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Delivered-To: john.podesta@gmail.com Received: by 10.140.49.99 with SMTP id p90csp7795qga; Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:05:26 -0700 (PDT) Return-Path: <gpodesta@gmail.com> Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of gpodesta@gmail.com designates 10.180.188.66 as permitted sender) client-ip=10.180.188.66 Authentication-Results: mr.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of gpodesta@gmail.com designates 10.180.188.66 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=gpodesta@gmail.com; dkim=pass header.i=@gmail.com X-Received: from mr.google.com ([10.180.188.66]) by 10.180.188.66 with SMTP id fy2mr22287303wic.45.1395288325939 (num_hops = 1); Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:05:25 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:date:message-id:subject:from:to:content-type; bh=S97radWybIp11+yyu8dUXG2zn9RTFN4zK5QGAdya2v8=; b=I2pIxKKNPEzidDquZV5gjzygSK/0G1f04FQ02fW+e95CtOMNrHnfNeawBBioHsxxW0 XsDapBKhk7DbJfYlsr+ZSZnFr3VyeRGxYalRrEn9W1+DiP2wtxo50hPNMViKAXn16g6Z DSFVDSsZaC6zNOTp7GzhBi9tiuXjUG4daGc0DTUijiSx6dkhTQZ/vO0Lhu8EhmrT1oER /1jwokpnjSh6sjeoXtKiHlwbxHQ4yMvx8DX8uSMbYekTI/hGJFNhVeLxSE3lq50oOwyN CE+nX6zsPnUQG60/o75XRPKnLmskiMexr38g5NqiDdJZYcT88WRsdeBE40doSed1NJ8C 9tRQ== MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Received: by 10.180.188.66 with SMTP id fy2mr22287303wic.45.1395288325935; Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:05:25 -0700 (PDT) Received: by 10.217.116.74 with HTTP; Wed, 19 Mar 2014 21:05:25 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 08:35:25 +0430 Message-ID: <CAP-MWF4BoxMv4C2xC5e3EnH1MqG=_j5QpLV9U8QBy4QsK1nYwA@mail.gmail.com> Subject: In Country From: Gabe Podesta <gpodesta@gmail.com> To: Megan Rouse <meganrouse@gmail.com>, Mae Podesta <mpodesta@gmail.com>, Mary Podesta <podesta.mary@gmail.com>, "john.podesta@gmail.com" <john.podesta@gmail.com>, Gordon Rouse <rouse.gordon@gmail.com> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=001a11c383be06d99904f501e14f --001a11c383be06d99904f501e14f Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 I made it to Bagram Air Field. Later today I'll travel to Camp Phoenix. As I've mentioned earlier, I'd thought that I'd only be there for a couple months before moving. I learned yesterday that the plan is now for me to only be there for a month and then come back to Bagram. I've decided to just go with the flow. If you'll pardon my French, it brings to mind one of my favorite USAF expressions: flexibility is the key to air power--and getting fucked. I want to be here for 30 consecutive days so as to ensure that I earn the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Beyond that, the mission can send me to the North Pole and I'll manage. We flew here yesterday in a C-17. We loaded from the tail and took our seats along the sides of the hold. As we waited to take off, a small bird flew into the hold and perched above us. Harkening back to my high school biblical themes in literature class, I decided it was a good omen as a dove represents the Holy Spirit. So God was with us as we traveled. I got hungry during the flight and started searching my pack for a Cliff Bar I'd picked up along the way. I never did find my snack but I did redisocver my XMas present. So my protective medallions are now safely attached to my keychain and were with me as we passed into Afghan airspace. Thanks again, Mae and Megan. We landed at dusk and by the time we made it out of the terminal the sun had set. As I looked around Bagram at night my initial thought was that I'd like to call this place a shithole but that would unfairly malign shit. There are giant mud pools all over the place where buildings used to stand that have been torn down as part of the drawdown. The air is horrible--smoke and dust choke you. The soldiers here run outside but I can't even imagine. Maybe after some months I will acclimate as they seem to have. This morning with a little sunlight the country doesn't seem as bad. Don't get me wrong--Bagram is worse with light. But the snowy mountains on the horizon are actually somewhat beautiful. I hope Phoenix will have the views without the military industrial waste. I'm also floored that Qatar (DQ at the pool) and Bagram (stagnant water pits) are Air Bases supporting the same campaign. Qatar seems even more like a ClubMed in retrospect. I mentioned earlier that I'm travelling with the Deputy Senior Contracting Officer--Afghanistan. That has made everything go much, much smoother. Believe it or not, a week of travel between SeaTac and Afghanistan is fast. She and I ate breakfast this morning and I picked her brain a little on the contracting process and the role of the legal office. She gave me her opinion on what makes for a good contracts attorney and, not surprisingly, the skill set seems remarkably similar to what I've heard makes for a good Military Justice attorney: give the decisionmaker her legal options and your own advice, but don't stand in the way when she chooses a perfectly legal option against your advice. I think this work has the potential to be really interesting. It sounds like rather than working on contracts for the retrograde, what I'll be doing is closing out a decade of contracts as the contracting command rolls out. That is, making final payment and locking up the file. I'll hopefully have email access as soon as I arrive in Phoenix but there is a chance that I will be silent again for a while. In any event, I'll let you all know as soon as I can that I've arrived safely. As always, love and miss you all. PS--my spellcheck seems to be broken on this PC so please excuse any and all typos. -- Gabe Podesta --001a11c383be06d99904f501e14f Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div>I made it to Bagram Air Field. Later today I'll = travel to Camp Phoenix. As I've mentioned earlier, I'd thought tha= t I'd only be there for a couple months before moving. I learned yeste= rday that the plan is now for me to only be there for a month and then come= back to Bagram. I've decided to just go with the flow. If you'll= pardon my French, it brings to mind one of my favorite USAF expressions: f= lexibility is the key to air power--and getting fucked. I want to be here = for 30 consecutive days so as to ensure that I earn the Afghanistan Campaig= n Medal. Beyond that, the mission can send me to the North Pole and I'= ll manage. </div> <div> </div><div>We flew here yesterday in a C-17. We loaded from the tail= and took our seats along the sides of the hold. As we waited to take off,= a small bird flew into the hold and perched above us. Harkening back to m= y high school biblical themes in literature class, I decided it was a good = omen as a dove represents the Holy Spirit. So God was with us as we travel= ed. I got hungry during the flight and started searching my pack for a Cli= ff Bar I'd picked up along the way. I never did find my snack but I di= d redisocver my XMas present. So my protective medallions are now safely a= ttached to my keychain and were with me as we passed into Afghan airspace. = Thanks again, Mae and Megan.</div> <div> </div><div>We landed at dusk and by the time we made it out of the te= rminal the sun had set. As I looked around Bagram at night my initial thou= ght was that I'd like to call this place a shithole but that would unfa= irly malign shit. There are giant mud pools all over the place where build= ings used to stand that have been torn down as part of the drawdown. The a= ir is horrible--smoke and dust choke you. The soldiers here run outside bu= t I can't even imagine. Maybe after some months I will acclimate as th= ey seem to have. This morning with a little sunlight the country doesn'= ;t seem as bad. Don't get me wrong--Bagram is worse with light. But t= he snowy mountains on the horizon are actually somewhat beautiful. I hope = Phoenix will have the views without the military industrial waste. </div> <div> </div><div>I'm also floored that Qatar (DQ at the pool) and Bagra= m (stagnant water pits) are Air Bases supporting the same campaign. Qatar = seems even more like a ClubMed in retrospect. </div><div> </div><div>I men= tioned earlier that I'm travelling with the Deputy Senior Contracting O= fficer--Afghanistan. That has made everything go much, much smoother. Bel= ieve it or not, a week of travel between SeaTac and Afghanistan is fast. S= he and I ate breakfast this morning and I picked her brain a little on the = contracting process and the role of the legal office. She gave me her opin= ion on what makes for a good contracts attorney and, not surprisingly, the = skill set seems remarkably similar to what I've heard makes for a good = Military Justice attorney: give the decisionmaker her legal options and you= r own advice, but don't stand in the way when she chooses a perfectly l= egal option against your advice. I think this work has the potential to be= really interesting. It sounds like rather than working on contracts for t= he retrograde, what I'll be doing is closing out a decade of contracts = as the contracting command rolls out. That is, making final payment and lo= cking up the file. <br clear=3D"all"> </div><div>I'll hopefully have email access as soon as I arrive in Phoe= nix but there is a chance that I will be silent again for a while. In any = event, I'll let you all know as soon as I can that I've arrived saf= ely. As always, love and miss you all.</div> <div> </div><div>PS--my spellcheck seems to be broken on this PC so please = excuse any and all typos.<br clear=3D"all"><br>-- <br>Gabe Podesta </div></div> --001a11c383be06d99904f501e14f--