No Ma’am, They Won’t Be Forgotten
Oct 11 at 10:10am by David Tate
Survivor of the Battle for COP Keating in the mountains of Nuristan.
I just received a note from the mother of a survivor from Keating and it seems there’s a concern that the sacrifice will be for nothing. While I cannot change the world, I certainly can do my part to prevent that fear from becoming reality. Here’s the note:
Since I found out about this attack I have been glued to the internet looking for any piece of info- perhaps so it will start making more sense. My heart really aches for these guys. People have been so kind and supportive and I think that is the only way their mental anguish will began to heal.
I believe that one of their biggest needs is to know that the fight and loss of life will not be forgotten and was not done without a purpose. This unit that lost 8 men only had 30 guys to start with, so as you can well imagine, they were a tight knit group. They have to be asking themselves “why?” I sure wish I could ease some pain for them. Sleep for my son, and I am sure for most of them, has not come easily since the battle. I can not to begin to imagine what it must be like to try to close your eyes and relax after what they have been through. I could go on and on…..
I have attached a picture of some of the soldiers from KEATING. They were only eating once a day so I shipped $500.00 worth of groceries to them and the picture was in response to that. ( 2 of the men in the picture were KIA).
When *** ( my son) first got there he asked for blankets because what they had were not sufficient. So I had sent 30 blankets, 100s of batteries, 60 DVDs abd countless baby wipes. Not sure why I am telling you all that, but to let you know their life has not been easy since they landed there.
Thank you for your concern and prayers, it means so much to me.
KIA 10-03-09
Sgt. Joshua Hardt
Sgt. Justin Gallegos
SSgt. Vernon Martin
Spc. Christopher Griffin
Sgt. Michael Susca
Sgt. Joshua Kirk
PFC Kevin Thomson
PFC Brandon Owens
Fiscal Year 08-09: In Search of Sponsorship
Jul 31 at 2:02pm by David Tate
The next year will entail most of my energy being spent on looking for sponsorship. The fact is, begging for money from readers doesn’t work and waiting for the money tree to bear fruit seems… well, fruitless.
What I will be looking for is a company, or companies, interested in attaching their name to my work forever. I have some cleaver ideas that I believe would make any company proud and very happy to be involved.
While I will not go into too many specifics in this forum, here are some general numbers to help you understand my situation, if you find yourself interested in teaming up.
1. I need a hand up, not a hand out. My work already generates income, which can only increase as the time I spend dedicated to the project increases. Because I am royalty based, the greater the archive, the greater the royalty (in theory). I expect to be completely self sufficient within two years of going back full time.
2. My sponsor will always be attached to my work, even after paid relationship ends. That means any projects, whether books, television or blogs, you will always be considered a primary sponsor as a gesture of appreciation for stepping up in the riskier time, investment-wise, in this project’s life.
3. July 31 officially ends the business year for “A Battlefield Tourist”. It was two years ago tomorrow that this updated site was launched. From July 31, 2008 – July 31, 2009, “A Battlefield Tourist” has recieved 151,300 visitors as of 1409 EST. This year includes just 21 days spent in a conflict zone during that year (not including Detroit). I can only give an educated guess that visitors, p/year, could easily top a million if the amount of time spent with units abroad significantly increased.
4. While I have learned some lessons regarding what I should blog about when I’m with units abroad, I am absolutely convinced that most families and their soldiers/Marines GREATLY appreciate my sacrifice. There’s no doubt I am a link between families at home with those in harm’s way. This is an INCREDIBLE opportunity to be a part of that patriotic spirit. To old to serve? Here’s your chance for “sacrifice”.
5. Current bare minimum yearly operating cost is $80,000 and is an average of a three year plan. 25% of that cost is currently covered by projected royalties based on past/current performance. That number is expected to increase at least 20% p/year, for the next two years, if left as is with no further action.
For those that have been on board since 2003, it sure has been a ride. For those who have come along since: This blog started as a way to keep in touch with family while overseas and to show interested folks the ups and downs of an independent journalist. I want to not only tell you the story, but show you how I got there. That is what this blog is. I hope you enjoy it.
DT
Remember June 6, 1944
Jun 4 at 8:08am by David Tate
Bedford Co., VA – The upcoming 65th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion that touches all of us here in southwestern Virginia simply because the National D-Day Memorial is in our backyard. But it wouldn’t be so, if it weren’t for one man- Bob Slaughter. It’s a name many of us have grown familiar with over the years as it has with thousands of others all around the world. It isn’t a legacy Slaughter ever would have imagined himself sharing. It’s one he takes seriously if only to preserve homage to the casualties of that war.
“The news we didn’t want to hear arrived like the shock of a thunderbolt. It was a simple briefing. ‘Men,’ he said, ‘We’re going back up- assemble the platoon.’ Everyone of us gulped. We all knew what he meant,” Slaughter said.
Surrounded by the relics of a war long gone by, Bob Slaughter is never far away from the action that killed so many men and helped shape a world in so many ways. His first taste of death, at just 17, came when his ship collided with a British ship, killing 332 sailors as he and his fellow soldiers made their way to England.
“We thought we had seen something when you see 332 sailors drown, but we hadn’t seen anything, the worst was yet to come,” Slaughter said.
He and his friends, many from southwestern Virginia, would be the first Americans to hit the beach when the Allies made a move to liberate Europe.
“We were the first to hit the beaches- Omaha, the worst beach,” Slaughter said.
The first American he saw die barely made it off the landing craft. “The first guy I saw killed was hit with the front of the landing craft and died- right in front of our eyes,” Slaughter said. Moments later, more Virginians would die- 21 from Bedford alone- would die on June 6, 1944. “He started screaming and hollering and then one of our medics went to help him and they shot him too. Then we had two guys screaming,” Slaughter said.
And that wasn’t the end for Slaughter and tens of thousands of others. The allies would need another 11 months to fight their way into the heart of Germany, and ultimately, victory over the Nazis. That was 65 years ago, memories that faded over the decades until the late 80’s.
“Very little until recently, the last 10 years I guess, when we talked about the D-Day memorial,” he said. Ever since then, Slaughter has been busy promoting the memorial, which was dedicated in 2001. His work highly regarded by his
Fellow veterans, men like Jack Shields. “He deserves a lot of credit for that, that’s for sure. He’s a fine fellow; he’s a hero,” Shields said.
“I’m not a hero. I’ve got all my limbs, a couple scars, some shrapnel in the back,” Slaughter said. Slaughter’s experience has also turned into a book- a written record of his war ordeal.
“Now it seems like everyone knows who I am. I’m not real happy about that but, you know, if it will do the job, you have to do it,” Slaughter said.
A job Slaughter accepts in his golden years, not for himself, but for those who weren’t as lucky. “We were going back to death, destruction and fear. We were all painfully aware that many of us would be wounded and others of us would soon be dead,” he said.
At 84, Slaughter is one of the younger World War II veterans. He joined in 1940 at the age of 15. He says this could very well be the last major reunion for the battles’ veterans.
Slaughter is scheduled to lay a wreath at the D-Day Memorial during the anniversary ceremony on Saturday.
Video? Go here –> DDay Video
General Update
May 5 at 8:08am by David Tate
I know it seems as though I have fallen off the planet in the past month. Weird how that always happens after an embed. Regardless, let me quickly catch you up.
I made it home from Afghanistan in great health and spirit. Unfortunately, a month later, I was fired from my NBC affiliate in a year long blood letting session that most broadcast companies are currently embroiled in. To say I was upset is an understatement. I enjoyed my job, my company and the city I live in. Now I am almost completely broke (from Afghanistan), without a job and a serious need to most likely sell my just-refinanced house and move. Understand that Roanoke, Virginia is not a major metropolis and jobs in my field are limited.
Still in a daze, I went home and immediately signed onto a TV job website to see where my prospects might be and wouldn’t you know the one-man band reporter job, for ROANOKE, was available at the ABC affiliate. Best part is, the News Director AND General Manager were my first ND and GM in this business back in 1996. Weirder yet, it was at the NBC affiliate I just left!!
Long story short, I have been busy getting used to the three year contract I just signed. In my free time, I am working hard to get the Getty submission in the mail. Beyond that, I am still working on videos from the embed and will have something available soon. Hell, I haven’t even done my taxes yet…
So, while I work on Afghanistan stuff, here’s a link to my latest story at my “day job”. Enjoy.
Op Ed: A Surge or Not a Surge?
Mar 1 at 3:03pm by David Tate
Members of USMC 3/8's Police Mentoring Team on patrol in Musa Qala, Helmand Province. Feb. 2009. All photos by David Tate.
Ok… I can’t take it anymore. Surge this, surge that. Whatever. Ever since the surge of 2007, as the Battle of Baghdad was raging, the media has had a penchant for this word and it is making me dizzy.
Let us get this straight because history needs to know what is, and what isn’t, a military surge. The media is back with this darling of a word and I’m going to get them to make this right.
surge |sərj|noun - a sudden powerful forward or upward movement, esp. by a crowd or by a natural force such as the waves or tide : flooding caused by tidal surges.• a sudden large increase, typically a brief one that happens during an otherwise stable or quiescent period.
Simple as that: ”A sudden large increase, typically a brief one that happens during an otherwise stable or quiescent period.”
Groundhog’s Day
The fact is, in regards to military surges, there have been three large scale surges, in either Afghanistan or Iraq, since either war began. What we face today in Afghanistan 2009, is actually an escalation and it needs to be recognized as such.
escalate |ˈeskəˌlāt|verb [ intrans. ]increase rapidly : the price of tickets escalated | [as adj. ] ( escalating) the escalating cost of health care.• become or cause to become more intense or serious : [ intrans. ] the disturbance escalated into a full-scale riot | [ trans. ] we do not want to escalate the war.
Marines from Bravo Co., 22 MEU search a village in Oruzgan Province. May, 2004.
Surge of 2004
The first true surge during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan came in spring 2004 in Afghanistan. At that time, the coalition was struggling to get security into place for the upcoming election, which would be Afghanistan’s first, free presidential election in its history.
One province that had seen no real coalition presence was the south central Taliban hub or Oruzgan Province; a major opium producing region that is the birth place of AQ #2 Mullah Omar himself.
US Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) landed there in early March, continuing military operations (and northern Kandahar Province) through the month of July. When the Marines left, they were replaced by an Army unit that was already in country, which started the process of turning it into the Provincial Reconstruction Team, as well as the center of operations for the Dutch-led task force, TF Oruzgan.
22nd MEU was in Afghanistan for roughly six months before being pulled out and not replaced by an additional unit, qualifying this event as a surge.
A member of TF Marne dashes across a bridge in Arab Jabour, Iraq during the surge of 2007.
Surge of 2007
In early 2007, President Bush announced his intention to launch a surge into the war in Iraq that would prove to be the death blow for Al Qaeda in Iraq during the pivotal Battle for Baghdad that had been underway for some time. The surge he ordered would see the troop numbers swell 30,000 to more than 160,000 troops, a wartime high.
At least 10,000 of those troops had extended tours of 15 months and were not replaced once those tours were up. I would qualify this as a sustained surge, because the fact is, post-surge levels are at 150,000, down just 12,000. Subtract that from the 30,000 surge and you see what was replaced. That number is now shrinking daily as the US finally shifts focus to Afghanistan.
Surge of 2008
In late spring of 2008, the 24th MEU landed in Kandahar and launched a massive assault on the Taliban’s logistic base, Garmsir, in the southern Helmand River Valley. After almost five straight weeks of fighting, the battle slowed, as frontlines set in and many of the regions residents returned to their homes and bringing life back to the pivotal District Center.
When the Marines were pulled out of southern Helmand, they were relieved in place (RIP) by British and Afghan forces as USMC 2/7 continued to set the foundation for the Special Purpose Marine Air/Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF) which is currently in place.
Why This is Now an Escalation Phase
Once additional Marines (2/7) augmented the 24th MEU (surge force), this conflict escalated in troop numbers which set the American level at a wartime high of 33,000. This force eventually became the SPMAGTF.
3/2 Marines are currently preparing a prolonged RIP with the current combat element of the the task force, 3/8 Marines, which will sustain the Marine presence in Helmand and Farah Provinces.
With President Obama’s authorization of 17,000 additional troops, plans are now underway to send the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), which will permanently add approximately 8,ooo additional Marines to the mix currently fighting in southern Afghanistan.
Surge of 2009?
The surge of 2009 is the addition of troops that are coming in relation to the August election. For instance: Germany is sending an additional 600 troops in time for the election. If those troops are pulled after the election, those troops would be “surge” troops.
Currently, the 22nd MEU is once again out and about, cruising around the world to a destination(s) unknown. The current good odds bet on my chart would see the 22nd MEU landing in Helmand Province for a renewed push, south of Garmsir, to continue where the last combat MEU left off. If they are not replaced after 4-5 months of combat ops, they too would be a surge force.
However, there is a school of thought that suggests the MEU cycle is about to go into a steady Afghanistan replacement format, which would make that another escalation of boots on the ground (unless it is something already built into current plans but has not been released).
So in a nutshell, the current “surge” actually started with 24th MEU in spring 2008, was augmented by USMC 2/7, becoming an escalation in force when they were replaced by the current SPMAGTF in November of last year.
There’s my pitch. The surge is out, an escalation is in as a new catch word. Whataya think?
Do You Appreciate This Site? Then PLEASE Give Me $10
Jan 28 at 6:06pm by David Tate
While I do keep open arms for anyone interested in contributing funds for this project, I typically end up paying for it out of my family’s hide… which is fine, my choice.
Unfortunately today I am faced with a bill I wasn’t expecting, at this time, and that is for my combat insurance.
Last time, The Long War Journal covered this expense… I’m not so fortunate this time (although making it available is a great service in its own). With that said, I am scrambling to come up with the $XX to cover it. So if you want to help, PLEASE contact me asap at this email (newsmanpm@yahoo.com), or, send your donation via PayPal to this address: dtate38@cox.net
Thanks,
Dave
Setting the Embed
Jan 21 at 6:06pm by David Tate
So far, the planning for this trip has been relatively flawless. A couple of mistakes have ended up costing me some extra money, but other than that, it has been pretty simple.
The one major problem I’m having is actually setting the embeds. Getting some time with USMC 3/8 was pretty easy, unfortunately, I only get a week with them. That leaves two open weeks with nowhere to go. Only getting a week, however, makes me a little skeptical of a dog and pony show:
(David Tate) I hope I get there sooner than later so I can get a few extra days in, because I’ll need it! To understand what I need, I would have to break it down by the different clients I work for; hence the need for the additional time. However, working with the hand I’m dealt, my main mission is taking historical archive footage, so I’m after as many different things as I can get pictures of. I could spend an afternoon in the hospital, with EOD, on a CERP mission, on a cordon and search, etc…
In priority, to satisfy the most clients evenly, I would put a cordon and search/air assault type mission at the top of the list. So perhaps I could be attached to the helo company or QRF for at least some of the time. After that I can take the rest as it comes.
(Marine response) From my records, my unit has not been doing a lot of cordon and search operations. We have conducted a handful of search operations in coordination with the Afghan National Police, but kicking in doors is not what we do on a daily basis.
Our operations are much more non-kinetic than you may think, focused mostly on enabling the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to provide the security, stability, services and aid: joint security patrols with ANP or Afghan National Army, engaging key Afghan leadership within our districts, helping to train the ANP, civil affairs missions, etc. In fact, we are in the process of wrapping up a route clearance mission in which we are building a presence along a key road in our area so that the Afghan people can travel safely between two major towns there. EOD has its share of missions as well, so this MAY be an option (but it may be a lot of waiting until they are needed).
I’m sure you’ll be interested in what we have going on our here. I just don’t want you to come down with the mindset that we are kicking down doors and fighting the enemy head-to-head every day. We’re Marines, so we get our share of the action, but this is counterinsurgency work here: slower, methodical and very much people-based.
Counter-insurgency in the Afghan desert can be very boring with enemy contact coming weeks apart. I get it. That’s why I wanted a month. The only way to see the full picture is to spend decent time with one unit. I still say, a dozen or so platoons scattered around Helmand and Farah Provinces, there should be room for a three week embed.
The Marines say there’s a reason for this:
All Dressed Up With Nowhere to Go
To fix that issue, I’m in touch with the the British Royal Marines at TF Helmand, Afghan National Army embedded trainers at TF Phoenix and 2/2 1st ID which is assigned to TF Kandahar (Canada). All three of these possibilities have been in the works for more than three weeks.
The best chance I have is with TF Phoenix. They seem very receptive, I just haven’t heard anything concrete.
As for the Brits: I’ve been waiting on their return email for some time, which finally came yesterday:
And then there’s 2/2. It took a couple of weeks for someone to finally get in touch with me regarding this request. Apparently, I’d been barking up the wrong tree. The problem is, 2/2 is attached to the Canadians and ISAF while the rest of the 1st ID guys are operating under US command in the east of the country (edit – actually, just heard back from Bagram and they say it is up to RC-South. So, back to square one.). One guy at Bagram told me to get with my Marine contact (in Kandahar), who never really got back to me regarding 2/2 after repeated inquiries… so after a bit, I sent a note to some other contacts begging for a reply. That was answered by a captain in Bagram, who has promised to expedite the request, however I have yet to hear anything (she emailed me shortly after this post to give me the news about 2/2 being out of her area.) . WHEW!
Communication is Key in the Communications Business
This issue is kind of indicative of a major issue that the coalition forces deal with regularly; the split command set up currently in use. There is a lot of concern about the fact that the US and ISAF forces, operating under different orders and different Rules of Engagement, are actually hampered in the execution of the Afghan mission because of a variety of inconsistencies and bureaucracy between the two commands.
In my case, the fact that I have to be credential with ISAF, then separately with the US, is costing me a lot of extra money and lost time. Sound familiar? Anyway, the US is pushing hard to consolidate the Afghan command into one by the end of the year. Hopefully, for my sake (and others like me), that will extend to the embed process as well. After all, I am coming to Afghanistan, on my own dime, to tell their story. I suggest that is something that should be in their interest and making it as easy as possible could be beneficial.
Nothing About Afghanistan Is Easy
Jan 10 at 1:01pm by David Tate
Just when I thought everything was sailing smoother than expected, the unexpected whacks me in the head. It is kind of my fault for buying my plane tickets before hearing from the Marines, but sometimes that’s how I work… and this time, it cost me.
Dave, I could offer you something earlier in the month, say Feb. xx-xx. Would this work for you? Do you already have your ISAF badge? If not, be advised that you will have to stop through Kabul to pick it up at HQ ISAF. Please let me know if this is the case and I will send you specific instructions. You’ve mentioned wanting to see a lot of things (MEDCAP, CERP, patrols); could you narrow down what kind of story you’d be looking to get out of your embed? That will help me focus our planning for it more. Thanks!
Detour to Kabul
Basically what that means is that I now face several new issues that will greatly slow me down as well as chew up a bunch of my financial reserves.
First, I had to change my tickets. After penalty and price adjustment, that cost an additional $65 (btw – Dubai is just $800 r/t!! Incredible vacation spot… so I hear!). Why Dubai? Because there aren’t many flights out of Kuwait to Kabul, whereas Dubai has daily 6am flights. The flight to Kabul and back is another $750.
Second, I have to make my way to ISAF headquarters in Kabul so they can fingerprint me and give me a retinal scan. You can only do this Monday, Wednesday or Friday between 10 and 11am, so timing is everything. Obviously, this all means I will likely have to spend a few days in Kabul waiting for a flight to Kandahar, which means more money. At least I will be able to add Kabul to my HD archive, so there is a silver lining.
Finally, I have to get a visa. It really isn’t a big deal, just another thing I have to do on top of the million things already needing to be done. Basically you just have to send your application, passport and passport photo to the Afghan Embassy in Washington (plus $100), and they send it back to you within a day or two.
So in a nutshell, this detour through Kabul is going to end up costing about $1,000 as well as about a week of time that I could have been using for embeds. It also means that by the time I get to embed with the Marines, I’m going to be exhausted. Oh well, nothing about Afghanistan is easy.
The Leap
Jan 7 at 10:10pm by David Tate
The second you buy your plane ticket it becomes the real deal. Fortunately, the cost to Kuwait from Roanoke and back was just $1,300!! Seriously… I was expecting $3,000 with the way the world is these days. But the fact is, once you invest that nonrefundable money, you pretty much have made the call.
Unfortunately, by this time I was expecting to have somewhat of an itinerary for my trip. I was hoping to go the easy route, which was one embedment with one unit – in this case the goal is/was USMC 3/8, the combat element of the Special Purpose MAGTF (Marine Air/Ground Task Force).
The MAGTF essentially replaced the combined forces of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and USMC 2/7, which left the area for good in November 2007. Their area of operation is primarily central Helmand and Farah Provinces in Regional Command South. Fortunately I was granted permission to embed, unfortunately it is for only one week.
Greetings. I hope the new year is treating you well so far.
Regarding your embed, we will not be able to accommodate a month-long embed with Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan . February is looking very busy, but I could offer you a week long embed between the dates that you requested, probably after Feb #. Would Feb. ##-## work for you? Please let me know.
I look forward to working with you!
Busy? No kidding… that’s why I’m coming. I don’t want to be there when you’re not busy!
Adapt and Overcome
So that throws a bit of a wrench into things. The biggest problem is that I have the month of February and every day counts. I also need ITOs (Individual Temporary Orders) in order to come into theater with the military. In this case, I have learned I can fly to Kuwait then get a military flight straight into Kandahar. Definitely less comfortable, but no visa needed, no Kabul needed, no Bagram needed, less travel days and no goatee needed!
There are straight flights from Doha, Qatar as well, but again, I don’t want to deal with getting a visa and all that. Afterall, I really only have about three weeks on the ground as it is.
The downfall is that I don’t get to go through the more adventurous part of the trip; actually getting a hotel and staying in Kabul for a few days. My Dad certainly likes that better, unfortunately, I wanted to get pictures for the archive that show the people and the city of Kabul. A bit dangerous, but worth it.
The More Lines in the Water, the More Fish
So I have some time to fill and I need to get a plane ticket, which we all know, gets more expensive as the day approaches. I guess I’m just going to have to rely on some hope and good karma. If that fails, I could find myself in an overpriced hotel room in Kuwait City or a dusty tent in the Kuwati desert at Ali al-Salim for more time than I care.
I do have good leads with an Embedded Training Team, British Marines and maybe even Blackwater. With all that in mind, I did buy my ticket and can only hope it all works out in Kuwait.
Facial Hair, Exercise and Bureaucracy
Jan 3 at 11:11am by David Tate
Preparing for a month abroad in Afghanistan takes a lot of time and effort. It isn’t as easy as buying a plane ticket and going.
Exercise
Getting into shape is a priority. While at 41 I do keep in good shape already, however that’s with 175lbs on my bones and muscles. With a lot of time spent in body armor and kevlar, I need to get my body ready for carrying an additional 80 pounds worth of gear, and that takes time.
This month I’ll be adding those pounds to a three mile hill course that I have plotted out through the river district of Roanoke. That jaunt will be interupted by a series of wind sprints, push ups and crunches that will help build my stamina. In all, the workout takes about one hour. Now I just have to find the time (likely 6am).
Finding the time is very important. What many folks don’t realize is that if you are out of shape you put yourself, and the troops around you, at greater risk. The last thing I want is the blood of a Marine on my hands because my ass is out of shape. The Marines know I’m a former Marine and there’s no way in hell I’m showing up out of shape.
In 2004 while deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Force in Oruzgan Province, an Australian journalist named Carmela Baranowska was also embedded with us. After a few patrols where she was dragging behind, the Marines pretty much kicked her off of patrols for safety reasons (she would later write that they did it to censor her). Point is, that will never be me, and when it is, I won’t be there in the first place.
Facial Hair
Fact is, I hate facial hair, my wife hates it as does my daughter. Hate it, hate it hate it (on me that is). Unfortunately, part of my trip will be taking me into the general public of Afghanistan where a fresh faced white guy sticks out like a burqa at the beach. So, goatee on for a few months.
Bureaucracy
So I just remembered that Afghanistan is one of those countries that requires an early visa to get in. That of course requires a number of things: Have to find someone to process it for you, need passport photos, letters of proof, etc… A lot of what you need varies for what you’re doing. If you’re going for business, that’s one visa; as a tourist, it’s another. In my case, while I am a journalist by profession, I am coming to Afghanistan on my vacation time as a battlefield tourist of sorts. So while in Afghanistan’s general population, I’m a tourist, but when I’m with the coalition, I’m a journalist. I guess I will apply for the tourist visa and hope for the best. The whole thing costs as much as $250.
I do have a plan B in the event Afghanistan does not let me in.
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