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Another posting from Profile in Service Michael J. Baumgartner, currently serving in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Helmand is the region witnessing a significant increase in anti-Taliban operations lately. Mike is a part of what is starting to be called the "surge" in Afghanistan.
July Greetings from Helmand!
I returned to Helmand earlier this month from my second R&R and it is certainly good to be back. I say this not because I’m enjoying the rockets and assorted increased security issues we currently have - (I’ve received several close enough reminders over the past few days to know once again that I am not a big fan of rockets, especially when those clever bastards do it at 3 am on the one day you get to sleep in) - but because I really think it is privilege to be down here trying to help out while the big increased US security effort is underway. To have been in Baghdad trying to make a contribution during the Iraq Surge and now to be in Helmand during the Afghan one – I just really feel fortunate.
Stuff is tough at the moment in Helmand, and it is likely to get tougher in the lead up to the late August elections. The situation reminds me somewhat of my first months in Iraq in 2007 at the start of the Surge when the US went on offense and we had over 100 heroes give their lives in both May and June.
To be frank, I’ll be surprised if we see a resulting similar amount of progress here. What we really need is for the local population to believe in the sustainability of the Afghan government and security forces (most important) and Western security forces (of secondary importance) so that they have the confidence needed to stand up to Taliban intimidation. It is early in the offensive, but we are not at that point yet and it will may quite a bit to get there.
I continue to enjoy my job immensely with my Afghan team. We are still playing a lead role in the Helmand government’s most important governance and counterinsurgency program and there are still so many fascinating locals (opium farmers, women’s education, psy ops/public info, youth, mullahs) that I continue to interact with.
In many ways, I think what I am doing is a look into the future of US assistance to Afghanistan. If things go well and get better (let’s hope) there will be a reduction of US forces and more stuff like I am doing and if things get worse (probably not) or stay roughly the same (more likely) there will probably be a reduction of US forces and more stuff like I am doing. As a big positive sign, the current Helmand government really is intent upon helping the people here and in defeating the Taliban. They have a real tough challenge, but I can’t say enough how much I enjoy trying to help them do that. (And I say this with confidence even though I’m having a tougher time than normal with moments of stress and loneliness sometimes). Pray for peace in Afghanistan and Iraq and for all the souls of those who have recently lost their lives in fighting in Helmand.
-Michael J. Baumgartner
