Afghanistan My Last Tour

Afghan boy with his donated ballpoint pen

Plato said “The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life.”  I believe this still holds true today and provides a basis for a school project I have been working on.  For the past 30 years due to continued engagement of war activities, Afghanistan has been devoid of structured education.  As a result, a whole generation of citizens is illiterate and relies heavily on foreign aid donations for survival.  After the United States and coalition forces ousted the Taliban in 2001, new schools are being built and old ones refurbished.  Yet many students are too poor to purchase basic school supplies such as notebooks, pens or pencils.

So my wife Liisa and I have taken up these children’s cause.  During the past few months, Liisa and I have been working on a project to provide school supplies for Afghan school children.  I am thrilled to say that all of the intricate pieces have come together like a puzzle and we are ready to share with my readers or anyone who wants to make a difference.  We have teamed up with the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization to facilitate corporate and monetary tax deductible contributions. The foundation was established by the law firm of Holland & Knight and has a large focus on children and education.

Joshua Ridall and Griffin Burns, two of the many scouts from Pack 21 (Tocobaga District, Gulf Ridge Council) who helped collect supplies

I really have to give a lot of credit to my wife who helped coordinate and arrange these meetings on my behalf.  Already she has worked closely with the Boy Scouts from Pack 21, Tocobaga District, Gulf Ridge Council, personal friends, and family to collect a dozen boxes of materials.  In addition, she teamed up with the SS American Victory Mariner’s Memorial and Museum ship in Tampa and its board has graciously allowed us to use the ship as a drop off point and storage location for these school supplies.

While on the other side of the world, I coordinated approval and Camp Blackhorse has agreed to be the central holding and storage area for these items.  After receiving the supplies, I will have to coordinate an armed security convoy to deliver them.

Thank you very much, Pack 21, Tocobaga District!

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recognizes the value of Afghan education too.  He was recently quoted saying, “So the most effective tools at our disposal are not necessarily going to be guns and bombs, though we still need them.  The best instruments may be shovels, tractors, and teaching degrees.”

Liisa has set up a special tab on my blog detailing our vision and the items we are requesting.  If you are interested in donating supplies, organizing a donation drive, or making a monetary contribution, please visit the tab entitled “School Supplies for Afghan Children” at the top of this page.

From Liisa, SMSgt Temple’s wife: You can also sign up to be a “fan” of this school supplies project on Facebook – here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Afghanistan-My-Last-Tour/195225755292