Battlefield Tourist

So we head off toward another objective. First, we need to meet another band of AMF. This group comes from Kandahar. There's a big rejoicing-style meeting in the middle of the desert where all these warlords, governors and some marines have a "get-to-know ya" type of thing. As Bullard describes it, "Now we all go off campaigning."
The Jurga decides on a village where information has been given there's a probable Taliban presence. We mount back up and head of toward Oruzgan. The ride, like all of them, is bumpy beyond the true meaning of the word. And like all others, it's long. Thank god for a helmet because I kept dozing off only to be awoken by my head smacking the side of the hummvee.
We finally make it to the next target. A small town that is very pretty from my vantage point. The whole area is a bleak desert, then the terrain drops down drastically into a deep hollow that's as green as Virginia. In there is the village. Unfortunately a few minutes later, we realize that "B" Company has already been through here. So we all meet again, decide on another village, and head that way in our now huge procession.
When we get to where we're, it's a set of homes with mulberry orchards in the middle of the homes. It's under these trees we'd spend the next several hours.
The Governor isn't feeling well and has decided to sleep. So do all of his men. Everywhere are the sleeping AMF: Under trees, under trucks, in the open. All sleeping the day away.
Meanwhile, the marines are working intelligence tips and go off to nab a couple of suspects. The marines in the other assault forces are not recovering much of anything other than a small cache at the beginning of the operation. The men found with that cache are now in U.S. custody. As is a young man who was throwing rocks at the marines and when caught, was found in the vicinity of an AK-47. You've been PUC'd! The Marines also nab 4 other men, two of whom turn out to be rather known Taliban in this area.
So the day is spent interrogating these guys. All of whom appear to be mixing up their stories as to why 15 rockets were found beneath his living room floor. The kid throwing the rocks turns out to be the town special kid, by all accounts, and is separated from the rest.
In the end, for reasons I'm not sure of, all of the suspects were released. I didn't realize it until we got to the kids town. There, we all got out and the kid (I say kid, but he was 19 going on 14) is led out and told to sit. Everyone is gathered around and the governor starts giving him a lecture. The kid has several fun responses that gets the crowd rolling. Of course the Americans can only be amused the AMF is all amused. The kids restraints are cut and he gets up. The governor hands him the equivalent of about $6 and the kid walks off. The whole way he is stopping every few steps, turning and saying things that makes all the Afghans laugh. It was pretty amusing. I tried to equate the scene to one that would happen in the states. Take away the guns, and it's a scene I've seen before.
So by now I fully realize what's going on. The four men with the rockets were "vouched for" by the governor. Two were in the wrong place at the wrong time and two were brothers and admitted Taliban, a third brother escaped. They struck a deal with the governor to bring in their brother by Sunday with the promise they wouldn't be beaten, tortured or killed.
It was described to me as how the governor prefers to handle the militants. Since the Marines are scheduled to leave sometime in July, it's the governor that has to deal with the vacuum left behind in the wake of the marines' departure. His belief is that integration is the key. The area is to deeply rooted by conservative customs, that it would not be possible to "de-Taliban" the area. That's the way many of these people are and have been. This is the home of Mullah Omar.
So Jan Mohammed is trying to win "the hearts and minds" of his own people, even those that have problems with violence. In his mind, he's talked to these men, given and received words of honor and it goes from there. Anything that goes wrong and the AMF knows where he lives. If he runs, he spends his life on the run which makes his life expectancy drop dramatically. Interesting theory in pacification. I may venture back down here toward the elections in September. We'll see how that idea pans out.
So in one day, all eight objectives are secured and no one is officially PUC'd. The command element decides not to stay in the field and we head back to FOB Ripely. On the way we stop at a natural hot spring. Surprised me too. One of the springs had a mud building around it, the other was open and surrounded by people washing themselves and clothes in it.
I've learned, anytime we stop, get out and check it out. It's usually for a reason. So I make my way to the front of the column and there's Colonel Kahn taking his boots off. He wades into the spring and dives in. I thought it was funny. I think the crowd had a mixed, but relatively good, reaction.
From there the governor got into the act and put soap onto the Colonel's back and scrubbed away. Now the Colonel had a bath and laundry done. It was somme good spontaneous fun and something you don't see from your everyday battalion commander. He has a good way about of him; an old Corps style with a new Corps feel.
We make it back to FOB Ripely just after sundown. Captain Bullard calls in our request and we head to the gate. Turner doesn't notice the band of concertina wire in the way, and we plow into a roll and get tangled. A few minutes later, we're untangled and rolling through the gate. Five minutes after that there's a call on the radio that a "convoy almost ran over my man at the gate and didn't even bother to stop". These are fellow Marines. Ouch.