Day 236: The General

In my short career as a Naval Officer, several times have I been a part of what is often called in the military, a "dog and pony show". It amuses me how tightly wound up command leaders get when an admiral, or in the Army's case, a general comes for a well-intentioned visit. Everyone else usually tries to hide....literally! This time of tension and pressure to look absolutely squared away is the reason for the rather facetious nickname.

The General

Anyways, the past several days were marked by a visit from our commanding officer, General Huber, who is in charge of all US Embedded Training Team (ETT) combat advisors in Afghanistan such as myself. Rather than staying away I decided to simply approach him, meet him, shake his hand, and ask for a quick picture. Besides, how often am I ever going to interact with an Army General in my lifetime? We even had a brief conversation. Turns out, he was a very nice man, down-to-earth, and seemed very supportive of our mission here in remote Camp Clark. I guess "dog and pony shows" aren't as tense of an experience as people make them out to be.