Newbies

Our trainers warned us that if the locals weren’t getting what they wanted out of you, they would wait you out for the next newbie to come.  The trick is to document all your “no” responses in such a way that it sounds like “I fought the good fight for you, but other forces were at play”.  It seems to work in this highly conspiratorial society.  We beat down an expensive digital simulation trainer (i.e Gameboy on steroids) that a prior US Colonel dangled in front an Afghan General some months ago.  Yet a new Colonel arrived, the General whined about the need for better trainers and that a proposal was ready to go, and the newbie bit, hook, line and sinker, and even committed to do all he could to see this unaffordable and unsustainable trinket delivered.   When the proud Colonel knocked on the door of Mr. Money (me), I smiled and told him that he had been suckered.  There was no money for this and it was wholly unsustainable.  “Well George, what can “we” do so I don’t lose face, he said sheepishly.  I told him to go back and scope down the project, wait a month and tell the General, that because other forces were at play, the good Colonel can get him a much scaled down version of a training center (think Carnival-style B-B gun shooting gallery).  And so it goes………………………..again.