From time to time he has shared his experiences as an Army lawyer and his impressions of Afghanistan, and I have passed them on to my readers. Here is part of his latest report.
“The job remains interesting and rewarding. I still get to get out and see some neat parts of the country. Since the previous dispatch, I’ve been down to Kandahar (the former seat of the Taliban), Khost (a current hotbed near the Pakistani border) and a few other interesting spots. This is a very diverse country. Bagram, where I am stationed, is almost a mile high and surrounded by mountains that looked beautiful when covered by snow in the winter. Kandahar is flatter and a bit closer to the desert many people incorrectly perceive all of Afghanistan to be. Khowst is, in parts, a bit of a garden spot. I fear I will leave without getting a chance to Bamiyan, home to the destroyed Buddhas, which is supposed to be lovely.
“Though the recent excitement in Iraq has bumped it to Page 2, the mission remains as important as it ever has been. The future of Afghanistan remains uncertain. If we left, it could easily slip back under the control of the Taliban or, just as bad, into the warlord power struggles that devastated the country after the Soviet pullout. The other, more hopeful alternative is that the central government extends its power and brings a degree of peace and prosperity to the outlying parts of the country. Right now, there is no chance of this happening without U.S. and international support.
At the same time, we can’t do it for the Afghans but must instead help them do it themselves. Doing so will require the continued expenditure of U.S. resources. Given the current situation, these resources unfortunately include American lives, as we here were reminded last week with the deaths of a young soldier and airman last week.
“Regarding Iraq, it was very interesting to watch events unfold there from here. Everyone here, of course, knew many people there, and we were anxiously looking out for any reports we could get. At the same time, we had to stay focused on what was going on here. I detected some disappointment here that some attention was shifted away from our mission, but overall, most folks seemed to be content to go about our jobs here and be happy that our counterparts in Iraq emerged successful and, for the most part, safe.
“One point I made in my previous mass e-mail was the international flavor of the effort here. In light of the international disagreements over Iraq, I think this point bears re-emphasizing. While the French and Germans deserve the derision they’ve received over their shameful and childish diplomatic activity over Iraq (sorry for the editorializing; we watch way too much Fox News here), their efforts here show them to be good world citizens. The Germans continue to play a role in the effort to destroy terrorism here, and both countries are deeply involved in the effort to build security throughout the country. Also, there are huge numbers of Italians here actively hunting terrorists. Large contingents have also been sent by South Korea, Thailand, Slovakia, Romania and Poland. If you look around, you’ll also see British, Australian, New Zealand, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish and Pakistani uniforms around. So do not think for a second that America stands alone in the world.
“I will spare you any details from me of the living conditions here. While they really are not bad, there are a more than a few discomforts. I’ve attached a hilarious list of things to do at home to empathize with the troops overseas that someone sent me. It conveys what life is like here better than anything I could come up with. I can say that I have personally experienced just about everything on the list.”
“I’d also like to thank everyone who’s sent me cards, food, e-mails, pictures, etc. I’m sorry if I haven’t personally thanked you, but you should know that your efforts mean so much. It has made the time here much more bearable and also reminds me that I have such wonderful people to return to.”
Note: There is not enough room to include the “things to do” list here, but if you would like an e-mail copy send me a note at dmartin13@nc.rr.com and I will send it to you. Also, I will be glad to send you an email copy of the earlier columns about his experience in Afghanistan.
D.G. Martin lives in Chapel Hill and hosts UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Bookwatch,” which airs Sundays at 5 p.m. This week’s guest is Doug Marlette, author of “The Bridge.” Contact Martin via e-mail at dmartin13@nc.rr.com.
