Support The Effort In Afghanistan

I am reading the news that the tide is turning on public opinion about Afghanistan. I do not blame the public. Really I do not. I do blame the press who does not tell the whole story, only the negative parts. Though it has been a long drawn out ordeal. The death toll is climbing by the day. So really, even without the negativity in the media, I cannot blame the American public.

Here is what I can tell you from the ground in Afghanistan. Troops are not the answer. Do not get me wrong. Those that know me, know I support out troops 100 percent. I did my 14+ years in the service so I know what it is all about. Don't stop supporting out troops that fight here and die here or any where else in the world. Support those that are here with every inch of your being. However, once again troops on not the answer.

Let me explain. The average, per capita, monthly income of an Afghan that is lucky enough to have a job is less than the average teenager working at McDonald's makes in less than two weeks. Yes, less than a part timer earning minimum wage makes in just over a week. Even in a country such as this that does not put food on the table. The Taliban, therefore, are very attractive. They guarantee you will be well fed, that your family will be well fed, that you all have a roof over your head, and that in the likely event of your death your family will continue to be cared for. Crazy as it seems for some it is an attractive offer.

Almost 100 percent of things bought and sold in Afghanistan are imported. There is no sustainable infrastructure here. There is no industry to speak of. It is not that the resources to create industry is not here. It is. However, much of the industry was knocked out by the Russians and by the civil war that followed. There are no resources to help rebuild that industry. Schools, as well, are in shambles. Many without proper educational facilities and even books and supplies. That is what needs to be invested in rather than bringing more troops.

I am told it takes about three hundred and twenty thousand dollars per year to support one deployed soldier. That is per individual soldier. 2 squads of soldiers over 3 million. A platoon over 12 million, a company, over 24 million, and a brigade....well the numbers are out there. Billions and billions of dollars it takes to support the war efforts here. Hearts and minds were never won with guns and carnage let me tell you. But build them roads, schools, infrastructure, and industry and that will win them over.

I just watched Charlie Wilson's War AGAIN the other night. The scene near the very end really showed it well. Wilson was able to talk them into giving him millions and millions to help the Mujaheddin oust the Russians. Then after it was done he went back for a million or so to build schools and the scoffed at him. To quote the line that was at the very end of the movie, These things happened. They were glorious and they changed the world... and then we f***ed up the endgame. We let the country go to hell.

As we have seen even in the U.S., when things go bad folks turn to religion and even extremism. Such is Afghanistan. They tell me of, and I have seen pictures of, the days when Kabul was glorious. An absolutely beautiful city and a center of culture and education. It was still an Islamic country then but one that was a progressive one. Then the Russians came, then the civil war and it all went to pot. Simply because we messed up the endgame. Support the troops here but also support the non military efforts. They are what will win this war. I am telling you first hand as the man on the ground.

L'Atmosphere

Just a short post. One of the favorite hangouts in Kabul is a place called L'Atmosphere (abbreviated L'Atmo). I found an article recently posted at The Times Online a U.K. publication that shares a bit of history of the place. I think you will find it interesting reading.

(One Of My Photos From A Night Out At L'Atmo)

Election Week Lockdown

So, if any of you recall around December last year, I wrote of our lockdown and how miserable that was. Well that was nothing. We are coming out today from a 5 day total lockdown. Not even movement between houses. Rats in a cage we have been. Though, let me tell you, I do not think I would have made it through without having such a cool house. We actually tried to turn it into a little bit of fun. Movies on the porch, a bbq one evening, it was ok. However, the caged feeling was still here and wow was it tough.

If you have read about all the turmoil, though, you would know it was for a good reason as do I. 73 attacks across Afghanistan during election and some big ones even here in Kabul leading up to the elections. Therefore, I cannot fault our security for being extra cautions. We even had two extra guards at the house and a driver with car in case we had to make a hasty exit. I do fault these violent extremists though. If it were not for them we would not have been locked down.

In the end all was ok. We were not even close enough to hear any of the stuff going on in the city. Realistically there is a mountain between us and the city so we are sort of sepperated. In many cities in the U.S., technically we would be a suburb of Kabul as we are about 10 miles from the city's center. However, Kabul is the name of the city proper and within that city are different areas. We happen to be in one of the furthest from the center of town. So we are all safe and sound and glad like you would not believe that this 5 day period is over.

If Only Life Would Slow Down A Bit

Ok, over the nine month hump and now rapidly approaching the 1/2 mark in my contract. You can read about and prepare yourself for working in conditions such as Afghanistan and like places. You can overcome homesickness, missing friends and family, and in my case in particular, missing your motorcycle and the life thereof. That is all mental. The one thing that is very physical is the click, click, click of life's clock. Not getting older or anything, have you but life and the things that come along in life continue to move on despite being thousands of miles away from home. It is not like you can hop on a quick plane trip. I am in fact isolated from that world and am forced to look upon it from afar. The news from the U.S. is one thing. A new President trying to find his way, the economic struggles, the every day ups and downs of the daily news. What is hard to deal with is one's personal life continues to move on and each time the opportunity arises to come home it is like a whole new world.

9 months in and thus far my eldest daughter and her husband are expecting a daughter to be delivered in October. Big news, yes I feel old, but the hardest part is I am not there. My son has been diagnosed with ADHD. Common among children today, yes, but I am not there. My youngest daughter is struggling with coming into adulthood, where life will lead her, not to mention struggling with the fact that she lives in small town, Hicksville, USA. Now, these things would happen regardless. In the U.S., though, at least I would be a phone call away and I could at least hear properly. Now I have to communicate via email, deal with the time delays, and have to try to figure out the words instead of "hearing." We all know how that can be and how tough it is to read everything that needs to be read into an email but not to read too much. Not to mention the impersonal nature of such communication.

It is not as if I ever thought the world revolved around me but it is hard to prepare yourself for your own world to continue to evolve. It is eye opening, in fact, because of the stark realization that it will happen regardless of whether you are there or not and that you are forced to deal with it via email.