Frustrating Stuff

Some days are great days. I jump in my convoy, we do good things, we catch bad guys, we gather good intel, we make someone’s day. Today was not one of those days. Don’t get me wrong, no one got injured, no one died, it was just a complete frickin waste of time!
Today, the local Iraqi government of a town on the outskirts of our AO failed their people. This is a town that is often ignored. The route into town is long and explosive and the people throw rocks. But, we the CA team decided it was horse pucky that they were being ignored and we were going to go out of our way to make something good happen. Not because we’re good people, but because we want them to stop blowing us up and we want to help legitimize the local city council by showing that they do great things for their constituents. Makes sense right? So we coordinate with their local gov’t to pass out a whole bunch of school supplies for the children (school begins in September) on one condition: we have to be there while they’re passing them out. If we simply gave the supplies to the council and told them to do what they will, all the rich sons and cousins of the council would have shiny new pens. John Q. Iraqi would get screwed and it wouldn’t help us out any.
So, we get down there, and they haven’t coordinated for any kind of supply pass out and they ask us to simply leave the supplies with them, “We’ll handle it.” Result, the school supplies arrived back at FOB Gabe an hour and a half later and none of the kids get shiny new pens. Frustrating stuff.

Sweaty Man!

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