Afghan Children Suffer From Decades Of Battle
November 10th, 2004

By Michelle Tan

BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN -- They don't have much more than the clothes on their backs and the smiles on their faces.

The children of Afghanistan are probably the most innocent of victims in a country torn apart and destroyed by decades of war.

"They have a haunting beauty. I mean, really, their innocence," said Maj. Dan Hoben, executive officer of the U.S. Army Reserve's 367th Engineer Battalion. "It really tugs at you."

Local children

At least two Afghan villages sit close enough to Bagram Air Base that the children are able to spot U.S. soldiers inside.

Almost instantly, the children run across the open fields toward the vehicles.

"Chocolate!"

"Water!"

They shout those words through the barbed-wire fence as they flash big grins and thumbs-up signs at the soldiers.

They know to stop when a soldier pulls out a camera and starts taking pictures.

They also know to run after the vehicles, still in search of water and chocolate.

Most of the time, the soldiers can do nothing more than smile and wave at the children. Signs along Bagram's perimeter prohibit soldiers from giving anything to the locals through the fence.

Living without

These children and their parents live in mud huts with no electricity or running water. Their hands and faces are dirty, and they have no shoes.

But they're "cute as a button," said Capt. Mark Neuenfeldt of Duluth. Neuenfeldt is the commander of the 367th's Alpha Company, which is based in Brainerd.

Children 14 years old and younger make up 44.7 percent of Afghanistan's population, according to the CIA World Factbook. Boys slightly outnumber girls.

The relatively high number of children matches proportions of other war-torn countries, including most African nations. Uganda tops the list with 50.6 percent in the 14-and-younger group. The United States' number is 20.8 percent; the world average is 28.2 percent.

Countries with high youth populations need to invest in schools, the Factbook says. Rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment or receive education can lead to unrest.

Adopting a town

The soldiers in Alpha Company adopted one of the villages just outside Bagram.

Spc. Lito Cortista of Colby, Wis., was working security for the company's heavy equipment platoon when he started having conversations with a handful of Afghan children.

After that first day, more and more children would come to visit the soldiers, who would give them candy and, with help from an interpreter, teach the children words in English.

Finally, the father of one of the kids came to talk to the soldiers, prompting Alpha Company to adopt the village. With permission, military units are allowed, and even encouraged, to adopt villages.

"I don't like seeing poor people," Cortista said about why he decided to ask his fellow soldiers to help the village of five or six families. A group of soldiers visited the village on Saturday with school supplies and other goodies.

"If you've never seen anyone have absolutely nothing, it's the right thing to do," Neuenfeldt said.

Interacting with the villagers has given Neuenfeldt a new appreciation of his life at home.

"If you've never thought about giving to charity before, you do now because these people have nothing," he said.

Caring for Afghanistan

Fahima Vorgetts, an adviser to Women for Afghan Women, speaks at 7 tonight in Alumnae Hall at Haehn Campus Center on the campus of the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph.

The event is free.

Vorgetts' topic is "Caring for 1 Million War Widows and Orphaned Children in Afghanistan." Her programs are intended to raise awareness about the plight of women and children in Afghanistan.