Day 386: Achievement

Today, marks my final day of mentoring duties and has been a day that has been highly anticipated by many of the Afghan medical staff. Certificate presentation day:) Afghans love, I mean LOVE, being presented with certificates of achievement. If they could wear it on their uniform I'm sure they would pin it on somewhere! It was indeed an honor to present them with a small token of appreciation for the 10 months that they have worked with me.

Attention to Award!

A Job Well Done

Looking back at the things that we've accomplished: the medical training classes, working side-by-side on trauma cases, cleaning warehouses, providing humanitarian care to the local populace, and adding improvements to the clinic facility, I can honestly say that I will be leaving behind a clinic that is better equipped to accomplish it's mission than when I first arrived.


As long as we, both Afghans and Coalition together, continue to take even small steps in the direction of progress. We will undoubtedly reach the goal of having the citizens of Afghanistan relinquish control of their country, and we will finally go home.

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things."
Matthew 25:21 NIV

Day 272: Life

Gemma and I just started dating and we were walking from anatomy class along a path lined with rose bushes. The roses were beautiful and in full bloom. I noticed that Gemma was very enthusiastic and appreciative of the beauty and fragrance that the flowers had to offer. But I, on the other hand, was looking forward to...lunch. She asked me if I wanted to take a whiff, and I gave her the genius answer of "not really" which was then followed by what I vaguely remember as one of our first arguments.

I'm sure one can imagine how it went ...."Why don't you want to smell the flowers, aren't they just gorgeous"..."They're alright...I just don't smell flowers"..."But, I like flowers"..."That's great, enjoy the flowers and I'll just stand right here and wait for you to get your fix."..."You may not like the flowers, but I like flowers...don't you get it?"..."Get what?"..."You don't appreciate me"..."What are you talking about?"..."THE FLOWERS"...(me scratching my head, and Gemma giving me the evil eye).

That little argument taught me several things. First, I learned that if your girlfriend is passionate about something such as an object, a hobby, a talent, a project, or an extracurricular activity...then you support her 100%, even if it hurts. Second, I learned that life's simplest pleasures, such as flowers in the beginning of Spring, can easily go unnoticed especially when life is seen as a never-ending checklist of things to do and accomplish.


If there was something that the Afghan soldiers were passionate about, it was flowers in the Spring. These last few weeks were spent digging, planting, watering, and waiting in hopes of a beautiful Springtime rose bloom. Sometimes I wondered if they were more interested in their planting than their daily duties. Well, for some reason as I was walking to the ANA clinic, which is my usual daily routine, I noticed the roses in bloom. And guess what....I stopped and took the time to appreciate them the way Gemma had shown me. In doing so, the roses reminded me that even in a country that is plagued by war and corruption...there is a strength and beauty that still exists in this country which gives it life.

Me, TSgt Putman (one of my medics), Basir (interpreter), and Colonel Shah Zadgull (my counterpart) enjoying a beautiful day

Today, I literally took the time to stop and smell the roses, and I even decided to have our daily mentoring discussions outside as the flowers were so beautiful. Honestly, this was one of the most peaceful, life-is-good moments of my deployment. Thanks Gemma for the life lesson:)

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 NIV

Day 107: Change

If there is anything that is going to impede the progress of our mission, it is the reluctance to change. Many of the ANA leaders have been in their positions for years, and have had experience that dates back to the mujahideen. Unfortunately, in their eyes there is no more room for improvement or there is no more energy to push for improvement. Lucky for me, there is now a new clinic director and he seems to bring a strong desire for change that I am all for...


Here is a picture of Captain Baryalai, he is the dental officer/pharmacist/physician assistant and sole English-speaking Afghan in the clinic. A bit of a renaissance man. One of our projects is to get him some dental tools to go with his new nifty dental chair. Unfortunately, dental readiness isn't a priority in the Afghan National Army.


The other project that we are working on is the putting together of a training classroom. As you can see, the classroom is a bit crowded with the desks and chairs all crammed into this tiny space. The clinic has several larger rooms which have been taken up by officers who are doing everything they can to not get kicked out. With the new clinic leadership (and my prodding), there is going to be a little reshuffling of the clinic space, and a larger training classroom may actually be a reality!


This last picture is a classic. Here is the former clinic director, Major Zahid, solitaire champion. Personally, I think he is a nice guy, but after being in the military for over 30 years, I would be burnt out myself with only video games on my mind:)

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23 NKJV