In The Korengal...

He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself.
~~~~~Thomas Paine



Just watch this to see what 'Our Guys' are doing while in Afghanistan...





God bless and keep them ALL safe.



And so it goes......

Will They Remember...

And even if you were in some prison, the walls of which let none of the sounds of the world come to your senses - would you not then still have your childhood, that precious, kingly possession, that treasure-house of memories?
~~~~~Rainer Maria Rilke

Sgt. 1st Class Kris Alvey of Goose Creek, South Carolina, 1-178th Field Artillery Battalion, South Carolina Army National Guard plays with Afghan children outside a school in southern Kabul, Afghanistan. Photo by Capt. Chris G. Neeley, Public Affairs Officer

We can only hope and pray that the interactions of all 'Our Guys' with the children of Afghanistan will leave a lasting memory, and perhaps bring a smile to their faces when they think of them. It might be enough to make the good outweigh the bad.

As long as there's breath in the body, there's hope.



And so it goes......

Living Vicariously...

I think that travel comes from some deep urge to see the world, like the urge that brings up a worm in an Irish bog to see the moon when it is full.
~~~~~Lord Dunsany



Y'all remember when I invited you to travel along with a couple of Air Force Tech Sgt's who were touring all the regions of Afghanistan, don't you? Originally planned as a 30 day trip but due to travel travails finished with Day 35+. I hope you enjoyed seeing the whole of Afghanistan and her people as much as I did.

Now I've got another story I want you to tag along with me on. Yes, I do like living vicariously through those fortunate enough to travel and write while on the by-ways, highways and dirt paths of Afghanistan. The traveling reporter; Anna Badkhen's daily posts can be found on the web page; Foreign Policy. What? Surprised that I read the way smarter than me thinkers blogs? Don't be. I try to keep up with those things. Not that I always agree with everything that some of their contributors have to say, because I don't. I've found 'tis better to be well informed by many than to be prejudiced by the thoughts of just one or two.

But I digress...

In a series titled: The Crossing - You will find the following postings from the beginning of her trip from Kabul to Mazar-e-Sharif. On the web page, the list is chronicled with the latest first. Since I like to start at the beginning and work my way to the present, I've listed them in that way. I hope you take the time to read Mrs. Badkhens' words. I think she has the gift of painting word pictures for her readers that few have. Not only do her words build a beautiful picture of her environment, but her thought process as well. She tells it well.

April 12 - A Journey Through North Afghanistan

April 13 - Afghanistan's Multiple Personalities

April 14 - Digging Out In Afghanistan's Forgotten Village

April 16 - "Who Needs A Playground When The Children Are Dying?"

April 17- "In My Father's House They Gathered All The Women Into One Room."

April 18 - The Muezzien of the Blue Mosque

April 19 - Earthquakes and Other Disturbances

April 21 - Ruins and Reunions

April 22 - Helpless To Help In Afghanistan's Local Government

April 23 - How Do Afghans Relax?

April 24 - Afghanistan's Boys In Blue


While there might be a few who may think that she is painting a negative picture of what's going on in Afghanistan, I've heard that "perception equals (or) is reality". Your perception will not align with my perception. Doesn't mean that you are wrong, or that I am. They're just different. Isn't that what makes the world go round?

Whatever the case, I know that I'm looking forward to the next installment of her series. All this traveling around the world and not one suitcase to pack then unpack. Sweet, isn't it?


And so it goes......

A Day In The Life Of...

If your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.
~~~~~Henry J. Kaiser


I've watched this video more than a few times over the last couple of weeks. The thought crossed my mind that I should share it with the few readers of this little bit of spit. My daily rounds of the blog-o-sphere is getting curtailed as my daily chore list becomes longer and longer. Most days there just isn't enough time to do all that I want or need to get done before duties at the paycheck place start. Ahh well... If nothing else I've learned from life so far is that those chores certainly aren't going anywhere. They'll be there when I return or when I have more time.





Oh, just in case someone clicks on the Team Archangel blog over on the right sidebar... they're no longer posting. Haven't been for some time now. Why? Who knows... Could be a case of the higher pay grades putting a 'cease and desist' order out or it could be because the blogger no longer had the time due to the more important duties that arise from being in a War against Terror.



And so it goes......

Tax Day...

If, from the more wretched parts of the old world, we look at those which are in an advanced stage of improvement, we still find the greedy hand of government thrusting itself into every corner and crevice of industry, and grasping the spoil of the multitude. Invention is continually exercised, to furnish new pretenses for revenues and taxation. It watches prosperity as its prey and permits none to escape without tribute.
~~~~~Thomas Paine





And so it goes......

The Complexity Of Afghanistan...

I tell you everything that is really nothing, and nothing of what is everything, do not be fooled by what I am saying. Please listen carefully and try to hear what I am not saying.
~~~~~Charles C. Finn


Doing the morning routine of clicking through all the news briefs and emails that hit the inbox overnight, I found this 'official' brief to be quite interesting. I have to agree with those who think Afghanistan is complex. But I also think that our actions there can be simplified. Really quite simple when it comes down to it...all we really need to do is put ourselves in their shoes.

Then again, that's just me. I've never been one to question others 'ulterior motives', or ponder for hours looking for hidden meanings in peoples actions. Which is probably why there have been too many times I've had a huge neon "Sucker/Gullible" sign on my forehead. Heh... the truth will always come out in the end.

Just so y'all can get some idea of what our military leaders are thinking, read what they had to say below.

Officials Explain Afghanistan's Complexity

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2010 - The hurdles to be overcome in Afghanistan are no simple matter, the director of communications for NATO and U.S. forces there told reporters traveling with Navy Adm. Mike Mullen when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited earlier this month.

"Afghanistan is a complicated place," Navy Rear Adm. Greg Smith said.

Smith and others working in Kabul spoke of the complex "human terrain" of Afghanistan and the challenges facing the coalition as forces work to provide security and to train Afghans to take over responsibility for the mission.

Knowing the players and how they relate to each other is tremendously important, Smith said. The family is the center of life in the nation, he explained -- not the nuclear family of Western thought, but the extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins twice-removed, and so on.

Families form the basis of the country's tribal culture. Tribal leaders are the law-givers and judges in most rural parts of the country, the admiral said. Each town has tribal elders who work together to run the area. The concept goes back to an earlier time, and these traditional ties are important to the very traditional population.

In many parts of the country, it is a world lit only by fire. Scenes of village life seem unchanged from biblical times. Afghanistan has an agrarian economy, with little evidence of progress in planting, fertilizing and irrigation techniques. On the surface, it's as if 2,000 years just didn't happen. Blood feuds can last through generations. In winter, the animals live in the homes with the families. The literacy rate is about 28 percent for men and 5 percent for women.

A bazaar with men slaughtering lambs on one side of the street will have a stall selling cell phones on the other. Straight down the middle of the street travels a motorcycle with three young men on it. The people want schools and medical facilities and roads – and they want them now.

And the way to do it, Smith said, is through building on traditional Afghan methods. Shuras are the way the people get their concerns aired and discussed and acted upon. The shura is like a New England town meeting, where all can come and speak. The leaders of the local shuras then move to district meetings, and so on up the line

"This is how governance is done in southern Afghanistan," said Frank Ruggiero, the top U.S. civilian official in that region.

No constitution governs how shuras are composed or when they must be held. A shura can be truly representative of an area, Ruggiero explained, or it can be manipulated by warlords, elders or tribal leaders. "The more [people] you include, the more likely there will be a body addressing the complaints of the people," he said.

But the traditional process has problems, he said. In some parts of the country, 30-plus years of war has obliterated the traditional ways of doing things and the people who could implement them. In others, certain tribes have taken over the process and frozen out people from other tribes.

Generally, Ruggiero said, the areas with workable shura systems had good contacts with the provincial and national government. Other areas, he added, "are the areas susceptible to Taliban intimidation and rule."

Shuras are the way forward, Ruggiero said, and security is necessary for the system to work. "The tribes on the fence want security, access to justice and economic activity," he explained. "If you provide those things, the tribes on the fence will be less supportive of the Taliban."

Officials throughout southern Afghanistan referred to a "thirst for security" in the region. If the national and provincial government can't or won't provide it, a senior military official said, speaking on background, the people will turn to the Taliban. "If it's a choice between a brutal warlord or a corrupt official or a police chief that's shaking them down or the Taliban," he explained, they'll opt for the Taliban, because they can deal with the Taliban."

That's because the Taliban are overwhelmingly local, he explained. "Three quarters of Taliban fight within just a couple of miles from their homes," he said.

The problem, officials said, comes down to a lack of government capacity to provide services. The population is disenfranchised, and the lack of good governance contributes to this problem. Local, provincial and national government has only spotty success in establishing the rule of law and justice and in delivering basic services. If the government cannot do this, officials said, various power brokers will step in and fill the vacuum.

Given that security is necessary for progress, training the Afghan security forces is a priority for coalition forces. Police have a terrible reputation in Afghanistan; officials in Kabul and Kandahar said the police were "taken off the street, given a badge and told to police the area," an official said. The pay was not enough to support a family, so the local police turned to extortion to make up the difference.

In Marja, the site of the latest offensive against the insurgents, the people insisted that the government get the corrupt local police out of the area as one of the preconditions for allowing operations to take place.

Operations in Marja, and now in Kandahar, are conducted by Afghan Civil Order Police – a national force based on the Italian Carabiniere model -- and the people trust them. The training effort in Afghanistan also is addressing the shortfalls in the police, and officers now must be trained before walking the beat. In addition, the police now have pay parity with the Afghan army.

~~~~~

There are lots of good things going on in Afghanistan. There are also many screw ups happening as well. Perhaps it is as they say... it's complex. But after almost 9 years of 'Our Guys' being there, you would think there would be one hellava lot more progress, wouldn't you?



And so it goes......

Promises Of 'True' Friendship...

Yes'm, old friends is always best, 'less you can catch a new one that's fit to make an old one out of.
~~~~~Sarah Orne Jewett



Gotta love my friends when they send me stuff like this...

Friendship ~ None of that Sissy S***

Are you tired of those sissy 'friendship' poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?

Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.

You will see no cute little smiley faces on this ~ Just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.


1. When you are sad ~ I will help you get drunk and plot revenge against the sorry bastard who made you sad.

2. When you are blue ~ I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3. When you smile ~ I will know you are thinking of something that I would probably want to be involved in.

4. When you are scared ~ I will rag on you about it every chance I get until you're NOT.

5. When you are worried ~ I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.

6. When you are confused ~ I will try to use only little words.

7. When you are sick ~ Stay the hell away from me until you are well again.. I don't want whatever you have.

8. When you fall ~ I will laugh at your clumsy ass, but I'll help you up.

9. This is my oath .... I pledge it to the end. 'Why?' you ask ~ because you are my friend.
Friendship is like peeing in your pants, everyone can see it, but only you can feel the true warmth.

Send this to 10 of your closest friends (including the one who sent it to you)…

Then get depressed because you can only think of 5 OR 6.

~~~~~

This is for all my "true" friends (and they know who they are) out there that I don't get to see on a daily basis. Yet, I know without a doubt they would answer my 3am phone call.



And so it goes......

Quote Of The Year...

A picture, it is said, is worth a thousand words, but cannot a few well-spoken words convey as many pictures?
~~~~~Author Unknown


Can you tell that I have a penchant for adding quotes to this little bit of spit at the beginning of my posts? Sometimes quotes are snippets of wisdom, other times quotes are sarcastic and many times they hit the nail on the head of what many people are thinking yet reluctant to speak out loud. Read the above quote and ask yourself if it doesn't go hand in hand with the words below...

The General is a quick thinker..

President Obama was having that one, lone brief conversation this year with General McChrystal about Afghanistan .

Things were obviously not going the way the General had hoped. Obama could sense this, and told him, "I bet when I die, you'll piss on my grave."

To which General McChrystal answers, "No sir, I've always said that when I get out of the Army, I'll never again wait in another line."

Supposedly, General McChrystal made this remark in 2009 after having his first 'in country" conversation with the President. You remember the President had waffled on making his decision of what to do with American troops in Afghanistan months after General McChrystal had sent his assessment back to the States, don't you? Anyways... Who knows if this is true? Does anyone care?

So, I ask you... Does not that quote conjure up a mental picture after reading that? Yep, me too!! The line starts where?



And so it goes......

Broken Hearted...

Sometimes I wish I were a little kid again, skinned knees are easier to fix than broken hearts.
~~~~~Author Unknown


This coming Friday, April 9th, marks the start of the 5th Annual Mil-blog Conference in Arlington, VA. I attended the conference last year and had a blast. This year? Nope, won't be there. The cost of essential car repairs kept me from laying out the money that I needed to attend the blogger bash. As with all of life's little disappointments, it's something I'll get over. There is one consolation though, You Served will have live video feed of all the happenings at the conference, so while I can't be there in body, I can attend virtually. Sweet, huh?


After having to face the fact of my mil-blog conference non-attendance, I made plans to attend the SEAL of HONOR book signing here locally the following month of May. I was so excited! I was able to connect with a few fellow military supporters for a meet-up to make the trek to Loveland, Ohio to attend. I'm always amazed who you can connect with on Facebook. But...late last night, I received a email with the news that this event had to be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.

As you can imagine, this sad news has once again left me with a broken heart.

I'm hopeful that they will reschedule the book signing for SEAL of HONOR. Maybe one day soon, I'll get to meet a few of my Heroes. It was even rumored that Marcus Luttrell, author of 'Lone Survivor' would be in attendance. *sigh* Who could pass up a chance to meet Marcus?!? Especially after having read his book. Certainly not me...just gotta keep my fingers crossed that all the stars will align correctly and one of lifes' greatest opportunity will come to pass.



And so it goes......

BIG Wet Ones...

Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.
~~~~~Nolan Bushnell


As it's been said...Necessity is mother of invention. I thought it apropos after reading the following story featured in Army Times.

How cool that someone took a problem, pondered a solution, and executed a plan to remedy that need! Ingenuity at it's best, now to be tested in our space program. Pretty cool, eh? Oh wait, you might want to read the story I'm rambling on about...

Big towelettes used in war zone are space-bound

By Dirk Lammers - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Apr 4, 2010 15:06:32 EDT

TEA, S.D. — Oversized moist towelettes that have been helping overseas soldiers freshen up in battlefields devoid of showers are about to embark on a more celestial mission.

A shipment of specially compressed and dehydrated Klenz towels is scheduled to hitch a ride aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on Monday for use by U.S. astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

NASA found the South Dakota company while searching the Internet for U.S. hygiene towels similar to what the Russians were sending up to their cosmonauts, said Jessica Fichuk, a NASA project manager.

Astronauts can rip open the foil packages, pour four ounces of water onto the 2-foot-by-3-foot cloths and be ready to clean up within seconds.

“Just like when you are camping, these are what you use when you don’t have access to a shower,” Fichuk said.

The idea for the “Klenz XXL Shower in a Towel” came to Hartford native Troy Edberg in 1993 while he was a Marine on patrol in Somalia, where soldiers were struggling to find any available baby wipes to keep clean.

“We’d be out for 10 days without a shower,” Edberg said. “We’d have like a wet wipe or something, a little one.”

Edberg figured it’d make more sense to have one big towel instead of having to burn through 80 smaller ones, but he didn’t pursue the idea until 2004 when he pitched it to Vince McCormick, owner of the Hartford health and fitness center where he worked out.

McCormick loved the idea, but it took nearly four years to bring the product to the market. [...]

What's even better is that they've been given to the USO to include in their care packages. That's one of the things I've heard and read over the last few years of sending those little boxes of love to 'Our Guys' out on the front lines..."send wet ones, baby wipes, or moist toweletts as some of our soldiers don't have access to showers while out in the field."

Now you can send them a shower in a pouch! Be sure to do the clicky click thing on the title link to find out how you can order some of these big wet ones to include in your own box of love from home. Heck, it might be a good idea to keep a few packs of them for yourself. Ya never know what the future holds for us here on the home front.

Kudos to Troy Edberg, the Marine who found a solution to the need of personal hygiene after being down in the dirt.



And so it goes......

Fitting Finish...

On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer.
~~~~~Douglas Horton


'Tis been a wonderful Easter Day. The song on the video is a fitting end as the sun slowly sinks below the horizon. With all the things that cause us concern, isn't it wonderful to know that Jesus is always there for us?





Loved the photo montage that was used in the making of this video, didn't you? God's blessings and protection upon all our men and women serving.



And so it goes......

HE Carried The Cross...

Once more to new creation Awake,
and death gainsay,
For death is swallowed up of life,
And Christ is risen today!
~George Newell Lovejoy

Thank God in Heaven...HE AROSE!