Veterans Day
On this Veterans Day, I want to thank all the men and women who serve and have served in the US Armed Forces for their commitment and dedication, and many sacrifices, to protect and defend our great country. Their service is especially important to us here at ONE because their personal connections help us maintain and deepen our relationships with the developing world, which is critical for the effective implementation and success of US programs that help the world’s poorest people build their own pathways out of poverty.
At ONE we are especially grateful to those veterans who have supported and advanced our work by raising awareness about the great importance of investing in developing countries for our national security. Building on their firsthand experience in the combat zone, ONE’s active vets have met with their members of Congress and reporters, written letters to the editor, and appeared at both local and national events to raise their voices in support of America’s leadership role in fighting extreme poverty and preventable diseases.
On behalf of ONE, Happy Veterans Day to all our veterans and active servicemen and women.
Nov 11th, 2010 11:38 AM UTC
By Field
In honor of Veterans Day, here’s a touching story from ONE member Jason Ravnsborg, a major in the US Army Reserves. He talks about a school supplies project that he spearheaded in Afghanistan. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.
On this Veterans Day, I look back at my time in Afghanistan and a program my unit developed for the children. I have served as a major in the US Army Reserves since 2003 and am proud of the humanitarian efforts we led that helped the poorest of the poor in Afghanistan.
Maj. Ravnsborg puts a backpack on a young student in Afghanistan.
School supplies were non-existent. My unit established a program called “Backpacks for Afghanistan.” We worked with a number of companies and charitable organizations to obtain and arrange shipping of backpacks to Afghanistan, then oversaw the supplies and distribution upon their arrival. We worked with local officials to go out to schools and give backpacks, loaded with school supplies, to the children in devastated neighborhoods. The smiles and the appreciation the kids showed for something as small as a pencil were priceless. To hear the stories from young girls and young women who were getting an education for the first time is a moment I will not soon forget.
I am convinced that because of our efforts with the locals, our security on the ground was forever changed and it is the reason I have become a ONE volunteer. It is crucial to the safety of the men and women in combat zones to continue humanitarian missions and it is critical that Congress continue funding the Global Fund. Between 1999 and 2007, 42 million children went to school for the first time. It takes so little to make a huge difference.
-Maj. Jason Ravnsborg, ONE member, South Dakota
In 2004 I was deployed to Iraq with the 372nd Engineer Group as the command’s senior attorney. In addition to my legal responsibilities, I also spearheaded our command’s humanitarian and development missions.
Some of our missions included collecting and distributing over $100,000 in school and medical supplies to the Iraqis, building 12 new schools and three water filtration sanitation systems that provided clean water, for the first time, to the community. Having access to clean water was particularly significant because at the time, Iraq had the second highest infant mortality rate in the world due to drinking unsafe water from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
I will never forget the look of joy on the faces of the Iraqi people as we cut the ribbon for a new medical clinic. Before the doors were even open, the walls of the clinic were lined with new mothers and expecting mothers needing medical care. These development missions created an extremely strong bond with the Iraqis that we built upon and, as a result, it improved my unit’s security.
If we allow fragile states to become failed states, extremist views have an opportunity to take root. Without doubt, the work we did in Iraq and the work the U.S. is doing in Africa, not only improves the lives of millions of people, but also improves our country’s national security.
-Charles W. Larson, Jr.
With the 4th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I completed over 75 combat missions with U.S. Special Forces and the Multi-National Division in Central and Southern Iraq. I also worked with the Army Civil Affairs unit, which was responsible for helping the Iraqi people rebuild clean water delivery systems, schools, and hospitals.
Our mission was not just about rebuilding, it was also about providing the proper tools and training necessary to promote stability and independence. Through our efforts we established a relationship built on trust, which played an important role to our own security. Oftentimes, the Iraqis would notify us of potential attacks or provide information on the locations of insurgents.
The Iraqis worked with us, not against us, as we rebuilt, refurbished, and supplied them with their basic needs of food and clothing. We helped improve lives, which in turn helped support a stable and healthy society. All of our work built a high level of trust with the Iraqis and improved our overall security. Likewise, development work in Africa can help improve our country’s national security.
-Pablo Castañeda
2006 was arguably the most intense year of the insurgency. Iraq was on the precipice of all-out civil war and the Iraqi-American relationship was strained near the breaking point.
That spring, many of us spent off-duty time volunteering at a community medical operations center, which provided free outpatient care for Iraqi women and children. Each day it was open, hundreds of Iraqis visited the center to receive basic medical/dental care, medications, basic supply kits and toiletries, and other incidentals.
My time was often spent playing and interacting with the kids, which was the best part of my tour. Coaxing these shy kids out of their shell and seeing them laughing and playing is an achievement you have to experience to understand. Often times they would come with no shoes or a decent shirt so we’d work to find something that fit them.
The look of relief and gratitude on their faces is an image I’ll carry with me forever. In a very direct and personal way, the Iraqi people experienced the giving and nurturing side of American’s, dispelling their negative perceptions. My unit saw a very significant improvement in our overall security because of the development work we did to improve the lives of the Iraqis. I truly believe that my humanitarian work was probably my greatest contribution to the war effort.
-William Bennett
As a Commander in the United States Army Reserves, I witnessed, firsthand, extreme poverty in Afghanistan. While stationed at the Bagram Airbase, near the capital city of Kabul in 2004-2005, I led 550 troops in 38 different locations across the country. Most of my efforts focused on stability operations, working with civil affairs units to help the people make a better future for themselves and their families.
It’s difficult to accurately describe the level of pain and hopelessness I saw that was caused by poverty, disease, and hunger. However, I also observed the incredible impact American humanitarian relief efforts had on communities and the country as a whole. Imagine the gratitude we received when we drove trucks full of food and blankets into snow bound villages and to schools and refugee camps. Or the look on the Afghans faces when we showed up with 5,000 pairs of shoes that were donated from a shoe drive back home.
As the resources and trust we provided were absorbed, the people gained the hope and confidence to work toward a strong, legitimate livelihood. Not only did we help improve the lives of Afghans, but also through our work, we saw a dramatic increase in our own security.
-Scott Anderson
In January 2003, I deployed for the first time to Iraq with the Marines. I was a junior officer responsible for a 28 man light armored reconnaissance platoon. My unit and I participated in the removal of Saddam Hussein from power in 2003 and were one of the first to cross into Iraq during the actual invasion. After this first deployment I returned twice more to Iraq in both 2004 and 2005 to assist with the rebuilding of the country. One week into my second deployment, I was fragged with shrapnel from enemy mortar fire in the city of Fallujah.
Through these three successive deployments I was able to see the relationship and trust between the Iraqi people and the United States dramatically shift for the better. This was not done by the bullet or air strike but rather through the mortar and brick of a new school, the hum of a new water pump in a small village, and by the inoculation shot provided to a sick child at a mobile medical clinic. It was done by everyday Iraqis seeing American serviceman repeatedly risking their lives to improve their situations. Seeing and reaping the benefits of such American aid work the Iraqi people turned their back against the insurgents. It is how I am convinced we defeated the insurgency in Iraq and will eventually defeat the insurgency in Afghanistan.
I have been on the frontlines. I have seen the smiles and felt the appreciation of the Iraqi people. Like others suffering in hard times, they just wanted to succeed, not just survive. I think it’s our duty to help the American public understand the important role aid plays in the security of our soldiers and the United States.
-Knox Nunnally
