Villages receive emergency relief from Soldiers, Airmen

  • Published
  • By Capt. Catie Hague
  • 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  In a 40-person, 16-vehicle convoy of Soldiers and Airmen from here traveled more than 30 miles southwest into the Afghan mountains, delivering humanitarian aid to two snowbound villages.

Enough blankets, clothes, food and medicine were provided for 2,700 households, officials said.

“Our mission was to bring humanitarian aid supplies (for) two villages snowed in,” said Army Maj. Mike Hoss, an officer on the team. “Afghans are dying because of the cold. Houses have been falling in (because of) the weight of the snow. If we didn’t get up here and provide some assistance, we could have more deaths on our hands.”

The Army-led reconstruction team provides humanitarian aid throughout the Parwan province as needed. This winter season, that has resulted in an average of three missions per month.

“Normally, we offer aid and medical assistance about once a month,” Major Hoss said. “But because of the severe weather, we’ve done four now in the last two weeks.”

The team assembled for this particular mission consisted of eight Airmen, as well as Army engineers, military police and others on the reconstruction team.

“The Air Force was brought in on the mission when we sent out a notice requesting emergency donations to help offset the effects the weather was having,” said Army Lt. Col. Lisa Bailey, the team’s commander.

Airmen here distributed about 1,500 pounds of clothing and 1,000 pounds of school supplies and toys.

“We belayed our normal Adopt-A-Village program,” said Chief Master Sgt. James Johnson, 455th Air Expeditionary Wing command chief, “and split out the specific items these Parwan villages desperately needed.”

Airman 1st Class Michael Czesztyicki, a 455th Expeditionary Maintenance Group survival equipment apprentice was one of the volunteers.

“We all volunteered to come out and help, trying to get supplies to the people who needed them the most, he said.

That is the mission of the Parwan PRT at Bagram. “We help the people of Afghanistan,” said Colonel Bailey. “We assist the Afghan government in reconstruction efforts.”

Besides humanitarian missions, other projects include building police stations, vet clinics, medical facilities, orphanages and power plants. “We are helping the Afghan government stand up at a faster rate,” she said, “jump starting the country’s reconstruction efforts.”

Currently, these efforts are focused on emergency relief. Afghanistan is facing the harshest weather conditions in more than 10 years, officials said.

The Afghanis were not prepared for the cold weather and precipitation because the area has experienced drought for years, Colonel Bailey said.

“Now the people are literally freezing and starving,” Chief Johnson said. “If we can assist in even the slightest way, we will be supporting their ongoing struggle to establish a democratic society.”

With the assistance of Bagram’s coalition forces, the team plans to return to the snowbound mountains of Afghanistan again soon, offering “warmth” through food, clothing, blankets and basic human kindness.