#4--Andres Rodriguez

In this episode, we discuss the following topics. *Andres’ operational experiences before joining 2/1 *The organization and strength of Weapons Company, 2/1, at the beginning of its deployment with the SP-MAGTF-CR *The company’s deployment prior to heading to HKIA *When the Afghanistan mission first appeared on the company’s radar *Managing Marines’ expectations in the run-up to deploying to HKIA *Preparing to leave for HKIA *Weapons Company’s first day at HKIA *The company’s initial taskings *Andres’ reaction to the news that Coalition forces would work with the Taliban *The challenges of commanding a dispersed company *Andres’ experiences at Abbey Gate before 26 August *Interacting with the many Coalition forces at Abbey Gate *How often Andres used the tools and concepts in MCDP-1 and MCDP 1-3 *Receiving messages from individuals and interest groups in the US asking for help evacuating people, and how these affected operations *Some of the challenges Andres and his Marines experienced at Abbey Gate *Two specific instances where Andres and his Marines helped evacuate Afghan children *What Weapons Company and Andres were doing on 26 August *Weapons Company’s role in the demil process at Kabul *What Andres observed in his Marines and himself after returning to Kuwait *His advice on how to talk to leaders about harrowing experiences *The use of cell phones at HKIA *Andres’ interactions with US State Department officials at HKIA *The logistics challenges of HKIA *The discipline of Andres’ Marines at HKIA *The most frustrating and rewarding aspects of the HKIA experience *Shifting between a combat mindset and a humanitarian mindset *The most challenging decision Andres made at HKIA *Where Andres performed well as a decision-maker and leader HKIA and where he could have performed better *What lessons he took away from HKIA and how those might apply in the context of FD 2030 *Tactical decision game as tools to prepare Marines for operations like HKIA Link "Witnesses to the End" by Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 7 Nov 2021