A rant by "Joe Sailor", an ETT in Afghanistan. How does this sailor's experience compare with others, I wonder?

... My cynicism of all things Afghan did not arrive spontaneously after any one incident or story that I heard. Cynicism among ETT's in Afghanistan is an incurable epidemic. It takes a few months for the intolerance to seep in, but sure as a morning wood, it does. At first, you begin to resent yourself for starting to sound like the ETT's you first met when you arrived in country; the ETT's you hated for their inability to understand the local customs and their non-effort to learn the popular language.

But once you've been burned, swindled or even robbed a few times, the reality sinks in and you switch very quickly and very naturally back to survival mode, which is where I am right now. I'm still the combat medic presiding over my ETT team, but I've resigned my collateral duty as mentor to the ANA. Thankfully our senior officers have had their heads just far enough up their own asses to not really take notice. Voicing my exasperations and prejudices is all I can do to keep from hanging myself.
Note this author's previous article is about he managed to find a whore in Kabul, so YMMV.