Communications

Trident University

Free Writing (Revised)

COM 301

MOD 1 SLP

Dr. John Becker

Working in Afghanistan

When I retired from the Military, I started working as a contractor in Afghanistan for 21/2 years. I mentored the Kabul Military Training Center Service Company Commander Food Service to the Ministry of Defense Affairs for Afghanistan. I advised the Afghan Commander Food Service on budget, sanitation, supply chain and food service procurement. He was responsible for the class I support for over 14, 000 soldiers with an annual budget of 90 million dollars. When I first started I thought I could really make a difference. I traveled to different camps throughout Afghanistan evaluating the food service program and conducting training.

When I first started I thought it was strange that none of the food service operations I visited had cleaning supplies unless purchased by the US Military. Even the facility the Mistier was dining in did not have supplies. I fought through the red tape and got a budget of $100, 000 a month for the duration of the year to ensure they had supplies to clean and to make sure no one got sick. I also worked with my mentee to ensure cleaning supplies were in the budget for the next year.

At the end of the year, I was blinded sided by my mentee when he informed me the food budget was 10 million dollars over budget and we would have to ask the US Military to make up the different. This would have been expectable if he could explain were the short falls were but he had no idea. This led me to believe someone was pocketing my tax dollars. I reported my finding to the Military budget department and they paid the different no questions asked.

Mean while the next year’s budget was approved to include the cleaning supplies. The money was transferred to the Ministry of Defense to purchase the supplies. Two month later my mentee was asking me when I was going to purchase the supplies to clean the facilities.

I when to my supervisor that...