Meet the Office

I have been describing aspects of my interesting and eye-opening life in Kabul -- Italian roommates, the international community, and the various shops and restaurants on our compound. Now I'll introduce you to my officemates and my responsibilities. As a Public Affairs Officer, I'm responsible for communicating the facts about coalition efforts in Afghanistan. It's an exciting job with a great deal of responsibility. But I am just one of a large group of talented Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines supporting the rest of our military effort here by telling the stories of their hard work, perseverance and progress on the ground in Operation Enduring Freedom. Each of them works hour after hour, seven days a week, to ensure that the international community is successful in Afghanistan.

The picture above is of my co-workers and me. My boss, Colonel Greg Julian, first row standing in the middle, is a great professional and a wonderful person to work for. He has become a true mentor to me. His job is a tough one, especially since our command is only four months old. Not only does he serve as the primary spokesperson, but he manages a growing office and numerous outreach initiatives. Considering the challenging working conditions and worldwide attention on Afghanistan at the moment, he is doing an outstanding job.

As time goes on, I will introduce you to more of my co-workers. There may be some bias toward the Navy, but I will try my best to be objective!

Another Base VIP

I have described the political VIPs that visit ISAF, but we also have other very friendly visitors. Stray cats inhabit the base and are everywhere. Domestic animals in Afghanistan do not hold the same esteem as they do in the States. Driving through Kabul, we see stray dogs in the road, and even some goats! But on our base, cats are our only wildlife.

Since they aren't "fixed" you can hear them throughout the base at certain times of day. Feline mating calls certainly have a unique sound! We found one furry friend who is one of the most lovable cats I have ever known, just begging to be petted! I have not named her, but I'm open to suggestions....thoughts anyone? By the look of her, she is fed pretty well by the soldiers here.

Speaker Pelosi comes to Afghanistan

Kabul is beginning to feel more and more like Capitol Hill with the steady appearance of official visitors from Washington! Most recently, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, attended high-level meetings at ISAF (and I caught a glimpse of her). One thing that feels very different about being here is the lack of partisanship I sense and how being and American, not defined by party, predominates. We are grateful to see our elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, show such deep concern about the challenges facing this war-torn nation. They see for themselves the devastation and critical situation and can return to Washington with clearer perspective and deeper knowledge and understanding of what’s really happening on the ground.

It takes real courage to come to Afghanistan. It’s dangerous and definitely not a comfortable place to be. But their visits are tremendous morale boosters, for their trips here show concern and earnestness to us in the military as well as to the Afghan people.

What I look forward to are many more visits by elected officials and diplomats from the U.S. and other NATO countries. I am convinced that along with our military presence we can find a working solution to vastly improve the situation here. This is an extraordinary country with a rich past and proud people deserving to reclaim their nation.

La Bella Italia

The Italians have become central to my international experience here at ISAF. I now know more Italian words than I do Dari, the native language here in Kabul. Beginning with my first trip to Italy at the age of 12, I have felt drawn to Italian culture, food, and history. With my many Italian friends on this base, I sometimes think I'm really in Napoli or Milano!

Last night my roommates invited me to a party at the Italian NSE. An NSE (National Support Element) is a building for each country that serves as its headquarters here in Kabul. Soldiers go to their NSE to deal with their administrative issues. But the Italians use their NSE for social events as well, which is not surprising! The party featured delicious cuisine that one would find in an upscale restaurant in Rome. Troops from dozens of countries attended--a great cultural exchange.

Soon, I will start eating some authentic Afghan food; but for now, being in Italy is fun! Here are some pictures from the event, including one of Amadeo, my other roommate, and me.

International Flavor

One of the benefits of living on the ISAF compound for "foodies" like me, is the plethora of native cuisine from NATO-represented countries. For breakfast, for example, along with bacon and eggs, there is an excellent selection of breads, cheeses and meets, as well as museli, reminding me of trips to Amsterdam and Germany. Even more exciting, is that many of the nations have their own little shops. My personal favorite is the Italian store (Chiano, pictured here), which has great specialty foods I've seen only in Rome; but there are also shops from Denmark, the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.

This is the first time soldiers from so many nations have served on a mission like this, and never before have they lived together and integrated on a base like ISAF. It feels like a great experiment, and for me, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Here are some photos of some of ISAF's more popular establishments! In addition to Chiano, there is the Danish PX, and the Nordic Palace. It seems like Scandinavia has quite a presence here in Afghanistan!

Holbrooke Visits Afghanistan

President Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan came to Kabul this week to hold several high-level meetings with President Karzai and other leaders. He had a press conference with the media and conducted an interview with a local TV station, which my colleagues and I helped to coordinate. It was an amazing opportunity to hear first hand his thoughts on the strategic importance of this mission.

It's hard to believe that we are in the middle of a worldwide effort that for years we read about or watched unfold on TV. Being here makes me even more passionate about what the international community is doing to stabilize this country, and I hope that we can help enable an eventual success.

Here is a link to an AP story that highlights the upcoming strategic review by the United States and Afghanistan for the future of the mission:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD96BRIE00

Your Military in Winter Wonderland

We have been getting plenty of snow in the Kabul these past two days. Since we don't commute--all life takes place on base--there are no "snow days" such as the ones the DC school system is famous for (and even the federal government, for that matter). The snow is definitely bringing out the inner child in people here, with snowball fights happening all over the base. I certainly miss my high shool days when we would get the day off simply because there was a chance of snow in the weather forecast.