Soldier from Afghanistan
Today I had coffee with one of my church members home on R&R from deployment in Afghanistan. He has been there for 8 months already, serving out of Kandahar.
I was impressed as this young officer shared his enthusiasm for what our coalition forces have accomplished and are still accomplishing in that ancient, diverse and relatively primitive corner of the world.
I was even more impressed by his throrough knowledge of the historical, cultural and political aspects of the place. He said he had begun researching this as soon as he had been told about his upcoming deployment...six months of reading and digesting everything he could find in books and on the internet.
I was even more impressed when he added that he had recommended three particularly helpful books for his enlisted troops to read before they were deployed. "Knowledge is power" and he shared numerous examples as to how this research had paid off, especially when he and his men/women interacted with the local population both in Kandahar and in isolated villages scattered in the hills, valleys and mountains along the southern Afghanistan/Pakistan border.
"The people are tired of war and conflict," he said. "They are ready for peace and quiet." So they supported the elections and participated in them with enthusiasm. For a country so recently oppressed by the Taliban he was happy to report that the Presidential candidate receiving the fourth highest number of votes was a woman! My comment was, "I can guess who voted for her!"
Although he had not yet been caught in a firefight he had several friends in other companies who had been killed. Two of these had been men of strong Christian faith. One, a sergeant, had brought the other, a corporal, to faith. The corporal, in turn, had brought several others in their company to faith. The fact that these two particular men were the ones killed in a vicious IED explosion raised many questions about God, life, death, faith and salvation among the members of this group. The conclusion was that there was a great purpose not only in the lives of these two men but in their deaths, as well. Because of them God was glorified and lives were changed for the better.
When the time comes when he will leave the military, this young officer wants very much to work in some government position where he can continue to support the fight against international terrorism. As is true for most military personnel I have known, he had developed a sincere respect and appreciation for the country in which he has served and sacrificed; in his case the nation and people of Afghanistan.
I must say that I enjoyed one of the most insightful, informed, interesting and intelligent conversations I have had in a long time. If he is in any way representative of the rest of the American officers and soldiers serving in Afghanistan then I would have to conclude that Dr. Karzai, his two vice-presidents, his evolving (and revolving) cabinet members and most everyone else in that country have every reason to be optimistic about their future. From what I heard this morning I might dare to guess that they are also grateful for those who have placed that future back into their hands as a gift.
After a short prayer we said our good-byes, knowing that, by God's grace, the next time we would see each other would be in April.
Once again I come away feeling good about being an American....and glad that there are men like this serving in our armed forces.
I was impressed as this young officer shared his enthusiasm for what our coalition forces have accomplished and are still accomplishing in that ancient, diverse and relatively primitive corner of the world.
I was even more impressed by his throrough knowledge of the historical, cultural and political aspects of the place. He said he had begun researching this as soon as he had been told about his upcoming deployment...six months of reading and digesting everything he could find in books and on the internet.
I was even more impressed when he added that he had recommended three particularly helpful books for his enlisted troops to read before they were deployed. "Knowledge is power" and he shared numerous examples as to how this research had paid off, especially when he and his men/women interacted with the local population both in Kandahar and in isolated villages scattered in the hills, valleys and mountains along the southern Afghanistan/Pakistan border.
"The people are tired of war and conflict," he said. "They are ready for peace and quiet." So they supported the elections and participated in them with enthusiasm. For a country so recently oppressed by the Taliban he was happy to report that the Presidential candidate receiving the fourth highest number of votes was a woman! My comment was, "I can guess who voted for her!"
Although he had not yet been caught in a firefight he had several friends in other companies who had been killed. Two of these had been men of strong Christian faith. One, a sergeant, had brought the other, a corporal, to faith. The corporal, in turn, had brought several others in their company to faith. The fact that these two particular men were the ones killed in a vicious IED explosion raised many questions about God, life, death, faith and salvation among the members of this group. The conclusion was that there was a great purpose not only in the lives of these two men but in their deaths, as well. Because of them God was glorified and lives were changed for the better.
When the time comes when he will leave the military, this young officer wants very much to work in some government position where he can continue to support the fight against international terrorism. As is true for most military personnel I have known, he had developed a sincere respect and appreciation for the country in which he has served and sacrificed; in his case the nation and people of Afghanistan.
I must say that I enjoyed one of the most insightful, informed, interesting and intelligent conversations I have had in a long time. If he is in any way representative of the rest of the American officers and soldiers serving in Afghanistan then I would have to conclude that Dr. Karzai, his two vice-presidents, his evolving (and revolving) cabinet members and most everyone else in that country have every reason to be optimistic about their future. From what I heard this morning I might dare to guess that they are also grateful for those who have placed that future back into their hands as a gift.
After a short prayer we said our good-byes, knowing that, by God's grace, the next time we would see each other would be in April.
Once again I come away feeling good about being an American....and glad that there are men like this serving in our armed forces.
posted by Bird of Paradise at 9:44 PM
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