In Afghanistan, leaders have many hard decisions to make, and there are many gray areas. I don’t envy them as they plan the best route for their Soldiers. There is one area, for me at least, that isn't gray - Afghanistan’s women, and in particular, its girls and their education. These young ladies are vital to our success here. By educating and supporting them in their independence, we're giving Afghanistan the future it deserves.
Raishea was talking to female Soldiers and interpreters when I walked up to their group. She seemed very interested in the little parts of the Soldiers’ lives, like what they did, how old they were, and whether or not they were married. Raishea also gave an impromptu concert. Her voice was lovely, and though I couldn’t understand the meaning of her words sung in her native Pashto, the beauty of them was undeniable. Through an interpreter, Raishea and I talked about her life. She said one day she wanted to be a good journalist."That's how I will improve my life, and be a witness to peacefulness in Afghanistan," she said. Wow! Not something that I thought about at 14. For girls like Raishea though, the future of their country is a very real issue. Knowing she cared so much about it was inspiring. As a U.S. Army broadcast journalist, deployed in support of OEF, I have a great job. I travel around the country and tell the story of our Soldiers here. On March 8, the story I was telling was less of our Soldiers and more of the women of Afghanistan. Women all over the world were celebrating the 100-year anniversary of Int'l Women’s Day. They discussed their rights, and tried to shed light on the areas that needed work. In eastern Afghanistan, they gathered at the governor’s compound to give speeches, read poetry and sing. For a country that only a decade ago faced the harsh hand of the Taliban, these women seemed remarkably like the women I knew from home. There was another little girl acting older than her frail body showed. She was very young, 6 or 7, about the same age as my niece. She spoke no English, and didn’t bother to keep close track of her parents, but was armed with a well-worn camera. As the local media and I moved to video or photograph an interesting speech or group of children, this little girl was right next to us. She would run to the front of the group to ensure she had the best angle for her pictures. Dressed in a bright yellow ensemble, her dark curls secured closely to her small head with a barrette, she was not afraid of anything. When others hung back from the gov., as to not intrude on the important man, she marched right up and snapped a few pictures. Then she proceeded to hop on the man’s lap, as she passed her camera off to a willing man, so that she could have her picture snapped. To me, she was so much like my own nieces, so much like the little girl that I once was. She seemed to have no idea that what she was doing seemed odd to many of the more traditional Afghans there. In her mind, she was every bit as deserving as the men who were running the cameras. She is right. She is, to me at least, the future of Afghanistan. I met her father later that afternoon. He was one of the photographers at the event, which explained why his little girl was so interested in taking pictures. One day, years from now when I think of Afghanistan, I hope the painful parts will fade, and the memory of the beacons of hope I saw that day in early March, will be what I remember. They're the future here. They embody everything I think is right with this world, whether it's here in Afghanistan or at my own home in the U.S..
An outdoor classroom set up next to the Egyptian hospital hosts the literacy program, which began as an offshoot, when Bagram villagers brought their children with them to the clinic. When Neff enters through the gates next to the facility, she’s greeted by a group of young Afghan children.
“Hello! How are you?” they asked in English while thrusting out small hands for a handshake. Young girls, wearing brightly colored scarves around their heads, toting smaller siblings, and encouraging them in Dari to give the English greeting. Little boys crowd around to ask Neff, “do you have pens?”
It doesn’t take long to notice most of the children speak English fairly well. Not only do most run right through the alphabet, they also count to 10, recite the days of the week, and ask a lot of questions. “Are you married? How many kids do you have? Boys or girls? Old or young?” the kids quiz Neff.
“They’re a lot of fun,” Neff said, “The kids are really cute and they really want to learn. That’s what keeps me coming back; the kids really want to know more.” Neff isn’t the only one coming back to help. Thursdays and Sundays, a group of female TF Falcon Soldiers meet at the HQ building and go to the outdoor school together. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays are women’s days, while Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays are men’s days to visit.
Spc. Michelle Huggins volunteers with the kids as often as possible. “I wish I could go every day,” said Huggins. She said that she understands the Afghan children’s situation, from her own experience growing up in Trinidad. “I’m from a country where people are less fortunate. These kids are not as fortunate as other kids, so I understand what they’re going through,” she explained.
During her first day volunteering, a young boy approached Huggins and asked if she had a pair of socks for him. "That just got to me,” Huggins said, “In America, kids will ask you for a PS3, or a whole bunch of other things. This little boy just wanted one pair of socks to wear. We, as Americans—even me—we have so much of everything. You can see it even here at Bagram. Go to the dining facility and see how much food left on plates gets thrown in the trash.”
Huggins pointed out that it’s not the material things, or even the school the kids look forward to most. “They enjoy the time that you spend with them. The time you spend with them brings them joy, and that brings me joy,” Huggins said.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Emory Lussi, a chaplain for Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Sqdn 3, Marine Aircraft Group 14, agreed. “I’m here every day,” said Lussi, as he held 2-year-old Husnah, a little girl with large brown eyes. “The literacy program isn’t so much about having the children learn English,” Lussi explained. “They learn English, but it’s more about inspiring the desire to learn, so they can take what they discover here, and take it further.”
Yet, Lussi acknowledged, the literacy program also yields other results. “The Afghan people who come here with their children see the Americans interacting with the kids. So, they see for themselves that we can relate, and that we want to help; that we care,” said Lussi.
Standing by the dry erase board, marker in hand, a girl named Nazila carefully practices writing the alphabet in upper and lower case. But, Nazila wants to move beyond the letters to complete words. “How do you spell arm?” Nazila asked one of the volunteers, and then carefully spelled out the word. Focused on the task at hand, she drew a stick figure of a person, sketched a line from the body part and continued her line of questions, “how do you spell head?”
When asked why she comes to the literacy program, Nazila shrugged. “I like learning English,” she said. “I know many English words.” But, when asked what she’d like to do when she’s older, there’s no hesitation in her response, “I want to be a journalist.”
Nazila said she also goes to school in Bagram, and when she’s not in school, she comes to the airfield to practice her English. She stood up straight, and pretending to hold a microphone began her delivery, “I am Nazila, I am a journalist from Bagram.”
Surrounded by young Afghan girls every time she visits, Spc. Kimmy Emery chatted easily among the group, and smiled when one of the girls gave her an enthusiastic hug. “Mostly, I volunteer because I just like kids,” said Emery, a supply specialist with HSC. “But, it’s also part of my village’s belief to help when you can. Where I come from, a lot of people live in poverty.” Emery originally hails from Kenya. “But, I’m also Muslim, so I understand them.”
Although sharing this understanding helps communication, Emery said the Afghan children behave like most other children, “They’re kids. They want to have fun and talk to you, and have you spend time with them.”
Both Huggins and Emery plan to continue helping the Afghans living around Bagram, even after their return to the U.S. “These people are less fortunate, but they're still people. They need some help right now to get on track,” said Huggins.
Emery quickly added that it’s not all about what material things a volunteer can offer. “Time means something to these children,” Emery said. “They get so excited to see you show up. That’s something they’ll remember.”
Planes of all sorts, from C-130s Hercules to Cessnas, land day and night into Jalalabad Airfield. "If the cargo or troops are delayed, it could be detrimental to troops on the front lines fighting in one of the most dangerous areas," explained Reffitt.
"Now I got this and it goes forward, but who is it going to?" said Reffitt about cargo lined up in the loading yard. "It just sits there, and you have to figure it out. You just keep putting the pieces of the puzzle together, and eventually somebody gets that package." One of their main customers is the TF Bastogne’s 426th BSB, 1st BCT, 101st AD. "There're parts coming in all the time; it never stops," said Pvt. Kathryn Carell, an automated logistical supply specialist, assigned to Co A, 426th BSB. "That’s why we're open 24/7. It's always busy over there; there's always stuff to pick up and always stuff to process.""If a truck breaks down or a weapon malfunctions, we need to get repair equipment," said Carell. "Anything from uniforms they may need or vehicle parts, we have customers on and off the FOBs." As TF Bastogne is preparing to leave after a yearlong deployment, a new unit, part of the 25th ID, is starting to filter in. "With a new unit comes more planes carrying more equipment that needs to get sorted," said Carell. "Some of the 25th ID already has cargo here. We're just trying to keep things moving," said Reffitt. "This is what I chase all day - who owns what, and who does it go to." As another plane roars into the yard, workers scramble to push the equipment out of the belly of a C-130, and then load new equipment. Pilots yell out what they have, and hand over manifest sheets as hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment rolls by. "The most important part is making sure it's the right equipment," said Pfc. Ardell Harris, a transportation mgt coordinator, assigned to 339th MCT. "There're some really valuable things. We get million dollar cameras in, and robots that the EOD guys use," added Harris. "If it's not tracked right and processed right, there's a lot of trouble that can come about." Harris, an Army Reserve Soldier, is a security guard back home, and knows about keeping a vigilant eye. "I have to make sure that people aren't picking up the wrong things," explained Harris. "We haven't had any problems of people stealing, but I've had people pick up the wrong packages, and I've had to intervene." Harris observes and counts each of the pallets that are loaded and unloaded from the planes. Even though he's not in combat with the enemy, he said he understands the importance of their mission. "I feel like I'm playing a big part in the role that's going on here, because I'm getting stuff to guys that actually need it," said Harris. "Whatever comes my way, I just try to deal with it day to day. I would love to be home, but I'm serving my country, and that's one of the greatest things you can do for America.""At the end of the day you look down at your yard and say, 'I've gotten a lot of stuff cleared out,'" said Reffitt. "Then you come in the morning and it's all filled up again. It all just starts over again."Story and photos by Spc. Darriel Swatts
Soldiers and civilian contractors check into the PAX terminal at Camp Taji, after flying on a CH-47 Chinook, and the Lightning/Condor Express.
CAMP TAJI - Safe and expedient troop movement is a priority for cmdrs. on the battlefield. The 40th CAB's Lightning/Condor Express provides just that. The Lightning/Condor Express is very much like a public transportation system, but with helicopters, and in a combat zone. When Soldiers need to get from "Point A" to "Point B," they simply log onto a secure online network and "book a ticket" on helicopters that fly to posts across Iraq daily.
The Lightning/Condor Express is used by more than 2,000 troops weekly. "Our section used to receive an average of 200-plus AMRs a day," said Spc. Lindsey Dillman, AMR Processor. "But, now that number is greatly reduced, allowing us to focus on the higher profile AMRs."
What used to be up to a 2-3 day process of booking a flight through the AMR process is now reduced to just a couple of minutes. "The everyday Soldier can go online and see what flights are available," stated Spc. Jason Frost, AMR Processor. "They can also see when they're leaving, plus, they can book the flight themselves. Another advantage to the Express is that it helps get our people off the roads, making traveling within the country safer."
The same routes that are used for the troop movement also work out great for moving equipment. "The Express on a monthly basis moves approx 20,000-lbs of equipment," said Capt. Edward Bombita, AMR Asst. Officer-in-Charge. "Since arriving here a couple weeks ago, I've noticed without the Express routes, life would be chaotic."
Soldiers and civilian contractors load onto a Black Hawk helicopter.