10 Winners Announced in the VAJoe Tournament Challenge
The 10 winners have been announced in the VAJoe Tournament Challenge. A short bio of each of them with a few quotes from each are posted on the site, and a few photos. All the winners are either active duty or veterans.
Next up: NFL PICK ‘EM. Coming in August.
Just when I think nothing will surprise me, Afghanistan throws me a curve ball. Let me set the stage. Maj Apple, Wali, Hamid (our interpreters), and I were sitting in our office having a Deep Discussion about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Somehow the topic of gays serving in the military came up, and Maj Apple and I both think they will be able openly serve in the military very soon. (I mention this to set the stage, not to start a debate. Personally, it wouldn’t bother me. If they want to come over and fight for their country, it’s fine with me. Welcome.) Once this topic came up, Wali asked why people were allowed to be openly gay in our country. We explained that in a free society, people are allowed to do pretty much what they pleased, as long as they were not hurting others, etc.
“But it is so revolting. A man would shame himself to do this.”
“Wali,” I asked, “What would happen to a man in Afghanistan if he openly declared he was gay?”
“That would never happen,” replied Wali, acting as though that was as likely as the Pope converting to Islam.
“I know. But let’s just pretend. For instance, let’s say a famous TV personality decided he wanted to try to change things here, so he announced on TV that he was gay.”
Wali interrupted. “But that would never happen.”
“Maybe it would. Just tell me what you think would happen.”
“His family would kill him immediately,” he said without batting an eye. Remember, Wali represents moderate, westernized, Islam in Afghanistan.
“Why would you kill someone just for being gay?” I pressed.
“Because my religion says so.” Again, as matter-of-fact as though he was explaining why a rock falls to the ground if you pick it up and then let go.
“Let’s suppose he escaped from his family. What would the government do? Would they arrest him?”
“Yes.”
“And would they then kill him?”
“Yes. This is an Islamic Republic. Our religion says to.”
“And if someone wanted to leave Islam and join another religion, they would be executed for that too, right?”
“Yes.”
The sad thing is, we could have been talking about football scores or the weather. He was not remotely embarrassed or hesitant in any of this. Hamid, however, was very quiet the whole time. I wonder what was going through his head.
“Well, if you believe all this, why would you want to move to America? We allow people to switch religions if they wish, or believe in nothing at all.”
“Do you have people from different religions marry each other?” he asked.
“Yes, all the time,” replied Maj Apple.
“What do they teach the children?”
“Usually they teach them both religions, and let them decide for themselves,” said Maj Apple.
Wali seemed a bit surprised by this. Steam was starting to come out his ears.
“America is not like Afghanistan,” I continued. “Our government does not tell us what to believe. We are free to believe whatever we wish. That is our greatness. We can say whatever we wish, as long as we aren’t threatening to kill someone or violently overthrow the government. We can get on TV and say we think the government is awful, and no one will arrest us.”
Maj Apple gave a brief explanation of how our country was founded by people who wished to worship in their own way. Once this was done, I asked again, “Do you think you could be happy in America? Muslims can leave the faith there, and no one will kill them.”
“That’s OK, as long as I can worship my way, I don’t mind what others do.”
So there you have it, the incongruity of a man who thinks it is perfectly normal to execute gays and apostates in this country, but doesn’t think it’s a big deal if he’s living in the US. No matter what your views on homosexuality, I doubt any of my readers wants to execute gays (well, maybe some Taliban trying to gather intel). Same thing with people who leave your particular faith. Would you kill them? (hopefully that’s a rhetorical question). Yet I live with seemingly normal, pleasant, hard-working people who would think nothing of doing this. This is not an isolated incident either. Other Americans have heard the same thing from their interpreters.
Now take this mindset, set temperature to high, and nuke for ten minutes, and you have some idea of the hatred and violence in the hearts of the men we are fighting against. Do you think diplomacy is going to work? Do you think you can reason with them? Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Capt Doug Traversa, USAF, Kabul, Afghanistan
Traversa.typepad.com
Han, one of our interpreters, has taken a keen interest in my blogging. I asked him if he wanted to share information with Americans, and he agreed enthusiastically. Within a couple of days, he had downloaded over 100 photos, and when we had a spare moment, we sat down in front of a computer, and he told me the recent history of Afghanistan, as seen through his eyes. Even though I’ve been here almost a year, and can see the signs of war all around me, I still find his story amazing.
1940 - 1973 - Zahir Shah ruled as king of Afghanistan Han says this was a relatively peaceful time, without much fighting between the tribes. The ex-king lived in exile for many years once he was overthrown, and was still alive when the Taliban were defeated. Many Afghans were hoping the monarchy would return, but once they realized the US was pulling the strings, they knew the king would not return to power.
1973 - 1978 - Daoud Khan, cousin of the King, abolishes the monarchy and declares himself president 1979 - 1986 - Babrak Karmal rules as president, Soviet Union invades in 1979 1986 - 1992 - Dr. Najibullah takes over from Karmal - Soviets withdraw 15 Feb 1989 Han was a young boy during this period. It was peaceful in Kabul, and Han just remembers going to school, and his only worries were his classes. Even though the Soviets had invaded, things were relatively good in the capital. Many Afghans soldiers we work with today served in the Afghan Army during this time and were trained by the Soviets. In fact, the buildings I work in were built by the Soviets.
April 15th, 1992 - The Mujahideen take Kabul and liberate Afghanistan; Najibullah is protected by UN and lives on the UN compound. The Mujahideen form an Islamic State and hold elections. Professor Burhannudin Rabbani takes power. There are four major tribes in Afghanistan, and many smaller ones. Although the factions of Mujahideen are generally divided up along tribal lines, this is not always the case. Once the Soviets were defeated, a Mujahideen government was set up, but civil war would soon break out. Technically, at this point the Mujahideen are called warlords and their armies. Kabul is still untouched by combat, but not for much longer. I’ve heard from numerous sources that Kabul was a nice, modern, cosmopolitan city up until this point.
1993 - There is a civil war throughout 1993 between four main groups of Warlords and their armies; large scale fighting breaks out in Kabul and in the north. Han is a young teenager at this time. Combat is going on daily, and much of the combat is done with rockets. Kabul is slowly destroyed by endless fighting. Han shows me some photos of dead bodies in the streets. “Sir, I saw these bodies. I stepped over them almost every day. We’d be in school, and alarms would go off to warn about rockets or fighting, and we’d have to run home, and there would be dead bodies in the streets.” Han speaks to me as though trying to convince me of something I won’t believe, but I have no trouble believing him. The look in his eyes as he tells me this is a combination of hopelessness and despair. I am moved by what he must have gone through, and he is seemingly desperate to finally be able to tell his story in such detail to an American. For him, it is urgent that I understand what has happened.
1994 - The Taliban militia is formed and begin to take over the country. Two Warlord factions fight against Rabbani and Masood’s government; Kabul is reduced to rubble. Han hates all the Warlords. As he shows me photos of their soldiers, he tells me which tribe they are from, based on the clothes they wear. He repeatedly shows me how they look like animals, and tells me how evil they are. Whenever he shows a photo of Rabbani, he calls him names. One photo shows Rabbani and some of his cabinet praying. Han snorts.
“They will all go to Hell,” he says matter-of-factly.
By the time the Taliban advance near Kabul, the Warlords pull out of the city. The capital is spared any more fighting, but the damage has been done. Almost every building is rubble. Han shows me many before-and-after pictures of buildings, including the one his father worked in. The despair in his voice makes my heart ache. He lived through the slow destruction of a lovely city, watching his own people kill each other and destroy Kabul in the process.
1996 - 2001 - Taliban militia force President Rabbani and his government out of Kabul. After the capture of Kabul, the Taliban enter the UN compound where Najibullah is being protected, drag him out, and execute him. They rule until driven out by the Northern Alliance. Han was an older teenager during the reign of the Taliban. At first people welcomed the end to warfare, and the Taliban did not immediately implement the repressive and oppressive measures for which they are famous. One of the first shockers was the day that Han and his friend bought tickets for a soccer game in the big stadium in Kabul. He said two good teams were going to be playing, and they were excited to go and watch. But the once the game got going and all the fans had packed the stadium, the Taliban stopped the game and began a series of executions of “criminals.” According to Han, no one knew this was going to happen, and the Taliban wanted a huge crowd to see this, so that why they pulled this surprise at a major sporting event. Han had many photos of people being killed. Men were hung from the soccer goals.
“Sir, I saw this with my own eyes!” He would repeat this over and over. A woman was forced to kneel in the penalty area (you can clearly see the chalk lines for the soccer field). A man points a rifle at her head, and shoots her. The photo shows the bullet striking the ground in front of her as her life ends. Another photo shows a young teenage Taliban holding s severed hand and foot, while the next photo shows the man who has just had them cut off. Han continues to barrage me with photos of Taliban brutality, all in the name of god. As much as Han hates the Mujahideen, it pales compared to his feelings towards the Taliban. My mind reels as he tells me story after story of their hatefulness. I see a photo of a man and woman being stoned to death for having sex. Men are pulled from cars and buses, and their hair forcefully cut if it isn’t short enough. A woman is beaten with a stick for showing her face. On and on it goes. This is the love of their god.
Han experienced many inspections by the Taliban while in school. They would come in and forcefully cut the students’ hair if it was too long. Life was an endless torment. Women could no longer work, and girls could not go to school. TV and radio were forbidden. Music was banned. Total evil reigned. During this time the Northern Alliance was formed, which was essentially the remnants of the Warlords. They were forced into the northeast corner of the country, and as the Taliban passed through the northern cities, they would loot and pillage, and many villages and towns were completely destroyed. However, once 9/11 occurred, and the Taliban continued to harbor terrorists, the US backed the Northern Alliance, and they marched back south and regained control of the country. Many of the Mujahideen leaders are in key government posts today, and many of them still have their own private armies, er, security forces.
You can few hundreds of photos, including the ones Han showed me, at
http://www.rawa.org/index.php
Afghanistan Without a Clue is dedicated to all those who sacrifice to rebuild this country, be they American, Afghan, or NATO. The opinions are my own and do not reflect those of the US government or US Air Force. The title refers to me upon my arrival here, and has nothing to do with our government or military leaders. Enjoy!
- Captain Doug Traversa, US Air Force, Kabul, Afghanistan
Now, About Me
Question: What are three things your readers probably do not know about you?
Question: How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?
A friend actually suggested it. He sent me a copy of the book “Killing Time.” I was inspired to try blogging myself. I started in August of 2007, and have pretty much written a post every day since.
Question: What is your military experience?
I have served 18 years in the Air Force as first a Logistics Plans and then as a Logistics Readiness Officer.
Question: What are some of your other favorite Milblogs?
Mudville Gazette and Milblogging.com. I like to use them to check out other blogs.
Question: What has been the biggest factor in helping you create and publish a successful blog?
Whether or not it’s successful or not, I can’t say. For $49 a year, anyone can have a blog, at least through my provider.
However, I have enjoyed writing and sharing my experiences. Being in Afghanistan has been like going to another planet. The stories write themselves; I just have to live my life. I think that is the appeal of my blog to those who read it. I’m just an average guy in an extraordinary situation with fascinating characters. It could be the next M*A*S*H.
Question: Do you have anything else you would like us to mention about you, your blog, or your readers?
I am incredibly thankful for every reader I have. They are the reason I write. Hopefully I can do a small part to increase understanding, validate our reasons for being here, and maintain progress towards building a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.
Secretary Gates issued the latest verbal salvo in an increasingly fierce power struggle between America’s executive and legislative branches of government over the future of U.S. military involvement in Iraq.
Speaking on a domestic radio program Thursday, Gates warned of “ethnic cleansing inside Baghdad or in Iraq more broadly,” if U.S. troops curtail operations in the strife-ridden nation.
Question: What are three things your readers probably do not know about you?
I’m pretty open on my blog, I doubt there are three things that I haven’t written about that I’d like readers to know about me.
Question: How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?
I checked my blog, it looks like I started blogging in April of 2004. I started to blog simply to write. I was stuck in Kuwait, waiting to get into Iraq, and it was a way to stem the boredom. And I like writing, getting my thoughts down on paper, and blogging allowed me to see how others reacted to my writing.
Question: What is your military experience?
I’ve been in the Army for almost 22 years. I retire at the end of this month (April ‘07). I was initially assigned to Air Defense, but I haven’t been assigned to an Air Defense unit since I commanded back in the early 90s. The rest of the time I’ve been in “ash and trash” assignments that aren’t very good for promotion, but are a lot of fun otherwise. I’ve done things like earn Canadian Jump Wings working with the 22nd Canadian Infantry Regiment, advised the Kuwaitis and Saudis, work with the reserves in New England, stuff like that.
Question: What are some of your other favorite Milblogs?
My favorite is Yon’s blog. I try to vary my blog reading, so I read the other milblogs only on occasion.
Question: What has been the biggest factor in helping you create and publish a > successful blog?
It’s a stretch to call my blog successful. It’s a lot of fun for me, and writing has helped me to keep my thoughts in order, along with getting me more used to writing, as I hope to be writing well into my old age.
Mental exercise is good at fending off alzheimer’s, you know. But by any measure of success except loyal readers and trolls, my blog is pretty small potatoes.
Question: What are 3 things your readers probably do not know about you?
Question: How long have you been blogging and why did you get into blogging?
Since January 2006. Started as a way to keep friends and family informed of my endeavors. For some reason people enjoyed reading it and it took off from there.
Question: What is your military experience?
I’ve been a Marine Corps signals intelligence officer for about 3 years.
Question: What are some of your other favorite Milblogs?
I don’t read other milblogs. The one I write is plenty for me.
Question: What has been the biggest factor in helping you create and publish a successful blog?
My webmaster, Rapture, providing the space and setting up Wordpress for me was the biggest factor. He also did a lot of publicizing for the blog early on.
If you’re looking for pins, patches and other small jewelry from the United States Armed Services MilitaryPinsandPatches.com has what you are looking for. Their site has a very simple layout that makes it easy to navigate through the many hundreds of products available. Aside from the obvious pins and patches on the site, MPaP.com offers flags, caps, desk sets, buttons, and even some license plates, all with military logos and decals on them.
Upon arrival to the site the homepage displays the new products and specials for the month. On the left side bar are well categorized links to the pins and patches of the different military branches. The search function below that is a nice touch and a great idea, would that it worked. I typed in “Big Red 1” and the results showed no matches. I saw the very patch I was hoping for after some quick navigating, but it would have been nice to use the search bar. This leads me to the product descriptions. Many of the products have no description, save the title. A short paragraph that described the product and possibly the provided a brief background or explanation of its significance would not only help customers know what they’re buying, but also make the search function that much more powerful.
All the products are quite affordable and ordering them is made easy by allowing for use of paypal as well as any of the major credit cards. The extensive range and supply of products as well as the high quality pictures that accompany them make this the website to shop for military collectibles.
To honor an employee’s son who was badly wounded in Iraq, IBM plans to give the U.S. military $45 million worth of Arabic-English translation technology that the Pentagon had been testing for possible purchase.
The offer — made from the highest reaches of the company directly to President Bush — is so unusual that Defense Department and IBM lawyers have been scouring federal laws to make sure the government can accept the donation.
Read more at USAToday.com
