Hello from LT Miller March 26, 2007

Happy New Year from Afghanistan. We are now in the year 1386 according to the Afghan calendar. It feels like 1386 according to our calendar when you look around at how far behind they are from the rest of the world. Afghanistan has had one of the wettest winters in recent years and it is really a blessing for the farmers. The dam is filling but I am unable to drive out to it. Unfortunately it is also great for the poppy growers. I attached a picture of a poppy field sprouting up to the south of us and if you look into the distance you will see a large tripod device which is a well being dug, funded by you guessed it, the United States. I still cannot figure out why we will not do a thing to wipe out the poppies. The Generals (both Afghan and U.S.) are afraid of upsetting the drug lords and President Karzi is afraid of making the growers angry (some of which are said to be his family members). The
United States has zero chance of changing anything here if we do not insist that the Afghans stop growing poppies. My plan would give them 4 months to wipe out the crop otherwise we do it. It may be tough for some people but it is the right thing to do. I think some of our leaders forgot a basic principle of leadership is to always do the right thing even if it is painful in the short run. I guarantee that the long run benefit of not having the drug money fund the Taliban and other criminal elements will be worth any short-term pain that may be involved. It will also go a long way to establish the rule of law here. Just because it makes money does not make it right.

On a positive note many schools will be opening this week as they begin the new school year. I look forward to it since I really miss the school visits. I also will be able to start passing out some of the school supplies many of you have sent. The children are fantastic. I actually see hope in their eyes when they are in school. Education is the only real hope for the future of Afghanistan. It gives the children
something to do instead of working in the fields or shops or sitting around doing nothing. We have all seen what happens to idle minds. They grow up not being able to think for themselves and become very impressionable. Think of the inner city gangs that influence the poor kids in the housing projects in the U.S. Then apply that to an entire country. This is also the first time in a couple of generations that there has been relative peace here. It may not seem like it to the rest of the world but the car bombings and IED attacks they have now are nothing compared to the all out war that has consumed this country for generations. The Afghan Army and Afghan police are out bearing the brunt of the attacks and fighting back, something that many people thought would never happen. If the Afghans can continue the education, wipe out the poppies and somehow get the Pakistani border under control this country may have a chance.

I am now working on the Afghan Army payroll system. As you can imagine there are not a lot of internal systems and controls set up in this country. Everyone expects to pay someone a portion of his wages to receive anything. That is just a part of the Afghan culture that is hard to break. Also there is no real banking system set up so everything is cash. They are starting to get the idea of the separation of duties
because before the same person kept attendance, submitted the payroll, picked up the cash and passed out the money. That person was also the complaint department if you had payroll problems and the person that you would bribe, I mean pay, I mean ask, to solve your problem. We have some controls in place now so it is better and the soldiers now expect to get their full pay. Not perfect but going in the right direction. On the political home front please do not believe any of our political
leaders when they say if Congress doesn't vote for this supplemental spending bill that politician will not be supporting our troops. Take a close look at those spending bills and you will see all sorts of things not even related to the wars. In fact they seem to be designed to get pork barrel projects approved that our politicians are too afraid or embarrassed to bring up on there own merits. That goes for both Democrats and Republicans! 99% of our equipment, personnel and supply funding comes from the annual defense budget. If the politicians really want to support the troops they will shut up and get to work and stop saying everything that is wrong is someone else's fault. Vote for John Miller for Congress!

Now on a lighter note I am including a photo of one of the things that I really will not miss. Outside of our U.S. base the bathroom facilities are interesting. This particular one is on a U.S. and Afghan compound in Bakwa. It has that open air feel to it. On another humorous note I was asked by one of the Afghan Officers I work with if I could bring him some medicine he was looking for. He kept saying it was a Swiss medicine but I could not figure out what he was talking about. I asked if a doctor gave it to him and he said no. He said it makes him feel good and relieves stress. I then thought well is it illegal (at least in the U.S.). He said he had an empty package and would bring it in. He came back the next day with the Swiss medicine bag and I instantly knew what he was talking about. After I stopped laughing I went back to my hut and brought him a box of Swiss Miss instant cocoa with marshmallows and he is now hooked on hot chocolate.

Take care and keep in touch.
LT John Miller USNARMY