(1/6/2008)
"Team to help Afghan economy" - by Cliff Sain / Photos by Jess Huegel - Springfield News-Leader (www.news-leader.com)
Deployment will focus on providing agricultural assistance...
There was a sense that everyone was part of something special at a departure ceremony Saturday for soldiers heading to Afghanistan. Members of the Agricultural Business Development Team gathered with relatives and friends at the Clarion Hotel on South Glenstone to head out on a first-of-its-kind mission. The 48 Missouri National Guardsmen are part of a pilot program to help revive the Afghan economy by providing assistance to the nation's agriculture program.
Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Stegmann, who was deployed to Iraq two years ago, said he is excited about what the guardsmen can do.
"It's a big concept. I hope we can help," he said. "They need stability to make anything work. If we can help, even if we can help bring them from the 15th century to the 17th, that will be an improvement."
The team is made up of people from several Missouri National Guard units. All have agricultural backgrounds and have specific skills to help with various improvements. It is the first such team that the U.S. has put together.
Command Sgt. Maj. Matt Jenkins said the team had learned its skills in Missouri.
He addressed the 300 people who attended the ceremony.
"More than likely, there's somebody in this room who inspired them to learn their skills," he said. "Know that they are going to take a little piece of that to make the world a better place."
According to a statement from the Missouri National Guard, the team will work on everything from improving irrigation systems and providing techniques for fertilizing, planting, harvesting, marketing and storage of crops.
Carol Bryant of Poplar Bluff was on hand to help send off her nephew, Capt. Douglas Dunlap.
She said he has learned about farm equipment from his parents, who operate a tractor dealership.
She said she had a lot of emotions over his leaving.
"It's not a wonderful feeling, but what would we do without him? Jesus has always taken care of our family and our country, and we think he'll continue."
Maj. Gen. King Sidwell said the team is going to try to help a country whose agriculture has been devastated by years of military conflict.
"They've been at war since 1981," he said.
"Not only has some agriculture been prohibited, but education, family and farming methods have been disrupted. And many of their methods are centuries old."
An example of a problem with Afghan agriculture is that when livestock is slaughtered, it is done outdoors on the ground.
"We have to build cover for the slaughter of livestock," he said.
Another example is that grapes are grown on the ground, making them unable to be sold on the world market. Another example is that the country has no banking system for crop loans.
"The fact that we have people with business experience may help move that forward," he said.
Sidwell said this is an experimental program that could be expanded to other states if successful.
Much of that success, however, will depend on how they are accepted by the people of Afghanistan.
"My experience is that they are very hungry for this help," he said.
After tearful farewells to family, the team, dressed in desert fatigues, boarded a bus for Indiana, where Sidwell said they will undergo two or three months of "theater training."
They will spend the remainder of their one-year service in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
While there, the team will be able to communicate via teleconference with several partners of the program, including the University of Missouri, Lincoln University and College of the Ozarks, to provide further expertise.
Among the crowd were dozens of small children, underscoring how many families will be separated for the year.
Stegmann, who is leaving his wife and children for deployment for the second time, said it's not easy.
"The hardest part is leaving the family," he said. "I know they'll be fine. They have good family support."