Rockets in Afghanistan

Rockets have a distinctive sound when they are inbound as do the explosions that follow when they land. We were sleeping when we heard the inbound rockets screaming toward our position. The explosions were close but thankfully the rockets landed just outside of our remote firebase on the Afghanistan - Pakistan border back in the spring of 2003.

Why were we rocketed that night?

We opened a school the day prior that allowed girls to attend. We had 3-4 girls from the local village attend day 1, brave kids and brave families that wanted a better life.  

One of my soldiers, Staff Sergeant Colvin, was a high school teacher and his high school's football strength coach. He had served with the 82nd Airborne prior to his teaching career and was one of the toughest guys physically and mentally I had the privilege of serving with in my Army career. He was the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC/enlisted) and I was the Officer in Charge (OIC/officer) of our small specialized unit, but let's not misunderstand this officer/enlisted stuff, I was a 1st Lieutenant and no fool, he was really in charge and firmly held my respect.  

The next day, the locals were embarrassed and angry that we were rocketed. And in defiance of the rocket attack to our unit, the village sent more kids to include additional girls to attend on Day 2. Our unit was helping to provide security as the Civil Affairs team continued their process of opening the school. Kids smiled, they were happy to learn and be with other kids. One girl who looked 8 or 9 years old smiled as she walked passed Colvin and I and said "Tashakur" (thank you).

Colvin looked at me and asked if I had heard the Starfish story.  

I said no.

Colvin shared "A man was walking down the beach and the tide was receding back into the ocean. There were hundreds and maybe even thousands of starfish stranded on the beach as the ocean tide pulled away. There was another man frantically picking up starfish and throwing them into the ocean. The first man walked up to him and said "there is no way you can save them all, why bother?" The second man threw a starfish as far as he could into the ocean and said "no, I can't save them all, but I did just save that one" and he continued to throw starfish into the ocean."

That story has stuck with me for the last 17 years since I was in that dusty Afghan village.  

One person's actions can change the world. Have you thought about that? Have you thought your action of providing this technology may change the world? That it may be that one person that walks out of the hospital and helps all of mankind? Have you thought of the family that instead of having an empty seat at Thanksgiving in this especially hard Covid year will have that family member still with us? What does that mean to that family? As hard as it is to do, think of your own family, remove one seat and you quickly realize the importance of what we do.  

What you are doing is hard, so is opening a co-ed school in Afghanistan, but it is the right thing to do.   

Be the person that makes a difference for that one person you will never meet. Make the difference, be the person whose actions change the world. You don't know which conversation, which sale, which monitor, which disposable, which hospital, which person is the ripple in the universe that changes the world forever......

Have a great day!

Joe

This is a series of articles based on the daily letters that I write to my company (slightly modified - company specifics removed). My hope is to share some positive thoughts that gently push the world toward positive thinking and encourage many to achieve their fullest God-given potential.