Posted on 11/26/2002 9:28:29 AM PST by SAMWolf
KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. military forces in Afghanistan have helped rebuild a teachers training college. U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Robert Finn and several Afghan education officials attended an opening ceremony for the Kabul institution.
“The facility, renovated with the help from the U.S., will provide training for prospective teachers throughout Kabul,” said Ghulam Farooq, dean of the college. “They (students) come to this school to practice teaching, and when they graduate from our college they are able go back to their areas and teach.”
Repairs included the renovation of six buildings that are part of the Experimental College, the administration and auditorium buildings, four classroom buildings, and a female dormitory.
“The renovation went very well,” said Army Capt. Jennifer Vaden, head engineer for the project, from the 62nd Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas. “It’s amazing to see how much things have changed since the project originated.”
Operating a project this size, in a war-torn country, one might come to expect a lot of problems. Not so, said the engineers.
“The only problem was with the wells,” Vaden said. “They kept getting sand in them and had to be redone. By far this has been the project with the fewest problems.” Work also included structural repair to roofs and walls, restoring water and power, electrical wiring, installing windows, doors, applying plaster and paint.
“We came out every week to make sure the work was done correctly,” explained the project’s quality-control officer, Army Sgt. 1st Class Alton Mickle, from the 169th Engineer Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. “Everybody did an outstanding job, from the Afghan contractors to our own engineers. This has been the biggest and best school we have worked on so far.”
Constructing the Teachers Training College is not only important to the Afghan-U.S. relations but also to the future of Afghanistan. “I touch the future; I teach,” said Masama Wavelak, a teacher at the college. “Teaching is one of the most important parts of rehabilitation. If you want to have a good future for Afghanistan, we must have good teachers.”
“This school was made to put out teachers, male and female,” explained Mickle. “In order for this country to succeed, you have to start with the youth. I am just glad the U.S. could play a role in that.”
Army Capt. Jennifer Vaden, head project engineer, 62nd Engineer Battalion, and Sgt. 1st Class Alton Mickle, project quality control manager, are presented flowers and congratulated on a great job in renovating the Teachers Training College in Kabul, Afghanistan. U.S. military forces helped renovate the facility. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric Barker
Children wait outside before the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Teachers Training College in Kabul, Afghanistan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric Barker
U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Robert Finn accepts flowers from a young Afghan girl during the ribbon cutting ceremony at the Teachers Training College in Kabul. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric Barker
Army Capt. Jennifer Vaden, from the 62nd Engineer Battalion, is presented flowers and congratulated by Abdul Wakeed Azizi, a contractor for the Teachers Training College. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Eric Barker
Ooooooooh do you have that right!
What a twerp! I can't stand to watch him!!
I somewhat agree with your comment, by the way. There are some folks on this board that just have to complain. Still, both Dashle and Gore have said that we have "abandoned" Afghanistan so I think it is legitimate to point out on this thread that they have been further proved wrong.
Anyway, I got a nice, warm feeling from the photos.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.