Pitch and Catch, July 30, 2010

Well, the time has arrived for my last update from the desert. I feel lucky to have had this opportunity, and I am the richer for it. I worked side by side with our soldiers, sailors, airman and marines for the last six months, during one of the biggest logistics challenges our military has faced. I am humbled to the core with the dedication of our military members. Members of the active duty logistic community deploy frequently…most are deployed 50% of the time. This is the life they chose, but that doesn’t mean it is easy, and it still takes a personal toll.

People are asking me some tough questions. Is it worth it? Are we making a difference? Can we succeed? The answer is definitely yes to all, but as a nation, we must commit wholeheartedly and then stay the course. Of course some of the news is bad news…what did people expect when we increased operations and send more troops into Afghanistan? The Taliban is no push over (and they fight dirty), but we committed to go after them, so let’s not get feint hearted now. We need to learn from these days, adapt and carry on. We simply need to adapt faster than the enemy can. We are a much larger force, and consequently, we don’t adapt as easily. We also need our nation’s other instruments of power (diplomatic, economic) equally engaged, perhaps more so. We will not succeed if it is treated simply as a military operation.

I received an award last Friday. After the General spoke and gave me the award, the floor was mine. Here is a recap what I said.

This whole thing is one giant game of pitch and catch. The Central Command Deployment and Distribution Operations Center (CDDOC), the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) and the Surface Deployment and Distribution Center (SDDC) are the strategic movement partners and are the “pitchers”, and the folks in Afghanistan…US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) and it’s down trace units (Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan, the Sustainment Brigades, the Aerial Ports, etc.) are the “catchers”. The benefactors of the incredible game are, of course, the war fighter. Once the catch is made, (whether it be people, unit cargo, theater provided equipment and the like), the war fighter goes off to do their mission. Their mission is the “why” we are all here.

The impression we (the strategic partners) leave can set the tone for their entire deployment. It can set them up for success or it can set them up for failure. It can certainly impact their morale, which, in turn impacts the war fight. What kind of impression do we want to leave? The answer is obvious.

With that being said, I have a few thoughts to share with you about my deployment here and why I believe it was successful.

As CDDOC’s representative in Afghanistan, it was often my job to explain rules behind this massive game of pitch and catch. In order to do that, I had to first know the rules. No matter your background, no one really knows what the need to know when they get here. You are simply thrown in the deep and of the pool and you are expected to swim like hell. Therefore, the relationships you build, and your willingness to learn and be mentored will be integral to your success. Every time I got on the phone with one of you here…and that happened a lot…you took your time with me and was patient. Whether it was one of the Air Force sergeants on the ITARS desk, one of the Navy Petty Officers in the surface and sustainment branch or a Navy Lieutenant in the Single Ticket Tracker program, you taught me and you mentored me, so that I could teach others. In this way, the full force and effect of CDDOC is be projected forward into Afghanistan, and brought to bear in the war fight.

The morale of this story is that you find mentors where THEY are, not where you are. The traditional role models for mentors—those that are higher in rank, have the same skill set, or are in the same service--do not work well in a joint environment. You must look everywhere for mentors, not just the traditional places.

So, thank you for spending your time, energy and effort on me—you made me much more effective than I could have been on my own—you were a true force multiplier, and that is a WIN for the war fighter.

Then, I saluted the CDDOC.

Persian Gulf, July 26, 2010

We held a going away for our General, Major General McMahan on Sunday. We got to go to a resort on the beach for a few hours and forget where we were. He said that it was his gift to us—that he wanted it to be our day, not his. Nice thought, but we only got to do it because he is leaving!

This is some of our crew at the beach.
Note the Hooka Pipes!
You see them everywhere here.

We had an excellent buffet dinner at the resort. It was typical Middle Eastern menu: pita bread, pestos, a variety of salads, cucumbers, cheese, olives and the like. There was also beef, chicken and killer lamb chops. My favorite was the hummus spread…yum.

After dinner, the general spoke about our accomplishments over the last six months. He noted that the concurrent Iraq drawdown and Afghanistan plus up has been determined to be the biggest logistical operation since the World War II build up. He discussed that there have been many naysayers out there that said we couldn’t do it, and we did. There are deadlines for certain things, set inside the beltway, and we were on time or ahead of schedule on everything.

I feel privileged to have been in the “fight” at this time. I was personally involved in bringing 30,000 troops and their equipment into Afghanistan. I was intimately involved in bringing in two major army combat brigades. I have made such great friends in these and many other units. I am so sad to leave them behind!

I will tell you that my impressions of the Marines are that they have their shit together. They used the same air and ground lift systems as the other services, but we rarely heard a peep out of them.

My impression of the Navy is largely the same as Marines, and I was surprised at how large the Navy presence was in a country that is land locked! It turns out the Navy does most of the base construction. Because of their construction mission, they deploy with the “big-uglies”—bull dozers, well rigs, etc. These things are tricky to move, but we got ‘er done. I also met quite a number of Navy folks on individual assignments (like mine). It turns out that I liked every submariner I met (3). There is definitely a “type” that ends up being a submariner.

Another remarkable thing about the military is this: The war is fought, at almost every level, by “pickup” players. Meaning that there was a determination of the kind and size of the force, and then the Services went out and picked the next people and units in line to deploy. No one was handpicked to be here--we are all here simply because our number came up. There are no superstars, there is no A-team. You just play the position that is assigned to you to the best of your ability. In most cases, the assigned position lines with your skill set, but not always. When it doesn’t line up, your willingness to learn and be mentored is all that matters, and this also dictates your success (I’ve seen a couple of the unwilling be moved and even seen someone be sent home).

The military is moving towards fewer specialists and more generalists. I have not been a fan of this concept, but now I have a new understanding of why they are doing it. This proves to me, once again, that the core competency that leadership should be focusing on first is attitude; skill set is important but is secondary to having the right attitude.



We sat pool side waiting for dinner. I got to chat with these girls, who spoke just enough English so that we could get to know each other.  They seemed to be enamored by me and another girl in our group, and they wanted to know our names and who we were with (large group, all male but us). First I said friends, but they didn’t seem to get it.  Then I wondered if they were asking with MAN we were with!  After that I just said we are all family, and that seemed to satisfy them.  They had a young boy with them that I think they were explaining that they were with him, meaning that they couldn’t go out without a man…note the boy was younger than all the girls but one.



Into The Fire, July 18, 2010

I got to leave Afghanistan a little earlier than I thought. There is a conference in Kabul on the day that I planned to leave, and the roads were rumored to be going “black”, meaning no travel. Rather than risk getting delayed, I left early.

Being in the Air Force means you get to know pilots. There are a number of pilots working for CDDOC, and these pilots happen to know the schedulers for airlift for distinguished visitors (DVs). So, not only did I get to leave early, I left in a C-20, which is what the Air Force calls a Gulfstream 3. What a sweet ass ride. If that wasn’t good enough, the flight attendant cooked up and served a great meal from scratch. This guy usually serves 4 star generals, including General Patraeus. He has also worked on Air Force One and served George and Laura Bush! He got the raw ingredients from the chow hall, so it proves that the food is good to start with and it is all a matter of the skill of the cooker.

So, here I sit, writing these notes, on the airplane. I am marveling that I have my own table, my legs are stretched out long, two of my traveling companions are also on their computers, one with a joystick, playing a football game.

We were told that there is an aircrew jinx. If you get on the a/c and start celebrating and taking pictures, it will break. You have to wait to celebrate until your divert point is no longer back to where you started. In our case, we decided that we had to wait (and be calm, cool and collected), until our divert point was no longer Afghanistan or Pakistan, which meant UAE. We asked the pilot to let us know when we were at that point, which he did. We looked out the window to see the outline of the palm tree island in the water, and then we started taking pictures and laughing.

I couldn’t wait to get off of NKC so that I would have nothing to do, and so be able to reflect on things and write something really brilliant. However, my mind is blank. It all seems like a dream.

Well, I made it out of the frying pan….and straight into the fire…it was 119 degrees in Kuwait when I arrived (Sunday), and it is 106 degrees, right now, at 10:00 at night. No matter…a little over 2 weeks and I am home.

The Bright Idea Fairy, July 11, 2010

Since I first got here, I’ve noticed that people that are about to depart seem to get these bright ideas about how things ought to be. They scurry around trying to accomplish all these new ideas, or try to convince those that will be here for a while that they ought to do them. They go around to the leadership to sell their ideas, thinking that if the leadership buys off on it, then those that are left will have to do it. We see this again and again, and all the while, I keep thinking “why didn’t you do that while you were here”?

Well, it happened. I’ve been visited by the bright idea fairy. It is like she came flittering around with fairy dust, and now I have clarity on a few things that need to be done, or need to be done differently. As I try to make things happen, I can see the look in the faces of those that will be left behind when I leave…they are thinking “not her, too”. Alas, that is the nature of the beast when you have six month rotations. It takes that long to meet the right people and get the right momentum going. I’ve also noticed that people are more likely to speak their mind when they are a short timer, but this hasn’t been a problem for me!

Life does have its way of slowing us down...I am feeling those tugs within my body saying 'enough'. My right hamstring is still being fussy and my left knee is achier than it should be. I know I need to stay down, rest, but it is not real practical here. I did quit work at--egads--8:45 pm on Saturday night. So, it was only a 13 hour day, and that is a break.

I've only got 10 days left here in Kabul and before now, if I would have left that early, I would have felt guilty. You know I am still very much catholic in that my prime motivation is to avoid guilt. Since I've only got 10 days left, I am over feeling guilty...others need to pick up the slack. Did I tell you that I am a recovering catholic? This means that I've learned to rationalize my behavior...that is a purely man made skill! 

Speaking of rationalizing behaviors, bad behaviors in particular, I have to tell you that this Headquarters has some really silly stuff going on. The power of the mind to convince oneself that certain behaviors and actions are ok is amazing. I have run into a few folks that prove that if you never look inward, never self examine and never internalize anything, you can live in a state of bliss where nothing is your job, and nothing is your fault. This proves, of course, that ignorance is bliss. Further, if one refuses to learn or just does not learn, then there are no issues, and nothing needs to be worked, and life is good (that bliss thing again). These constitute the wedded bliss of bad behaviors--put them together, and if you can live with yourself, this deployment wouldn't be so bad after all. This brings me back to the power of the mind to get what it wants.


The Fourth of July Formation



Characters, July 4, 2010

We had a fairly normal day today, 4 July.  Sunday is normally a half day, which means about 10 hours of work.  They said the afternoon was a “relaxed” schedule, but they didn’t explain what that meant, or who would do the work if we didn’t, so most of us worked.  They held a 5K (ish) this morning, and they had a formation and ceremony followed by a bbq for dinner.  I wasn’t up to doing the run…still nursing my pulled hamstring.  I’ve been walk/running and bicycling instead.  I helped our ammo folks fly a bunch of flags over the compound, so they can send them to all the task forces with a certificate with today’s date.  That was pretty cool.

Here are a couple of new quotes that I’ve learned here.  As you can see, I work with some real characters.

Instead of “the cat is out of the bag” say, “the shit is out of the horse now”.

Instead of “I get what you are saying” say, “I’m smelling what you are stepping in”.

If you’re going to spend your time out in the middle of the street, don’t get upset if the bus runs you over and you end up underneath it.

That thing could pucker a lemon’s ass, it’s so sour.

Two puppies gnawing on a bone can do a whole lot better than one.

You can’t un-impregnate this thing.

The horse has left the stable unbridled.

It’s like attacking a Russian fort with a mop handle and two blind rats.

I know we have the 900 pound gorilla in the room to work, but don’t forget about the two chimpanzees.

I've smelled that dog before.

Believe deeds, not words.

And my favorite:  There is no "I" in teamwork but there are 3 "U"s in shut the fuck up.

Here are a couple of the characters I work with:



This is some of the USFOR-A Mobility Shop that I am a Liaison Officer too.  These are the ones that I spend 14 or more hours a day with.  Note the hedge hog up front.  His name is Meert.

These are my walking buddies, and my goofing off buddies.  We do laps around the compound during the day to stay sane.  We call them prison laps.

These are my fellow CDDOC Liaison Officers.  Two of us are at USFOR-A and the rest are at the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters.  This photo is taken in a garden at ISAF.  A remarkable difference between US bases and NATO basis is that NATO bases have cafés and gardens everywhere, and US bases are dust, concrete and pavement.  I do prefer US chow halls to NATO chow halls though.