Don't wrestle with a pig, because you both get dirty and the pig enjoys it!  That sums up yesterday.  Meeting with the ANA at times is difficult and is always hard.  Regularly; we meet with them and talk in circles trying to get something accomplished we want intel to conduct operations and they want to tell us they don't have anything to act upon.  Later in the day from another source will tell us that there is something and that the ANA knew it all along.  If this paragraph seems confusing, welcome to the world of being a combat advisor.  Imagine now that what I just wrote is all in Pashto, by the way they taught us Dari at FT Riley which they don't speak here, an interpreter has to tell you in english what was said and then you have to reply and have that translated.  Additionally, the Afghan culture doesn't value directness like western cultures and it's accepted to lie to others if it advances your own interest.  Thus, you wrestle with the pig! 

Things did liven up later in the day when the Taliban decided to announce their appearance in the area with 3 rockets hitting near the FOB.  Now, indirect fire is categorized as either effective or ineffective.  Not sure what the delineation is between the two, but yesterday it was deemed effective by the indirect fire certifying authority.  Not sure who they are either.  That spiked things up a bit!  I was actually in our team house, made of reinforced concrete and I beams when the fire came in, others weren't.  When the siren goes off or someone yells incoming everyone hauls ass for the nearest bunker.  You might think it would be funny to randomly yell "INCOMING" and see everyone run all over, however you'd be quickly beaten by the inflamed peasants of FOB Bermel.

  Now an interesting caveat for your reading pleasure.  Indirect fire is highly prized by the people that live on the FOBs with the afore mentioned spas.  Why is that?  Not why do they have spas; but why do they value the indirect.  Well, if they happen to be here when we take the fire then they can attempt to get their Combat Action Badge or Combat Infantryman's Badge.  There are FOB Myths, these are like Urban Myths but we don't have anything Urban here, so FOB Myths, that some personnel have been known to visit a FOB the day of indirect but not there during the attack and claim they were in danger.   I can't substantiate these myths.

Life here is actually pretty humdrum most of the time punctuated by moments of stark raving terror.  Contrary to what you see in the movies, war is not fighting, shooting and being shot at all of the time.  There isn't and IED under everything and not every Afghan is a trained Taliban killer just waiting for you to go to the latrine in the middle of the night and attack you.  A vast majority of the time NOTHING is going on!  We sit and yell at our computers because the internet is slow, workout and mentor our Afghan counterparts.  Oliver Stone and John Wayne have it all wrong.  Don't get me wrong this ain't a day at Club Med but it's not Apocalypse Now either.

I think that's enough for now, I'm debating a post on getting dressed in the morning for my next post.  Sounds boring right now but it is truly an experience here!