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BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (February 28, 2008) - Though
coalition forces provide necessary public facilities such as
schools and health clinics to develop Afghanistan, sometimes it's
simply a smile, handshake or friendly greeting that makes a
difference in people's lives.
Army Chaplain (Capt.) Joe Gotshall and several members of the
724th Military Police Battalion regularly visit the Egyptian
Hospital here to meet with Afghan patients and share a few snippets
of conversation and sometimes a stuffed animal or a coloring book
and crayons.
"We are limited in what we can communicate because of the
language difference," the chaplain said, "but smiles and handing
out items the Afghans can use are easily translated from one
language to another."
Gotshall said that when he arrived in Afghanistan in January
2007, MPs already were visiting Afghan patients every Sunday. The
Egyptian hospital treats 400 to 500 Afghans every week, some of
whom require an extended stay.
The mission is small, he explained, with five to 10 military
personnel -- including soldiers, sailors and airmen -- handing out
candy, toys, school supplies, personal hygiene items and stuffed
animals.
Troopers here have a difficult job, Army Lt. Col. Paul Noblin,
724th MP Battalion commander, said. Military police, and law
enforcement officers in general, often become cynical because they
encounter individuals under emotional duress, in stressful
situations or who have violated the law, he explained. By visiting
the hospital, Operation Care and other humanitarian assistance
activities, he said, servicemembers get a chance to interact with
the Afghan people in a positive light, provide humanitarian aid and
bring smiles to their faces.
Noblin said the visits remind him of his own young children back
home. "I take pictures of the kids here and send them to my
children back home so they can see that kids here are like them,"
he said.
Army Sgt. Heather Slater, a corrections officer deployed from
367th MP Company, in Horsham, Pa., attributes the success of the
humanitarian visits to her friends and family in the states.
"Everything we take to the hospital comes from the states, one
box at a time," said Slater, who attends Castleton State College in
Vermont. "I am a double major in social work and sociology. I have
always loved helping those who are less fortunate - which, in this
case, is an understatement for the people in this country."
The hospital cares for hundreds of Afghan children, and for many
servicemembers it's the smiles on the faces of the next generation
of Afghans that keeps bringing them back to the hospital every
week.
"It is the most gratifying feeling in the world to see the smile
on the faces of these people who have nothing, yet they are more
than satisfied with something as simple as a hand-me-down stuffed
animal or a pair of socks," said Slater, who has been in
Afghanistan for eight months. "I am a sucker for the children
especially; I wish I could take them home."
Leaving a positive and lasting impression of coalition forces on
the Afghan people is a primary goal of troops in Afghanistan.
"Thanks to our friends and families at home, we are able to make
a continuous effort to change the hearts and minds of the Afghan
people," Slater said.
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