Winning hearts and minds with school supplies

The past few weeks in my spare time I have been reading about counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine and advice. I am trying to get a better grasp of the mentoring process and hone my problem-solving skills.

One piece of advice really stood out: "If you do not understand relationships, people, cultural economics, human terrain and all those related issues, you will only see the symptoms rather than diagnosing the problem."

I agree.

The current situation in Afghanistan is very fluid, and we are attempting to tip the scales by winning the hearts and minds of the people. This is so much easier said than done.

In COIN, killing the enemy is easy, but finding him is often nearly impossible unless you have the cooperation of the villagers. Ultimately, our goal is not to kill all of the insurgents, but rather have the people take back their country's security so we can eventually leave.

I keep reflecting on the words of a brave 8-year-old boy I met during my travels. He risked his life just to talk to me. The Taliban threatened to cut off the head of anyone who gave information to the Americans and parade it around the village. It was as if he was destined to deliver his message to me. For his age, he was direct with his delivery and it caught me off guard.

He said, "Some people in my village support the Americans, but most of them support the Taliban out of fear.

"Today, the American forces are providing security and medicine to my people. The Taliban knew you were coming and they left the village. But after you leave, who is going to provide security to me and my family? You don't have to live here, but I do."

I was at a loss for words.

I desperately wanted to explain the complexities of the COIN strategy and detail the progress we are making in his country. I thought about describing the dynamic vision of my military leaders and his government's officials in an attempt to alleviate his fears. Perhaps if I detailed the strategic goals of the coalition forces in winning the hearts and minds, this would help him understand.

But instead, as I knelt on the ground and stared into the eyes of this young boy, I could only mutter, "I understand."

He nodded and walked away.

I find myself haunted by my response. Was it the right thing to say?

In my attempt to understand the enemy, I have delved deeper into the culture of this country and studied its history, including the rise of the Taliban.

For example: It really bothers me when I read about the schools intentionally destroyed. Why would the enemy want to blow up a school?

Last year, the Taliban put out a $500 bounty to kill a teacher and $1,000 for a female teacher.

Then it was as if a light came on. The Taliban do not want people educated, especially the female population. An educated person might rebut their ideology and disagree with the direction of the local mullah or cleric. Since the majority of Afghanistan (85 percent) is uneducated, most people rely on the mullah for advice on how to live their lives. The Koran is written in Arabic, and even if it were translated in the native language, only a small percentage of Afghan citizens could read it, let alone interpret it.

So perhaps one of the answers to winning this war is to educate the people, especially the children, because they are the future of Afghanistan.

From personal observation, the children want to learn.

It doesn't matter that it's 100 degrees outside and they don't have air conditioning or even windows in their classrooms. They have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

For them, just owning a notebook and a pen is a really big deal. That's why they mob us when we hand out these supplies.

In the United States, we complain when there are 30 children in a classroom. Imagine having 50 to 60 crammed into a room half the size of an American classroom.

Tragically, today 16 Afghan schoolchildren were killed, the victims of explosives hidden on a truck. Apparently, a truck carrying firewood overturned in a ditch. The police and the children, who were on their way to a secondary school, gathered around and the explosives were detonated. Four policemen, 16 schoolchildren and four bystanders were killed by the explosion, which scattered debris almost a mile.

This is such a cowardly act from the insurgents. Children are so innocent.

In addition, two U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday in a roadside bombing, and seven soldiers died on Monday.

In hindsight, I should have told the little boy to have faith.

Helping schoolchildren

U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Rex Temple and his wife, Liisa Hyvarinen Temple, have teamed up with a Florida nonprofit to send school supplies to Afghanistan this fall.

Checks can be sent to The Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation Inc. (writing "Afghan School Supplies Fund" in the memo section). Mail to: Holland & Knight Foundation, P.O. Box 2877, Tampa, FL 33602. Credit card donations can be made at http://foundation.hklaw.com. To send the supplies directly, contact the Temples at TRexinAfghanistan@gmail.com.