GarryB Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:19 am
Also keep in mind the Afghans are a wonderful people to have as a friend, but a terrible enemy.
You can give children chewing gum and chocolate and they will smile and laugh, but behind those smiles they might be counting how many there are of you and looking at how you are armed to pass on to the enemy.
Don't think you are buying their friendship... doing nice things for them works, but they know you are leaving eventually and they have to stay so don't judge them too harshly no matter what they do.
Try to learn their culture... if your American buddies don't know or don't care ask a few Brits about it.
My nephew was there a couple of years back but he was in the north and his role was reconstruction... when he was leaving the local Afghan elder told him that the Taleban had come to him many times to rise up against the foreigners and it was the elder that stopped them because the foreigners were building roads and schools and digging wells and helping the community and not killing anyone.
Unfortunately the US mission is to fight the Taleban and they are seen differently by the locals... as will you.
My brother always told me about military service... keep your eyes open, your mouth shut, and don't volunteer for anything.
Best of luck.