The Ultimate Compliment

12 28 11 The Ultimate Compliment

The masonry stove workshop is going well. We're on schedule to complete it today. My team of 3 US Army Soldiers and 4+ local builders has been teaming up very well. We decided to use the local version of 'cob' (clay soil, cut straw and water) and local bricks to build it. Wilson welded together two large brake drums into a metal burning unit and a secondary air supply that will introduce fresh air to the smoke to reburn it. The whole thing will use around 600 bricks and should heat the NGO Center well. Despite the language barrier the comradery is terrific. We shared a meal of curry chicken and naan and then I served tea with the water heated on the rocket stove we built the first day of the workshop. I had red zinger tea for them...it was received with mixed reviews, but great humor. An interesting note: three of the four students went home after the first day of the class and built a brick rocket stove! The ultimate compliment to a teacher.

I handed out the rubber band 'snapper' magic tricks to the students too...it was as big of a hit as the class. Anthony Cronk, South Jeff Technology teacher is to thank for the production of these. We learned how to mix the 'mortar' from local ingredients and Wilson and I had fun working shoulder to shoulder with the local crew getting over a third of the stove built...this was the hardest part and the rest is much more simple.

Hopefully by the end of today we will have burned the first fire in the new unit. Class will be done and then we can do another one for the ANA sleeping unit made out of an overseas shipping container.

I have been asked by MAJ Egloff to find a source of crutches and canes for the locals near FOB Pasab. If anyone can think of a source or is willing to contact manufacturers it would be greatly appreciated by the lame and injured in our area. I will provide contact information and can probably arrange to have it shipped for free or to get the shipping reimbursed. (Dad: we have some really sad looking wheel chairs made out of those cheap, white Walmart lawn chairs and some bicycle wheels...I remember you were working with a group that built wheelchairs for the working people of 3rd world nations...do you have a set of plans or pictures so I can develop a minigrant to have them made here?)

Happy New Year! Love, -Jim-

ps We had a great day building the masonry stove. It is 95% complete and the class asked if they could come on Saturday...we agreed and will finish the detail mudding/cob then. I showed them how the world's simplest motor works today and gave them the supplies to make one...we also gave them gifts for their children...bad idea at the start of class...we spent easily a half hour helping the adults in building a little cardboard car. Okay it was fun anyway. We're also getting locals stopping by to give us hints on how to wrestle Afghan style. More fun!

pss from Krista: I have located some youtube video:

the recent Zharay wrestling tournament

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWn3p870EWE

the Spartan 3BCT midtour video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7ujHrUwvU&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Jim also said to search ‘FOB Pasab’ and ‘Taskforce Spartan’ on Facebook.

Christmas @ the FOB

12 25 11

I'm beginning my workshop at the NGO Center tomorrow and have 10 locals signed up to help build a masonry heater to warm the place up. It will be busy there with the painters finishing up the painting, the sewing class (we're talking about hand cranked sewing machines and irons that run off locally made charcoal). The sewing class meets in the mornings on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. My class will meet Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in the afternoon. Klaus will be sending out yesterday's blog on the wrestling event but I got chased off the computer at 3am this morning (yesterday evening for you) by the cleaning crew and left out some of the other details.

While we were at the medical center watching ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’ we were pleasantly interrupted by a band of 6 soldiers with flickering electric candles singing Christmas carols. They had a laptop computer with them so they could remember all of the lyrics… a heartwarming event that stands out as one of the nicer 'treats' while being here.

My team was given the day off except for guard duty at the HHC entrance point...two of them had an hour shift during the day. We went to the DFAC for a turkey, ham and roast beef meal...not bad, but not that good either....I miss cooking! The gift exchange went well. I got the team members each something made out of local lapis lazuli and handed out one of the rubber band snappers and a fire steel to all of the others I work with and near. It was fun for all. The funniest gift I got was a card from George B., who has a great sense of humor. He went to the PX and got selected cards that had nothing to do with the holiday... I got one that wished me "The Best Chanukah to the Best Dad" ...which was better than the one he gave to Wilson that said "Happy Birthday to the Best Boyfriend Ever!"

I spent most of the day reading and actually finished a book. I have read about 25 books since I have been deployed...lots of them here and at the COPS... thanks to both the donations of soldiers who have finished them and boxes from the US.

Love, -Jim-

GOOD MORNING AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL:

12/24/11

Christmas Eve day was ultimately strange from a strange place for me. The day started early with my team assembling at the office at 7:45am to meet with MJR Reyes. We'd cut the stakes for 19 signs that were needed for the area-wide wrestling match we'd organized as part of the military's 'coin' (Counter Insurgency) program. We wandered around placing the signs for each of the areas districts and groups as well as arrow signs to direct traffic and pedestrians. Working with Jorge (MJR Reyes) is always a pleasure. He is ALWAYS full of energy and positive ideas/suggestions. We work well together. Anyway this was an almost all Afghanistan event and the US Army wasn't sure what to expect. It started around 11:00am (Afghan time ...this means somewhere near, like within two hours more or less depending upon tea time and mood for the LN's) and kept growing until, I estimate, that there were around 1500 men and male children (remember it is a really gender oriented society here) gathered in the newly built soccer field just off the bazaar (right near the previously mentioned septic tank and non-existent leach field).

Afghan Wrestling is not something many have ever seen. The bouts were fairly informally arranged without any appearance of brackets or classifications. Men take a cloth from their turban and tie it around their waist, under their shirt. Then they spend a few minutes getting their opponent’s hands wrapped into and under that cloth. It is a knock down event...meaning the goal is to dump your opponent on his back, Best 2 of three falls wins. There were probably 50 competitions...the two top winners got 125cc Honda motorcycles!

Now for the real highlight. David Wilson is one of the men on the Ag Team. He is the guy that I probably have spent the most time with and has been my 'body guard' on most of my off-base assignments. He is also fairly big! About 6'6" and 275 pounds... he stands out in any crowd, especially with the locals. He also has a great memory and has been working on his Pashto. It would be an understatement to say that he is 'known'. He is also a big kid at heart...to that end he asked COL Frank (in charge of the FOB) if he could wrestle in the event. He was given a tentative 'yes' and proceeded to the wrestling circle with our faithful translator, "Maverick". A few minutes of discussion and he got teamed up with one of their biggest and most experienced wrestlers. The event was rigged a bit by the Afghan official... David's positioning was such that he could defend a bit, but not too much and he wound up getting gracefully dumped on his back twice. However, this wasn't a bad thing. The Afghans are a fragmented people: fragmented by tribe, distances, war, Taliban influences and more. To get over 1000 of them together in one place to unify over one event is an almost unheard of feat. To get them all rooting for the same event is almost unheard of. To get them all to cheer and clap for their country in a friendly sporting event is AMAZING. The comment from the district governor was loosely translated as 'this single moment has broken the back of the Taliban'. David got thanked by COL Frank and a 'Challenge Coin' to boot. The comment from one of my tent mates is that he 'took one for the infidels'.

There was the Afghan version of a one man band on a giant drum with two distinct drum heads being beaten at the same time. The drummer was accompanied by a dancer whom I would have to call a 'whirling dervish' for all of his ballerina-like spinning. The drummer also played for several variations of what looked like all male line dancing. Most of these dances started with very slow coordinated movements and wound up going pretty fast at the end.

We finished up around 2:30pm and were given the rest of the day off. I went Christmas shopping at the Haji Shop (a store in the ANA compound that sells local stuff, magazines, cheap Chinese knock off goods, and local gemstones). I got the members of my team stuff made out of the local Lapis Lazuli stone.

Our tent is ready for the morning. We have had our share of problems... the generator is broken and our heat and lights have been out for a couple of days... on and off as repairs get going and then fail... did I mention it is cold here?

We're in good spirits and I even watched the original cartoon "The Grinch that Stole Christmas" with the team and a bunch of the medical staff.

Time to go! Have a great day! Love, -Jim-

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hi Dear & Family & Everyone;

We're off blackout, but my phone reception for texting has been poor...we think that it is due to the weather...really weirdly cold and a bit foggy. Apparently my blog is moving around. One of the Sergeants stopped me and told me her family is following my blogs and laughing a lot. Go figure. MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Just in case we go on blackout again.

We are in the painting phase of the NGO Vocational Center. My team and a crew of LN's put two coats of really crappy primer on the walls and ceiling. I surprised them by working beside them the whole day. The real paint will go on on Saturday...tomorrow is 'Juma' the traditional Muslim day off. We're trying to get the rest of the metal for the arches welded into place soon so we can remove the center posts from the steel arches. The painters are funny...brushes only, no drop cloths and really no regard for drips of brush direction...I did grab 2 rollers and went at a wall and had the 'boss' using my roller by the end of the day. I had the 'terp explain that it really makes the later coats of paint go much faster.

LT Porges (the guy in charge of the LN work teams - nice guy with his heart in the right place for the locals, but not too nice!) grabbed me to talk (again through a 'terp) about finishing a septic tank and leach field on the other side of the bazaar. The guy had had his workers only put in the tank, but no way to drain the 'effluent'. He claimed it wasn't in his contract...I showed him that is was...he had no clue how to design the drainage...his tank supports 6 'squat latrines' with a water flush system...kind of unique here. My experience with the locals is a bit cruder. They simply squat and relieve themselves in a 'slightly out of the way' location. We have to look where we step if we are inspecting stuff off the beaten path...electrical systems, wells, locations for solar and wind stuff. Anyway, I wound up drawing the septic tank, the "T" connectors and access caps and the leach field for the system on one of the concrete "T" walls. I will be the 'inspector' next week. He wanted the US Army to pump his tank...I explained that they were leaving and there would be a big puddle of sh*&^y water all over the soccer field and next to the new Mosque. He tried to get me to say that a smaller system would work (I told him he needed 0.5m x 0.5m x 30m minimum with a perforated drain pipe and fist sized stones and some kind of architectural fabric on top) he wanted to only go 20m. We'll see...

I'm doing well, the DFAC crew is making me laugh...They are from all over the world and have decorated the Dining rooms with sculptures of their concept of an American Christmas. They have decorated for every holiday by carving Styrofoam into their concept of holiday stuff. The water fall with dolphins and Santa scene is a bit over the top, I think. I will try to remember to take my phone/camera to get some shots.

The 'generic' dear soldier letters are appreciated by the military here. We are swimming in candy canes, cookies and other holiday stuff. I think the Jewish contingent from our office is lighting the third candle for Chanukah. Nothing for Kwanza that I have seen yet. We did talk about the relative relief here from constant blaring advertisements and commercialized Christmas songs blaring from everywhere...it is almost peaceful in a war setting. I am going to celebrate with my family when I get home! This is the one time that I will ask Krista to keep the tree up for a while longer!

All for now! Love, -Jim-

..like using a fire hydrant to brush your teeth..

12 16 11 Jim after AFG

It is now Friday and that is 'surf and turf' night at the DFAC...no, seriously they do usually serve steak and lobster tails at the large DFAC at Pasab...the steak is really well done and the lobster (or crab cakes or shrimp scampi) is also really well done, but edible.

We do not get weekends here...it is pretty much a 7 day work week with a requested break for relaxation time or personal stuff like laundry. I have a lot of respect for the soldiers here...civilian workers too! It is a steady pace. I usually get a bit more of a chance to relax at the COPs. George B and I have had the chance to watch several movies at the MRW since I arrived.

Now that I have my foot in the door and am a 'registered contractor' with the Federal Government I can have as much or as little to do with the US Army as I wish. I can wait and see what they contact me to do, or I can offer my services based upon contract bids. There is also a lot of non-military work that I may be asked to do, if I'm interested...my ability to train people in the field (as in anywhere in the world, no matter how primitive the situation) in any number of areas is considered a very valuable skill. Interesting to note is that the skills sets for anyone in the world for practical things is either missing entirely or very narrow in scope...kind of scary in a way that the "I will make something that will work for you" ethic is almost entirely missing. For me to be writing the 'handouts' on how to blow up trees for the leaders of a COP is typical of how narrow they are going. For now, I'm going to go home and discuss this with my family and try to work out short stints at companies and military bases in the US. I will be around Woodhenge this spring and summer for the bulk of the time.

I visited the Maiwand Electrical Power system yesterday and today to do an evaluation and series of recommendations on how they could better use their present system and how to introduce renewable power in the form of photovoltaics and wind. Someone did an estimate for the region and got them a 450kW diesel generator (think really big!) for a system that presently requires something on the part of a 50kW generator...the difference is kind of like using a fire hydrant to brush your teeth...the generator uses 25 liters (just around 6 gallons) of fuel per hour instead of just over a gallon to do the same job...the infrastructure to deliver the power is mostly junk wire strung from bamboo poles or just compound to compound. I will be discussing, in a 'storyboard' (how the commissioned officers communicate ideas and situations) several differing scenarios for Maiwand and Afghanistan in general as far as electrical power production could be further developed for stability and sustainability.

I am in good health and spirits...keeping active mentally and physically, but looking forward to a bathroom that is in one location (as in I don't have to walk to one building for a shower and another for use of a chemical outhouse and wash myself and brush my teeth with a bottle of water...all while being cold or having a lot of people around me. That and more!

Have a great day! Love, -Jim-