A Letter From The Front Lines of Afghanistan

With war on the horizon in Iraq I suppose it is natural that the media is focusing its attention there nowadays, but I think we would do well to remember we still have troops in Afghanistan... troops who have just won a war with great military skill and very few casualties, but who are still there nonetheless and should not be forgotten. The reason this came to mind is that a friend of mine shared an e-mail from a Marine over there that talks about the conditions in that God-forsaken land.

This Marine had just returned to the mountains from Kabul, and let me just pick out some of his thoughts at random: "It is freezing cold. There are huge snow-topped mountains, and there are mine fields all over here so we can only go where it has been cleared and marked (then he emphasizes) BY OUR PEOPLE. Everyone is armed at all times with ammo fully loaded and full body armor. The mountains here are not like those at home; these go up to over 12,000 feet. The Special Operations guys here have no heat, just winter sleeping bags. No hot water, and just Afghan food and combat rations to eat.

"This country is like the stone age, We saw Bedouins on huge camels packed with supplies. There are some Afghans working here. They look pretty hard and primitive. All they wear are rags with running shoes. I cannot believe they are not freezing to death. They think if you do not have a beard you are a woman. The locals are accustomed to living off the land, for they have grown up in constant war while fighting the Russians and one another."

And then, almost as an afterthought, this front-line Marine said: Our guys "are living a hard life here and really deserve our respect and that of the American people."

Let me tell you: These are Americans surviving day-by-day in a tremendously hostile environment, fighting for our freedom, and also fighting for a better world. I agree with him one-thousand percent: they deserve the unreserved respect of you and me and all the American people.

This is Gordon Sawyer, and may the wind always be at your back.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2003/2/183170