A.L.L. = Afghan Lessons Learned for Soldiers

This site is going dormant

2011-08-04T12:17:00.000-04:00

The four creators and authors of this site have decided that we will not be posting blog entries here anymore. We have all been out of country several years and our lessons learned are not current or relevant to what is happening on the battlefield today.

We all have our own blogs and will continue to blog there, but won't be posting here any more in the future.

We have decided to leave this site up and let is stay on the internet as long as Blogger will allow it to be in order to keep available some of the great information we have posted here.

Sorry for the change but I invite you to check out our other blogs and follow them at:
http://www.bouhammer.com/
http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/
http://afghanquest.com/

Insurgency Overview

2011-03-23T15:12:00.001-04:00

Taliban Code of Conduct published by Taliban leadership, Mid July 2009(Mullah Omar‟s COIN guidance – a population-centric strategy)“This is our mission: to keep people and their property safe. Do not let those people that love money take our local people’s property and cause them problems.” “Keep good relationships with your friends and the local people, and do not let the enemy divide / separate you.”
Intentions
• We don’t have to beat ISAF militarily, just outlast international will to remain in Afghanistan • Continue population outreach and protection programs
• Continue successful asymmetric operations
• Expand lethal IED and high-profile attacks to deny ISAF freedom of movement
• Emphasize increasing violence in RC North and RC West
• Demonstrate Taliban reach and perceived control of all Afghanistan
• Make the main enemy the United States

Directives
• Reiterated prohibitions on the following:
– Mistreatingpopulation
– Forcibly taking personal weapons
– Takingchildrentoconduct jihad
– Punishmentbymaiming
– Forcing people to pay donations
– Searchinghomes
– Kidnapping people for money

TALIBAN GOVERNANCE

FATA – NWFP of Pakistan

FATA: Taliban Safe Haven
• Made up of seven tribal agencies (Khyber, Kurram, Orazkai, Mohmand, Bajaur, North and South Waziristan)
• 3 million tribesmen of FATA are part of the 28 million Pashtuns in Pakistan (15 million Pashtuns in Afghanistan)
• Development, literacy, and health facilities are low
– Per capita income US $500
– Literacy rate: 17% (3% for females)
– Madaris (some built with Al Qaeda money) are a primary means of education and remain popular
• Tribes on both sides of border intermarry, trade, feud, celebrate with one another; adhere to Pashtunwali
• FATA tribes more rigid and conservative due to a uniquely oppressive administrative system
– Ruled directly by the Pakistani President whose agent is the Governor of the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP)
– Governor appoints “political agents” to each agency
– Agents adhere to the “Frontier Crimes Regulation” (FCR), a legacy of British colonialism
– FCR gave no constitutional, civic, or political rights to FATA tribesmen
– FATA traditionally off limits to journalists, NGOs, human rights organizations and political parties
– Mullahs and de facto religious parties have filled the void
• Since the fall of the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan, the area has been destabilized as Pakistani Intelligence (ISI) used FATA as a safe haven for Taliban reconstitution and later as a staging area for TB recruitment, training and operations in Afghanistan 49

Help ALL support Valour-IT

2010-10-28T16:27:00.001-04:00

Today, Thursday, October 28th, we will begin the annual Soldiers' Angels Valour-IT competition. As you may or may not know, for the first time, A.L.L will be a proud member of Team Army for Valour-IT competition. So A.L.L. is stepping up to the challenge and hoping that you do too.

WHAT IS VALOUR-IT?

Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss' fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

"At that time I had no use of either hand. I know how humbling it is, how humiliating it feels. And I know how much better I felt, how amazingly more functional I felt, after Soldiers' Angels provided me with a laptop and a loyal reader provided me with the software. I can't wait to do the same, to give that feeling to another soldier at Walter Reed." -Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss at TC Override (wounded in Iraq)

Project Valour-IT, in memory of SFC William V. Ziegenfuss (Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss' father), provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries, amputations, eye or brain injuries, at major military medical centers. Operating laptops by speaking into a microphone, our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field without having to press a key or move a mouse.

THE COMPETITION

In order to fund the thousands of laptops we have distributed and need to distribute, we have an annual competition.

Valour-IT's online fundraising competition begins today! Let's see who can raise the most money to help reconnect our wounded warriors with the world!

WHAT: Friendly fundraising competition for Valour-IT.
WHEN: October 28th through Veterans Day, November 11th .
WHERE: Based in the blogosphere, spreading everywhere else.
WHY: Because giving wounded warriors with hand and arm injuries access to a computer supports their healing and puts them back in touch with the world.
HOW: Blogger teams will be divided along military branches, with civilians "up for grabs."

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

I need you to simply blog and email regularly about Valour-IT and the competition with links to the

Team Army donation page

Tell your friends, family and neighbors about Valour-IT. I'll be providing media, links, and talking points for your Tweets, Facebook posts and blog posts, etc.

The competition is military branch specific and you've been drafted to help TEAM ARMY. So click HERE and make your contribution today.

Another option is to purchase something from the Bouhammer Gear Store from October 28th until November 11th and I will donate 100% of the proceeds to Valour-IT. You will get a great looking decal, T-shirt, hat or polo style shirt and they will get some more money to help fund the Valour-IT initiative.

One last way to give and really get something cool is to keep an eye on the You Served Blog and Radio show ebay store starting the 28th of October until the 11th of November. Many in the milblogging community have been working tirelessly to get items donated that can sell there of which 100% of the proceeds will go towards Valour-IT. If the listing does not specify it is going to a specific team (Army, Air Force, Marines, or Navy) then the winner of the item must specify it after they win the auction. There will be new items going up all the time from Oct. 28th until Nov 4th. The items will each be listed for a maximum of seven days.

You can learn more about Project Valour-IT by visiting their main website athttp://soldiersangels.org/project-valour-it.html or check them out on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=370960114785

A.L.L. Religion in Afghanistan

2010-08-14T05:10:00.002-04:00

ISLAM

• Abrahamic religion-shares roots with Judaism and Christianity
• Qur’an holy book – infallible authority
• Five Pillars: Testimony of faith (Shahada), Prayer (Salat), Charity (Zakat), Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), Fasting during month of Ramadan (Sawm)
• Other Beliefs: Faith (Iman), Oneness of God (Tawhid), Prophets, Angels, Judgment Day, the Books (Qur’an, Bible, Torah), Fate and Predestination
• Division between Sunni and Shi’a not as important as ethnic/tribal differences
• Pervasive part of daily life – Prayer 5x/day, education, Friday mosque gatherings
• Religious figures (mullahs) respected and influential
-The Mullah is a religious leader or teacher
-Most are qualified by their ability to quote the Koran from memory
-Often times the Mullah retains the role of a leader who arbitrates local disputes based of Islamic principles, and teaches Islamic law and doctrine
• Literacy issues: misinterpretation; opportunity for perceived religious authorities to mislead those who cannot read

DISTRIBUTION OF SHI’A AND SUNNI

ETHNOLINGUISTIC GROUPS AND ISLAMIC SECTS

Afghansitan Holidays for 2010

2010-07-27T12:38:00.000-04:00

• 26 Feb: Mawlid al-Nabi (Birth of the Prophet Muhammad)
• 21 Mar: Nowruz (Persian New Year)
• 28 Apr: Victory of the Muslim Nation (Withdrawal of Soviet Forces)
• 01 May: Labor Day
• 19 Aug: National Day (Independent Sovereignty from Britain)
• 09 Sep: Masood Day, commemorating the assassination of Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Masood
• 10 Sep: Eid al-Fitr (After a month of fasting, Afghans visit and/or entertain their friends and give gifts)
• 15 Nov: Eid-al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice — commemorates the Prophet Abraham’s devotion to God)
• 16 Dec: Ashura (Shi’a day of mourning commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Husayn at the Battle of Karbala in 680 C.E.)

Note: The week prior to Eid al-Fitr is an appropriate time to provide performance or other types of bonuses to Afghan national employees such as interpreters/translators; dates for religious holidays are approximated; each year the holidays are adjusted to the lunar calendar

Afghanistan Education

2010-07-23T00:31:00.001-04:00

In 1969 Afghanistan tried its hand at compulsory public education for children between the ages of 7 and 15, but the initiative never had a chance to grow roots. When the Soviets invaded 10 years later, many programs, including compulsory public education, were terminated. Prior to 1969, education was purely at the discretion of the family. Even then, much of the education offered concentrated on rote memory of the Quran, and was reserved for males only.

Families that elected not to send their children to school often did so out of a need for extra hands to maintain the household and field duties. Dari is the language of the educated in Afghanistan.
Regardless of their ethnicity, if a family could pool the resources to send their children through an extensive education, they would become fluent in the Dari language. But after the Soviet withdrawal, any semblance of public education disappeared. Even Kabul University closed its doors.
The Taliban had a very different approach to education. Outside of religious education for boys only, public education was forbidden, especially for girls. The result of the last three decades is a literacy rate less than 40%. Most of the literate were concentrated in urban areas, while rural locations accounted for less than 10% of the literate.

Afghanistan Geography, Social Stats and Economy Stats

2010-05-22T09:40:00.002-04:00

Social StatisticsPopulation:
28.396 Million (2009 est.)

0-14 years: 44.5%
(male 7,664,670/female 7,300,446)

15-64 years: 53%
(male 9,147,846/female 8,679,800)

65 years and over: 2.4%
(male 394,572/female 422,603) (2009 est.)

Total Fertility Rate:
6.53 children born/woman

Under-5 Mortality:
(m/f) 232/237 per 1000

Life Expectancy at Birth:
Total population: 44.64 yrs
Male: 44.47 yrs
Female: 44.81 yrs (2009 est.)

Literacy:
Age 15 and over can read and write
total pop.: 28.1%
male: 43.1%
female: 12.6% (2000 est.)

School life expectancy:
total: 8 years male
11 years female
4 years (2004)

Percentage of population using improved drinking-water sources, 2006, total: 20%

GDP per capita: $700 (2008 est.)

Labor force: 15 million (2004 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 40%

Urban Population: 24% of total population

Economy Overview

• Wheat and cereal production along with fruit and nuts have long been Afghanistan's traditional agricultural mainstays
• Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and very dependent on foreign aid • There is a shortage of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs • Other challenges include corruption and a huge illicit opium trade • Agriculture: 80%, Industry: 10%, Services: 10% (2004 est.)
• Afghanistan has a wealth of natural resources to include: natural gas, petroleum, oil, marble, gold, copper, chromate, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, and salt
• Exploration indicates abundant deposits of precious and semi precious gemstones, including emerald, ruby, sapphire, garnet, lapis, kunzite, spinel, tourmaline, and peridot; most mining and exportation of these precious and semi precious gems is illegal
• Illegal and unregulated deforestation has depleted much of the country’s timber industry and has left much of the once forested areas barren
• Afghan hand woven rugs are one of the more popular exports along with leather, furs, and hand crafted replica antiques
• Overall the economy of Afghanistan has improved significantly since 2002 due to the infusion of billions of US dollars and international aid
• Exchange rate: 1 $US = 50 Afghanis (AFs)
• Afghanistan’s economy remains weak as economic production is insufficient to generate sufficient personal incomes, to sustain an effective public sector or to finance its wide-ranging imports of finished goods and services.
• In addition to the continuing problems of security, low employment, poor labor productivity, a lack of capital and poor capital productivity, a lack of a comprehensive set of policies to encourage entrepreneurship make the situation very discouraging.
• The Afghan economy has historically remained mostly agricultural in spite of the fact the country is only 12% arable and less than 6% is cultivated; there is almost no use of modern farming techniques to include: the use of farm equipment, chemical fertilizer, or pesticides; irrigation is primitive and totally dependent on the winter snows and seasonal rainfall; fruit and nuts exports average around $115 million a year but could easily be ten times that amount with a little investment.
• Although security has been a major hindrance to Afghanistan’s economic progress, the ability of the Afghan government to extend its reach throughout the country poses the biggest threat to future economic growth; illicit opium production and trade generates roughly 3 billion dollars a year and remains one of Kabul’s largest policy concerns.

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan

2010-04-18T20:08:00.001-04:00

It is not something a lot of people like to talk about or acknowledge, but it is a factual way of life in many cultures, especially Afghanistan. I have talked about it before on my main blog (www.bouhammer.com), why Thursday nights are so popular over there, why they are called Man-Love Thursdays and I even have talked about "Chai boys" or the young soldiers in the Afghan Army and police who become R&R tools for older, senior members.

Well this Tuesday, PBS is airing a "in your face" video titled "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan". It is about the Bacha Bazi or "boy play" that is so popular in Afghanistan. I have told many people in the US that they will never even get close to understanding the culture of Afghanistan and this is one of many reasons why I say that.

It is not for us to judge, but to become educated. Personally I think this is a sick practice, but it is their culture....right, wrong or indifferent. If you want to learn a little more about Afghanistan and its culture, then I advise you to check this show out on Tuesday the 20th of April on your local PBS station at 9:00 PM. You can learn more about it at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/

A trailer from the show:

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How to use this blog

2010-04-06T10:58:00.000-04:00

There has been (rightly) some confusion about how to use this blog and why it is organized the way that it is. In trying to keep things in a logical order, we've had to monkey with the posting dates. Blogger will automatically put the last post first, and this will cause information to be jumbled together in a way that makes it difficult to keep it organized by topic, etc. We changed the dates to trick Blogger into posting the information in the order that we want it to stay in, more like a book.

If you are looking for information on a particular topic, click on the triangles in the archive section to the left of this until they are all expanded, and you will find what you are looking for. If you don't, feel free to send a question to the blog email or to one of the authors in particular, and we will do our best to answer either online or offline, depending on the situation.

Afghanistan Politics

2010-04-06T10:45:00.001-04:00

Here is another blog post that is part of the Afghanistan Lessons Learned series. With the recent postings about Karzai's statements and the arguing back and forth between our country's government I figured it would be good to provide some background on how the Afghanistan Government works.

Afghanistan’s 34 Provinces are divided into districts. The number of districts has changed with the division or merging into other districts. The 325 districts that existed prior to 1979 changed with a reorganization in 2004 to an even larger number of 397. Currently, the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) recognizes 398 districts. As Afghanistan continues to organize itself, this number may change over time.

Political Structure

• Executive — President is head of both state and government

• Provincial governors for each of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces appointed by the president

• Legislative — National Assembly consists of two houses:

• Lower- Wolesi Jirga (the House of the People)

• Responsibility for making and ratifying laws and approving the actions of the president

• Upper- Meshrano Jirga (the House of Elders)

• Advisory role with veto power

• Judicial — Supreme Court

• All justices (nine, including Chief Justice) appointed by the president and approved by the Wolesi Jirga
• Subordinate by high courts and appeals courts

I hope that clears some things up

The Flag of Afghanistan

2010-04-02T12:38:00.001-04:00

The Flag of Afghanistan

• Black stands for the time period of 1839-1919 when the Afghan people fought three wars of independence against the British Empire
• Red represents blood, sacrifice, and the continuous challenge of the people to overcome hardship
• Green is the color of Islam and symbolizes peace
The writing on the flag emphasizes the importance of Islam by stating: “There is no God but God and Mohammad is his
prophet”
The mosque with the mihrab, is from seal of Abdur Rahman Khan, added by Habibullah Khan (who ruled 1901-1919).

A Brief History of Afghanistan (334 B.C.- Jan 2010)

2010-03-31T10:37:00.000-04:00

A Brief History of Afghanistan (334 B.C.- Jan 2010)
• 334-326 BCE: Alexander the Great’s conquests Establishes many trade centers in Afghanistan to include Kandahar and Herat
• 30-248 CE: Kushan Empire The Kushans were great patrons of Buddhist art and culture; Bamiyan Buddha statues erected
• 642 – 1187 CE: Islamic Conquest of Afghanistan
Resulting in the conversion of Afghanistan to Islam from the pre-invasion practices of Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism and other belief systems
• 962 – 1186: Ghaznavid Dynasty A Persian dynasty of Turkic origins centered in Ghazni, brought in language (Dari) and a rich Persian culture to Afghanistan
• 1219: Mongol Invasion
The Mongols devastated Afghanistan, killing the population of major city centers, causing the population to revert to an agrarian rural society
• 1747-1826: Durrani Empire This was the beginning of the modern Afghan State and the Pashtun ruling class
• 1839-1842: First Anglo-Afghan War
The start of the “Great Game”, which was a power struggle between Russia and Great Britain in an effort to win power and dominance in the region; Britain occupies Afghanistan and uses it as a buffer to protect British India from Russian territory
• 1878-1880: Second Anglo-Afghan War Afghans attempt to oust British control of the country
• 1893: British establish the Durand Line
This disputed border separating Afghanistan from British Indian territories would eventually lead to strained relationships between Afghanistan and the new state of Pakistan; Durand line designed with the defense of India in mind
• 1919: Third Anglo-Afghan War After which Afghanistan gains full independence from Britain
• 1919 – 1929: The Kingdom of Afghanistan King Amanullah moved to end his country’s long-standing isolation and develop
diplomatic relationships with most major countries; slavery abolished in 1923
•1973: Republic of Afghanistan
Monarchy abolished; establishment of a republic
• 1978: Coup by communists backed directly by Soviet Union
• 1979: Soviets invade, install pro-Moscow government
• 1980s: Anti-Soviet jihad fought by the Mujahedeen
• 1989: Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan
• 1992: Last Communist regime falls; Mujahideen forces vie for power and factional infighting begins
• 1994: Civil war intensifies; 70% of country destroyed; Taliban rise to power
• 1996: Taliban capture Kabul and declare Islamic Emirate; Osama bin Laden relocates to Afghanistan
• 1996 – 2001: Era of Taliban government’s “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”; based loosely in Shari’a Law
• 1998: U.S. cruise missiles strike an Al Qaeda terrorist training complex in Afghanistan
• Sep 2001: Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Masood killed by Al Qaeda; attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon
• Oct 2001: Coalition forces begin air and ground operations in Afghanistan, support to Northern Alliance
• Nov 2001: Northern Alliance captures Kabul
• Dec 2001: Taliban fall from power; Bonn Agreement establishes Afghan Interim Administration with Hamid Karzai elected as chairman
• Jun 2002: Hamid Karzai becomes interim President
• 2002-2003: International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces responsible for Kabul
• Aug 2003: NATO assumes command of ISAF
• Jan 2004: NATO/ISAF assumes responsibility for Northern Afghanistan and begins gradual transition of responsibility from the US led coalition
• Jan 2004: New constitution introduced
• Oct 2004: Presidential elections, Karzai elected
• Oct 2006: NATO assumes responsibility for security across Afghanistan
• Jul 2007: Former King Zahir Shah dies
• Aug 2007: Opium production soars to a record high, according to UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• Nov 2009: President Karzai sworn in for second term amid controversy and accusations of ballot stuffing
• Dec 2009: President Obama to increase troop strength in Afghanistan from 68,000 to 100,000
• Jan 2010: Taliban introduce a “Code of Conduct” in an effort to reduce civilian casualties, soften their image, and win allies

Donations needed for COIN Reference Library

2009-09-08T10:01:00.001-04:00

The Counterinsurgency Academy is located in Kabul, Afghanistan at the base of the ruins of the Queens castle. The purpose of the Academy is to teach and expand the doctrine of population centric concepts for operations in Afghanistan, and beyond. The contributions the Academy is making to Gen. McChrystal's strategy can not be understated, nor can the challenges of implementing an expanded doctrine of population centric operations.

In an attempt to support the operations of the Academy, as well as the many soldiers that attend and instruct here, I have developed a "wish list" on Amazon.com of books in hopes of creating an Honorary Counterinsurgency Learning Library made up entirely of donations from our communities back home. The intent is to further expand the awareness of culture, methods and operations that promote the end goal of national unity, governance and security for the people of Afghanistan.

To find the list, all you need to do is log into Amazon.com, click on "Wish Lists" and then on the right side of the page in the search window for "Wish Lists" type in:
counterinsurgency.institute@gmail.com
The name of the wish list is: COIN Library - Kabul.

I am continually being asked about donations for soldiers and items of need. This list, though only in the initial phases of development, is something that will have a lasting use and impact on the soldiers here at the Academy and the students of the Academy who eventually take what is learned here and apply the concepts downrange. If the interest is there to support the soldiers by way of donations, I would encourage you become involved in this effort through Amazon.com. The shipping address is listed through the "Wish List." If you wish to donate another book for the library not listed on the list, or wish to purchase a book from another source other than Amazon.com, the same mailing address applies. For reference, the mailing address here at the academy is listed below:

Scott Kesterson
COIN Academy
Camp Phoenix
APO AE 09320

Thank you all in advance.
Scott Kesterson.

Know your IEDs

2009-07-30T01:34:00.001-04:00

As you get ready to deploy to Afghanistan both in pre-mobilization and post-mobilization training and maybe even in your indoctrination training once you get in country, you will get more than your fair share of IED training. You will see many of the same pics, same videos, etc. over and over. You will probably hear about how IEDs work in Iraq and may or may not hear about how they work in Afghanistan.

I can tell you that the IEDs in Afghanistan are not as sophisticated as they typically are in Iraq but they tend to be much, much larger.

You will learn about the signs to look for on the side of the road, in the road and how to know what areas on the road are the highest risk.

In the interest of OPSEC I will not spell out all of those details in this blog, as I don’t want the enemy to know how we know where they bury those nasty things.

However I will talk about how you as a service-member may be traveling the roads could make a good guess as to what kinds of IEDs may be on the route you want to take.

There are several categories and sub-categories of IEDs. There are victim-initiated and command detonated.

Victim-initiated (VI) are dumb IEDs and the most dangerous. They don’t distinguish between local Afghans or coalition soldiers. They don’t require a triggerman or spotter. As the name suggests, they are triggered by the victim themselves. Good examples would be pressure plate IEDs or even a basic landmine.

Command Detonated (CD) IEDs are smarter than victim-initiated as in they require a trigger man to detonate. These triggers could be hardwired to the explosive or remote control detonated via a wireless signal of some type. There will always be a triggerman and these triggermen will almost always have “eyes on” the location of the IED so they know when to “trigger” it.

It is common to fine VI IEDs on routes that are not as heavily traveled by Afghans, and are usually on routes where the enemy can influence the locals to stay off of the route. The local areas can be informed of the threat so they don’t travel on the route. This raises the chance that only coalition forces will be the ones to initiate the IED. So this means you will rarely see VI IEDs on routes that have heavy traffic. For lack of a better term, these would be main supply routes (by Afghan standards).

Another example is that you can expect to see VI IEDs on routes which are one way (into a dead end of a valley, etc.), or on routes between small villages. This is why it is important to practice very good opsec and not allow your movement plans to leak out. If the enemy finds out you are planning to visit a particular location then it helps them know what routes they stand the highest chance of hitting you on.

CD IEDs will typically be found on high-traffic routes where any number of people could travel (jingle trucks, taxis, coalition forces, etc.) On these types of routes the enemy wants to be more selective of their target and hit the right target at the right time. While on these types of routes where there is a higher chance of seeing CD vs. VI IEDs you always want to have situational awareness of the area around you and in front of you to keep an eye out for the trigger man. There is also a slight chance to see VI IEDs on routes like this as I once experienced myself.

While on one mission, a part of our unit used a specific route that we were not aware of. Because of that and the fact that an IED cell was given an alert that we were heading down the road, they were able to hastily plant a standard anti-tank landmine with a modified tilt-rod. They did this as we rolled down the road and as we found out later, just barely got it installed before we came up on them. In fact the IED planter rode his bike right by my truck and even waved to me.

I know this was not a lot of info, but writing this posting with really meaningful information and with all that you need to know is very tough as OPSEC has to be adhered to. So that is why this posting is shaped to know the most probable type of IED you may see, and not necessarily how to defeat it. You will get the best briefing on that once you get into country, but I hope it is before you ever get your world “rocked” by one of these nasty things.

Command detonated IED hole that killed two and wounded two. This was a double-stack daisy-chain “pusher charge”

What a hastily planted anti-tank landmine will do to an Afghan Army Light Tactical Vehicle.

Hole left by Remote Controlled IED set off by a trigger man with bad timing. It blew right before the lead Humvee got to it. As you can see by the size of the hole, this was built for serious damage.

Dust Devils Spawned of Candy Sins

2009-05-30T15:26:00.000-04:00

A story inspired by memories dusted off by the Delta Bravo Sierra cartoon of 5/29/2009 and articles in Afghan Lessons Learned.

It takes only a single pencil, a single piece of brass hitting the desert floor, a single piece of candy thrown to the single kid in the middle of the nowhere for hundreds or thousands of kids to pop up out of the desert dust. Kids are cool. Troops like kids. But they're curious and they can easily get out of hand in large numbers while standing still.

Our policy was NEVER EVER give stuff to kids while stationary. Our team clown broke this rule once or twice, re-inforcing need and enforcement of the rule. Now, there are people out there that say we shouldn't give stuff to kids, period, and others that say it shouldn't be thrown from a moving vehicle. I will strongly disagree with both.

Afghani kids are kids, just like any other kids. They will find something to play with and more often than not, it's the only thing plentiful in Afghanistan: rocks. It's amazing the fun they can have with rocks. They stack rocks. They have car rocks. They bounce rocks. They play with rocks in slingshots (and are accurate). They collect rocks.

A rich kid has a block of wood or something to float down the small stream of water in the riverbed road during the one month rainy season. Playstations are unknown to Afghani kids and they make no demands for toys. They don't know about toys and playstations and enjoy the nature around them.

But all kids seem drawn to self-expression and one of the biggest treats they can get are pencils, pens, or markers. They'd stick their finger in the middle of their hands to demonstrate that they wanted something to draw with. They'd line the riverbed roads at the sound of a HumVee. Well, first it would be only one or two.

It'd be one or two until a pencil or piece of candy went out. Then there'd be 3 or 4. Then Three or Four Hundred and then the entire route would be lined with kids, until the goodies ran out and it'd be the normal riverbed activity again. It didn't matter how far in the distance no houses could be seen. In all our time there, they only failed to materialize once. And that was a Taliban hotbed.

Whatever methods they used to pop up out of the dust rivals the science fiction of Star Trek teleporters, particularly since it occurs in numbers that Star Trek never could manage. And because of that, Never, Ever give out a single goodie while stationary. You'll be mobbed in seconds.

And there was only once that it looked like things were going to get bad, with locals flooding the road, but this was happening without the goodies being out yet. And it was the moment of epiphany as things were getting hairy at the front of the convoy. Allowing the convoy to be halted in the midst of a mob was tactically unacceptable. Plowing through the crowd was humanely unacceptable.

The rule normally was a single goodie per kid but the lead vehicle's decision was eased as "the mob parted like the red sea." The lead driver and gunner didn't know why until we returned to base but they were happy to not have to make the ugly decisions on this one. The designated goodie guy had tossed hundreds of pencils to the side of the riverbed road from whence they had flooded and hence they had returned to scavenge as many pencils as they could gather for themselves and their kids. It was indeed a mad dash out of the path of the convoy to the goodies they loved.

With a few simple rules, hard candy and pencils builds rapport and becomes an indicator of enemy presence/danger while providing a warm fuzzy to our troops. One per kid. Never while stationary. The Troops get the warm fuzzy. The kids get to express themselves. Parents are always happy when their kids are happy. They love to see the benefit of their kids and it breeds good will. And in the absence of kids happily lining the roads, you know things are bad.

But in the one instance in which we broke the stationary rule, we were occupying the "front lawn" of an old Afghan that may have played with Moses as a child. it was an alternate road without a blade of grass. We were there for hours and he sat by his front door with his three grandkids. He was just watching the entertainment of the strange Americans that were taking away the huge weapons cache from a neighbor, silently.

And that day, we gave him the pencils to give his kids later, as explained through the interpreter. Kids will be kids and they mobbed their grandfather for those pencils (instead of us). And then came the shocker: In the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan, this ancient old man broke out with English thanking us!
TimeTraveler©2009, TT, all rights reserved.
Authorized for republication in Afghanistan Lessons Learned

Maps-Afghanistan (One over the World)

2009-05-09T17:42:00.001-04:00

Maps - Afghanistan
With the renewed focus on the first battleground in the War On Terror, Afghanistan, a reader has correctly suggested that some readers may be less familiar with some of the terrain and locations that often come up in discussions on this site. Other readers will be intimately aware of these areas in question and perhaps even recall the fine talcum dust so prevalent there.
In the fine tradition of military style traditions, I'll begin with the one over the world. (Afghanistan is the green spot.)

Clearly, it is on "the other side of the world," but as we look closer, we can see some of the challenges:

One of the first things to notice is that it is landlocked. Another important point to make are the turmultuous neighbors: Iran, Pakistan, and China. Less obvious in this 2003 map is the old neighbor that was the Soviet Union, now emerging young Nations such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. These young Nations are also plagued with active attempts by Iran to spread islamism as well as attempts by AQ surrogates to overthrow the young governments.
Looking a bit closer, we can see the that the terrain itself is difficult:

But that terrain is not only understated in the overhead map, but it is not the only challenge. The ethnicities are as varied as is the terrain:

Some of the areas that pop up the most are:
Herat, a city and a province on the Iranian border (northwest).
Kandahar: a city and province on the Pakistani border (southeast), which was the Taliban capital.
Helmand: a city and province in the South and heavy in the poppy trade.
Paktia and Paktika Provinces which border Pakistan and are deep in the Pashtun areas from which the Taliban find their base of support. The particularly rugged terrain in this area makes the border difficult to define and hard to defend. Taliban have a tendency to crossover easily.
The Northern Provinces are less volatile than the South and East (areas bordering Pakistan) and are less noted in our reports, partially because Our NATO allies are responsible for these safer regions.
War on Terror News©2009, ARM, all rights reserved.

Chapter 5 A: The Beasts in the Northeast; RC Central (ANA 201st Corps Area)

2009-05-06T12:57:00.001-04:00

The RC Central, oftentimes referred to as the 201st Corps area, contains Parwan, Panjshir, Kapisa, Kabul, Logar, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and Nuristan Provinces. Mostly mountainous, most valleys consist of barren mountains surrounding a relatively flat valley floor which is cultivated and irrigated. Terraced fields often climb the mountainsides in the more narrow valleys.

Kabul and Kabul Province form the hub for this area. To the north, Parwan and Panjshir are relatively peaceful, as is northern Kapisa Province. Southern Kapisa Province is a hotbed of activity as the Taliban and HiG, often in concert, seek to maintain/regain control of the Tag Ab Valley, traditionally an insurgent stronghold and their gateway to Kabul.

To the east, arrived at via the spectacular Jalalabad (or J-bad) Highway, are Laghman and Nangarhar Provinces. Always be wary when passing through the town of Surobi (also spelled Sarobi.) It is not a friendly town, and is positioned at the southern gate to the Tag Ab Valley.

A few miles down the road from Surobi, Laghman Province sweeps away to the north of the J-bad Highway in a broad, fertile valley. The capitol, Mehtar Lam, is a bustling little town housing a good sized FOB with a PRT and a significant ANA presence. While not entirely quiet, Laghman on many days is fairly peaceful. Southern Nuristan and FOB Kalagush can be reached by continuing on the main road the runs north through Mehtar Lam. Anything north of Kalagush is definitely bad guy country.

Continuing east past the road to Mehtar Lam is Jalalabad. This is a good-sized city and the capitol of Nangarhar Province. Set on a vast plain with mountains visible in the distance, Jalalabad is about 5,ooo feet closer to sea level than Kabul. In the summer it is unbearably hot and humid and in the winter the temperatures are quite moderate, generally requiring a light jacket in the mornings and evenings. Jalalabad is the Florida of Afghanistan, with orange groves scattered over the area.

Fenty Air Field and FOB Fenty are located in Jalalabad. J-bad itself is a bustling city with tons of 3-wheeled Cushman-type carts zipping about. The people are often friendly there. Heading southward into the province, there are a few hot spots. The infamous Tora Bora is in the southern part of the province. Moving south reveals that the seemingly level plain is really a series of rolling hills. Large agricultural areas are interspersed with barren, dry, rocky areas. The areas around FOB Khogyani and FOB Lonestar have a significant Taliban presence, and rockets, mortars, and small arms fire is not uncommon.

Continuing east along the J-bad Highway will take you to the famous Torkham Gate, the main road route into Pakistan and the gateway through which much of the supplies coming through Pakistan enter Afghanistan.

North of this is Kunar Province, which has steep, narrow valleys in the northern part of the province, including the infamous Pech and the even more infamous Korengal; the most deadly place to be for an American in Afghanistan. Steep, rocky, wooded and narrow, the Korengal is home to an intractible insurgency and the only Wahabbists in Afghanistan. If you are going to the Korengal, you are guaranteed to be engaged frequently.

To the west of Nangarhar is Logar Province, soon to home to many more Americans. Kunar, Wardak and Logar are areas with which this author has no personal experience. If anyone can fill in the blanks here, please send an email to this author and I will edit your information into this piece.

The RC Central is a hodgepodge of more secure areas and areas that have significant to dominant anti-government presence. It is also an area in which significant activity can be expected in 2009 as the Taliban attempt to cut lines of communication with other areas of Afghanistan. There is a significant amount of farming done there, and herds of sheep and goats will seemingly appear out of nowhere, even in sparsely vegetated areas. These herds will often be tended by children. The industriousness of Afghan farmers is astounding. They work very hard to raise and harvest their crops, and they are masters of water management on the local level. Local violence is often due to arguments over water management.

Ethnically, the RC Central is mostly Tajik in the northern provinces, blending into Pashtuns in the south. In the northeast red-bearded Nuristanis and their Korengali cousins can be found, often at odds with Pashtuns who are pushing into their areas.

Kuchis are the wild card. A nomadic tribe of Pashtuns, Kuchis will push north in the spring and head south in the winter months, driving their herds along the roads and often carrying their household goods on camels. The Kuchis often keep large dogs to help protect their flocks. Kuchis go where they will, and are tolerated by the locals in whichever area they pitch their tents. They have a reputation for ferocity when interfered with or harmed. Kuchi women usually do not wear the burqa and wear colorful dresses. Kuchi men often carry muzzle-loading rifles.

Children in most areas of the RC Central have years of experience dealing with Americans. Expect children to cluster around you when a convoy stops or line up at the edges of the road as you pass through a village. Be careful about throwing candy, as children will dart across the road to get to whatever has been thrown. Many commands have forbidden throwing items from moving vehicles due to the danger to children.

The absence of children in villages where children normally abound may or may not mean that there is danger, but it is an indicator to pay attention to. Attacks on Coalition Forces have been initiated when children are present, but since locals often know of impending attacks, parents will often secure their children if they know beforehand of an attack.

You will, from time to time, see the wrecks of Soviet or Afghan Communist vehicles resting where they were destroyed. Afghans have used the same ambush points for generations.

The Afghan National Army (ANA) 201st Corps contains some of the oldest units in the ANA. They are seasoned and usually win when they make contact with the enemy. Do not expect them to behave like Americans, or you will be disappointed. Suspend your judgementalism. These units will do things that Americans cannot or will not do. They tend to be more mobile on foot and they are often very aggressive. However, they will appear to the average American to lack discipline, and their logistics are still a problem. If you are asked to support the ANA, be careful not to make it easy for them to easily dispose of anything you give them, especially fuel. It may be unwise to dispense fuel into jerry cans, for instance.

Afghan drivers in the RC Central also have years of experience in dealing with Americans on the road. Military convoys have the right of way, but use caution in exerting it. Arrogantly aggessive driving upsets the citizens. Use your judgement, but sometimes creating a bubble and not trying to force your way through is more prudent than risking getting mixed up in traffic. In the cities, you will likely not be able to push through any faster by being overly aggressive, anyway. Do not throw items, such as water bottles, at other drivers. Afghan drivers may have dozens of mirrors on a vehicle and never use them. Honking to let them know you are there is okay, but constant honking is as annoying to Afghans as it is to you. A small laser pointer reflected off of the driver's dashboard at night will let them know that you are there and they will usually pull over at that point.

One thing to be aware of is that you will often see an Afghan pull over to the right and turn on their left turn signal. This is the Afghan driver signalling you that he expects for you to pass him on his left.

This author believes in friendly gestures from the turret, like a wave. If you wave, you force a reaction; this gives you an instant "temperature check" on the attitude of that individual, and a few such interactions will give you an idea of the prevailing attitude in an area. Be prepared for reactions ranging from friendly waves to negative reactions such as shaking heads, scowls and even the occasional finger. Keep an eye on the openly hostile ones. More often than not, you will get a smile, a friendly wave, or a polite nod. Afghans are very polite people and will often respond reflexively. This author has been alerted to the presence of enemy because an individual began to react, stopped suddenly, and then glanced to see if he was being observed by a particular man... who turned out to be Taliban. Forcing a reaction opens up possibilities such as this.

Do not wave to women. It is offensive. Do not attempt to have any interactions whatsoever with women, and never stare at them. Offending the honor of an Afghan family on that level will likely force a very negative reaction. In an area where you operate consistently, the locals will come to recognize your vehicles. If you upset someone individually, they may target you individually, whether or not they are part of the insurgency. Childish misbehavior can endanger your life and the lives of others unnecessarily.

The RC Central often offers fairly quick access to well-appointed FOBs such as Bagram, Fenty (Jalalabad) or Camp Phoenix. Each of those FOBs has a PX, money machines, finance offices, and post offices. Some of the more distant FOBs, such as Kalagush, will find access difficult, but for many it requires movements of less than three hours.

Chapter 5- Welcome to the Real Wild West

2009-05-05T13:02:00.000-04:00

The following posting is from a Guest Contributer, Mike T.

For those of you that will be stationed out in Western Afghanistan for your tour as I was, I have some advice for you.

1. Do not listen to the bullshit that people state about the West: ITS DANGEROUS LIKE EVERYWHERE ELSE.

2. The West is mainly desert near the Hari Rud to about Shindad which starts become mountainous, from there to the main city of Heart you will find various build of infrastructure. Herat is the cultural center of Afghanistan. Read "The Great Gamble" this is the only book that mentions so much about Western Afghanistan and how much it played a role in the Afghan-Russo War.

3. The war in the west is as isolated as anywhere else in country, but we are mainly under ISAF ROE. There are many areas in the west that you can stumble into an ambush. We operated in higher terrain, but my Oakley boots did very well there. The West isn't as built up as back East so be very prepared to live on your own. ISAF dominates the West and they are a bit slow to help out. Marines are flooding the area but they have their own agenda (still good guys though)

4. Our friends to the West of us do not make our jobs easy in the ETT/PMT world, so be prepared for that as well. Bala Marghub to Golestan is a treacherous drive (Route 1) sometimes disappears on you out there so make sure you have plenty of GPS batteries.

5. Back to your ISAF friends, the Spanish and Italians play by different rules so simply understand that can't do much for you. There is a single main FOB out there and if your ETT, get used to little support from our own as well. The logistics is strained, understand CERP and "afghan funding" which is actually the money you sign for, research about prices in the West compared to the rest of the country when negotiating contracts for work. Out West is less expensive, don't let them fool you.

6. There is a vendor on the main FOB who can get you anything, you will find out his name when you get there. 10 American bucks for 1000 Roshans (Cell phone units)...DONT LET HIM TELL YOU OTHER WISE!

7. Back to the terrain, you will find it more interesting than most other Corp Areas, Shindad, Farah, and Herat have their own ethnic issues. If your running into Tajiks out there....BE PREPARED TO FIGHT...they are not your friends. It is mainly Pashtu or Hazaras.

8. Herat Airfield is run by NATO, even as Americans you have to play by their bullshit rules to get on there. Do it, great food if you can get in past all the god damn NATO/ISAF forces who lounge on that bad boy.

9. Teeth hurt? Go to the airfield, no dentist where you are going yet. The Spanish have hot nurses and will take care of you. BUT MAKE SURE YOU CAN BRING SOMEONE WHO SPEAKS SPANISH! I didn't and boy it was a rough go at first.

More to follow- MIKE T.

ETT Training at FT Riley

2009-05-01T23:21:00.000-04:00

This is quite a long post and I'll divide it into two separate posts. The first being the training at FT Riley and the second will be deployment from FT Riley to Kabul. A friend of mine, in fact the guy that helped build this document, was just there and says that training hasn't changed much at all, this is BAD as I felt that the training was pretty much useless at prepping us to accomplish the bread and butter ETT mission. Combat Advisor.

You will deploy with the skill set you show up there with, that's the bottomline. So start your prep now obviously if you're reading this you've taken the initiative and are bringing the fight to the enemy.

TRAINING
Here are some observations I made regarding deployment through FT Riley as part of an ETT, from August to October 2008. The standard disclaimer applies: opinions expressed here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of URF 47137, the Nevada Army National Guard, the United States Army or the Department of Defense. I reserve the right to make mistakes or be wrong. Nothing here is intended to sharp-shoot or bad-mouth any person, organization or institution. I am just detailing my observations and opinions in hope that they may be beneficial to others deploying on an ETT/MiTT through FT Riley

Log onto Battle Command Knowledge System (BCKS) through AKO. Join the Transition Team/Advisor group and read the postings. Most will be boring and irrelevant, but there are some very helpful posts and documents.

Much of the following may be irrelevant, because after I wrote most of this we found that ETT deployment and training is scheduled to move to JRTC in the future.

Mobilization packets were at the mob station but not readily available to SRP personnel. Teams should make an additional mob packet to hand carry through the SRP. Bring many copies of your orders. Even when they say you don’t need them. Carry them with you.

SRP took all day. Medical took several hours, many of which were consumed waiting in line for someone to confirm that you do not, in fact, need anything done at that station. You will never get that time back. If you haven’t had a small pox vaccination in the past 10 years, you will get one. You will have to get it checked a week after you get the shot, but we did not have any time on the training schedule for that. You have to squeeze it in on your own time.

Most of the training, briefings and issues are locked in. You can’t change the day or time because there are several classes with hundreds of Soldiers, Airmen and Sailors moving around. The horse blanket is like Tetris, but some things can be changed. If you have down time, recon the places you have to go, pre-coordinate what you can. Information is sometimes scarce, but I generally noticed that if you ask for something, people are willing to help you. Oh, the training schedule you got three months ago, or a week ago, will be no good when you get here. There are 1630 Team Leader meetings daily and the schedule will be updated.

If possible, link up with people from classes ahead of you. They may be able to give you good G2 on what to expect. I also linked up with people from classes after us and did the same for them.

Having ISOPREP completed prior to arrival saves lots of time. Bring a copy of your certificate with you to the ISOPREP station.

We had a lot of down time in the first week and a half at Ft Riley, including a four day weekend. We secured the use of a 12 passenger van for the duration of our stay at Riley. It was extremely valuable, not only for MWR, but for running errands around post. It saved us quite a bit of time. There is a post bus and post taxi available if you don’t have a POV or team vehicle.

Uniform and equipment issue did not include everything on the issue list, for example, we were not issued ACUs, but were fitted for, and some of us were, issued fire retardant ACUs, to be worn only on deployment, not during training. You may consider bringing additional ACUs.

In general, you will be treated like adults. There are no formations, at least on our team. Chow, bus and training schedules are posted and it is up to you to be there where/when you should.

We spent the first two weeks in-processing in the Custer Hill section of post. We then moved to Camp Funston for training for the remainder of our time.

There was lots of time for PT, before, during and after the duty day, while in-processing.

You will have to stencil your duffel bags prior to moving to Funston. Stencils can be made at Bldg 350 (Main Post). Nobody will tell you that, however. Get down there as early as you can, preferable week one when you have down time. There is no published standard for the stenciling. On the side of the duffels we used last name, first initial, last four on one line and URF # on the second line, and battle roster number and “NV ETT” on the bottom of the bag. We painted the bottom of our bags for visual recognition. Use whatever format you want. I highly recommend getting the stencils early and painting your bags right after CIF issue. You will also get another duffel bag and a rucksack issued at RFI, so save your paint and stencils.

There is a library in the D/101 FSB orderly room with tons of GTAs, books, smart cards, etc, for Afghanistan and Iraq. All of that stuff is available for you to take, free of charge, and keep. Nobody will tell you this.

You get issued a lot of gear you may not need/want to take to theater with you. Some guys sent there stuff home, only to have to get it shipped to Riley for turn in. Several guys on our team agreed to get a self-storage unit for our excess gear. Inventory your stuff, photograph it, keep copies, etc., just in case some tweaker breaks in and steals your stuff while you are deployed. We eventually used Lock & Leave Storage on FT Riley, building 7640, (785) 784-8007. Their office is located near the SRP site and the storage units are near the new PX. It cost us under $200 for 10 months.

Overall, I found that D/101- FSB was disorganized and a lot of time was wasted.

When you move to Funston it will be very helpful if you have POVs to haul your gear, rather than load the trucks that are provided on the morning you move. Funston is mostly 40-man open bays. There is lots of talk about the elusive eight-man rooms but we found that they are almost exclusively issued to females. Get used to the fact that you will be in 40-man bays.

You will draw weapons prior to moving to Funston then turn them in following your last training event for the week. Your training company (A/2-34 AR in our case) will have you complete hand receipts for sensitive items and record the serial numbers on a spreadsheet. If your company lets you (ours did, others did not), get the spreadsheets and fill them out yourself before turn-in. It saved us a lot of time, and helped the training company, as well. They will also have you fill out daily SITREPs and a CIF/ACU/RFI issue shortage log, POV parking list and a few other forms.

Training at Funston is somewhat better organized than at D/101 but there is still a lot of flex and down time. Our first two weeks were dedicated to intro to combat advising, basic counterinsurgency and Dari. The training was OK but I expected a much higher caliber and OPTEMPO. COIN was very basic. The biggest problem I saw with this training, and much of the training throughout our stay at Riley, is that people from all walks of military life are going through the training. Navy E4s going to PRTs in Afghanistan are sitting through the same training as Army O4s and E7s going to Iraq or Afghanistan as advisors, and Air Force O5s leading CSS teams. It is hard to focus the training on the target audience for that reason. In the Dari class we learned some basic phrases and words. Advanced Dari is available for anyone who wants to take it. We were initially told by our training company commander we could only send two per team, but the instructor said we could send as many as we wanted. We listened to the commander and sent two. There was only one other guy in the class and he dropped after the first day. Disregard the commander; send as many guys who want to go.

At Funston training is normally conducted Monday morning through Saturday at noon. Saturday afternoon and Sunday are “team time”, which meant time off for us. It is strictly personal preference, but I strongly recommend getting off Ft Riley. It helped maintain our sanity and team harmony. Topeka and Kansas City are a reasonable drive from Ft Riley, and have plenty of hotels and other activities.

Our next week was drivers training, basic commo, IED training and CLS. Drivers training included PMCS, HEAT (roll-over trainer), recovery and changing a tire in the morning and driving in the afternoon. We were done our driving portion in about an hour, and done for the day. If at all possible, try to get your team in the first iteration of driving so you don’t have to sit around for an hour or two waiting for everyone else to drive. Night training was about the same. We came to Riley with 1151 training completed and licenses issued. We got new licenses issued. Training in IEDs (the biggest killed on the battlefield) was four hours of Power Point and lecture. The instructors were good but I think it should have included some practical application or hands-on training. Most of our team had taken CLS three or six months prior to mobilizing. We all still had to complete CLS. The training was pretty good despite a class size of over 100 students. I was surprised, I didn’t expect much but it was a very good refresher. Everyone deploying to Afghanistan gets a CLS bag, so we each got one. They issue one bag for every two Soldiers going to Iraq.

We had a week of specialized advanced training, including joint coalition effects/call for CAS, advanced communication, Blue Force Tracker, advanced medical, CSS, and some other topics. Training varied in quality. I was fortunate to attend coalition effects/CAS, which was beneficial to me. The class covered CAS capabilities, calling for CAS, and practical exercises using a call for fire simulator. A team member who attended advanced medical said the training was very good, but very advanced. A practical exercise included treating combat casualties under simulated combat conditions. Nobody will tell you this, but team members who go through the advanced medical training can draw additional Class VIII at Guardian City. They can get a medic pack, and just about everything they’re qualified to use. Team members reported that advanced commo and CSS were of marginal value, and that the BFT class was good.

During the course of the training you will have several leader engagements, which are short role playing exercises in which team members interact with host nation security forces, community leaders, or other coalition military members. I found them to be interesting, and useful, but too short. They last about 20 minutes each. Some team members who do not have experience in dealing with people from foreign cultures, negotiating or problem solving found the engagements challenging. I recommend you send your inexperienced members to these engagements.

While at Funston you will go to several live fire ranges. We did crew served weapons in one day (the M2 and M240 day and night qualification, foreign weapons and M249 familiarization fire only). We did M4 zero, day and night qualification and M9 qualification in one day, too. During PMI our fairly experienced combat arms team worked with a relatively inexperienced Navy/Air Force CSS team to help them with PMI and the Engagement Skills Trainer. I think it helped our advisory skills, assisted the Navy/Air Force people qualify, and relieved the training cadre of manpower/time issues. The training company commander said he was going to change the POI to include this for future classes. We spent a portion of a day on Mk19 live fire. Depending on the size of your team, one or two team members will be required to qualify on the M2, M240 and Mk19. Everyone else has to fire for familiarization only. The way it generally works is everyone will shoot. Those who qualify during the day will then have to qualify at night. Ranges tend to take a long time. You go as a group of teams, not just your team, and the whole group stays until everyone is complete. Expect to be on the crew served and individual weapons ranges all night waiting for the eight troops who can't qualify to get it right.

I found that most of the very good training, like the IED class, was shorter than the mundane or boring training. One example is the tactical questioning (TQ), tactical site exploitation (TSE) training. The instructors we had for this class were MPs, interrogators, and legal specialists, who were all very competent, appeared to be subject matter experts, and very enthusiastic about the training. The classroom portion was followed by a short practical exercise. The teams went to a small MOUT site and conducted a TSE, searching a building and questioning detainees. There were role players acting as the detainees, Afghan National Army, and civilians. I believe our team had a distinct advantage, with nearly half of us being civilian law enforcement with experience in this type of activity. The common opinion of our team was that this block of instruction was one of the better ones we had, and this type of training allowed us to practice our advisory skills. Unfortunately, this type of training represents a small portion of the overall training schedule.

The advisor stakes is billed as an opportunity for the training brigade to evaluate each team’s training status. It is a round-robin event with eight stations: language (translate 10 phrases from English to Dari), CLS, biometrics (enroll a person in a biometric database using the HIIDE system), Blue Force Tracker, M2 (clear, disassemble, assemble, set headspace and timing, function check), IED defeat, commo, fire support (call for fire, conduct close combat attack). The concept is that two members will be randomly selected to perform each task. If the team gets any no-gos the team leader has to develop a retraining plan and brief it to the brigade commander. Our team got the impression that it was a big deal so we spent a lot of time training each member on each station. When we finally did the stakes, it was a farce. It was disorganized, two evaluated tasks were changed a day and a half prior to event, and some of the stations included a class on the task immediately before evaluation. We didn’t wait to be randomly selected, either. Each team member has to complete a station, so we put each guy at the station where he was strongest. Overall, the advisor stakes was a waste of time. The only benefit was the skills we taught ourselves during train-up.

Towards the end of the training cycle we went to the range for short range marksmanship, urban ops/shoot-house live fire, and convoy live fire. Short range marksmanship was OK. The cadre sacrifices some tactics in the name of safety. For example, not only do they not teach scanning after engagements, they prohibit scanning. They teach firing from the top of cover instead of firing from the side of cover. I find this unacceptable. After speaking with the range cadre, I found out that our group, consisting of an Army team, and two teams of Air Force, Navy and Army mixed, was the first group in about a week without a negligent discharge. In the preceding week, our range safety was nearly shot in the foot twice. I understand now why they train the way they do. I would prefer to see similarly skilled teams grouped together for this type of training, so the more advanced or skilled groups can progress, instead of training to the lowest common denominator.

We received a full day of training on Battle Drill 6 (Enter a room, clear a building). In the past I had been unimpressed with the quality of room clearing training I received from the Army. This training was excellent. The MOUT site in which the training was conducted was impressive, as well. It consisted of a medium sized town, with newly constructed buildings of various sizes, stories, and layouts. I believe the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) taught in this block were good, sound fundamentals. The NCOs teaching the class were knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topic. Following a short block of instruction on room clearing, the team was allowed to use one of the MOUT buildings to practice and develop SOPs. Following that, we drew UTM (practice marking) rounds and practiced room clearing on two different one-story buildings. It was a good exercise, building on the previous instruction, and preparing us for the final exercise of the day. The team then conducted a full force-on-force assault on a multi-story building against some opposing forces, again using UTM rounds. It was a great exercise, which tied together everything that we had been taught and practiced that day. The only thing I would change is to give teams the opportunity to do an after the force-on-force, and then conduct a second force-on-force, to refine our techniques. All together I believe Battle Drill 6 training was a well prepared and executed block of instruction, and the NCOs involved are to be commended.

There was a half-day exercise on advising host nation security forces (HNSF). The exercise was very good. Each team conducted a meet with HNSF leadership, was briefed on the plan, then moved to MOUT sites to conduct a cordon and search. Following that, the team received a follow-on mission, moved to a second MOUT site and conducted a second cordon. There were Soldiers and role players acting as HNSF and civilians on the battlefield (COB). It was an excellent exercise but too short. It was also the first time we actually got to practice our roles as advisors. This is exactly the type of training we should have been doing every week since we got here. I can’t say enough how impressed I was with this exercise.

Mounted combat patrol was taught in three phases. Phase one was classroom instruction, followed by phase two, a sand table exercise. Phase three was conducted on a live fire range. At the range, you will get a range orientation briefing, do a quick talk-though of the lane, then conduct mounted combat patrol using blank ammunition as a rehearsal for the live fire. The team will then conduct a live fire mounted combat patrol. It is a good training exercise, and fun. Unfortunately, nobody leaves the range until all teams have completed the live fire. Be prepared to sit around the range for a few hours. Also, every 40mm Mk 19 round is accountable. We spent about two hours walking the range looking for 12 or 3 (lost accountability) expended 40mm cases. It is a minor issue, but things like that leave a sour taste in my mouth. Looking back at all of the live fire training you do, you actually get a lot of trigger time. Unfortunately, most of it is at the slow walk phase, with a lot of sitting around time interspersed.

The capstone exercise is a one day event. You meet with your counterpart in the morning, receive the mission, formulate and refine your plan then execute. I won’t get into specifics but you run through a couple scenarios at different locations. I enjoyed the exercise but it was too short. I would have liked to have a few-day long exercise.

Overall, the scenario-based exercises in which you actually advise are too few. You do the TSE/TQ, MOUT, and capstone. All together, it is two full days of advising. I would recommend doing short advisor exercises, roll playing, or scenarios every week starting in week one. I realize that this type of training is resource and time intensive, but I think our team benefitted the most from it.

When all training is complete you will turn-in your gear. We actually turned-in our automation equipment early (AN/PVS-7s, binos, computers, printer, Phraselator, HIIDE, etc). We knew we wouldn’t need it for the capstone (except the HIIDE, which we borrowed from another team for the exercise), so we turned-in early. It was a calculated risk on our part, since we were initially told that we couldn’t. If you don’t need the equipment, and you can turn-in early, I recommend it. It was very beneficial to us on our scheduled turn-in day. There were six or seven teams scheduled to turn-in vehicles, commo, weapons, BII, automation, etc, at the same time. Lines tend to form quickly and it may take a while. Fortunately, our team took turn-in seriously. We thoroughly cleaned our equipment, especially weapons. In fact, the inspector looked at one part of our M240B, and accepted our crew served weapons for turn-in without checking either of our other two machineguns. We recognized the M240 gunner for his attention to detail for that. Some teams had to clean weapons or vehicles at the turn-in site because they weren’t cleaned to standard. I have two recommendations for turn-in: 1) retain your hand receipts when you draw your equipment, and inventory your equipment before turn-in; if at all possible, fill your shortages prior to turn-in; 2) clean your equipment thoroughly. By doing those two things, and turning-in automation early, we were able to complete turn-in first, in less than two hours.

I have mixed feelings about the overall quality and usefulness of the training at FT Riley. Some of the training was of great quality and highly relevant, some of it not so much. I will say that our training company, A/2/34 AR, worked hard to support us, maximize our training value, and minimize our wasted time. Our company commander, first sergeant, and observer/controller (OC), deserve a lot of credit. That is not to say that Battalion or Brigade didn’t help, I just wasn’t exposed to them as much as I was to the Company.

The best advice I heard so far regarding this training and the deployment was from an Army O6 who recently got back from a Police Mentor Team (PMT) mission. He said you will deploy with the skill sets your team members have when they report to Riley. Pick your teams, if you have that luxury, accordingly. Use their skills to train the rest of the team. But don’t count on staying together as a team in Afghanistan. Throughout our training we consistently heard that ETTs are generally split-up once they get to country After contacting the team we will be replacing, we confirmed that we, too, will be split.

Chapter 4: The "Human Terrain" of Afghanistan

2009-04-30T09:26:00.000-04:00

... but can't explain. Afghans are different, just like your wierd Uncle Joe, except on a National Level. They are stubborn and feel little compulsion to tell the truth, even if the truth is readily evident and the better for the story.

They can be infuriating or they can be entertaining. It is your choice. If you decide it is your role in life to change them, you will be constantly frustrated. If you decide it is their role in life to provide you quirky entertainment, you'll find yourself constantly laughing.

Don't ask them about their daughters, sisters, and wives. It's the equivalent of asking to see naked pictures of yours. Ask about "their families." It shows that you care. Ask about their sons, brothers, and fathers.

They've been using mud bricks for millenia. Trying to get them to interlock the bricks can be an exercise in futility. But teach them to run electrical wire and they'll follow your explicit instructions.

Their goats seem to live on rocks and they can find and chop wood on a mountain that seems to have not a blade of grass. They have fought the battle against nature and somehow survived.

"En Shallal" is the ultimate cop out but a phrase you'll hear often. It translates to "God Willing," and is the answer you'll hear to questions ranging from if the workers will be on time to why they won't aim their weapons. "En Shallal," they'll still be employed if they aren't on time.

Just like 90% of the world's population, including our own, 90% of Afghans are simply trying to survive and feed their family. Nothing more. Nothing less. The difference is that Americans are trying to survive two car payments and a mortgage. Afghans are trying to survive nature itself. They aren't trying to earn $40,000/year. They're trying to grow enough food in the high desert to feed 2 wives and 10 kids.

"You can rent an Afghan all day long, but you can never buy him."

They are fiercely loyal, but in a very specific manner. Their friendship is hard won, but once earned, it is enduring. Without that loyalty, they'll act in their own best interest, solely, and that includes providing the least amount of information for the greatest amount of money. And if that means giving information to both sides while getting money from both, they have loyalty to their family, not to either side.

Afghan loyalty is to the smallest family unit first. When two tribes fight, they're loyal to the tribe. If two subtribes fight, it is to their subtribe. If two villages fight, it is to their village. If two families fight, it is to their cousin. If a brother chances upon two cousins fighting, it is to their brother. But if that brother is taking from his woodpile, he'll shoot him in the gut.

I cannot tell you how to gain the loyal friendship of an Afghan and neither can they. I can tell you how to ensure you never gain that friendship and that is to attempt to change them. It is to demean them. It is to be rude to them. It is to try to game them.

They recognize insincerity like an animal recognizes fear.

Just because they're telling the entire White Mountain Range that you just left the gates does not mean they're Taliban. They gossip like old women and herding goats all day can be boring. When you roll out of the gates, it's big news and every goatherder wants to be the first with the big news. It gives them something to talk about for hours and the entire valley will know before you hit the first riverbed.

Drink some Chai and play some chess. If you were ever in doubt of how smart they actually are, playing chess will remove it. An Afghan may not recognize his own name in print, but he will beat you in chess every day of the week. I only won once and that was because I distracted the mechanic with Jerry Springer. He was smart enough to concentrate on the board forever after.

If you see a video camera capturing your movements, things are bad. It means you are about to get hit or they're figuring out the final details of how they will hit you. It's the final stages at any rate.

It is always their enemy that is Taliban. They've learned this game.

At some point, you will end up at the Bazaar, whether it comes to you or you go to it. They've learned that Americans will pay much more than what they consider fair value and they will charge as much as you are willing to pay. In fact, their initial asking price will be well above what they think you'll pay. They expect you to haggle them down, but if you don't, they'll gladly take your money. The rule of thumb is to start at about 60% of their asking price, but you can be successful starting lower.

"The early bird gets the worm." It's good luck to get the first sale of the day, for them. If you are the first one to buy, they're more motivated to get the sale. This gives you more leverage, if you are the first customer.

Just a few rambling observations about our illiterate but highly intelligent, stubborn, and resilient friends. Ignorance is not stupidity.

War on Terror News©2009, ARM, all rights reserved.

Chapter 2: History Lesson

2009-04-29T21:48:00.000-04:00

This post is in response to a direct request from SGT Danger, who has experienced a change of mission.

First, read some basic history on Afghanistan. You don't need to know a ton, but being familiar with the history there is a good idea, and Afghans are very impressed with someone who has taken the time, and had the respect, to learn about their history. Afghanistan has a long history and is a witness to many empires, most of which have run over Afghanistan like steamrollers. Afghanistan has been like the cartoon character who is run over by a car, struggles to his feet and has scarcely dusted himself off when he is run over again. And again. And again, ad nauseum. Afghans, particularly the Pashtuns, have been called xenophobic, and while they have some xenophobic tendencies, it is this role as the speed bump of history that has ingrained this.

In your research you will find that the Persians, Alexander the Great, Tamerlane, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, and more recently the British Empire and the Russians have all swept through Afghanistan. For some, this paints a picture of the indomitable Afghan. I tend to disagree, as the Afghans have indeed been conquered on numerous occasions. However, Afghanistan has never been the prize, more like a necessary bridge from where the conqueror was to where he wished to be. What the Afghans are, however, is survivors. The ominous name "graveyard of empires" is a misnomer. None of the great ancient empires were undone in Afghanistan, but Afghanistan was instead a way to measure the waxing and waning of these empires. They all swept through on their way to expansion, and then had to retract through Afghanistan again on their way back whence they came, leaving their genetic mark on the land. The Afghans, however, have survived. Afghans are not indomitable; they are consummate survivors, amazing in their flexibility and often playing foreigners off of each other and their domestic competitors.

More recently, the British and Russians have found great difficulty in Afghanistan, mostly through their own idiotic mistakes. These experiences in particular are held up as some sort of omen as to the fortunes of the NATO mission in Afghanistan. I caution you not to give much credence to such examples, for there are significant differences. No one through history has gone to Afghanistan for the sake of Afghanistan. What we are doing in Afghanistan is for their sake, but do not become confused; it is not because we are so selfless. It is because by doing the right thing in Afghanistan, we make ourselves safer. Do not buy in to any thoughts of whether or not they deserve our assistance. The question is in itself diversionary. We chose this mission eight years ago because it is our best interests. The Afghans need a lot of help. Theirs is a society that has been developmentally disabled by thirty years of warfare. They have forgotten how to govern even as well as they were ever governed. Forty years ago, Afghanistan was on its way towards modernization. Events since the deposition of the king in 1973 (the king died in August, 2007) have taken Afghanistan back until they are now ten minutes out of the stone age.

If you think of Afghanistan as an individual, this would be a person who has suffered repeated blows to the head and suffers from TBI and PTSD.

A basic understanding of this will assist you in your observations of Afghan behavior. Observations of behavior are critical; your best way to prepare for danger is to be able to recognize what normal looks like. It is only through learning what normal looks like that you will have any hope of recognizing what abnormal looks like. Being able to recognize abnormal behavior or circumstances will help you to stay alive and keep your Soldiers safe. At first, when you arrive, your "Spidey sense" will be alerting you constantly, overloading your mind and your emotions. Relax. Learn. In a short time (2-3 weeks) you will have seen much of Afghan behavior enough to know (mostly) what normal looks like.

Expect to see crushing poverty. Expect to see children who appear to be about four years old herding goats or sheep off by themselves in the middle of the day. Expect to see more Toyota Corollas than you ever thought were built. The general feeling has often been described as Biblical times blended with the Wild West with a touch of Mad Max.

Do not confuse illiteracy with stupidity. Afghans very often learn quickly by observation. They have a strong tradition of oral history. Be aware of why they are consummate fence-sitters, the ferocity of their lack of commitment born of a strong survival instinct. Understand that, often, what we see as corruption they see as the price of doing business.

Be slow to judge them by American standards. While the easy answer, it will only breed discontent in your own soul. There are many Afghans who are very glad that you are there. If you have close contact with them, you will quite likely be thanked by some for being there. There will be more on culture in further chapters.

The link to the history of Afghanistan above is to Wikipedia's good synopsis of Afghan history. It's not terribly long, and it provides links to any particular area you'd care to explore.

An excellent introduction to the modern history of Afghanistan and the development of the Taliban is National Geographic's "Inside the Taliban." This can be found in ten parts here (follow stu106 thread of ten parts on YouTube.) It can also be downloaded in full here.

There are other websites with more anthropological examinations of Afghanistan, like Registan and Ghosts of Alexander. Both are written by academics and offer insight that can be helpful. Joshua Foust, author of Registan, recently returned from Afghanistan.

Finally, if you get a chance to catch a screening of "At War," a documentary film by independent journalist Scott Kesterson, miss an entire night's sleep to do so if necessary. This film will give you a sense of what it's like on the ground. It has been known to make veterans of Afghanistan experience the same rush of combat they felt in country. It's that good.

Once you have completed the above ("At War" film optional based on availability,) you will have a passing knowledge of the land for which you are bound.

So, you've got Orders

2009-04-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

This is a test of the Milbloggers Network!

So, you've just gotten your deployment orders. What Now? What will the Army give you? What do you need to buy? What do you need to pack & in what order?

A Crusty old Coffee Drinkin', Smokin' PSG, an Upstate TOP, and the loyal Ole Blue have some things to tell ya. And just to make sure it's all good we convince Vampire6 to sign off on it and give you the latest scoop.

Ammo is heavy. Do you really need 10 Mags? Yep! Maybe even 20. Can you hump those sapi plates, kevlar, and the pig up the mountain from 7500 feet? Well the guy sitting in Bagram with the video screen doesn't see why not!

We're gonna give ya da straight scoop, whether it's here or another site. Top will sell ya some great T-Shirts and Ball Caps as well. Ya know ya wanna buy 'em.

We don't promise to always agree but these will be things we dig out of the Large Green Rucksacks we call blogs, shake off some of that moondust (Bouhammer's excellent terminology) and consolidate into one place so you can fill up all the pockets on those new ACU's.

Chapter 3: Culture (Lesson 3A: Chai and the Pashtunwali

2009-04-28T17:37:00.000-04:00

Here is a description, in detail, the uniquely Afghan experience of having chai.

A leadership recently in Afghanistan was telling its Soldiers not to drink chai. Don't listen to stuff like that; it will have you insulting people left and right.

One of the key tenets of the Pushtunwali, the code of conduct of the Pashtuns, is hospitality. Hospitality is not just a Pashtun value, though. It is an Afghan value. It is shame to be considered inhospitable, and as O and I discussed over the weekend, we have both been offered chai by families whose khalats we were either searching or had just searched.

We have both had chai served to us by Taliban, as well. A Talib will not kill you while offering you hospitality. It just isn't done. They may have been shooting at you an hour before, and they will be planning their next ambush even as you sit there with them, but they won't kill you during chai or while you are leaving immediately afterwards. A mile up the road is a different story, but not during chai.

More often, the offer of chai was not an obligatory gesture but a genuine expression of friendship and a desire to have relaxed conversation with another. Either way, refusal of an invitation is a delicate thing. While you may be excused for having to fulfill other obligations, genuine regret and thanks for the offer are in order. If there is a possibility of following up on the promise, a promise to accept the invitation at a later time is acceptable. However, this is not a "get out of jail free" card, but a promise.

Afghans expect you to keep your word. In America, it's a commonly used tactic to express regret and promise, with no intention of ever keeping that promise, to "get together another time." This is considered acceptable here, and actually more polite than saying, "I don't want to spend that time with you." This is not the case in Afghanistan.

Upon acceptance of an invitation, there is a bustle of activity as you are ushered to the place where the chai will be shared. While the offer is often given out of hospitality and chai will have to be made, very often they were making chai and wish for whatever reason to share it with you.

Most often, chai is shared on a blanket or tablecloth type of covering placed either on the floor or the ground. Only in offices is there generally furniture to sit on, and the most important people have an office with furniture and another room which is usually furnished traditionally, with rugs and pillows around the periphery.

It is traditional to remove shoes before being seated; but when in uniform, the Afghans do not expect for one to remove their boots. It is an option, though. The cross-legged position that they used to call "Indian style" when I was a kid is the normal sitting position. This position becomes miserable to an old guy like me about half way through the chai, and at that point positions other than supine may be assumed.

Weapons should be lain at your side with the muzzles pointed away from the center; a gesture of good will. Pistols should remain holstered. It is not appropriate to handle your weapons while drinking chai unless it is to make room for someone else.

If not present already, dishes of sweets and snacks will appear.

The candies are often individually wrapped toffees. I've had milk toffee, coconut toffee, strawberry toffee, and several other flavors. They are usually labeled in English and at least one other language. Often they are made in Iran. Some small candies are the bare minimum, but there are often other snack-type foods provided as well.

Kishmish (raisins) are a very popular snack to provide. Dried chickpeas and almonds are also pretty popular. Occasionally, there will be small fried noodles that are very similar to the chow mein noodles that come in a separate can when you buy the La Choy Chow Mein at the grocery store. Sometimes they are seasoned. These items are usually placed in a divided ceramic dish, while the candies are in a small bowl.

Most often, someone is playing the role of "chai boy." He will bring out the plates of snacks, always placing some of the snacks either in front of or very near the guest. There is usually more than one tray. This individual also brings the tray with the chai and cups in as well.

The standard chai cup is a clear glass cup like a coffee cup. The cups have widely varying levels of cleanliness. My tactic was to drink from the edge of the cup directly opposite the handle. The chai is always served to the most important people first, including the guest. Those of less importance are served last, and if there are not enough cups, they will wait until a cup comes available and is perfunctorily rinsed with chai.

Hence my sipping strategy.

Sugar is nearly always available, and its absence will bring a strong apology. When Afghans put sugar in their chai, they put sugar in their chai. There will be a layer at least a quarter of an inch deep left in the bottom of the cup after the chai is poured.

Chai is always served absolutely scalding hot. The chai itself is usually green, but sometimes will be black. It is made by putting the tea leaves in the pot and boiling the water, often on a burner sitting directly atop a propane cylinder. If they are making shiir chai (milk tea) the leaves are put into the milk directly and the milk is not quite boiled. The propane rigs are commonly referred to in American parlance as "haji stoves."

This is a bit of a misnomer, because anyone who is referred to as "Haji" is given a great deal of deference, as they have done the Haj, or pilgrimage to Mecca; one of the Islamic duties. But to Americans, it is still a "haji stove."

Having chai usually requires at least 45 minutes to an hour.

Conversation must always start with small talk. It is considered very polite to ask about a man's family, but not to ask specifically about a female member of his family. To ask a man how his mother is doing is considered very rude. Asking about a wife or daughter is actually dangerous. Pleasantries often include a query as to the health of the family, and how various minor things about their life may be going such as things about their house, crops, or business.

Afghans have a lively sense of humor and truly appreciate jokes and laughter. Very often they will poke mild fun at each other, but will not shame another man. Chai is all about civil relaxation, and Afghans love chai.

Only after the small talk can any serious business be discussed. Often, though, the whole experience is simply about having chai together. The American equivalent would be meeting for coffee or a drink. Since Afghans do not drink alcohol, this is the closest to sitting on a bar stool with their buddies as it gets.

Americans like to get straight to the point, but the Afghans will nearly always make small talk first, just to get conversation flowing. Sometimes Afghans who have significant experience dealing with Americans will get to the point quicker. If a situation is fairly tense, the small talk will be brief.

I had many fairly relaxed moments drinking chai in Afghanistan. I had a few that were not. O and I shared a few chai stories over the weekend.

One of his had to do with getting into a TIC (Troops In Contact, or firefight) with a group of Taliban in the southern Tag Ab Valley who had shot at his group from a higher elevation and then fled in the direction of a village. He and his group of ANA reached the village some time later, intending to search for weapons and evidence of Taliban activity. They were immediately offered chai.

O is quite sure that some of the people serving him chai that day had been shooting at him shortly before.

One of my favorites is the day that I was sent on a mission into an area of the Tag Ab where I had not ventured before. I was the guy who was available to go. The reason was because we had reliable intelligence that Taliban had been in two houses and were possibly still there. They were there for discussions, and they were there to have chai.

This was my first experience going down the a particularly miserably narrow alley-like road between the main north-south road in the valley and literally into the riverbed. We parked in the riverbed and the team from the 82nd stayed there while I and my terp accompanied the ANP alone while we walked a couple of miles to the target houses.

We reached the first target house and it was the home of the village Malek, a senior elder position in the village. We asked him about the visitors he had had that day and the ANP searched his house.

They found sixty rounds of 7.62x39 ammunition. AK ammo. In AK magazines. Not good. We detained him and took him and the ammo with us. We then moved a mile or so to the next house and after a search and protestations of innocence from the homeowner, we proceeded back to the district center. Upon my arrival the Wuliswahl, or Sub-governor, of Tag Ab, a man since replaced and who we believed was no doubt "dirty," requested the pleasure of my company. By name.

"Crap."

I entered his sitting room, carpeted with rugs and with pillows arranged around the periphery, to discover three other gentlemen seated whom I had never seen before. One vaguely resembled the man that I had only recently detained. The Wuliswahl ordered chai and bade me sit.

It turned out that two of the men were supposedly Maleks from neighboring villages and the third was the detained Malek's brother. The whole point of this chai was to dissuade me from taking the Taliban-friendly, ammunition-hiding Malek in to the temporary detainee-handling facility we had established at the north end of the Tag Ab Valley.

There were still small talk and solicitations as to my health. I asked how their villages were doing. This was brief small talk. They had an agenda, and they really didn't wish me good health anyway. If they had been able, they would each liked to have killed me; but this was chai. We were dancing an ancient dance.

We drank chai and they expressed themselves thoroughly; alternately asking for and demanding the release of the Malek, vouching for the detainee's character, and asking that we let him go in their custody so that they could bring him in the morning. This part went on for quite some time.

I countered their points with discussion of the finding of prohibited ammunition, his need to set an example, and our belief that he had hosted Taliban for chai in his home. They refuted those claims, his brother offering to let me burn his house with his family in it if his brother had Taliban in his home; a dramatic portion of the dance.

They spoke of his honor, his honor in the eyes of his village, and of their honor-bound duty to seek his release.

Finally, I told them that I understood that it was their duty to come and seek his release, and that they had done their part to uphold their honor.

I told them that I am an askar, a soldier, and that my honor depends on me following my orders. They agreed; that is what askare are supposed to do. I asked them civilly, as I sipped the opposite side of my chai cup, if they were asking me to dishonor myself. The four men assured me vociferously that none of them would ever ask me to dishonor myself.

I thanked them, as I rose to leave, for understanding that my orders were to bring the man in, and I thanked them for not asking me to violate my orders and dishonor myself. I excused myself, bowing slightly with my hand over my heart in the Afghan way, and shook each of their hands mumbling, "Tashakur, khud hafez."

They wondered how that had gone so awry, but the civility of chai provided a safe situation for us all to speak our peace and attempt to negotiate. I still get a chuckle out of the outcome of that discussion, though. Through all of that, voices were never raised. That's chai.

Some of my most unique memories of Afghanistan involved chai.

My first chai was something that I stumbled into quite by accident. In April of 2007, the ANA were practicing for the annual parade in Kabul. It is a big deal, involving a lot of practice. We went to visit them at the area of Kabul where they were staying during this. The team chief and several officers and the Sergeant Major were all escorted about on a tour of the Afghan temporary camp that had been set up, looking at tanks and armored personnel carriers and the like as they wandered about.

The Maniac and I were left watching the humvees while the others were off being feted.

Americans always draw a crowd, and some of the soldiers from the tents nearby began to drift over and try to communicate with us. We noticed that they had M-16's. Their captain, who spoke limited English, asked us to show them how to disassemble and reassemble the rifle.

The rifles had been issued to them for the parade. The Afghan soldiers had no idea if they were going to actually work with these weapons.

I showed the captain how to do it, the soldiers gathered around the front of the vehicle watching intently. The captain would not try it in front of his men, however. Maniac started working with individual soldiers, showing them the same thing and encouraging them to try it themselves.

The captain asked me to chai. Since I could hit his tent with a rock from the vehicles, I accepted and wound up experiencing chai for the first time. I also experienced heavy sugared cream that you dipped into with nan for the first time, but that's a different story altogether.

It all happened in the shadow of ruins built by Alexander the Great.

Afghan chai has nothing to do with coffee shop spiced tea drinks.

"I'll have a double mocha chai latte with just a hint of Madagascar cinnamon..."

But chai is more than the tea. If an Afghan ever offers you chai, take him up on it. Chai is an experience; a hospitable, civil experience that is done nearly the same way anyplace I went in Afghanistan. It's a distinctively Afghan experience.

And they're not supposed to kill you while you're having chai with them.

Chapter 1: Gear

2009-04-27T21:29:00.000-04:00

In partnership with Bouhammer, we are starting a new series of posts designed to help inform the thousands of troops headed to Afghanistan in 2009, some of whom expected to deploy to Iraq. Those who thought they were headed to Iraq now find themselves behind the power curve in coming up to speed on the peculiarities of Afghanistan. By request from SGTDanger, here is the first chapter in our attempt to help them to be more successful in A'stan.
List of Gear for Afghanistan-Updated
Posted By Bouhammer on April 27, 2009
Old Blue and I are combining our knowledge and experience to jointly publish blog posts under a shared Category called A.L.L.
A.L.L. stands for Afghanistan Lessons Learned, and is intended to document our knowledge and experience in a fresh perspective for any and all service-members who may be part of the upcoming surge into Afghanistan this year. He and I and maybe others (who could one day also join this endeavor in the future) have walked the walk and walked the ground. We have learned the lessons the hard way, so there is no reason for others do to do the same. The wheel has been invented and there is no patent on it.
This is the first “chapter” in this new joint blogging adventure. This list was originally published on this blog back on Jan. 26th, 2007. This is a list of good equipment to have.
The following list is from my experiences and from friends in Iraq that pertain to here Afghanistan also. Some of these won’t be needed until you get in country, so you may want to set them off to side for mama to pack up for you and send to you once you get settled. This listing has been the single most popular blog posting ever, here on Bouhammer’s Blog.
1. Any extra ClassVIII you can bring with you is good to have.
2. Wolfhook single point slings
3. Desert Tan Spray paint
4. Space blanket(s)
5. 100 mph tape, 550 cord, TP, other expendables you think would come in handy
6. Drop Leg Holster (blackhawk or SERPA) and Uncle Mike’s Paddle-Holster for wearing around every day (drop leg will wear a hole in ACUs over time). I also have one for my IBA so I can have my 9mm handy when in the gun hatch going through towns.
7. Weapons lube that DOESN’T ATTRACT SAND. (MILTECH or Remington Dry Lube only)
8. Two copies of addresses, phone numbers, account numbers, etc.
9. 2 pairs of GOOD boot insoles
10. A Good Tactical Flashlight (SureFire, even though you will get issued one with M4)
11. Red/White light L.E.D. headlamp
12. Spare pair of running shoes
13. MP3 PLAYER W/ x-tra pair of spare headphones
14. Enough batteries to last you 30 days
15. Chapstick
16. Lotion
17. 30 SPF or higher Sunblock
18. Bar soap- for some reason its in short supply….almost always
19. Small compact rolls of TP. A lot of places make travel size, half the time you get to a port-a-potty the jackA$s before you ganked the TP
20. Baby wipes- 30 days worth. Expect that the power and water will either go out, or the water will be contaminated at least once a month.
21. Gold Bond Foot and Body Powder
22. Small clip on LED light-clip it to your IBA….it will come in handy….quite often.23. Drink mix for 16/20 oz bottles of water
24. Weightlifting supplies
25. Small photo album with pics from home.
26. Hand sanitizer (small bottles to put in ankle pockets)
27. More books/magazines than you think you will need.
28. DVDs, for you and to loan out for swapping purposes
29. Tactical gloves- military gloves are sort of clumsy ( I love the $9.95 whitewater brand gloves from the clothing sales). Also standard flight nomex are good.
30. Lens anti fog agent. Shaving cream works in a pinch, but you have to apply it every other day or so.
31. Good pair of shower shoes/sandals. I recommend the black adidas….lasted me all year.
32. Small pillow (air inflatable)
33. Cheap digital camera (at least 2.1 mp)
34. Boot knife35. Gerber multi tool
36. Fabreeze-sometimes the laundry is few and far between.
37. Armor Fresh
38. Extra boot laces
39. Stainless steel coffee cup with screw on lid.
40. Soccer shorts/normal t shirt to sleep in, hang out in your room in
41. Sweatshirts for winter times hanging around42. A couple of poncho liners for privacy, nasty mattress cover, etc.
43. A set of twin sheets with pillow case
44. Good regular-size pillow
45. One or two good civilian bath towels
46. Buy a good set (>$200) of winter desert boots. All they will give you is a regular summer set and a set of goretex lined for waterproof needs. Desert is a cold place at these altitudes in the winter time.
47. Bring a laptop!!! Also may want a PSP or some other handheld gaming device.
48. Get an external USB hard-drive (>120gb). You will need this to back up data to, and to store movies and MP3s that you will fall in on from previous teams.
49. Get a Skype account and download the software from skype.com. This is how I talk to home 95% of the time. If you call computer to computer it is totally free. You can also skype out from your computer to a regular phone for $0.021 a minute. There is nothing cheaper than that.
50. Decent headset with mic for computer (skype).
51. Webcam for video calls back home.
52. Bring a min. of 18ea. M4 mags per person. 9 that are loaded and 9 that rest. Plan to do M4 mag changeover once per month.
53. Bring 8ea 9mm mags, for same reason above. Change these over every two weeks.
54. Order a LULA mag loader/unloader. It will be the best $12 piece of plastic you every bought. I have 12 mags loaded at all times and when I do change over it will do it in a fraction of the time and save your hands, and save the ammo.
55. Try to get your state or purchase yourself one 12v DC to 110 AC inverter per man for your trucks. There are crucial on mission to charge personal items, cell phone, ICOMs, and especially ANA radios (they only have re-chargeable batteries).
56. Dump the IBA tac vest you get issued. Get a Tactical Tailor MAV chest rig (does not matter if you get 1 or 2 piece one as you want to keep the front open for laying in the prone. You don’t want mags pushing into your chest making it hard to breathe) . I wish I would have bought mine at the start. It makes a HUGE difference on the back and shoulders when carrying a loaded rig.
57. Get comfortable pair of desert boots. I wear only the Converse 8” assault boots (non-zipper ones). Oakley, Bates and several others are similar in style and comfort.
58. Bring some good snivel gear for the winter time. Extra poly-pro winter hat, gloves, neck gators, etc.
59. Lock de-icer for the winter time
60. Disposable hand and feet warmers
61. Canned-air, lots of it for electronics weapons, etc.
62. Lens wipes for optics
63. Screen wipes for computers
There are probably many other things that could go on this list, but a lot of that is personal preference. The purpose of this list is to provide some insight into things that could make anyone’s tour easier.
*Reprinted by permission of and in partnership with Bouhammer.

New Updates from an ETT in 2009
64. Firing Pin Retaining pins, Brownells is a good source
65. DVD ripping program for your laptop so you can transfer all your DVDs to electrons and store on a harddrive
66. A good assault pack, I have one from Tactical Assault Gear with aluminum stays in it for support. It's been a lifesaver several times,the one the Army issues is a P.O.S.
67. MBiTR pouch from Tactical Tailor
68. An aviators knee board
69. Personal GPS (Garmin, etc.)

There are probably many other things that could go on this list, but a lot of that is personal preference. The purpose of this list is to provide some insight into things that could make anyone’s tour easier.