ADT IV female Guardsmen meet to build trust with Afghan girls

By Cpt. Marie Orlando
Ngmo.pao@us.army.mil

JALALABAD, Afghanistan. - Female members of Missouri National Guard Development Team IV joined other female Soldiers and Airmen at Forward Operating Base Finley-Shields to host the second Afghan girl's meeting recently.

The meeting was held in a goat pasture just inside the main entry control point where weekly bazaars are usually held, was attended by 25 Afghan children, including several younger brothers the girls brought along.

Capt. Mary Danner-Jones, public affairs officer, Nangarhar provincial reconstruction team, provided coloring pages of Ramadan scenes along with crayons, colored pencils and clipboards for the children to use.

Spc. Courtney Armour, security force platoon, said she wasn't prepared to be overwhelmed with the girls. Armour, who also served in Iraq, said, "This is the most rewarding thing I've done so far."

The first meeting was conducted the Saturday prior, and included language lessons and games for the girls; most of the same girls participated in the second meeting.

The meetings are intended to bring the women and children together with female Soldiers and Airmen.

"Women and children in Afghanistan are often severely neglected. This girls program allows the girls to be the most important people in the world for just one hour. These girls have nothing, ask for nothing, and have low expectations," said Danner-Jones, the originator of the meetings. "But they come alive as soon as they enter through the gates and when they see us giving time to them each week. It makes a difference to these girls."

They will continue to host meetings, in an effort to develop trust and foster communication with the female Afghan communities.

"I hope they know that despite our different languages we speak, the different beliefs we hold, and the different worlds we live in, we can still communicate, have fun, and become friends and sisters; because really, in the end, we're not that different," added Danner-Jones.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.