Continuing to Help Afghanistan

I know many of you who occasionally stop by here to read have also been sending care packages to the guys of 1/9 or school supplies out for the Afghan children. And the response has been nothing short of amazing. As we approach our mail cutoff date on Tuesday (01 November), I ask that you consider continuing to send out school supplies. Just to a different address.

Out here in Afghanistan, the Marines have sent out small teams of females to base out of selected positions and go on patrols with the infantry Marines. These groups of women are called Female Engagement Teams or FET for short. We have two of these teams in our expansive area and there are many more throughout the larger area in which we work. These women have a natural ability for women and children to come up and talk with them. Women won't talk with the male Marines and the kids just naturally gravitate to the female Marines. One thing that allows is for them to carry school supplies and small stuffed animals with them on patrol and pass them out. We have given some supplies to the FET when we travel to help them in their mission.

The platoon commander for all of the larger area in which we work, contacted me the other day and asked if I could arrange for some school supplies, stuffed animals, etc to be sent to her as we are heading out soon. This is a great way to continue to help the Afghans as 1/9 begins to head back to the States and it will help the Marines that come after us and those with whom we have worked beside the last few months.

If you have any desire to continue to help the FET do their work, please send out some school supplies to the address below. I would ask that you only send pencils, colored pencils, crayons, erasers, rulers, notebooks, notebook paper, flash cards, coloring books, small stuffed animals, toys, etc. Please DO NOT send things such as markers, mechanical pencils, pens, glue sticks or bottles of glue. Those things have a chance of being turned into something harmful to the Marines out here. If you send something to Lt Hammond, include an email address or some way for her to contact you and she should be able to let you know what she is in more need of after sending a first package.

1st Lt Hammond
RCT-5 HQ Co, S-3 FET
Unit 40305
FPO AP 96427-0305

These women do great work out here and really help out the infantry Marines and it would be wonderful for all of you who have sent these supplies to 1/9 to continue to support another worthy group of Marines in the work they do.

Notes From Afghanistan Part 5

I know it has been a while since describing what is going on out here, but we have been busy and the powers that be blocked all the blogger sites on government computers so I had to find time to get to the MWR tent to post. I don't know what made them change their minds, but such is life out here.

Since the last update, RP and I have traveled extensively to the companies to see the guys. We have also hosted a few different chaplains in the area showing them around to show off the Marines and sailors and all the good work they are doing out here. One of the visitors was a Navy chaplain who happens to be Muslim. He was out here for Ramadan. While he was here we got to attend an Iftar meal where they break the fast in the evening. It was great watching a friend live out his faith in a country predominately of his faith. He led the Iftar meal and the prayers that evening. He also was provided the opportunity to talk with the local mullahs and elders about Islam and how he lives out his faith in a pluralistic environment. The local leaders were rapt with attention at what he said and seemed to appreciate him making the visit to Nawa. It was also great for me to catch up with an old friend and see Ramadan from his perspective. It should end in the next few days so I am excited about seeing the national party that will go for about a week out here.

With school coming up, we have been busy getting school supplies ready. RP and I just had a truckload of supplies picked up by the Afghan Army to give out during Eid. They were overwhelmed and surprised with the support from people back in the States to give so generously to the children out here. And, after we gave them all those supplies we got about 15 more boxes worth yesterday. I spent this morning getting those ready for distribution. We'll pass those out next month as we get out in the villages. We also received some soccer balls and stuffed animals for the kids as well.

Well, that is it for now. I have only a few minutes left here at the computer so I am looking forward to another busy month out here with more traveling and being out there with my guys. I can't believe it has already been 3 1/2 months since we left which means we are approaching our half way point. It seems like only yesterday that we got out here. I guess time really does fly when you are having fun. I am actually starting to realize how much I will miss being out here as well as my time deployed with an infantry battalion. I need to figure out how to swing another deployment before they transfer me in 2013.

Notes From Afghanistan Part 4

I don't realize just how busy my life is out here until I see how infrequently I am posting and updating people back home. I rarely get a block of time to sit at the computer and compose some thoughts and when I do get a good chunk of time I am usually on Facebook for the sole purpose of posting photos for the families of my Marines and sailors. And on the slow connections we have out here it takes about an hour for every 10-15 photos.

So, it seems I haven't posted in over a month about what is going on out here and the last time I posted while I was at Camp Dwyer for a conference. And as it would happen I am posting again not from Camp Dwyer, but back at Geronimo after the most recent conference I attended. It has been quite a busy month, especially seeing how we have had two other chaplains come out for a visit, one to check in on me and see how I am doing and the other was the Catholic priest to come out and provide mass for the Catholics in the battalion. He did a great job and I received nothing but positive feedback from the guys that attended his services. The priest held 5 services in one day amidst traveling all around the area to visit every company position so all would have a chance to take in a service if possible. It was during that trip, because I was focused on making sure a fellow chaplain could visit all my guys, that I realized just how much chaplains accomplish each day. Plus, I am looking at my calendar for this month and am amazed at the lack of white space due to the travel schedule for myself and the RP.

We finally got out to Alpha Company, who are working for another battalion, and spent a few days there to visit and check in on the guys. Hopefully the schedule allows for that to become a routine monthly occurrence. They, like all the other guys, are doing well and are doing good things in their area though they may not fully appreciate the good they accomplish each day. The companies around here also continue to impress and the other chaplains who visit remark on their spirits and their professionalism.

Part of my job lately has been to provide Ramadan awareness training for all the Marines and sailors, especially as I travel anyways it made sense for me to give that training. I am looking forward to seeing how the Afghans observe the upcoming holy month and am confident that I will learn a great deal about their culture from watching them observe Ramadan. I have already learned a great deal through providing the training and talking with Muslims about the holiday and what all that entails and how it affects them each year. It has been eye opening living so immersed in another culture, it makes me think that I am on less of a deployment and more of a long-term full immersion mission trip. Especially as my eyes have become wide open to the humanitarian need out here.

One thought before I go: I am amazed and humbled by the generosity of the American public. We are constantly receiving care packages in the mail. The last two mail drops have included about 45 packages each time for the general use of the battalion. I am doing all I can to get them out to the companies as soon as we can find space on the convoys because I will run out of room if we don't. For those who have sent stuff, thank you so much as what you send gets to us right as we need those items and it keeps the supply fresh and flowing out to the men.

Worth a Thousand Words

Official Navy Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew Dunlap

This picture conveys much more than I could ever describe to my fellow classmates over the last three years of seminary.  I went to a school with a strong current of pacifism running through a large majority of the student body.  That's fine and it really broadened my theological perspective and had made me a better thinker on many lines.  But for the life of me, I could never really get my point across that a nation as prosperous as ours and with the immense resources that we possess in material and drive needs a strong military.  It was difficult to demonstrate how the military does a great deal more than just send people into harms way.  The US Military is also one of if not the largest humanitarian aid organization on this planet.  Many pacifists I encounter fail to acknowledge that simple fact and don't even want to discuss the non-military benefits of a strong military. 

As a submarine officer, I never had the opportunity to participate in a humanitarian relief mission, but I know of several that occurred during my initial time of service Indonesia after the tsunami and Katrina to name a few.  But even in bringing those up it was hard to establish with certain classmates the amazing ability of the military to turn on a dime and switch from military missions to humanitarian ones.  I am keeping this photo on my computer to help illustrate the point in as clear a vision as I can.  This official Navy photo was taken onboard USS Peleliu as two of 19 helos lifted off for Pakistan to help with the relief efforts following the destruction of catastrophic flooding in that country (reports are saying 15+% of the country is under significant levels of water.) 

When you think about what this photo is saying, it is truly amazing.  We are diverting valuable resources from a military asset in an area in which the US Military is engaged in two separate countries simultaneously to help another nation.  A nation with which we are effectively fighting against as they are offering aid to our enemies in Afghanistan.  Pakistan is doing a good job playing both sides of the issue and yet we still send our resources to help the citizens of that nation.  Resources that could possibly save American lives in theater are being sent to help civilians of a nation that we don't really know is friend or foe.  Only a nation with a strong military can accomplish that type of operation.  What is truly amazing is that some in this country have derided us for taking too long to divert these resources. 

A strong military is the only way we can rapidly get humanitarian aid where it needs to go, regardless of our other commitments, in a rapid manner.  This is especially true in remote areas as seen in the Pakistan floods.  The military presence across the globe allows us to do just this.  And our servicemen and women gladly do this mission in addition to the other requirements they must still meet as this is additional mission requirements.  A peacekeeping force can't react this quick (I haven't heard much about a UN response to the catastrophe.)  The US military is the only agency that has been able to respond in a fast manner to help those in need.  I just hope that in the future I remember this photo and bring it out to tell the story of why we need a strong military in order to help those in need in every part of the world, even the most remote and desperate areas.

This photo is one of the many reasons I am proud to serve and am looking forward to getting back out there soon.