Well, not much going on this week. I have yet to leave Bagram AB. We were going to go to Kabul, but the intel showed suicide bombers wandering the city. Then we were going to go to Kandahar, but air transport is apparently full. So I have sat on Bagram, doing paperwork like a good attorney and starting the process of going stir crazy.

At least I got in all my runs this week. Wednesday was fun. First the 10 minute break in the middle because the dogs had found a landmine near the perimeter road that I run, then, after they cleared the road and I was a mile farther along, a landmine or something went off a couple hundred feet outside the wire as I ran by. Nothing like a plume of smoke and a bang to make you run faster. Actually, the most painful part of running here is the alkalai dust. A little sweat and it is so dusty the dust/sweat mixture starts running in my eyes which stings.

Which is the one thing I can say about Afghanistan, the views are vast and beautiful in a rugged artic sort of way. We are located in a valley which has mountains on all sides. The valley should be beautiful. Instead the poverty has caused all the locals to cut down all the trees, creating a dustbowl. You can see the vegetation trying to creep back in, but the locals are so poor they overgraze and harvest everything. Better living through Islam and continuing war.

I got to talk with a US officer assigned to ISAF. Poor guy. The problem is that ISAF has many troops from countries that are skittish about GTMO/POWs. Thier Rules of Engagement are set up such that they essentially will NEVER have POWs. They are supposed to turn them over to the Afghans, in the case they ever capture someone. The problem is the Afghans are not ready to recieve them. So they, in addition to having the Taliban laugh at them, are taking casualties as they see the same jerks in engagement after engagement. The problem is that you have combat, and someone will take prisoners. The US response is not great, we let them go after a couple of years, but at least we take them out of the fight for a while. Poor ISAF. I feel for those poor guys. Trying to fight a war with politicians that just don't understand. The amazing part is that they are winning. Even as the Pakistani's are releasing fighters they have held and giving them a safe training area, ISAF i

s killing Taliban at an amazing rate, taking back territory and forcing the Taliban back to the earlier stages of an insurgency. God Bless them. Hopefully someday soon either thier politicians will wake up, letting them take prisoners (which will let more of them come home alive) or we will get the Afghans up to speed.

I think that will end up being my big goal for the deployment. The Afghans will have thier US approved prison up and running in February. Hopefully I can convince whoever needs convincing that we can have our first case tried and the criminal in the new prison by the time I come back to the US in March. Does not seem like much, but the first one is always the hardest. And if we can get a senior guy off the battlefield and under afghan custody for ten years or so, I will be happy.

This week the picture is of the smoking area just outside our building. Of course for the Taliban Tiki Tavern there is no Alcohol, and I don't smoke, so it is really an area to hang out and gossip. But it is there, which is nice for get togethers.

Heath

He would love to hear from anyone, on anything - If you would like to send an email or a letter, please contact me and I'll give you my info and will forward it to him Thanks