June 05, 2008 09:31 am
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The full moon over the distant mountain range casts an eerie glow over a territory which I am not permitted to enter without armed escort. The valley below the mountain range seems quiet and abandoned. Were it not for the sparsely scattered lights one would surmise that the area was barely populated as well. I know otherwise. This is a dangerous corner of the world with hidden threats and peril at every turn. Coalition forces depend upon local nationals for language interpretation which is an absolute necessity. Without the “terps” our mission would be impossible. I recently asked one of our “terps” what would happen to me if I ventured “downtown” on any particular afternoon? He told me without hesitation that someone in the crowd who had seen me would pass word of my presence to the Taliban and before nightfall I would be killed. Here is one interpreter’s story. His name has been changed to protect his identity as he is actually more of a target than I am.
This Afghani is a young man struggling to see his country escape the confines of the barbaric Taliban regime. Freedom to move around his native country is a thing of the past. He for all intents and purposes is a “marked-man.” His first experience with Taliban oppression began at the early age of 17 when members of the Taliban arrived at his school ordering him to attend their religious school. He is a member of the Shia Islamic sect and they were ordering him to attend a Sunni Islamic sect school. Fortunately, for him, he was able to convince the Taliban that he was Pakistani by speaking a different language thereby temporarily holding the armed thugs at bay. Aware of the dangers facing his current situation, he decided it was time to make a serious change. “Sydney” became an interpreter for a coalition military force and served in combat for a year. He was still only 17 years of age when he first started getting shot at. Not long after this “career change,” his father received a printed death threat nailed to the front door of their family home.
“Sydney” describes his life as restricted and yearns for freedom. The last teacher he had was also working for the coalition and was executed by the Taliban. When asked about his combat experience I was told of the hardships imposed when one loses friends at such an early age. Simply staying alive is the focus. There are no fun moments. No high school football games, no prom and no Friday nights at the mall. Only the stress caused by the constant need to be aware of one’s surroundings and the incessant knowledge that your activities may get you and even your family executed.
He comes from a large family but rarely gets to visit with them. The family has numerous brothers and sisters in a home where his father now works as a shopkeeper. His mother stays at home and cares for the family. He has virtually no contact with them due to the hazards associated with his current occupation. I am told that the Taliban have a habit of capturing a man then torturing members of his family before his very eyes before they actually execute him.
The future, though promising due to inroads made in stabilizing the country, is still a journey away from the joys that he would like to experience for himself and his family. Currently, he cannot leave the confines of our camp and is unable to get married. The restrictions imposed on a war-torn society are unimaginable particularly for the little everyday routines that we often take for granted.
During the Soviet occupation things were dramatically worse. The Soviets imposed their lifestyle and culture on the people. There has been a significant change because coalition forces go out of their way to make sure the Afghan culture is preserved and protected, actually building mosques and religious schools for the people. They also do everything in their power to avoid civilian deaths.
“Sydney” expresses the burning desire to gain American citizenship in order to enlist in the American military. He would then like to return to his country and join the fight against the enemy. Thus far his application for a Visa had been denied by the state department indefinitely preventing his dreams from becoming a reality.
My deployment to Afghanistan and my association with “Sydney” have given me incredible insight into a world dramatically different from mine as an American citizen. It has made me fundamentally more appreciative of the United States of America. The pledge of allegiance sums it up and serves as a genuine reminder of just how valuable life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness really is.
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Email me at greg.laffitte@gmail.com
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