The Academy commander, Major General Sharif, and I worked together closely for the last year. I served merely as an advisor; he is the one with the real responsibility for the Academy’s success or failure. Problems have been many. Together, for the betterment of the Afghan Corps of Cadets, we battled bureaucratic indifference, culturally influenced inefficiencies, political pressure, and higher headquarters. We walked the Academy campus together innumerable times, inspecting construction projects, discussing cadet leadership development programs, and trying our best to anticipate future needs. We have joked, talked politics, talked about the war, talked about our families, and cared about the welfare of the Afghan cadet. We made a good team.

The Academy Dean of Education, Colonel Hamdullah, and I also worked together very closely. We haggled with the Ministry of Higher Education over registration, argued with the Ministry of Defense over its hiring process, updated the NMAA Eight Term Academic Plan more than once, and sought allies for the Academy within Kabul’s academic community. He is a quiet, thoughtful man, traits not to be mistaken for passivity or a soft intellect. He’s been involved with Afghan Army officer education for more than half the years I’ve been alive. He is highly respected and carries himself with great dignity.

My interpreter, Dr. Sardar, did an outstanding job bridging the Afghan – American linguistic and cultural gap. He was the “Joe Friday” of interpreters, conveying just the facts, with the right emphasis at the right time. And thank goodness he understood my sense of humor, which often didn’t translate easily into Dari! Last fall Sardar asked me to sponsor him as a candidate for the INS Special Immigrant Visa Program. I did and he was accepted. My crystal ball tells me I’ll see him and his family as American citizens within a few years.

“Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other fields, on other days will bear the fruits of victory.” Twenty-six years ago as a plebe at West Point I was required to memorize these words from General Douglas MacArthur. They mean more to me now after observing NMAA athletics and joining the cadets in basketball as a player-coach. Is it such a leap in logic to say that respect and adherence to the rules of sport form habits of thought that increase a propensity to adhere to the rule of law? And that respect for the law instills a leader with the moral courage to lead soldiers courageously and ethically in combat? It’s been delightful watching the cadets evolve on the basketball court from an exuberant rabble to thoughtful, aggressive competitors – hopefully a metaphor for their professional development into officers who will place duty, honor, and country above personal welfare.

I’ll be home a week after sending this email. The question isn’t “if” my year in Afghanistan changed my thinking, the question is “how.” I expect it will be a long time before a day goes by that the faces, personalities, and scenery of Afghanistan don’t flash across my mind. Afghanistan is coming back to life. I’m proud to have contributed to its revival among the community of nations.

Paul

Paul C. Krajeski, Ph.D.
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army
Chief, National Military Academy Afghanistan (NMAA) Implementation Team
Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan