Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Burning Qurans

EnlargeNoorullah Shirzada/AFP/Getty Images

Afghan demonstrators burn an effigy of President Obama and shout anti-U.S. slogans in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Afghans have been rioting for three days after word that several Qurans were desecrated at a NATO base. The U.S. says the burning of the Qurans was accidental.

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Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Burning Korans

The bases in Afghanistan in the East especially are taking a lot of heat from this.

Gasoline trucks have been set ablaze and fire has been taken inside with lives lost. A problem with this is the fact that the US military has forgotten that the ANA are Afghan citizens and most likely Muslim. Burning the Koran is a defamation to all they believe. Religion is an interpretation. You have a population that does not agree with the most conservative interpretation, the Taliban, and they want to live in their country freely with freedom of religious interpretation. They do not object to those that want to embrace religion, but want to be allowed to interpret the Koran freely. This is what the war within Afghanistan is about.

Until Russia tried to take Afghanistan and forced the Taliban to intercede, Afghanistan was a forward thinking nation, albeit, 3rd world, but allowed women the choice of education.

But here we are, trying to intercede without teaching our soldiers the respect they need, so as to understand the people they are trying to protect...it's just heartbreaking.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Burning Korans

When I first heard about this I couldn't believe it. How can our military be so insensitive and ignorant! It is really outrageous. Now I'm hearing that all air travel in and out of Afghanistan is on hold. I know of at least one soldier, SSGT, who is waiting to get out and go home for good.

I remember going out on patrol with a division that was on their first patrol and I was horrified at the lack of cultural knowledge that our troops knew. It seems if they were trained in the culture of the people they were invading the knowledge just went in one ear and out the other. You would think after Viet Nam our military would ingrain how important it is to know about your friends and your enemies.

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Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Change is Good

I am really looking forward to getting back to Afghanistan. I am not looking forward to all the flights I have to take, but not complaining.

I heard this amazing story on NPR this morning and wanted to share it:

February 14, 2012

All wars bring innovations — in weapons, and also in ways to repair the damage done. Penicillin is one of the more famous examples: It came into use as a treatment for troops in World War II.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have brought their own breakthroughs, none more dramatic than the prosthetics that come close to giving back what has been lost. And big advances in treating grievous injuries have meant many more troops coming home alive.

There are enough wounded soldiers who want to stay in uniform that the military is finding ways to accommodate the disabled — and that has led to a grand experiment called the Wounded Warrior Home at the Army's Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

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It's nice to see the military is changing in some good ways.

Afghanistan Through My Eyes - Iraq

I think all Veteran's deserve a parade when they return from war. It's pretty basic. You put your life on the line, the least we can do here on the home front is to have a parade. I realize it costs a buck or two and traffic has to be shut down, but we are talking about lives...which are priceless.

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The very least anyone should do is thank every Veteran they happen by. It doesn't matter if you agree with the politics about the war...it's about a person making a commitment to a job that requires them giving their life. Why don't you take that thought with you tomorrow when you go to work and are annoyed because of something inconsequential.

Even if the veteran is your grandfather or grandmother...have you ever stopped a moment to thank them for what they did for their country and yours...