I walked into Jake's apartment and got a glimpse of what my life as a single guy would have looked like (no, not pizza and beer cans everywhere...). Let me tell you about Jake.
Jake is singularly focused on one thing, his work. He volunteered for a program (same program I just started) as a civilian that put him in Afghanistan for a year working directly with Special Forces and Afghan front-line infantry units. He is most likely the only US civilian to ever embed so deeply within the Afghan infantry. And he is getting ready to go out for another year of the same stuff.
Jake lives in the ghetto of DC. When I asked him why he lives on the rough side of town he said exactly what I would have said if I was single, "The rent is cheap." And his place looks just like mine would... His apartment has one table, one bed, one couch, one big screen TV, and one computer. And tons of books, more books than furniture! But other than that empty. He doesn't own a car but has three expensive motorcycles that are strategically positioned around the country near family.
Jake swears like a sailor and in a post-Afghanistan tour photo he had a scraggly beard down to his chest. If you met him your first impression would not lead you to believe that he has been involved in the inner-cirlce of prominent Senators and DOD policymakers. I managed to get him to admit: "Yea, some of what I wrote ended up in the final bill." I give him a hard time and call him "Senator Jake." What I like about Jake is he is a "just get it done" type of guy. He can do the "big-brain" stuff but will just as readily join a good-ole bar room brawl. Guys like Jake make a difference because they are smart enough to make up their own rules when the going gets rough over there. Most importantly, Jake genuinely cares about people, and Afghans especially. His cultural skills were so effective that he was briefing 4-star Generals on the "climate" of his district on a regular basis. One 4-star told him he was the "eyes and ears" of the command in his volatile region.
Jake is exactly the type of guy the US needs involved in complex situations like Afghanistan. Guys like him are drawn to the complexity and aren't afraid to take risks to gain new perspectives on the strategic challenges. And by getting a different view of the problem we can start on a whole new way of solving them.
Jake is singularly focused on one thing, his work. He volunteered for a program (same program I just started) as a civilian that put him in Afghanistan for a year working directly with Special Forces and Afghan front-line infantry units. He is most likely the only US civilian to ever embed so deeply within the Afghan infantry. And he is getting ready to go out for another year of the same stuff.
Jake lives in the ghetto of DC. When I asked him why he lives on the rough side of town he said exactly what I would have said if I was single, "The rent is cheap." And his place looks just like mine would... His apartment has one table, one bed, one couch, one big screen TV, and one computer. And tons of books, more books than furniture! But other than that empty. He doesn't own a car but has three expensive motorcycles that are strategically positioned around the country near family.
Jake swears like a sailor and in a post-Afghanistan tour photo he had a scraggly beard down to his chest. If you met him your first impression would not lead you to believe that he has been involved in the inner-cirlce of prominent Senators and DOD policymakers. I managed to get him to admit: "Yea, some of what I wrote ended up in the final bill." I give him a hard time and call him "Senator Jake." What I like about Jake is he is a "just get it done" type of guy. He can do the "big-brain" stuff but will just as readily join a good-ole bar room brawl. Guys like Jake make a difference because they are smart enough to make up their own rules when the going gets rough over there. Most importantly, Jake genuinely cares about people, and Afghans especially. His cultural skills were so effective that he was briefing 4-star Generals on the "climate" of his district on a regular basis. One 4-star told him he was the "eyes and ears" of the command in his volatile region.
Jake is exactly the type of guy the US needs involved in complex situations like Afghanistan. Guys like him are drawn to the complexity and aren't afraid to take risks to gain new perspectives on the strategic challenges. And by getting a different view of the problem we can start on a whole new way of solving them.
Your "senator" friend sounds like a very interesting fellow, indeed! I guess he proves that not every one needs titles and initials before and after their name.
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