Westside Stories (part two)

More from Elaine on the westside:

I have been extremely busy escorting international media out to the Ghor Province for humanitarian aid drops via Chinook helicopters and C-130s (air drops with pallets of supplies on parachutes – great video when broke off course – luckily we didn’t crush anyone while BBC was filming ;). We have dropped 30-metric tons of aid (legumes, biscuits and wheat) to this province that has been locked in by the heaviest snow in 20 years, this compiled with malnutrition has led to 1,000 recorded deaths of children and the elderly by whooping cough. The malnutrition weakens these age groups and in many cases causes death. We are working to reach as many people as possible, but realize that the floods are coming next. We anticipate another major catastrophe in this region mid March as the snows melt.

I hosted BBC, Reuters, AP, Abu Dabi, local Herat media outlets this week and have ABC, AP and Washington Post headed my way … so another busy week to come. I had dinner with two reporters from the Daily Telegraph (London) tonight to discuss their trip with CRS (Catholic Relief Services) via horseback to Tulak in the Ghor Province (where we gave them a lift home from via the helicopters). The pair was extremely grateful for the lift home – they were dreading a four-day horse back ride back to Herat. They had quite the stories to tell me once they got some rest. There were portions of the trek where the horses were actually buried in the snow … the team had to dig the horses free.

They met a father who treaded through the snow 8-hours round trip to get medicine for his 10 children. He suffered severe frostbite, but was part of the only village not to have any children die, thus far. The people here could dig themselves out, but are waiting for non governmental organizations to pay them $3 a day to dig … we have created a welfare state … it is frustrating … you want to do more, but then you end up with this kind of delimae …. What do you do? Let the innocent die? You know we can’t and won’t do that.


We took 13 Afghan National Army soldiers out to distribute the food – they were delighted to be able to help their people. I am so impressed with the ANA. They have given up the lives they knew to blend with other tribesmen as a national fighting force … they are breaking down barriers … often not getting paid for months at a time … it doesn’t matter – these are proud men who want to change their country and protect it. They are so excited when they see that I am an officer … it is the cutest thing – the way they jump up and show off their uniforms.

We brought back a man who had been blow up by and unexploded ordnance on the first mission from Ghor. We grabbed him while refueling in Shindand. He was collecting scrap metal outside the bases fence line and picked up the wrong thing. He was hurt pretty bad as you can image. We visited him today at the Herat hospital. Our doctor said he won’t last another 48 hours … lots internal damage. It is so sad that their lives are worth as little as some scrap metal. They are constantly putting themselves in harms way to retrieve it so they can sell it and feed their families.

I hope all is well – I miss you all and am about ready to come home … I am getting really worn out and will probably sleep for a week

Elaine