NO REGRETS ~ An American Adventure in Afghanistan (33 page)

I have come down hard, at times, on the military and civilian forces at play in Afghanistan in this book. However, there are many soldiers, sailors, airmen and women, and marines who put their spirit and soul into the mission in Afghanistan. From instilling trust and confidence to building schools and installing water pumps in villages, these individuals have worked miracles across the country. At times, I was truly inspired by the devotion, not only to duty and sacrifice, but a love and devotion of and to humanity by these wonderful people. If the mission fails, it will not be due to these folks.

I include Afghans among this number. I have met countless Afghans who wanted nothing more than a stable Afghanistan in which the rule of law was on the side of humanity. Afghans who wanted nothing to do with the heinous extremism of the Taliban or their Saudi and Pakistani masters. Afghans within the security forces as well as civilians who wanted nothing more than peace, stability, and security for their families, their communities, and their nation. These men and women worked diligently, taking nothing for themselves, to instill a spirit of cooperation and fraternity amongst their fellow Afghans and with the Coalition.

Obama has stated that the U.S. would withdraw most of its forces in 2014. Since that announcement, NATO countries have basically called it a day in Afghanistan. Karzai has complained that Afghanistan will be unable to maintain its armed forces without the international community at the same time he has been embezzling funds from the Kabul Bank, while the Afghan army and police commanders steal everything that isn’t nailed down.

Here at the end, my feeling is that we have lost a decade in Afghanistan to corruption and incompetence—their corruption, our incompetence. We still have no clear mission and no clear goals. The desired outcome is ever-shifting in the quicksand of international politics and the murky waters of partisanship in the United States. Our leaders have failed to consistently define the mission. We have gone from the goal of defeating the Taliban to a resignation of working with “moderate” Taliban somewhere in the hazy, distant future.

If we depart from Afghanistan and Congress defunds our efforts there, Afghanistan will descend into chaos and violence. The east and south will likely become a home to the Taliban or Pushtoons warlords who are not much different than the Taliban. The north and the west will likely become petty fiefdoms of Warlords who are mostly Western friendly. If we continue to fund Afghan recalcitrance, there is no guarantee that Afghanistan will ever become more than a patronage based nation which outsiders view as a corrupt cesspool of violence, poverty, banditry and religious fundamentalism.

Either way, the West and American politicians will not get what they want.

Regardless, nothing can stop the coming of Spring.

Glossary

Acknowledgments

Much love went into the writing of this book and there were many folks who helped me along the way. The most important among those were Lisa S. Keary and Wendy Goldman-Rohm. Lisa was my editor. She pulled the essence of truth out of my ramblings and gave coherence to my scribblings. Wendy inspired me to keep writing and to find my voice in the beginning when I thought I had none. Without these two, there would be no book but a collection of aimless thoughts collected in a maze of nothingness.

Next, there are the people who encouraged me to write. Kostas Dirmikis, my Greek brother, with whom I served in Afghanistan at Camp Alamo. “Remember the Alamo!” It was Kostas who kept me writing in Afghanistan, introduced me to authors whom he thought similar to my style of writing, and told me to stop whining about the “ass-monkeys” who were rioting over burnt Qu’rans outside our gates in Kabul. My cousin John in Philadelphia. Piotr in Oslo. Anca in Romania. Arik in Alaska. Iain from Scotland who now lives in Cambodia. All offered invaluable insight into the strictly civilian mind that I find so bizarre. Having spent more than a decade in the Army and another decade working in Afghanistan as a contractor, I sometimes find it difficult to relate to folks who’ve never been in or around the military. Iain, Arik, Piotr, cousin John, and Anca helped to ensure that my “militarese” was more easily understood by regular folks who had not grown up to the sound of acronyms, ranks, flags, and the other archaic symbols and jargon that are part of military life. These good folks read and offered opinions on the value of each story. Each, in turn, motivated me to keep going.

I have to include Don Vandergriff – author, Professor of History at Georgetown and a fellow contractor. I met Don on my latest mission in Afghanistan. Don and I were at the range qualifying on our Beretta pistols when we struck up a conversation. We talked about politics, the ridiculousness of the contracting world and the Army. We hit it off immediately. Don read my book and told me that it was brilliant. I told him that he was crazy and that my book was simply the mad ramblings a Kentucky boy what barely escaped high school. He attempted to help me get with a publisher telling me; “Dave, this my book must be read. He boosted my confidence and helped me get closer to being published. It didn’t work out but I appreciate his efforts nonetheless.

I must, also, thank my mother. Without her, none of this would have been possible. She encouraged, pestered, cajoled, and was, generally speaking, a pain in the ass at various times. She pushed me when I needed pushing. She kept me on target when I lost motivation or became frustrated or unfocused. This book, and my life, would not be without her support and loving guidance.

And, finally, there is Unny. She sat patiently as I typed away on my MacBook night after night. I ignored her for weeks on end. I ran off to find solitude in Cambodia. I made her sit and read my drafts innumerable times and grilled her on her opinions. I’m sure that she thought me mad at times.

There were other friends and family who read various pieces throughout the writing of this book and to those I give my thanks as well but the aforementioned individuals stuck with me from beginning to end, offering support, guidance, and motivation. For that I am thankful.

Finally, I would like to thank the men and women with whom I have served across the years, throughout the globe. Those who kept me safe and those who brought me along. No success or failure is authored by one person. We are each beholden to many contributors to our life story. Some assist us along our path. Others drag us down or hold us back. I have been fortunate to have had been assisted by many and held back by very few.

May the Gods bless you all.