That's sort of assuming that they will place people intelligently.
We have a friend who has been in Iraq for over a year. Worked for a Think Tank here in the USA doing strategy stuff for the government in regards to diplomacy stuff, and in his 40s as well. Really a brains kind of guy... and an officer.
Unfortunately, his experience for the govt was in military intelligence. So, he's in the field, collecting data, dealing with the locals, and pretty much a guy with a translator, a computer and a sidearm and not much else, as are the people in his command, setting up attempts to network with the local police, sub-contractors, politicians etc.
He left his teenagers in guardianship of a couple of friends while he's been gone, and one of them took his own life a few months ago. They wouldn't give him leave or send him back to deal with it... another friend had to step in and take over the day to day household ops with his kids.
The military is being about as intelligent and sympathetic as rocks these days.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2006-08-28 03:56 pm (UTC)We have a friend who has been in Iraq for over a year. Worked for a Think Tank here in the USA doing strategy stuff for the government in regards to diplomacy stuff, and in his 40s as well. Really a brains kind of guy... and an officer.
Unfortunately, his experience for the govt was in military intelligence. So, he's in the field, collecting data, dealing with the locals, and pretty much a guy with a translator, a computer and a sidearm and not much else, as are the people in his command, setting up attempts to network with the local police, sub-contractors, politicians etc.
He left his teenagers in guardianship of a couple of friends while he's been gone, and one of them took his own life a few months ago. They wouldn't give him leave or send him back to deal with it... another friend had to step in and take over the day to day household ops with his kids.
The military is being about as intelligent and sympathetic as rocks these days.