American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 22, 2008 – Afghan children are benefiting and thriving thanks to sustained efforts by a U.S. task force and a program that is helping to expand and improve their schools.
A new addition to a Kabul school was opened over the weekend in a ceremony that included Afghan officials, school faculty and U.S. military officials, as well as the local contractors who completed the work.
“This is the greatest day of my life. I feel as though I am the mother of all these children,” said Rabia Abdullah, principal of the Tajwar Sultana Girls School. “We used to teach them in tents, and now we have a school.”
A former fetus, the “wordsmith from nantucket” was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1968. Adopted at birth, wordsmith grew up a military brat. He achieved his B.A. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles (graduating in the top 97% of his class), where he also competed rings for the UCLA mens gymnastics team. The events of 9/11 woke him from his political slumber and malaise. Currently a personal trainer and gymnastics coach.
The wordsmith has never been to Nantucket.