I started today by talking to one of the Afghan Sergeants about not showing up for the run. I explained how great the ANA used to be and is beginning to be again and that he was part of making it great again and that he should be proud to be a ANA soldier. Then I told him that he promised me he would run and that I was disappointed he was not there and did not keep his word. I also told him I didn't ask him to run for a picture (he had requested a pic, so I told him to run and I'd give him one of himself), but I wanted him to run to get to know him. The interpreter told me afterwards that he was ashamed for not keeping his word and that he would be there on Monday to run...he said the words hit home. We'll see if any of my words got through...they felt like they did.
First, let's close the saga of the fence. Here it is in all it's glory. Only about 15 or 16 days for 30 fence posts, 2 layers of concertina wire, and one layer of barbed wire...just for fun.
When I drove into the logistics depot today, I saw this jingle truck packed with laundry detergent. I love they way they pack things over the top. There were two trucks, but the other one is out of sight.
Here's the unloading process. Seems like he'd be hotter with his face wrapped. I don't see any dust, so it's not for that. Whatever makes him happy.
Next, the Afghan Colonel had a going away for one of our team. This guy is in armor and armed up, because they went to Kandahar city to buy the food for the meal...crazy!!! He was very excited to be armed up...if you can tell.
This is what the meal looked like.
I was a little nervous about what we were going to eat, because you can never be sure. I started to ask the interpreter what it was and then I said...no, don't tell me until afterwards. It turned out to be beef with some type of noodle and goat, so no biggie. The bread was from someone's home, which is pretty neat. The food was amazing. Here's an up close pic of the plate. It has been several hours and my stomach is fine, so that's great. Sometimes our stomach is not used to the different bacteria, so it's not so pleasant.
After the meal, they wanted to say their good byes. Kind of sad, because it's likely after spending a year with these Afghans, he'll never see them again. You could tell they had a bond. They usually like to hug like this every time you meet, but these were a little longer than normal. The guy hugging is the three fingered crazy guy we all love...he's a great worker and so is the guy behind him...also my running partner.
After the going away meal, which lasted almost two hours, we had a meeting from 2:30pm to 3:30pm; this means our day was over. Afghans usually don't work past 3:30pm. There's always tomorrow.
Now for the 1960s pics of Afghanistan
Here's a horse used in a game that is somewhat like polo, but a goat or sheep is involved. Wish I knew more, but that's all I've got for now. Maybe someone can post on the comments.
They're getting ready to play...
Looks like quite a gathering for the sport.
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