"WAR IS BUSINESS and BUSINESS IS GOOD"

 

WHAT ARE ALL THESE COUNTRIES DOING HERE?

When I first arrived at Bagram Military base, in Afghanistan, I was shocked to see all the different countries there. At home in America, I saw news reports of a few countries helping America in the Afghan war, but this was like the whole world has come to the Afghan War. My first thought was why are all these countries here? I wondered who is in charge and how do all these foreign countries work together?

I later learned that there are NATO Troops and Coalition troops. My curiosity got the better of me, so I googled and learned there are over 50 countries involved in the Afghan war one way or another.  Over the next 4 years besides the United States and Afghanistan, the countries I personally had interaction with included, Albania, Armenia, Australia, Bosnia, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Nepal, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Kuwait, Romania, Spain, Jordan and Turkey. I never would have guessed this would happen.

MISFITS, MERCENARIES, TERRORISTS, HUMANITARIANS

The next thing I was soon to be educated about was all the different types of people war zones attract being introduced to the most diverse number of people I have ever met. Each with their own addenda, some looking to help, some looking to make money, some looking to kill people to promote a particular religion or political bias.  When I came back to America and was asked “what do you do?”, I’d refer to myself as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan. I was shocked when a person said “oh you’re a mercenary.” I never thought of myself as a mercenary since I didn’t carry a gun. But maybe I am?

The war attracts the best and worst the world has to offer. It is like a Hollywood movie in many ways with story after story that you just can’t make up. I would look around and seeing unscrupulous, cagey characters with disbelief and be amazed at all the villains, crooks, killers, cut throats, murders, swindlers, terrorists and at the same time I see the good Samaritans such as doctors, relief workers, educators, construction workers trying to build a better Afghanistan. Those that thrived in the lawlessness wanting Afghanistan to remain as it is for their own selfish reasons and those that are willing to risk their lives and limbs to change Afghanistan to a safer and better place to live.  All living and working in the same environment. It was like being in the last frontier, a combination of the lawless west and the War Lords of the world.

I’d look around and think what a bunch of losers and then I would look into the mirror and wonder why am I included in this group.  I would often feel like I was in a movie like the Raiders of the lost Ark, with villains and hero’s but unlike the movies it never ended and the death was up front and real. And good didn’t always triumph over evil.

One group of people I worked with on a remote base was the civilian UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles - Drone Operators). I was building them a runway for their drones. The Operators had long hair and hippy looking. They were riding their skate boards on the runways so I asked them if I could take a couple rides. They were shocked to see Mr. Rich, this 60 year old man ride a skate board. We all laughed as I told them I have been riding skate boards for over 50 years, in fact we had to make our own boards from roller skates.  I asked them what their educational requirements were to fly drones as they laughed and told me it was being good at video games!

On another base I stayed up late into the evening talking about our religions with an American who was retired Navy, a Muslim and a guy from Cambodia, a Buddhist. That was a lot of fun and interesting. They were both surprised that I had read the Muslim Quran and the writings of Buddha having an understanding of their religions.

That was one of the interesting things about being in Afghanistan, all the different kinds of people from around the world. We were also joined by a guy from Florida whose family escaped from Cuba to the US. I was able to talk with him about friends of mine who had escaped from Cuba. He told me about his Aunt that just went back to Cuba where she grew up, saying it was once a beautiful city and now was a mess. And stated “that is communism... making everyone equal…. equally poor!

No matter who I talked with they all had their unique stories.  Meeting the Danish Air Force I talked about part of my family who came from Denmark, and Germans I talked about family coming from Germany and beer fests. Meeting with the Australians we talked about surfing and me competing against the Aussie’s in the World Games in track.  With the British I talked about my last name being English.  Meeting the Italians I talked about my brother-in laws family coming from Italy.  Even when talking with the Afghan villagers I could talk about farming and raising animals and family values. With other Afghans we talked about riding horses and Afghan history. The biggest lesson learned for me was that no matter where another person came from I was able to find something in common.

I still don’t know how all the different countries worked together in Afghanistan, but I did see a sign in an office in Afghanistan, that clarified this a bit. It simply said

“War is business and Business is good”

My hope is that my book opens eyes to the reality in Afghanistan. “ONE BRICK at a TIME” by Rich Walton, available at https://www.onebrickatatimepress.com

DAY & LIFE of MR RICH in AFGHANISTAN

 

What is it you exactly do every day?  How does what you do impact the lives of others?  It’s not as simple as you first thought.  Every day is different to some degree and yet some things remain the same.  Murphy’s law can complicate matters; “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” .. a negative look at life but worth remembering.  My Motto was “Always Plan for the Worst and Hope for the Best.”

My most asked question of my 4 ½ years in Afghanistan is: “What did you do?”

So what was a day and life for “Mr. Rich,” as I was referred to by Afghans?

My Life in Afghanistan can be broken into 4 chapters.  Each Chapter having a different purpose, employer, job description and a different routine.  All four chapters were similar as they were to aid in the reconstruction of Afghanistan from years of wars, while in the process hopefully “Winning the Hearts and Minds” of the Afghan people.

 

Chapter 1:

Working for a private contractor for 4 months, living in a house in Kabul with a couple body guards, a security manager and an interpreter (we did not live on a military base).  My job was to find projects to bid on for the construction company I worked for, then, if we won the contract, to oversee construction to completion.  I had to figure out what to do every day; how to find jobs to bid on and who to talk to?  Being my first job in Afghanistan, this was both the most exciting and most stressful times of my life, many times feeling I was over-my-head as the learning curve was unbelievably hard, but the experience of a new culture and the people I met was unforgettable.  In the morning I looked online for construction projects to bid on, then Afghan Contractors came to our house office to talk about and give me their bids to build the projects.  The afternoons were exciting as we traveled by car to other Afghan contractor’s offices, to projects and to the market places to check out various construction materials.  We also went to US Military bases to meet with US Government contracting officers awarding the construction projects to contractors like our company.  We never traveled at night, in fact just traveling at all in a car was both dangerous and on the edge of being exciting.  We ate all meals at our house most of the time (once in a while on base or with an Afghan Contractor crew) then finishing my day into the evening writing bids for our company to win the projects, preparing construction schedules, doing some drawings and filing reports to my company headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq.  I wore civilian and Afghan clothes combined.  My civilian clothes could not have USA name or logos on them making me a definite target.  We took most Fridays off as that is the Holy day for Afghans to go to the Mosque (like our Sunday in America)

Chapter 2:

Next, I worked for two different private companies, each for one year, each under contract to the US Air Force doing construction management and inspections (living on US military bases).  I no longer put together the bids for the jobs.  Both my new jobs this next 2 years were to oversee the construction projects for the US Government.  I still worked for a private company and wore civilian clothes with the occasional adornment of Afghan clothing accessories, but now living on US Military Bases protected by walls, guard towers and soldiers.  My job was jokingly referred to as working on the “Darkside” meaning an “evil” contractor, a mercenary without a gun.  Besides tending to emails with Afghan contractors, military personal and US contracting officers, and doing jobsite reports, I’d visit the jobsites on my home base driving a small pickup truck and hopped on a helicopter to visit other bases and construction sites.  I traveled from base to base on US Military and Private helicopters and planes.  Closer jobsites I went on ground missions in a US Military convoy with armed soldiers.  I would have as many as 50 jobs to oversee on 20 different bases.  My job was inspecting the projects to see that they were being built correctly to American standards and in a timely manner.  I’d also meet with the Afghan construction workers and contractors to help and teach them how to construct the projects.  I ate most meals on base with much more variety than when living in the Kabul home.

Chapter 3:

My next adventure was the most enjoyable and fulfilling of all 4 years in Afghanistan, working as a US Government employee for the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) for 21 months, living on military bases.  I wore the same uniform as our US Soldiers and had to follow the same rules as they did except, I had much more travel flexibility.  I traveled a lot more off base on Helicopters, planes and in US Military convoys and on foot patrols with the soldiers protecting me, to huge projects and smaller construction projects in remote bases and areas.  My daily routine was similar to the last two years with much more interaction with the Afghan people, Afghan Army and more exposed to occasional combat engagement.  This job put everything I had learned to work, from having my own architectural design business and the previous 2 years working in Afghanistan as a construction manager.  Basically, my dream job.  I could have done this job for 10 more years when it was all of a sudden discontinued by the US Government as US bases began to close down.  I was the last PRT member to be in Afghanistan.

 

Chapter 4:

The last 3 months in Afghanistan, I worked as a US Government employee of the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), doing paperwork as a project manager on USACE projects for the South, Southwest and West regions of Afghanistan by email and phone.  There was no more traveling off base, no coaching, teaching or mentoring the Afghan workers.  My days were stuck on Kandahar Base as I started to think we were trying to win the war through paperwork! 

WHAT I DID:

All four jobs were managing construction projects overseas in austere and hostile environments traveling to the most remote places in Afghanistan.

WHY IT WORKED:

It was great to have the flexibility to produce construction drawings on the spur of the moment and travel to construction sites in war zones to plan and supervise the building of a diverse variety of structures.  I was able to interact with the local workers to Teach-Coach-Mentor to them construction techniques and complete construction jobs with limited equipment and materials using “outside the box” solutions and to adapt to local building methods, techniques and materials and interject western technology when it made sense.

THE BENEFITS:

“Winning the hearts and minds” of the local people through “Teach-Coach-Mentor” principles on humanitarian projects.  Working with the workers, building schools and health clinics, the military referred to me as a “Force Multiplier” in the development of small remote and austere bases and other projects.

My hope is that my book opens eyes to the reality in Afghanistan.  “ONE BRICK at a TIME” by Rich Walton, available at https://www.onebrickatatimepress.com