Nad-e Ali blog 12: Making a difference

I know I say this almost every time I write, but the time flies by in Helmand. With no weekend break and living in a constant hub of activity - the "Battle Rhythm"  as the military call it - one day feels like another.  But now the football season has restarted and Manchester City crushing all in their sights ("in rampant form" - BBC) at least I have a vague idea when it is weekend. Or was that a mid-week game?

Each morning the clatter of helicopters or the engines of armoured vehicles make my metal-can home shake and tremble. The noise contrasts with the bird song that is a delightful feature of Patrol Base SHAZAD. Although the birds can't over-power the sounds of the military, they do continue long after the helicopters have flown off and the Mastiffs have moved away. Perhaps there is something deeply symbolic there? Or maybe it's just time for a break.....
 
But talking of Shazad, big news: as part of the process of transition to Afghan control and reduction in ISAF forces, the battle areas of Nad-e Ali (North) and Nad-e Ali (South) were combined a few days ago back into one - just Nad-e Ali. With this my Happy Home in Helmand was more or less closed and I moved to Forward Operating Base Shawqat to join the stabilisation team there. Unlike Shazad where the whole team consisted of an Afghan assistant, our bodyguard and me, Shawqat is a big team: three Stabilisation Advisers, an American Development Adviser, an American Rule of Law Adviser, a Political Adviser - and loads of Afghan assistants. I must admit to feeling like a fish out of water - from being the principal stabilisation adviser to the 42 Commando Battlegroup to, errrr, well just one of a bunch. Not an easy transition.

I was very sad to bid farewell to 42 Commando (who are leaving too) and Shazad. They were a terrific bunch and the UK is indeed fortunate to have such capable, thinking soldiers. It was an honour working with them. My team hosted a barbecue for the senior staff in our compound. An ammunition box made an excellent barbecue pit (I may suggest them to B&Q - über-chic) and we tucked in to steaks, pork chops - and a salad I knocked up from local market produce with Afghan bread. Delicious. Lots of "goffers" sunk and I was genuinely deeply touched when the CO presented me with a 42 plaque - which will appear on a wall with great pride of place when I finally have somewhere to live. We all got quite emotional. Well I did. I now have to transition back (that word again) from Marinespeak. No more goffers, heads, scran, wets, galleys...

I have said before that if you look ahead in Afghanistan you are daunted by the mountain yet to climb. But 42 Commando can look back on their 6 months with great pride on what they have achieved. Only a few days ago I took the district mayor and the local bazaar manager to the village of Loy Mandeh where we agreed the site for a new bazaar as a start to replace the one smashed by the Taliban. This would have been unthinkable 6 months ago. With a fair wind a school and clinic will follow and a community will have been helped to recover from years of warfare. Work started today.

So I feel I leave Shazad with a job half done - loads left to do. But looking back, so much has been achieved: the District Governor now visits without ISAF help, ministry representatives visit the communities; schools, clinics, bazaars  refurbished, up and running; kids going to school; people attending clinics; kids getting immunisations.....  ISAF made a difference in the lives of ordinary people. Pretty cool.

And me? Off to challenges new somewhere in the dusts of Helmand.....

I'll keep you posted