I have been watching your Rangel and Kerry columns go by, and finally have a few moments to add my two cents. It is 2130 in Kabul. I have worked only 15 hours today, and I am tired. I may be the village idiot for choosing to be here, but I am having the time of my life.
A bit of background: I have a bachelor’s degree, a doctor of medicine, a master’s of public health and tropical medicine, and a master’s degree from seminary. I have an academic appointment at a medical school. I raised my hand a year ago when told of the opportunity to contribute to the reconstruction of the health sector in Afghanistan.
Here’s how my day went today: This morning I spent about an hour with about 30 generals and colonels, the senior leadership of the Afghan National Army medical services, many of whom spent the past 20 years fighting the Soviets, the mujahedeen and the Taliban. I am continually honored by their respect for me, an outsider, as I give advice on rebuilding their combat casualty care system while fighting insurgents. Afghans are a rugged, determined people, and I learn from them daily. They are focused on efficient, effective management of their system, and they will succeed.
Next, my staff and I celebrated and mourned the departure of one of our officemates, who is returning to the States this weekend after her deployment. She had a great deployment, contributed much to moving the country forward, and will be missed both by the Afghans with whom she worked every day and by us. She will look back on this time with great fondness, and with no small degree of patriotic pride for her contribution to the war effort.
I then donned my body armor and Kevlar helmet, chambered a round in my Beretta, and put it under my thigh as I led our convoy back to the base. As I drove down the road, I carefully looked at each child and adult who ran out into the street. Is that man wearing a suicide vest under his cloak? Is that car sagging because its springs are worn out, or because it is carrying an IED?
I am working with some of the best American, French, British, German, Dutch, Croatian, Albanian, Turkish, Romanian, Italian, Jordanian, Egyptian, Korean, Polish, Spanish and Australian men and women in the world. I serve alongside brave, determined Afghans, many of whom have come back to their native country from the West by choice. Afghanistan is better off today than it was several years ago. There is much to do, and I am honored to be a part of it. I will remember this assignment as the high point of my career in the Air Force.
I take great comfort in realizing that the vast majority of our elected representatives are not fools, but I will continue to defend the rights of those who are. Yep, I may be the village idiot, but not for choosing to be here.
なぜか国際部隊に参加している国の中に日本がいない。
それ以上にアフガニスタンの人達が助けてくれている人達に感謝を示していることが朗報だ。テレビや新聞では読めないニュース。これも”なぜだろう”。
ＭｉｋｅＲｏｓｓＴｋｙ
保守思想 Conservatism 