture of them before we left ABAD.
In the case of the first group (the army mentor team from California), I’m not really sure if they reached the “friend” stage. I just wasn’t around them enough to get a sense of that. Our SECFOR – for the most part it seemed – had become friends. It was clear in how they treated each other, how they joked together, how they worked together, and how they looked out for one another.
Now, these bonds were between peers – soldiers of close to the same rank. The friendship bond doesn’t typically extend to those in the leadership roles. Rather, in the best of circumstances, the bond might become more like sons to a father. I believe this was the case with our SECFOR and the other two mentors on our team who had been with them since August. Given more time, I think the same may have been true between them and me. I did have all of them sign a Wisconsin flag that I just received, though this was not an original idea; one of the SECFOR guys had done the same thing with a New York flag. And, one of the other SECFOR – the one who just received his citizenship – was having everyone sign a Polish flag. In my case, I will also have all of my new SECFOR sign the flag before we end our deployment here. And I’ll fly the flag over the FOB at some point.
One last comment on the SECFOR team that is heading home – they were dedicated and hard working beyond pretty much any team I’ve seen in theater. They never let up or slowed down even as their departure date approached. Many teams and individuals start to “coast” a bit when they are becoming short timers. They lose some – or a lot, in too many cases – of their enthusiasm and dedication. Also, many will look for ways to avoid going out on missions where the risk might be greater than staying on the FOB. Not our SECFOR. Even as we jokingly made suggestions about going to some of the more dangerous places in Konar, they were ready to roll. I know I will miss that aspect of them a great deal; I will also miss them as people; they were some outstanding individuals. Fortunately, one of the New York SECFOR extended so will be staying with us for a few more months.
This leads into the related topic of leadership, command structure, and team building. Afghanistan, like Iraq previously from what I understand, is in the process of a changing organizational and command structure based on lessons learned here and in Iraq. The good news is that the higher commands are making adjustments regularly based on lessons learned; the bad news is that many of those changes have challenged the way most of us in the military are used to doing things.
Traditionally, units deployed as units. Soldiers who were assigned to a unit and trained with that unit were deployed together and served together for their entire deployment. When their time was up, another unit came in and replaced them. While that is true in some places and roles in Afghanistan, there are many places where it is not the case. That can create real challenges for leaders trying to build effective teams. Now, it’s understandable why this is happening. The military structure was not set up as a nation building force and, in many respects, that’s what we are now doing.
In our role as mentors for the Afghan police and army, we are taking on a task that traditionally was given to Special Forces soldiers – though on a much smaller scale. In order to provide mentors on the needed larger scale, it became necessary for the military to tap into the entire force and provide the specialized training needed to be a mentor. Our team went through that training at Fort Riley, KS over the summer. Once deployed as mentors, we need to have enough personnel with us to provide needed security. The additional personnel, however, don’t need to be trained as mentors nor do they need as much experience as those soldier serving as mentors. Therefore, Security Forces – or SECFOR – are taken from other units and matched up with mentors to create each mentor team. In addition, each team is either assigned a medic or draws a medic from a pool whenever going out on a mission. These medics typically went through the mentor training course at Fort Riley.
As if this wasn’t complicated enough, throw in the National Guard and Reserves who, for some reason, deploy for a different period of time than the Active Component forces – and who are mobilized on various schedules. Consider also that the implementation of police and army mentor teams has been phased in over the course of several years meaning there isn’t a regular cycle for when new mentor teams are created or existing ones are replaced. Finally, know that various circumstances arise requiring personnel to be moved during the course of their deployments.
The result is that we have teams and individuals regularly coming and going. An example is my Police Mentor Team in Konar. The team that was in place in Konar when our team arrived from Wisconsin in August had changed several times during the previous several months. Then, when we arrived, three mentors and a medic replaced three mentors and a medic. They joined the SECFOR who had been assigned to the old mentors. Many of these SECFOR, however, had moved to the Konar team at different times and had been previously assigned to different locations in the country; while they all arrived in Afghanistan at the same time and all came from New York, they had not been together on this team the entire time.
This group – the new mentors, medic, and SECFOR – did work together without much change for a little over two months when a need arose for a PMT Team Chief in another province. Our higher headquarters wanted someone with Provincial Team Chief experience. Thus, the Konar chief was moved to that other province and I was moved to Konar. The Konar team, with me as the new chief, worked together for about six weeks, but the SECFOR are now gone and a new group of SECFOR are coming on board. Because of our timelines, this new SECFOR will still be part of this team (pending other changes that could arise) when it is time for us to finish our deployment and head home.
By the way, the name for this change of personnel is RIP – Relief in Place – and it refers to the idea of having teams or individuals fall in directly on a mission or position that already exists and is occupied. It is also supposed to include an overlap during which the old team or individual provides some training and guidance to the new people. This is typically referred to as the “Left Seat-Right Seat Ride.”
Of course, other changes can be expected and there is one other factor to throw into this mix – Leave. Anyone deploying for 270 days or longer is allowed a 15 day leave. With travel time in and out of the country, this can mean an individual might be gone as long as a month. In the case of our Konar team, my NCOIC (NCO in Charge) left for leave about a week after I came on board. He was gone for a month. Before he had returned, our medic left for leave and, the same day the NCOIC returned, my assistant Team Chief left for his leave. That day we also picked up another medic to fill in for our regular medic on leave.
I think it’s easy to see how this structure and situation can challenge the leadership skills of any officer or NCO. I have been extremely fortunate. My Assistant Team Chief and NCOIC are clearly among the best of the best. They have done an incredible job of building an extremely effective team; and I already mentioned what exceptional SECFOR we had helping to make that effective team possible. Now we will work on rebuilding that team with the new SECFOR coming on board. Of course, this structure and situation can also contribute to soldiers catching “short timers” disease. If stronger deeper bonds are not formed with teammates and the team itself isn’t being all that effective, it’s understandable that people become anxious as their deployments come to an end causing them to have trouble staying enthused and dedicated.
Now, before anyone starts wondering how such a convoluted system could exist and worrying that it speaks badly for the military and/or our ability to succeed in Afghanistan, keep in mind what I said before. The situation here – the way we are working to rebuild Afghanistan as a democratic nation – is constantly evolving. That very evolution is one of the reasons things are so complicated and challenging. In addition, that evolution is demonstrating a need for a different type of military force which, in turn, is requiring the military to adapt. This adds to the complications and challenges.
There hasn’t been a war or related conflict fought anytime in history in which things couldn’t have been done better. It’s easy to play Monday morning quarterback and point out the problems that need to be fixed. The good news I see is that the next step of evolution for our efforts in Afghanistan is a more coherent structure and effort using larger organic units. That, however, is in and of itself another change; and it’s not possible to go directly from the current structure and systems to a new one. There will need to be a phased process. I am optimistic we will see a much more effective system in place over the next year. In the meantime, I am willing to do the best with what we have – and even face a few more complexities and challenges if they are part of the process of moving toward something significantly better.
I’m going to shift gears now. I have mentioned to a few people in other correspondence how incredible the stars look from FOB Fiaz. Most of us in the U.S. are either unaware of or have forgotten just how many stars are visible from Earth – when “light pollution” is not an issue. There is so much artificial light where most of us live and travel that it never gets truly dark at night; there is almost always some artificial light coming from somewhere. At FOB Fiaz, everything is pretty much blacked out at night and, because electricity is so scarce, there are very few sources of artificial light anywhere in the area.
Consequently, going outside on a moonless night reveals stars in a quantity almost impossible to imagine. It is even possible to see the dense band of stars that I believe form parts of the Milky Way so far off in the distance. On such nights I will just stop and stare every time I walk outside. Now, on nights when the moon is in the sky, the appearance is much different. In fact, it’s hard to believe just how bright the moon can make it. This past week we had a full moon and walking outside seemed almost like daytime on a very cloudy day. Of course, it is much harder to see the stars on these nights, but there is a different kind of wonder then.
This brings up another, but related, topic – wearing a “headlight” at night. Most of us here – at least at the smaller, more remote FOB’s, have strap on headlights for walking around on the really dark nights. These are common among campers, of course, but it’s interesting to think of wearing them regularly for walking almost anywhere on the FOB. I often think about how strange this seems while also realizing that I use the headlight so naturally after having done so for a while. It’s rather strange to think about a number of things that have become routine and natural here that a year ago I would never have imagined I would ever do.
Since this will certainly be my last update before Christmas, I will finish with a few comments about that holiday and spending it in Afghanistan. As with Thanksgiving, I am not personally feeling bad about being here for Christmas. I feel bad that my family will have to celebrate Christmas without me, and I will certainly miss being with my wife and kids – just as I miss them every day. But I feel good about what we’re doing here and truly believe we’re making a difference; that’s not something that can be wrapped up and put under a tree. Consequently, it makes the presents that can be wrapped and put under a tree seem not quite so important (please note – that does not mean I don’t want presents on future holidays when I’m home).
Of course, that’s not to say that everyone here feels the same. On the other bases, many of the offices and even buildings have Christmas decorations in place – and many did the same for Thanksgiving and Halloween. Since we have a new group here at Fiaz, they really haven’t had a chance to decorate and – to some degree – I hope they haven’t had a chance to miss home too much.
That being said, I’m going to hold a Christmas Eve service for anyone wanting to come. We don’t have a Chaplain here and I’m not sure if there is one assigned to the PRT nearby, but we are a small group and I think we’ll do fine on our own. I believe it is important for those of us who are Christians to have the chance to remember what Christmas is truly all about. And in many respects, it is God’s gift of Jesus, the sacrifice he made for us, the example that set, and even Jesus’ teachings that – to me at least – are why we are here. We have a responsibility to take care of those who are unable to take care of themselves – even if they are of a different faith – and we are to love others as Jesus loves us.
So while those of us here are spending Christmas away from our homes and families, that is not such a great sacrifice compared to that of Jesus dying for us. Of course, there are Americans who have made that sacrifice as well; and it is for them, also, that my belief in our mission remains rock steady. Jesus did not give up when most people failed to listen to him and follow his teachings and examples while he was alive. Rather, he remained steadfast in his mission – even knowing the end to which it would lead. So while our progress at times seems slow – or even might seem to degrade some – our resolve must not falter.
Those of us serving in the Armed Forces anywhere in the world know the risks we are facing and know the end to which our service might lead. But we also know that the sacrifices of our predecessors have given us the lives we now have, and now it is our turn to make sacrifices for the sake of our families, our friends, future generations of Americans, and people like those in Afghanistan who, without us, would be completely vulnerable in so many ways.
It is truly a privilege to serve our country and in so doing to act out many of the ideals that Jesus taught us. I will be thrilled to spend Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and many other special occasions at home with my actual family and my long-time friends next year. In the meantime, I am happy and proud to be doing the job I’m doing – and celebrating these holidays – with my Army family here in Afghanistan.
For all of you and your families, I wish the absolute best and hope you find and celebrate the true meaning and joy of Christmas; you could not ask for a greater blessing than that (though a 60” HD Plasma Screen TV wouldn’t be so bad).
God’s Peace to All,
Kevin
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Konar Children
Greetings Again Everyone, Below is the link to a photo album filled with pictures of children in Konar Province. They don't require much explanation, but I want to note a few things. I believe I noted in a previous update the clothing common amongst the Afghan people. You will see here some of the incredibly bright colors worn by the children - in particular the girls. This is in stark contrast to the subdued colors worn by adults most of the time. You will also see that the children are typically working, "traveling" (often to or from school on foot), or just hanging out. There are virtually no playgrounds or parks that I have seen in Konar at which the children can play sports or just play (I am going to see if we can get some projects going for some of these). And, of course, most do not have many toys of any type with which to play. The thing that can seem most strange to us in America is the children working and being without direct adult supervision. Children we might not allow to cross the street by themselves are sent into the nearest village or city to pick up produce, oil, or other items. They walk by themselves to schools a fair distance away or to gather with friends or see relatives. You will also see girls - most likely sisters - holding and caring for younger children (though the girls don't appear to be much older than their charges). The closest picture I think I have to kids in America is one of several in a tree. You should also note that the children travel like the adults, which means without any additional safety precautions. They ride on the backs and fronts of motorcycles and bicycles without helmets; they ride in the backs of open trucks and cars and on tractors and wagons. I took one picture - which I actually think is in another album I'll be posting soon - of two children riding behind a man on a motorcycle; after we passed the motorcycle, my gunner told me there were three more children sitting in front of the man - that's one adult and five children on a motorcycle. Before being appalled, consider that in many respects Afghanistan is now where we were as a country anywhere from twenty to 200 years ago. Until their basic needs are met they are not going to be concerned about a lot of things we take for granted. It wasn't long ago in America - that is, when I was a kid (I don't want to hear any cracks about how long ago that was) - that bike helmets weren't worn, nor were seatbelts, and kids walking and playing away from adults was not that uncommon. The adults had to work a lot more and harder to put a roof over their heads and food on the table so couldn't be bothered watching the children constantly - and certainly couldn't affort daycare. That's where many Afghan families are now. And/or they have to put the kids to work in some manner. The good news is that most Afghans now understand how important it is for the children to attend school. There are several pictures of us dropping off school supplies and stuffed animals to kids; I'll have more of these as we have received a lot more supplies from many of you and I know more are on the way. The last thing I'll note is that many of the families are very large - both immediate and extended. We have met numerous Afghan men - younger than me - with eight to ten children ranging from five to early twenties and, in some cases, with grandchildren as well. That's not unusual. And families tend to stay close together so that the people around are all relatives, which helps with them watching out for one another. So enjoy these pictures and say a prayer for these kids. They truly hold the future of Afghanistan in their hands. Kevin
Update from Kevin Miller
Greetings Friends,
I want to first note that uploading pictures from FOB Fiaz takes much longer than it did in JBAD, so it might take me longer to post new pictures. The good news is I have some pictures previously uploaded and have been able to upload some of my Konar pictures so should be able to send out photo album links soon. I can tell you I have taken a lot of pictures since arriving in Kunar and definitely want to share them.
There are a lot of topics about which I want to share so now it’s just a matter of finding the time to get them down and send them out. The good news is that being busy is truly making the time go fast for me. It’s hard for me to believe I’ve been in Kunar for a month already.
The first thing about which I want to share is something one of our Security Force (SECFOR) soldiers went through right after I moved to Konar – SPC Powezka was awarded his U.S. Citizenship. His family emigrated to the U.S. from Poland when he was 16. He joined the Army, which allowed him to get his citizenship faster than normal. The day I got picked up from JBAD he was dropped off at Jalalabad Air Field (JAF) to fly to Bagram Air Field (BAF). There, he took his citizenship test – which he passed – and then took part in a swearing in ceremony. Unfortunately, we were unable to have anyone there for the ceremony, but it’s pretty cool that it took place and apparently they made a pretty big deal about it there. SPC Powezka thought it was funny that, when he got there, people said he must be in the wrong place because he doesn’t look or sound like an immigrant. He’s fair skinned and has an almost Bronx accent. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him much to learn more about his situation and history. Hopefully I will before he leaves Afghanistan.
Another thing I wanted to discuss is the attitudes of different soldiers – and, to some degree, soldiers in different roles – toward the Afghan people. Those of us who went through mentor training at Fort Riley spent a great deal of time learning about the culture of Afghanistan, some of its history, and the fundamentals of Counterinsurgency (commonly referred to as COIN). Many of the people deployed here in other roles did not, apparently, get the same level of this training. And, to some degree, the nature of the soldiers who find themselves in different roles may influence their attitudes. So, to understand things better, let me start with an explanation of COIN.
In a nutshell, the concept of COIN is to create an environment in which an insurgency cannot take root. The term that is regularly used – and that I may have used in a previous update – is “winning the hearts and minds of the people.” It’s not hard to understand, but it can be very hard to accomplish in a manner that is sustainable. The idea is that, if a sufficient portion of a country’s population supports the government – that is, truly believes in the government and its ability to effectively secure and run the country – then the government will remain stable and insurgents who wish to topple the government will be unsuccessful.
Now, a “sufficient portion of a country’s population” doesn’t necessarily mean a majority or some set percentage. Rather, it is a population set that results in the “center of gravity” of the country falling toward the side of supporting the government. This might require a majority, but it can be a smaller group if there is a large portion of the population that is neutral or unaffected by what happens in the government and/or by insurgents. The challenge, then, is to gain fairly strong support of enough people to bring the center of gravity towards the government.
Unfortunately, there are several important factors to winning the support of the people, and Afghanistan is in dire straits on some of these. In order to lend support to the government, people need to feel that their basic needs are either being met or that the government is in the best position to eventually meet those needs. If neither of these is happening, the population becomes vulnerable to anti-government forces. The basic needs to be met include security (feeling that people are safe from harm and criminal activity), shelter, food, and clothing.
Most people prefer that they earn all of these except the security – they really aren’t looking for handouts. But in order to earn these things, there have to be jobs; in order for there to be jobs, there needs to be an infrastructure; in order for there to be an infrastructure, the government needs to have resources; and in order for the government to have resources, they must either have natural resources to exploit or they must collect some form of tax.
In the case of Afghanistan, they are getting their initial resources to begin this process from the international community in the form of financial aid and various types of assistance. However, the extent of infrastructure needing to be created is immense. And while that infrastructure is being built, the basic needs of the population must still be met. Recent droughts have made this an even bigger challenge than it might otherwise have been – as has a world-wide shortage of many food staples such as rice, corn, and wheat. Consequently, international aid is stretched thin.
Of course, while the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and the international community strive to meet the basic needs of the people, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF – the military from throughout the world) and the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF – the Afghan Army and Police) try to provide security. Actually, ISAF works to provide security and works to train the ANSF, but here again, the ISAF resources are stretched thin. In the meantime, those people and organizations who would like to return Afghanistan to the oppressive atmosphere that existed under the Taliban are trying to undermine the security and the government.
Now, the people whom ISAF and ANSF are trying to protect and whom the government is trying to serve must decide – at least to some degree – where their loyalties lie. Their past experiences will, of course, influence these loyalties. Thus, invasions by the Soviet Union – and decades ago by the British – and the oppressive government of the Taliban make them wary of any government and its ability to truly care for the people. Coupled with anti-American propaganda and periodic successful attacks by anti-government forces, it’s understandable why the loyalties of the people are hard to win.
Of course, there have been mistakes in the battle for hearts and minds. I won’t go into most here; that can be left to the political pundits and analysts. I will, however, touch on one of the biggest challenges from a military standpoint. The anti-government forces primary tool is violence. They regularly attack the ANA, the ANP, and coalition forces. Consequently, these forces respond militarily. The anti-government forces also operate in such a way that they try to cause harm to civilians and their villages that they can then blame on the coalition forces.
That’s where COIN creates a rub. To build support from the people, we need to avoid collateral damage; but often, to catch or kill the perpetrators – those who are attacking the ANA, ANP, and ISAF – requires fighting in villages and periodically destroying buildings, including homes. And, most unfortunately, civilians are sometimes killed as well. Here again, I’m not going to discuss this specific issue as it is much too touchy for this forum, but I will use it to further explain COIN.
With a traditional military mindset, when forces come under attack, they fight back as hard as possible to capture or kill the enemy. If the enemy hides in a village or specific building and continues to fight, you bring whatever firepower you have available to bear on the enemy’s location until he is destroyed or surrenders. Given the U.S. focus on avoiding collateral damage and civilian deaths, we would bring to bear as much firepower as possible that would cause the least damage and injury other than to the enemy.
The full COIN approach would go much farther toward protecting people and property. Once the enemy is holed up somewhere, even if he continues to fight, we would consider the longer term – or second and third order – effects. It works sort of like this: If we kill the enemy (let’s say two guys with machine guns and RPG’s) by having a bomb dropped on the house to which they have fled and from which they are now shooting, we will have kept two enemy fighters from ever attacking us again. At the same time, we will have destroyed someone’s home – and maybe killed civilians who were in the home – and everyone in that village will know it. While they may realize that the destruction was justified, they may also harbor resentment toward the coalition and/or Afghan forces involved.
On the other hand, given the same scenario, if the coalition forces hold their fire – or at least don’t bring in the heavy weapons thus avoiding the destruction of any buildings – they may allow two enemy fighters to escape. But the people in the village will likely be glad that the coalition and Afghan forces showed restraint. Immediately following this engagement, a meeting can be held with the local elders explaining why the heavy weapons were not used but also asking the village to help in the future by either keeping the enemy out or reporting their presence.
Of course, the situations are never this straight forward, but it does illustrate the COIN concept in theory. In the first approach, people in the village might end up supporting the enemy and some might even assist or join them; so while two enemy fighters are killed, the enemy becomes stronger. In the second approach, people in the village may turn in the enemy or weapons caches, report enemy activities such as planting of bombs, or even decide to join the police or army; so while the two enemy fighters may escape, their enemy’s overall position becomes weaker while the government’s becomes stronger.
There is a lot more to COIN such as rebuilding the infrastructure in order to build the economy, improving education and health care, and similar activities. One of these is simply showing respect for the country and people of Afghanistan. That’s another challenge and the one from which this discussion began. The soldiers who are deploying to Afghanistan – as well as to Iraq – are extremely diverse, but one thing many have in common is a more aggressive nature; such a nature can help make a good traditional soldier. In a COIN conflict, however, the aggressiveness may need to be tempered.
Many soldiers understand this, but others don’t and it can be reflected in their attitudes toward the country and the people. I have heard soldiers make disparaging remarks about Afghans, Muslims, and the country and culture in general. I believe this is, in part, because they were not taught about the history, culture, and religion of Afghanistan. Therefore, they allow prejudices to shine through – prejudices based on misinformation and negative perceptions seen in the news or even from personal experience but experiences that were limited and/or isolated. They apply these limited experiences to the entire country and population. While many in the military hierarchy recognize this, it takes a long time to transform the mindset of an entire military.
Fortunately, those soldiers who are regularly interacting with the Afghans, or even likely to encounter them in person, are typically the ones who have received the cultural training as well as the COIN training. And, of course, it is up to the leaders at all levels to work on educating their subordinates and improving their perceptions of the Afghans.
This discussion brings to mind an observation I made a year or so ago. Some parents and/or organizations in Madison, WI were complaining about the presence of military recruiters at the high schools – and similar complaints have been made regarding their presence on college campuses. There were also complaints about military advertising in the schools such as on scoreboards and of some Marines who came to one high school and worked with some gym classes.
The argument they seem to make is that the military is preying on youth who are vulnerable. It appears they want to ensure that learning about career opportunities in the military are limited to those who seek out the information – in other words, the “military” types. These people seem to approve of the military as a good option for only certain kids – not most kids. Of course, this approach would help ensure that the military does not reflect the diversity of our country and communities. Rather, it would perpetuate the military of the past and present. So, as the nature of the military needs to change in order to adapt to changing conflicts and roles, it would be more difficult because the nature of the enlistees does not similarly change.
Personally, I think I’m an anomaly in the military because I joined to help pay for college and have never thought of myself as an aggressive, typical military type. In basic training – which was focused on a traditional military mindset – I wondered what I was doing there; I wasn’t a fighter and killer. Once in, I realized there was a great deal more to the military and that there were significant rewards; I discovered that I could really make a positive difference through the military while applying an entirely different skill set than that traditionally associated with the military. So, while the military needs good, tough, aggressive enlistees, it just as badly needs enlistees who are thoughtful, philosophical, empathetic, creative, intellectual, and so much more. Interestingly, the military’s most elite soldiers typically fit this second mold as much as if not more than the first.
In addition, as the role of the military changes – such as the role we are playing in Iraq and Afghanistan – it will need more people of this latter nature. In fact, serving as mentors – or advisors – was traditionally a Special Forces assignment. Because of the scope of mentoring needed, this assignment is now being given to other soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines who receive the necessary training. So in my mind, parents, teachers, counselors, and others who influence young people’s career choices need to consider not just the fact that a broader range of kids would benefit from a military career – or even just a shorter stint in the military – but they should also consider how much the military would benefit from in influx of diversity. Of course, I’m not talking about ethnic diversity, but rather a diversity of philosophies, beliefs, natures, backgrounds, etc. And the military benefit would then benefit our country as these young men and women moved through the ranks and into positions of influence in other arenas.
I realize I have gone from providing an update to preaching from a soap box, but I think these are important issues for people to consider. Since I have gone on at length, I’ll wrap this up so it can be sent out. I will, however, add this thought as a precursor to the next photo album link I will send out. Afghanistan has, without any doubt in my mind, the potential to become completely self-sufficient. The country does have resources – though the infrastructure is not yet in place to take advantage of those resources. It also has people of incredible character with a desire to be a truly free and democratic country – albeit an Islamic democracy. The youth are being educated, and they hold the key to the future.
My next photo album contains pictures of literally hundreds of Afghan children. You will be amazed at the number who smile, wave, and give us thumbs up. Somewhere they have gained a liking for our presence. I know part of this is because we have given them treats, school supplies, and other things. But I also know they have not received anything substantial directly from us in the military. That means the adults – their parents and other relatives – are at least not bad mouthing us and are possibly even telling the kids that we are helping them toward a better future. I am truly thrilled to be a part of that – and I sincerely thank the many of you who have sent school supplies, winter clothes, blankets, and other items to give to these kids. Know that you are truly making a difference.
Kevin
=
I want to first note that uploading pictures from FOB Fiaz takes much longer than it did in JBAD, so it might take me longer to post new pictures. The good news is I have some pictures previously uploaded and have been able to upload some of my Konar pictures so should be able to send out photo album links soon. I can tell you I have taken a lot of pictures since arriving in Kunar and definitely want to share them.
There are a lot of topics about which I want to share so now it’s just a matter of finding the time to get them down and send them out. The good news is that being busy is truly making the time go fast for me. It’s hard for me to believe I’ve been in Kunar for a month already.
The first thing about which I want to share is something one of our Security Force (SECFOR) soldiers went through right after I moved to Konar – SPC Powezka was awarded his U.S. Citizenship. His family emigrated to the U.S. from Poland when he was 16. He joined the Army, which allowed him to get his citizenship faster than normal. The day I got picked up from JBAD he was dropped off at Jalalabad Air Field (JAF) to fly to Bagram Air Field (BAF). There, he took his citizenship test – which he passed – and then took part in a swearing in ceremony. Unfortunately, we were unable to have anyone there for the ceremony, but it’s pretty cool that it took place and apparently they made a pretty big deal about it there. SPC Powezka thought it was funny that, when he got there, people said he must be in the wrong place because he doesn’t look or sound like an immigrant. He’s fair skinned and has an almost Bronx accent. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him much to learn more about his situation and history. Hopefully I will before he leaves Afghanistan.
Another thing I wanted to discuss is the attitudes of different soldiers – and, to some degree, soldiers in different roles – toward the Afghan people. Those of us who went through mentor training at Fort Riley spent a great deal of time learning about the culture of Afghanistan, some of its history, and the fundamentals of Counterinsurgency (commonly referred to as COIN). Many of the people deployed here in other roles did not, apparently, get the same level of this training. And, to some degree, the nature of the soldiers who find themselves in different roles may influence their attitudes. So, to understand things better, let me start with an explanation of COIN.
In a nutshell, the concept of COIN is to create an environment in which an insurgency cannot take root. The term that is regularly used – and that I may have used in a previous update – is “winning the hearts and minds of the people.” It’s not hard to understand, but it can be very hard to accomplish in a manner that is sustainable. The idea is that, if a sufficient portion of a country’s population supports the government – that is, truly believes in the government and its ability to effectively secure and run the country – then the government will remain stable and insurgents who wish to topple the government will be unsuccessful.
Now, a “sufficient portion of a country’s population” doesn’t necessarily mean a majority or some set percentage. Rather, it is a population set that results in the “center of gravity” of the country falling toward the side of supporting the government. This might require a majority, but it can be a smaller group if there is a large portion of the population that is neutral or unaffected by what happens in the government and/or by insurgents. The challenge, then, is to gain fairly strong support of enough people to bring the center of gravity towards the government.
Unfortunately, there are several important factors to winning the support of the people, and Afghanistan is in dire straits on some of these. In order to lend support to the government, people need to feel that their basic needs are either being met or that the government is in the best position to eventually meet those needs. If neither of these is happening, the population becomes vulnerable to anti-government forces. The basic needs to be met include security (feeling that people are safe from harm and criminal activity), shelter, food, and clothing.
Most people prefer that they earn all of these except the security – they really aren’t looking for handouts. But in order to earn these things, there have to be jobs; in order for there to be jobs, there needs to be an infrastructure; in order for there to be an infrastructure, the government needs to have resources; and in order for the government to have resources, they must either have natural resources to exploit or they must collect some form of tax.
In the case of Afghanistan, they are getting their initial resources to begin this process from the international community in the form of financial aid and various types of assistance. However, the extent of infrastructure needing to be created is immense. And while that infrastructure is being built, the basic needs of the population must still be met. Recent droughts have made this an even bigger challenge than it might otherwise have been – as has a world-wide shortage of many food staples such as rice, corn, and wheat. Consequently, international aid is stretched thin.
Of course, while the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and the international community strive to meet the basic needs of the people, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF – the military from throughout the world) and the Afghan National Security Force (ANSF – the Afghan Army and Police) try to provide security. Actually, ISAF works to provide security and works to train the ANSF, but here again, the ISAF resources are stretched thin. In the meantime, those people and organizations who would like to return Afghanistan to the oppressive atmosphere that existed under the Taliban are trying to undermine the security and the government.
Now, the people whom ISAF and ANSF are trying to protect and whom the government is trying to serve must decide – at least to some degree – where their loyalties lie. Their past experiences will, of course, influence these loyalties. Thus, invasions by the Soviet Union – and decades ago by the British – and the oppressive government of the Taliban make them wary of any government and its ability to truly care for the people. Coupled with anti-American propaganda and periodic successful attacks by anti-government forces, it’s understandable why the loyalties of the people are hard to win.
Of course, there have been mistakes in the battle for hearts and minds. I won’t go into most here; that can be left to the political pundits and analysts. I will, however, touch on one of the biggest challenges from a military standpoint. The anti-government forces primary tool is violence. They regularly attack the ANA, the ANP, and coalition forces. Consequently, these forces respond militarily. The anti-government forces also operate in such a way that they try to cause harm to civilians and their villages that they can then blame on the coalition forces.
That’s where COIN creates a rub. To build support from the people, we need to avoid collateral damage; but often, to catch or kill the perpetrators – those who are attacking the ANA, ANP, and ISAF – requires fighting in villages and periodically destroying buildings, including homes. And, most unfortunately, civilians are sometimes killed as well. Here again, I’m not going to discuss this specific issue as it is much too touchy for this forum, but I will use it to further explain COIN.
With a traditional military mindset, when forces come under attack, they fight back as hard as possible to capture or kill the enemy. If the enemy hides in a village or specific building and continues to fight, you bring whatever firepower you have available to bear on the enemy’s location until he is destroyed or surrenders. Given the U.S. focus on avoiding collateral damage and civilian deaths, we would bring to bear as much firepower as possible that would cause the least damage and injury other than to the enemy.
The full COIN approach would go much farther toward protecting people and property. Once the enemy is holed up somewhere, even if he continues to fight, we would consider the longer term – or second and third order – effects. It works sort of like this: If we kill the enemy (let’s say two guys with machine guns and RPG’s) by having a bomb dropped on the house to which they have fled and from which they are now shooting, we will have kept two enemy fighters from ever attacking us again. At the same time, we will have destroyed someone’s home – and maybe killed civilians who were in the home – and everyone in that village will know it. While they may realize that the destruction was justified, they may also harbor resentment toward the coalition and/or Afghan forces involved.
On the other hand, given the same scenario, if the coalition forces hold their fire – or at least don’t bring in the heavy weapons thus avoiding the destruction of any buildings – they may allow two enemy fighters to escape. But the people in the village will likely be glad that the coalition and Afghan forces showed restraint. Immediately following this engagement, a meeting can be held with the local elders explaining why the heavy weapons were not used but also asking the village to help in the future by either keeping the enemy out or reporting their presence.
Of course, the situations are never this straight forward, but it does illustrate the COIN concept in theory. In the first approach, people in the village might end up supporting the enemy and some might even assist or join them; so while two enemy fighters are killed, the enemy becomes stronger. In the second approach, people in the village may turn in the enemy or weapons caches, report enemy activities such as planting of bombs, or even decide to join the police or army; so while the two enemy fighters may escape, their enemy’s overall position becomes weaker while the government’s becomes stronger.
There is a lot more to COIN such as rebuilding the infrastructure in order to build the economy, improving education and health care, and similar activities. One of these is simply showing respect for the country and people of Afghanistan. That’s another challenge and the one from which this discussion began. The soldiers who are deploying to Afghanistan – as well as to Iraq – are extremely diverse, but one thing many have in common is a more aggressive nature; such a nature can help make a good traditional soldier. In a COIN conflict, however, the aggressiveness may need to be tempered.
Many soldiers understand this, but others don’t and it can be reflected in their attitudes toward the country and the people. I have heard soldiers make disparaging remarks about Afghans, Muslims, and the country and culture in general. I believe this is, in part, because they were not taught about the history, culture, and religion of Afghanistan. Therefore, they allow prejudices to shine through – prejudices based on misinformation and negative perceptions seen in the news or even from personal experience but experiences that were limited and/or isolated. They apply these limited experiences to the entire country and population. While many in the military hierarchy recognize this, it takes a long time to transform the mindset of an entire military.
Fortunately, those soldiers who are regularly interacting with the Afghans, or even likely to encounter them in person, are typically the ones who have received the cultural training as well as the COIN training. And, of course, it is up to the leaders at all levels to work on educating their subordinates and improving their perceptions of the Afghans.
This discussion brings to mind an observation I made a year or so ago. Some parents and/or organizations in Madison, WI were complaining about the presence of military recruiters at the high schools – and similar complaints have been made regarding their presence on college campuses. There were also complaints about military advertising in the schools such as on scoreboards and of some Marines who came to one high school and worked with some gym classes.
The argument they seem to make is that the military is preying on youth who are vulnerable. It appears they want to ensure that learning about career opportunities in the military are limited to those who seek out the information – in other words, the “military” types. These people seem to approve of the military as a good option for only certain kids – not most kids. Of course, this approach would help ensure that the military does not reflect the diversity of our country and communities. Rather, it would perpetuate the military of the past and present. So, as the nature of the military needs to change in order to adapt to changing conflicts and roles, it would be more difficult because the nature of the enlistees does not similarly change.
Personally, I think I’m an anomaly in the military because I joined to help pay for college and have never thought of myself as an aggressive, typical military type. In basic training – which was focused on a traditional military mindset – I wondered what I was doing there; I wasn’t a fighter and killer. Once in, I realized there was a great deal more to the military and that there were significant rewards; I discovered that I could really make a positive difference through the military while applying an entirely different skill set than that traditionally associated with the military. So, while the military needs good, tough, aggressive enlistees, it just as badly needs enlistees who are thoughtful, philosophical, empathetic, creative, intellectual, and so much more. Interestingly, the military’s most elite soldiers typically fit this second mold as much as if not more than the first.
In addition, as the role of the military changes – such as the role we are playing in Iraq and Afghanistan – it will need more people of this latter nature. In fact, serving as mentors – or advisors – was traditionally a Special Forces assignment. Because of the scope of mentoring needed, this assignment is now being given to other soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines who receive the necessary training. So in my mind, parents, teachers, counselors, and others who influence young people’s career choices need to consider not just the fact that a broader range of kids would benefit from a military career – or even just a shorter stint in the military – but they should also consider how much the military would benefit from in influx of diversity. Of course, I’m not talking about ethnic diversity, but rather a diversity of philosophies, beliefs, natures, backgrounds, etc. And the military benefit would then benefit our country as these young men and women moved through the ranks and into positions of influence in other arenas.
I realize I have gone from providing an update to preaching from a soap box, but I think these are important issues for people to consider. Since I have gone on at length, I’ll wrap this up so it can be sent out. I will, however, add this thought as a precursor to the next photo album link I will send out. Afghanistan has, without any doubt in my mind, the potential to become completely self-sufficient. The country does have resources – though the infrastructure is not yet in place to take advantage of those resources. It also has people of incredible character with a desire to be a truly free and democratic country – albeit an Islamic democracy. The youth are being educated, and they hold the key to the future.
My next photo album contains pictures of literally hundreds of Afghan children. You will be amazed at the number who smile, wave, and give us thumbs up. Somewhere they have gained a liking for our presence. I know part of this is because we have given them treats, school supplies, and other things. But I also know they have not received anything substantial directly from us in the military. That means the adults – their parents and other relatives – are at least not bad mouthing us and are possibly even telling the kids that we are helping them toward a better future. I am truly thrilled to be a part of that – and I sincerely thank the many of you who have sent school supplies, winter clothes, blankets, and other items to give to these kids. Know that you are truly making a difference.
Kevin
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