Why I Came Back: Reason Five

Coming back to Afghanistan was a voluntary choice that has left some wondering why another back to back deployment.  I have to think that my inner circle had no trouble understanding my reasons.   From the outset of this latest adventure I decided that the key to continue driving hard through the 12 months would be to take the time to reflect on why I came back.

Reason Number 5:  The Voices

You can’t spot every leader by the uniform or business suit they wear because some are visibly lost in the midst of the masses.  That is the case with Naweed and many of his colleagues, all Afghan Journalists.  Meeting and getting to know Naweed gave me insight to the passion Afghans have for establishing and maintaining basic freedoms in their country.  To them, people like Naweed represent their voice to the movers and shakers in the capitol and around the world.  People like Naweed put themselves at great risk to tell the story to their fellow citizens, whether it’s an article on government corruption or exposing the Taliban.  Just working with us puts them in danger, but still they come and share their experiences and concerns, something I would have never understood had they not been willing to take the first step.  

Media Day at Bagram Airfield - 2010

These voices of Afghanistan fight to firmly establish a free press in order to give the Afghan people the information they need to make the right choices so they can use their own voices.  It’s through with words, pictures and sounds that will tear down the graft and corruption and provide transparency in the government, making it a government that works ‘for the people’.  Those goals are shared with nearly every man or woman on the planet who struggles for basic freedoms.  Their objective is no different than the aim of our own media, and these Afghans are willing to risk their lives to tell the story.  It was easy to see that coming back to support, even in my own small way, their fight for freedom and democracy was work worth doing.  More importantly, the friendships have been priceless and a big reason I came back.