201st Corps on a Mission and Tryouts Resume

The pool was muddy from yesterday's "storm". The soldier who cares for the pool took it upon himself to drain the pool, brush it down, and started refilling it. He also went above and beyond and got a water truck to drain a water tower and dump the water into the pool so it would be filled in time. I do not know if this was the soldier’s own initiative or if the Pol-e-Charki Base Commander directed him to, as a realization of what this future, of a Afghanistan National Water Polo Team, will do for Afghanistan.

The Afghan National Army, 201st Corps, to include most of the 201st Commando Kandak, were still on a mission today. There were many reports in different areas around the country, to include where the 201st Corps deployed to, of Taliban attacking targets and the Afghan National Army engaging the Taliban after they exposed themselves. The soldiers and commandos of the 201st Corps were not due to participate in the national team tryouts today but their units started to arrive about an hour before tryouts started. They even brought all of the “civilians”, who were participating in the tryouts onto the base as they drove into the front gate. It was a great gesture to their fellow countrymen, and maybe even future teammates.

I was sure that all of the civilians have been wondering why the tryouts have not continued. A few of the “civilians” left to go home, thinking that there were no more tryouts. The soldiers explained that they were all gone on missions and that the “civilians” that were trying out did not miss anything. Everyone was smiles today as they jumped in the pool. It was a great day for the participants and for me, who also had a smile.