I guess I owe it to myself to write a post about Afghanistan.
I really don't know what to say. I guess I could say that I served there, that I served alongside a NATO nation and they did a great job. I guess I could compare it to other deployments, like the deployment to Iraq (at the beginning of the Iraqi war in 2003-2004), I think I am just going to let it roll as it will...
From January 2009 to December 2009 I was in Afghanistan. Fighting to keep America safe (people laugh at that statement, but how long would it take before we see an IED on AMERICAN soil if we left Afghanistan/Iraq RIGHT now? Ask yourself that).
Who am I? You might be asking yourself.
I am a US Army Signal Officer, which means that I work to manage, install, and maintain the communication assets that the NATO force that I mentor has been allocated. In this instance, the NATO force that I mentored was the Polish Army. That isn't correct, it was the Polish Navy, Army, and Air units contributing to create one joint force (they were full spectrum operators).
Sounds glamorous doesn't it?
As the Chief of NATO J6 for my province, I worked with many nationalities from many places, to include Croatia, Romania, Britain, Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, and Canada (there are more, but this does seem to be the main force that I had worked with). I actually have a joke about this...
What did the American, the Pole, the Brit, the Afghan, and the Croat say to each other?
NOTHIN!
(you can laugh at that, it is okay, seriously, I'll earmuff myself, let it out)
Afghanistan is a dangerous as shit place. Iraq was scary, especially at the beginning of the war, but Afghanistan is no joke. The people are nice, but you don't know which one is the bad guy. The Afghan National Army guys are top-notch, I cannot say enough about them, but as people have said in many publications, the Afghan National Police are as crooked as Nixon (not all, most are amazing men that I will call friend any day, but they do have their crooked few).
Human life means VERY little to the Taliban. People in America had heard about this, and it is true. For example, when a Coalition Force performs effective artillery or any mass destruction (but focused) attack, the Taliban will kill villagers and throw them into the debris.
It is all about what is seen, not what happened. If the bodies are there after the fact, then they died because of the incident, that is all the people know.
Afghanistan is an informational operations and media war. Killing baddies will get you so far, but winning over the hearts and minds of the children, women, and the young, impressionable Afghan males is what is going to win this thing in the long run.
I am not an expert. Let me put that out there. I am just a guy who saw many changes during my tour, and I can honestly say I have seen some work, and some horribly fail. Right now, we are on the right track in Afghanistan.
But we don't choose the right track like we are building a house and have a work schedule.
The people choose the right track. Based on their approval and their responses to our assistance will our actions be seen as right or wrong. The Afghan people are in charge.
That is what they need to understand. The AFGHANS are in charge. They can end this entire war, they just need to own up to the fact that they have the choice to be against the Taliban; and fight for their fucking families, for the love of GOD, fight for their families, for their way of life, for their culture!
Could you imagine if the Taliban were in America? Don't you think that every blue-collared, honest American would go out and fight/kill to keep his/her family safe.
I do not believe that we would hide for safety.
We are Americans, we would fight for safety.
Many nations think that we are thick headed due to that method of thought. But dammit, the saying is true, the best defense is a great offense.
We are learning every day out there in Afghanistan. For 10+ years we learned how to fight the cold war, and now we are learning to fight this media war of insurgency and fear.
We will win if the American people will give us the time.
We will win.