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Krajeski News from Kabul, 1 March 2007 |
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Written by Paul Krajeski
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Saturday, 17 March 2007 |
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[See name tag in photo first] This is Rambo. His real name is Jamal Udin. A Taliban rocket killed his wife in 1996. A couple years ago Jamal showed up at the Camp Phoenix front gate with a big red pipe. He became a self-appointed security guard, screening vehicular and pedestrian traffic entering the American camp. After a while, GIs “adopted” him, outfitting him with the Army Combat Uniform and a nickname. On January 16th a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into the front gate. While the bomber fumbled with the detonator, Rambo pulled him out through the broken windshield. Later, engineers blew the vehicle in place, destroying the guard post. Rambo saved the lives of several American Soldiers. A grateful nation thanks him!
Gauging media commentary and expectations about the “Taliban Spring Offensive,” I reflect upon a story about General Grant soon after Lincoln appointed him general-in-chief of Union forces in 1864. With the Army of the Potomac on the move in Virginia, Grant impatiently listened as his staff fretted over what General Lee’s next move would be. A usually unflappable Grant lost his cool, telling them to worry less about what Lee was going to do and more about what they were going to do. . . .Watch for the “Coalition Spring Offensive.”
According to the new US Army-USMC Counterinsurgency manual: “Long-term success requires establishing viable host nation leaders and institutions that can carry on without significant U.S. support. The longer the process takes, the more U.S. public support will wane and the more the local populace will question the legitimacy of their own forces and government.” My American teammates and I know that success at the National Military Academy of Afghanistan is measured not in months, but years. We know not to get upset by daily or weekly setbacks the same way a good investor doesn’t lose faith when the stock of a solid company takes a dip.
Recently I’ve received many emails from friends saying they hear things are “heating up” or “getting worse” in Afghanistan. From my narrow lane in Kabul, I look left and right and see the hustle & bustle of a city regaining its identity and economic vitality. “The Mysteries of Kabul,” an article in the 21 January 2007 travel section of the New York Times, conveys what life is like for most in Kabul. I am not naïve – I know violence will happen. The question is, “Will it be enough to stifle the life that is returning to this city and country?” (http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/01/21/travel/21kabul.html)
Cadet Field Training is underway; US advisors and the Afghan faculty and staff are busy preparing for the new academic year starting later this month; new construction and renovations continue all over campus; plans are made, changed, then changed again. It’s an exciting time to be here.
Paul
Paul C. Krajeski, Ph.D.
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Chief, National Military Academy Afghanistan (NMAA) Implementation Team
Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan
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