Battlefield Tourist

June 28, 0400

Captain Dent woke me out of one of those sleeps that I imagine I would have if I were anticipating center ice tickets to a Game 7, Detroit/Boston for the Cup.
In other words: It was rather restless in anticipation of what we are about to do.
It didn't help much either because the 155's were firing off illumination rounds twice a night. This happens to be the biggest gun in Afghanistan, and it scares the hell out of you when it goes off in the middle of the night.
Everyone here at FOB Ripely is a little jumpy. I got back to the FOB two days ago, two days after getting bumped from the flight at Kandahar. I was professionally relieved to know that the operation was not the combat action everyone has been anticipating.
They did get two mid-level Taliban PUCs and some small weapons caches. They are also putting a big STOP in the middle of any Taliban activity in the area. In fact, the Army is to the east and is seeing quite a bit of action in Zabol Province. Lately there have been a number of Afghan troops killed there plus reports of larger groups of Taliban in one area.
It could be a coincidence, or it could be that, as previously suggested, the Taliban-led fighters are being grouped up and are feeling the need top start fighting back.
That has been the situation since the begining.
This is a good to to clarify something to the world. Something very important that I learned this last month: There is A LOT of Taliban down here.
I am learning that there there is no way we will ever rid this area of Taliban. With that said, I believe there is a fine line between Taliban and the general male population. What I 'm seeing is that this type of life is the social norm. We are never going to change this country's culture because we want to.
The Taliban is simply an extreme form of a culture that is male dominated. The difference now and then in southern Afghanistan's Pashtun area, is that the interpretation of Islamic Law is now back within the family unit versus being enforced from the extreme right by military and governmental rule.
This, to me, is a good thing. This is as far as we can take back a culture without damaging things socially. This seems to be the extent that the people are willing to accept.
It took until 1920 or something for the United States to allow women to vote. You can't expect a near-mideviel culture to be able to do it just 30 months after liberation.
Ok, with that lengthy explanation, I want to seperate the average Joe Afghan from the militants. Non-militants are "Afghans". Not "afghanis". That's money. The militants, which include mercenaries, Al Queda, fundamentalists, fellow tribesman from Pakistan, or whatever, they are now refered to as "Anti Coaltion Militia" or ACM's.
To I flew back into Ripely by helicopter on the 26th and had to wait a few days for the new op, codenamed "Thunderball", would start. During this time I read a lot in Master Sergeant Ageans tent (the only Agens in the Marine Corps!). It's my second home. It's quite a bit bigger and less morbidly hot and smelly than the Public Affairs tent.
That tent is my "office of record". My "house" is over the curve in the desert to a small two man pup tent graciously supplied by the USMC. It's on of hundreds lined in a row on the desert floor. All taking a barrage of sand on multipule occasions everyday.
The FOB is coming along well. It's 4 square miles with a 3 mile perimeter of wire and Hesco walls. Now this guy is getting rich. The Hesco wall is a line of individual bastions made up of heavy wire and some sort of heavy fiber wall. They stand around five feet and seem to make a 6'x6' square, which is then filled with dirt and stone. Very efficient and in mass use instead of sandbags.
The Marines and elements of the 265th ADA unit out of the West Palm Beach, Florida area, are building away. The airstrip with small rudiment tower is up. Building are replacing tents, the perimeter barrier defences are almost complete. The Jordanians should be here any day, and they're compound is nearly complete. Most importantly, the Army is working to get the Provincial Reconstruction Team up and functioning. The PRT will be the hub of the much needed aid effort n Orzagun Province. This base will also try to provide the security needed for these folks to regain their senses.
Back at the PAO tent (Public Affairs), it's about 9'x9', and is stuffy because it is home base to 6 hard workinng Marines: Captain Dent, Gunny Milks, Sgt. Preston, Corporals Alvarez and Sturckey, and fiinally the low man of great sense, LCpl Poague. A name is also synonmous for the grunt term meaning "lazy Marine with easy job".
Since there weren't showering facilities until recently (and even now too rudiment for most, like me, dare to use), everything is a bit ripe. Socks are hung in here mixed with ripe marines and a couple of journalists, and you understand why Top Ageans' tent was the place to be while waiting. And we we do.
Finally there is Carmella, only the fourth and last to visit the Marines during this deployment. From Australia, she says she's a documentary maker, so look out for it. I have no idea what it's about, and neither does she. She says she just goes out and lets the story fall together. We'll see. She has spent at least a week out here in hell, so I imagine her film will be a bit about the Marines.
So, everytime one of the big guns goes off, Carmella starts talking to the base. "Is there a Marine out? Is there a Marine out there?" "It's outgoing Ma'am" would finally chime out from one of the dozens of anomyous tents. "What's outgoing?" she replied. Uhhh... OUT - GOING. Huhh.. huhh....huhhh
Up until a few hours before I spent a few hours talking to the Battalion Landing Team commanding officer, Lt. Col. Asan Khan. I've introduced him before, so look back a few weeks.
In that time I agreed with him that going out with him and the Govorner, Jan Mohammed, would be a better deal than with Bravo. Bravo was supposed to be going by chopper. The colonel told me everyone was going by truck, so I switched over to the colonels unit for the operation.
In the morning more than hundreds of Marines and Afghan Miltia Forces would start a three day operation, sweeping through eight objective areas over a huge expanse of one of Afghanistan's most rigid environments. Most of it in southeastern Orzagun.