DISPATCHES FROM AFGHANISTAN
Providing Humanitarian Assistance to Afghan locals gives this mission a deeper meaning to soldiers.
(KABUL, Afghanistan) - Many kilometers up the Pesh Valley in Afghanistan is a base, a remote outpost so disconnected that the troops live in self-constructed caves. Some call it Civil War style. Americans call it The Lumberyard.
For Derric Winters, an Army Specialist from Casper Wyoming, it has been home since he arrived in country several months ago. "We do patrols, just our basic presence patrols and stuff like that."
He says the best part of his remote existence is providing Humanitarian Assistance to the locals.
"I think that a lot of good stuff needs to be viewed, like the HA we give to the people and school supplies like backpacks, stuff they need," he said.
As if on cue, a group of Afghans approached the camp seeking warm clothing for the cold nights ahead.
One young man at the edge of the Lumberyard Base has been studying English through a satellite radio program.
His comments were consistent with many people here, saying they appreciate our presence and at the same time are growing to expect more from the Americans.
The student said, "My opinion is you will be successful in the future and you are good people and you care about the people of Afghanistan.”
Winters said, "They're just been very eager to get the technology to start advancing their culture. Its out there, they just need somebody to teach them how to use it.
"We've had kids asking for American books to read. Whenever we read our books if nobody wants to keep it we give it out to the kids, I mean a lot of these kids strive to learn American so they can grow up to be interpreters."
Winters says most of the schools in this region are being attended at this point without Taliban interference. Still, there are separate facilities for boys and girls with no plans for immediate change. Afghanistan culture is emerging but the process is slow.
Our convoy gunners were pelted with rocks by kids on the way in to this remote place. Winters says it is not sheer hostility, more of a cry for help. Still, the actions do little to gain the favor of the convoy soldiers.
“Its just because the kids try to get our attention pretty much, that's what they do, they try to get our attention so you can give 'em HA and stuff like that, they ain't used to all this presence up here."
The Lumberyard is just one of the many remote bases in Afghanistan being manned by infantry groups. Their good attitudes, like that of Spec. Derric Winters, are a sign of hope for even the more hostile Afghans, people who have much difficulty associating a military presence with a positive future.
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They Call It The Lumberyard, A Forward Operating Base in Remote Afghanistan (VIDEO)Salem-News.com