Day 109: Preserve and Protect

They served our country faithfully.  Saw things unimaginable.  And now they are home.  Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are home and now looking for a place in society.  Thankfully the wars are coming to a close and now the re-building can begin.  Re-building infrastructure in these two countries.  Re-building lives and relationships placed on hold for the last decade.  That is good news in and of itself. 

But what will become of these men?  Hopefully we have learned about the impact of war on the men and women who have served, so as to not repeat mistakes of our past.  It is a life changing event, similar perhaps to the emotional and psychological changes that children growing up in war-torn regions experience.  There has to be an outlet.  A way to deal with the internal changes in order to make the external transitions positive.   The Southwest Conservation Corps' Veterans Green Corps' program seems to have similar features to The Recreation Project in northern Uganda.  Different wars.  Different cultures.  Different men and women.  But for many, the healing process begins outside.  In a team approach, together tackling an obstacle of some kind.  

"It’s morning in Colorado’s backcountry and time for PT (that's soldier-speak for physical training). Under a blue sky and alongside the yawning sway of ponderosa pines, half a dozen vets move with a shared rhythm. Their mission: help prevent forest fires.  

They are part of the nonprofit Southwest Conservation Corps’ Veterans Green Corps (VGC), an effort to fight 21 percent unemployment among veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, through environmental career transition. VGC provides opportunities that consistently make the difference for this unique group: crews of other returned soldiers sorting through similar experiences; job skills that are in demand in the conservation sector; the gritty, hard work they crave; and a chance to continue service to their country.

Military experience sometimes translates poorly onto civilian resumes. Sarah Castinada, a former Army medic, used to jump out of planes into drop zones with the 82nd Airborne.  Specialist Tony Lagouranis served as an Army interrogator in Iraq. Lew Sovocool, an officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, possesses technical skills attractive to employers, but will likely never replicate the level of responsibility he had as a program manager of a $200 million Afghan Army infrastructure program.

Many vets are still dealing with the psychological effects of war—19 percent of all troops returning from Iraq and 11.3 percent coming home from Afghanistan suffer mental health problems—and some VGC corpsmembers claim the time spent outdoors among fellow veterans has helped alleviate anxiety and post traumatic stress. For most though, VGC simply speaks to the sense of valor, unity, and service that first attracted them to the military.

Amy Foss, Southwest Conservation Corps’ Director of Operations, recounts the words she hears repeatedly from these vets, “I’m not broken. I don’t need help. I need job skills.”

The work isn’t easy. For some, cutting firebreaks and sawyering ladder fuels (combustible vegetation like dead trees) is the hardest test of their endurance since basic training. VGC corpsmembers attend chainsaw training, fire behavior, and wildland firefighting courses through local forest partners to earn their “Red Cards.” With this qualification and experience, they can build toward adrenaline-rich positions on hotshot and smokejumper crews suppressing wildfires from land and air. Coupling their certifications from VGC with a veterans’ preference for employment at federal agencies, a future in wildland fire mitigation holds real promise.

The program, in collaboration with Veterans Green Jobs, has received over $1M in federal support through the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Highly replicable, it has already expanded to conservation corps in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada. Working with VGC, veterans protect local residents from the threat of catastrophic fire and defend the canopy to save old-growth ponderosa pines. At the same time, they are finding green pathways to what they desire most: continued, meaningful service. “We wanted to do more than just assimilate,” explains U.S. Navy veteran Derrick Charpentier, “We wanted to bring back that warrior spirit we had from the military, and show people that we can all really make a positive difference in this world.”  GOOD.is

 All photos courtesy Southwest Conservation Corps

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Day 46: Gumption

The definition of the word gumption is 'courage to act; the courage to take what action is needed.'  The women in Afghanistan are taking a stand, showing their gumption, in an unexpected way.  By kicking a ball.

I like playing soccer, and you might think it wouldn't be that uncommon for women around the world to also enjoy playing sports.  But until just recently, the women in Afghanistan were forbidden to play sports.  Under the heavy hand of the Taliban, they were restricted significantly in what they were allowed to do, and sports of any kind were definitely not allowed.

Here is their story as told by CBS News.
 
"Just by kicking the ball these Afghan women are taking on their fiercest opponent - the Taliban, reports CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark. 

When the Taliban was in power, no woman was allowed to play sports and female prisoners were publicly executed at Kabul's soccer stadium.

So having women take to the field is seen as a direct challenge to the militants. They practice every other day, but rarely play matches in Afghanistan.

There is no Afghan soccer league here. The women often play each other for fun, but the game can come with danger because some of the players face death threats.

Khatol Shahzad Amarkhel quit for three months because of the Taliban.

"Someone called my home number," she says. "He promised to kill me if I continued to play. I changed my number, but I am still scared."

Sajay Sahar, 19, was told to stop playing by family friends, but she didn't listen either. She's a top scorer for the team, but she really only has one goal in mind.

"It is my only wish to be a famous player in my country - and in the world," said Sahar.

And playing soccer has let the team see more of the world. They have traveled to Germany, Jordan and China for matches.

They also recently played coalition forces in Afghanistan and won 1-0. And they continue to try to push the boundaries.

"They say stop playing, but I cannot stop playing," said Sahar. "I can stop living, but I cannot stop playing football.

Soccer is more than a game for these women. Sahar sees it as a form of protest. By taking on the Taliban head on, she believes, it will help bring about their defeat."

These women are living boldly, with more courage than I could ever imagine.  Playing soccer may seem like an unlikely battle ground, but that is their reality and the first place to start.  Standing up to the Taliban and injustice.  My hope is that they will continue to fight.  To fight for their rights on the soccer field.  For equality.  For freedom.  Keep kicking it!

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Day 34: Your average Joe

What does it take to make an impact in the world?  In the past, I may have thought that the only way would be to become the leader of a large company, or to make lots of money, or perhaps become the president.  Be someone with lots of power, making lots of money, with a well-known name.  Which seems impossible, and so my dreams would become less than super-sized, scaled down.

But over and over, as I research for this blog, the people that are inspiring are people like me.  No millions, no significant power or over-inflated egos.  Just your average Joe or Jane.  But they have the vision to see what gifts or interests they have, and are able to see how those gifts can be used to fill a need in the world.  Rodney Watkins developing a program to rescue bikes from the dump in order to give them to kids in need.  Brent Green improving the life of his Los Angeles neighborhood by planting trees.  Evans Wadongo bringing solar light to villages in Africa.  

Another fantastic example of this is John Thompson.  He is a diving instructor and former soldier, who wanted to offer something to wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  And what developed was a program named SUDS, Soldier Undertaking Disabled Scuba.  "The program is designed to help improve the lives of injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.  By training the warriors in a challenging & rewarding activity it can help facilitate the rehabilitation process & promote mobility.  Offering this venue provides the soldier with a sport they can enjoy throughout their life." SUDS mission statement.

Doing what you love, where you are at, may just be the key to making a positive impact in the world.  

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