GARNETT — An Anderson County soldier who recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan said the people of the war-torn nation are going to have to work hard for peace. Brad McGregor of Welda is a tank crewman with the Kansas National Guard, who provided security for a military agri-business development team in Afghanistan.
He recently returned home. He told the Anderson County Review that working with Afghans proved difficult. Many afghans remain loyal to the Taliban, who were kicked out by the U.S. and NATO, and those who want peace fear a return of the Taliban and don’t wish to be seen as being close to Americans, he said. Corruption among all levels of government and police make it difficult to know who to trust, he said. After Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden, he said the number of attacks increased, and children would stand in the middle of the road and throw rocks at Americans as they passed. But he said there are signs that some village elders are helping Americans with an eye to create peace for their grandchildren. That’s an assessment that’s shared by reporter Edward Gerardeau who has covered the Afghanistan wars for 30 years – since the Soviets invaded the country — for the National Geographic and the Christian Science Monitor. American leaders have learned little from the disasters of the British and Russians, he said. Gerardeau will talk about Afghan history and how that hampers American efforts to create a western-style state on this Sunday’s Community Perspective at 8:04 a.m.
Thursday, Nov. 17, 5 p.m.
