Whats your perspective on whats happening to the Brits in Hellman ?
Sorry I wasnt being very clear there .
Whats your perspective on the every day number of British body bags going home to England ?
Does it interfere with your pleasure at getting American fast food at the embassy or what ever?
I’m a Brit and Im proud that our guys are doing their bit out there but your telling me what you eat!
Thats why you guys lost Vietnam and we won Malaya
With conscript troops.
One question, have you and Fitzhume made it to the road to Dushanbe?
Omni, not so far. I have been able to get out a little for work, and I will admit I’m rereading the Flashman books and saying “oh yeah, this is what he was talking about.” I’d quite like to see the site of Piper’s Fort if I can.
Lust4Life, if I haven’t made myself clear I’m sorry. I’m not military but I work alongside them. We all have tough jobs here, but they have to decide to use deadly force and be a walking target and get paid far less than I do.
I think what’s happening to the Brits in Helmand province is atrocious. I think the 15 year old kid that got hung from a tree after being beaten to death there yesterday is also atrocious. (Apparently the insurgents were pissed he had an American 5 dollar bill in his pocket, so therefore must have been helping the Americans.)
I don’t want anyone to go home in a body bag, and I’m doing what I can to minimize that. I understand why you’re upset, so am I.
I merely thought people might find what I’m doing interesting and, quite frankly, I need to share a bit. I had intended to keep this as factual and upbeat as I can, if that’s not possible, then I’ll request the Mods close this thread.
This really isn’t very nice, you know. Start a Pit thread if you are so mad. He was asked directly what he ate.
False God, please don’t listen to people like him. I think this thread is pretty interesting, and thank you for answering.
I’m also glad you started this thread.
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What do you usually wear? Bulletproof jacket?
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Have you made any genuine friendships with Afghans?
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What’s the funniest Afghan joke you’ve ever heard?
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What’s your funniest story about your work there?
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What gives you the most hope for the future there?
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What do you think of President Hamid Karzai?
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Is the Afghan government corruption pretty bad?
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How far out of Kabul are you able to get in your work?
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What are your thoughts on the poppy/heroin situation?
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Any tensions between the Dept. of State and DoD civilians?
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Do you usually go around armed, or with a guard(s)?
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Had any dealings with Blackwater or other private security companies?
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Any relics of the Soviet occupation around?
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Did you know that Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s future companion, was wounded in Afghanistan while serving in Her Majesty’s Army?
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Did you read The Kite Runner, and if so, what did you think?
Thank you for your service to our country, and here’s hoping that all you do will end up helping the Afghan people, too. God knows they’ve gotten pretty badly knocked around by history.
Stay safe and be well.
I’ve really got nothing that hasn’t been asked here, I just wanted to wish you the best of luck. Be safe! sends good karma
Much good luck.
Much wear your Kevlar™.
Be well.
Come home safe.
I asked specifically about food and such, so perhaps you should direct your ire towards me. Yes, terrible things are happening throughout the world, but in this thread I was more interested in False_God’s experiences in a distant part of the world. I appreciate this thread and thank False_God for answering my pointless questions.
Which are the best Gay bars in Kabul?
Just kidding - I always ask when someone lives in some remote area…
Quite seriously, WAY back when, before the Russians decided to visit, Afghanistan was always a place I wanted to visit. I met a guy at work in Berlin from Kabul and he told me wonderful stories about places to visit when I go there. He made it sound like a country full of artists and musicians, with quaint coffee houses where you could listen to great music and go to local restaurants and eat nice, hot, spicy foods. I so regret not going with him when he went home for a few weeks and invited me to go along.
So I guess my question is, do those cafes still exist, and how is the local food these days?
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What do you usually wear? Bulletproof jacket?
– An Arrow dress shirt, tie if I have to, black Dockers. -
Have you made any genuine friendships with Afghans?
– I think so but it’s hard to tell. So much conflict has made them wary of trusting anyone, let alone Americans. -
What’s the funniest Afghan joke you’ve ever heard?
– A man walks into a bar. The Taliban said the bar is against Islam and beat him with it. That’s the joke. -
What’s your funniest story about your work there?
– That I show up every day even though I know what I must do. -
What gives you the most hope for the future there?
– The people. They’re resilient and survivors. -
What do you think of President Hamid Karzai?
– Good man absolutely f*cked by circumstances. -
Is the Afghan government corruption pretty bad?
– Yes. -
How far out of Kabul are you able to get in your work?
– Not at all so far. -
What are your thoughts on the poppy/heroin situation?
– I wish they would plant California poppies instead. -
Any tensions between the Dept. of State and DoD civilians?
– I get along with most folks. Tense assholes don’t last long here. Grace is the key. -
Do you usually go around armed, or with a guard(s)?
–I wield a mean fountain pen. -
Had any dealings with Blackwater or other private security companies?
–Yep. -
Any relics of the Soviet occupation around?
–Lots of blond children with Slavic features, some weapons and Zil taxis. -
Did you know that Dr. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s future companion, was wounded in Afghanistan while serving in Her Majesty’s Army?
–Yep, and he used the same model revolver I saw a terrible copy of the other day in the market. -
Did you read The Kite Runner, and if so, what did you think?
I haven’t read the Kite Runner but I can see why they chose that as a theme. Kites are everywhere, and I love to see them. They’re symbols of freedom and hope.
*Thank you for your service to our country, and here’s hoping that all you do will end up helping the Afghan people, too. God knows they’ve gotten pretty badly knocked around by history.
–Much obliged.
Thanks for your answers. You’re too $^%*& concise, though! Please tell us (a lot) more about Afghan corruption, and your dealings with Blackwater or other private security companies. And anything else you want to talk about. Thanks again!
Better writers than I have done volumes on Afghan corruption, I recognize my limitations. Corruption suffuses everything that goes on here, it goes beyond propinas in Latin America and baksheesh in the Arab world. This is baksheesh with bells on, a plethora of propinas. Here’s one example: Diplomatic cars have CD (corps diplomatique) plates. Some diplomatic cars were getting stopped and the drivers shaken down for not carrying regular plates as well. So they got them regular plates, which in Kabul no-one has. Then the drivers, of diolomatic cars, mind you, started getting arrested and fined because the regular plates were fakes, or at least the police said they were.
I’d rather not talk about private security firms. Read David Drake’s Hammers Slammers series if you’d like an idea, it at least is humourous in spots.
Cafes and restaurants still exist, there are still coffee houses and there are even internet cafes. Artists and musicians abound, but the food is spiced rather than spicy. I’ve seen some chiles, though. The food I’ve had in private houses has been wonderful, and the local music okay.
What do the American troops think of the job Canadians are doing over there? Is the Canadian military well respected or not so much?
The Canadians are very well respected by the other Coalition forces. Most everyone gets along, which is rare in a joint command, combined forces environment. I have a good friend in the Canadian military who I met here.
False_God Believe it or not, I’m a little jealous. I was Peace Corps in Mauritania for 27 months, and took the FSE when I came back to Champaign, IL. I must not have done well enough. Did I have to take that in three different languages? I forget. I seem to remember taking it in English, French and Arabic.
[ol]
[li]Did I remember the FSE correctly? It’s been a cough few years.[/li][li]Do you have Diplomatic Immunity?[/li][li]Are you attached to an Embassy, or do we even have one in Afghanistan (I apologize for my ignorance)?[/li][li]Is you job more one of planning, or one of execution? Meaning, are you a big-picture guy, or an operations type?[/li][/ol]
Thanks for opening this thread!
-Cem
–Foreign Service Exam has changed immensely over the years. You take it on a computer now. I did a thread about it a few months back, do a search on my username and it should come up.
–I have Diplomatic Immunity and hope tp Ghod I never have to use it.
–We have an extremely large Embassy and Mission to Afghanistan. We’re committed to working here for a long time.
–Planning and execution both. I’m really lucky in that I can say “wouldn’t it be neat if…” and then turn around and get funding. Mostly I stay in policy and reporting, but do a few projects as well.
Sorry mate ,I kicked off there,its just Iread your post after watching flag draped come home .
Its not your fault and I apologise .
No worries, mate. I don’t like the casualties any more than you do. We lost two of ours the other day and I had to write the letter for one of them.
Thanks to everyone who has responded to this thread and posted questions, we lost satellite internet for like a week and the Dope is blocked in my office, but I’m back now and will try to answer questions.
[b[dangermom** I assume by RAWA you’re referring to the role of women in Afghanistan, at least that’s what we use the acronym to refer to. Women have it really tough here to say the least but it is getting better. I met a guy the other day who is a booster for a girls’soccer team. They play in burqas and they’re harrassed for playing a man’s game but he’s building a program. That would never have existed under Taliban rule; the girls and their coach would have been stoned.