It's my Birthday!

Big deal.

Today I went to the Ministry of Defense to get the semi-monthly budget numbers, went to the Logistics and Material Readiness offices to discuss fuel consumption data, then back to my office to work on logistics measures of effectiveness for the Afghan National Army.

After work I went to the gym and did the Crossfit workout of the day: five sets of 500m rowing, 50 squats, and 30 back extensions in 44:45 minutes.

As I write this, I'm about to go outside for the nightly cigar smoking/lie telling at the camp fire we installed in the safe house yard.

Woo hoo.

Edit: A few days after I wrote this, I was informed that it sounded a little bitter. In retrospect, I was kinda feeling sorry for myself that day because I was missing my family. I was here during Christmas and my birthday, which are tragically close together to begin with (five days apart). But I actually did have a good birthday. My wife called me and sang Happy Birthday. I'm lucky that I live in a house off installation that has a non-secure internet connection. Julie can call me via internet phone service Skype and it's a local call--the active duty personnel on installation can't download it on government computers. I also received boxes of goodies from Julie & my parents, including a remote controlled Air Hog helicopter which I've been using to terrorize my office mates!

Entry for December 21, 2007

Went to a USO show yesterday. Miss USA, Lewis Black, Lance Armstrong, Robin Williams, and Kid Rock. It was snowing hard, but we found a spot under cover. It was behind some flagpoles so my pictures aren't great, but it was fun. I laughed so hard at Robin Williams that I almost fell off the ledge I was standing on. Sure, it was marble and covered with snow, but that's besides the point...

Christmas Dance

Click here for a Merry Christmas dance, from my family to yours.

I was going to title this entry “Barbarians” but then decided that the term “Barbarians” seems too complimentary.

Afghanistan is a very rough country. Both the environment and the people. Rugged mountains, arid country, open plains chock full of robbers and killers. Tough men who seldom bathe, and have never seen a flush toilet or the inside of a doctor’s office. Men who think it’s effeminate to wear eyeglasses or yield to oncoming traffic. Children forced by their parents to beg and/or sell worthless trinkets in the streets. A place where men & women cannot be seen together if they are not related or they may be killed. I think I wrote earlier about when the Taliban caught a fifteen-year old boy with American currency so they hung him for being a spy. Something I didn’t see reported in the western media is a report about two children of a government official who woke one morning to find a toy truck sitting outside their house. The toy was rigged with explosives and killed the two young boys. I have a video clip of Taliban fighters cutting off the heads of about ten men that I only watched once because it gave me nightmares. They sawed through the necks with a knife like they would slaughter a goat.

All that being said, I still think the Afghans are good people. Most Afghans are just like you & me: they just want to have a happy, comfortable life and to provide for their families. Most of them aren’t avid Muslims. Like most of the Catholics I know, they don’t go to their services regularly or pray every day. However, in the last few days I’ve started to be bothered by a few things. Taken individually, each might be sloughed off. But I’ve been back from vacation less than a week and…well, you decide.

1. On the way from the airport to my safe house, we passed a sheep being slaughtered. Now I’ve seen animals slaughtered before, and it’s a way of life. But this one was different. It was on the side of the road and the two men at work were bleeding the sheep. They had cut its throat, and were holding it down while it kicked and slowly bled to death, its blood draining into the gutter.

2. We’re working with the Afghans to help them humanely resolve an issue, but they’re resisting us on this one. Recently there was an Afghan Army officer who lost his pistol. In reality, he probably sold it on the black market and it’s now in the hands of Al Qaeda or the Taliban, but we’ll never know. The officer was killed in combat shortly after reporting his pistol was missing. Now the Army is trying to collect the price of the pistol from the dead soldier's widow.

3. I attend a weekly logistics meeting, along with several other mentors, at the Ministry of Defense. One of the things we’re trying to teach and institutionalize is the contracting, budgeting, and acquisition process. At this meeting, the topic came up about a rice vendor who wasn’t delivering rice in accordance with the contract. The commanding officer of Logistics Command, General B, heatedly recommended hanging the rice vendor by one leg in a conex box until he delivered. At first I assumed he was joking, but the other senior Army officers at the meeting, including the Assistant Minister of Defense, seemed to consider his proposal. We finally convinced them that General B’s suggestion was not within standard government contracting procedures and guidelines.

I think we’re making great progress modernizing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, but they still have a long way to go.

Out.

Just got back from vacation in Dallas. Like last time, I ate too much and drank too much, enjoying the cleanliness, safety, and abundance of a civilized society.

Pics are here. They start with some guys at my house after a trip to the gun range to shoot my M4gery. Then my Mom’s birthday, when Julie & I took her to Maggiano’s. A few pics from dinner at Daron & Leah’s house, mostly pics of her delicious homemade pecan pie. Lastly, pics from a party at my cousin Monica’s bar Canuck’s in Lewisville (and Shane’s car made it home that night!).

I also took Julie to the gun range to shoot my Taurus 9mm and Ruger.38 revolver. Had Thanksgiving dinner with my family, and showed my 5-year old nephew Brendan how to stuff a whole piece of pie in his mouth. Julie & I had a great evening one night grilling steaks and drinking wine. Went to the Luther’s one night and drank way too much. Went to the hospital to see Diane’s mom Alice who is making a miraculous recovery from a stroke. Took Digger to Petsmart and put him on the scale to learn he is now 81.6 pounds. Did a few chores around the house but didn’t get to everything on Julie’s list.

When my final flight from Dubai to Kabul arrived, I called the office for a ride. Dave Bremer came to get me, but was delayed because of a suicide bombing on the road to the airport. Yep, I’m back.