Mentoring on the Edge or, What you Don't Learn in a Classroom
Abstract
The "Afghan experience' for those who serve overseas can be vastly different from the one about which the American public sees, hears, and reads. The same can be said for those who do the writing and reporting. It is comparatively simple to travel to Afghanistan, observe and interview selflessly-serving patriots at work, and write a blog or an article about the challenges ISAF and the coalition faces; it is quite another to be intimately involved in a mission extending over many months. It's easy to watch; it's tough to "do." This article attempts to bridge that gap. As one of the many who have mentored, assisted, trained, and fought with the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), I hope to provide some perspective to the stories in the paper or blogosphere. From mid-2008 through 2009, I commanded all the ANSF mentors and trainers in the Western Provinces of Afghanistan, in an area about the size of Mississippi, and served as the senior US officer west of Kabul and north of Kandahar.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 02, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA523418
Entities
People
- John Bessler
Organizations
- United States Army War College