Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience

[Steve the Planner]

Rex:

Biker Chick has it down.

I thought she was writing about my usual provincial excursions.

In 2008, it was giving out refrigerated bongo trucks, and opening banks in Sammara.

Better to use a C-130 to push pallets of cash out the back door to save folks from having to sell the second hand bongo trucks at a discount to get cash.

On SME's salary for a day in a cash box left on the street was as best you could do in Samarra until fighting stopped. Once it did, they had their own baking going ASAP. What did we contribute?

Best lessons still came from lawrence---better they do it themselves. Facilitate that and you have re-built capacity.

[John T. Fishel]

Community Development 101!

We know how to do this. We have decades of experience in wartime and peacetime. The first step is always to find out what the local people say they need and then make it possible for them to get it.

My first experience with this was in rural Mexico in 1962; then in a poor Mexico City neighborhood in 64; then in Peru's mountains from 66 thru 68; finally in Honduras in 86. It ain't hard and always needs to begin by asking questions not by telling people what you think they need. You have to listen or you will fail.

As my Mexican friends would say, "Hijole!!!!"

JohnT

[Ken White]

18 and 19 year olds to be 'tough soldats,' place them in an area where the "local fauna" can be problematic if not outright hostile -- and then rather foolishly IMO expect them to be gregarious social networkers with said fauna -- who speak in another tongue and obviously won't say in English what they are saying in the local dialect. A few US Troopies can and will do that -- most will not...

Not likely to change. Not with the kids nor their NCOs. The NCOs live by these rules among others:

16. Don't drop your guard.
18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).
21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.

and the kids who stay alive tend to develop in their image. As they should...

Most officers will bend to do the necessary socialization it but even many of them will not and most that do won't really like it. There's a reason for the existence of MI and CA folks. There's an even greater reason we organized, developed and trained Special Forces the way we do -- or did. The relative maturity and cultural / language training is only a part of it.

The GPF is good at the job for which it is recruited, equipped, organized and trained. It can and will accept cross training to perform marginally in the FID or other role but it will never excel at that role. Nor should it.

Moral of that is do not use the wrong tool for the job and then complain about the unsuitability of the tool...

[John T. Fishel]

was talking specifically about CA folk. I would include anyone assigned to a PRT regardless of branch. But at a minimum, the officers need to see the people in the "local fauna."

I would note that my experience in Honduras was military while the other sitautions were civilian. My experience in El Salvador was also military and perhaps more relevant to what you were pointing out - nevertheless, asking the local people, engaging them is a great source of intel whether you are MI, CA, or merely a grunt...

cheers

JohnT

[Ken White]

was talking specifically about CA folk. I would include anyone assigned to a PRT regardless of branch. But at a minimum, the officers need to see the people in the "local fauna."

Those are grunts (or they're Joe / MP or MOS Immaterial; little difference in this case)...

...nevertheless, asking the local people, engaging them is a great source of intel whether you are MI, CA, or merely a grunt...

I agree but it's been my observation that Grunts in general do not do that well; that in units, detachments or elements and 'on the job' they generally do not do it at all and that, lacking the language most will actually go out of their way to avoid it. Most Troops that age do not like to think they're being talked about or laughed at by strangers with no option for a macho response.

Good Grunts (or bad Grunts who are competent at their job) are also very much guided by rules 21 and 22:

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.

Most of us tend to not get friendly with people we may have to shoot. 'Courteous' to a working (as opposed to an off duty) Grunt means a nod, not chit chat. The NCOs also will have one way or another told the Troops that they are in no circumstances to embarrass that NCO.

All the foregoing is not an argument or discussion stimulant and in no way disputes anything you've written. I read BC#1's comment and it resonated, I smiled and wrote merely a response to her comment and not to yours. I did it solely for informatory purposes based on my observations of a lot of young Grunts a lot of places for those who wish to contemplate methodologies and strategeries for the future...

I will also note that if you tell them (and get the agreement of their Squad Leader, PSG or NCOIC) to be sociable, they will do so in spades. However, if you do that, do not upbraid them for neglecting their security 'job' because they will go into their shells and will never socialize in front of you again. IOW, remember they're 19 and be careful what you want and tell them you want.

NOTE: As is true of all generalities pertaining to people, there are occasional or frequent at times exceptions in all directions to the norms I cited. Equally true is that many here know all that. However, many do not...

[John T. Fishel]

Ken, it is not entirely clear to me whether she was referring to the security detail or the CA folk or both. I think, when all is said and done, we agree. My inclination would be to make it SOP to greet the locals with Salaam - a greeting is not being sociable, just courteous. But with all the caveats implicit and explicit in your post...

Reminds me, however, of an incident in Panama on Easter Sunday 1987. I was walking in the Balboa section of Panama City that morning and the streets were deserted except for 2 PDF cops. As I approached them I greeted them and wished them a Happy Easter - their jaws dropped. It was like nobody ever said anything at all to them in a courteous way, let alone some gringo speaking their language.

Cheers

JohnT

[Ken White]

language as I could; thus I can ask for beer and cigarettes and count to ten in eight languages (Apparently not including English according to my over educated wife... ).