Observations

Law and Order for Pashtun

2011-07-02T04:58:00.001-07:00

Here’s a mashed excerpt from the “Know your AOR” series we get in our mailboxes…

Unlike an American living in a U.S. city, an Afghan villager generally has an AK-47 as his personal security.

· No 911; no ambulance; no fire trucks

· No police to rope off and process the crime scene

· No CSI to collect evidence and to perform autopsy

· No follow-up investigation; no prosecution of the perpetrator.

A Pashtun in this part of Afghanistan relies on his family, friends, and neighbors for security. As a result, Pashtun villagers put a premium on building relationships and will come to their families’, friends’, and neighbors’ rescue. Pashtunwali is the term for the unwritten, basic common law of the land (most Afghans are illiterate.) Badal is the Pashtunwali concept of revenge/justice/retribution among Pashtuns. Revenge under Pashtunwali does not demand immediate action, rather the avenger may wait months, years, or even decades, taking out justice on the offender’s kin or offspring. Perceived offenses committed by a unit today may be avenged on future units.

HFD

2011-06-19T03:38:00.000-07:00

A Happy Father's Day out to all you guys out there who are raising America's future generation!
When I held my first-born in my arms nearly 16 years ago, I would have cried out "Behold, I have created man!" That is, if I'd thought about it at the time. And before my daughter was born some two years later, I never thought I could love another child as much as my son but I did/do and my heart simply doubled in size. I love you kids - thanks for the cards and presents and treats! And give your mother a big hug and kiss for me.

100 degs in the shade

2011-05-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

Taken with, and sent by my trusty BB 8900.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I'm not ready

2011-05-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

for the End of Times on 21 May. Nor for the Mayan prediction in 2012. I was baptized and christened but I reckon I haven't atoned for my sins in, umm, decades? I always thought I'd like to depart this earth in a blaze of glory. Or like the comedian said, leave this world the same way we came in - naked and screaming.

Update 23 May. I'll be damned, I missed the Rapture 'cuz I'm still here in A-stan.

amo, a mosque, amat - NOT!

2011-05-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

Nice. Here at the transient compound where we were billeted for our first few days on base, there is a local mosque right outside the perimeter. My tent mates and I were looking up at the blue-domed minaret thinking how cool is that, a slice of Afghan life on the other side of the double-tall reinforced concrete wall and concertina wire.

Cool, that is, until around 8:30 in the evening when we were racked out, trying to adapt to the new time zone and then bam! a call to prayer seemed directed to us infidels on this side of the wire. Even less so when it repeated for effect around o'dark-30 in the morning. Really? YGBSM. I've only just arrived and I'm so not loving it in Latin, or Pashto, or Arabic this friggin' early.

I'm sure a couple in our group have a faith, so we're not all infidels. Growing up in the 60's, I remember church bells marking the hour and half-hour. That's no different, is it?

Spring harvest

2011-05-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's just my luck that the poppy harvesting is in full swing. You see, A-stan is the world's leading producer of raw opium needed to make heroin, and it's such a lucrative activity that it detracts the bad guys from doing bad things while they fund their war chest. Here are some fun facts - according to the AP, the UN say Taliban clear $300m per year. To a dirt-poor country, that's a lot of moolah and can buy lots of IEDs. The southern province I'm in produces about 16% of A-stan's opium poppies (2009 figure). I saw my first poppy field (petals still on) while traveling in the Helmand province, not a stone's throw from a NATO base perimeter. Farmers know it's illegal but when their govt doesn't enforce such laws, well...

bin Laden is dead, so can I come home now?

2011-05-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

My roommate woke me up early this morning, perhaps not intentionally, but he was in and out of our room like it was a revolving door. Starting to mumble something about respect for his night shift roomies, he cut me off and said there're rumors that bin Laden is dead. Okay, I'm awake now - thanks. At the chow hall, a couple of TV displays are showing CNN filming a crowd outside the White House, someone waving Old Glory on a staff.

Pakistan, of course, and near the hq of a Pak Army brigade. Does it end there? Does UBL become a martyr to Al Qaeda & radical Islam, a mere blip in the timeline of the Long War? Regardless, justice will be done.

Wherever you are, there you are

2011-04-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Finally arrived in Kandahar province, after winging our way from/over Central Asia's U-pick-a-stans. First thought as I hit boots on the ground - it's springtime in birthplace of the Taliban movement. Blue sky, warmish days, coolish nights. Wondering when that'll change.

Didn't know quite what to expect, despite my research. Dust is everywhere. The place is like the biggest construction site in the world. Gravel roads, concrete T-walls some tall but most medium height, shipping containers everywhere in neat rows or clusters or stacked two-to-three high. And A-stan is a land-locked country. Drivers of left-hand and right-hand drive SUVs all follow the US standard of driving on the right side of the road. Armored humvees and monstrous tactical vehicles. Military personnel are in every conceivable variety of combat uniforms, unless they're in uniform PT outfits. Fair-skinned civilians from Western countries tend to wear the only spot of color seen, like shades of red or pink or bright green. Third country nationals are called TCNs, and as far as I can tell most of the worker bee TCNs come from South Asia. I bet even native Afghanis are called TCNs.

More on food and lodging to follow...

Self-loading cargo

2011-04-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Some of my 250+ new best friends and I are waiting in the departure lounge some 200 miles from Washington. To add context, our nation is on the cusp of a federal government shutdown because Congress can't agree to a budget. The irony of me and my 250+ BFFs deploying to war in defense of America without a paycheck. Or a timely fed tax refund. [Fill in your own personal pain(s).] Come ON!

Camp mates

2011-03-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

Ten days of learning and practicing some useful skills typically taught to ground warfighters. Shared a tent with some great fellow CAST students - here we are in an après graduation shot shortly before going home for a brief respite. Most of us are going on to South Asia.

RJ, congrats on making bird colonel and thx again for the hand-made 550 survival bracelet! Hope to see you and TC in theater.

Saving a life

2010-10-11T14:58:00.000-07:00

I wish my first post of 2010(!) wasn't a rant against a fellow citizen. Westbound through the Caldecott Tunnel, I have about 18 inches between my right sideview mirror and the red coupe's left mirror next to me. (Eighteen inches also happens to be wingtip-to-wingtip distance of the Blue Angels' precision flying.) It's not the pretty young female driver with long dark hair that catches my eye, but her full keyboard two-thumb texting, head down and apparently steering with her knees. After taking this in for an interminable couple of seconds I blow my horn to get her attention. Glancing up, she sees my finger wagging and disapproved looks before dropping back a bit. Probably to take a pic of me for her social network entry, I don't care. I just hope I save a life in her near future.

Hawaiian vacation

2009-08-11T21:13:00.000-07:00

Crazy busy at work on extended trips away all summer while family, friends and other interests were backburnered. Yep, missed some birthdays and board meetings and... Well, to start making the family whole again we spent a week in O'ahu doing the typical tourist stuff - snorkeling amongst the sea turtles and humuhumunukunukuapua'a, learning to surf, and getting free luau tickets by sitting through timeshare sales pitches. Definitely check out the Hilton Hawaiian Village!

Confessions of an Economic Hitman

2009-03-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

After some R&R I was wanting for more work, so I took on a contract position with an old employer. A bit of a commute was/is a major drawback, but hey it's work, right? Two hours on the road is a grind, and I might argue there's only so much NPR one can listen to. And crappy speakers won't do satellite radio any justice. Then I rediscovered books on tape. Yeah, cassettes, 'cause I can play them in either car.

Just finished listening to John Perkins' 2004 book Confessions of an Economic Hitman. Fascinating, if you set aside conspiracy theories for the moment. Makes me want to learn more about the World Bank, developing countries, and giant US construction firms. Can't wait for his 2007 follow-on book, The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hitmen, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption to be released on audio.

Meanwhile, I'll be learning French.

Back home

2008-12-04T21:49:00.000-08:00

Ahh, back home after a reasonably short deployment, and just in time for Thanksgiving with the family. Coming home I found that gas prices dropped more than 2 bucks a gallon, and my son is now as tall as I am.

I missed working out at the dojo, and Sensei worked my a** off in the intermediate (K2) class earlier this week. In my head I made all sorts of excuses like recovering from jet lag, different muscles used, turkey dinner - but the truth is, I'd gained weight in the desert and lost some tone. Who knew chow hall food could be so... edible.

Camping

2008-11-11T12:07:00.000-08:00

It's early November and the weather has improved dramatically. It rained a few days ago and felt a lot like spring back home. This time of year the Kuwaitis set up large canvas tents in approved areas just off the highway, in what seems like a nod to their past. From what I've heard these tents can have wooden floors and carpets, and many campers bring their TVs. I'm guessing that the big draw is the desert night sky, since much of the landscape is fairly flat and featureless.

A solemn and dignified ceremony

2008-10-16T05:52:00.001-07:00

My specific location serves as the theater mortuary evacuation port, where American casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan are received and in short order flown back to the US for repatriation. Recently I attended an HR (human remains) ceremony, an offload from a plane that came in from downrange. After the cargo plane shut down its engines, about four dozen of us observers, a mix of airmen, soldiers, marines and sailors plus a couple of civilians walked out on the tarmac, lined up behind and to either side of the plane in two lines facing each other two or three deep, and waited in parade rest in what was probably 104 degree afternoon heat. As five marines and an Air Force chief master sergeant started to carry the flag-draped caskets off the aircraft's ramp a short distance into the waiting mortuary truck, one at a time, we performed and held a slow, four-count salute each time.

We did it again the following day, this time in reverse - an upload ceremony for the flight back home. We filed into the plane and listened to the Navy chaplain as he said a few words and then closed with a prayer.

Wings

2008-09-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is an Ilyushin Il-76TD, a Russian-made long range transport aircraft in civilian colors. The US military contracts with some third-party carriers to haul some of its materiel to Iraq and Afghanistan. It's not a stretch of the imagination to think that a couple of decades ago this plane could very well have been flying Soviet troops and tanks to Kabul...

Ice cream!

2008-09-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

At one of the luxurious malls here I found a specialty ice cream shop offering a few interesting flavors. The special of the day on the left was Ciambella; the guy behind the counter told me it was pancake-flavored. Next to it was Biscuit. Yep, that's not a typo. And yep, there's truth in advertising.

MRAP

2008-09-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Haven't been able to post regularly due to some Internet issues where I am.

Last week I took one of the MRAPs out for a test spin prior to them being delivered to our troops in Afghanistan. Sorry no pics for fear of retribution. This 18-ton Marine version of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle is the most. absolutely. massively. intimidating. truck I've ever seen. It is a breeze to drive with power steering, air brakes, and pushbutton transmission, but the view from inside looking out is restricted by smallish panes of bulletproof glass that pass for a windshield and windows. Then I imagined what it would be like in an actual ambush or getting hit by an IED and the thought was very sobering. But it definitely beats riding in an unarmored vehicle.

Ramadan

2008-09-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Ramadan is one of the holiest times of the Muslim year, and in this locale it started exactly a week prior to my arrival. One of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, devout Muslims abstain from all things considered pleasurable, including eating, drinking, smoking, and physically pleasurable activities from dawn to dusk. This month-long period of fasting facilitates meditation and leads to self-purification. At dusk, people attend calls to prayer and afterwards gather for a meal.

I've been to Islamic countries before, but never during Ramadan. As guests of the Kuwaitis, we've been asked to refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and chewing gum while in the presence of Muslims. Clearly I understand the necessity of not offending our hosts. Now in earlier posts I've noted the hot and dry (sometimes humid) weather conditions. So this presents a bit of a challenge for those of us who feel the urge to maybe stay hydrated for one thing. So we make sure we're in our hotel/workspace when we need to eat/drink during the day. But when in our cars, heaven help us because any Kuwaiti can call the authorities and if we are caught in noncompliance then it's a $350 fine.

Sep 29th is a long time away from now.

The Rock

2008-09-10T23:32:00.000-07:00

Went to Ali Al Salem Air Base, known as "The Rock" because of said prominence just outside its main entrance. Its Wikipedia entry named some damaged structures from the Iraqi invasion which are still visible as of this writing.

Finally downrange

2008-09-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Arrived in country just over 24 hrs ago. Just four days ago I was on Pacific time or ten time zones away so my body clock is pretty whacked. Out on the tarmac today it reached 108 degrees and the humidity made it feel even hotter. Night came and I got caught in a minor sandstorm, and just before writing this post I had literally washed dirt out of my hair.

Test post from email

2008-09-07T18:22:00.001-07:00

Waiting to board the rotator with 470 of my new best friends....

Hello Baltimore, Goodbye US (for now)

2008-09-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm wandering Baltimore's Inner Harbor on a beautiful late summer day. Luck must be with me because a day ago Hurricane Hanna had sent some heavy downpour in the area. The tall ship USS Constellation is in the background.

Tonight I'll be on a plane to Europe enroute to the Middle East. I'm thinking one last beer before my journey really starts.

Shh - timeshare sales appointments are inexpensive vacations

2008-08-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

This summer we took mini-vacations, and one of our destinations was Orange County. There are people with money, and then there are people with money. OC is not my demographics. We took up an offer to visit Marriott's Newport Beach Villas, one of their properties throughout the world. Through sheer luck we were able to reserve an ocean view suite on the property itself - most timeshare prospect owners stay at a nearby Marriott hotel. I agree with a not-for-profit colleague of mine that the best time to attend these sales presentations is when the project is still in construction. So get on a major player's list and every year you might just get chance to stay someplace different. Next year I'm hoping for Mexico or the Caribbean. Full disclosure - I own no Marriott timeshare or stock.