students after they have been in
the field.
“We’re really looking forward
to getting some feedback from
these initial sets of courses,” he
said. “We know we’re going to
make some mistakes. We know
there will be some things that
we are going to want to change.
We’re going to get some awesome
feedback and the stories will really
help our motivation – ‘This saved a
life’ or ‘This helped us accomplish
our mission’ sort of stories.”
spoke with the
contractor via a
translator.
The locals
were absolutely
shocked to see
an American
officer speaking
Dari, and the
conversation went
on as more people
joined out of
curiosity. I tried
to move about
and look closely
Published by Association of the United States
at the work
Army News, Aug. 2010
going on there,
but everywhere
I went I was
met by curious workers and locals
who wanted to see if I could really
speak Dari.
After some time, the group
grew larger and locals began to
By Lt. Col. Timothy Kirk,
invite me to their homes for dinner
201st ANA Corps, Afghanistan
and to meet their neighbors.
Phone numbers and e-mails
“I have always been very
exchanged, our conversation
enthusiastic about the potential
continued until an older gentleman
of the Hands program, but I
asked my name.
was totally unprepared for the
‘Timur,’ I said, and he seemed
magnitude of the emotional
very pleased by my Dari (as limited
connection that would mark
as it was), as well as my adopted
my very first day. Even as I type
Afghan name.
this a few hours later, I still feel
Later, he approached the group
chills from the events of today,”
along with a few more men. I
recounted Lt. Col. Timothy Kirk.
learned that he was the lead
On the first day of deployment,
Kirk and his teammate, Lt. Col. Max teacher at the school, and that the
Moore, were introduced to the Afghan other men were on the staff.
The engineer and I were invited
Corps Commander, his sergeant
to follow them, and the engineer
major and a Corps engineer to begin
told me this was a very good thing
their first mission on the ground,
to do, so we accepted. One man
and take the opportunity to use the
took me by the hand and led me
Dari phrases they had learned in the
through a grove of trees (I mean
Af-Pak Hands 16-week language
“by the hand” as in the sort of way
program taken back in Washington,
that we American males find quite
D.C. Their first stop was a new
uncomfortable, but my cultural
construction site.
training kicked in, and I survived
“(When) we arrived at the
the experience).
building site I learned that the
The gentleman led us into
project was a new school for
the principal’s office where we
the local neighborhood. I began
had introductions and chai (tea)
to speak with the construction
together. After a half an hour
crew as the other military guys
of discussion, the gentleman
Af-Pak Hands –
a personal account
from the field
directed my attention to a photo
on the wall.
“Do you know who this is?” he
asked. I replied, “Yes I do. That is
my hero Ahmad Shah Massoud.” *
You could hear a pin drop. A
man stood up and left the room
abruptly, and the rest of them
listened intently as I told them
how I knew about Massoud.
Later, the man returned to the
room and presented me with a
large poster of Massoud. I accepted
their gift and thanked them
graciously, and expected it to be
our parting moment.
However, the gentleman then
led the engineer and me out into
the hallway and into a classroom
of about 25 young girls who
seemed to be in or around the 5th
grade. The students stood up as
we entered, and the man told them
to sit and said in Dari, “This is
our friend, Timur, from America.
He is here to help the people of
Afghanistan and wants to meet
you all.”
He then indicated that I had
the floor. My heart suddenly raced
to a million beats per second as I
struggled to remember ever scrap
of FORTE I could recall. Once
more, training kicked in and I gave
my little speech.
...continue page 12
11