Impressions of Afghanistan

I would venture to guess that the first thing a typical American realizes when flying over southern Afghanistan is that he/she is a long, long way from home. There are no signs of civilization below, other than occasional mud-brick evidence of a village or a few haphazardly organized green pastures that follow rivers and streams. Gone is the geometry and concrete permanance of life as we generally know it.

So after hours of featureless landscape, imagine my surprise when all of a sudden we landed at Kandahar Airfield, a small rectangular military outpost truly in the middle of nowhere that years ago was known as the "Taliban's Last Stand." And although I did not see it firsthand, one of my hosts, USMC Colonel Michael LeSavage, told me that behind the wall holding the welcome sign (pictured here) is an enormous hole in the ground, courtesy of a United States military airstrike during Round One of the Taliban's last days.

The impression I had of Afghanistan was less about the country and its people, and more about my hosts, the United States Marine Corps. I kept hearing myself saying that popular phrase, "No better friend. No worse enemy." On the "no worse enemy" side of that equation, what I saw were a few remote FOBs consisting of maybe 1,000 Marines, all covering an area the size of Vermont. Spread this thin, the FOBs could still function because they are populated by the best fighting force on the planet. As a veteran myself I am not green to the military or the Marines for that matter, but in this surreal landscape I really got a sense of the organization and the power of our boots on the ground, and the unquestionable stupidity of anyone who would opt to mess with them. I also understand completely that the Taliban is a formidable enemy for any fighting force, but in the months to come as more and more American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines enter Afghanistan and venture into all corners of the country, one can't help but stand in awe of the comprehensive and well-deserved beating that the Taliban are about to receive.

In terms of having "no better friend," I believe that side of the equation is the primary reason that the United States military and Spirit of America remain so closely aligned. Our country trains professional soldiers; we do not strip them of their compassion. I have never witnessed so much concern for the Afghan people than what I saw firsthand in providing supplies to units like the Marines 3/8. Their commitment and dedication to relieving the suffering and injustice that has been heaped upon the Afghan people is only paralleled by their commitment and dedication to removing their threat. The American people understand the need to rebuild, resupply and reinvigorate, and through Spirit of America they consistently come to the rescue of people who have lived and died at the hands of tyranny and injustice. When the military is the vehicle through which we as Americans reach out our hands, it just works. It works better than any other method because the military sees it with their own eyes and feels it with their own hands. Who better to tell us back home what is truly needed, and what is truly at stake?

Those are my impressions of Afghanistan. I'm glad for the opportunity to have gone and I'm eternally grateful to my hosts. More importantly, this was the first of many visits and the start of many projects. We have a lot of work to do folks, so let's get busy supporting our troops and the Afghan people. They both need our support, and I for one am here to give it. Will you join me?

Dennis Norris