Media Reports
US Soldiers “Wage Peace” in East Africa
Reports according to Master's order and rating
By the Florida News Group, USA (Originally in English)
In Djibouti, a small nation on the shores of the Red Sea, lies an old French army base called Camp Lemonier. 1,500 US soldiers have lived there quietly since 2002. Their orders were originally to hunt terrorists after 9/11. However, since they arrived, not a battle has been fought, not a shot fired.
Colonel Bill Porter（♥♥♥♥♥）explained, “We are waging an unconventional war… By that, I mean we are waging peace. It's not a shooting war here.” So far, the soldiers have constructed 30 new schools and 25 clinics. They obtained donated textbooks and teaching supplies for the schools from friends back home and charities.
In recent weeks, East Africa has been experiencing a devastating drought. The soldiers have been busy digging wells and vaccinating children and animals, who are now more susceptible to diseases.
The commanding officer at Camp Lemonier, General Timothy Ghormley, described the soldiers’ tactics: “They go out throughout the villages, they go out into the towns, they meet with the leadership of the villages, the Imam, the village elders, the mayor, ask them what they believe that that village could use to enhance their stability, to make life easier for the people… We are doing this one village, one person at a time… We're waging peace just as hard as we can."
The Djibouti mission represents a profound shift occurring
in America since the Iraq war. During the last year, public opinion in the US
has shifted against war. In turn, the government has shifted its foreign policy
away from war and towards alliances with other countries, from the UN on down to
treaties among nations in East Africa. The US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
called the East Africa mission “a model for the future of the Department of
Defense.” It is already the largest US operation in Africa in over a decade, and
the Department has plans to expand it through alliances with other nations in
Africa and Europe.
Reference: http://www.hoa.centcom.mil/index.asp
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Army SGT Kristine Smedley, a Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa member, administers the oral version of the polio vaccination to a student in Djibouti, Africa |
Obock children make use of the newly constructed basketball court at the Obock Community Center. The center was renovated through Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, Djiboutian government and local official's efforts. |
(Photos downloaded from: www.hoa.centcom.mil)
