Today was one of my days I had to attend a meeting at ISAF. Nothing out of the ordinary, except it was raining. It wasn't coming down in more than a mist when I loaded into our shuttle, but by the time we completed our short trip, it was drizzling pretty heavily. Lucky me, I forgot my rain protection. Always com prepared right? I guess the Boy Scout in me failed.
Good meeting, I like being recognized as THE representative from USFOR-A. Makes me feel like someone really important. Speaking of someone important, after messages from friends and family, I have not changed my mind about accepting the nomination to the ISAF commander's aide de camp position. It's just not me.
I decided I wanted to eat lunch at Camp Eggers since the foreign food at ISAF doesn't seem to agree with me usually, and started on my short walk down the Green Zone main thoroughfare. I've learned over the last week that you don't need to travel between camps wearing your body armor or helmet, which will make for a much more enjoyable saunter down the street. However, I was told you do need to bring your weapon. (File that one under "duh") I never go anywhere without at least my M-9 pistol.
While walking down the street, a woman in the ubiquitous blue burqa, who looked VERY pregnant approached me speaking to me in Dari. I turned and looked away and walked to the other side of the street. I'm pretty ashamed of that actually, but it caught me so off guard that a veiled woman was making contact with me like this, and apparently pregnant to boot. I really didn't know what to make of it and was horrified that if I interacted with her I might be offending the locals. I justified my actions to myself that she could have been a suicide bomber with a "belly bomb" so it was best I stay clear. Whatever helps me sleep at night I suppose.
A few hundred feed down I ran into Bashir, and an idea popped into my head. You may remember that I wrote about this young boy a few weeks ago. I told Bashir that I would pay him if he would be my "body guard" while walking down to my destination. For the sum of $50 Afghani (about a dollar), he chased away all the other kids who were trying to sell me beads, scarfs, bracelets, etc., and seemed genuinely happy to have entered into the business agreement with me. On my way back, he saw me from down the street and immediately ran to my side as my escort back to ISAF and my shuttle pick-up point. I told him that I would look for him from now on every time I walk between camps. I'd like to see this hardworking kid in twenty years and how far he gets in life.
After grabbing my body armor and helmet, I stood out in the drizzle for nearly an hour waiting for our shuttle ride back. I and a couple other Soldiers noticed a dog who had jumped up on top of the concrete barriers and was walking along the length of them. We thought this was odd until we saw the small pack of other dogs across the other side of the streets lurking in some shrubs. We then realized that this dog was trying to protect itself from an attack and had gone to the highest ground it could find. The Soldiers and I watched as the other dogs began to form an attack plan and flank the target on either side while the big one approached. We decided that intervening was a good thing so as not to have a fight in the street. I took my helmet and banged it against the barrier several times loudly enough to startle the other dogs. Their target was still afraid and shaking, but found his out and ran into a corridor the others didn't follow.
Over the past few weeks I've probably come across as pretty liberal or at the very least, progressive, although I do have a very conservative side as well. I believe, among other things, in the right and ability of someone to protect themselves from real threats. That includes the right to bear arms. Within the law, every person should have the right to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm that they did not bring upon themselves. This is not to say that everyone has the right to an automatic weapon or some other type of weaponry that can cause extreme bodily injury.
As a member of the U.S. Military, I carry an automatic weapon for use in warfare against sworn enemies of the U.S., and I'm authorized to do so by the Geneva Conventions Treaty and the theater use of force guidelines. This does not authorize any two bit yokel the right to carry a destructive weapon for their own personal amusement. The right to bear arms was written into the U.S. Constitution to accommodate hunters and the right to protect your life and property. Your rights do not extend to weapons that have the ability to cause catastrophic damage. In warfare, we use the terms "escalation of force" and "conservation of force" which basically mean that we should use the minimum force necessary to accomplish our mission and neutralize a target. And to all of those who believe that weapons breed violence, I work with thousands of people every day who carry weapons on their person, and I personally have yet to come across one who has resorted to violence just because they are packing. Like I have said before, extreme views never solve anything. The answer to most problems lays in a compromise somewhere in the middle ground.
More to follow.
Good meeting, I like being recognized as THE representative from USFOR-A. Makes me feel like someone really important. Speaking of someone important, after messages from friends and family, I have not changed my mind about accepting the nomination to the ISAF commander's aide de camp position. It's just not me.
I decided I wanted to eat lunch at Camp Eggers since the foreign food at ISAF doesn't seem to agree with me usually, and started on my short walk down the Green Zone main thoroughfare. I've learned over the last week that you don't need to travel between camps wearing your body armor or helmet, which will make for a much more enjoyable saunter down the street. However, I was told you do need to bring your weapon. (File that one under "duh") I never go anywhere without at least my M-9 pistol.
While walking down the street, a woman in the ubiquitous blue burqa, who looked VERY pregnant approached me speaking to me in Dari. I turned and looked away and walked to the other side of the street. I'm pretty ashamed of that actually, but it caught me so off guard that a veiled woman was making contact with me like this, and apparently pregnant to boot. I really didn't know what to make of it and was horrified that if I interacted with her I might be offending the locals. I justified my actions to myself that she could have been a suicide bomber with a "belly bomb" so it was best I stay clear. Whatever helps me sleep at night I suppose.
A few hundred feed down I ran into Bashir, and an idea popped into my head. You may remember that I wrote about this young boy a few weeks ago. I told Bashir that I would pay him if he would be my "body guard" while walking down to my destination. For the sum of $50 Afghani (about a dollar), he chased away all the other kids who were trying to sell me beads, scarfs, bracelets, etc., and seemed genuinely happy to have entered into the business agreement with me. On my way back, he saw me from down the street and immediately ran to my side as my escort back to ISAF and my shuttle pick-up point. I told him that I would look for him from now on every time I walk between camps. I'd like to see this hardworking kid in twenty years and how far he gets in life.
After grabbing my body armor and helmet, I stood out in the drizzle for nearly an hour waiting for our shuttle ride back. I and a couple other Soldiers noticed a dog who had jumped up on top of the concrete barriers and was walking along the length of them. We thought this was odd until we saw the small pack of other dogs across the other side of the streets lurking in some shrubs. We then realized that this dog was trying to protect itself from an attack and had gone to the highest ground it could find. The Soldiers and I watched as the other dogs began to form an attack plan and flank the target on either side while the big one approached. We decided that intervening was a good thing so as not to have a fight in the street. I took my helmet and banged it against the barrier several times loudly enough to startle the other dogs. Their target was still afraid and shaking, but found his out and ran into a corridor the others didn't follow.
Over the past few weeks I've probably come across as pretty liberal or at the very least, progressive, although I do have a very conservative side as well. I believe, among other things, in the right and ability of someone to protect themselves from real threats. That includes the right to bear arms. Within the law, every person should have the right to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm that they did not bring upon themselves. This is not to say that everyone has the right to an automatic weapon or some other type of weaponry that can cause extreme bodily injury.
As a member of the U.S. Military, I carry an automatic weapon for use in warfare against sworn enemies of the U.S., and I'm authorized to do so by the Geneva Conventions Treaty and the theater use of force guidelines. This does not authorize any two bit yokel the right to carry a destructive weapon for their own personal amusement. The right to bear arms was written into the U.S. Constitution to accommodate hunters and the right to protect your life and property. Your rights do not extend to weapons that have the ability to cause catastrophic damage. In warfare, we use the terms "escalation of force" and "conservation of force" which basically mean that we should use the minimum force necessary to accomplish our mission and neutralize a target. And to all of those who believe that weapons breed violence, I work with thousands of people every day who carry weapons on their person, and I personally have yet to come across one who has resorted to violence just because they are packing. Like I have said before, extreme views never solve anything. The answer to most problems lays in a compromise somewhere in the middle ground.
More to follow.
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