COIN

COIN is the abbreviation for Counter Insurgency. We are fighting this type of war. We are not in a peace keeping operation as some might have read; rather we are here at the invitation of the government in a support role. My friend and former shipmate Greg who I have mentioned here a number of times recently attended the COIN Academy. I borrowed a number of his words and descriptions below with his permission to describe what COIN is about. I’ve paraphrased to an extent, but Greg’s background in this area exceeds my own.

In counter insurgency, as we practice it today, we take a holistic approach to defeating the enemy. While we still “fight” in the traditional way to defeat the “military” power, we also and probably more importantly build up the governmental infrastructure, educate the people, rebuild/build infrastructure, and train the local military/police. It is thought that an insurgency wins not by military might, but by convincing (negatively or positively) the people that the insurgents are in the right. Our job in counter insurgency is to convince them otherwise. This is the “hearts and minds” issue that gained currency in the Vietnam era.

We do the military/police (or security force) part of that. We try to influence the military to be professional, to undertake its duties with passion and restraint. We also attempt to help them become efficient in their use of resources and develop systems and processes to undertake their mission with skill. More importantly, we are teaching them to be a subordinate tool of a good government and to be a compassionate advocate of the people of Afghanistan. Despite many flaws, the ANA is doing a good job as a whole. Are they up to American standards? No way - but what of our standards - they are American. So as we say, an Afghan solution for an Afghan problem (with a little seasoning by the US and our coalition partners).

We participate in the other parts of the “counter insurgency.” We help build schools, we build water pumps and dig wells to provide safe drinking water (hence the “warriors and well-diggers” moniker). We build and repair roads and many other things. We always try to put an Afghan “face” on the solution so that the people know that it is their government not just ours that is helping.

In summary, we are mentors, leaders, managers, police, counselors, janitors, housekeepers, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, athletes, soldiers, cooks, teachers, sons, daughters, disciplinarians, charity, architects, planners, spiritual leaders, tired, happy, sad, lonely, idealistic, realistic, scared, bold, brave, childish, childlike, immature, confident … all these things, every day and more.

Random Happenings

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a show. Our camp hosted the Canadian equivalent of the USO. The show was incredible; they played a variety of music, mostly country and had a couple comedians. The best Canada had to offer and they did not disappoint. Bob and I had a real good time there along with many others of course. After that I bumped into Carey and Senior for a drink and some laughs. They are both on their way home tomorrow. Tonight we had a game of dominos. I held my own, which is all I can hope for with this crew. I wish them the best.

The weather has been interesting to say the least. Last evening it was actually cold outside. We had hail in the afternoon for two straight days and on and off rain. It cooled things off nicely and kept the dust down. We can see the mountains again if even for a day.

The other day I was needed to ride shotgun for Bob for a trip to the Italian Embassy. I was looking forward to it since it is close and I thought I would be treated to an espresso with a lemon twist and perhaps biscotti. No such luck as they barely let us in the gate. We had to conduct our business in the front gate waiting area. How rude. Of all things, they told us to park in front of the church, so Bob did. I went back to get some paperwork and the Priest chastises me (in Latin of course) because Bob parked in front of the door instead of a few feet over. So I get in trouble with Father Guido Sarducci in the middle of Afghanistan. He was a nice guy though and I asked him to do a berucha for our vehicle and he obliged. We got the job done and returned safely. Our biggest threat on the trip there was the local police. They are so poorly trained, it is downright annoying.

I hope the holiday weekend was good for all. We had a Memorial Day service yesterday, an excellent service, short and to the point, attended by many on camp from many countries. The service was professionally run in every respect. Excellent speakers and statements.

My promotion date finally has been set for June 1. We’ll have a brief ceremony, a swearing in by a US Major General that I asked. I’m receiving a lot of congrats and support from my friends and peers here, nice stuff.

That’s about all I have time for right now. They’ll be more to share in the coming days.

After Dinner Conversation

First, what great comments on the Memorial Day post. I had no idea Karen’s father had such a military record. We’ll all take time this Monday to remember…

Thursday night after dinner I treated my Canadian brothers to some beer in celebration of Alyssa’s arrival. As it turns out, I spent the evening talking to my friend and coworker Bob, whom I have mentioned here before, and Eddie. That is Eddie Staniowski. Those of you who followed NHL hockey in the 70s and 80s may remember him as a goalie. He spent ten years in the NHL and joined the Canadian Army after his career. I recently found out that Bob also spent a year as a professional hockey player having one game in the NHL. So, in Kabul, I had great conversation with two hockey pros. They are amazing guys. We talked a lot about military history and strategy and these guys run circles around me with their knowledge. They could skate circles around me as well. Eddie impressed me with his reasons for wanting to be here. One of them was because there were people like us there. He looked at Bob and me and said if there is one other soldier here, he’s on his way to help out.

Tonight I was invited by my friends in the Long Range Plans directorate (the 5 shop for you military folks) to have a cigar in honor of Alyssa. I also brought a box of handmade cookies that I just received today from my friends Nancy and Billy in Pennsylvania. There were around twelve of us out in the gardens enjoying a cigar, cookies, and conversation after dinner. It’s the type of evening that places your mind somewhere else, the type of evening during a deployment that you’ll think about years later. As one of us remarked afterwards, “It was nice to get out of Kabul for an hour.” We shared a lot of stories, insulted our seniors behind their back, remembered people long gone, and for a time forged the relationships that you read about in history books or see in movies. I suppose I am a part of that history now. You will never read any of our names anywhere, but you’ll hear about us just the same. What made tonight different than the times I’ve spent with shipmates long ago or my friends from Combat Training more recently is that the twelve or thirteen tonight were from nine different nations. Nine. You’d never know it except for the uniforms. In the weeks and months to come, we’ll all rotate out, put the war behind us, and most likely not see each other again. But tonight I’ll never forget.

This story shall the good man teach his son…

SECNAV MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE TO THE FLEET

1. SINCE MAY 30, 1868, WHEN FLOWERS WERE PLACED ONTHE GRAVES OF UNION AND CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, AMERICANS HAVE SET ASIDE A DAY IN MAY TO REMEMBER THOSE WHO HAVE DIED IN OUR NATIONS SERVICE. THOSE WHO HAVE PAID THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES HAVE EARNED OUR GRATITUDE, AND A DAY OF HONOR IN THEIR REMEMBRANCE.

2. OUR LIBERTIES WERE HARD-WON ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE. THE SIGNERS OF OUR DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE PLEDGED TO EACH OTHER THEIR LIVES, THEIR FORTUNES, AND THEIR SACRED HONOR. THEY UNDERSTOOD THAT NATIONS MUST FIGHT FOR THEIR FREEDOM - AND THAT FREEDOM, ONCE ACHIEVED, MUST BE DEFENDED. ON THIS DAY OF SOLEMN TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THEIR ETERNAL REWARD WHILE DEFENDING THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS, LET US RESOLVE TO BE WORTHY OF THEIR SACRIFICE, AND LET US HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE SACRIFICED SO MUCH TO PRESERVE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY THAT WE CLAIM AS OUR BIRTHRIGHT.

3. RELEASED BY THE HONORABLE DONALD C. WINTER, SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.

Adjustments

Alyssa and Stacey came home yesterday. I understand it was very rough, especially on Aaron. He has been doing all right, but under a lot of stress as he doesn’t understand everything. He had to spend two nights away from his own house and had a tough time going to school yesterday. He’s getting better though. He has been tolerant of ‘Lyssa so far. I spoke with him today and that went well. Alyssa is a little angel just like her brother was and doesn’t cry too much, just when she is getting changed because it is cold. She only woke Stacey up once last night to get fed, what a sweetheart.

Work here is moving along. I don’t hear about things that happen here in the news back home. Apparently, if it doesn’t happen in Iraq, the media ignores it. Everyone understands the picture painted by our lovely media has little to do with the whole picture. On a positive note, yesterday, May 19 marked my 22nd commissioning anniversary. That means a “step” pay raise, so I got that going for me, which is nice.

Thanks for the email everyone. I received a couple from my former students as well, very nice. I am planning some blog posts that are not baby or home related, they will deal with some issues we have over here that I hope will be of interest to you all. So, stay tuned.

Alyssa Caylin

17 May 2008
13:49
6lb 11oz

Stacey just made it to the hospital and didn’t even have time for an epidural – au naturale. We are very proud of her! They arrived at the hospital and Alyssa arrived about 20 mintues later. I was on the phone during the delivery because I called. They were unable to get the web portal set up in time. I did get a quick look of her as the portal was set up a bit later and I hope to see her again when they get a room assigned. In the meantime, the baby needs to get measured and have a check up.

Parade and Birthday

Once a month we have a medal parade for awarding of the NATO ISAF Medal. This month it was my turn to be a part of it, it actually occurred a few days ago. We have around six lines of a lot of personnel each standing at attention and one of six generals pins on your medal after a short ceremony. By luck of the draw The Commander, himself, happened to pin mine on. I brief him once a week and he sees me around other times and still calls me, “sailor.” I don’t think he has to deal with too many naval officers here. The other generals who know me use my first name. It’s a nice looking medal, adds to the fruit salad. And I love the color.

As you all know, today is my birthday (for those of you keeping track like Stephanie, I am 44) and it has been a great one so far. First, I feel a lot better, still a little weak, but doing well. I got all my work done and got a haircut from our usual Afghan barber. He speaks no English, but somehow the haircut goes through all right or so we're told. I saw our Deputy (the boss) this morning and he said hello and the usual. Then before he went off to a meeting, he said he needed to see me in his office at 1000. I was a little nervous about what it could be, always thinking what it was he found that I screwed up and wasn’t able to hide. So, the Military Assistant comes in to tell me he is ready to see me now and I go in. When I open the door, the whole directorate is in there for a surprise party! I was floored. They had a real cake made and everything. One of our people, Lisa, had it ordered and had to get into her armor and helmet to go pick it up. That’s dedication. So I had a lot of people wishing me a Happy Birthday today, which made me feel great. I also received many emails from friends and family. I received a very original e-card from Cara – thanks so much! I know some of you said you mailed cards and packages. It may be a few days, but they’ll get here and I’ll let you know I received them. Still waiting on the one big delivery back home, but we have plenty of time.

I am off to Canada House for the first time in a while. Bob has invited me to their BBQ and perhaps I'll be able to have a beer. Thanks to everyone for making this a great day!

Still Sick

I’m still sick for the third day. I even went to the doctor yesterday. You all know I never do that, but it is conveniently located across the road and it is free, my kind of price. He says I have a virus of some kind. People around here call it the Kabul Virus or the Kabul Krud – usually lasts five-six days although one colonel told me he was useless for the whole month of March. My symptoms are fever, aches, lethargy, difficulty sleeping. I am on Tylenol and ibuprofen simultaneously. I work for a few hours and then lie down and continue that process. Last night I had no dinner and tonight barely anything. My boss told me to leave and go lie down and got mad when I came back, can you imagine? But you know me, I can’t complain.

I just received an incredible birthday package from my sister and her family. I also ordered some books on line as my own birthday present. That’s a bit of a stress reliever. Other than that, the war continues for me with participation on operational planning groups and working groups as well as disseminating some information to people who need it. Life goes on and the countdown to Baby Zimmer reaches ever closer to D-day.

Casino Night

My computer problems are fixed for now. Dell was of no real help. I ended up doing a factory image restore, like I needed Dell to tell me that, spending almost a day downloading all the updates and virus software that I had done over the last five months. Most importantly, I downloaded the software from the hospital and Skype. Let’s hope it works. I still don’t know what the problem was other than it was Vista oriented. I’ve complained to Dell about Vista and suggested they don’t push those sales.

While I wouldn’t call Thursday night a party, the base had a Casino Night to raise money for an orphanage. This was a good cause to say the least. We made donations for play money and for a raffle. Casino games included Blackjack, Let it Ride, and Roulette. There was also a horseracing track set up using dice to move the ponies along (we had a problem in the 7th). At the end of the night we could use our play money in an auction for a wide range of items. Some people won a load of money and could bid on things like carpets. I ended up with a nice brass lamp, quite decorative.

I and a Brit had a load of fun at blackjack. After showing the dealer a few techniques, we were off and running. We both came out ahead. The best story though was when I went to the roulette table near the end of the evening. My friend Bob was running part of it. I was only there for a few spins, but hit two numbers straight up as well as some color. Naturally, I bet 22 Black first and hit it. I kept money on 22 of course, but then bet Aaron’s birthday, 28 Black. I hit that right after. The crowd went wild, both of us. I then tried Stacey’s birthday, but my luck had just run out. At least I was poised for the auction and did not go away empty-handed. The Taliband played during the evening. Their time is coming to a close as three key members are moving on. Perhaps there will be others to take their place.

Still lots to do around here, many plans going on. Needless to say, I am preoccupied with our great expectation on her way.

Computer Problems Continue

My computer is still down hard. Many hours already spent with Dell and performing useless tests. I've had a few people offer me their computers so I can use the web portal for the delivery. I'll have to download software to do that, which I'll have to get on top of tonight. Additionally, the base is going through some access upgrades, which is good, but we lose connectivity for a day or days. Timing could not have been worse. After all the trouble my mother-in-law went through to set all this up, it will be a shame if I can't connect.

Not too many highlights of the past week. Our Deputy Director returned, but the General leaves again soon, so it's a wash for my time, not much will change. During lunch the other day we had the Jazz Band of the Army Airborne come over to play for a little while. They were very good, a band of six - drums, sax, tuba, trombone, clarinet, and trumpet. A nice distraction for a 45 minutes.

I had to switch rooms again, never a fun time. I am on my third room on base and am well into double-digits for different rooms (or places to sleep) since this deployment started. I'll look forward to not living out of a seabag. I have around 13 weeks before I'll be home if all goes as scheduled.

That's about all for now. Hopefully, I'll be up on my own computer at some point.

Packages and Queen's Day

When I went to the post office (a room with shelves, a couple filing cabinets, and lots of boxes) yesterday to pick up packages, I was told I would need the hand truck. That is good news! I received two larges boxes – one from Operation Shoebox in New Jersey and one from my friends at SBHS. This is the third package I received from Operation Shoebox. My name was put in by a friend of ours and students in Scotch Plains are really keeping us happy. I was able to hand out individual boxes to people in the office and it was like Christmas, so I’m told. We had enough stuff to fix up a package for Canada House, my Thursday night place to be. My Canadian friends, Paul and Bob, were quick to point out that they and other countries do not have the support via letters and care packages that we get from our citizens. If you have been following my posts, you know how important our support from home is. It is warming to know that people back home are thinking about us, even people we have never met.

My package from SBHS not only had lots of goodies, but a number of paper-products. Apparently, I have been forwarded a number of biology and chemistry papers to grade, there was even a calculus sheet in there; don’t know what’s up with that. Anyway, you shouldn’t expect them back anytime soon, or anytime at all. There were some memos that I promptly ignored, just like if I was back home. There were also some filled-out disciplinary forms on some people and I am still laughing about those. They will be routed up to the appropriate people. I may even submit the pay voucher for my time. Many thanks to all who had a hand in getting the package to me. Along with regular packages from my sister and other friends, we have set up quite a site in our office for sharing of food and other sundries.

On April 30 we celebrated the Dutch National Day, Queen’s Day. They honour their Queen, Queen Beatrix of the House of Orange. It’s an interesting history, which I won’t get into now, but you should look up if so inclined. They decorated our garden area in orange and built some structures for traditional games. The Taliband played, Dutch food was served, and it was a fun evening. They worked harder on this national day than any others I have witnessed thus far.

I was able to Skype with Stacey and Aaron today and that makes any day perfect. Aaron talked to me more than usual. My partial day-off ended sharing some beers with my Canadian brothers. Another week down, another week begins.