The SandGram

Help me, I need a Job!!!

Readers,
How many of us have heard this plea from our former Marines who have served honorably in the Corps and are now looking for a job on the outside? I have just taken over as the OIC of the South Central Region of the “Marine For Life” or (M4L as they write it out), program and our job is to help out these young or old…Marines as they transition from the Military to the civilian world. Presently, it is a nation wide program, staffed by 74 Enlisted and Officers serving in the reserves throughout most major cities around the United States. These are all Marines who hold full time jobs with major companies and network on the side with the movers and shakers of their community to connect our guys and gals with jobs.

Their main job is to connect these transitioning Marines, who either finished one tour or twenty years in the Corps, with companies in their area for employment. The hardest thing about doing this job is getting the word out to our Marines to sign up on the website https://www.M4L.usmc.mil and take advantage of this opportunity. Most guys and gals when they finish TAPS class only care about seeing Camp Pendleton in their rear view mirror as they race out of the front gate. Some have only a vague idea of what they want to do and where they will end up. Most think they will go back to school but if that doesn’t work out, they come to the conclusion of “Man, I need a job!” Most have forgotten what they heard in the class and know nothing of the CMC’s commitment to help out our guys.

So, what can we do out there amongst ourselves as Marines, Former Marines and reserves? Talk this program up to your Marines and tell them to sign up 180 days out from their EAS and start looking at where they will move to. Here are some bullets of how we can help

– 180 days out, the Marine signs up on the website as a “TM” Transitioning Marine.
– Prepare a resume. If you don’t have one, or if it needs work, your “HTL” Home town link will connect you with a volunteer to go over a proper resume for a job. (Having “KillKillKill@yahoo.com isn’t a good email address to have on your resume, that type thing.)
– Utilize the HTL’s monthly luncheons to network with local employers who are looking for a Marine to fill a spot in their company.
– If you have VA needs, they know the right folks to connect you with.
– If you are former Marine and would like to sign up to be a mentor or Network resource, please go to the same site, there is a huge need for you as well.

What can you, the reader also do? I hate to admit it, but when the war started, lots of wounded Marines have fallen through the cracks, who have returned home and are suffering and are in need of help. The Commandant of the Marine Corps also stood up the Wounded Warrior Regiment to help out, and now they track all wounded Marines from point A to point B and beyond. We still have Marines though who are not on the radar and need assistance, so they need to contact a District Injured Support Cell member which our staff can help them find.

We are not here to recruit them back into the Corps but to help them, so I implore you all to point them in the right direction and take advantage of this program. Here is a job opportunity for any computer savvy I.T. type with a Secret or better clearance to jump on and make some serious money. They have contracts all around the world on military bases and looking for a few good men and women. Marines taking care of Marines…

Hello Lt. Col. Bell,

Craig is out of town this week and asked me to forward you a little information about P2 Solutions and the Technician opportunities we have available.

P2 Solutions has more than 55 years of collective experience providing technical staffing services to businesses and industries throughout the United States. P2 is committed to the efficient use of technology to streamline business processes, contract employee management programs, which includes benefits packages, retention programs and consecutive assignment opportunities. We can create customized staffing solutions that can be developed for each client specifically. P2 has flexible pricing options and cost savings initiatives available to our clients. Our company culture revolves around the highest level of quality service for our clients and employees.

Below is what we are looking for in regards to technician’s skill level/ experience. Most of these contracts are only a week or two at a time.

I have also included below the high level SOW tasks for the DCMA project.

L3 – Advanced Technician
1-3 years experience in servicing/deploying computer equipment. Prior experience utilizing data and settings migration, imaging, application installation, and technologies. Must have proven customer service background. Able to comprehend and follow verbal and written instructions and scripts. Qualified resources should have A+ certification or equivalent skill set. MCP, MCSE, CNE or Network+ certification is a plus. Certification in various hardware platforms may optionally be required for servicing hardware issues.
L4 – Tech Lead
4+ years experience in servicing/deploying computer equipment. Must be able to lead team of technicians and act individually to complete service events. Need experience in managing subordinate technicians including escalating and resolving issues as they arise. Candidate must have proven customer service background. Individual should understand Statements of Work requirements and recognize cost impacts of operational matters. Good communication skills. Candidate will need to interact with the Customer Site Contact to prepare site for service delivery. Responsible for resolving technical escalations that arise during service delivery. Proven project experience utilizing data and settings migration, imaging, application installation, and technologies. Able to comprehend and follow verbal and written technical instructions and scripts. Qualified resources should have A+ certification or equivalent skill set. MCP, MCSE, MCSE, CNE or Network+ certification is a plus. Certification in various hardware platforms may optionally be required for servicing hardware issues.

High level Scope of Work:

Unbox PCs and Monitors Each PC will have 2 19″ monitors installed
Data and Personality Migration using the NEW Dell Automated Deployment (DAD) Tool. This will be done in a peer to peer fashion using a crossover cable between the legacy and new system.
Uninstall old system and monitor(s)
Install Dual 19″ monitors for each PC, connect peripherals, user verification and fill out customer acceptance form with Asset information and have EU sign at system completion
DOD Triple (3) Pass Data Wipe to be performed and verified on each legacy system (Lisa has software to send to techs to create CDs or can mail completed CDs to technicians). Technicians will need to bring a thumb drive and/or floppy disk to save data wipe certificate to and email to PM with signoffs.
Install and configure Network Lexmark Color Printers C534DTN at each site.
Remove packing materials to on-site dumpster
Will be able to do multiple installs at one time using the DAD tool.

We do also have some SharePoint/MOSS and Sunflower Asset Management opportunities available if you know someone who might have those skills.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Craig or me – all of my contact information is below.
Best Regards,
Nina Fox
214.491.4228 x32 office
888.491.4225 toll free
214.417.2908 cell
214.491.4233 fax
jfox@p2solutions.net
2530 W. White Ave Ste. 300
McKinney, TX 75071
www.p2solutions.net

Watch “Taking Chance” on HBO tonight

Dear Gang
Tonight there is a movie on HBO called “Taking Chance” about the return of a young warrior killed in Iraq. Kevin Bacon plays LtCol Michael Strobl, who on a personal note, floated during the Gulf War with my best friend and fellow Marine, Parker Perkins, and this is his story of bringing home Lcpl Chance Phelps. I remember reading this before I went to Iraq and it’s one of those emails that you never forget. It moves you in a way that I can’t describe and yes, as I type this email, tears are welling into my eyes. Marines pride themselves on never leaving a Marine behind and when it comes to completing their final journey, it’s an emotional time we all help with. Having been the guy to notify the next of kin (NOK) of a Marines death, I know that this movie will fill my eyes with tears but will swell my heart with pride. The synopsis of the movie is included below. I highly suggest taking tonight off and watching this powerful movie on HBO and if you don’t have it, call your friend and ask them to Tivo it.

In April 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC, came across the name of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, a young Marine who had been killed by hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Strobl, a Desert Storm veteran with 17 years of military service, requested that he be assigned for military escort duty to accompany Chance’s remains to his family in Dubois, Wyo.

Witnessing the spontaneous outpouring of support and respect for the fallen Marine – from the groundskeepers he passed along the road to the cargo handlers at the airport – Strobl was moved to capture the experience in his personal journal. His first-person account, which began as an official trip report, gives an insight into the military’s policy of providing a uniformed escort for all casualties. The story became an Internet phenomenon when it was widely circulated throughout the military community and eventually reached the mainstream media.

‘Taking Chance’ chronicles one of the silent, virtually unseen journeys that takes place every day across the country, bearing witness to the fallen and all those who, literally and figuratively, carry them home. A uniquely non-political film about the war in Iraq, the film pays tribute to all of the men and women who have given their lives in military service as well as their families.

An HBO Films presentation of a Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures production, Taking Chance marks the directorial debut of two-time Oscar®-nominated producer Ross Katz (‘Lost in Translation’). The screenplay is by Lt. Col Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.) and Ross Katz, based on the journal of the same name by Strobl, who also serves as military consultant. Strobl, who recently retired after serving 24 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, developed the original story with the strong support of Phelps’ parents, John Phelps and Gretchen Mack. The executive producers are Brad Krevoy (‘A Love Song for Bobby Long’), Cathy Wischner-Sola and Ross Katz; the co-executive producer is William Teitler (HBO’s ‘Empire Falls’); and the producer is Lori Keith Douglas (‘The Notorious Bettie Page’). HBO Films vice president Jenni Sherwood is the executive in charge of the production.

http://www.hbo.com/films/takingchance/

Poser Alert!!

Folks,

There is a phenomenon out there of “POSERS” who claim to have served in the military or claim rights to certain medals they have never earned. Just driving home yesterday, I heard on Paul Harvey of a College professor who as an Army Veteran, claimed over the years that he had earned three purple hearts in battle during the Vietnam War in the late sixties. It turned out that he had served but was stationed over in Germany and Kansas during his time in the Army. Now he is facing federal charges under the “Stolen Valor” law prohibiting someone from claiming entitlements or presenting medals that he or she didn’t earn.

This has been going on for as long as Napoleon has been awarding medals of Valor to his troops and it’s not something only found in the U.S. but all across the world. As I sat at the table today, putting together a new set of ribbons reflecting the awards I earned over Afghanistan, my wife asked why I was spending so much time carefully consulting manuals on the proper display of my personal awards. I told her that it was because others would look at the little pieces of ribbons on my chest and know where and what I have done. She asked if people put medals on their chest that they didn’t deserve and I replied “Yes, they do it all the time, but when they are found out in the military, it becomes a possible discipline case or if they are civilians, a possible jail sentence.”

Over the years, I have seen different occasions where someone has claimed something they didn’t earn.  The first case involved another Marine Officer I went to flight school with named “Tom Hoy” a person I truly believe has some mental problems that include illusions of grandeur. When I first met this officer, we were waiting in the “pool” a term used to describe people waiting around to attend a future class. Sometimes this “pool” could last days, or sometimes weeks. When I first met Tom on a Wed, we were both First Lieutenants and I introduced myself to him as “Taco” and he as “Tom.” On the following Friday night a few days later, I ran into him out in town while playing pool with my girlfriend. I couldn’t remember his name at the time and said something along the lines of “Hey Dude, what was your name again?” On Monday, starting my ground school class, there was newly promoted Captain Hoy, turns out he was an air traffic control officer before getting switched over to a pilot class and he proceeded to ream me a new rear for calling him “Dude” it’s either Captain Hoy or Sir. I bit my lip and went on to class after my run in with him. The only saving grace was another Captain in the class who came up to me and said “hey don’t mind Tom, he pretty full of himself and when we are in the cockpit, you can call me Scott.”

During flight training as a student, all the young pilots wore the standard issued brown leather flight jacket (that’s all we had) and all the instructors would wear the green nomex fire proof jackets they were issued in the fleet. Tom had one of these and he had a leather patch on the front that said “Captain Hoy USMC with a pair of wings with the middle rubbed out enough that at first glance, you would have thought he was an instructor pilot, when in fact they were Naval Observer wings that are given to someone who normally flew in the back of an OV-10 Bronco plane. Tom claimed that he was a “Fast FAC” forward air controller, who flew in the back of A-4’s at Cherry Point. He may in fact have conned a ride in the back of a jet, but that was probably the extent to his observing…

Fast forward to after our winging in Corpus Christi while we were going through C-130 training with the Air Force in Little Rock. One day, Scott, who was a former Inspector General Officer as a grunt, myself and two other first Lt’s were going out to dinner. We stop by Tom’s room in the BOQ to invite him to go with us. He was still getting dressed and asked us in to wait. Scott, looking around, spy’s a bunch of 4×6 photos of Tom at a wedding that he had attended a few weeks prior. He was wearing his Dress Blues with his Gold Naval Aviator Wings and below a pair of the Naval Observer Wings to boot. He also had a Navy Commendation medal with a Gold star (meaning that he had two) and a Navy Achievement Medal with one or two other medals mixed in. His Officer Qualification Record was sitting on top of his dresser and Scott started thumbing through the record nosing around. In his prior life as a grunt, it was his job to inspect record books to ensure they were updated etc, so next thing we know, as Tom is in the bathroom, Scott is holding up the photo and flipping pages in the record jacket. When Tom comes out of the head, he sees Scott digging into his stuff and comes over in a hurry.

We ended up in the middle of a Captain to Captain argument over why he was wearing awards and devices that were not listed in his record jacket. When called on the carpet about the Wings, he made up some excuse about how he used to fly with the A-4 Squadron and the C.O. said “if this guy is going to fly with us, put a pair of wings on his chest.” Scott corrected him and said, “Tom, you only rate these wings if you attended the school, not because the CO said to put a pair of wings on your chest. Also what about this Navy Comm, it’s not in here anywhere.” That is when Tom basically kicked us out of his room. We never saw him wear the Observer Wings again or some of the medals that were in the photo.

A year later, we were having a real I.G. inspection at our Squadron and we were all required to wear different uniforms for an inspection down in the hanger bay. Tom was wearing his Dress Blues, me in my Green Alfa’s, Tony in his Dress Whites, etc. As we were waiting for our turn to assemble down stairs, I made a snide remark about how Tom’s chest was lacking all of the medals we had seen before. Tom didn’t say anything or reply, he looked at the female Warrant Officer who was in charge of S-1 and excused himself. Two days later I was called into the CO’s office and he began to ask me all sorts of questions. Basically Tom had told the W.O. that I hated him so much that I had altered his awards page removing his medals. I was shocked and speechless at what he was implying. The CO was serious as I was read my rights under the UCMJ. I begin to describe the different events over the past year and a half dealing with this psychopath and told him to call Captain Babor up to his office to back up my half of the stories. Scott was around that day and when called into the CO’s office, backed up everything I said telling him how he personally had looked over Tom’s OQR that day in Little Rock and there were no awards there that he claimed he had plus his wearing of the Observer Wings all through flight school. More things started to come out on this Officer as the different pieces of the puzzle were examined. He ended up being transferred to another Squadron and put into a minor job and eventually he got out of the Corps not long after.

Now picture this, a few years ago, I’m standing at the gate at a major airport, pulling up paperwork for the flight when this gentleman comes up to me and says ” I noticed the Marine Pin on your tie, I was in the Army in VN. I normally don’t bring this up, but I’m a Medal of Honor winner and I only say this because sometimes folks will upgrade me to first class.” I chatted with him and gave him the respect of being someone who might be who he claims. I then called my buddy Parker Perkins, a stock broker and who is on the computer 24/7  and asked him to look this guy up for me (thought it was my Mom who has helped out numerous other times, but this was indeed Parker this time). He couldn’t find him anywhere on the Medal of Honor site that lists every MOH citation that has been awarded in all the different services. I then went back to the lobby asked the guy are you talking about “The MOH??? The highest medal awarded?” He said yes and I told him that I couldn’t find his write up on the MOH site and that is when the BS started flowing…Oh it wouldn’t be there b/c I was Special Forces on a SECRET MISSION that is still classified to this day (sounds like he was a member of the “A-Team” T.V. show)… I thanked him and told him that it didn’t look like there would be room in first. That night I sent a letter to the FBI agent that was on the link for MOH website and told him what happened, gave the guys name and address/phone number (had the gate agent pull his record) He emailed back and said they would try to lure him to a VFW to give a speech type thing and how these posers love the attention, from there he would arrest him if he showed up and with a fake medal or claimed to have been awarded one.

The men who sacrificed everything during their time in service and earned their medals are reluctant hero’s and will be the most humble men you will have ever met. The Posers who steal this honor for their own self serving honor need to be thrown in jail. So in the course of your travels, watch out for the guy pitching these false claims because in this day and age of support for the troops, there are a few bad apples (Military and non-Military) that are taking advantage of the kindness of everyday good hearted Americans. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or other Mil bloggers, they can do some digging and find out if there is some grain of truth in what the person is saying and who to contact in your local area.

Semper Fi,

Taco

Tags: fake MOH, Posers, Stolen Valor

You guys will love this Marine…

A GREAT READ !

AN ELOQUENT MARINE
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:07:09 -0700
Reconnaissance Marine in Afghanistan

It’s freezing here. I’m sitting on hard, cold dirt between rocks and shrubs at the base of the Hindu Kush Mountains along the Dar ‘yoi Pomir River watching a hole that leads to a tunnel that leads to a cave. Stake out, my friend, and no pizza delivery for thousands of miles.

I also glance at the area around my ass every ten to fifteen seconds to avoid another scorpion sting. I’ve actually given up battling the chiggers and sand fleas, but them scorpions give a jolt like a cattle prod. Hurts like a bastard.

The antidote tastes like transmission fluid but God bless the Marine Corps for the five vials of it in my pack.

The one truth the Taliban cannot escape is that, believe it or not, they are human beings, which means they have to eat food and drink water. That requires couriers and that’s where an old bounty hunter like me comes in handy. I track the couriers, locate the tunnel entrances and storage facilities, type the info into the handheld, shoot the coordinates up to the satellite link that tells the air commanders where to drop the hardware, we bash some heads for a while, then I track and record the new movement..

It’s all about intelligence. We haven’t even brought in the snipers yet. These scurrying rats have no idea what they’re in for. We are but days away from cutting off supply lines and allowing the eradication to begin..

I dream of bin Laden waking up to find me standing over him with my boot on his throat as I spit a bloody ear into his face and plunge my nickel plated Bowie knife through his frontal lobe. But you know me. I’m a romantic. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This country blows, man. It’s not even a country. There are no roads, there’s no infrastructure, there’s no government. This is an inhospitable, rock pit shit hole ruled by eleventh century warring tribes. There are no jobs here like we know jobs.

Afghanistan offers two ways for a man to support his family: join the opium trade or join the army. That’s it. Those are your options. Oh, I forgot, you can also live in a refugee camp and eat plum-sweetened, crushed beetle paste and squirt mud like a goose with stomach flu if that’s your idea of a party. But the smell alone of those ‘tent cities of the walking dead’ is enough to hurl you into the poppy fields to cheerfully scrape bulbs for eighteen hours a day.

I’ve been living with these Tajiks and Uzbeks and Turkmen and even a couple of Pushtins for over a month and a half now and this much I can say for sure: These guys, all of ’em, are Huns. Actual, living Huns. They LIVE to fight. It’s what they do. It’s ALL they do.

They have no respect for anything, not for their families or for each other or for themselves. They claw at one another as a way of life. They play polo with dead calves and force their five-year-old sons into human cockfights to defend the family honor. Huns, roaming packs of savage, heartless beasts who feed on each others barbarism. Cavemen with AK47’s. Then again, maybe I’m just cranky.

I’m freezing my ass off on this stupid hill because my lap warmer is running out of juice and I can’t recharge it until the sun comes up in a few hours.

Oh yeah! You like to write letters, right? Do me a favor, Bizarre. Write a letter to CNN and tell Wolf and Anderson and that awful, sneering, pompous Aaron Brown to stop calling the Taliban ‘smart.’ They are not smart. I suggest CNN invest in a dictionary because the word they are looking for is ‘cunning.’ The Taliban are cunning, like jackals and hyenas and wolverines. They are sneaky and ruthless and, when confronted, cowardly. They are hateful, malevolent parasites who create nothing and destroy everything else. Smart. Pfft. Yeah, they’re real smart.

They’ve spent their entire lives reading only one book (and not a very good one, as books go) and consider hygiene and indoor plumbing to be products of the devil. They’re still figuring out how to work a Bic lighter. Talking to a Taliban warrior about improving his quality of life is like trying to teach an ape how to hold a pen; eventually he just gets frustrated and sticks you in the eye with it.

OK, enough. Snuffle will be up soon so I have to get back to my hole. Covering my tracks in the snow takes a lot of practice but I’m good at it. Please, I tell you and my fellow Americans to turn off the TV sets and move on with your lives.

The story line you are getting from CNN and other news agencies is utter bullshit and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials. We’ve got this one under control. The worst thing you guys can do right now is sit around analyzing what we’re doing over here because you have no idea what we’re doing and, really, you don’t want to know. We are your military and we are doing what you sent us here to do.

You wanna help? Buy Bonds America .

Saucy Jack
Reconnaissance Marine in Afghanistan
Semper Fidelis

“I’ll be home for Christmas”

“I’ll be home for Christmas”

For the first time in 10 years, I will be home for Christmas this year. See, Santa always shows up early for Airline pilots and Military personnel who are on the road serving somewhere in the world during this holiday, at least, that is what I tell my kids. Having resigned to the fact that I would be gone each year, I made a promise to myself to have as much fun as I could and share the joy of Christmas with the other poor souls stuck with me on this awesome holiday. I can remember the fresh snow of a Salt Lake City Christmas Eve, walking down from our hotel to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing in Temple Square back in ‘98. Then there are the non eventful nights in a hotel in some random city across the US, where everything is locked up tight and I’m left to watching Jimmy Stewart in “It’s a wonderful life” and switching back to “A Christmas Story” during commercials wishing I had a Red Ryder action pump BB gun.

Christmas in Iraq during December 05, is a memory that I won’t soon forget. I asked folks to send their old sweat shirts over for a big 5K that my office put together on Al Taqaddum Airbase. Through some connections with the Engineers, we were able to have a sleigh built that fit on top of a gator, you know, one of those six wheel machines to lead the run. We mapped out a route that took us down the main runway of TQ Christmas morning and into the ceremonial clamshell hanger for coffee, hot chocolate and sweets. That was a great time and one of those things where we took a potentially lonely and hard situation and made it fun for a couple of hundred folks who got up to hang out with us that morning. Of course, all made possible by the unlimited support I had from the states!!

Then the next year, I spent Christmas in San Antonio Texas just down the street from the Brooks Army Medical Center “BAMC” where the best burn unit in the world is located. If you are wounded and burned in Iraq or Afghanistan, within 24 hours, they will have flown you to Texas where immediate treatment begins. It’s truly amazing, the work they are able to do and the lives they have saved there. A friend of mine was the OIC there for the wounded Marines in BAMC, so he picked me up in my Dress Blues that I carried for three days and let me visit all the men there from a Lt. who was about to be discharged to a Lance Corporal who had just arrived four days before. You realize the strength and courage of our young men when they are faced with impossible situations in life such as the disfigurements that the IED left them. Even with everything against them, they are positive and upbeat.

These are memories of Christmas past that come to my minds eye in a flash. We as a country are not at war, but our military is and as we sit around the table tomorrow, please hold hands and say a prayer for our guys and gals still over there away from their families sitting on some FOB or base in Iraq and Afghanistan during this Christmas season. I pray that it’s a peaceful non eventful night for our troops and to my brothers over at Camp Eggers and the Embassy in Kabul, we are thinking about you daily! To all of you who by chance read this, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year in 2009!

Semper Fi,

Taco

PS, Christmas came early for my friend, Gunny John, he was promoted to Master Gunnery Sergeant, so be sure to go visit his site, write on the right.blogspot.com and say congrats

Tags: Afghanistan, Christmas with the troops, flying, Iraq

A** Pain of Redeployment…

What is it like to be home?  After Iraq in ’06, I was actually depressed for the first two weeks when I got back for many reasons. One of which, was when I realized that my wife and kids had done well without me for the past 7 months.  Sounds crazy, but it’s true.  All the bills were paid, errands were completed, and I was just standing around trying to fit back into the family unit.  The biggest part of the funk was caused by the lack of military action, now that I was home.  We were pretty busy in the An Bar province back in 05 with constant activity from the chuckleheads, which caused daily medivac’s for the wounded or KIA.  That feeling of importance (important to helping out the group effort) was gone.  The friends that I hung out with on a daily basis were gone.  The sounds of constant motion in the war zone (i.e. helicopters flying overhead, big diesel generators everywhere). People shouting over the den of the air condition units, were blocked out of my daily routine and pushed back to the peripheral portion of my mind.  While at home, I couldn’t sleep well without it. I really noticed the lack of it in my backyard as I waited for the dog to do her business.

This time, coming home from Afghanistan, I sort of knew what to expect as I went through the pain of redeploying through Kuwait, and the long endless hours on planes to get back home.  I was a “homeless” person with tons of bags to drag all over creation (wheels are a must) as I moved from this base, to that one.  The five hour flight from Afghanistan to Kuwait wasn’t too bad on the C-17, for that was one step closer. Then I sat around Kuwait, killing time until I went into lockdown for customs, while they inspected everything I owned. I mean, if they could send a camera up your colon to ensure you weren’t trying to smuggle an AK 47 home, I think they would do it! Before I left, they sat me in a large tent with a slide show on the big screen explaining what you can and can’t take home with you.  “No animals, It’s OK to have plastic encased spiders though, No Ammo, explosives, handguns, rifles, parts of weapons, etc., but personal ADULT SEX toys are allowed!” Now that really made you think, “What kind of toys are we talking about?” You mean the boys didn’t have to put their slightly used blow up dolls for sale on the company board back at Camp Eggers?  I of course, put a blue Burka on one and put her in the back seat of my SUV, so I would look like the rest of the locals with their Burka Babes in the “rear with the gear,” what else do you think I would do with her? Dirty minded people out there, I swear!

After having my bags x-rayed, they took everything apart.  They made me dump all of my 782 gear, books, tee-shirts, etc. on a large table.  After doing so, they inspect through each piece of clothing, or gear.  They took my Aspirin that was in a plastic bag (guess the guy had a headache), but let me keep my malaria pills.  A bit of advice : “Don’t worry about packing your belongings before you get there, because it won’t go back as nice as you had it!”  Funny thing is, as I’m going through all of my stuff a month later, I found an M16 round that was in the bottom of my bag, so I guess they aren’t that good at the inspection. Once I passed that big “ASS PAIN,” I was stuck in a room with everyone else, waiting to get on a bus to the airport. Remember, I got up at 7am that morning; it’s now 9pm before they took me on a two hour trip to the military side of the airport, only to sit around until my flight left at 2am for Germany.  I was able to catch a couple hours of sleep on the plane before we sat around the airport in Frankfurt for our two hour break.  They loaded a bunch of “Space A” folks on the plane there for the trip to BWI.  That delayed us an hour, and by the time we arrived in Baltimore with screaming kids behind me, and little sleep, I had missed my follow on flight to Charlotte and then to Jacksonville NC where my wife was going to meet me.  I ended up changing my flight to Raleigh Durham NC, hooking up with my wife there and spending the night with my best friend from High School and College, Parker and his family.  I can tell you that I slept like a baby that night in the nicest (heavenly) bed.  It was nice to be home, to see all the green and not worry about what the bad guys would try to do next.  No more info. papers, country team notes for the Ambassador, or goofy requests from the Secretary of Defense’s office.  

This go-around, it was easier to fit in well with the kids and family and have been lucky enough to take a few weeks off to enjoy my time with them.  That is a glimpse into redeploying back from the war so you know what all those tired looking guys and gals have gone through when you see them at the airport.  I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and may you have a Blessed Christmas time as well.

Semper Fi,

Taco 

Marines are Special…Happy Birthday

Finally home in Texas

A feel good story that the press won’t pick up…

I think that victory over here can be measured by small battles as we pursue to improve the lives of the Afghan’s. If you step back and look at how business has been done here, it’s an overwhelming feeling as you are fighting hundreds of years of instilled behavior that is totally foreign to what we believe to be right and wrong in a modern western society. They base a lot of their laws on tribal traditions, a bit on the Koran and “this is how it’s always been done” which brings me to this next story.

A good friend of mine who works at one of the PRT’s (provincial reconstruction teams) emailed me asking for help. Paul is from New Zealand and runs a Police course on his base for the Afghan’s, plus he mentors for some of the folks in town. In July, a case was presented to him about a young girl named Amena who was in a local prison near his base, a men’s prison actually, and living in absolutely horrible conditions. This really struck a cord in my heart, as a father to three girls; I began to digest the summary of what this 14 year old girl was going through. Paul also has two girls, one about the same age as Amena and this become his mission in life to free her.

See, Amena’s father Hassan, decided that she would marry her 45 year old cousin Mohammad Ali, a man who had spent the last 25 years in jail. Arranged marriages, while technically illegal in the Afghan system are still very much alive and well here and in most third world countries. Dwarfism is also a part of life here since so much local blood has intermingled among the cousins in a village. The Afghan’s are tribal and as such, stay within their own communities.

I don’t know why her father was forcing her into a marriage with Mohammad Ali, but she didn’t love him and refused to participate in the wedding. Someone sent a message to the local police about the situation and they dispatched an officer to arrest Hassan the father on charges of making an arranged marriage. He agreed not to force her into marriage and then Amena was ordered by her mother, to write a letter withdrawing her petition against her father so that he wouldn’t go to jail.

This worked for a little bit as Hassan the father left their village to communicate with Allah about his situation. Before he left though, he went to Mullah Tawasuli and asked him to complete the marriage of his daughter and cousin which was done making Amena a new young bride. Apparently, you don’t have to be present to get married, as Amena found out, not knowing what her father had done. Legally though, you have to have two witnesses at your marriage, so this would be a sham marriage if you get down to it. On his way out of town, Hassan stop by his cousin’s house and told him to go fetch his new bride who was back at the families mud hut. Mohammad Ali took Amena to his sister’s house where he beat and raped her repeatedly. You can imagine what was going through this 14 year old girls mind as she was trapped with this criminal.

She found out through a friend that she was now the new bride to her cousin and promptly ran away to the man she truly loved, Hossain, who lived in the next village. Together they went to another Mullah and were married in front of him with witnesses this time. She believed that this was the first time she had been married, so the couple went to the local police station to explain what was going on and to seek help in the matter.

Unfortunately, she was arrested for bigamy, see you can’t have two husbands here, but she didn’t see it that way as she wasn’t even at the “First Wedding” with her cousin that her father made. When the police heard that, they arrested the father and cousin for having done the “arranged marriage” thing and threw them both into the clink as well.

The worst part of this story happened when her case was heard in the primary court without her. I guess she and the prosecutor were delayed and the judge who wouldn’t even let her defense lawyer speak, sentenced her to 7 years imprisonment and if he didn’t like it, to take it up to the Supreme court in Kabul. He also sent the father and cousin away as well for the same amount of time. Hassan asked his cousin if he would divorce Amena to get them out of jail and he would give him his second daughter but Mohammad Ali said no way, I just want Amena. True love I guess on his part.

This case is much more then just a legal issue because it covers so many other factors that come into play over here such as religion, culture, shura law and family. This girl was sitting in a prison for a crime that she didn’t commit and never given the opportunity to prove her innocence. I don’t want to tell you the conditions a young girl faces in a men’s prison over here, and I, as a father, couldn’t sit by and not try to help. Paul is a father as well, which prompted his intervention.

I forwarded this letter and appeal to a Marine lawyer I know, Major Rob P. another member of my team working on prison reform and the Rule of law who then got it to a member of our Embassy a guy name Gary P. Over the course of several weeks, this package finally made it’s way to the head of the Supreme Court in Kabul where he did the right thing and released Amena from jail. Unfortunately, he also released the father and cousin as well, causing serious discord between both families and since she shamed their honor, there are credible death threats against her.

I have to say that I’m proud of being a part of the greater change in Afghanistan, but it’s a change that I won’t see for years down the road, like what has happened in Iraq. It’s the small things like this that really make me feel like I will have left here and actually accomplished something. Just being able to be a small part of the wheel that turned enough to open her jail cell is good enough for me. So, if you want a “what have we done lately for the Afghan’s” story, here you go. Feel free to pass it on.
Semper Fi,
Taco

Tags: Afghanistan, arranged marriage, Koran, shura law

Chat with me on the 20th 0930am to 1100am EST online

Hey Guys,
Marty at AnySoldier/Marine has come up with a cool little feature on the site and that is a Chat feature. Marine Chat online and I’d like to try out something for the masses on Sat the 20th. I will be online Saturday between 0930 and 11am Eastern time for about an hour. You just have to go to the link above and the first thing you do is Register, so at the bottom put in a user name, password and then your email address. Pretty easy. Then log on at the top where it say enter the chat room. That will open a small box, so click on Taco and you will be able to chat with me for about an hour. This will be a test and we’ll try it more with different days later. Look forward to chatting with the masses on this new feature.
Semper Fi,
Taco