Memorial Day in Afghanistan

Here's a message from someone in Afghanistan who works for USAID.

25 May, Memorial Day

Afghanistan

I work alongside the military near the Pakistan border while we attempt to establish a self-sustaining Afghanistan in between improvised explosive devices (IEDs), rockets and suicide bombers. Just the other day, a suicide bomber shoved a 12 year old boy in front of an Afghan National Army vehicle to force it to stop so he could detonate, murdering soldiers and civilians. A few months ago, a little boy of about 6 years was told to put on a suicide vest and walk up to the gate of a US base. They told the boy that if he pulled the cord, flowers would fall from the sky.

I attend memorials for fallen comrades and weep at the unspeakable loss. It’s not just about the risk they take and the sacrifice they make. It’s not just about the tremendous job they are doing, working with Afghans, building schools and clinics, building stability and trust. It’s about the words that exist in their lexicon that I don’t hear when I’m back in the United States. Words like HONOR, DUTY, and INTEGRITY.

It’s time for the United States to live up to its own commitments, its own traditions and regain our HONOR.

While military and civilians work together to develop a health care system to deliver basic heath services for all Afghans – Americans die because insurance companies deny services.

While we weed out corruption and remove corrupt Afghan officials from office, payoffs in the form of campaign contributions determine what laws are made in the United States, what subsidies are paid and where your tax dollars go.

While we build an education system that unites Afghans with a common body of knowledge and prepares them for a better future, the US education system is allowed to fracture and fall apart due to lack of investment.

While we build Afghanistan’s public infrastructure to enable private sector growth and development, the US infrastructure of road systems, education systems, policy and regulation are allowed to crumble due to lack of investment and greed.

While we install solar lights and other energy saving improvements to Afghan marketplaces, the US spends human lives and trillions of dollars chasing oil instead of investing in research for alternative energy sources.

While we build community transparency into all our projects to prevent corruption, the US is increasingly ruled by decisions made behind locked doors.

While we create an independent media system to facilitate the free exchange of ideas and promote democracy, media monopolies in the US determine what Americans are allowed to see and hear.

While we struggle to establish due process and rule of law, US government officials meet to discuss acceptable forms of torture and prisoners are held without trial.

While civics programs instill concepts of civil responsibility and participation in a national governing process, decisions that affect millions of lives in the US are made by the dollar.

Nation building begins at home.