Location: Afghanistan
Situation: SSDD
Command: FUBAR
Morale: BOHICA

Here we go again. I need to vent. No, don't worry, it won't be like last time.

I've spent years working on the craft of treating people's aches and pains, injuries and illnesses. Spent years working with troops so they would trust me and not be weary of going to "Doc" if something wasn't right. So they wouldn't worry if something happened to them, because they knew I was close by. But sitting in Kabul is a great waste of time. The only fighting going on here is against boredom.

Very rarely do you get to go outside the wire. Because there isn't a whole lot going on here, you get excited about it because it's something different. Here lies another problem. When you get your mission brief before you leave, you get all your instructions, like what to do if you make contact with any "bad guys". Our standing orders if we make contact are to run away. Not in those words of course, but you get the point.

RUN AWAY? I'm sorry. Since when does an American soldier run away? I'M NOT FRENCH! I am an American paratrooper. I'm trained to take the fight to them if they happen to want to meet Allah, and I'll be glad to make the introduction for them. Running away is against everything that I've ever believed in. It is against all training that I've ever received. I can't even describe how much the idea of running pains me. It's downright embarrassing. Sad even.

Maybe command just doesn't want to see anyone get hurt. Not a good answer. We all signed the dotted line. We accept that possibility. But if someone gets hurt, that's what I'm here for.

So, why am I here. I thought I was here to go downrange, engage and neutralize enemy contacts and take care of injured troops. Nope. Here in Kabul we smile, wave and make nice with the neighbors. Hearts and minds. For those who have never looked. Historically, it doesn't work. It always comes back and bites us in the ass.

Do the neighbors like us or want us here? No, but they love the fact that they can just hold out their hand and get whatever they want. Free. We give more than the Taliban can, so they do what they can to get as much as they can. The news tells us that we are trying to get them to stand on their own. They won't ever do that if we keep giving them free stuff that they don't have to work for.

So, when we start to reduce our presence here and they get less, then they look to the Taliban who give and say "I told you so". Then the army that we have been training uses the training against us. Iran, Iraq and here. We've helped them all before. Where did it get us?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that we should just leave. There are so many "bad guys" here that if they just let soldiers do what soldiers are supposed to do, we could actually make some progress.

I don't know. Maybe I'm not seeing it clearly or seeing the whole picture. Fine. Just let us do our jobs and not try to embarrass us in the process.

Pictures

Here's a few pics from the trip downtown the other day. Enjoy.
Here are some of the kids at the school waiting to get some free stuff. Just when I was thinking the kids were all right, I find out later that the kids decided that their free backpacks for their books were too small, so they trashed them. Don't worry, we'll go and give them more.
Yes, the one with the cold steely look is me.
This is what all the fashionable women are wearing these days in Kabul. Makes you want to run right out and get one, no? Come on, your choice of blue, blue or blue. Lady come, I make good deal for you!

This shade of blue is all that they come in. It's a regional thing.

Yesterday was interesting enough. I ended up down in the green zone over by the embassy. Turns out the mission was a humanitarian aid drop. We went to this school that caters to local homeless/orphan kids. They don't stay there. They come in the morning, get some schooling, a couple of meals and play with the other kids. There's only a few that stay there due to space, but part of the drop was about 10 more beds. A lot get turned away because they can only take so many per day. The ones that do get in get a pat down as they come in the gate. It's funny. They knock on the gate, come through the door and hold their arms out without being told. Just standing there waiting to get patted in.

Hey, gotta make sure they don't bring anything they shouldn't to school. After all, they would be so easy to recruit.

The kids seemed to all be around 10, smiled and held their hands out for the free school supplies from the good people of the U.S. They said thank you and walked away and went back inside to do whatever it is they were doing before the staff had to prod them along.

By the way, according to the guy that started the place; most of the parents of these kids were killed by Taliban.

The green zone (usually means safe zone, but I don't buy it) is actually green. They managed to grow grass, plants and quite a few full trees. Quite a change from the dirt, rocks and open sewage that I'm used to seeing around here.

Other than that, not much happening.

Hi. I have a bit to straiten out here.

Yesterday's posting was out of line. The word vile has been used to describe it and I'll agree with that. I was totally out of line with my depiction of everyone and the given situation. There are plenty of better ways that I could have expressed what's going on but didn't use them. I was beyond pissed off and not thinking at the time (not an excuse) and proceeded to just let things fly and land where they may.

Everyone that knows me should know me well enough to know that this is not who I am or how I truly feel.

So, to everyone that I offended, I'm sorry.

Everyone wanted me to write about what's going on. I did. Now they don't want to see it. Fine.

Hey, today is my wife's birthday! Happy Birthday wife!

Here's the latest from my little corner of the world. It's enough to make the Pope want to reinstate the inquisition!

Some friggin' brain surgeon decided that it would be a great idea if we took the Logistical Battalion's med platoon and the infantry Battalion's med platoon and combined them into one entity. HOLY SHIT!!!!! Now the other unit's medics are mostly females that work in the clinic and work sick call. (That means going to the doctor when you don't feel well.) The powers that be sat and actually listened to the whining of these people saying how it was unfair that they weren't going out on patrols with the infantry. WHAT THE FUCK, OVER?!

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not against women in the military, but I have always felt that they do not belong downrange with the infantry. They just can't do the job the same. They have the knowledge, but not the physical ability to go the distances and with the proper equipment load the way the infantry does.

We already had problems today. The medic (female) that was assigned to the rapid reaction force (infantry), reported in. Now she could be on standby somewhwere close, but not in the building. Ya see, to get to the radio and common area, you have to go through the men's sleeping area (you're there for 24hrs, you get to sleep a bit). Now she can't be where the medic needs to be. Within 2 min of getting in the truck and rolling out the wire. Not gunna make it. They have to leave without the medic.

All the girls keep referring to the female medic that recently recieved the Silver Star. LISTEN UP PEOPLE! I read the accounts of what went down there. She didn't do anything out of the ordinary! Pulling people out of harms way, shielding them and treating them is the medics job! That's what we do! She got the Star because she has TITS! The male medic there doing the same thing on that operation got a "good job" and a pat on the back. Is it fair? HELL NO! He got what he deserved. She proffits from sexism, and will ride that star for all its worth.

So, now as a result of people bowing down to the ranting, pissing, moaning, complaining of a bunch of split-tails, the infantry medics are going to be in the clinic listening to the REMF's complain about their paper cuts and chronic vaginitis.

LEAVE THE GODDAMN SYSTEM ALONE! The Army is set up the way it is for a reason! These people just want to fix things until they break.

What the hell...