Hello my family and friends,
So it’s been a little while since I’ve sat down to write to all of you. I’ve tried a couple of times but some things have kept me down and other days it was just too damn hot to type. So let me get down to it….we’ve made some huge strides in the past three weeks. After four shuras with elders (one with the District Governor, who by the way is younger than me and has ADD…well not really but yes he does..lol) we have established a local government here. There is now a Council of Elders that represent the people of Taghaz. We had our first shura last Saturday and we’ll continue to have them every Saturday for the rest of my time here (which by the way is only 6 weeks!). It was a good meeting. Most of the Elders showed up. 11 of out 15 made it. We talked about their problems, wants and needs. Things I knew they’d want: A school, a new canal, to keep their poppy crops this season…etc. Something I didn’t expect from them was asking out help to keep the next generation of young men out of trouble. They don’t want to see them become thieves, join the TB or get into drugs. So we are going to have a representative from the AUP (Afghan Uniform Police….they are police that will come and establish a police force here so they men that sign up will be able to work in their home village.) and the ANBP (Afghan National Boarder Police…what we have here already. They travel just like regular boarder police do). It’s a huge step in the right direction.
The meeting was good and long and I had a Captain from Civil Affairs to help me out a lot. He has conducted several of these ‘first step’ shuras. We are way ahead of the Marines at the Castle (Khanishan Castle). They have been trying to accomplish what we did in 2 months for over a year!
So we’ll also start working with the locals to get their business a boost. We plan on conducting meetings on Wednesdays to start micro-grants where we help them develop a business plan (good thing I’m a business major) and get start-up companies/business going. The big thing we are focusing on are farmers. Getting them a grant to grow something other than poppy next year. It’s a huge challenge.
Yeah the Poppy. So I know some of you got the pictures I’ve sent out with the poppy fields that are in full bloom right now. The harvest is already started in some places. The Marines saw people scoring them today for the first time. And the bad guys are in town. We had a little fight a few nights ago…..let’s just say that as a Marine we don’t fight fair. But if we had to we would still win in a fair fight. You know the saying don’t bring a knife to a gun fight? Well our philosophy is if they have one gun…we have three. If they have a machine gun we have automatic grenade launchers. If they bring a truck with a mounted heavy gun….well we have LAVs that have a chain gun that shoots explosive rounds….then we have mortars to counter their rockets. Let’s not forget about the helicopters and jets that are always near bye. I mean really….this isn’t boxing….this is war! None of our Marines were hurt…so you can breathe deep and relax. I’m fine….obviously since I’m writing this to you.
I know some of you read that we lost a few Marines last week from our Battalion. They were good men. I knew the Sgt. Major personally. He was a great man and we all admired him. His loss hit my Marines and I pretty hard. Please keep them and their families in your prayers. We all appreciate it.
On a lighter note the locals are coming around and really warming up to us! Sometimes the kids are too much! My Mom never had to smack me around much when I was a kid….but for all you that have had the pleasure of beating your kids my hat is off to you. I’d like to smack the crap out of one ‘future terrorist’ myself. I’ve never seen anyone try to grab for my rifle…but he has tried a few times. I’m learning patience with him every day.
Well it’s getting hot again. We had a week of cold weather but not anymore. It’s in the 90’s everyday and it’s like an oven in my tent. Luckily the Enlisted Marines got new ‘Alaska’ tents. They are a lot like the ones we stayed in while we were at FOB Dwyer. They are climate controlled so they have A/C constantly. But after patrolling with all their gear on they need to cool off. A lot of them are getting sick again. It’s because we have to patrol through the nasty feces infested stream that is right outside our COP. It’s ruining our uniforms, boots and socks are high priority. (Thank you Mom and Mona and everyone else for sending more) I gave my boots to one of my Lcpl.’s because his had a tear down the backside of them. I have another pair and one on the way. I’m just lucky to have not been as sick as some of the other guys. I had a mild case of Osama’s revenge. I can’t speak for the boys though. Even the CO has had it twice!
Oh shoot I have to tell you we had steak again last week! That’s twice in a month! Of course as an officer I ate last and got the retarded little piece but hey it was really cooked on a bbq and everything. Mom sent me some dehydrated mashed potatoes (roasted garlic with bacon bits!) and canned asparagus. AWESOME!!! Just AWESOME!! I even had a cold soda that night and we had canned peaches with tapioca.
Ok well speaking of chow I have 20 minutes until they close and I need to get my grub on….even if it is the same crap we eat every night. When you are hungry you eat whatever they are serving.
I hope you are all well and I’ll be home in less than 60 days….not that I’m counting. My Marines are!
Semper Fi,
ws
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
faces of the elders
So the next series of pictures will be faces of the elders. Ladies…….how would you like to wake up to these faces every morning? Yeah I’d be scared too!
We had another Shura………I know we have them quite often. But the District Governor came and so we had a very large turnout. Over 100 people. Not one woman was there……..just how they roll in this country. But now we’ve established a council of elders. First time the people have had some sort of local government since the Taliban ruled here.
ws
We had another Shura………I know we have them quite often. But the District Governor came and so we had a very large turnout. Over 100 people. Not one woman was there……..just how they roll in this country. But now we’ve established a council of elders. First time the people have had some sort of local government since the Taliban ruled here.
ws
poppy fields
So the Poppy fields are in full bloom right now. The harvest is coming and so are the bad guys…….not to worry we’ll kick their asses too! Wouldn’t be the first time since we’ve been here.
Semper Fi
poppy flowers
So this is what the poppy flower looks like before the petals fall off and they start to cut the sides.
body guard
This is one of the DG’s body guard. Notice his chest right with the high speed low drag ‘city art’ camouflage.
Very good to have out in our area……now that’s gangsta!
ws
Poppy
What the poppy looks like when the petals fall off. Next the farmers will score the sides to get the sap to come out. Then they scrap the sides to collect the raw opium.
Poppy
You can see the flowers come in a variety of colors…..lol. but this is what the fields will look like just before the harvest….and it will be in a few weeks.
Sgt. Bam
Sgt. Bam…..also know as Sgt. Boom by the locals. Neither are his real name. He is a real warrior….I’m proud to call him one of my Sergeants!
Semper Fi
pictures
Hello all,
I’ve sent out a lot of pictures today. A lot of them bounced back for one reason or another. Adam puts them on the blog spot so if you didn’t get them log onto the blog and check them out. His address is attached above if you need it. There is a lot I have to share with you all. But that will have to wait for another email. If you have questions please ask. Mrs. Shawver asked a great question about the poppy fields and what’s the deal with them. I’ll attach my response below:
Question:
The fields are beautiful but I do have a question. Are the fields being destroyed and if not why are they keeping them and you have to guard them??? Is the government using the fields for their own use?
Answer:
The way we are conducting business out here in conjunction with GIRoA (Government Islamic Republic of Afghanistan……I know huh?) is that we, the US, are not going to eradicate their poppy fields even though we know the poppy is grown for drug use. The problem is that the farmers are forced, more or less, to grow the poppy, cultivate it and sell it to the ‘buyers’ because the TB has told them too. Or if the local farmers are ‘share croppers’ they are told to grow/farm the poppy on the land by the land owners. I tell you it is a very entangled web out here. We don’t want to target farmers. They are not the issue and it’s really not their fault for growing poppy. And we are not guarding the poppy we just patrol through it. We want them to harvest the crop so when the buyers come we can interdict them. We know the farmers support their families with the profits they make. So it is counterproductive to bust the farmers. If we eradicate their fields it’s even worse because we look like jerks since we are destroying their way of life and not giving them a chance to do something to help us out. Like give up the buyers and grow other crops. It is tough……very difficult to go through all of this. So we put the pressure on the people telling them that they need to give up the buyers when they come. If not they will be charged for possession and then go to jail. The down side to all of this is that the buyers may not come. For a simple fact…..raw opium has a very long shelf life. It won’t spoil, rot, go bad, etc. This can actually help the TB for a few reasons. 1: The buyers might not show up to collect so the farmers will sit on the opium as credit (this is actually a very common thing that farmers do….it’s just like having a savings account) and the buyers stay at home waiting for us to leave. 2: The TB actually wants the US to eradicate the poppy fields…..they’ve even gone as far as telling farmers not to grow poppy next season. The price of opium is at a low right now. And to make prices go back up they just limit the supply. We have the same issue in our economy in the US. 3: The TB is sitting on an estimated 8000 pounds of raw opium right now. This is because in the past 3 years there has been more opium grown and harvested then users can smoke, eat or push with needles! I know crazy huh? So they’ll just sit on it and wait for demand to come back up, which raises the price. It’s a good situation for them. But what they don’t realize is that we are not leaving. And don’t be fooled by what the president said about a reduction in troops in the region. That is true….we will reduce the number of troops…..but we just had a surge in troops. I don’t want to say more that is needed to but if you take a battalion away that’s a reduction in troops. And with today’s military we don’t need as many troops because of the huge technological advantage we have. It’s amazing what we do with less. My platoon has 32 Marines in it and 4 of them are detached for a separate mission. A normal infantry platoon, which we are not….we are an LAR platoon, has 44 Marines in it! Almost double of what I could have right now!
The Afghan government is against growing poppy. It is actually against Islam to grow, cultivate, use or distribute drugs. But the TB and AQ are not good Muslims. And we use this in our campaign in the War on Terror.
Well I hope I shed some light on the situation. I totally understand how hard it is to get around all of this. And nothing I’ve disclosed to you is secret information. The media doesn’t share this because the whole truth doesn’t sell. There is a book called, ‘Seeds of Terror’ by Gretchen Peters. Very good book and very eye opening to what is going on here. It goes into details about all of the above. Even how the TB was created…and the Taliban was actually a good thing at first!
I’m doing well out here. It’s damn hot but we are doing good things.
So if you don’t know what we are doing out here it is important that you do know. The news isn’t going to tell you the whole story…..the whole story isn’t sexy and it doesn’t sell. One way or another you are supporting this war weather you like it or not. You pay taxes and that is your contribution…..so thank you for paying my ridiculous salary……lol. Funny, ha ha but not really. The manager at Burger King makes more than I do and he’s not getting shot at! Nor is he making history either.
Semper Fi,
ws
I’ve sent out a lot of pictures today. A lot of them bounced back for one reason or another. Adam puts them on the blog spot so if you didn’t get them log onto the blog and check them out. His address is attached above if you need it. There is a lot I have to share with you all. But that will have to wait for another email. If you have questions please ask. Mrs. Shawver asked a great question about the poppy fields and what’s the deal with them. I’ll attach my response below:
Question:
The fields are beautiful but I do have a question. Are the fields being destroyed and if not why are they keeping them and you have to guard them??? Is the government using the fields for their own use?
Answer:
The way we are conducting business out here in conjunction with GIRoA (Government Islamic Republic of Afghanistan……I know huh?) is that we, the US, are not going to eradicate their poppy fields even though we know the poppy is grown for drug use. The problem is that the farmers are forced, more or less, to grow the poppy, cultivate it and sell it to the ‘buyers’ because the TB has told them too. Or if the local farmers are ‘share croppers’ they are told to grow/farm the poppy on the land by the land owners. I tell you it is a very entangled web out here. We don’t want to target farmers. They are not the issue and it’s really not their fault for growing poppy. And we are not guarding the poppy we just patrol through it. We want them to harvest the crop so when the buyers come we can interdict them. We know the farmers support their families with the profits they make. So it is counterproductive to bust the farmers. If we eradicate their fields it’s even worse because we look like jerks since we are destroying their way of life and not giving them a chance to do something to help us out. Like give up the buyers and grow other crops. It is tough……very difficult to go through all of this. So we put the pressure on the people telling them that they need to give up the buyers when they come. If not they will be charged for possession and then go to jail. The down side to all of this is that the buyers may not come. For a simple fact…..raw opium has a very long shelf life. It won’t spoil, rot, go bad, etc. This can actually help the TB for a few reasons. 1: The buyers might not show up to collect so the farmers will sit on the opium as credit (this is actually a very common thing that farmers do….it’s just like having a savings account) and the buyers stay at home waiting for us to leave. 2: The TB actually wants the US to eradicate the poppy fields…..they’ve even gone as far as telling farmers not to grow poppy next season. The price of opium is at a low right now. And to make prices go back up they just limit the supply. We have the same issue in our economy in the US. 3: The TB is sitting on an estimated 8000 pounds of raw opium right now. This is because in the past 3 years there has been more opium grown and harvested then users can smoke, eat or push with needles! I know crazy huh? So they’ll just sit on it and wait for demand to come back up, which raises the price. It’s a good situation for them. But what they don’t realize is that we are not leaving. And don’t be fooled by what the president said about a reduction in troops in the region. That is true….we will reduce the number of troops…..but we just had a surge in troops. I don’t want to say more that is needed to but if you take a battalion away that’s a reduction in troops. And with today’s military we don’t need as many troops because of the huge technological advantage we have. It’s amazing what we do with less. My platoon has 32 Marines in it and 4 of them are detached for a separate mission. A normal infantry platoon, which we are not….we are an LAR platoon, has 44 Marines in it! Almost double of what I could have right now!
The Afghan government is against growing poppy. It is actually against Islam to grow, cultivate, use or distribute drugs. But the TB and AQ are not good Muslims. And we use this in our campaign in the War on Terror.
Well I hope I shed some light on the situation. I totally understand how hard it is to get around all of this. And nothing I’ve disclosed to you is secret information. The media doesn’t share this because the whole truth doesn’t sell. There is a book called, ‘Seeds of Terror’ by Gretchen Peters. Very good book and very eye opening to what is going on here. It goes into details about all of the above. Even how the TB was created…and the Taliban was actually a good thing at first!
I’m doing well out here. It’s damn hot but we are doing good things.
So if you don’t know what we are doing out here it is important that you do know. The news isn’t going to tell you the whole story…..the whole story isn’t sexy and it doesn’t sell. One way or another you are supporting this war weather you like it or not. You pay taxes and that is your contribution…..so thank you for paying my ridiculous salary……lol. Funny, ha ha but not really. The manager at Burger King makes more than I do and he’s not getting shot at! Nor is he making history either.
Semper Fi,
ws
Monday, March 22, 2010
Ever wonder what exactly is inside a can of Whoop-ass???
Bumper-Stickers Seen On Military Bases.
"Except For Ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism and Communism, WAR has Never Solved Anything."
" U.S. Marines - Certified Counselors to the 72 Virgins Dating Club."
" U.S. Air Force - Travel Agents To Allah"
"Stop Global Whining"
"When In Doubt, Empty The Magazine"
Naval Corollary: Dead Men Don't Testify.
"The Marine Corps - When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be Destroyed Overnight"
"Death Smiles At Everyone - Marines Smile Back"
"Marine Sniper - You can run, but you'll just die tired!"
"What Do I Feel When I Kill A Terrorist? A Little Recoil"
"Marines - Providing Enemies of America an Opportunity To Die For their Country Since 1775"
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It"
"Happiness Is A Belt-Fed Weapon"
"It's God's Job to Forgive Bin Laden - It's Our Job To Arrange The Meeting"
"Artillery Brings Dignity to What Would Otherwise Be Just A Vulgar Brawl"
"One Shot, Twelve Kills - U.S. Naval Gun Fire Support"
"My Kid Fought In Iraq So Your Kid Can Party In College"
"Machine Gunners - Accuracy By Volume"
"A Dead Enemy Is A Peaceful Enemy - Blessed Be The Peacemakers"
"If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher.. If You Can Read It In English, Thank A Veteran"
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world.
But THE MARINES don't have that problem." ...Ronald Reagan
Friday, March 19, 2010
Poppy
So this is a poppy flower from last season. What they do is grow the flower until the bottom portion is about this big. Then they take this handmade tool that has razors on it and the scrap the poppy on 3-4 sides like you see in the picture. The stick residue comes out kind of like puss from a wound. It dries on the outside and then some comes by a while later and scrapes it off.
my new living space
So this is my crib……..call MTV and tell them they can put me on cribs and then pimp my ride!
you think he's cute
Yeah so I know what some of you are thinking, “Awe he is so cute.” Yeah right the little theaving bastard takes all the candy I give to the other kids and then smacks him. Also he almost broke my camera after trying to show him his picture. Don’t be fooled. He’s a future terrorist!
Ok I’m just kidding about the terrorist part. But not really.
ws
Things that go boom!
We like to make things go boom too. Especially when they are RPG’s that the enemy likes to shoot at us.
Brought to you by the United States Marine Corps Explosive Ordinance Department.
Semper Fi
hola........
Hola my family and friends,
So we have some new peeps added to the “sent to” list so let me just breakdown the rules for you. If you don’t have a sense of humor……..just delete this email. If you have a weak stomach….go get a trash bag. If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about just drop me a line and I’ll explain. I try not to speak in Marine Corps jargon but hey….I’m a Jarhead and that’s just how I roll. Besides living in the armpit of the world makes things come out a little harsh or indifferent. The ‘Stan’ changes your perspective on life and it can break your, ‘give a F__k’ rather easily. Mine isn’t completely broken (although I’m sure it sounds like it at times) but out here it is all about survival. And the most important thing in my life (out here) is making sure my Marines get home safe……they come before me!
So…..I can’t remember what I was running my suck about last time I wrote. In the last week I’ve had 3 shuras (meetings) with elders. The first one there was 15 +/-, I let them know I want to help them establish a ‘Council of Elders’ so we can bring some local government to the village. It would help legitimize the AFG gov’t and they would have a voice to the District Governor. They all agreed. ( I’ve used a leadership template that is very common to Afghan culture so it was easy….and it is nothing like what we have in the states). So we said we’d meet again in 3 days…..so three days goes by and only 5 elders show up for a meeting they didn’t know about! I was like, ‘what the heck?’ (But I didn’t say heck!) Well at the first meeting the translation came across to them as we would meet on day three. (The first meeting was on Saturday) So they didn’t count Sunday and thus the loss of translation. No big deal we had the shura on Wednesday (yesterday for me). I had 31 elders show up! The turnout was great….but they men were not ready to give me the names of the elders they had chosen….rrrrrgggghhhhh! They needed another week to get the word spread out etc etc. So, my patience and I said ok! And we talked specifics about the leadership positions and their significance etc etc. We also talked about their future, drugs and what they could expect from the Marines/ANBP and their government. Over all it was a good day. I even got to spot a bad guy elder that I’ve been looking for since we first got here. Can’t say more about that so don’t ask. There was a lot of other info we got but………nope can’t get into that either. So what I can say is that we are going to have a shura again next week to establish the ‘Council of Elders’. I tell you it’s pretty cool talking to a bunch of men that are old enough to be my grandfather and fought the Russians when they were here in the 70/80’s. It’s a good feeling helping them out.
Ok so some other things that I’ve had to contend with. We were coming back from a patrol a few days ago, with the ANBP integrated with us, (ANBP: Afghan National Boarder Police…….think of them as illiterate children with automatic weapons and RPGs trying to help their country. They are a hybrid of police and army………..in reality they retards that are poorly trained and well armed.) I had to stop the patrol twice and tell one to carry his rifle correctly. He tried my patience (and believe it or not I have a ton of it) so we stood there until he was done throwing his temper tantrum and then he carried his weapon correctly. The second one I had to tell to keep his finger straight and off the trigger….we’ve had three accidental discharges and one of them shot himself a few weeks ago. This guy was 2 people behind me and I didn’t feel like being shot in the back or the ass by this idiot. The coolest thing about these guys is that their leadership believes in Corporal punishment and they enforce it….publicly! A few weeks ago 2 of these guys were caught smoking hashish on post and another threatened an interpreter. The following morning, during their formation, they got an old fashioned ass woopin! We don’t do that in the Marines. But they are NOT Marines. It’s how they do it. Oh I’ve seen stranger or worse things….Hey Adam it reminded me of the Fontana High Slap! I wish I had my camera!
It’s been hot the past couple of weeks. Supposed to be over 100 degrees today. Noting like going out on patrol before the sun comes up and having 60 pounds of gear on you just to accomplish the mission. On the way back we get to cross the Camel, sheep, human, etc feces infested stream that comes up to my crotch. The water is cool and refreshing to have on your body….it’s just the smell of Sh!t and urine!!$$ you have to get over. But we are able to take showers right away to wash off. I saw 3 fish swimming in the water yesterday. We had the Bn. Chaplain with us that day and he suggested we do some fishing………I’m out for the brown trout that are in that water, if you know what I mean!
So the poppy is starting to bloom around the villages. Beautiful flower really. It just makes the worst drugs in the world! Soon the bad guys will come to pay for the crops. Got a plan for them too. I’ll tell you about it because it’s really not a secret and we are telling everyone about it: Capture or kill them. My platoons new I/O campaign is: you either helps us because if we find out you know something and you don’t tell us then you are conspiring with the TB. And if you are conspiring with the TB we are going to detain you or kill you. In reality we are not going to kill them (unless they try to kill us) but the intimidation technique works. The first time we used it a local took us to 2 IEDs that were less than a ¼ mile from our base. Hey do what you have to do to keep Marines safe and get results. As long as we are not physically harming people. That’s war…….and this is a Counter Insurgency War. The hardest kind you can fight.
So my Marines found 1500 pounds of Marijuana seed last week. Yeah it sounds like a lot but another platoon found 5000 pounds last month. Gonna put the squeeze on the compound owner and see where it takes us. There were only women there when it was found. They tossed the seed in the river to dispose of it. We find drugs on people often. We destroy it by burning it or tossing it in the river. Found an Opium Den last week with 3 guys in it stoned out of their minds. They were so trashed they couldn’t talk! Idiots I tell you.
So many of you have commented on how beautiful the children are….and you are right. But the little thieving bastards need to get an old fashioned ass whooping from where I stand. I know I know they just are just products of their environment. Well they sure do behave when their elders are around. Funny how when Dad, Uncle, or Grandfather is around the become the most well behaved kids you’ve seen here. But when they are not around some of the boys are downright nasty and angry if you don’t give them something. They smack the crap out of each other like it is cool but we can’t do that. Although I’ve wanted to a few times. One went for my rifle once…….NOT COOL at all. I hate to but stroke a kid but I will. They love the candy we give them. The boys will steal it from the girls so I make sure they get some when the boys are not around. It’s crazy at times I tell you.
So nothing too exciting really since the last time I wrote. Found some IEDs…..blew them up. Just another day in the Stan. Oh shoot we had steaks for dinner a few nights ago! Holly Shit was it awesome! Even had cold sodas to go with it. Battalion came through for us that night. Even last night we had burgers and chicken…..like cooked on the bbq and all! This time we had buns, lettuce, tomato, little bit of onion and tapioca for dessert! Freaking fantastic! If I haven’t told you we eat the same crap for breakfast every day! Well I switch it up and eat oatmeal or cereal some days, especially if I’m on a day patrol. For dinner we have 2 of now 6 different meals. And they are all premade, just heat and serve. It is crap but when you are hungry you’ll eat anything. Some things I just cannot eat anymore. I just go hungry or have some Top Ramen. But finally we have a giant ice box to keep the drinks cold so I get a cold drink almost every night. I had Pepsi with my Apple Juice last night to celebrate St. Patty’s day (ask Mom if you are not tracking what I’m saying). Today is an Administrative day for me (I don’t have to patrol today) so I have other work to get done. My Marines are out on patrol though…they go out every day. They are the real heroes out here….not me. Toughest SOBs I’ve ever met. I’m safe because of them just so you know.
Ok well my fingers are tired. And really the past week hasn’t been too exciting. Never routine but not all ‘Hollywood’. And I’m good with that.
Hey when you get a chance pass this to others in the family or friends who care to write back. I’d like your feedback when I write. It’s good to know that you are understanding what I’m doing….why and how your tax dollars are paying for this war. And why we are here. Some people are just lost about us being here….and we have to remind the people. Remember….the enemy came and killed 2751 Americans in one day using Airplanes they hijacked with box cutters and plastic knives. All because of the American way of life. These are the same people we helped fight the Russians in the 70’s & 80’s. They were once our allies and we trained them on how to make the bombs they are using against us. Personally I think this all comes back to pork products. Hey if I couldn’t eat bacon or have some ribs I’d be pissed to! And if women had to be covered from head to toe I’d have issues! Just my two cents.
“Freedom isn’t free……………….”
Semper Fi,
ws
So we have some new peeps added to the “sent to” list so let me just breakdown the rules for you. If you don’t have a sense of humor……..just delete this email. If you have a weak stomach….go get a trash bag. If you don’t know what the hell I’m talking about just drop me a line and I’ll explain. I try not to speak in Marine Corps jargon but hey….I’m a Jarhead and that’s just how I roll. Besides living in the armpit of the world makes things come out a little harsh or indifferent. The ‘Stan’ changes your perspective on life and it can break your, ‘give a F__k’ rather easily. Mine isn’t completely broken (although I’m sure it sounds like it at times) but out here it is all about survival. And the most important thing in my life (out here) is making sure my Marines get home safe……they come before me!
So…..I can’t remember what I was running my suck about last time I wrote. In the last week I’ve had 3 shuras (meetings) with elders. The first one there was 15 +/-, I let them know I want to help them establish a ‘Council of Elders’ so we can bring some local government to the village. It would help legitimize the AFG gov’t and they would have a voice to the District Governor. They all agreed. ( I’ve used a leadership template that is very common to Afghan culture so it was easy….and it is nothing like what we have in the states). So we said we’d meet again in 3 days…..so three days goes by and only 5 elders show up for a meeting they didn’t know about! I was like, ‘what the heck?’ (But I didn’t say heck!) Well at the first meeting the translation came across to them as we would meet on day three. (The first meeting was on Saturday) So they didn’t count Sunday and thus the loss of translation. No big deal we had the shura on Wednesday (yesterday for me). I had 31 elders show up! The turnout was great….but they men were not ready to give me the names of the elders they had chosen….rrrrrgggghhhhh! They needed another week to get the word spread out etc etc. So, my patience and I said ok! And we talked specifics about the leadership positions and their significance etc etc. We also talked about their future, drugs and what they could expect from the Marines/ANBP and their government. Over all it was a good day. I even got to spot a bad guy elder that I’ve been looking for since we first got here. Can’t say more about that so don’t ask. There was a lot of other info we got but………nope can’t get into that either. So what I can say is that we are going to have a shura again next week to establish the ‘Council of Elders’. I tell you it’s pretty cool talking to a bunch of men that are old enough to be my grandfather and fought the Russians when they were here in the 70/80’s. It’s a good feeling helping them out.
Ok so some other things that I’ve had to contend with. We were coming back from a patrol a few days ago, with the ANBP integrated with us, (ANBP: Afghan National Boarder Police…….think of them as illiterate children with automatic weapons and RPGs trying to help their country. They are a hybrid of police and army………..in reality they retards that are poorly trained and well armed.) I had to stop the patrol twice and tell one to carry his rifle correctly. He tried my patience (and believe it or not I have a ton of it) so we stood there until he was done throwing his temper tantrum and then he carried his weapon correctly. The second one I had to tell to keep his finger straight and off the trigger….we’ve had three accidental discharges and one of them shot himself a few weeks ago. This guy was 2 people behind me and I didn’t feel like being shot in the back or the ass by this idiot. The coolest thing about these guys is that their leadership believes in Corporal punishment and they enforce it….publicly! A few weeks ago 2 of these guys were caught smoking hashish on post and another threatened an interpreter. The following morning, during their formation, they got an old fashioned ass woopin! We don’t do that in the Marines. But they are NOT Marines. It’s how they do it. Oh I’ve seen stranger or worse things….Hey Adam it reminded me of the Fontana High Slap! I wish I had my camera!
It’s been hot the past couple of weeks. Supposed to be over 100 degrees today. Noting like going out on patrol before the sun comes up and having 60 pounds of gear on you just to accomplish the mission. On the way back we get to cross the Camel, sheep, human, etc feces infested stream that comes up to my crotch. The water is cool and refreshing to have on your body….it’s just the smell of Sh!t and urine!!$$ you have to get over. But we are able to take showers right away to wash off. I saw 3 fish swimming in the water yesterday. We had the Bn. Chaplain with us that day and he suggested we do some fishing………I’m out for the brown trout that are in that water, if you know what I mean!
So the poppy is starting to bloom around the villages. Beautiful flower really. It just makes the worst drugs in the world! Soon the bad guys will come to pay for the crops. Got a plan for them too. I’ll tell you about it because it’s really not a secret and we are telling everyone about it: Capture or kill them. My platoons new I/O campaign is: you either helps us because if we find out you know something and you don’t tell us then you are conspiring with the TB. And if you are conspiring with the TB we are going to detain you or kill you. In reality we are not going to kill them (unless they try to kill us) but the intimidation technique works. The first time we used it a local took us to 2 IEDs that were less than a ¼ mile from our base. Hey do what you have to do to keep Marines safe and get results. As long as we are not physically harming people. That’s war…….and this is a Counter Insurgency War. The hardest kind you can fight.
So my Marines found 1500 pounds of Marijuana seed last week. Yeah it sounds like a lot but another platoon found 5000 pounds last month. Gonna put the squeeze on the compound owner and see where it takes us. There were only women there when it was found. They tossed the seed in the river to dispose of it. We find drugs on people often. We destroy it by burning it or tossing it in the river. Found an Opium Den last week with 3 guys in it stoned out of their minds. They were so trashed they couldn’t talk! Idiots I tell you.
So many of you have commented on how beautiful the children are….and you are right. But the little thieving bastards need to get an old fashioned ass whooping from where I stand. I know I know they just are just products of their environment. Well they sure do behave when their elders are around. Funny how when Dad, Uncle, or Grandfather is around the become the most well behaved kids you’ve seen here. But when they are not around some of the boys are downright nasty and angry if you don’t give them something. They smack the crap out of each other like it is cool but we can’t do that. Although I’ve wanted to a few times. One went for my rifle once…….NOT COOL at all. I hate to but stroke a kid but I will. They love the candy we give them. The boys will steal it from the girls so I make sure they get some when the boys are not around. It’s crazy at times I tell you.
So nothing too exciting really since the last time I wrote. Found some IEDs…..blew them up. Just another day in the Stan. Oh shoot we had steaks for dinner a few nights ago! Holly Shit was it awesome! Even had cold sodas to go with it. Battalion came through for us that night. Even last night we had burgers and chicken…..like cooked on the bbq and all! This time we had buns, lettuce, tomato, little bit of onion and tapioca for dessert! Freaking fantastic! If I haven’t told you we eat the same crap for breakfast every day! Well I switch it up and eat oatmeal or cereal some days, especially if I’m on a day patrol. For dinner we have 2 of now 6 different meals. And they are all premade, just heat and serve. It is crap but when you are hungry you’ll eat anything. Some things I just cannot eat anymore. I just go hungry or have some Top Ramen. But finally we have a giant ice box to keep the drinks cold so I get a cold drink almost every night. I had Pepsi with my Apple Juice last night to celebrate St. Patty’s day (ask Mom if you are not tracking what I’m saying). Today is an Administrative day for me (I don’t have to patrol today) so I have other work to get done. My Marines are out on patrol though…they go out every day. They are the real heroes out here….not me. Toughest SOBs I’ve ever met. I’m safe because of them just so you know.
Ok well my fingers are tired. And really the past week hasn’t been too exciting. Never routine but not all ‘Hollywood’. And I’m good with that.
Hey when you get a chance pass this to others in the family or friends who care to write back. I’d like your feedback when I write. It’s good to know that you are understanding what I’m doing….why and how your tax dollars are paying for this war. And why we are here. Some people are just lost about us being here….and we have to remind the people. Remember….the enemy came and killed 2751 Americans in one day using Airplanes they hijacked with box cutters and plastic knives. All because of the American way of life. These are the same people we helped fight the Russians in the 70’s & 80’s. They were once our allies and we trained them on how to make the bombs they are using against us. Personally I think this all comes back to pork products. Hey if I couldn’t eat bacon or have some ribs I’d be pissed to! And if women had to be covered from head to toe I’d have issues! Just my two cents.
“Freedom isn’t free……………….”
Semper Fi,
ws
Debrief
This is a picture of me sitting in the ANBP’s tent debriefing the ANBP XO….theirs and ours have something in common….LOL> those of you who know what I’m talking about know what I mean.
Rambo
This is the ANBP with their mascot “Rambo”. He was named by the Marines. Yeah can you believe that? They have a freaking rooster as a mascot…….and it wakes me up every dagone morning! I’m not a morning person and I’m craving some Rosco’s Chicken and Waffles right about now!
ws
Monday, March 15, 2010
Hello from the Stan #3
I just wanted to drop a line and say hello to everyone. I hope to hear from all of you and if you haven’t heard from me well…….we’ve been a little busy out here. No details right now it will have to wait until I get home….but I will say that we’ve caught some bad guys and others well…….they won’t be bothering us anymore. Some of you I haven’t heard from so I’m wondering if you are safe? Let me know so I don’t have to worry about you and the 26 Marines under my command.
Peace and chicken grease!
ws
Peace and chicken grease!
ws
Hello from the Stan #2
Hey guys,
So I’m writing on another warm afternoon where my tent is now a sauna from 1000-1500. Today we actually had a nice breeze which helped a little bit. So this last week has kept me busy for the most part. I’ve had to deal with a bridge builder who keeps being threatened by a local TB bad guy, some elders who don’t want a center support built in the bridge because they think it will clog up the flow of water (but since we are paying for the construction they say we can do whatever we want….how nice of them), we’ve found a few more IED’s and had some great explosions (sorry if that freaks you out but we found them with metal detectors and not my LAV) and we started working with our ANBP brothers (Afghan National Border Patrol). Oh don’t worry only one of them has accidentally shot himself…….retard! (I’m NOT PC so if it offends you come to Afghanistan and I’ll show you around).
I hope all of you got to see the pictures I’ve been emailing home. I tried to send them to all of you but a lot of them got bounced back to me. So hit up some one on the above list and they can hook you up. Or I think Adam is putting them on the blog. Some pretty cool pictures…did I send the ones with the drugs??? I can’t remember but I’ll send some more soon. I got a few more from some of my Marines and they are much better than the ones I’ve taken.
So I’ve recently been mobbed by a group of kids ages 5-8. When we first got here they were very standoff-ish and wouldn’t come talk to us. Now the some of those little bastards can’t keep their hands out of my pockets and almost broke my camera. One even went for my rifle! Almost had to reverse my knife hand and put the smack down with my pimp hand (ask Martha about that she knows how I roll ;P love you honey!) So yeah they are not afraid of us…well the boys that is. The girls are still shy and keep back for the most part. -- Speaking of girls, or women for that matter, last week I was on patrol and we were looking for the elders of this village. A few days prior my Marines discovered a small weapons cache’ and I gave the elders a few days to turn in any other weapons they have stashed away (if not I told them I was going to come back and I was going to be very unhappy with them). Well the old guys were not there (hmmm…..) but there was an old woman that was willing to come out and talk to us (first time for everything). I have to tell you…….she did not age well. Talk about falling out of the ugly tree at a young age, hitting every branch on the way down, living to be over 90, no gums but lots of teeth, and too much sun her whole life. I’m not trying to be mean….it’s just easy. Now I know why the men were not there…..I’d leave too!
Ok I’m off that soap box. I wanted to thank all of you who are looking for kits, soil sampling kits, and plants that can survive in salty soil. It is hard to be trained to go into a country and kick ass then get here and have to shake babies and kiss hands all while looking for the enemy that blends in with the local population. Yes I did say shake babies….lol. No I don’t kiss any hands but it feels like I kiss a lot of A$$ when I talk to elders. They are some stubborn men I tell you. Now I know what my Mom has had to put up with for the past 32 years. Good thing I speak English because if she had to have a translator she might have straggled us both! Nothing better than having a translator who looks and you and says, “what?....what did you say?” or when you have to keep nudging him and say, “Hey Rock, what is he saying…..no Rock, in English man.” Yeah I know it’s like, “really?”. I just have to laugh at the things that happen. Some Marines just get frustrated and want to butt stroke someone (if you don’t know what that is then ask me). Me I just laugh…I have to or my stress would be off the hook right now. I tell you sometimes I just don’t believe my translator. I’ll sit and listen to this elder talk for a minute…..go time someone who talks for 60 seconds straight…it’s actually a long time. So I’ll ask my terp, “what did he say?” and I get, “He is happy to see you.” LOL…….so I say, “Rock please tell him it’s an honor to see him again” and Rock talks for 5 seconds! You just have to be here I tell you.
Ok well life is what it is here in the Stan. Every day is challenging….yeah every day is challenging. Thank you for all your warm prayers and thoughts for my Marines. We know you are thinking of us and praying for us.
As always please pass this on to other I know that are not on the list. Drop me a line when you get a chance. And ask around for pictures.
Semper Fi,
ws
So I’m writing on another warm afternoon where my tent is now a sauna from 1000-1500. Today we actually had a nice breeze which helped a little bit. So this last week has kept me busy for the most part. I’ve had to deal with a bridge builder who keeps being threatened by a local TB bad guy, some elders who don’t want a center support built in the bridge because they think it will clog up the flow of water (but since we are paying for the construction they say we can do whatever we want….how nice of them), we’ve found a few more IED’s and had some great explosions (sorry if that freaks you out but we found them with metal detectors and not my LAV) and we started working with our ANBP brothers (Afghan National Border Patrol). Oh don’t worry only one of them has accidentally shot himself…….retard! (I’m NOT PC so if it offends you come to Afghanistan and I’ll show you around).
I hope all of you got to see the pictures I’ve been emailing home. I tried to send them to all of you but a lot of them got bounced back to me. So hit up some one on the above list and they can hook you up. Or I think Adam is putting them on the blog. Some pretty cool pictures…did I send the ones with the drugs??? I can’t remember but I’ll send some more soon. I got a few more from some of my Marines and they are much better than the ones I’ve taken.
So I’ve recently been mobbed by a group of kids ages 5-8. When we first got here they were very standoff-ish and wouldn’t come talk to us. Now the some of those little bastards can’t keep their hands out of my pockets and almost broke my camera. One even went for my rifle! Almost had to reverse my knife hand and put the smack down with my pimp hand (ask Martha about that she knows how I roll ;P love you honey!) So yeah they are not afraid of us…well the boys that is. The girls are still shy and keep back for the most part. -- Speaking of girls, or women for that matter, last week I was on patrol and we were looking for the elders of this village. A few days prior my Marines discovered a small weapons cache’ and I gave the elders a few days to turn in any other weapons they have stashed away (if not I told them I was going to come back and I was going to be very unhappy with them). Well the old guys were not there (hmmm…..) but there was an old woman that was willing to come out and talk to us (first time for everything). I have to tell you…….she did not age well. Talk about falling out of the ugly tree at a young age, hitting every branch on the way down, living to be over 90, no gums but lots of teeth, and too much sun her whole life. I’m not trying to be mean….it’s just easy. Now I know why the men were not there…..I’d leave too!
Ok I’m off that soap box. I wanted to thank all of you who are looking for kits, soil sampling kits, and plants that can survive in salty soil. It is hard to be trained to go into a country and kick ass then get here and have to shake babies and kiss hands all while looking for the enemy that blends in with the local population. Yes I did say shake babies….lol. No I don’t kiss any hands but it feels like I kiss a lot of A$$ when I talk to elders. They are some stubborn men I tell you. Now I know what my Mom has had to put up with for the past 32 years. Good thing I speak English because if she had to have a translator she might have straggled us both! Nothing better than having a translator who looks and you and says, “what?....what did you say?” or when you have to keep nudging him and say, “Hey Rock, what is he saying…..no Rock, in English man.” Yeah I know it’s like, “really?”. I just have to laugh at the things that happen. Some Marines just get frustrated and want to butt stroke someone (if you don’t know what that is then ask me). Me I just laugh…I have to or my stress would be off the hook right now. I tell you sometimes I just don’t believe my translator. I’ll sit and listen to this elder talk for a minute…..go time someone who talks for 60 seconds straight…it’s actually a long time. So I’ll ask my terp, “what did he say?” and I get, “He is happy to see you.” LOL…….so I say, “Rock please tell him it’s an honor to see him again” and Rock talks for 5 seconds! You just have to be here I tell you.
Ok well life is what it is here in the Stan. Every day is challenging….yeah every day is challenging. Thank you for all your warm prayers and thoughts for my Marines. We know you are thinking of us and praying for us.
As always please pass this on to other I know that are not on the list. Drop me a line when you get a chance. And ask around for pictures.
Semper Fi,
ws
Another recent Wendell Message
So I’m attaching this for all of you to read. Since you are all helping with the agricultural aspects of what is going on and needed here I’m attaching this article that was passed to me by CAG (Civil Affairs Group). I’d like to try to reach this organization (Roots of Peace) and see if, since they work here in AFG, they would be able to make it to the COP and help. I’ll take help from anywhere and anyone…I’d like to talk to this Gary Kuhn if at all possible. We are coming upon the harvest season and the poppies are starting to bloom. A shame that such a beautiful flower makes such a terrible drug. But it is getting closer and closer to that time and that means things are going to be…….well I’ll just be honest…….. more dangerous here. When the poppy is ready the bad guys come out. When they come out we arrange meetings between them and Allah (if you know what I mean). But not to worry….we’ve been watching them.
Anyways…..the good thing is my Marines are making progress. Just this morning they found 1500 pounds of Marijuana seed and got rid of it. And no we didn’t burn it like we are supposed to (I mean really they want us to burn drugs……..who makes these stupid rules?) they dumped it into the canal.
Ok I’ve probably said too much.
Thank you for all your love, help and support,
ws
Anyways…..the good thing is my Marines are making progress. Just this morning they found 1500 pounds of Marijuana seed and got rid of it. And no we didn’t burn it like we are supposed to (I mean really they want us to burn drugs……..who makes these stupid rules?) they dumped it into the canal.
Ok I’ve probably said too much.
Thank you for all your love, help and support,
ws
Saw this and thought of you...
I know I will post the pictures you forwarded shortly...
In the meantime...
Monday, March 8, 2010
kites, soil kits and basic living skills
Hello all,
So I’m writing because I need some help. (don’t worry I’m good) We are trying to build relationships with the locals. If you didn’t know kite flying used to be a big thing out here in the Stan. But when the Taliban came into power they banned kite flying…. I know what a bunch of jerks huh? So I need help trying to find a company that will donate and ship kites to me out here. I can’t stay online too long and I just don’t have the time to dedicate looking and making phone calls…..forget about it. If I can’t call all of you I won’t waste my 10 min call a week on a company. So I hope some of you can look into this for me. Flying kites is kind of like the 4th of July and Baseball to the people. They used to have a big tournament in Kabul every year in the Fall. I’d like to have them out here and give them to the kids. For one they are so dirt poor they can’t afford to buy them. 2 the shops here (if you can call them shops) don’t sell them anymore. 3 it will be part of my I/O (Information Operations) campaign for the people. Flying kites will be like a symbol of flipping the bird to the Taliban! I know cool huh? I’m all about defiance! It’s one way to fight the War on Terror without firing a shot! I apologize to all those Marines who are reading this….I too would rather be shooting the bad guys instead of flying a kite but it’s all about winning hearts and minds out here. I can’t tell you how challenging it is to be creative in fighting a war that is driven by drugs.
I’m also hoping you can help me out with something else. I need to find a soil examination kit(s). The soil is so salty out here that when it rains the salt rises to the surface. I have pictures that look like we are walking on fresh snow fall but in reality it is the salt rising to the surface. I know crazy huh? I’m trying to find a way to help the local farmers with replacing their poppy fields with other crops……..they are NOT going to be able to grow poppy for much longer and I’m trying to find solutions to their problems because they won’t look for them without our help. It’s tough love over here with a bullet! I just hope we have more bullets than they do (we do trust me….if it’s one thing we have a lot of its ammo!) So cheap reusable soil kits…….if there is such a thing. Our computers block most websites so I can’t see a lot of things Google pops up. Damn Government blockers! And we are not the Army so we don’t have all these special groups…….and there is only one Agricultural Army unit in the country……and they don’t like to get into the Marines part of the sandbox.
One last thing: In the book “Three Cups of Tea” (toward the end) it talks about 5 basic things that can help improve the child mortality rate. I can’t remember what all five are and I need that info too. I know that the skills I’m talking about do not require professional medical aid. They are like: 1 proper hand washing and bathing, 2 clean water….etc. Can any of you who know what I’m talking about and/or have this type of knowledge look into it for me? We are going to host an information day (knowledge is power and 95% of the country is illiterate) and we are going to help the people decrease the infant mortality rate…..1 out of 5 children die before the age of 5 due to lacking these basic skills.
Ok all is well on our end……..well the Marines are good. The ANBP….one shot himself in the leg the other day. Not the smartest group I’ve worked with out here but at least he learned his lesson and no Marines were shot!
Thank you for all your love, support and help.
Semper Fi,
ws
So I’m writing because I need some help. (don’t worry I’m good) We are trying to build relationships with the locals. If you didn’t know kite flying used to be a big thing out here in the Stan. But when the Taliban came into power they banned kite flying…. I know what a bunch of jerks huh? So I need help trying to find a company that will donate and ship kites to me out here. I can’t stay online too long and I just don’t have the time to dedicate looking and making phone calls…..forget about it. If I can’t call all of you I won’t waste my 10 min call a week on a company. So I hope some of you can look into this for me. Flying kites is kind of like the 4th of July and Baseball to the people. They used to have a big tournament in Kabul every year in the Fall. I’d like to have them out here and give them to the kids. For one they are so dirt poor they can’t afford to buy them. 2 the shops here (if you can call them shops) don’t sell them anymore. 3 it will be part of my I/O (Information Operations) campaign for the people. Flying kites will be like a symbol of flipping the bird to the Taliban! I know cool huh? I’m all about defiance! It’s one way to fight the War on Terror without firing a shot! I apologize to all those Marines who are reading this….I too would rather be shooting the bad guys instead of flying a kite but it’s all about winning hearts and minds out here. I can’t tell you how challenging it is to be creative in fighting a war that is driven by drugs.
I’m also hoping you can help me out with something else. I need to find a soil examination kit(s). The soil is so salty out here that when it rains the salt rises to the surface. I have pictures that look like we are walking on fresh snow fall but in reality it is the salt rising to the surface. I know crazy huh? I’m trying to find a way to help the local farmers with replacing their poppy fields with other crops……..they are NOT going to be able to grow poppy for much longer and I’m trying to find solutions to their problems because they won’t look for them without our help. It’s tough love over here with a bullet! I just hope we have more bullets than they do (we do trust me….if it’s one thing we have a lot of its ammo!) So cheap reusable soil kits…….if there is such a thing. Our computers block most websites so I can’t see a lot of things Google pops up. Damn Government blockers! And we are not the Army so we don’t have all these special groups…….and there is only one Agricultural Army unit in the country……and they don’t like to get into the Marines part of the sandbox.
One last thing: In the book “Three Cups of Tea” (toward the end) it talks about 5 basic things that can help improve the child mortality rate. I can’t remember what all five are and I need that info too. I know that the skills I’m talking about do not require professional medical aid. They are like: 1 proper hand washing and bathing, 2 clean water….etc. Can any of you who know what I’m talking about and/or have this type of knowledge look into it for me? We are going to host an information day (knowledge is power and 95% of the country is illiterate) and we are going to help the people decrease the infant mortality rate…..1 out of 5 children die before the age of 5 due to lacking these basic skills.
Ok all is well on our end……..well the Marines are good. The ANBP….one shot himself in the leg the other day. Not the smartest group I’ve worked with out here but at least he learned his lesson and no Marines were shot!
Thank you for all your love, support and help.
Semper Fi,
ws
Monday, March 1, 2010
hello from the Stan.....
So hello to you all my Family and Friends,
So here I am back on line writing to you from a little place I like to call the A$$ end of the world. Ok so let me preface the rest of my email by saying that if you don’t have a good sense of humor then you might want to just delete this. Or if you can’t stomach what WAR is like you might want to pass on this one. I’m probably a little crazy or cynical right now but 4 months of fighting a Counter Insurgency War will do that to you especially if you’re an Infantry Platoon Commander leading some of the Bravest Marines you’ve ever met.
I can’t tell you exactly where I am right now but my Mom or Martha can and no I’m not in Marjah (but several of my friends are). I’m not at COP Payne, Camp Leatherneck or Khan Neshin Castle….I’m farther away from what we Americans would call ‘civilization’ (if there is such a thing in the Southern Helmand Provence). I slipped up and told them when I first got the chance to call them after being out of touch for almost a month. I’d been living in a mud-hut compound with my platoon, 2 doz. chickens and a whole lot of animal feces that after the first week I didn’t notice anymore. Oh yeah and the Afghan National Boarder Police who were attached to us but are more dangerous to live with than the Taliban. Not because they are ruthless fighters…no no no… It’s more because they are a bunch of whining men that (some) smoke hashish and all carry Ak-47’s or RPG (rocket propelled grenade launchers) and sometimes they accidently discharge (fire) their weapons because they only had 7 weeks of training and not 6 months like Marines. Don’t worry no one was hit or killed in either events but they did get their butts kicked by their ‘kid’ commander. Just another day in the ‘Stan’.
So a lot of things I’d like to tell you…….but I won’t or I can’t. The good stuff will have to wait until I get home. It was cold when I first got here. F__king cold if you want to know the truth. We had frost for a week because it was below freezing. Okay if you are living inside but living outside for a month….well it sucks. J But it was cool. LOL. Now it’s warming up and it’s been nice. But we’ve been getting sand storms every week and instead of a “white out” like you have with snow we have ‘brown outs’ with dust and sand. Yeah….it sucked but that’s just the weather. We now are living in a full COP (Combat Out Post) We have large tents, wooden $h!tters (we have bio waste bags), a chow hall (but it’s the same crap every other breakfast/dinner), 8 foot walls made of earth with a berm and razor wire around it….and sentry posts that are heavily armed. The enemy couldn’t over run us if he wanted to….don’t worry we are safe on the COP. We are just over a mile away from the villages. We have electricity, fuel, bottled water, etc….oh we even now have hot showers every other night! And the ANBP I mentioned earlier….well the good news is that we got rid of them a few weeks ago (they were a squad size 15). We got a company size last week (50 +) L. Really it is better to have them than not to have them. They are from this country and have a positive influence on the people. Besides they came with some real leadership this time not a 19 year old sergeant….who was only put into a leadership position because he could read Pashtu. (Pashtu is one of the native languages in the area….he was the only one who could read in his unit) NO joke! They have been in some real fire fights….and they say they are tough. My old Boy Scout Troop could kick their A$$ with sticks and stones if you ask me. J It’s going to be interesting I tell you. They look like a bunch of (how do I put this kindly???) retards that have a lot of man love for each other…..I guess you have to understand Afghan culture to know where I’m coming from but you get the idea. As long as they don’t seal from the Bazaar like the last group we should be ok….if not it is going to be a long 2.5 months.
So Afghanistan has a ‘drug culture’ like I’ve never seen before. And I’ve been around. I’ve confiscated enough raw Opium to make me a millionaire a few times over (because by Islamic/Afghan law ALL drugs are illegal in this country). Like I could be living in Beverly Hills and have all gold teeth! Well I don’t like gold so I’d have Platinum fronts. LOL>….anyways. They grow poppy (which is where heroin/morphine based drugs come from) like we grow corn. They have marijuana fields here like we have Christmas tree farms back home. Last week a platoon confiscated 3500 pounds of pot. 2 months ago our sister company confiscated 2200 pounds of unprocessed opium (that’s a street value of more than 500 million $$$). The province I’m in produced 4.8 BILLION dollars worth of Opium in 2007. And we’ve been in this country fighting the war for almost 10 years! I’ve learned a lot about what is really going on here vs. what we really need to do. I’m not into politics…..I use the F word far too often and my ‘Give a $h!t’ is broken. But don’t be discouraged by what I’m writing…we are doing the right thing by being here. And we are going about it the right way for the most part. If we don’t do it “this way” the next generation of Americans will be here again….my children and some of your grandchildren. If you want to know when and where American went wrong in this war you can start by watching “Charlie Wilsons War” because we messed it up in the end game. 90% of these people are illiterate. 1 out of 5 children die before their 5th birthday and it’s not because of the ‘bird or swine flu”. It’s because of malnutrition, dehydration and basic needs. I’ve never seen people so poor in my life. Kids will fight over a single piece of candy so we have to carry a lot. These people need schools, books and pencils. (Read 3 Cups of Tea…..that book prepared me for this fight more than any other book on the Commandants reading list)
These people don’t need MacDonald’s or Wal-Mart. They need wells dug so they can have fresh water. They need schools built so they can learn how to take care of themselves. They need to be shown what right looks like by their government which isn’t reaching down to this area of the country. The Taliban has forced these people to grow poppy and not allowed them to grow wheat to feed their families. It’s sad. We saved this little girls life when we first got here. Her father was ordered by the TB (Taliban) to pay them taxes or they were going to take her from him. So he gave us his compound to live in as long as we protected him. So we did and she is still alive and with her family. I have a few pictures I’ll send to you all later. Ok I’m rambling……sorry there has just been so much going on and I’ve not been able to tell most of you what going on.
So…..Know that my Marines and I are safe where our base is. Most of the people in the town/village are really warming up to us. They wave at us now when we go out on patrols. I’ve even seen a few women come out curiously looking at us and that NEVER happens. I’ve sat with several Elders and had Chai Tea and listened to their problems. I only got diarrhea once from the goat milk! LOL….sorry I had to share. But the conversation and the chai was worth it. My platoon and I are the Main Effort for our Company. That means we have the ‘big mission’. Yeah it sounds cool and all but the weight of the area we are in is on our shoulders. But it’s cool…..I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So I hope you are all doing well. Me I’m good! So are my Marines. We feel all your warm prayers and you should know that God is listening. The only incident we’ve had is Lcpl. Kim’s wisdom teeth coming in. And the Taliban had nothing to do with that! LOL. We appreciate all your packages….chow from home is lifting moral because the chow hall food sure isn’t! J Thank you for everything….it helps us feel that much closer to home.
Is it dangerous out here?………sure. But Freedom isn’t free. It’s paid with the blood of Patriots.
Hoorah and Semper Fi,
1st Lt. Wendell R. Simmons Jr.
2nd Platoon Commander, A Co.
4th LAR, USMC
Much love,
ws
PS: Please pass this to everyone I know. And when you get a chance please drop me a line.
So here I am back on line writing to you from a little place I like to call the A$$ end of the world. Ok so let me preface the rest of my email by saying that if you don’t have a good sense of humor then you might want to just delete this. Or if you can’t stomach what WAR is like you might want to pass on this one. I’m probably a little crazy or cynical right now but 4 months of fighting a Counter Insurgency War will do that to you especially if you’re an Infantry Platoon Commander leading some of the Bravest Marines you’ve ever met.
I can’t tell you exactly where I am right now but my Mom or Martha can and no I’m not in Marjah (but several of my friends are). I’m not at COP Payne, Camp Leatherneck or Khan Neshin Castle….I’m farther away from what we Americans would call ‘civilization’ (if there is such a thing in the Southern Helmand Provence). I slipped up and told them when I first got the chance to call them after being out of touch for almost a month. I’d been living in a mud-hut compound with my platoon, 2 doz. chickens and a whole lot of animal feces that after the first week I didn’t notice anymore. Oh yeah and the Afghan National Boarder Police who were attached to us but are more dangerous to live with than the Taliban. Not because they are ruthless fighters…no no no… It’s more because they are a bunch of whining men that (some) smoke hashish and all carry Ak-47’s or RPG (rocket propelled grenade launchers) and sometimes they accidently discharge (fire) their weapons because they only had 7 weeks of training and not 6 months like Marines. Don’t worry no one was hit or killed in either events but they did get their butts kicked by their ‘kid’ commander. Just another day in the ‘Stan’.
So a lot of things I’d like to tell you…….but I won’t or I can’t. The good stuff will have to wait until I get home. It was cold when I first got here. F__king cold if you want to know the truth. We had frost for a week because it was below freezing. Okay if you are living inside but living outside for a month….well it sucks. J But it was cool. LOL. Now it’s warming up and it’s been nice. But we’ve been getting sand storms every week and instead of a “white out” like you have with snow we have ‘brown outs’ with dust and sand. Yeah….it sucked but that’s just the weather. We now are living in a full COP (Combat Out Post) We have large tents, wooden $h!tters (we have bio waste bags), a chow hall (but it’s the same crap every other breakfast/dinner), 8 foot walls made of earth with a berm and razor wire around it….and sentry posts that are heavily armed. The enemy couldn’t over run us if he wanted to….don’t worry we are safe on the COP. We are just over a mile away from the villages. We have electricity, fuel, bottled water, etc….oh we even now have hot showers every other night! And the ANBP I mentioned earlier….well the good news is that we got rid of them a few weeks ago (they were a squad size 15). We got a company size last week (50 +) L. Really it is better to have them than not to have them. They are from this country and have a positive influence on the people. Besides they came with some real leadership this time not a 19 year old sergeant….who was only put into a leadership position because he could read Pashtu. (Pashtu is one of the native languages in the area….he was the only one who could read in his unit) NO joke! They have been in some real fire fights….and they say they are tough. My old Boy Scout Troop could kick their A$$ with sticks and stones if you ask me. J It’s going to be interesting I tell you. They look like a bunch of (how do I put this kindly???) retards that have a lot of man love for each other…..I guess you have to understand Afghan culture to know where I’m coming from but you get the idea. As long as they don’t seal from the Bazaar like the last group we should be ok….if not it is going to be a long 2.5 months.
So Afghanistan has a ‘drug culture’ like I’ve never seen before. And I’ve been around. I’ve confiscated enough raw Opium to make me a millionaire a few times over (because by Islamic/Afghan law ALL drugs are illegal in this country). Like I could be living in Beverly Hills and have all gold teeth! Well I don’t like gold so I’d have Platinum fronts. LOL>….anyways. They grow poppy (which is where heroin/morphine based drugs come from) like we grow corn. They have marijuana fields here like we have Christmas tree farms back home. Last week a platoon confiscated 3500 pounds of pot. 2 months ago our sister company confiscated 2200 pounds of unprocessed opium (that’s a street value of more than 500 million $$$). The province I’m in produced 4.8 BILLION dollars worth of Opium in 2007. And we’ve been in this country fighting the war for almost 10 years! I’ve learned a lot about what is really going on here vs. what we really need to do. I’m not into politics…..I use the F word far too often and my ‘Give a $h!t’ is broken. But don’t be discouraged by what I’m writing…we are doing the right thing by being here. And we are going about it the right way for the most part. If we don’t do it “this way” the next generation of Americans will be here again….my children and some of your grandchildren. If you want to know when and where American went wrong in this war you can start by watching “Charlie Wilsons War” because we messed it up in the end game. 90% of these people are illiterate. 1 out of 5 children die before their 5th birthday and it’s not because of the ‘bird or swine flu”. It’s because of malnutrition, dehydration and basic needs. I’ve never seen people so poor in my life. Kids will fight over a single piece of candy so we have to carry a lot. These people need schools, books and pencils. (Read 3 Cups of Tea…..that book prepared me for this fight more than any other book on the Commandants reading list)
These people don’t need MacDonald’s or Wal-Mart. They need wells dug so they can have fresh water. They need schools built so they can learn how to take care of themselves. They need to be shown what right looks like by their government which isn’t reaching down to this area of the country. The Taliban has forced these people to grow poppy and not allowed them to grow wheat to feed their families. It’s sad. We saved this little girls life when we first got here. Her father was ordered by the TB (Taliban) to pay them taxes or they were going to take her from him. So he gave us his compound to live in as long as we protected him. So we did and she is still alive and with her family. I have a few pictures I’ll send to you all later. Ok I’m rambling……sorry there has just been so much going on and I’ve not been able to tell most of you what going on.
So…..Know that my Marines and I are safe where our base is. Most of the people in the town/village are really warming up to us. They wave at us now when we go out on patrols. I’ve even seen a few women come out curiously looking at us and that NEVER happens. I’ve sat with several Elders and had Chai Tea and listened to their problems. I only got diarrhea once from the goat milk! LOL….sorry I had to share. But the conversation and the chai was worth it. My platoon and I are the Main Effort for our Company. That means we have the ‘big mission’. Yeah it sounds cool and all but the weight of the area we are in is on our shoulders. But it’s cool…..I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So I hope you are all doing well. Me I’m good! So are my Marines. We feel all your warm prayers and you should know that God is listening. The only incident we’ve had is Lcpl. Kim’s wisdom teeth coming in. And the Taliban had nothing to do with that! LOL. We appreciate all your packages….chow from home is lifting moral because the chow hall food sure isn’t! J Thank you for everything….it helps us feel that much closer to home.
Is it dangerous out here?………sure. But Freedom isn’t free. It’s paid with the blood of Patriots.
Hoorah and Semper Fi,
1st Lt. Wendell R. Simmons Jr.
2nd Platoon Commander, A Co.
4th LAR, USMC
Much love,
ws
PS: Please pass this to everyone I know. And when you get a chance please drop me a line.
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