Postal Service Protests Afghanistan-Withdrawal Plans

Contributor, Staff Sgt. Rich Stowell

From http://my-public-affairs.blogspot.com/2014/05/postal-service-protests-afghanistan.html

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2014— In an unprecedented foray into foreign policy, the United States Postmaster General has sent a letter to President Obama and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel urging them to maintain a force of at least 32,000 in Afghanistan beyond 2014.

Postal officials fear that bringing significant number of troops home will be bad for the bottom line.

The letter, obtained by My Public Affairs from a source in the Postmaster General's office, refers to "calamitous second- and third-order effects" from a precipitous draw down of US troops. The Postal Service says that revenue from care packages accounts for a sizeable portion of their operating budget.

If forces draw down as much as the president has suggested-- to just under 10,000 in his recent speech to service members at Bagram Airfield-- then that revenue could plummet.

Officials in the Postal Service didn't specify how much money that would cost them, but the watchdog group PostCheck says it is in the tens of millions. The service lost $1.9 million in the first quarter of this year, according to Bloomberg. If the agency loses its profitable Afghanistan War care package market, it could hemmorhage money and not be able to recover.

After US forces left Iraq in 2011, the Postal Service began a revenue decline from which it is still recovering.

The Postmaster General has also urged members of the postal workers union to write their representatives in Congress, as well as to call the White House.

"The Post Office has always been a friend to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines, the letter read."And in these extraordinary times of budget austerity, we simply can not afford to lose the valuable business that their friends and family members give us to send chips, cookies, and toiletries."

One Soldier, who declined to give is name but offered his picture, said that while he appreciates getting care packages, he'd rather be home where he could just go buy that stuff himself at Target.

Sources close to the Soldier said that he really shops at Wal Mart but doesn't like to admit it.

"Don't get me wrong, it's nice to get packets of toothpaste and bodywash. But really, how much chap stick does a guy need?"

The Soldier didn't comment on whether units should be forced to stay in order to maintian current levels of postal services.

Another service member, an Airman stationed at Bagram Airfield, suggested sending packages to random Afghans as a way to offset the decline of mail to US troops.

First Impressions from the Province's Second-Greatest City

Contributor, Staff Sgt. Rich Stowell

From http://my-public-affairs.blogspot.com/2014/05/first-impressions-of-kaf.html

 

“You’ll love the poop pond,” is what one Afghanistan veteran told me on Facebook the other day. A full-bird colonel said he heard it stank here.

Welcome to Kandahar Arifield—“KAF” colloquially.

 

It’s really not that bad. At least the odor. The infamous poop pond is nowhere to be smelled, though there are other olfactory inconveniences that go with housing large numbers of soldiers in close proximity.

 

We arrived in the evening of 10 May. It was warm, but not hot. It felt a lot like Las Vegas in the Spring. We entered through a terminal that looked like it was at one time a 19^th-century public building. I surmised that the stucco and brick, arched building was the original civilian airport. Some folks here told us later that it is called “TLS,” or “Taliban’s Last Stand.”

 

We got on a bus with our gear and headed to the billets. We live in “mods,” or modular housing. They are steel buildings with separate four-man rooms and common latrines and showers. Air conditioning works well, so I can’t complain, although it seems I’m going to become intimately familiar with every single one of the springs on my mattress.

 

If I had to choose one word to describe this place: DUSTY.

 

I removed about a quarter inch of dust from the top of my wall locker thinking, “man, this place hasn’t been cleaned since it was built!” Now I’m not so sure.

 

The sun rises at 5:30 out here. I guess that’s the half-hour time difference. So while it’s noon in Salt Lake City, it’s 10:30 at night here. I say as long as we’re imposing democracy, let’s get the Afghans on the same hour intervals as the developed world.

 

Food is okay. There are three dining facilities here, all within walking distance from where we live: Niagara, which used to serve food the Canadians could stomach, I assume; Cambridge, which features British fare; and Far East, with Asian food. So far steak burgers at Niagara are the best, followed by fish and chips at Cambridge. The Fish and Chips are really good, but honestly, the burgers are on par with Smashburger.

 

I asked Prax what word she’d use to describe KAF. She said, “brown.” I still say DUSTY.

It’s nice to see the military going green. When we wash our hands in the the D-Fac, we dry them on Dyson air hand dryers. Reminds me of going to school at the U, where the greatest virtue seems to be one's allegiance to "sustainability" intiatives.

There is an MWR tent and a gym tent next door. I use the term "tent" in the sense that they are shaped like tents; they were long ago sprayed with some foamy stuff that has hardened and encrusted the buildings like library at the climax of Ghostbusters II. Insulation, I am told.

KAF would be one of the largest cities in the country, the second largest in Kandahar province. As such, there are ammenities one would expect in a small town. Donuts, coffee, shops, that sort of thing.

Importantly, there are bunkers in case of rocket attacks and plaettes of water everywhere.

My main complaint is that internet for personal use isn't widely available. A hundred dollars a month (yes, you read that right) will get you a connection that could pass for most uses. Anything cheaper is useless.

All in all, KAF is a really great place. There is only a bit of sarcasm, of course, but remember, it's only week two.

Utah Guard Marathon Team Shines at Lincoln, Passes the Torch

Story and photos by Lt. Col. Hank McIntire

Click here for additional photos of Utah Guard runners.

Click here for photos of the awards ceremony.

LINCOLN, Neb. — It was a blend of the old and the new as five members of the Utah National Guard marathon team competed here May 4 for spots on the All-Guard team.

The race, known for the last several years as the Lincoln-National Guard Marathon, is jointly sponsored by the Lincoln Track Club and the National Guard.

Two team members, Maj. DeAnne Trauba and Lt. Col. Eric Petersen, each have more than a dozen Lincoln races under their belts, qualifying each time for All-Guard honors. With them were three “sophomores,” Capt. Cody Adamson, Capt. Lex Grimley and Sgt. Andrea Graff, running their second Lincoln after making the All-Guard team here a year ago.

Graff, of St. George, and a member of the 213th Forward Support Company, has three years in the Guard and served a combat tour in Iraq in 2011 with the 2-222nd Field Artillery. She not only has Trauba and Petersen to help her learn the ropes, but her father, Col. George Graff, is also a mentor as a longtime member of both the Utah Guard and the All-Guard marathon team.

“I feel a whole lot of pressure, like I have to do good,” chuckled Graff.“Ninety percent of my decision to enlist was the fact that my dad was in the Guard and on the marathon team. I loved coming to the events with him and being around the runners and soldiers.”

Competing at this level was also a draw for Adamson and Grimley to join the Utah team.

“I do marathons anyway,” said Adamson, a Lehi resident and executive officer for the 144th Area Support Medical Company. He deployed to Iraq in 2003-2004 with the 1457th Engineer Battalion. “Competing with the Guard seemed like a lot of fun, and I like racing and traveling.”

“I had never heard of the marathon team,” admitted Grimley, of Saratoga Springs, a medical officer with the 300th Military Intelligence Brigade, who served in Iraq in 2003-2005 with the 142nd Military Intelligence Battalion. “I got an e-mail last year. They heard I was a runner and asked me to run.”

Petersen, of Holladay, is a judge advocate with the 204th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. He returned just weeks ago from a yearlong deployment to Kosovo. Early on, his commander there asked him to help train 45 soldiers of Multi-National Battle Group East to run in the Athens (Greece) Marathon. Petersen competed himself and saw 39 of his trainees meet their time goals in the race.

“It was a challenge to find time to exercise in Kosovo,” said Petersen, “I don’t feel quite as prepared for this race as in years past.”

And Trauba, deputy state surgeon for the Utah Guard and a Draper resident, also had some hurdles to clear before coming to Lincoln, nursing a sore Achilles tendon, and there was the small matter of running the Boston Marathon just two weeks ago.

“I haven’t been able to train the way I normally do, with my injury—no speed and no hills,” she explained. “I didn’t want to push too hard at Boston, knowing I was coming straight to Lincoln.”

But setbacks aside, each of the five Utah athletes were here, ready to give it their best. They joined the other 12,500 marathoners and half-marathoners on race morning in gusty winds and warm temperatures. They snaked their way on the fairly flat course through the greater Lincoln area, finishing at the 50-yard line of Memorial Stadium, the football home of the five-time, national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Grimley crossed the finish line first in 3:04, followed by Peterson with a 3:15 time. Adamson came in with a 3:46, and Graff and Trauba finished in 3:51 and 4:02, respectively.

While each runner had hopes to make the All-Guard team, the competition was fierce, and Grimley was the only Utah Guardmember selected. For the coming year he will represent the National Guard at selected marathons or half-marathons throughout the U.S.

For the other four members of the team, there are many positives to pull from their efforts at Lincoln.

“From a team standpoint, Lincoln is great for morale and esprit de corps,”said Petersen. “It brings our Utah team closer together.”

There is also the personal benefit of staying marathon ready, competing locally and looking ahead to next year.

“I enjoy running,” said Trauba. “It helps me focus and balance my life.”

“Just training all year long has kept me more fit,” added Graff.

“I can help other soldiers in my unit who struggle with running,” observed Adamson. “It helps me be a better leader and mentor.”

They will all be back in Lincoln next year, looking to make the All-Guard once again. And for now, Grimley will carry the torch for the other four as he competes nationally.

“There’s nothing better than getting out and representing the National Guard and your individual state,” Grimley said. “You want to perform well, but in the end it doesn’t really matter because there’s a brotherhood in all of this.”

See You in Afghanistan

Contributor, Staff Sgt. Rich Stowell

 

On the eve of a major movement, I sit in my bunk at a NATO base in Romania. It is very interesting how the world changes. Less than a generation ago, this installation likely housed troops of the Warsaw Pact. Now it’s the staging center for the largest and longest ever NATO operation.

The room looks like it belongs in the Ikea military catalog—small and minimalist. White and shiny.

I can’t say that I’ll miss this place. I stare at the few belongings the Army was kind enough to let me hold onto for the 36 hours we were here. It all fits into a single backpack. The extra Rubbermaid container is along for the ride simply because I refused to have spent $4 on it without keeping it a while longer.

H. just walked in. He is abundantly optimistic. I wish I possessed that quality, in slightly less measure than he. Not that I am pessimistic, by any means. It’s just that I am easily annoyed. If you like this blog, you ought to be glad, I suppose, since a good portion of the posts are outlets for Army-induced frustration.

E. and I have been texting. We’ll find out next billing cycle how badly T-Mobile is going to shake us down. Right now I don’t care.

Eth., who per habit went to sleep several hours ago (it is now 11:00 pm), has just woken up. We argue for a bit about the past participle of “wake.” Solomon argues that I should just write “awaken.” I don’t want to. Eth. asserts that the sentence should read, “He has been awaken by the people in his room.” He promised to smother us in our sleep.

How does it feel to be on my way to Afghanistan? Hard to describe. I am trying to remember what is was like at this point on the Kosovo tour. I really can’t remember.

I am excited, for one thing. I have been hyping this thing up in my mind for over a year. I just sent an email to my dissertation committee members explaining to them my proposed timeline. Breaking away from school, work, family, and life is a huge emotional challenge. Part of that challenge is talking myself into looking forward to something that’s going to be so hard.

One emotion that I am not feeling is sadness. I got choked up a few days ago, when we were leaving Fort Dix. E. and I talked on the phone and the thought of finally leaving the United States put us both in a state. We’re both past that point now, and just planning on how to make things easier on the boys.

We show up at 6:45 am in front of the Ikea barracks to catch a bus to the flight line. They say we’ll get on a C-17, which is kind of cool for about eight minutes. It’ll be a five-hour flight.

Now the guys are talking about going to midnight chow. I don’t want to get out of my bunk, but I probably will.

See you in Afghanistan.

 

Stowell posted this message sometime after posting the above:

 

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm safe, settling in to this base in the middle of Afghanistan. Feels like Las Vegas, but smells worse. So far so good.

A Highly Resilient Army?

Contributor, Staff Stg. Rich Stowell

Karl Weick is a brilliant scholar and researcher of organization. His latest work, co-authored by Kathleen Sutcliffe, is about highly-resilient organizations (HROs), among which he includes the sailors on an aircraft carrier. HROs display characteristics that distinguish them from typical organizations-- things like a willingness to track small failures, a resistance to oversimplification, and a sensitivity to operations.

A carrier crew might be the prototypical HRO, but Army units offer a more practical case study, at least for yours truly. I'll be in such a unit in Afghanistan within a fortnight.

The goal of any organization, resilient or not, is high performance. Effective organizations are organized so as to negotiate changing environments. Certainly the military has a need to be so organized. Uncertainty has a way of auditing these organizations. In a market, the organization that fails the audit goes bankrupt. In war, it suffers defeat.

According to Weick and Sutcliffe, they have identified a particular class of organizations that reduce "the brutality of audits and speeds up the process of recovery."

News from Afghanistan suggests a relatively stable operating environment for the Army. Compared to the deadliest years of 2009 - 2011, over 60 percent of all OEF casualties occurred, 2014 is shaping up to be the year of Afghanistan security. That means dramatically different missions for US troops. Whether the Army can shift from an offensive combat posture to stability operations will be a real test of its organizational resilience.

Weick and Sutcliffe offer some advice to those organizations looking to stay resilient and adaptive to a changing environment: defer to expertise. Not all commanders, and certainly not all Soldiers, are experts at the type of operations coming down the pike. If the powers that be can identify who the real experts are, then the Army should be able to manage the coming changes.

Utah Guard Engineers Recognized for Flood Response in Colorado

Lt. Col. Mike Turley, commander of the Utah Army Guard's 1457th Engineer Battalion, captures the siginficance of an article recently published in the Army Engineer magazine:

The publication of a technical engineering article written by the 1457th Engineer Battalion in Army Engineer Magazine is significant in the history of the Battalion and for the Army National Guard as a whole. It provides a medium to extol the virtues of a storied and decorated unit in the Utah Army National Guard and shows how valuable Citizen-Soldiers can be in times of need.

“Army Engineer Magazine is the official publication of The Army Engineer Association, a member-based, non-profit corporation specifically organized to facilitate cohesion, interaction, and networking within the United States Army Corps of Engineers total family of soldiers, civilians, family members, and alumni. As such, AEA serves as both the honor fraternity and alumni association for the Army Engineer Regiment.

The Engineer Regiment includes those now serving, as well as veterans who served honorably for any length of time. By their dedicated service, each earned a distinct place within the Regiment, whether it be as a part of an Engineer troop unit or part of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) organization (District, Division, Laboratory, etc.)

AEA provides its members with an Army Engineer network for life. Why is this important? Army Engineers excel at completing complex and demanding missions in war and peace, always performed with uncommon dedication, ingenuity, and unsurpassed standards of excellence. All members of this network are thus inseparably linked for life by their service.”

By publishing this article; highlighting the technical expertise, selfless service, and duty to our fellow countrymen, Army Engineer Magazine has solidified the reputation of the Battalion as one of the premier organizations of the US Army Corps of Engineers. This article trumpets a legacy of excellence for past, present, and future members of the 1457th Engineer Battalion.

In addtion, the 116th Engineer Company (Horizontal), which was heavily involved in the flood-recovery mission in Colorado in late 2013, was recently selected for the Itschner Award.

The Itschner Plaque, first awarded by the Society of American Military Engineers in 1960, is named in honor of Lt. Gen. Emerson C. Itschner, USA. The plaque was presented to the most outstanding U.S. Army engineering company during a year.

In 1974, the competition for the Itschner Award was broadened to include the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.