Not much going on here, we are fully integrated into the planning cell, and going around now doing a lot of overview briefs so the staff knows what we are capable of. I expect a flood of tasking pretty soon. I’ve been lending an oar wherever it’s been needed, but it will be nice to have the majority of my work actually being what I was sent to do.

Other than that we just keep plugging away at the problem. The Peace Jirga with the tribal leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan is ongoing, and hopefully going well. Yesterday at Camp Anaconda in the south the Taliban tried a frontal assault on the base. About a dozen died of melancholy and high explosive…but mostly high explosive. Apparently we haven’t killed all the dumb ones yet. It’s also a great sign that the flags here are at full staff. When a NATO soldier is killed they put the flags at half-mast for three days. It’s been rare for them to be up all the way. (Note: Five days, yesterday a British soldier from the Royal Anglian Regiment was killed in a firefight down south. We lost another from wounds and four Americans a day later. Overall not a good end to the week) .

I know everyone will be disappointed to know I refrained from going over to Eggers for Steak and seafood night. We have two new team members coming in, and today was the first day we could expect them. Obviously they had the same trip LTC Moore and I had, because they didn’t show today. I spent a hot afternoon traipsing around the compound looking for them, and was just too tired to put the gear on. (I know, poor me.)

I’ve been working some effects assessment stuff late this week, and will really hit it hard this weekend. Good to be gainfully employed at last. In fact I actually had a few of the planners come and ask for help. I have four irons in the fire right now. Its nice to be wanted.

The office was being cleaned today, so the planning staff went out for “sports”. We played volleyball. Although the purists in Holyoke would be shocked to know that playing with the Europeans means that soccer kicks are acceptable. (I also saw some Pakistanis (I think) in the basketball court practicing Cricket. There’s a game I know very little about.) Fun morning, and I got a little burned, that’s the longest I’ve been outside for a while. Luckily we finished before the dust storm came in. The haze is so bad you can barely see the foothills.

Well now that I have been here more than a month I am eligible for the NATO medal. We have a ceremony in the gym once a month where the generals came in to pin them on the people that have earned them. It was run by a German Sergeant Major, and there were a lot of Brits and Canadians there, so you heard a loud stomp when we went to attention. I was pinned by a Dutch Marine general. We commiserated about being so far away from our natural habitat, and he said “As I told your Commandant when he was here, I consider India and Pakistan just one big beach.” …typical. Anyway the medal has a clasp on the ribbon for ISAF. I am considering going to the bazaar and replacing it with on that says “Northwest Frontier 1870-1890”. ‘Cause that’s the way I roll.

Mass went off Saturday with a French chaplain. I was late out of a meeting so I had to go to church armed. It made me feel like I joined the Cameronians. (I think only two people are going to get that reference.)