"Who is helping war orphans of Afghanistan?" Montgomery asked Holm. "Is the Afghan state functional?"

 "Dysfunctional is the word", wrote Holm from Kabul. "This is the most messed up place I have ever seen. There are desperate children all over the place."

Because Global Roots never attempts to enter an area without a trustworthy local partner, Montgomery asked his old friend if he knew of an Afghan who could lead a new humanitarian effort. Holm knew right away who the right candidate would be.

"My Afghan translator Saeed talks all of the time about wanting to do more for his people", said Holm. "I know he is trustworthy because I would be dead without him."

Travel Logs

After six months of planning, the first Global Roots/USAF supply mission for Afghan orphans was directed by Saeed and successfully carried out by 13 USAF airmen and women on December 24, 2009.

The mission was such a success that Holm's commanding officer, Colonel Bradley K. Grambo, invited Rick to travel to Afghanistan and stay at Kabul International Airbase so that he could assess the needs of children in Kabul and other remote areas.

The rest is history! Please read Rick's travel logs below to learn about Global Roots' fast relief to Afghan orphans and longer term assistance we are planning to provide in the future.

Rick's Travel Log Introduction

Greetings everyone! After a four-airport move from Afghanistan, one strange strip search, and two Ambien, I am finally home.

I hope these travel logs will inspire you to join with Global Roots and Saeed in helping the war-ravaged children of Afghanistan. Yep, that's a lot of "helps" but we have a proven record of getting things done.

I am happy to say that we received the following message of support from Greg Mortenson, the co-author of "Three Cups of Tea" and one of the world's greatest philanthropists. I am speechless because Greg ranks up there with Gandhi, MLK, Mandela, and Bono on my list of big-thinking and fast-acting humanitarians.

A Letter from Greg Mortenson

Rick,

Greg

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TO: Global Roots HQ

Greeting from Dubai!

I can't help but begin with a few remarks about Dubai, my gateway to Afghanistan.

I had to stop off in this Arab metropolis to apply for an Afghan tourist visa (the Afghan embassy in LA denied me) and book my onward airline ticket to Kabul.

A new friend I made when I was seeking my Afghan visa took me to the Mall of the Emirates where I witnessed a giant indoor ski hill. Yep, it was snowing in the mall! The thousand-foot tall slopes were surrounded by sky-painted walls. The scene (which included the trappings of a French alpine village) was so convincing that my stomach started to long for Gamay and Raclette.

It was strange to watch an Arab sheik in traditional attire and plastic black dress shoes adjusting his son's snowboard strap and hip-hop accessories.

And the cost! Only God knows the total price tag for all of that fake snow in the hot Gulf desert.

A British diplomat I met on the Dubai metro said, "You know, we are lucky they're spending all of that oil money on this schlock rather than on other, more controversial things."

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TO: Global Roots HQ

Before this trip I told myself that there must be a larger organization than Global Roots handling the issue of Afghan children of war.

I tried to gather information about what the large child-oriented NGO's are doing to address this issue but I kept coming up empty handed.

My main worry prior to departure was that it would be dangerous and even counter-productive to drag Global Roots and all of my best volunteers (Patrick, Hong, Travis, Lizzie and the rest of the GR gang) into a war zone.

We've spent so much time in the last ten years getting acquainted with issues faced by needy children in other far-flung places... tribal matters in East Africa, Chinese/Tibetan considerations in Eastern Tibet, Khmer problems in Cambodia...that I wondered if it was realistic for Global Roots to address the many needs of Muslim orphans in Afghanistan.

Despite receiving wonderful cross-cultural advice from two Global Roots' child development consultants (Marc and Sheila) I considered turning my contacts over to Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute (CAI).

But just when I was about to unplug Global Roots from Afghanistan, I heard from Doug Chabot, one of Mortenson's lead volunteers at CAI.

"No major aid organization including CAI is currently seeing to the needs of Afghan orphans," said Doug. "Greg's mission is to build schools. He is not involved with orphanages."

Chabot, who occasionally travels to Afghanistan to oversee projects for CAI, encouraged me to move forward.

"Your project sounds amazing," he wrote. "You clearly have the right approach plus years of experience in Africa and other countries.  It sounds like you have a similar approach as CAI with using locals, moving slowly and having them direct the program focus." 

I then literally bumped into an executive from Unicef who was also waiting in line for an Afghan visa in Dubai.

Now, how is it that I bumped into the one person I needed to talk to in such an odd place? This is the first of many instances during the trip that I felt the guidance of an invisible hand.

I learned from this very knowledgable policy-making Unicef bureaucrat that Chabot was correct: Unicef and the other major NGO's are doing very little to help Afghan orphans.

The bureaucrat explained that the situation is dire because Afghan orphans are often transferred to Pakistan where they become the fodder for militant madrassas.

"Nobody wants to get involved because it's impossible to approach these orphanages without running up against a wall of religion," said the bureaucrat. "Most of the large NGO's take a secular approach to aid projects."

Well, what can I say? Speaking for all of the volunteers who work for Global Roots, I can say that we are not afraid of religion.

All of the world's great religions have many things in common including a love for children. I have traveled in many Islamic countries including Uzbekistan, Egypt and Xinjiang and I know this to be true from experience.

Furthermore, Global Roots is still too small to be affected by an out-of-control bureaucracy. We are governed by a code of ethics, solid by-laws and a board of directors but we can still move quickly and efficiently.

The thought of doing nothing to help Afghan war children is a daunting one.

I will leave it up to you to imagine what can become of these angry young orphans. We simply need to find a way to love and support them earlier in their lives.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I managed to get my Afghan visa and airline tickets today (Safi Airlines -- booked online) for Kabul. I fly tomorrow.

My wife Alessandra asked me not to make too much eye contact with the Afghans (what wife would wish a trip like this on her husband) but I couldn't resist. All of the men I met at the embassy, including the tough-looking customers waiting outside, were all so friendly. One guy smiled so big when I bowed to him that I thought he was going to explode. Please excuse the pun -- it's just that I did not expect to be welcome in such a place.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I leave for Kabul in a few hours. I have meetings with the Afghan high command all day tomorrow. I won't be able to blog again for a while but, don't worry, I'll follow their commands and I'll copy their movements if the Taliban get freaky. Monkey see monkey do!

I have to admit that I simply can't imagine what life will be like on an international military base...

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TO: Global Roots HQ

Greetings all. I have been in Kabul for two days and the fast memories are already blurring. Olaf is a spectacular host! I get immediate respect and amazing hospitality for just being Oly's longtime friend. Forget rank and privilege -- it's all about earned respect in the military.

I have met with commanding officers in both the Allied and Afghan armed forces and I am both humbled and inspired by the sense of humanity I have picked up from all of them. I have not come across a single mean-spirited person since being on base.

I joined Lt. Col Holm in an armed convoy to a nearby army base so that I could meet "Cia" French, a Colonel in the medical corps, who has desperately been seeking an NGO to help her launch a plan to protect Afghan children from an explosive domestic threat: Kerosine ovens.

It turns out that solar oven can be made very cheaply with local materials. The Afghan Air Force has already agreed to fly anything we produce all over the country along with other badly needed supplies.

Olaf set up this meeting for me because, besides loving children and wanting to help the Afghan people, he lost six men a while back when he led a two-helicopter mission to rescue two Afghan children who had nearly been burned to death by these horrible kerosine ovens.

I have already spoken with Saeed about setting up an assembly plant for these solar ovens that we can staff with Afghan war widows. We are going to look at available land for such a project in a few days.

I met Saeed's cousin Latif today and I am very impressed. Latif's financial needs are met by his family in Canada. He is employed by a government ministry and it appears that he is waiting for conditions to improve. For this reason, he doesn't appear to be as prone to corruption as he might be if he were destitute. I hope to spend a lot more time with him later in the week.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

Oly arranged for me to take a personal recovery (PR) course from a very intense soldier named "Rector" today. I received pointed instructions about what I should do in the event of a kidnapping and how I should behave if forced to surrender to armed members of the Taliban.

It was a very strange experience because Rector inadvertently convinced me that these things were about to happen!

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TO: Global Roots HQ

It is impossible for me to tell you in this e-mail about all of the people I have met on this air base who desperately want to do more to help the Afghan people.

One British officer stopped and gave me a baggy with nearly $300 in it. He had heard about our mission to supply the orphanages and he pooled the money from all of the soldiers in his company. It was quite a moment.

Later in the day, Oly's commanding officer (Colonel Bradley Grambo) handed me a box with hats that his mother had knitted for Afghan children. They are the most beautiful hats I have ever seen.

I am "going local" tonight to join my new Unicef friend in downtown Kabul for a dinner meeting. I am being escorted to the meeting by Saeed, Oly's Afghan interpreter.

I have an Afghan hat, scarf and shawl to wear should I ever need to blend into the crowd. But, don't worry, the threat of being attacked or kidnapped here are very low unless you go to high-profile places and if you're with the wrong crew.

In the meantime, Oly's airlifts to rural Afghan villages will commence as soon as it stops snowing and visibility improves. I will therefore have to delay my return trip home by three days.

So much more to say but time is short. I miss my wife, my Mommy and my pillow!

With love from Kabul,

Rick Montgomery

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TO: Global Roots HQ

These soldiers never sleep! 6:10 am and I can barely find a mirror to shave.

Breakfast is a quick affair -- especially for the officers. I've been pretty good, actually really good, so far. When Colonel Olaf opens his door at 6:20 am (our usual move time) I've been like a dog eagerly waiting for a walk. But today, Oly had to knock on my door. Oops. I was ready to go (survival gear in pack, checklist checked) but my roommate (another Colonel) was in the middle of a long story about his pre-mission training. Well, you all know how much Monty here loves a good story. I turned and looked at Oly's squinting blue eyes and knew I shouldn't wait for the story's punch line. We arrived at our 6:15 breakfast meeting at 6:17 am, two minutes late, with apologies.

I am ceaselessly impressed by the devotion of the men and women who are giving all of themselves to serve their country. I can tell you it's not for money or comfort.

Comfort? This base is lost somewhere between a Holiday Inn and a prison. I have to remind myself that it's located in the middle of a high desert war zone.

I'll try to take a picture of my pillow -- it doubles as a parking lot curb. But you don't complain because it's warm, there's loads of hot water and the food isn't half bad. The pillow, in fact, can be credited to the soldier whose bed I have been given while he's on leave. His head must be made of stone.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I am simply blown away by the fact that the USAF set an orphan-loving, gun-averse guy like me free in their back office. The very invitation has renewed my belief in the American system and the intent of our armed forces.

I felt extremely intimidated during my first days on base but now I am starting to relax. I have a pass that I wear on my North Face jacket but nobody seems too concerned about my presence. There are other civilians on base but I'm sure they all work for security concerns such as Blackwater or contractors such as Halliburton.

It is very obvious that my close friendship to Colonel Holm is the only reason all of this is happening.

By the way, I took a video of my friend Oly when he was driving me to survival training. I personally think the video is funny because we talk about unresolved issues from 35 years ago.

Video references: "Ramblin' Rod" was a children's show in Portland, OR, which was highlighted by a "Smile of the Day" competition. "Farrell's" was once a very popular ice creamery in Portland and "Kelly" is a gorgeous girl who graduated with us from Lincoln High School, Class of '84.

A short video of two high school pals clowning around in Afghanistan.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

Thanks to Commander Grambo, Colonel Holm and the incredible Afghans I have been meeting, I have already learned more about why things are the way they are in Central Asia than I could have learned from 100 newspaper or television stories.

Before I arrived, I had crazy notions about what I might find here. I would not have been surprised to find soldiers fighting with each other on base, raping local women and kicking dogs and children.

I'm sure you know what I am talking about because you have also read horrible accounts of the abuse of power among our troops overseas.

But, to be perfectly honest, all I have found so far is a giant population of Americans who want to do what's best for the Afghan people.

Many are frustrated by needless bureaucracy and out of control egos within the high command but all want to do more to help average Afghan citizens.

No, I have not been paid or played!

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I am just back from a required PR (personal recovery) course at the American Embassy. It turns out that I was the first civilian to go through this new process. The experience paled in comparison to Rector's course the previous day probably because Rector mistook me for some kind of CIA or Blackwater operative.

The agents at the State Department served me cookies and coffee and made sure I had a few internet links and emergency cell phone numbers.

Well, I can't snub the experience because it wasn't long before I utilized one of the emergency numbers with my Afghan cell phone.

Leaving the embassy (the most dangerous place I visited during my entire stay in Kabul) I found a crazy bearded man ostensibly waiting for me outside the embassy compound. It looked as though he was shaking and he was wearing a small backpack. Yes, a backpack!

I stopped in my tracks and made an emergency call to the embassy's bad-ass Personal Recovery chief. I waited calmly for the crazy guy to move away from the entrance and then I made a mad dash for Saeed who was waiting for me in his tiny Toyota.

Oly called just as we drove away. "Get away from the embassy," he yelled. "The embassy just sent out an alert. There might be a suicide bomber down there."

I didn't have the courage to tell Oly that I was the one who had pulled the alarm.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

You might wonder what the soldiers on duty here are telling me about President Obama's decision to send over 15 thousand more troops.

While most servicemen and women prefer to discuss their departure from Afghanistan or even their eventual retirement, one high-ranking officer spoke to me at great length about the build up.

Colonel Smith (not his real name) told me that President Obama and all of the four-star generals have it wrong.

"It shouldn't be about building up troop numbers here," said Smith. "Instead, it should be about building up the Afghan economy."

As Smith spoke, images of what I had seen in the streets of Kabul rushed into my mind: potholes large enough to eat small cars, ancient, wobbly telephone lines and mountains of trash lining the dirty streets...desperate homeless children wading their way through traffic selling shiny helium balloons.

"Without an economy, what will the Afghan people have when we leave?" asked Smith rhetorically. "What will we have given them? We are spending 11 billion dollars a year over here on what? An army? What good will an army be if Afghan society remains dysfunctional?"

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TO: Global Roots HQ

If the Air Force was a multinational corporation, Olaf's commanding officer, Colonel Bradley K. Grambo, would be the CEO of a subsidiary.

It's hard not to like this guy. Though he is as no-nonsense as could be expected from a full colonel, he is also good humored.

Grambo told me today that he is trying to conduct one major humanitarian mission a month. He said that he is even willing to use force to enter rural Afghan villages to distribute humanitarian aid.

"I want to impact entire villages and communities," Grambo told me this morning.

What a guy! If only all of the commanders over here thought the same way...

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I apologize for being out of touch. For whatever reason, the broadband signal has died in recent days. This, I have learned, can be a devastating thing to the morale of our troops.

The modern soldier needs what soldiers have always needed: food, shelter, pay, training and a certain mission-oriented belief. But one thing is different today: the modern soldier requires connectivity to stay sane!

Every last airman I have talked to is crazy mad about the always unreliable and frequently nonexistent internet signal here.

One high-ranking officer said to me, "This is a desert war zone, not an Internet cafe."

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TO: Global Roots HQ

So much has happened -- I don’t even know where to begin. 

First off, I am pleased to say that I worked closely with Saeed, Oly and 13 airmen and women to coordinate a major delivery of humanitarian supplies to the same Kabul orphanage we delivered supplies to last month. Nearly two tons of supplies were delivered in a full military convoy (one flatbed truck and three fully armored 4X4s) today. Thirteen airmen and women joined the delivery. 

I made my way downtown (I prefer not to take part in military convoys) with Saeed. I have decided over the last few days that Saeed is indeed “the one” so I want to spend as much time with him as possible.

It was a beautiful sight when all 250 children emerged from their rooms to receive supplies from 13 smiling American service men and women.

These beautiful orphans received all kinds of things ranging from new rubber boots, a giant Afghan blanket, school supplies, a hat and an assortment of items that we hurriedly removed from boxes that were sent from church organizations in the USA. We made sure that there were no religious items or Uncle Sam “I want you” images in the boxes. 

The visit was a huge success, even though I am aware that it is only a start. New supplies will not guarantee a bright future for these children. The key point I made to several of the airmen who joined the mission was that I am trying to build a relationship with the director of the orphanage and this, especially in a country as corrupt as Afghanistan, can be a painful process. 

The hand-out process was less organized than I would have liked because negotiations regarding the “handout” broke down just 20 minutes before the children were summoned from their rooms. It all boiled down to a “ministerial functionary” who arrived at the last minute to wrap everything in red tape. I care not to discuss my dealings with this man.  But, thankfully, I now know who I can count on and how I can avoid corrupt ministerial lackeys in the future. 

I am returning to the orphanage shortly and will make sure that everything we were forced to put into storage is still there. If it’s not, I now have a direct line to the Minister of Defense and he has the ear of President Karzai. I will not let anyone steal from orphans.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

Remind me when you see me next to go off on "suitcase NGOs."

This term refers to the kind of NGO that sends highly-paid employees around the world in tailored suits and fancy cars to make empty promises to desperate people. The winner is always the Suitcase NGO because it then has the media it needs to raise more donations to pay high NGO salaries and make more empty promises.

Global Roots will never be a suitcase NGO! Hell, I make a dollar a year from this work. Global Roots is staffed by volunteers and does not pay a single wage or salary.

We also follow through on our promises!

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TO: Global Roots HQ

SET TO TAKE OFF ON OUR HUMANITARIAN AIR LIFT, WORD SUDDENLY CAME IN THAT A GIANT MOUNTAIN IN THE FORBIDDING HINDU KUSH MOUNTAIN RANGE HAD COLLAPSED ONTO SEVERAL MILES OF HIGHWAY IN CENTRAL AFGHANISTAN.

OLY LEARNED THAT HUNDREDS OF AFGHANS WERE FREEZING TO DEATH BUT ALL OF THE AFGHAN GENERALS FELT THAT A RESCUE AT 12,000 FEET IN A GIANT RUSSIAN MI-17 HELICOPTER WAS IMPOSSIBLE.

THE FINEST RESCUE PILOT IN THE USAF, OLY CONVINCED THE HIGH COMMAND THAT HE SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY DISPATCHED TO RESCUE ANY SURVIVORS.

Oly suggested that I remain on the helicopter as a journalist. The mission no longer involved orphans but Oly knew that I had been published in a number of magazines including Outside, Men's Journal and Travel and Leisure.

I have never seen such an avalanche! A three kilometer section of the Hindu Kush Mountains collapsed onto Afghanistan’s main north/south highway. 

Important point: this rescue mission would not have been launched had Colonel Holm not argued for permission to lead it from a doubting Afghan general. The Afghans own the helicopters in Kabul even if they don’t necessarily know how to fly them yet. According Colonel Holm, “Afghan pilots don’t yet have the skills to hover” – especially at 12,000 feet where the air is thinner. 

Yesterday Colonels Holm and Wichers hovered at 12,000 feet before “parallel parking” their helicopter on an icy highway between a bus and a destroyed tunnel. In the end, we saved 53 freezing Afghans. 

Colonel John Olaf Holm and his co-pilot Colonel Curt Wichers became immediate national heroes. 

I served as this impromptu mission’s medic. I dragged a frozen corpse onto the helicopter, 6 people with terrible frostbite and 45 other, healthy survivors. I broke open Air Force survival kits and did what I could. I also gave each Afghan a $20 bill (I brought over several K in small bills to pay for orphanage supplies) and I held my hand against my heart in the Muslim way. Once back in my bunk last night, I had tears thinking about the looks of appreciation on the faces of those we had saved.  

At one point, we experienced a mad rush of local, freezing people. Our M4-toting flight engineer was handling a logistical matter when one man broke from the crowd and ran towards the helicopter, head down and panic stricken. I was forced to leave the helicopter because it seemed as though he the freezing man did not understand that he was walking right towards the rear, eye-level rotor. The flight engineer “Tai” (one of the toughest guys I have ever met) scolded me but later gave me a back slap when he learned why I had left the helicopter.

It was my job to remain on the helicopter to prevent any of the rescued from climbing back off. This became important later when a young man realized his freezing father wasn’t on the aircraft. The young man started to panic but, by that time, we were already in the air and we needed more fuel at Bagram.

The young man's father surely never made it out of the mountains.

The most difficult point of the rescue operation came for me when we had to turn freezing people away. We were at the end of our third pick up, the light started to dim, the winds started to pick up and we were starting to run low on fuel.

Oly tells me that I must concentrate on the 53 we saved...not the handful we might have lost.

But it's not easy. I think I now understand what our troops go through on the ground and what full-time rescuers have always understood: if you do your best and utilize all of the information you have at your disposal -- you should be able to sleep at night.

Hmmm...

Oh, by the way, I find it interesting that the NYT did not give Oly or the US Air Force any credit for this brave rescue:

Oly's_rescue_in_the_news

The Colonel is headed back to the rescue site today with the Afghan generals while I “go local” in another effort to access and supply a Kabul orphanage. 

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I am sick this morning from some sort of Norwalk-like virus that has moved across the base like wildfire. I am spending time this morning with my new friend, Mr. Toilet. 

The Norwalk virus is a very efficient but painful way to lose weight!

I will be ready to roll at 1 pm to revisit the Kabul orphanage this afternoon and inspect a site for both an “orphanage caregiver training facility” and a factory for solar ovens.

Saeed will manage both. I am busy writing up a proposal for my board of directors, that is, when Mr. T isn’t calling my name. 

On the Afghan economy...

I am ready to take on all of the generals to make one point very clear – the only way to free Afghanistan from Taliban tyranny is to help them build up a solid economy.

The roads and communication capacities of this country are shot. I have seen few cities more dysfunctional than Kabul.  One might assume that Afghans living in Kabul, or even out here next to one of the world’s finest air bases, would be better off than those living in the impoverished countryside. Not the case! A portion of Afghanistan’s poorest citizens are living just on the other side of the giant fences and trenches that separate our reality (massive amounts of daily food, heat and hot water) from that of the poor locals. What message is this sending out?

Now, I am not suggesting for a moment that our troops should go without the essential items they need to keep them healthy and happy - but we also must act quickly to improve the local economy – especially for those who see helicopters and airplanes bringing in hundreds of thousand of tons of stuff onto base each day. 

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I have lost six pounds in the last two days. I am tired and somewhat dizzy -- difficult to type. I'm like an old American car with every warning light blinking on the dash board.

So much still to tell you! Since I wrote last, I made my way into Kabul for one last meeting with Saeed and another hero who will help us help Afghan children in the future.

I had more dealings with the orphanage and I took a chance (doing anything extra in Kabul is a great risk) to buy a small gift for Alessandra, my wife.

While I've been away Alessandra has been engaged in the thankless wintertime administration of our expedition company (mg-expeditions.com). I have been out of touch with her for days on end and I know she has been worried. Thanks to all of you who called to check on her!

Alessandra is a woman of action so it's hard for her to sit in an office while her husband wanders through a war zone.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

The Americans, British and Canadians are pounding southern Afghanistan. What does this mean to Global Roots' humanitarian aid efforts?

I am relieved to see that the allied forces appear to be concerned about killing as few civilians as possible during this particular foray into Taliban-controlled southern Afghanistan. They even announced their exact battle plan so as to give the local people a heads up.

But nine civilians are already dead from a stray bomb! Damn, I hate this war and I despise the fact large numbers of orphans are being created on a daily basis.

I came across the following message from a very angry Afghan. It was tacked onto a publicity piece the US Army sent out describing what the Army is doing for Afghan orphans:

"you bloodthirsty American dogs murder the parents and relatives of our children and then you create projects for orphans. You, shittiest ones, leave the country and the number of our orphans won't grow anymore. You carry blood in one hand and claim to help with your peanuts donations. You kill our peoples' freedom and liberty....F*ck the U.S.A."

But, despite my new-found respect for the American serviceman, I found myself talking against the use of drones for rural targets on several occasions.

With each bomb we drop, we create more enemies. Is it possible to take the countryside and defeat the Taliban without killing more noncombatants with errant bombs? How many more troops will we lose?

But how would I feel if I was an infantryman who had to walk into a Taliban area without American-style air cover?

The unanswered questions started to crop up each night as I tried to calm myself down for five hours of rest.

How much more blood of innocent people will it take to bring down the Taliban? How can we help the Afghan people create a less corrupt government? Is there an Afghan leader who is righteous enough to lead the way?

On several occasions, I have felt both the helplessness of the Afghan people and the mounting frustration of the new invaders.

And me? Why am I here?

There is no doubt that I came first and foremost to help Afghan children. I have no children of my own so why shouldn't I try to help the children on this planet who have been born into the worst situations.

Lying in my bunk one night I realized that I also made the trip to Afghanistan to investigate the claim of a few leftist Facebook friends of mine who say we are all being played and our tax dollars hoarded by men like Dick Cheney and David Lesar (Halliburton's 42-million-dollar man).

I am no one's puppet and I'm sure you feel the same! And now, at long last, I know for sure that each American soldier in Afghanistan has a good heart and wants to do the right thing.

I gave a $20 bill to each of the 53 avalanche survivors and I can still see the appreciative looks on their faces. I also gave my Mountain Hardware hat and the wool socks I was wearing to frostbite victims. I didn't meet a single soldier who wouldn't have done the same thing!

If only our politicians and generals could surrender the ideas of they have about "traditional military success" and start to understand that more can be accomplished by winning the hearts and minds of the local people.

This can only be done by helping them take care of their children and by putting money into their pockets.

What if we were to give the dollar equivalent of each bomb we drop in cash to the Afghan people? Would they still support the Taliban?

I only have great words for the Afghans I have met. A friend with very conservative ideas told me that we should give up on the "inferior Afghan race" and "write off" Afghanistan.

Well, I for one refuse to write off any child on the planet. If we can give Afghan children love today, it will be more difficult for them to become pawns in the game of war in the future.

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TO: Global Roots HQ

I am now on my way home and I am busily drawing up the proposals for each of the three projects that will help Afghan children live a brighter and more fulfilling life.

We intend to break ground next month on a facility that will train caregivers how to better see to the needs of orphans. These caregivers (mostly widows from the countryside) will return to their regions and they will become the new staff of rural orphanages. In other words, they will become secret humanitarian agents! What do you think of that Blackwater?

These Afghan caregivers will learn five key things that must be done in an orphanage (no matter the culture) to protect a toddler against detachment disorder, glance aversion and malnutrition.

Thank you so much for reading my travel logs.

Please alert your friends and family to this link. If we work together, we can take power away from the evil ones who intend to use these orphans as a tool of violence and civil discord.

Lt. Col Olaf Holm (USAF) and Global Roots' founder Rick Montgomery in Afghanistan (February, 2010)

Colonel "Oly" Holm wanted to deliver more humanitarian aid to the Afghan people since his first tour of duty back in 2001.

Rick helped Oly's Afghan interpreter to supply a Kabul orphanage in 2009. The project was such a success that Oly invited Rick to work with the USAF in Afghanistan.

USAF Commander Grambo (left) and Lt. Col Olaf Holm
Grambo's approval letter made it possible for Global Roots to enter Afghanistan.

Read Col Grambo's Letter of Invitation

Saeed, Oly's Afghan translator, is the most important character in this story. Global Roots always works with local humanitarians to make changes.

Saeed master minded the first ever Global Roots/USAF supply mission for Afghan orphans on 12/24/09.


Most Afghan orphans go without shoes, even in the winter. 

 

1 out of 12 Afghan children have lost both parents due to war and civil strife.


Misty, an Air Force doctor, was a key participant in our first supply mission.


Two "war babies" play in a separate wing of the monstrous state orphanage in Kabul. $3 a day can keep these beautiful children alive though not necessarily thriving.

Hopefully, the children will remember us when they are older.


Rick met with Colonel Felicia"Cia" French to discuss a plan to distribute solar ovens to poor Afghan families.


Oly (right) introduced Rick to Ella, a Dutch officer with NATO who works to promote gender equality.


The short man in the middle was caught cheating the orphans by a Global Roots' accountability system. He is no longer employed at the orphanage.

Our goal is to enrich the lives of these children so that they can love and be loved when they reach their teens. Global Roots is working with a world famous child psychologist to develop a teaching aid for both literate and illiterate caregivers in the most far-flung, impoverished places.

We had to create a waiting list for the many USAF airmen and women who wanted to help us to deliver supplies to the orphans in Kabul.

Our second supply trip required a full convoy with a flatbed truck and three 4X4s. Three tons of supplies were delivered to 300 orphans.

Colonel Holm accompanied the second supply mission and helped to unload supplies.

Improvements to the orphanage will begin next month.

First of many boxes of toys arrived at the orphanage. The children were as patient as they could be...but very excited.

The orphans do not go without food or heat, but little thought is given to their emotional enrichment.

When he sensed corruption among the ranks, Rick demanded a tour of the entire orphanage. He also interviewed over 20 orphans with the help of Saeed.

These two war orphans received hats that were personally knitted by the mother of Colonel Grambo back in the USA.

The lines were long but each child received a stack of clothing, school supplies, and toys.


Cat (left) and Heather of the USAF added a female touch to our second delivery of supplies to the orphanage.

A 12-year-old Afghan boy named Mani said he liked the lollipops almost as much as his new shoes.

Heather, a USAF Captain, was first to greet the children, wearing a scarf and speaking Dari.


Rick joined the distribution line to make sure no children were left out.

The children were encouraged to return to the distribution line if they received something that did not fit.

We will return in June with new beds so that these six to eight year olds no longer have to sleep in cribs.


This is why we do what we do!

Global Roots is now seeing to the needs of the orphanage's older orphans, including a year's supply of "unheard of" feminine products.

Heather delivered a hat to a young, sick orphan who remained in her room during the supply mission.

As in most overcrowded war-zone orphanages, the orphans raise and take care of each other.

Sama wants to attend college and study English & computers.

This USAF airman said that his visit to the orphanage was his best day in Afghanistan.

We have created a program that addresses the stunted emotional growth of the oldest orphans while providing proactive emotional care for the younger ones.

Rick met with Saeed and friends on numerous occasions in secret non- military meetings in downtown Kabul.

Latif (Saeed's cousin) will be Global Roots' second in command in Afghanistan.

A delicious dinner in a freezing restaurant. Rick is still talking about Afghan almond rice and freshly-baked Naan bread.

Afghanistan's forbidding Hindu Kush Mountains in the winter


Colonel Curt Wichers, Oly's co-pilot, prepared to fly back into the Hindu Kush Mountains to rescue more survivors.

Tai (left), our flight engineer, discussed the rescue mission with the Afghan member of the flight team.

Emergency food rations and survival kits were loaded onto Oly's Russian MI-17.

Cars and trucks were strewn along the highway as hundreds were stranded at 12 thousand feet.


An American helicopter from Bagram searched in vain for a place to land.


Colonel Holm was the first to land in the avalanche zone. Others followed his lead and hundreds were saved.


Stranded and freezing Afghans made their way to the helicopters. They would have died without the heroism of Colonel Holm and other brave men and women.


Rick awaited the first load of survivors with heated blankets and other USAF survival gear.


Several tons of humanitarian supplies were emptied to help hundreds of people get through the night.

A group of freezing Afghans waited to be rescued at the portal of the "world's worst tunnel".


Rick soothed frightened Afghan children. Many survivors were from Taliban-influenced areas.


53 Afghan citizens were rescued in three individual landings.


Rick checked for frost bite and other injuries so he could alert medical teams waiting in Bagram.

The above video was captured by Rick shortly after he loaded a frozen body onto the helicopter and covered it with a blanket.
 

Towards the end of the final rescue, the winds started to pick up, darkness was imminent, and fuel was low. Colonel Holm had to negotiate power lines at 12,000 feet.


53 Afghans rescued and 53 new friends made! USAF pilots Holm and Wichers are Afghan national heroes...

Now, it's your turn to be a hero!

Nothing can help the Afghan children more than a financial donation.

We understand that these are tough times and respect anyone who simply inquire what they can do locally to help our orphans internationally. We can send you on a mission if you are ready to take the leap!

Contact us and join Global Roots in helping the children.