more AKO.

Some additional pictures of our guys are now showing on the AKO homepage.

politics.

In case you haven't noticed, I go out of my way to avoid politics on this blog. Part of the reason is because of certain legal restraints (such as undermining elected officials in my chain of command or endorsing political candidates for office), and another is because there are enough venues already if you want to hear the political opinions of others...I'm not going to add to the pile...too much.

That said, it's hard to tell the military story without politics entering in every once in awhile. There's nothing wrong with it, as long as it is done correctly. Political issues and decisions many times have immediate effects on Soldiers. The recent repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a good example (not even thinking of commenting on this one...see, I have some restraint?!).

A recurring issue that always has an immediate effect on Soldiers is the Federal budget...every year, Congress determines how much were going to earn, and we watch closely...or at least I do.

When I was stationed in Germany about a hundred years ago, I had a good friend named Kenyon Drayton. Kenny used to always repeat the same saying over and over to our squad leader, and I never forgot it..."don't mess with my time, money or mail, and we'll get along just fine Sarge!" Whenever I have been in command positions, this is one of the things I always reminded myself about Soldiers. In fact, I incorporated Kenny's wisdom into my command philosophy that I published in 2006.

Well......the Army has done a darn fine job of messing with my money lately, and I gotta vent (for the record I am still receiving mail, and I have long since given up on pretending that I have my own time). Let's skip over the $6,000.00 bonus contract that the Army recently attempted to renege on with me. Let's also blow past the meager 2011 pay raise I mentioned previously on this blog. Let's go straight to the next financial topic of the month...

When President Obama visited Bagram recently, he went on record with the following..."You may have noticed that during these tough budget times, I took the step of freezing pay for our federal workforce. But because of the service that you render, all who wear the uniform of the United States of America are exempt from that action."

This is not a misquote, I was there and I personally remember him saying it. How then does the Army explain the memo I received today from the State of Iowa? The memo very clearly states that my pay (when I return home) is frozen until Dec 31st, 2012.

I know how they explain it, and I'll do my best to keep it short. For those who don't know, my full time work for the Iowa National Guard is technically in civilian status (this is one of the many ways they make the money go further). So, to be clear, I am a US Government Federal Civilian Employee. Because my work as a Federal Civilian Employee is contingent on me being in the military, I fall into an even more convoluted category known as a Federal Dual Status Technician (Federal Dual Status Technicians are directed to wear their military uniform while at work, which explains why many of you see me in uniform from day to day when I'm at home).

And so, if you pick apart all the bureaucracy and read between all the lines...it means that despite the service that I render...and even though I wear the uniform of the United States of America, I am subject to this pay freeze when I return back to Iowa due to my Federal Civilian employee status.

I guess I really don't have a problem with the pay freeze itself. Well, I do but that's not the point here. Our country is bankrupt, I get it. I don't like it, but I get it. What I don't enjoy is the politics and doublespeak. I only post this here because it is but one small example of how the politics effect those in uniform, and there are plenty of other examples to choose from. While politicians (from both major parties) run around back home stating that they are not touching military pay, don't be fooled, they already are in some capacity.

I think many people view Soldiers as 100% concentrated on guns and blowing stuff up. While these are important skills for the Soldier to have, it is also vitally important that we stay educated and involved in the administrative and political storms that swirl around us...and do they ever swirl.

thank you.

Thank you to everyone for the packages, letters, emails and support over the past few months. I have attempted to write everyone back. If I missed anyone, my sincere apologies. Sometimes things get busy here and it's easy to forget. Again, thanks for everything.

We're nearing the halfway point of the mobilization, and I still have my 15 days of leave yet to come (looking like May 15th-30th, give or take a few days), which removes me from my duties for a solid 3 weeks because of travel. To me, it's beginning to feel like things are downhill from here. To put it in context...I've known about this mobilization since late 2007/early 2008, and I began working full time in support of this almost a year ago. To think that there are only 5-6 months remaining is a great feeling in the broad scope of it all.

There will still be some bumps in the road, that's for sure. We have been extremely blessed regarding casualties so far...however it will not hold. Our units are engaged with the enemy in combat everyday..it's only a matter of time. There is also the small task of finishing the plan to get ourselves out of here and back to Iowa. This plan will be finished next month, and soon after finishing it, we will begin shipping equipment home...hopefully not through Pakistan.

Again, thank you for your support thus far.

poll results

With 57% of the vote...it appears as though Wyoming (Yellowstone) & Montana (Glacier National Park) have beaten out the other vacation options in the poll. Maybe the next poll should be whether or not Jessica and I are crazy for even thinking about taking Brynna that far in a vehicle...?

night patrol

A few days ago, I accompanied one of our units on a night patrol here in the Bagram Security Zone. It was the first time I have been OTW (outside the wire) at night on this deployment (big difference from my last deployment, when traveling at night was just another thing we did, and nothing to write home about). What was noteworthy to me was how much I forgot about the nightlife, or lack there of, here in Afghanistan. This place is dangerous enough during the day and nighttime is just plain spooky...it is another world unto itself.

While the trucks we rode in set up a number of hasty (impromptu) roadblocks, a handful of us dismounted at each roadblock and patrolled amongst the farm fields and small villages in the area. Some of the most noticeable things included no lights (no electricity) and no people. As a culture, most Afghans tend stay inside during hours of darkness. I suppose centuries of constant War will do that to people. The only sights and sounds we could hear were from the not to distant airfield here at Bagram.

At one point during the patrol, one of our Soldiers was standing guard while some of us went to check on a nearby field. Later, the Soldier who was on guard relayed a story to us of a local man who came out of his house to see what was going on (his dog was barking because of our presence). The man began to look in the same general direction as our Soldier who was on guard, but couldn't see him in the darkness. The Soldier on guard, like the rest of us, was wearing his night vision goggles, and he could see the man as plain as day. To end the standoff, a small shuffle of feet from the Soldier sent the man running back into his house. Only a few feet separated the two of them.

Also of note was the incredible view of the night sky. With no "light pollution" to speak of, the stars here are visible as if you were in the middle if the ocean. While on this patrol, I was again reminded of how difficult I continue to find it to describe Afghanistan...as ugly as much of this place is on the surface, there always seems to be sights that take your breath away.

The contrasts here are great, and that's what I think is so hard to describe. I mean, while I enjoy staring at the Hindu Kush Range and the thousands of visible stars...at the same time I don't enjoy standing in raw sewage to see them.

Sorry, no pictures of this patrol. Just didn't have the opportunity this time around.

cruisin

After eating at the UAE chowhall last night, we went for a ride around the airfield. This may just be the most boring video you ever watch.

Also, anyone who knows me will back me up on this...I had nothing to do with the music on the radio.

AKO

AKO stands for Army Knowledge Online. AKO was launched in the late 1990's, and is the primary website that we Soldiers use for managing all of our administrative paperwork (supply records, pay, schooling, etc.). AKO is also the web based host for all official email that is unclassified...(this is where I check my @us.army.mil emails).

Over the years, it has become a part of Army culture to see who has made the front page of AKO that day. This week, several of our guys have been featured on the front page. The photos have been a great representation of what we have been up to for the past 3 months.

Taking notes during a village assessment.

On the lookout.

At the ready.

The importance of taking the time to interact with the kids cannot be understated. In 10 years, the boy pictured above will make a decision. Scrape together a living and earn next to nothing...or blow-up Americans for thousands of dollars a year (a lot of money here). Hopefully he remembers a moment like this when it comes time to make that decision.

The AKO picture above reminded me of this pic I took of Grant 2 years ago...kids are the same the world over. It's amazing the different directions they go once grown.

good read

There's a good story that published today in the Des Moines Register featuring a Soldier from my old Company (Alpha Company 1-168 Infantry). The featured Soldier (SSG Rude) is as good as they get.

IDF

As I have said before here, Bagram is a very odd place to "live." There are things and experiences here that you couldn't find anywhere else world. For example, on any given night in the chow hall, you can find yourself at a table next to a sitting US Senator, or a local national interpreter who is undercover for the enemy. There are multiple gyms, chowhalls, movie theaters, computer labs, barbers, masseuses and stores for shopping. There are remote college campuses for working on your Bachelors or Masters degree as well.

Underneath all this "normalcy," the area inside the perimeter is still fairly heavily mined (old Russian Airfield, go figure)...although it has been declared "cleared by occupation." Apparently, "cleared by occupation" means that enough people and vehicles have traversed the area inside the perimeter that if a landmine was close enough to the surface to detonate, it would have done so by now. Therefor, the mines that are still here are presumably further than 6 inches below the surface. If they were any closer, you would find out very quickly.

Another part of living here that undermines any real normalcy is indirect fire, or as we refer to it as..."IDF." Indirect fire is just that. It is a munition that takes something other than a straight path toward it's target. Think of your pistol or rifle at home...it fires a bullet on a relatively straight path...making it a "direct fire" weapon. Thankfully, we haven't dealt with direct fires here on Bagram since I arrived, although it did happen last year, and will happen again eventually. Mainly, we deal with IDF in the form of mortars and rockets which go up in the air and come back down...particularly 107mm rockets.

I never bothered to mention IDF on here to this point because it has been somewhat of an infrequent occurrence (every 1-2 weeks). I understand that to someone back home reading this, ANY IDF would be considered frequent. But this needs to be taken in context. This is the largest Base in Afghanistan in which the largest current conflict/War on Earth is staged from. I believe we are very fortunate to deal with the few attacks that we have...that is until recently.

We have had multiple IDF attacks this past week. For the first time last night, I found myself outside (my room/work area) when one of these attacks occurred. There really isn't much you can do, except go back to your room and prepare just in case the IDF is the beginning of something more. Also, it does no good to run...you have just as much chance of running into a rocket as you do running away from one.

Last night, I took a quick video. You can hear the sirens, and then the voice commands you to "don IBA" (Body Armor). Hoping that tonight is a little quieter!

general grant

Jess sent me this photo of Grant arraying his Army toys on the kitchen table.

Although cute, as an Officer I never want to miss an opportunity to train. I decided to offer a little assistance to him...

I recommended he moved his mortar crew away from the near fight, readjusted his firing positions and ensured their fires interlocked. I also established some target reference points for him.

Although this was all in fun, it is somewhat a representation of what I do for a living over here. Our Brigade Staff looks at where our forces are, where the enemy is, and makes assumptions as to what we think the enemy is going to do next. We then issue orders to the units. Some of the orders are tactical, some are not. Whether tactical or administrative, the premise is the same. Clearly and concisely provide our units with relevant information about the battlefield so they can do their job. It may sound easy, but it's not. It's enough work to keep our 150 person staff busy all day, everyday we are here.