So far I feel pretty lucky, given the nature of our location in Afghanistan. Based on history, our base has been a safe haven, receiving scant attacks from the forces that are collectively known as "AAF" or Anti Afghan Forces. This term includes the TB, AQ, and the drug lords. We have a sister base that is attacked much more frequently, and we have an outpost that is a short drive from here (up in the mountains) that is aggressively attacked on a regular basis. You can glean most of this info from the news, but I'll repeat it here... that much of the resurgence in fighting here is related to a new influx of foreign fighters. People come from all of the "stans", Chechnya, and the Middle-East to get an opportunity to fight Americans, British, Canadians, Germans, and the hapless Afghans. It's like a vacation spot for Islamic guerilla fighters-- like college boys go to Cabo to score with drunk chicks, Islamic fighters come here to fight infidels.
I think morale here is high but the more I talk with people about the future of this war the more I uncover confusion. I guess it's not our role to understand the big picture, but no one I speak with really sees how more soldiers will make a difference. More money maybe, but a lot of money disappears into corrupt networks (from the news, not my opinion). People generally believe in their mission, want to do a good job. I have always heard the argument from soldiers-- "let's just leave them to kill each other, instead of them killing us." I know where that comes from-- it's not a very sophisticated viewpoint but it's one that becomes understandable if you drive out of the gates everyday wondering if you will make it back home alive.
I have yet to go on a mission, but already I can understand... I can understand how soldiers just want to do the job of the day, get themselves and their friends back safely, and count down the days until they can go home and forget about what can seem like a forsaken, medieval wilderness.
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