Chosen Soldier - Dick Couch [156]
“You’re always going to have needs, and you’ll always be buying and contracting with the locals for those needs. In Special Forces, you just can’t run down to the battalion supply sergeant. You’ll try not to deal with the black market, but you may have to. In some countries, and in regions of just about every country, you’ll find the black market. A black marketeer knows you can probably put him out of business. You may use this leverage to get some useful intelligence. Regarding dealing with the locals in general, expect to pay a fair price and perhaps a premium, but no more. Be gracious, and even tip them. Local knowledge and setting limits can keep you in the best place to negotiate. Every team has a guy who’s good at this—loves buying used cars, making deals, likes haggling. Let him deal with the locals when you need something.”
The next venue or dilemma is a rogue U.S. contractor in Afghanistan. This is a fellow American who’s in Afghanistan for the money, and Sergeant Brian Short and Specialist Justin Keller have to engage him. In the scenario, they need intelligence that the rogue contractor may have, but the contractor’s clearly in Afghanistan for different reasons than the Special Forces team. “There are many legitimate contractors who’ll be able to help you with your mission,” the role players tell them during the critique, “and some will try to screw you. You have to look carefully at their motives and establish the basis for your relationship. If they’re in it for themselves, to the detriment of you, your mission, and your nation, let them know that you and your posse may just come back and put them out of business. And immediately report this up the chain of command.”
At the fifth encounter, Sergeant Andrew Kohl and Specialist David Altman link up with a Pinelander who is part of the auxiliary that is to transport the team through a dangerous area. Kohl, the team leader, has 1,000 don (the currency of Pineland is the don) for making arrangements. This member of the auxiliary’s a good old boy and friendly, and asks them for money for a local orphanage he says he is running. The student Green Berets have to make their own assessment. They also have to refocus him on the job at hand—getting the team moved safely. They have to not only negotiate his fee, but talk about what to do if they get stopped by the Pineland security forces and what to do if there’s any shooting—how they’re going to keep him safe. They have to get a quick read on him—what are his real motivations and interests? How reliable is he?
The final three problems or dilemmas involve the whole team with each acting in their team assignment. All three relate to the Robin Sage scenario, but could be any unconventional-warfare or foreign-internal-defense assignment anywhere in the world. Captain Miguel Santos leads his team into the first of these, which is a meeting with a G chief and several of his guerrillas. The meeting runs along predictable lines as they talk about money, food, weapons, and medical needs. Then a Pinelander reporter wants to take a picture of the Americans with the guerrillas. Both Captain Santos and Sergeant Olin protest; they cannot allow this. The G chief insists, and there