U.S. Army Col. Michael Chesney, director of the Joint Effects Assessment Cell for Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan, hands a young Afghan boy a backpack full of school supplies during a March 27, 2005, visit to Khoshal Khan Boarding School in Kabul, Afghanistan, while the school's principal, Gul Ahmad Waziri, right, checks the boy's name off from his list. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Darren D. Heusel
Coalition Efforts Benefit Kuchi Students
After two decades of war, enrollment at the Khoshal Khan boarding school for boys fell to five students; now, however, the school boasts an enrollment of 1,030 students.
By U.S.Army Sgt. 1st Class Darren D. Heusel 105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
KABUL, Afghanistan, March 28, 2005 — Representatives of the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan Joint Effects Assessment Cell set out March 27 to effect change for some students of the Khoshal Khan Boarding School here.
And if smiles, handshakes and hugs were any indication, their mission was a tremendous success.
Nine members of the Effects Cell, which includes Information Operations, Psychological Operations and Political Military Operations, joined with representatives from the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan Operations Department and the Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan to deliver 275 backpacks filled with school supplies as a gesture of goodwill and to learn more about the Afghan culture.
“Many of us have children back home and miss our time with them,” said Capt. Chris Crosby of Castle Rock, Wash., one of the event organizers and a member of the Effects Cell.
“Opportunities to share with other children help us to suppress our feelings of being away from our families. In addition, we are only here a short while and desire to make an enduring difference in the relations between the United States and the people of Afghanistan,” Crosby added. “How else can we demonstrate our goodwill than by assisting the children and the helpless?”
Khoshal Khan is an all-boys boarding school for students in grades six through 12 on the outskirts of Kabul. It was established in 1948 for children of the Kuchi tribe, a nomadic people whose tribes are scattered throughout Afghanistan.
“I sincerely appreciate your help and your assistance with the school,” school principal Gul Ahmad Waziri
The Kuchi children attend school from March through December, while their parents travel the countryside allowing the families’ livestock to graze.
More than 5,000 students attended the school from 1948 through 2004. But more than two decades of war took their toll; toward the end of the wartorn period, the school was serving only five students.
Today, the school boasts an enrollment of 1,030 students with another 600 arriving soon, according to Gul Ahmad Waziri, the school’s principal.
“I sincerely appreciate your help and your assistance with the school,” Waziri told the U.S. servicemembers soon after their arrival. “As you are aware, the war has torn apart our country and we are trying to get through this transition period the best we can.”
Col. Michael Chesney of Carlisle Barracks, Pa., the Effects director, told the principal he looked forward to meeting some of the students and faculty because “we believe this is where the future of Afghanistan lies.”
“We’d like to see educational opportunities available to everyone eventually,” he said.
Last summer, the National Provincial Reconstruction Team, a civil affairs operation based in Kabul and belonging to Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan, conducted an assessment of the Khoshal Khan Boarding School and later donated $700,000 for improvements to the school.
Those improvements included the installation of electricity and running water, three newly remodeled dormitories with indoor bathrooms and showers, 15 classrooms that can hold up to 80 students each, a library, an administration building and a dining facility.
The efforts of the National Provincial Reconstruction Team culminated with a grand reopening of the school on Jan. 15. Since then, the school has become part of the command's community outreach program, where servicemembers volunteer their personal time to serve the community.
Crosby said he and a colleague, Maj. Rob Earl of Brandon, Fla., gained interest in the project after attending a community outreach meeting about four weeks ago.
Members of the Joint Effects Assessment Cell from Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan hand out stuffed animals to faculty members of the Khoshal Khan Boarding School to be given away to their to their students during a March 27, 2005, humanitarian assistance mission to the school in which 275 backpacks full of supplies were also given away. The stuffed animals were donated by the students of Gwin Oaks Elementary School in Lawrenceville, Ga. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Darren D. Heusel
“We chose the Kuchi School because we call ourselves Kuchis,” he said. “Since our arrival at Camp Eggers, we have moved five times and have shared desks and worked out of the coffee shop.
“From this experience, we have some affection for the nomadic wanderers of Afghanistan. As it turned out, our cultural advisor also worked with this school after its near destruction following years of war.”
Not only did Crosby and Earl volunteer to assist the Kuchi School, they also proposed the Effects Cell adopt the school as a community outreach project. Chesney would later vow his complete support for the entire directorate.
Once onboard, Effects personnel set aside time on Thursday nights to pack the school kits in the Pool House Conference Room.
By involving others such as Office of Military Cooperation-Afghanistan Capt. David Betz of Spring Grove, Pa., and Maj. Jimmie James of Wasilla, Alaska, Sgt. 1st Class Reggie Cyrus of Oakland, Calif., and Staff Sgt. Richard Silvano of Albany, N.Y., all from the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan Operations Department, Crosby said he hoped to create a desire in the servicemembers to take on other volunteer projects like this one.
“There are a number of schools, orphanages, hospitals and daycares in need of support,” he said. “The time spent by our soldiers interacting with the children and needy will break down cultural stereotypes and demonstrate the good hearts of the American people.”
Sher Ahmad, cultural advisor for the Effects Cell, said all the materials given away on the March 27 visit were donated from individuals and family members of servicemembers from the United States.
Crosby said those gifts have created a conduit between the families and friends back home and the people of Afghanistan. “We are all working together to restore Afghanistan,” he said. “These efforts will make a direct impact on the minds of children that may be swayed by extremist organizations in the future.
“The goodwill of our service members ties our cultures togetherwith a bond of friendship.”
Also participating in the humanitarian mission from the command were: Staff Sgt. Greggory Zeliff of Whitefish, Mont.; Sgt. Joel Tavolacci of Fredericksburg, Va.; Sgt. Buffy Schmidt of South Haven, Minn.; Maj. Donald P. Taylor of Stafford, Va.; and Maj. Allison Stewart of Zephyr Hills, Fla.
