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"War Photograph" by Kate Daniels A naked child is running along the path toward us, her arms stretched out, her mouth open, the world turned to trash behind her. She is running from the smoke and the soldiers, from the bodies of her mother and little sister thrown down into a ditch, from the blown-up bamboo hut from the melted pots and pans. And she is also running from the gods who have changed the sky to fire and puddled the earth with skin and blood. She is running--my god--to us, 10,000 miles away, reading the caption beneath her picture in a weekly magazine. All over the country we're feeling sorry for her and being appalled at the war being fought in the other world. She keeps on running, you know, after the shutter of the camera clicks. She's running to us. For how can she know, her feet beating a path on another continent? How can she know what we really are? From the distance, we look so terribly human. |
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I received an email copy of a letter from a coworker friend of mine at AT&T. At a a time of year when we are all concerned with spoiling our children with the latest Ipods, $200 jeans, Wii's and high dollar cell phones, it is easy to forget that there are those orphaned children who haven't even the basic necessities like food and clothes. Please do not forget how fortunate we are to have what we have at this time of the year and share some of what we have with others who have nothing at all. Remember, a little contribution from many will help a lot. Please read the below and put these children in your prayers. Send help if you can. ****** A letter to home, There comes a time in everyone's life when they have the opportunity to greatly impact the lives of others. From a personal standpoint, that time for myself is right now. Right now in Afghanistan, there are an estimated 1.6 million orphans out of a total population at just a shade under 30 million. In Kabul (Afghanistan's capital and where I am stationed) alone, there are an estimated 35,000 orphans. To me, as an American, that number is completely mind-boggling and disturbing. I have been blessed with a great life. I can proudly say I live in the greatest country the world has ever known. My immediate family is healthy and well. I pride myself in being a Christian, and work hard to lead my family down the path that God has set before us. Both my wife and I have fulfilling and good-paying jobs. Most importantly, my three children don't want for anything. There are many, many children who are left wanting. No, worse: they're left needing. The necessities that we as Americans take for granted every day are missing in many children's lives here in Afghanistan. Clothes that fit and that are to be used in the proper season, socks and shoes and school supplies are all things that too many Afghan children are without. Dane Cook, in his infinite wisdom, said that Americans need a good kick in the pants sometimes in order to get things done. Mine came in the form of seeing firsthand the ravages of extreme poverty and the toll that it can take on an entire country and its citizens. A few days ago, while sitting in my heated, cozy guard tower, I saw a heart wrenching sight: an Afghan boy around the age of 10 running down the street with thin, tattered clothing and nothing covering his feet. That would be marginally understandable if it were the middle of summer and he were wearing play clothes, but it is completely unacceptable given the fact that this night comes at the eve of a harsh Afghan winter, it was 25 degrees outside (about 10 degrees with the wind chill factor), and there was a slight snow flurry that occurred just hours before. It was then that I realized that I have another mission that I would like to accomplish during my deployment: to help the people of this country as much as I possibly can. There are two driving forces behind this mission. The first is obviously the fact that hopefully many children will be provided with things which they might have otherwise not been provided. And, just as important, is the image that the Afghan people will be left with concerning Americans. One of the Army's primary missions here is to 'win the hearts and minds of Afghans', basically meaning that the more citizens of this country that we have on our side, the better. America is not just a country, it is an idea. An idea of freedom and prosperity. And the people of this nation want to believe in the American idea with every ounce of their being. With what we can provide, it is my belief that these people can be left with an image of compassion and charity, which are two principles on which our own nation was founded. I know that my efforts alone will be minimal and not nearly enough for me to be satisfied. Even though I am donating much of my personal spending funds to local families, I don't feel my meager contributions will suffice. These innocent children deserve so much more than I alone can provide for them. It is in this vein that I ask for your help. I humbly and graciously ask that you contribute whatever you can afford to give. It doesn't matter if it's just a single pair of socks, or a pack of pens or a few leafs of paper. Whatever you send will be kindly accepted and donated to Tahia Maskan, Kabul's largest orphanage, and a place where over 750 children call home. Even if you are unable to donate, if you know someone who is and would like to, please forward this message to them. I have prayed to God for an opportunity to help enrich the lives of others. I believe He has presented me with this deployment as my opportunity. I plan on embracing that opportunity. It is my wish that you embrace it, too, in whatever way you can. I thank you very much for reading and giving me your time. If you are able and willing to make a donation, here is where to send your contribution: SPC Casey, Paul HHC 48th BSTB Camp Phoenix APO AE 09320 Or you may send a donation to any of these organizations listed below: Also, if you decide to donate, there are some issues to be considered. The children here are smaller in stature than your 'average' American child. Anything can be donated and, while the most pressing needs are winter clothing (sweatshirts are very popular) and socks/shoes, you may also consider sending small toys (i.e. stuffed animals), school supplies (pencils/paper/composition notebooks/erasers), or if you want to go the 'I-just-want-to-donate-money' route, let me know and we can make that happen, too. If you decide to donate, please let me know via Facebook or via kcman011@yahoo.com if you do, so I can know roughly when to expect it. It actually isn't even necessary for someone to contact me if they send something; I just wanted some advance warning to be on the lookout for donations being sent in. A side note: I will also be coming home on leave in early February. So, if they are hesitant to mail something because of cost issues (I am a firm believer that mailing things to deployed soldiers should be FREE, but that's another topic for another day!), I will be more than willing to take them then. I'm bringing an empty duffel bag with me when I come home and I expect it to be full when I return. Thanks a million, Becky. I really appreciate it, Once again, thanks for reading and God Bless! Paul |
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