Meeting my goals in Afghanistan...

When I joined the Army I wanted to serve my country and do all the great things they show on the tv commcercials. Those Army Values are all too often are forgotten by my fellow soldiers. Although war is an ugly reality, it is also an opportunity for some really special moments that rarely get written about in newspapers or shown on the nightly news.

When I joined the Army I expressed two particular personal goals to my family--1. I wanted to bring smiles to children in Afghan villages and give them a feeling of security of comfort; 2. I wanted to kick a soccer ball with some children.

In the short month that I have been here I have had the fortunate opportunity to interact with some of the young people of Afghanistan. Every chance I get I pass bottled water, muffins, or candy their way. I have taken particular delight in seeing just how excited they become over little things that we in America take for granted.

I am fortunate to live in a country that has a very high standard of living, given the rough standard of the rest of the world. Even being in a war zone, I eat more in a day than some of these children eat in three or four days. I have made it a goal to help lift their spirits and feed their appetites by continuing to bring food and water along on each mission.

My second goal of playing soccer with local children was going to be a bit more difficult. However last week a shipment of random toys came into our out post. Their was a box of footballs and soccer balls to keep us entertained during our down time. Seizing the opportunity, I took one of the soccer balls and packed it away with my things.

On our next patrol we were greeted by about a dozen children outside of the town. While pulling security for them I took the opportunity to blow up the soccer ball using an air hose from our styker. Due to the language barrier I was unsure if the children knew what it was when I showed it to them. However when I dropped it from the roof of the styker they went right to work kicking it around.

It was the single most rewarding moment of my life. I dont know what it feels like to have nothing, and I hope I never have that feeling. But if just for a little while I was able to take their minds off the war zone that they live in, then I have achieved goal number two.

I still hope I have the opportunity to kick a ball around with the children at some point. That is still on my "to do" list. I have 8 months left to cross that off my list. Hopefully I can work on even bigger tasks during that time as well.

Until next time...

Chris