I woke up this morning thinking I was going to be in a world of hurt due to the beating my body took yesterday. On top of that, the adrenaline rush kept me up until 2 AM when I finally forced myself to sleep. But surprise, surprise, I was feeling pretty good and I think the hard floor might have helped my back ache to disappear. I was proud of the old 50 year old body. I guess my workout routine is paying back some dividends by helping me to recover quickly.
After breakfast we had our briefing outside, in front of the lined up HUMVEES. We were given an updated assessment of threat levels, assigned our vehicles and told our route and tactics. In the midst of the briefing we were interupted as the stars and stripes was raised. Each soldier turned to the flag. "Present arms!" barked the mission commander. Everyone salutes as the flag is reverently raised to full staff. Back to the briefing...today’s mission will be like a drive in the park compared to yesterdays 11 hour trek. Even the hardened soldiers admitted that it was one of their most difficult ops since deploying. Glad I was there to share it - not! We will be visiting an Ag High School right in the heart of the town adjacent to the base. The USDA ag advisor will be teaching a class on irrigation and soil assessment and will also be distributing books that he personally researched and got donated to the school. The books are a number of different text books written in Dari and Pashtu the two languages of the region. The irony of this is that 2 months ago I was in Africa documenting the distribution of textbooks and learning materials to students in a number of countries across the continent. Thank goodness there are those who know that education is the key to eliminating so many ills due to ignorance.
Once again I stuffed myself and my armored body into the tight quarters behind the driver of vehicle 4. I must have ticked someone off because I was again in the rear vehicle which means we eat everyone else's dust. Oh well, it’s a short ride and half of it will be on a paved road. The convoy does its com checks and last minute safety checks and we roll out of the compound at 8:40 AM. It's a slow and steady ride through the middle of the bustling town. Everyone is up and engaged in the commerce of this town. Its population is somewhere between 20 and 40 thousand. There isn't anything like a census here so numbers vary greatly. We pass by the market stalls that have fresh fruits and vegetables of all color. There are also stalls selling house wares, pots and pans, shoes, dresses and burkas. Bicycles and motor cycles bob and weave through the streets and the children start to wave, as usual, since we are the main attraction of the daily parade. With all the chaos around us I feel the tension in the vehicle as there is no idle chatter, just eyes darting back and forth keeping a close eye on all the activity around. The gunner is in constant motion swiveling the turret back and forth. In less than 10 minutes we are at our destination. My body wants to scream out a big thank you for the short journey. Once we get the all clear we dismount and get another great surprise. Because we are in a walled compound that is considered very safe we are allowed to remove the body armor for the duration of our visit. Hallelujah!! The simple pleasures here in a war zone!
DR, our ag advisor goes through the usual protocol activities while my cameraman records all the greetings and salutations. DR quickly sets up his easel, introduces himself to the pupils and goes right into his lesson with his interpreter. The young men (of course no women are present) are very attentive and seem eager to gain some understanding of DR's lecture. He is explaining concepts of proper irrigation and soil analysis. Once Dave K is finished getting all the footage he can, we start to look around for other interesting visuals to film. My eye catches a very large and unique structure beyond the high walls surrounding the school and I ask our assigned soldier (we are closely guarded at all times) what it was. He tells us that it is a famous landmark in this province in western Afghanistan. It is a citadel (fort) that was built by Alexander the Great when he invaded this country in 330 BC. Yes, the invasions have been a constant over the centuries. Unfortunately we can't get close to the structure itself so we get a ladder (made of bamboo and not too sturdy) to climb on the roof of the school to get a better view. Once we are given the all clear and our security detail does a sweep of the rooftop and the vicinity through his rifle scope, we all make our way to the roof top. We are mesmerized at the size of the structure and how amazing it is that through all the conflicts, invasions, bombings and destruction in this place, this monument still stands today.
Once we get all the footage we need from this scenic vantage point we continue with our task at hand and follow DR to a small experimental farm on the compound where he teaches the students how to take soil samples. I conduct an interview with the Administrator of the school and then finish up by interviewing DR. Finally DR gets a large sack out of one of the vehicles and there is a small handing over ceremony in a classroom. The administrator and teachers are very grateful for the donation of textbooks and the students are excited to get to read them. Another successful mission, and one that will definitely be a highlight of the documentary.
All morning as I have moved through the campus I’ve noticed a little girl following me at a discreet distance the entire time. She must be a child of a teacher or caretaker - more likely a caretaker. No matter where I went and what I did she would follow, hide behind a tree or peak to see if I noticed her. She and her little brother were in awe of the soldiers and would just sit and stare at them when not following behind me. Finally, I began to take her picture and unlike what I experienced everywhere else, she posed and smiled instead of running away. She would smile, look directly at the camera, then she would pretend I wasn’t there. She was shy one moment and a young model the next. She directed her girlfriend and her brother on how to pose or smile. My heart suddenly ached when I saw such incredible innocence in her smile. What would become of that smile in a few years? Would it be hidden behind the cover of a burka or would it be as brilliant as it is today as she graduated from this very ag high school or a university in Kabul. Every where I go, every place I visit, the innocence of the children amaze me – how much do they know about their country being at war. Here, where women are second class citizens or worse, what will become of these little girls who have just as much potential to be whatever they dream to be as their male siblings? Here, where corruption is the norm and it is just the degrees of bad that matters since everyone is viewed with mistrust.
After breakfast we had our briefing outside, in front of the lined up HUMVEES. We were given an updated assessment of threat levels, assigned our vehicles and told our route and tactics. In the midst of the briefing we were interupted as the stars and stripes was raised. Each soldier turned to the flag. "Present arms!" barked the mission commander. Everyone salutes as the flag is reverently raised to full staff. Back to the briefing...today’s mission will be like a drive in the park compared to yesterdays 11 hour trek. Even the hardened soldiers admitted that it was one of their most difficult ops since deploying. Glad I was there to share it - not! We will be visiting an Ag High School right in the heart of the town adjacent to the base. The USDA ag advisor will be teaching a class on irrigation and soil assessment and will also be distributing books that he personally researched and got donated to the school. The books are a number of different text books written in Dari and Pashtu the two languages of the region. The irony of this is that 2 months ago I was in Africa documenting the distribution of textbooks and learning materials to students in a number of countries across the continent. Thank goodness there are those who know that education is the key to eliminating so many ills due to ignorance.
Once again I stuffed myself and my armored body into the tight quarters behind the driver of vehicle 4. I must have ticked someone off because I was again in the rear vehicle which means we eat everyone else's dust. Oh well, it’s a short ride and half of it will be on a paved road. The convoy does its com checks and last minute safety checks and we roll out of the compound at 8:40 AM. It's a slow and steady ride through the middle of the bustling town. Everyone is up and engaged in the commerce of this town. Its population is somewhere between 20 and 40 thousand. There isn't anything like a census here so numbers vary greatly. We pass by the market stalls that have fresh fruits and vegetables of all color. There are also stalls selling house wares, pots and pans, shoes, dresses and burkas. Bicycles and motor cycles bob and weave through the streets and the children start to wave, as usual, since we are the main attraction of the daily parade. With all the chaos around us I feel the tension in the vehicle as there is no idle chatter, just eyes darting back and forth keeping a close eye on all the activity around. The gunner is in constant motion swiveling the turret back and forth. In less than 10 minutes we are at our destination. My body wants to scream out a big thank you for the short journey. Once we get the all clear we dismount and get another great surprise. Because we are in a walled compound that is considered very safe we are allowed to remove the body armor for the duration of our visit. Hallelujah!! The simple pleasures here in a war zone!
DR, our ag advisor goes through the usual protocol activities while my cameraman records all the greetings and salutations. DR quickly sets up his easel, introduces himself to the pupils and goes right into his lesson with his interpreter. The young men (of course no women are present) are very attentive and seem eager to gain some understanding of DR's lecture. He is explaining concepts of proper irrigation and soil analysis. Once Dave K is finished getting all the footage he can, we start to look around for other interesting visuals to film. My eye catches a very large and unique structure beyond the high walls surrounding the school and I ask our assigned soldier (we are closely guarded at all times) what it was. He tells us that it is a famous landmark in this province in western Afghanistan. It is a citadel (fort) that was built by Alexander the Great when he invaded this country in 330 BC. Yes, the invasions have been a constant over the centuries. Unfortunately we can't get close to the structure itself so we get a ladder (made of bamboo and not too sturdy) to climb on the roof of the school to get a better view. Once we are given the all clear and our security detail does a sweep of the rooftop and the vicinity through his rifle scope, we all make our way to the roof top. We are mesmerized at the size of the structure and how amazing it is that through all the conflicts, invasions, bombings and destruction in this place, this monument still stands today.
Once we get all the footage we need from this scenic vantage point we continue with our task at hand and follow DR to a small experimental farm on the compound where he teaches the students how to take soil samples. I conduct an interview with the Administrator of the school and then finish up by interviewing DR. Finally DR gets a large sack out of one of the vehicles and there is a small handing over ceremony in a classroom. The administrator and teachers are very grateful for the donation of textbooks and the students are excited to get to read them. Another successful mission, and one that will definitely be a highlight of the documentary.
All morning as I have moved through the campus I’ve noticed a little girl following me at a discreet distance the entire time. She must be a child of a teacher or caretaker - more likely a caretaker. No matter where I went and what I did she would follow, hide behind a tree or peak to see if I noticed her. She and her little brother were in awe of the soldiers and would just sit and stare at them when not following behind me. Finally, I began to take her picture and unlike what I experienced everywhere else, she posed and smiled instead of running away. She would smile, look directly at the camera, then she would pretend I wasn’t there. She was shy one moment and a young model the next. She directed her girlfriend and her brother on how to pose or smile. My heart suddenly ached when I saw such incredible innocence in her smile. What would become of that smile in a few years? Would it be hidden behind the cover of a burka or would it be as brilliant as it is today as she graduated from this very ag high school or a university in Kabul. Every where I go, every place I visit, the innocence of the children amaze me – how much do they know about their country being at war. Here, where women are second class citizens or worse, what will become of these little girls who have just as much potential to be whatever they dream to be as their male siblings? Here, where corruption is the norm and it is just the degrees of bad that matters since everyone is viewed with mistrust.
At the same time the little girl and her companions were stalking me, some older boys were also following us (and helping with the ladder) and constantly asked again and again for my gatorade which was sticking out the side of my bag. But I tell them (through the interpreter) that I need it more than they do. They're used to the debilitating heat...I am not. As I get ready to leave I reach into my pouch and pull out the unopened gatorade. I call over my new best friend and hand her the bottle. The boys did not like it. I got into the vehicle strapped myself in and up comes my friend to the window putting her hands to her mouth and pointing to her little brother. I had no more gatorade but there is no shortage of bottled water in the HUMVEE. So I opened the bulletproof window and hand over 2 bottles of water. She was her brother's hero as they both ran away gigling and feeling like the king and queen of the world.
Ah, the smiles of innocence…
I am back safely in my space now and I will be heading off to Kabul tomorrow. We finished up early and will get out a day earlier than we expected. I am looking forward to my bed and my own space again, right next to Dave K’s space :) We will actually get two days to rest up before we head out to a very safe and autonomous part of the country. It is, we are told, the most beautiful part of Afghanistan. Maybe it’s a good thing we have a 2 day stop over in Kabul. Going directly from this hot, dry, desolate and dangerous desert district to the spring flowers on an Alpine like mountain range where body armor is optional might have been too much for my psyche.
Stay tuned…
Ah, the smiles of innocence…
I am back safely in my space now and I will be heading off to Kabul tomorrow. We finished up early and will get out a day earlier than we expected. I am looking forward to my bed and my own space again, right next to Dave K’s space :) We will actually get two days to rest up before we head out to a very safe and autonomous part of the country. It is, we are told, the most beautiful part of Afghanistan. Maybe it’s a good thing we have a 2 day stop over in Kabul. Going directly from this hot, dry, desolate and dangerous desert district to the spring flowers on an Alpine like mountain range where body armor is optional might have been too much for my psyche.
Stay tuned…
David, the photos of the girl are wonderful. Hopefully when she is older, she can fulfill her full potential. So glad to hear you will be getting an "Alpine" visit. Enjoy your 2 days in Kabul. All the best, Debra Tate
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