When no fireworks is a good thing…

By popular demand (mostly from the girlfriend) I am taking a moment to write a quick update. It’s been busy… I’ve been a little sick (again)… And most importantly I just haven’t been in the mood to write.

It’s the 4th of July Baghdad style. And while I stand in this large Islamic architected ballroom listening to PM Maliki, President Talibani, AMB Crocker, and Gen Petraeus I am reminded of all the upheavals our United States went through to become the stable and secure democracy it is today. The struggles of a fledgling government taking on a War of Independence, the strains of a country divided by Civil War, the trials of injustice inevitably leading to several social revolutions, it’s taken us 231 years to get this point. The elected Government of Iraq is a little over a year old. The challenges before these people are enormous but not insurmountable. With our without our support I am confident they will find a way. We can only hope the road before them finds this sovereignty at peace with its neighbors, with a representative government that respects the rights of its people (culture norms accepted), and denies a safe haven for terrorist. But as I stand here listening to the Iraqi National Anthem followed by the Star Spangled Banner, one thing continues to run through my head. I hope that someday the people of Iraq can stand proudly and celebrate an independence day of their own.

While I typically spend this day at a BarBQ and finish it off with a great fireworks display… trust me when I say this is one time I am happy and willing to miss the “explosions.”
Best Wishes for great Fourth of July!

PS For my Brit friends – Thank you for your partnership - Thank your lucky stars you're rid of us! ;-p

My War – Or perhaps its really Our War...

(Warning due to the “100lb brain” contemplation and graphic nature of this rant viewer discretion is advised)

I was speaking to friends the other day about the strategic communications packages I began developing a month ago or so. When we get the formula right we get big media play. So far, I am 4 for 4. Front office says I am at the tip of the “non-kinetic” spear. My cohorts here are looking to duplicate my efforts so they began quizzing me on the “how to.” Before our conversation I hadn’t really thought about the “how to” as much as the “for whom” on any given event. The answer is second nature. Know your audience and you know your story. I pondered that answer a little further and came to a basic unsettling realization about my audience.

This war of extremes… our “War on Terror…” is a war of ideology (obviously.) But what is not so obvious is everyone’s role in this war. On one side there is an unconscious submission to fanatical detachment – that which makes us inhumane. On the other side is a need for all of us to resist our base “me first” survival instincts and practice overt conscious compassion – that which defines us as human. So for me it comes down to that… I am a fighting the “non-kinetic” war of Compassion vs. Detachment… and my mission is to push empathy into a world of cynicism.

Explain? Sure…
The capability to highjack a plane and fly it into a building of thousands… the ability for someone to pull out a knife and physically saw someone’s head for video display… the facility for a crowd to violently and slowly stone an young woman to death in public exhibition… the capacity to bind a persons hands behind them, hang them from a hook in the rafters and use power tools to drill through their arms, back, and skull… All these acts take a profuse lack of sympathy and tremendous amount of detachment.

The real crime… detachment is contagious. Witnessing sensational acts of violence or its effects is initially shocking often infuriating. Seeing recurring acts over time and we become desensitized and numb. Before you know it, we are simply indifferent or detached. Yesterday’s extreme act is today’s aggressive action and tomorrow’s routine. Inevitably the mere definition of “sensational act” must be escalated to the incomprehensible… another potential fanatic is born.

Example? OK… Torture videos were (and in some places still are) available on the black market here in Baghdad during Saddam’s Regime. It was a handy devise to reinforce the message of submit or pay the price for an uneasy population. People all over Iraq bought these things for the shock value. They were (and are) popular. Now we have a society accustomed to watching the suffering of others. It’s not sensational – it’s routine.

Back to knowing my audience: My audience is suffering fatigue… they see the atrocities of daily terrorism and war… they are for all intents and purposes detached… embittered… cynical. I contend we cannot afford to forget what chain of event brought us here. Right or wrong, we are here now and unfortunately must remain to finish a job. Because of these facts I must fanatically promote shocking stories that remind us why it is important to be human and why it’s important to be human - here. Something that is doubly difficult to convey to people living – there (US). One of the few tools I have is association; highlighting that which is familiar for all of us. Promoting the tenderness of new borne… Highlighting the innocence of school children… Endorsing the warmth and safety of home… Reinforcing the affection of family… The more I push the envelope the more I realize I am using the same tactics as my enemy but instead I am trying to move the audience from indifference and detachment to a world of active empathy and compassion. I am a warrior of “sensational compassion.” I am a director of theater and drama - In effect pulling heart-strings in hopes of pushing reaction…Marketing 101.

My concern? For any audience to be so cynical and callous is disappointing sometimes often discouraging. It serves to demonstrate how much ground we have ceded to the enemy. Where does it end?

Every one of us is responsible for making a difference. We all need to engage on some level. For some of us it’s charging to the “tip of the spear.” For others… well I leave that for you to decide but I offer you this challenge. Get involved on some level. Practice whatever act of personal kindness / engagement / service fits your personality. Acknowledge a homeless person… Engage in conversation with a disenfranchised student… Take interest in someone else’s cultural, social or theological difference… even if the cost is as simple as 1 minute of your life. What you don’t realize is how that slightest of human compassion may be the ripple in the universe that alters a path and keeps a isolated individual from joining a fanatical group, shooting up a college campus, igniting a car bomb in a market place, or flying a jet liner into a high-rise.
You'll deprive the enemy of opportunity and sure as hell make my job a little easier.

Well that seems familiar…

A few of my close friends - hi Jason … hi Joe …can attest to the fact that when there is something that needs to get done - a “crisis” per say - I become very um…“focused.” Some of these friends say I change into my alter ego “Mr. CRM” in reference to an initiative I spent the better part of my time working on in my civilian career. This is my business face I suppose. The take charge, move out, make things happen and heaven help the individual or group there-of that gets in the way. Today the Al Askari mosque was attacked… again. This is the same Golden Domed Mosque of Samara that was blown up over a year ago and is attributed to initiating the wave of sectarian violence that has plagued Iraq since. While everything that happens here can be considered a “crisis” this one has the potential of really shocking the system. We had to start moving on this before we were over come by events. It is in this framework of changing our days plan that the following moment happened…

We have had a group of new folks around giving an assessment of our performance and implementing much needed organizational changes. It’s having a positive effect. Funny thing is I am the subject matter expert on some of these items and folks are asking my advice. Today one in particular told me he was having trouble getting around a rather difficult roadblock in the form of an “ego.” When I advised my shipmate on how to how to “Smartly address this ego with a couple of grenades and fifty pound sledge hammer he turned to me with great concern and said, “This guy is definitely not going to like you or me...” Without thinking I abruptly stopped, spun on heel and looked my friend directly in the eye and in a most serious and official tone channeled these words…“I didn’t come here to make friends… I came here to get it DONE!” I added a couple other choice words about 1) what I think of people who use their egos to gate-keep and block progress 2) how he might also want to spend more time getting it done less time worrying about friends and 3) if he really needed a friend which one of us he would rather have on the “friendly” side of the fence but that is of little consequence here. What is important is the familiar look I saw in this guys face as he stared back at me. Um - hi Jason… hi Joe… It was something in between “did someone get the name of that bus that just hit me?” and “Sir Yes Sir How - High Sir!”

I’m not sure he knew what hit him. For that matter I’m not sure what I threw at him. You see there is a subconscious part of me that just naturally stands up and takes charge of any given situation. I don’t know where it comes from it’s just always been there. The result… well the roadblock is gone and as for the crisis… initial feedback is that we are managing our area very well.

This incident tells me I’m coming into my own around here. As my friends Joe and Jason will say I not only know where to find the grenades, more importantly I know when and how to lob them for effect.

Finding life amongst the living…

OK… So it’s been about 3 weeks since I was last able to write and post something. I fully expect many of you have dropped off, lost patience or quite possibly just lost interest. Can’t say as I blame ya… Most of my writing is now relegated to opening remarks or responses to media or... Regardless this not so new job is now new all over again. A month ago “The Ninja cell” as we were called began a planned disintegration as one by one the members of this “elite” team began their rotations back to the states in anticipation of the boss ending his tour. With the loss of talent I went from 90mph to “ludicrous speed” – “light speed is too slow.” ;-p

My promise to the team members, who were going back to set up a support cell for the boss stateside, was that I would manage his engagements and get him out of here in his last month without any mistakes or incidents. No sooner was I in my new position of responsibility then we had a crisis that needed to be managed; Missing Soldiers. Moreover we got real pressure to ramp-up daily operations. Long story short – the past month was a real trial of patience and endurance. I suppose I passed the test because I am now let loose to do what I do best… develop strategic communications packages. I was also surprised with a CG coin for my efforts.

The boss is now home starting his 3 star job with the rest of the Ninja Team and I am still here fulfilling my second promise… transitioning the boss’s replacement - keeping the mission going without skipping a beat. So far so good…luckily for me he brought the cavalry with him. That’s right I have a replacement and it makes me very happy. Several weeks running without enough sleep have taken its toll. As things begin to shape up I am starting to feel human again. (Sleep – not milk – does a body good)

When I first arrived, people asked me how long I was scheduled to be here. After hearing the answer they continually told me that I would become the mayor of the town. As we go through this transition and pass along what I have learned I realize now what they meant. I am quickly becoming the “salty sailor” here… I am the old-timer. The number of people who arrived here before me is growing smaller by the day. Within the next month I will be one of a handful left with the corporate knowledge of last year. I know where things are and how to get things done. All this and I haven’t even hit the half-way mark yet. As far as I’m concerned I’ve been to the top of the hill – Now I’m ready to help someone else get there. I’d rather get 5 to 6 hours sleep.

No time like the present to have no time…

So I’m still here and many friends are not… I have no time on my hands and apparently my friends have a little more than they are accustomed too. I am far to tired to be bored and my friends are bored with how slow and tired things are. So I asked for a little help. I've "ordered" an entry from a stateside friend - I bring you Captain KJ:
(We pronounce that like the old CAPTAIN CAVEMAN!!!! cartoon by the way…)

Capt...
So after being teased inordinately for my previous “Sex In the City: Baghdad” style guest-blog, I’m afraid to write anything that’s typically Captain KJ… Not really, but anyway, I’ll try to stay on topic about getting back home and all that. Man, these PA types really crack the whip.

I’m back in the thriving metropolis of Montgomery, Alabama where I have been for just about a month, now. OK, I guess a month ago I was still technically in transit, living in the tents in Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, floating around through empty days wondering what on earth I was supposed to do with myself. The funny thing is, that particular feeling has stuck with me ever since the night I left the Green Zone.

The only real goal I had, leaving, was to get OUT OF THERE. And then once I was out, what was I shooting for? Well, to get home, of course, and then to get my pets and my car from family out in Arizona. But as soon as I was back home with all my possessions and back in work for those funny short 40-hour work weeks… The boredom set in almost immediately. For all that there are joys to be had in wearing what you want when you want to, driving where you want when you want to, and being the only person in control of what you get to eat each day, those joys lose their thrill pretty quickly.

And here I am, something of an “area expert” on Iraq, a subject that no one seems to want to hear about. The typical question—often the only question—that I get from people about the deployment is “Wow, how was it being there? Weren’t you so scared?” How, exactly, do you explain in a social setting that, no, you live with the knowledge that a mortar could come in and send you to Kingdom Come just like people living in a large city know that they could very well be carjacked or mugged… or killed in a car accident by a drunk driver, for that matter, and while you’re aware of it, you don’t waste your time worrying about it.

What, too, is it that makes Iraq so uninteresting to everyone? I guess they think they’ve been there, done that, it’s all car bombs and terrorists… but it’s really not. And if the military people around me (I work on an Air Force base and most of the people I know are other Air Force officers) aren’t interested, you know that no one else is.

Well, it’s perplexing. I’ve found myself disturbed by this—and by being in a backwater setting where I’m so far out of the loop that all I can do is beg my still-deployed friends for the latest in what’s up. Which normally they can’t say much about because of security concerns. In my frustration, I found myself actually looking up deployments that I could be doing in the future. But in the future, none of this messing around with a six-month deployment! No, 365+ days is what I thought would be interesting…

Though I’m going to give myself some time on this. Maybe my Navy friends haven’t impressed on me well enough the “Never Again Volunteer Yourself” motto…

So being back home is a mixed bag. I didn’t realize, while I was there, that I was really enjoying being in the middle of everything, being in a place that has the eyes of the world fixed upon it. (It would take something really strange for that to happen to Montgomery.) Normal life, which sounded so wonderful in the extraordinary situation of Baghdad, seems flat and a little bit pointless, and I’ve had some days where it feels like all the interesting times have ended and I’m going to be stuck living a vapid, uninteresting life from now on. But I’m already working on that, putting together new goals and a new life plan—and I have Baghdad to thank for that. A lot of my priorities and values have been shifted around as a result of my time there.

When you’re standing in the middle do you know where you stand?

I was speaking with a Colonel the other night in the middle of a working haze. He stopped me and asked if I had taken a moment to consider the contribution I am making to our efforts on a larger scale. While I usually enjoy talking to this particular Colonel I was a bit pushed for time. All the same I could tell there was something on his mind. He is an analyst and one of the very few Colonels’ here in theater that actually gets me. He is also an Army “thousand pound brain” type. His point to me was meaningful. His question simple… “How do you know where you are in historical reference when you are standing the middle of historic precedence? The political pressures, security demands, economic hurdles and complexities in the Middle East put you square in the middle of chapters and pages yet to be written… and you my friend are helping to write those pages though you and I do not yet comprehend with what effect.” He then gave me several examples. In terms I could easily relate too… The great Navy battle of Midway… “Further research on the logs of the Japanese sailors showed they lost the battle before our dive bombers landed their first fatal shot. The Japanese ships were in disarray prior to bombers arriving to the scene that led to a swell of faltering effects. These building effects of confusion and misunderstanding of what they had actually gotten themselves into snowballed into a crushing, well documented defeat. At that moment in history the sailors living that engagement had no idea of the significance that battle or what it would later represent. That moment was just another hazy day of combat like the hazy day before and the hazy day after. It wasn’t until many years later the real significance came to light.” Ah Ha… cob-webs clear - light bulb brightens! He actually means I’m here making effect that may make a difference. He sees the dull glaze of my eyes brighten and focus. He was pulling me aside to try and boost my morale a bit in a way that only he knew how. “That’s right Hollywood – we may have already passed our Midway and not even know it. And you my young friend are quite possibly one of those dive bombers lying in on your target about to release your payload.” This was deep – Forced me to think… I’ve been driving in on that concept for days now. Expanding it - Compressing it - trying to determine just where I stand. Col W is heading out in a couple days after his year tour here. I’m gonna miss our profound conversations.

Staring at the Sun…

This morning my walk to work was surrounded by a beige world… not just a color but a thickness. You can tell a storm is coming. The air is full of… well dirt. It’s so substantial it actually filters the sun. I looked at the sun for minutes with no eye protection. It was this brilliant white orb just above the palm trees. I stood there and gazed in fascination for several minutes in awe that I wasn’t going blind. Sometimes the simplest things provide the most pleasure...

I’ve been in an email chain over the past couple of days with a good friend who informs me his boss (a marketing exec) wanted to do something for the troops. While the gesture seemed considerate, the offer of support was so disconnected from the reality of the needs and wants here that I was shocked and in disbelief. It was based on marketing analysis from the states that don’t work here. It was a real eye opener… It forced me to realize everything I now know and understand is completely disconnected from the world I’ve left behind. And that the reverse is true. The folks back home have little to no comprehension of the real situation here. It is jarring.
Things here are intense and we soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are now immersed in the same anxiety and terror tactics the Iraqis have been forced to deal with for a lifetime. The folks back home are immersed in the cultural “comforts” of home and security that most here can’t even imagine.

My shocking realization more than anything tells me our time here is limited regardless of the actual gains we are seeing in Al Anbar and notwithstanding a real need to finish what we started. Despite any words to the contrary, Iraq is simply not a priority for the US public as a whole. They just do not understand the situation here or the ramifications of an early exit. Simply put, it does not directly affect their day to day lives now or in the short term foreseeable future. As a marketer I always have to ask myself if it will play in Middle America. For me I always base my assessment on my sister… She is my “US public.” A car bomb in a market is a horrible side note to her day and a group of soldiers blown up in a HUMVEE gives her a moment of grief and empathy - BUT - It does not directly affect her ability to get to her son’s soccer game. It does not directly interfere with her ability to keep up with what so-in-so is doing on her favorite Prime time TV show. It doesn’t even begin to get in the way of meeting up with her close friends to go shopping next week. Please understand this is not an indictment on her way of life… it’s just the reality.

The US is really too busy living their lives (rightfully so) and too tired of this struggle to be overly engaged in the fight. Unlike previous wars this operation is both too complex to understand and to disconnected to make any reasonable sense. (I believe less than 1% of the US public has any direct relationship to someone in uniform.) Meaning the US population as a whole is not as aware or mobilized for a real slog. For most life continues on at home as if there was peace on earth while both the people of Iraq and Coalition Forces struggle to figure out what their future really means.

DUSTWUN

The work was already intense… But I was in the center of a fire storm and didn’t even realize I was tasked to drive it forward. Saturday morning early our troopers took a hit that would eventually turn into 3 soldiers Duty Status - Whereabouts Unknown… and the boss was chosen to speak to it. Of course he would be… He is the spokesman. This is crisis management. This is what the news looks for. This is what we’re hired for. For every minute you see or hear him in the media there are hours – no days – spent getting it all ready to roll. Typically this is the environment I thrive in. Sad part is… I was exhausted long before this event. And now I have to jump into action with even less sleep, less confidence, less... Trying to muster my faculties is nearly impossible - this place has made me dumb; literally. It’s difficult to clear the cob webs. It’s tough to see beyond the fog. I know I’m not providing my best work. I realized the other day I a have acquired an interesting stutter. A very intriguing side effect of my mind searching while my mouth moves in the general direction I thought I wanted it to go before the words come out. I just give up talking.
I can write something witty… I can provide some deep observation… I can try to convey what it means to be here… But I will pass. Just know that I am still here… I’m accustomed to the thunderous incoming booms… appreciate them in a twisted way actually. I am still trying to make a difference… a little dumber at some things… perhaps a little more indifferent to others… and surely a hell of a lot more defiant to the rest.

We interrupt this programming with...

We interrupt your regular programming to bring your attention to Military Appreciation Month of May.

Did you know that Congress has designated May as National Military Appreciation Month? It recognizes those on active duty in all branches of the services, the National Guard and Reserves plus retirees, veterans, and all of their families - well over 90 million Americans and more than 230 years of our nation’s history.

Be sure to thank and appreciate your fellow military folks, their spouses and families this month! To read more, please visit: http://www.nmam.org/about2.htm

Oh how I (love) sand :-p

I woke up a couple of mornings ago and as I walked to work I realized I haven’t seen the outside in a while. More shocking was noticing the high of 106 degrees during the weather brief of our morning assessment. Its just barely May but already over 100… I then actually took notice during my walk to lunch, “Yeah – It’s getting a little warm.” The only thing that came to mind was welcome to Hell - cant wait til July!

OK to crush rumors... no we are not prohibited from blogging. Yes we have to watch OPSEC (which I regularly do anyway as a matter of, well, trying to stay alive) but otherwise it is business as usual. No the thing that keeps me from writing here is the fact that I no longer have any sort of life. I am in a constant battle rhythm. We have increased our ops tempo and I am at 100+%. Any writing I do now goes directly to our efforts to support the democratically elected Government of Iraq. A truly noble cause eh? So much has happened in the past 2 weeks but its nothing more than a blur. Old faces going – New faces coming. And me? Well I guess this is a promotion. The products I work on make international headlines and the people I work with are known far and wide. The levels of stress and urgency far greater than any Harry Potter release. But in the end I only hear two phrases constantly circling around my fatigued head…
1) No matter where you go… there you are - And
2) You can sleep when you’re dead.

I have so much more to tell but no time to do it so instead I leave you with a haiku from PGF written to me after the previous entry regarding my “fondness” of sand…

Yellow grains in sky
Mighty rocks brought to granules
Sadly, in my shorts.