Leaving Afghanistan: a deployment ends

15 April 2008
by LBDR Tavara Maich

When we first arrived in Afghanistan we spent a lot of time patrolling through Ghandak.  We did not enjoy going there very much as the place gave us an uneasy feeling. No one ever waved to us, we often received blank stares, and there were few girls or women in sight.

The severe winter conditions ruined the roads through our central area of operations and one place in Ghandak was particularly bad. There was an irrigation ditch following the road where the water would overflow and freeze.  It would spill over onto the road causing big ruts  - making it very difficult for the many trucks delivering coal throughout Bamian.

The people of Ghandak were warned by the Afghan National Police that if they didn’t fix it their water supply would be cut off. Major Williams identified the problem and searched for a way that we could help.  It was decided to order them enough cement for them to fix the irrigation ditch. We put together a work party and loaded  one hundred bags of cement weighing fifty kilos each onto a truck. We took one of our engineers out to Ghandak and he taught the people how to construct a new and sturdy wall.  We then monitored their progress and gave them more cement as it was needed. The locals began construction the following day and within three days had used most of the cement and were ready for the next load.

This interaction broke the barrier between us and the people in Ghandak.  The Head of Shura invited our patrol into his home for lunch and the people have really warmed to us. They now seem to be a lot friendlier when we drive through.

Throughout our deployment we carried out various humanitarian aid tasks and identified areas of interest for future tasks  - including wells for villages that need  reliable water supplies and possible construction sites for schools.

Not only have we been able to identify those in need of a helping hand while we were here, I think we have learned much about the local culture.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my deployment in Afghanistan.

Ends

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