Last Update of the year 2009

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Channukah. I haven't had a chance to update my blog recently but everything here continues to be okay.  On the evening of Christmas day, the FOB got hit with 3 rockets made from 107mm (Soviet/Russian?) shells.  No one was injured but one of the rockets came close to an ordnance magazine and another put a pot-hole in the runway.
 
Their targeting accuracy is no better than a water balloon slingshot, but every once in a while the Hadjis can score a hit on something important.  Not this time however.  That was the first time we've been hit by anything at all at this FOB in the 2 mos. I've been here.

There's a whole lot of construction on the base going on.  Most of it is for increasing the habitability for those already here.  I don't think that the surge will increase our numbers too much at this base.  Most of the surge will supplant troop numbers in the southern part of the country which has been much more kinetic.
 
I've been working in 2 disparate areas, the IED pattern assessment work and a set of metrics to measure Afghan population attitudes and perceptions.  We'll be sampling a set of chosen districts in our AO which consists of the provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan on a quarterly basis.  I created the first set of metrics using the famous principles of good MOEs.
 
I just started another task on my own volition, that of designing a curriculum for the Afghan Police in our AO based on an operational scenario tied to tracking down IED emplacers.  That one is interesting and I'm working with some law enforcement professionals (LEPs as we call them) who are former FBI agents.
 
I've been running and lifting weights, and trying to eat well.  I've definitely lost weight but it's a slow process.
 
The family's good.  Greg's ship is supposed to go in the yards but they keep getting bumped by CSG escorts.  Being that the FFGs don't generally deploy with a CSG they're in the back of the line.  I'm hoping his skipper does something to keep the JOs working towards their quals.  Greg passed his CICWO board on the first try which tells me that the command has confidence in him.
 
Matt's home from ASU until after the winter break.  He's doing well in school and becoming a serious student.  He's also becoming a lean, mean fighting machine!
 
Chris's campaign continues to move forward smartly.  She seems to be the frontrunner, attending close to 90 campaign events since declaring her candidacy!.
 
That's about it.  Have a very happy, healthy, and hopefully prosperous New Year.

13 December 2009

Thanks to some gentle persuasion from friends, I've been peer-pressured to update this blog. I apologize for being less than prolific!

Today's absolutely gorgeous.  Deep into an Afghanistan winter, it's clear, sunny and about 80 out today and the day after KICKING THE HELL OUT OF ARMY!

What the Woops here lacked in enthusiasm prior to the game, they have more than made up for in apathy both before and after.  The game aired at midnight in Jalalabad, only the crazy and fool-hearty stayed up to watch the whole thing -- me and the Chaplain (USNA '86).  Now it's on to the Texas Bowl and a tough game against Missouri.

Chris attended the annual party at Seau's in San Diego and it was good to see pictures of friends!  Greg watched with USNA classmates in San Diego.

Life continues to be good here, working the counter-IED analysis along with measuring Afghan population attitudes and perceptions.

It's been tough missing family and friends, to enjoy the good times and being there to lend support in the trying ones.  It's painful to listen to soldiers' stories -- missing their young wives, girlfriends, and young kids.

I was glad to hear that we'll be surging 30,000+ soldiers and dismayed at even the hint of a timeline for withdrawal.  OUr biggest challenge is building the Afghan population's trust in it's government and building an Afghan army and police force that is well-trained and capable of defending the population against Al Qaida and the Taliban.  Crippling the drug trade and stopping the resultant flow of money is an enabler as well.

Thanks for reading!  Be well.

--
Bob Rubin
BobRubin@san.rr.com

Bob Rubin, ORSA
CSE JTF Paladin
FOB Fenty, Jalalabad
APO, AE 09310

Thanksgiving in Afghanistan

Holiday spirit among people who are forced to be away from home is a wondrous thing.  Despite being away from loved ones, there's a distinct feeling that occurs when you're among people who are working hard towards a cause larger than themselves and sacrificing by being away from home during the holiday season.  There's a spirt in the air of joy and outward glee and yet an acknowledgement of a little bit of inner sadness.

I remember the good feelings during Army week at the Academy (back when the Army-Navy game was the Saturday after Thanksgiving), and Christmas joys during finals week.  Then the bitter sweetness of being at sea over Christmas and New Years a few times.

Great memories of taking that long drive up to the in-laws in Central CA with the kids, with all the presents, while they humored me as I listened to Christmas songs in endless repetition.  They complained then, but now they find a way to humor their old dad :-).

It's a crisp, very clear morning here in Jalalabad.  The snow-capped peaks of the Tora Bora mountains can clearly be seen to the southeast.

Breakfast in the DFAC this morning was slim pickings, yet chairs and tables were being rearranged.  Special Thanksgiving tablecloths were being layed out with about 50 civilians and military personnel laying out dishes of nuts as a few hundred turkeys were being cooked and basted in the kitchen.

Folks here in the Fusion Center can't wait to start playing Christmas music as soon as the last piece of pumpkin or pecan pie (topped with ice cream of course) is consumed at early dinner.

My next door neighbors in San Diego, the Ilkos have graciously invited Chris and the two boys over for dinner, I miss them a lot but I'm also thankful I'm here amongst America's best and brightest soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines.

As a special gift on Thanksgiving I got to watch us launch a barrage of ATACMS rockets fired from a mobile launcher on base at a very high-value target.  Great for morale!

Happy Thanksgiving.

12 November

Everything here is good, I'm definitely getting settled in. Pretty much like living at an airfield surrounded by a construction yard.  My room/hut is small but comfortable, the food is good, gym is adequate (been working out a lot).
 
My job's pretty normal.  I have a workspace inside of the intelligence fusion center and get to see anything and everything.  Amazing mix of soldiers, some sailors, marines, special forces, "other" agencies, FBI.
 
The base has all kinds of aircraft except for fighter/bomber tactical types.  Lots of UAV activities.
 
Surprisingly, I'm keeping "normal" hours.  Get up at around 5, work until 4:30 or so.  In bed by 9.  Workout mostly between 6 and 7 at night.
 
Internet access is good but it's restricted to what the Army feels isn't offensive, or a bandwidth hog.  Totally understandable it is owned by the government.  I do get all my email and that makes it a lot easier to be away like this.
 
There's an MWR 'tent' (military welfare and rec) with a pool table.  I played the other night, lifted weights with a couple of the guys and had a cigar, shower, went to bed, read my book.  Very cool.  Very normal.
 
I'm definitely losing weight.  Probably down about 10 pounds since leaving but I know I had to tighten my belt two notches.
 
I had a good meeting with the Brigade Commander.  He's a Colonel, a little younger than me.  He chided me on receiving a "second rate" education being that he has an Operations Research degree from the Colorado School of Mines vice mine being from the Naval Postgraduate School. There's also a lot of good natured ribbing about Navy vs. Army.  Navy beating Notre Dame for the 2nd time in 45 years gave me a few bragging rights!
 
Presently, I'm gauging population attitudes and perceptions in our Area of Operations based on a survey conducted by the Division Commander (our boss).

 
The purpose of the survey's is twofold: Serve the population but also serve our ability to protect ourselves...,

 

Now that the elections have been cancelled we are concentrating on activities that curtail the drug trade, halt the production and laying of IEDs, and supporting the populace in job creation, education, and construction.

 

I've got to say that we are doing everything humanly possible to succeed here in Afghanistan I hope that Congress and the President follows suit!

Here's the best current address I have for me:

Bob Rubin, ORSA
HHC, 4th ID, 4th BCT (S2)
FOB Fenty, Jalalabad
APO, AE 09310

1 November

1 November

Frustration!

1) Blew out my back lifting weights..., not so fast there, old man!

2) Going on day 5 of trying to get my tools working so I can be productive.

3) Got little or no sleep lastnight since my neighbor has decided that playing Call of Duty (without headphones) all night long was important than his, or my sleep.

Other than the above, things are goood :)  Getting a lot of emailing and reading done.  The Comic News Network (CNN) is playing in my workspace all day long so I'm becoming a big Obama supporter through brainwashing and repetition (not quite).

On the promise anonymity, a liberal but dear friend of mine sent the below -- good preparation for the mid-mid term election day:

HISTORY LESSON!
 
For those that don't know about important history ... Here is a condensed version:

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic
hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer
and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of
beer
and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the
beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were
the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
 
1 . Liberals, and
2. Conservatives.
 
Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning
of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented
yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be
invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages
were formed.
 
Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night
while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as
the Conservative movement.
 
Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live
off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the
sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the 
Liberal movement.
 
Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. Those became
known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the
domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and
the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer
that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most
powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized
by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer
white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef
well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another
interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher
testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury
attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are
liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't
fair to make the pitcher also bat.
 
Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud or Miller. They eat red
meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big game hunters,
rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical
doctors, police officers, engineers, corporate executives, athletes, members of 
the military, airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively.
Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to
work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing.. They like to govern the producers
and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are
more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in
Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after
the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for
nothing.
 
Here ends today's lesson in world history:

It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily
respond to the above before forwarding it.

A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute
truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true
believers and to more liberals just to tick them off.

And there you have it. Let your next action reveal your true self.

28 October

The Army Information Technology folks have decided that this Blogspot website constitutes a threat to National Security.  I did find a work around hope I don't get charged with espionage!

I finally got sick of waiting for my PT gear to arrive and started working out anyway.  I just end up filling up my laundry bags with work clothes faster!  There's a paved road all the way around the airfield and the loop is about 3.5 miles.  My goal is to work up to doing one of those a day in under 35 minutes.  I'm starting with every other day keeping my heart rate under 145.  That means alternating between a very slow jog and quick walk. It's gonna take a while by my reckoning.

The food is damned good.  That's a problem.  I figure if I'm good six days a week and go to town one day a week, I'll be doing well.

It's easy to work around 12 hours a day.  Right now, I'm learning my tools and doing some simple projects.  As time goes on, and I prove my value, I'll be doing more important and more complex work.

I'm working with some very smart and dedicated people.  They're all friendly and have a great sense of humor.  That makes it really nice.

The weather is still pretty good.  I can feel it starting to cool off.  It's been low 70s during the day and mid 50s at night.  Great for sleeping.

It's amazing how many local nationals work here on the base.  They handle a lot of the cleaning, maintenance and construction.  They're friendly and definitely appreciate having the work.  There are service members from every service.  My direct 'boss' is a Marine LCOL who's taken on my fitness as a special project of his!

20 October

In Bagram (just north of Kabul) for the week.  Amazing sea of humanity here.  Very diverse -- Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and tons of civilians in every size, shape, color and age.  This is one of the largest bases in Afgh.  Every kind of support and operation originates here.

The weather is beautiful but dusty.  The view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance is spectacular.

Received a lot of briefings and current updates.  We definitely have our work cut out for us but there some promising signs.

The Army runs the base and I'm continually amazed at the Army way of doing business.  Sleeping arrangements and toilets, showers are adequate.  I'm in a 5-man bunk room with just two others.  Very lumpy spring mattress!

As time goes on, I'll add some pictures I took.  Can't show everything but some snippets will give you an idea.

15 October

Well, it's my last night before going "over there".  My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...,

Had a terrific evening though.  Eric Vanhove, a company mate from USNA and I caught a Washington Capitals hockey game.  Home team one, had a good Chinese dinner, and got to catch up with Eric whom I hadn't seen since graduation in '82!  Thanks Eric for a great night.

This week has been good.  Last minute "new hire" things at Leonie's offices needed to get done, I got to learn more about the technical aspects of my job, talking to people at the government site.  The hotel accommodations were fantastic... hope they have a Sleep Number bed in Afghanistan?!

I'm ready to go.  Looking forward to doing a good job over there and getting over the pain of settling in.  The flight will be 12 hours from Washington, Dulles with an overnight in Dubai and a flight into Afghanistan the next morning.  I'll be spending a week or maybe two at my unit's division headquarters at Bagram airbase, northwest and a fairly short helo ride from my eventual home away from home.

To all of my family, friends and followers, don't worry about the safety issues.  The big bases, like the one I'll be at, are well protected, are not in danger of attacks and safeguards are in place to keep us out of danger in case they get indications of enemy activity.  I'm not worried about that issue.

I'll update this in a few days. Bye for now.

24 September - 05 October

I'm into my second week of "Pre-Deployment Training".  The first week at the Counter IED Operations Integration Center (COIC) was interesting.  It's very obvious that commanders in the field and their reachback support teams are drinking through about 15 fire hoses of intelligence data.  Prior to 9/11 the problem was that all agencies were collecting the data in stovepipes and not sharing it with anyone.  Now, data is pumped to those who need it but it's not integrated into anything useful until a request for services is issued. Literally 100s of reachback support personnel are involved in producing answers using some pretty innovative tools.  ArcGIS and Google Earth are key applications.

It looks as though my job will be to field requests for specifics to support operations.  Some of the questions I'll be able to answer directly with access to the fire hoses and the same tools used by the reachback support teams.  I will be getting  involved in the planning process and be proactive with providing support as I see opportunities.  This happens when perhaps commanders are not aware that specific types of data exist and can be integrated into actionable information to aid in the planning phase of operations.

This week is not fun.  I'm at Ft. Benning, GA going through the Army's CONUS Replacement Center (CRC).  CRC prepares ALL support personnel deploying to CENTCOM to include Active Duty, and DoD and Contractor Civilians.  Going through final medical evaluations, filling out reams of paper with repetitive information, getting issued protective data, and receiving dozens of orientation briefs.  All in 90 degree/90 percent humidity weather.

Next week I'm in Arlington, VA for more orientation and training with reach back folks.  I'm scheduled to fly downrange around the 16th.  I'll try to keep everyone updated!