Letter Home

I wrote the following letter home about midway thru my training at Ft Riley:

Initially I was relatively upset when I was told I’d be going to Afghanistan for a year. Not so much because of the assignment or location, or with being deployed, but mostly because the duty would pull me from the aircraft for almost 16 months after all the training, travel, deployment, etc. are tallied. Now, however, I am anxious and excited about my opportunity to really make a difference in the lives of so many less fortunate.

In my training and research I have learned many things about my future role in Afghanistan. First let me explain a few things about where I’m heading… Although it already has changed, and may change again, my current position will be as the Operations Officer for a FOB (forward operating base) in Mazar-e Sharif – sometimes spelled Mazir-e Sharif or Mazari Sarif. This town is on the Northern border near Uzbekistan, is one of the largest cities in Afghanistan, and home of the “Blue Mosque” (pictured attached). Mazar-e Sharif means "Noble Shrine," a reference to the large, blue-tiled sanctuary and mosque in the center of the city that most Afghans, both Shia and Sunni, but not most non-Afghan Shia, and historians, believe is the site of the tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law and cousin who is believed to be buried in Najaf, Iraq.

Afghanistan is a war ravaged country, and has suffered greatly because of it. It is a very poor country, with the average income falling somewhere between $350 to $450 US Dollars ANNUALLY! That’s less than two dollars a day – often for an entire family. The largest export is the Poppi, which I’ve seen several estimates ranging between 1/3 to 2/3 of the entire GDP. Afghanistan provides roughly 97% of Russia and Eastern European heroin supply. Given the high levels of poverty it’s not altogether surprising that most laws against the growing, harvesting, and/or transporting go unenforced. Not to mention the high level of corruption throughout the government and police forces.

Less than 20% of the country is accessible by paved roads. Travel is often very slow, difficult and often very dangerous. One soldier that briefed us showed us some pictures and explained that although the distance (as the bird flies) between two of the cities he worked in was only about 30 miles, the drive often took anywhere from 3 to 4 hours. The roads are very narrow and wind thru some incredibly rough terrain. I will try to send as many pictures of my travels one “in-country” for you all to see.

Because of extremist Muslims, and especially under the rule of the Taliban, women were not allowed to be educated. Most rarely ever left the home, although this is beginning to change very gradually. One of our jobs in Afghanistan will be to build schools, to encourage everyone to attend, and to protect the teachers, families and students from reprisals. Currently only one third of the country is literate. I’ve seen several statistics on literacy rates, ranging from as little as 4% to roughly 36%. I suspect it’s somewhere near the lower end of this spectrum.

Very few, and mostly only those in the larger cities, have power or running water. Another of our jobs in-country will be to assist the Afghans with the construction, operation, and security for new water treatment and electrical facilities. We will be working closely with the US Army who will be responsible for training and working with the ANA and ANP (Afghan National Army/Police) to bring them to a self-sufficient status.

There are several Afghanis working on base as interpreters, language instructors, and for “role-playing” to assist with our “cultural immersion.” So far they have all been excellent at the training they provide, and have expressed much gratitude for the work we are training to do. Many have explained that most Afghans are supportive of the US troops and what we are trying to accomplish over there. They also seem to have a wonderful sense of humor and more than one has said that our counterparts will “make fun of us” at every opportunity.

I’m sure that’s more than enough for now, and I promise that I will at least attempt to make future letters/BIOs more entertaining. I will be more than happy to answer specific questions, and will continue to attach photos during both training, travels, and once I arrive at my Post in Mazar-e Sharif.