Month 10 Day 27

Notebook entry

10 reports given, create it but can't control it, Pakistan and the Taliban, Bernie missing in action then to combined combat operations center, Zuriat, teleconference, intelligence preparation of the battle space class, weather, mud and tile.

Journal entry

Listening to “Descent into Chaos” by Ahmad Rasheed it struck me that you can create things, but it is hard to control them.  Like the Taliban and the ISI.  When they moved back into Pakistan and the Army couldn’t put them down and they were putting radical pressure on them, and even attacking Musharrif.  Well I wonder if it won’t be the same with the ANA.  They say we didn’t put enough thought into building this place, but have we honestly put enough thought into how this military is going to act after we leave?  Just like the Pakistanis, we can create it, but can we control it?

Bernie was MIA most of the morning, but he made it over to the CCOC without my help.  I called Maj Kraus and let him know that Bernie was there and they linked up.  In the Afternoon we linked up and tried to do the teleconference.  Only one kandak showed up despite us sending out the warno to the Marines and Bernie sending out a cipher to the ANA.  I really wanted this to be a success. 

After the teleconference. I tried to talk to Bernie about a general orientation to the AO.  That went well.  He was receptive, especially to the nuts that I left on the table for him.  It is nice to have a smart guy around, I ask him about the Baluch people and he knows who they are, a little about their background, etc. 

He taught me something too.  I learned what those burial mounds with the flags on them are called ‘Zuriat.’  They are what the locals do when a person who is very righteous dies.