“I want an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle!” Ralphie

          Happy Holidays all, and I hope that the season has provided everyone with warm and happy thoughts. I write this posting on Christmas day, and fortunately for us it is a white one. Last night about a foot of snow dropped from the sky, and left our camp looking just about like one of those cheesy Christmas cards you get at the day after Christmas sales. The snow has provided us with a couple of entertaining events. The first thing we decided to do was make snow angles, and so we had to find an area of snow that had not been molested by boot prints. We found our area, and promptly plopped down, and began the process of creating our heavenly beings. After the Angles came the epic snowball fight, as no first major snowfall could go without one. One cannot allow all that pristine snow to simply sit on the ground, it had to be put to use. The sun was beginning to sink below the mountains, so it wasn’t easy to get a lot of people to play, but we made the most of it for those who did participate. It was awesome, and all involved had a great time. As the snow continues to fall I am sure there will be other opportunities for the icy projectiles to go flying, as I feel there is going to be an all out snow assault on each other. Well, other than the snow activities I spent my Christmas Eve and day doing my wash, getting my haircut, and cleaning my room. Just another day; kind of. Let’s see what else I have been doing.

          My primary counterpart has been on leave since the last time I posted, and so I haven’t been able to work with him a whole lot yet. What I have been able to do, however, is spend a lot of time with the rest of his staff. It has been quite nice to get know the rest of the signal staff. My primary counterpart, Colonel Rafi, has a pretty strong personality, which causes the rest of the staff to stay somewhat dormant with theirs. Sine he has been gone, I have really gotten to see the rest of the soldiers in the section, and more of what they are really like. They are certainly a great bunch of soldiers. Recently the Corps Signal section received a whole boatload of new signal equipment, which is great for the Corps. However, it did create quite a challenge for the soldiers of the section. What to do with it all, especially in the absence of their leader? Like I have said in earlier postings, these soldiers are the greatest of fighters, but what they lack most is the ability to logistically sustain the fight. How to properly feed, clothe, and provide other vital supplies during long term battles has certainly challenged them. With all the new radio equipment here, it is an opportunity to exercise their skills in support operations. Another characteristic that the soldiers possess that also makes it hard for them to logistically support the troops downrange is their inane need to hoard things. This trait is not unique to the Afghan army by any means; this seems to occur in all armies, at least the armies I have been involved with. Equipment always seems to be a challenge to get from higher, and so when it does finally arrive, the instinct it to keep as much of it as you can to avoid needed it again in the future. It is crucial that we get this equipment to those soldiers who are in need. As a mentor, I do not want to get too involved in the process, I would like to see the Afghan soldiers fully engaged in the actual task, and I’ll simply provide advice as to how I think they are doing. They have, thus far, embraced the task of getting the equipment to the units who are in need, but they do it sparingly. Giving the units only the bare minimum needed to accomplish the task of communicating. Old habits do die hard I guess. I don’t look at it as any sort of failure on their part, like I said, all Armies seem to hoard stuff, but what I do see is an occasion to further mentor the troops.

         Ahh … let’s see; what else has been going on. Hey, here’s another first for the ANA soldiers we have been mentoring. The Afghan Commanding General decided to have a conference for all of his leaders. Something like this is a common occurrence in the US Army, but virtually unheard of here in the ANA Army. I should first preface by saying I had nothing to do with the organization of this meeting, and really didn’t do anything more than sit through it. Which, was tough enough on it’s own, as it was an all day affair. Getting all the commanders of the lower units together in one room was a tremendous effort. They were able to take the time to report to the General how things are going, what concerns they had, and anything else that was on their minds. It was pretty cool to watch as the Kandak (Battalion) Commanders briefed the General one by one, and it was obvious it wasn’t something they often do. With more practice they will certainly get better at this. The General was also able to provide the leaders of the lower units training on specific tasks, and guidance on what the future holds. As the Signal mentor of the American group, I simply listened intently when the Commanders had any concerns as pertains to their communications. This would provide me some mentoring fodder when working with my ANA section. I’m always looking for opportunities to help the section be better at what they do. My boss has said that we should mentor our ANA like we are the last mentors here in Afghanistan, and he is right. With this mindset, I try to make sure that we make the most of our time together. You never know, I could be the last mentor my section has, and I want to make sure that when I leave this place, that they are better off than when I got here. It’s not all altruistic though; although I want to make sure that the ANA are in better shape when I leave, I also want to know that my time here wasn’t wasted.

          After the ANA finished the day with their Commanders conference, we went back to our American side of the camp, and conducted a Commanders conference of our own. It was ironic that a lot of the concerns the ANA Commanders had seemed to be mirrored during our conference. Seems like both sides kind of struggle with a lot of the same issues. Maybe this is a sign of progress for the ANA. During our conference I found myself being charge of the space bar, making sure that the Power Point slides were advanced when needed. I am thinking the whole time during the meeting that I must be the highest paid space bar pusher in the world. Hey, someone’s got to do it, and I gotta thank you, the tax payer, for making this all possible. Seriously, these meetings are very important. We are spread all over this country, and getting everyone together for such meetings helps us get a handle on what everyone is doing, and gets everyone the necessary information they need to conduct their missions. That’s the one thing I have noticed about being at the Corps lever, versus the Brigade level I was previously at, there is no shortage of meeting. I spend a lot more time sitting at the conference table looking at Power Point slides than I used to. If you look up above, you’ll see my new office, and this is where all the Power Point magic happens.

          Winter, and the snow that comes with it, has definitely slowed things down around here. Time does seem to be passing a bit slower than it did during the summer, but before I know it, it will be next year. During our New Years celebration the Afghans also have another Eid holiday. It is much like the first Eid that we experienced, but this one is much shorter, only lasting three days. The timing is perfect though, because we will not lose to many days while both sides are on holiday. I know all my ANA soldiers, and my interpreter, are looking forward to the holiday. A lot of the soldiers do not go home that frequently because of the cost, so they surely take advantage of the chance to do so when their holidays come around. The ANA General is also planning an Eid celebration here at their chow hall, and I look forward to attending. I will certainly let you know what occurs there. Well, I am of to help serve the Christmas meal. It is tradition that the officers serve the holiday meals for the soldiers, and I look forward to it, we always make it a fun event. I want to extend a thank you to everyone who has sent me a Christmas care package, as they are really appreciated. I also want to let everyone know that if you sent any kind of food, that I have shared every bit of it with the soldiers I work with. Everyone have a safe and fun Holiday Season, and I will chat again with you soon. Talk to you next year.

Until Next Time,
Mark

PS … “No way kid, you’ll shoot your eye out” Santa