17 October 2006

Kiwi Team 1 has been patrolling the western area of operations (AO) in Bamyan since April this year. Their role is to provide a coalition presence in the area, maintain security, interact with the local population and provide reconstruction assistance.

Since arriving in Afghanistan the patrol has organised contracts to build retaining walls for the local bazaar and schools, latrines for the local bazaar, a bridge for the local boy’s school, a bridge on the main route out to the west, and numerous wells around the district. Also, the patrol has delivered many tonnes of humanitarian assistance (HA) which has always been well received and has benefited many communities within the AO.

The patrol consists of personnel from many different backgrounds, with each member taking a different perspective on the tour, back home to New Zealand. One of the most satisfying and memorable events during our tour was assisting a local 18-month-old child, Jalil.

On our first patrol to Sardbarg village, we stopped at the local clinic to talk with the doctor, checking if all was well. The doctor mentioned there was a child, Jalil, in Sardbarg village with a cleft lip and palette.

Major Shaun Brookes, the patrol commander, met with Jalil’s father, Hussain Abbas, who said he had always felt guilty that Jalil was born with a cleft lip and palette.

We had no idea on how, or even if, we could organise medical assistance, so we told Hussain we would let him know within a couple of weeks if we could get this little boy from Sardbarg to a military hospital for an operation.

We sent the details back to the NZPRT, where MAJ Miles Macdonald forwarded all the relevant information to MAJ Brendon Jull, the New Zealand liaison officer, located at Bagram Air Force (BAF) base. After asking military medical organisations based in BAF, he found that the Egyptian Hospital could carry out the procedure – and the best part was, they would do it for free.

The problem was, Jalil and his family couldn’t afford the bus fares to get themselves from Sardbarg to Bagram. WO1 Tony Armstrong, the patrol’s second-in-command, organised a fundraising drive helped by WO2 Greg Mitchell. Within two days, the NZPRT had raised $US170, more than enough for the trip, plus food and accommodation en route.

Kiwi 1 returned to Sardbarg on their next patrol and with perseverance managed to convey the information to Hussain through an interpreter. Hussain was looking very bewildered that NZPRT personnel he had met only weeks ago, would provide a chance for a life-changing operation for his son.

After some worry that Hussain would miss being at Bagram on time, news arrived that they had arrived, along with his wife Marzai and daughter Shafiqa. The operation was carried out in early September, by LTC Khaled Eikholy, a surgeon at the Egyptian Hospital.

Kiwi1 visited Hussain and Jalil on their last patrol to Sardbarg, four weeks after the operation. Jalil is looking good; he will have a normal life thanks to the efforts of Kiwi1, the generosity of our contingent, our New Zealand liaison officer MAJ Jull and LTC Khaled Eikholy of the Egyptian hospital.

Image Gallery - Issue 365