Category Archives: Asymetric Warfare

Rule of Law, Part 2

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While I work to help stabilize Afghanistan, I come across many astonishing stories. Most of the time these stories evaporate into fables and nothing. However, this recent Rule of Law encounter has been captured. Follow the link to see the story. http://www.dvidshub.net/video/135899/rule-law

You won’t see, or hear me in the story…but that’s the point. I’m not the story. It’s the story of Afghans settling decades old problems. Turns out the old 25 year fight was actually a 51 year feud that was totally resolved just this week. The growth of the people and their willingness to unite is impossibly rare and wonderful. Enjoy the story.

Rule of Law, The Afghan Springer Show

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First, apologies for dropping off the blog for the past 2 months. I went on vacation and it’s taken a minute to get going again. Rest assured, there are plenty of things to discuss.

Rule of Law is one of the key aspects to “fixing” Afghanistan. When the Taliban dominated the country, they controlled the “courts.” As Taliban influence waned, the US and partner nations have sought to create a more traditional court system. I can’t speak intelligently on why “WE” decided to create a more western form of law in Afghanistan, but I can say, it’s not the correct approach.

I work in a remote district. It’s over an hour to the main provincial (think state) government center. The difference between the two places is about as extreme as possible. The villages, even the district center (think country govt) lack ANY essential services. There are no plumbing systems, no electricity, no garbage service…nothing. Yet, the people here survive; and dare I say? Thrive.

Like most farming folks, the people here like to be left alone. The people appreciate the Govt–Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan aka “GIRoA”–but they only want so much help. Rule of Law doesn’t fit into their needs.

So, how do rural locals settle disputes?

I just recently worked with a local governor as he negotiated the resolution of a 25 year dispute. Dispute doesn’t really describe what happened…feud is more appropriate. Each side had multiple murders, one family had 1300 fig trees destroyed. Decades of money in dispute. The feud was complicated enough that the Taliban failed to resolve the issue in nearly seven years of negotiations. Negotiations require buy-in from many parties…I could go on about this, but I doubt I can make it any clearer…

I’ll try…Group your family whackos…I’ll get mine…let’s mix in another family’s crazies..add guns and grudges…NOW get them all to agree on who they all trust to lead them through a binding negotiation. Did that help?

Finally, our district (county govt) governor is called upon to start the process of reconciliation. This BTW is MAJOR progress for the legitimacy of GIRoA. It means the people trust this man to handle this dispute. It might become national news (for Afghanistan) though you will never hear this story on any US network or .com site (except quesopaper.com). After weeks of massaging each side, pulling out their story, commitments (commitment to settle is vital in these things) and “evidence.”

An aside about evidence…in a society that is mostly verbal and illiterate, nearly anything written can become something that it is not…WTF are you talking about Pietro? What I mean is, give someone who can’t read a document. That paper is written in a foreign language, with foreign letters. Tell him its a deed to a piece of land…wait 35 years. Now, tell that man’s grandson that the land he’s been farming for 10 years; that his family has worked for generations, isn’t actually his.

Now he has nothing; he can’t provide for his family. Tell him, his paper is a receipt for a Persian rug, not a deed…explain that he owes the real land owner for the use of that property and revenues generated. Let me know how that goes…if you smell cordite it probably didn’t go to well.

Back to our story…The governor calls in Sharia/Islamic law experts and elders from both tribes and other community elders. Mix that group into a bunch of small rooms and start shifting groups from room to room…hours of discussions (which looks like arguing to me). Don’t forget, this thing hasn’t been settled before, it’s serious business, and here serious business is settled with an AK. At anytime the whole ordeal can melt into violence.

Success is fleeting. I have a gun, no fooling…I’m armed….

Have you noticed that I’ve not mentioned the county courthouse or lawyers and judges? Ya, no thanks, the proper way to handle this dispute is in a 10×12 mud walled room, no power, no running water, no cell phones…just a bunch of old men sitting on the floor.
Yes there are advocates and yes there are legal experts, but there’s no bench, or government intimidation…no confusing legal mumbo jumbo…it’s a law they all understand.

Then before I even comprehend what’s happened…it’s settled. I’ll have to explain the settlement when I better understand it…but the agreement is binding. It happened in front of my eyes and I never even saw it.

Dozens of finger prints (a man signs with a print instead of writing his name; remember these folks are mostly illiterate) the deal is done. The feud is done. The biggest thing to do now is feed the crowd, 60 plus people were involved. The elders hash out who owes what for the costs of the negotiation, nobody earns personal profit from working the settlement (lawyers you may shudder now).

It’s not how we define Rule of Law, but it works. If we as a coalition of forces can learn to accept this, Rule of Law might actually be a success in Afghanistan.

I need to post a picture…but it won’t make this any clearer…just a cool visual.

Did that make any sense?

Veteran’s Day

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Today is Veteran’s Day. I’m headed home on R&R. I’m not sure I’ll be able to dedicate the amount of time the blog requires.
If I get a chance to, I’ll write a “proper” blog…but just in case; here’s a poem about Veterans day.

From Ali Al’Salem in Kuwait…

An Ode of Thanks

It’s Veterans day
give a big cheer
slap ’em on the back
buy ’em a beer

Thank ’em for the work
and all the sacrafice
Thank ’em more than once
do it more than twice

Because they volunteered
there is no draft
more than keeping us safe
they also keep you aft.

They ignore the bullets
endure the bombs
suffer the heat
think of their moms

for it’s not just I
that bears the weight
family suffers too
please contemplate

I’m not home to do dishes
I miss all the shows
I can’t mediate
when the kids come to blows

Back at home smiling
living well and free
you’ve not forgotten
yellow ribbon round a tree

But what to do
to let Us know YOU care
don’t worry about me
recognize my family’s share

Thanks to the spouses
our kids give too
their sacrafice isn’t volunteered
It’s just part of what we do

So turn to Mom
hug the kids and say
thanks to you TOO
on Veteran’s day

Critical Path

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We wonder why after 10 years, we don’t have more results in Afghanistan…the Critical Path is a big part. 

There are 20+ countries with 20+ agendas in Afghanistan.  Everything we do is communicated through translators (who can’t agree on how to translate anything)….which is at best an 80% solution…done at 1/2 speed.  Mix in some of the most rugged terrain in the world…and two totally different cultures…and it’s a multi-decade proposition. 

Let’s talk for a minute about Army culture.  Army folks are proud…they have a can do attitude.  They take the unthinkable and break it down into achieveable goals; then get to work.  Army guys say…”How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.”  Success is a given.  This culture makes the Army a fantastic effort machine that accomplishes the impossible. 

Afghans on the other hand are a people with defined social roles that do not change. Women make the home. Men work their fields. Their past has denied them a future, so they live day to day.  Islam requires submission to God’s will….which means, Afghans doesn’t try to change the future. 

Afghanistan’s culture creates an incredibly tough problem for the Army.  Success isn’t hinged upon hard work.  The point is…it’s not the “path of least resistance;” it’s the critical path that matters.  The Army isn’t wired to take this path…One more thing…by the time a unit recognizes the critical path…it’s nearly time to go home. 

To take the critical path one has to know what to do given this….

Villagers are terrified that the Taliban are going to kill them if they accept our help…we can’t simply start helping and disregard this threat.  The Taliban are nearly invisible to us.  Yet, villagers interact daily with Taliban.  Afghans make decisions as a group.  They DO NOT make decisions without consulting their elders and the Taliban.  Trust is not easily given or earned.  They have no sense of planning like we do…when we say….

“We will build a school, but we have a number of proceedures that must be actioned before the commanders will approve any CERP funded projects.  Of course since we are here to serve you, your MOE must approve the project as well…These things are done for your benefit to reduce corruption and to promote a healthy reliance on your government.” 

Afghans think…Great, the Americans are going to build a school.  Just like the last unit said…and the one before that.  It doesn’t really matter because the Taliban killed the last teacher and burned down the school.  I’ll keep my kids safe in the mosque where the Taliban agree to let them study the Koran. 

The answer is, this isn’t a 10-year problem.  We’ve got to remember post civil war US reconstruction took decades (yes I know not officially)…maybe 100 years.  Germany,  Eastern Europe all places with huge advantages over Afghanistan took more than 10 years.  We’ve got a people who culturally aren’t meant to improve their lot….how do we change that?  Do we change that? 

Pakistan purposefully sends in operatives…NATIONAL operatives to undermine the effort to give the Afghan people a free country.  There are boundary disputes, a nation of illiterate people, few jobs…it’s a mess…

We can’t leave, we can’t stay….we can’t decide.  There has been significant progress…but this stuff isn’t easy.  It’s important, but not easy.

Somewhere out there is the critical path…and it’s not 10 years long.

Running To Contact

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Lots of email traffic about last week’s blog. Please post your thoughts in the comments. We love what you have to say.

I thought we’d cover danger in Afghanistan again by examining, “When Insurgents attack.”

A quick aside…over the years one develops a sense for explosions. Some are “ours”…outgoing mortars, rounds from a gun or controlled detonations. We learn the sounds of different weapon systems. A helicopter followed by a high pitched drone and several whooshes is an Apache firing it’s main gun and rockets. Whomp Whomp Whomp

 

 is an M60/M240. Ma duece says Bum Bum Bum. Artillery is LOUD and has a pointy sound when outgoing. Incoming is more spherical.

We also develop a sense of distance and direction for the booms…it’s all part of our survival mechanism. Another aspect is awareness of our surroundings. We constantly scan and consider what to do if we are attacked …where is the nearest bunker or where is the closest safest place?

This sounds frightening, but we all do this. Motorcycle riding is a good analog. When riding

 

 we have to be aware of spacing. Scanning for threats and escape routes saves a rider’s life.

The sound that puts me face first on the ground are mortars wobbling towards me. They make a unique sound that I can’t quite describe. Sort of of a frantic flutter…the closest sound I can come up with is the rattle of a door stop when accidentally brushed. Rockets and their vibrating engine sound are also unnerving. If you can hear them flying, they are too damned close…

 

~~The following tale is fictional for security reasons…however, it’s based on real events~~

Just the other day an interpreter, an associate and I were interviewing a local. As we discussed a variety of topics BOOM shatters our interview. My brain, a brain with years of combat time, comes up with “That’s too loud to be them…but doesn’t sound like us.” This brilliant statement was followed by a closer explosion, much closer, 50′ from our location. This burst launches a splash of pebbles on the window near us.
“We need to move to the middle of the building.”

 

Other than a lucky shot through a window, we’re safe from their rockets here.

The first explosion alerted soldiers…they drop whatever they are doing, scramble to grab gear, rack rounds and set up defense. The post is a safe haven in seconds.

I’m not on post.

Safe as Houses on Post

We’re squarely in “Indian Country” several hundred meters from the post and it’s safety. We call in our report, we’re safe…after the second explosion, several more ring out over the next 60 seconds. The air fills with gun fire from multiple directions. However, none of it is near us at the moment.

The commander, a good looking tall blond dude stands on top of his command center, hands on hips, not a drop of fear…leading by simply standing there.

As the firefight escalates, Afghan forces probe with bullets for Taliban fighters. Their shooting is reckless and ineffective.

Decision time, do we stay in our “bunker” or make a run across open ground to improve our security on post? While shots ring out, “Let’s get back to post.” No discussion, no hesitation, once one of us makes the call, we all move together. BTW—my dumb ass is wearing flip flops (its culturally appropriate) as we jog back toward post.

One big worry remains, I say “call it in…I don’t want to get shot by one of us.” (a Pat Tillman jersey hangs by my bed.)

Then we see something you can’t understand. It’s “Dave,” he’s sprinting out of the gate we’re headed towards;OFF post!!! Sprinting past us…no, he’s not there to help us…he’s doing what warriors do, “running to contact.”

But is it really dangerous…

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Chuck and his Boom Stick

I often am asked, “How dangerous is it?”

We know war from movies. Films depict a particularly tough battle or campaign. Though films are meant to be “real;” war is often boring. We don’t see the dull side of war because there’s nothing there. Hurt Locker is a great example. Sure, it’s gritty and intense, but not real. Yes, there are guys that defuse bombs…but…it’s not exciting, it’s boring.

Let’s say were on a combat patrol rolling through Baghdad…We encounter a guy that throws two RKG3s at us. RKG-3s suck…they penetrate armored vehicles. Once they’ve been deployed, they are HIGHLY unstable. Let’s say, one grenade explodes; we survive with little impact. The other is a “dud”–remember, HIGHLY unstable once thrown.

The mission executes a security halt. We call EOD (bomb squad) to help–we can’t have this thing blowing up innocent Iraqis. The EOD team stops playing X-Box, gears up and preps the required vehicles/team. About 4 vehicles and 12-20 troops roll out to “save” us.

All of this takes several hours to occur. Meanwhile, it’s about 130deg outside, we sit and sweat it out in our vehicles. (“Hurt Locker” nailed the heat.) Ultimately, the EOD team decides the bomb is too dangerous to move and decide to explode it in place. 60 minutes later there’s a large boom–ours–and off we go to continue our mission. Total delay 4-6 hours. Terrifying.

More danger….
On a regular basis mortars are lobbed at us, recoilless rifles launch rounds, RPG’s whiz by, but it’s considered harassing fire. Crazy right? We hear booms and bombs, it’s normal…Heck, many of the booms are the US shooting back. It’s not constant, not even daily in most places, a bomb goes off, we keep on working.

Many times the explosions by the Taliban or Al’Qaeda are more a statement than a means of killing people (though they do hurt and kill). These bombings are a means of saying, we’re hear, you can’t stop us; we’re not going to quit.

Maybe focusing on the boredom of day to day life, you’ll get an idea of how normal, normal really is…

Hundreds of flights occur daily, in a variety of environments using multiple types of aircraft. There are thousands of patrols each month. People and equipment moving tens of thousands of miles every day yet, casualties are not common.

Commanders worry about seat belts, safe driving practices and suicide as much as anything else. I don’t want to overstate the safety–there was a time when numerous daily gun battles was the norm, we’ve all got our “bad day” story; but death is the exception.

Say we met at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, you’d probably find me head down reading my Kindle as I walked from here to there. There are hundreds of service members passing one another on the street. Many of these people have bags from the mall where they buy, leather jackets, Dre Beats headphones, local food or an Ipad.

Maybe we’d agree to hang out at Salsa night for non-alcoholic drinks…or go to the “Green Bean” and drink gourmet coffee…ohhh I can smell the danger. Reading while walking and getting burned by your mocha, those are the dangers most of us face.
That doesn’t sound all that hazardous does it.

This isn’t to say that danger isn’t lurking. Unlike the US there are people actively hunting us all the time.

Before every mission, a squad leader discusses, among other things, the MDCOA (Most Deadly Course of Action). When was the last time you conducted a pre-vacation brief for the family and considered the enemy’s capability to kill you and your family? So there is danger, but of the 100,000 of us…nearly all are safer than many places in the US.

Iraq/A’stan 10 years Later

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Looks like Missouri, it's actually Iraq

This week I want to discuss what we’ve accomplished in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several articles here, here here here review the scorecard from the past 10 years.
We’ll skip the part where Congressman Stark flips the numbers twisting the argument in his favor…He’s wrong, but that happens…

It’s never easy to accept deaths and injuries…but we lose context when people throw around numbers about deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan…the Battle of Saipan reminds us that lives count, but context remains. In terms of the history of war, the “War on Terror” has been the “safest” armed conflict in modern times—for our troops.

We can shake our fists at presidents and their decisions. However, after 9/11 about 85% of us approved of President Bush. We soured over the years, either forgetting or disagreeing with his decisions…BUT, The Bush doctrine, like it or not, has merit and I think it works.

President Bush laid out the complexity of the conflicts…leading us to stay the course. How many of us could tackle the problems that crashed across his desk? We had a foe we didn’t understand, couldn’t talk to and wouldn’t line up and fight us. Still, we picked the fight…we chose the desert where we are essentially invincible {Take a moment and consider how remarkable this is—our previous war was in Iraq and we annihilated our foe}and I’ll be damned, those loons accepted.

Today, Al’Qaeda is a non-factor in terms of world security (Pete’s opinion). No matter how its sliced; we won. Numerous terror plots have been foiled…and we are all safer because of it.

We (US and Iraq) won despite efforts by other Arab countries to foil Iraq’s progress (If you click any link…this is the one to read…You’ve not read it…but it’s real). These countries directly worked to undermine the security and stability of Iraq…and failed.
In less than 10 years, Iraq has held a number of UN monitored free elections. They are on their own. Each month gaining in capability and wealth. When in history has something like this happened? It’s not just remarkable…it’s unprecedented. This is IRAQ!!! and it’s free. Iraqis love it they love us!…and honestly, we should be more proud. I don’t think another country would have the guts or even the capability of establishing a independent Iraq.

We can discuss money spent. Yes, there are mountains of wasted dollars when we fight. However, we have the best army; that’s expensive. We in effect export “free” security to everyone. Europe is glad Germany spends 1.5% GDP on military. (consequently? Netherlands, Denmark and Poland all commit about the same). Yet, in terms of GDP we only spend 5-6% on military—that’s about 10th in the world. So let’s not get too crazy about money spent on the military when there are trillions been wasted at home too…again context.

Afghanistan is harder, their country is substantially more rugged—this matters in dozens of ways. They’ve been staggered by nearly 50 years of war. Education will take at least a generation to fix…ONCE it’s standard for everyone—and it’s not at the moment. Outside of the cities, there are no fire departments, water treatment facilities or any number of things we consider essential services. There’s billions of dollars of resources available in Afghanistan, but it’ll take more than 10 years to get Afghanistan up on it’s feet. Should we stay? Should we go? I’m out of words in this blog…but don’t let the others fool you. Iraq is a success; a historic success. Afghanistan is/was and always will be harder…

What do they Need?

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Janis nailed it…”Freedom’s just another word for nothing
left to lose.” (Kristofferson and Foster) Crazy as this world gets, those
nine words explain quite a bit.

Americans and our coalition of forces attempt to
“help” Afghans. We want to give them, “something” to lose.
But? What the heck is an Afghan? What do they want? What do they not want? 10
years later, do we even know?

Indulge me while I inject some confusion into our clarity
regarding Afghans. This is a paraphrased version of a Benedictine
Grima tale from her field work. If one desires knowledge about AfPak, particularly the
female’s role, Ms Grima is THE source.

The tale….Two men travel to village 1. While there, they
commit robbery and murder. These crimes are detected by local police. The
police debate their response, and decide to chase the perpetrators.

They enter the criminal’s village (village 2) where locals set
upon the police and kill them. These villagers for whatever reason don’t
appreciate nor require police involvement in their affairs. Villages 1 and 2
are content to solve crimes of any type within their own system of justice. In
response to the police incursion, village 2 blocks outside access to the road
preventing further police/outsider interference.

Up the road a bit, the next village (village 3) hears of this
incident. The road blockage makes them fighting mad. A village 2 v. village 3
mini-war occurs; people die. Why? Village 3 needs that road to survive or,
shoot–some other reason. We don’t and honestly; we can’t know.

The point isn’t “should we” or “shouldn’t we” be here; that’s a
different blog…Fact is we are here.

So let’s do this…Let me take you to a village. You comment
below on how we are going to help….maybe we’ll all learn something.

On the approach to the village we see a few hundred goats and herders.
(When was the last time you saw a herder?) Wild dogs bark our arrival, but
never approach us. We have to walk, just like locals; there are no cars or even
horse drawn carts. There isn’t a cell signal and there hasn’t been one for
miles in any direction. GPS? eh….even satellite navigation is not reliable.

Supplies move on foot. The men and kids seem dirty but not
filthy. There is no electricity or running water. The buildings are all made of
mud bricks and mud stucco. The ground is the same color as the buildings. We
see donkeys, chickens, but no females. Even if we do see a female, she’s
treated as if she’s invisible. Yet, female empowerment is considered critical
to success.

The goats, chickens and orchards tell us these are farming
people. There are no flags that indicate any sort of government building or allegiance.
A pond in the middle of the village isn’t likely potable.
The men wear a loose fitting pantsuit type garment, sandals and a vest. Nobody
wears glasses (or contacts) but always a head covering of some sort.

We’re told the kids don’t go to school. The last teacher was
killed by the Taliban more than 8 years ago. A local leans in and says,
“The Taliban left town as soon as the dogs started barking. You just
missed them.” The closest “city” is three hours away by car. The
information highway is 2,000 years ahead.

What the Heck Do You Do?

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I’ve been asked a number of times since the start of the blog; what do you do?

Here is what I do and how it applies to the greater missions in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
I study the people. Mainly the I examine the local populace and I attempt to determine where they are within a spectrum. That spectrum is more of a scatter chart than a left or right bearing, but for the purposes of this blog, left and right suffice.

So let’s use the left as lovers of all things we like. They are pro-govt, they are pro US involvement. These folks require nothing special for them to like us. 

The population residing on the right end–these are the Mountain Dew drinkers within the populace, they are extremists. They do not like us, or their governement. It does not matter why.  No amount of talking will move these people off of their position. There usually aren’t many extremeists, but they do have the greatest impact on “our” mission.

Please understand, the people on the extremist side are just people in terms of how I operate.  I’m not making any value judgements (though it’d be warranted, but we’re not discussing that for now).  Frankly, since I can’t change those guys….and since the military is already focused on them, I ignore them for the most part. 

I working the middle of the crowd.  If i can “give” the commander access to influence the rest of the population–obviously in a way that we think is positive–I consider that success.
This is tricky delicate work that requires quite a bit of experience, dedication, intuition and a mix of skills that isn’t common amongst military folks. 

Frustratingly, within my field, people disagree on how to approach these problems.  Do we study the impact of human trafficking?  Or find ways to get people to beleive in their own government?  Do we study crop rotations and the advantage of water management programs?  Or do we not only train but legitimize the police within the community’s well of influence. Then somone says…it’s all robots.  (BTW, I didn’t make that up…robots).

As a nation we spend billions on aid.  We spent hundreds of million in Haiti before their quake…and yet…it sucked then and sucks now…My job hopefully, is to help increase our bang for the buck.

The Army and State Dept (and other players) have programs and aid systems designed to create a favorable growth environment for crappy places.  Afghanistan is one of those places.  If the program is say?  Free chickens to farmers…don’t you want the farmers to know about and see value in the program?  So do I…you’d be amazed at what doesn’t happen.  I go out and say….”what programs are available to farmers to help you?”

We’d like to hear…”Oh, I talked to the mayor…he told me about several programs that are perfect for me.”  Sadly, usualy the response is…”We hate the mayor, we want the US to take over the country.  We know you guys will do the right things.” 

Ugh, smack face…close notebook…get back on patrol.

On Patrol

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We’re going on a foot patrol…

Get up! It’s 2am, start planneeeerrrr*STOP* Say that again. 2!!! am. When did you last get up at 2am to do ANYTHING besides pee?  And we’re just getting started. 

Why 2am?  The early bird catches the Taliban?  Ultimately, it’s because we have to reckon with how long will it take to get 50 dudes, Afghans and Americans over a MOUNTAIN, no shit, a mountain. 

Is it always 2am?  No.  Sometimes it’s during the worst heat of the day.  We’d also walk in a dry riverbed.  Why, it’s “safer”–safer is code for “so hard nobody else wants to do it.”  Sometimes, like this patrol, safer means walking OVER a montain instead of around.  I think you get the idea.  

What do we wear?   

Uniform, long pants, long sleeves, gloves, knee pads, helmet, body armor (approx. 25lbs).  As soon as you put on your armor your shoulders hurt, back complains, rubbed raw sides light up and you start to sweat.  Are you a SAW gunner?  That’s about 30lbs of weapon, plus your ammo. 

Boots?  Not only boots, but the correct ones.  This terrain is hazardous and chews up soft boots (the comfortable ones).  We’re walking on loose rocks on a tiny trail lit only by moonlight (remeber it’s 2am).  You WILL roll your ankles; you WILL have to save yourself from falling more than a few times.  Someone, you hope not you, will let out a “whew” and enjoy a shot of terror when their leg surprises them and holds (remember you weigh over 300lbs with all the gear).  You look down a 1000′ and walk on…

You carry your own water, a Camelbak, bottles, whatever.  If you run dry–I’ll get back to this–there is a troop that carries a 5 gal bladder for refillls.  Don’t chug your water, you’ll want to puke the next 45 mins while you huff and puff up the trail. 

Breakfast?  That’s easy, you don’t want any.  Sure you need calories and you eat a little something…but the “hump” up the hill makes breakfast a mistake.  Instead, you nibble on protein/energy bars.  Regardless, heartburn, farts and burps are a constant on patrol.

While we climb you are gonna swear you need to stop, your heart is racing…but you can’t.  If you stop everyone suffers or worse.  No talking..and for sure no lights of any kind.  It’s a lonely affair.

Why would you run dry of water?  We’re on a mission, it’s not a hike.  We’ll cover six miles, several hundred feet of elevation changes, over rocky technical trails at about 5000′ altitude.  Even descending is hazardous and draining.  It’s going to be cold in the morning before sunrise; but you’ll still sweat.  The temp will hit 100+ by the time we get back.  IF, we get back on schedule.  If we run across a bomb, something that looks like a bomb or anything weird happens, we’ll address that “thing” until complete.  Complete can take hours.  So bring lots of water.  BTW water is heavy.

When you climb mountains and patrol 6 miles EVERYTHING is heavy.  My notebook 4×7 takes on a weight 3x it’s own.  It moves from hand to hand, this pocket…under my arm.  It gets covered in sweat no matter where you put it. 

Oh, and the Taliban wants to kill you.