MAJ Eric Robinson served as a Quartermaster officer in the Central Command Joint Staff (CENTCOM J4) in Kabul, Afghanistan during 2007 and 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In this July 2010 interview, MAJ Robinson discusses the challenges of carrying out his responsibilities in the sometimes difficult terrain of Afghanistan, the need to consider cultural implications when working with the Afghan people, and the benefits his experience as prior enlisted provided. Over the course of the interview, MAJ Robinson makes the observation, "The only lesson learned for me in Afghanistan was patience. It has taught me that you really have be patient, patient enough to see something through. Sometimes as Americans, we want things done now. We want it the way we want it, this is the way it's written in the book so we have to do it this way. Over there I learned that you may have to go a different route. I may have to close the book for a minute. I know the regulation says this, but close the book for a minute to teach the lesson to them because they don't understand all the regulations."

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