THIS IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT. THIS MISSION WILL CONTINUE LONG AFTER I HAVE DEPARTED. MY GOAL IS TO CARRY THE BATON AS FAR AS I CAN, SO I CAN HAND IT OFF TO THE NEXT ADVISOR WHO REPLACES ME.
Hamilton “Shohna
invoked the Dari phrase ba shohna”—shoulder to
shoulder—which the NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan/Combined Secu- rity Transition Command – Afghanistan has adopted as a motto. “Sometimes I think we forget that,” he said.
There are tremendous rewards in sup- porting the Afghans’ progress toward self-sufficiency, he said, and camarade- rie among the advisors is strong. “The Afghans truly want a better country. They don’t want the Taliban back in power; they just don’t have the means to keep them out. Hopefully with our mentoring, advising, and training, they will gain the self-sufficiency needed to ensure the Taliban stays out forever, and they can progress as a country and live in peace.”
His advisory team, composed of U.S. and Canadian military personnel, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and a vari- ety of contractors, works well together, Hamilton said. “It has truly been an honor working with, and getting to know, these professionals.”
MOTIVATED FOR MORE For Hamilton, the rewards of advis- ing the Afghans outweigh the obstacles, and now he is hoping to extend his assign- ment beyond his scheduled departure in
June. “PEO STRI has been nothing but supportive of my deployment and pos- sible extension. It’s great working for a command with leadership that supports their employees 100 percent,” he said.
There is simply more work to be done, he said. “This is a marathon, not a sprint. This mission will continue long after I have departed. My goal
is
to carry the baton as far as I can, so I can hand it off to the next advisor who replaces me.” Having
formed strong
friendships with his Afghan counterparts, Hamilton said, “I will not leave this country unless I feel
I’ve done every-
thing in my power to help them get them ready for a full transition, ensuring they have the enduring insti- tutional
capacity to enable accountable, Afghan-led security.”
To others who might want to join the MoDA program, he had these words of
advice: tively good
“You need to be health
and in rela- understand
that, regardless of your rank and posi- tion back home, you will be an advisor on the ground out here.” Of the many different ages, types, and backgrounds represented in
the MoDA program,
“what unites us all is that we are strong- willed
and truly want to make a
difference. … They are true patriots who are sacrificing their safety to help others.”
MARGARET C. ROTH is the Senior Editor of Army AL&T Magazine. She holds a B.A. in Russian language and lin- guistics from the University of Virginia. Roth has more than a decade of
experi-
ence in writing about the Army and more than two decades’ experience in journalism and public relations.
ASC.ARMY.MIL 167
The MoDA program has trained five classes of advisors to date, with two more classes scheduled for training and deploy- ment in 2012. Currently there are more than 60 civilians on the ground in Afghan- istan. Deployments are for a year, with the possibility of extending for another year. Participants are in grades GS-13 and higher and bring with them 20 years of experience, on average. They receive Post Differential Pay and Danger Pay. For more information, go to http://
www.defense.gov /home/features / 2011/0211_moda and http://moda-
training.com.
”
Heightened tensions in Afghanistan will make it harder for the capacity-building efforts to move forward, Hamilton said.
“But we won’t be scared off by the threats and attacks by the Taliban. We will stay and complete the mission. … The more civilians who answer the call, the quicker the military can get home to their families.”
”
SPOTLIGHT
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