VILLAGE ASSESSMENT FOR HUMANITARIAN MISSION

My Afghan colonel told me about a village in Kabul that was in desperate need of humanitarian assistance. Unfortunately, you can't just jot down an address and run out and start distributing aid. You must always recon the area first.

We planned the convoy during much of yesterday afternoon. As senior officer, I was the convoy commander. This morning we mounted up in uparmored humvees with gunners in the turrets. I put my Afghan colonel and an interpreter in the back seat. Everyone was in full body armor with weapons locked and loaded.

The trip to the village was uneventful. However, things got interesting when we turned down the street where the village was located.

The village itself was everything the colonel said and more. Terrible conditions, trash everywhere, mud huts with plastic sheeting for roofs and windows. These people clearly need help.

As we drove down the street, it was obvious that the area was completely unsafe. The scene evoked images from the movie "Black Hawk Down." Tall buildings everywhere. Tight and narrow streets with no room for manuverability. Crowds everywhere. Cars, trucks, bicyles and motorcycles all over the place. Way too many variables.

In short, this area was a complete "no go."

The colonel started to get out of the humvee, but I told him to stay inside. I told the translator to tell the him that I was sorry, but I wasn't going to risk my people to even get out and talk to the villagers. After about ten seconds of looking at the area, I gave the order to return to our FOB.

The fact that I have no pictures is a testament to the "dicey-ness" of this area. There was no time to be a photographer and a convoy commander.

To put it in perspective, before driving down this street, everyone was giving us the "thumbs up" sign. However, it was clear that we were not welcome on this particular street.

When I got back, my uniform was soaked with sweat, and it was not due to the heat.

I am upset that we will not personally be able to assist those people. I will try to find some other humanitarian organizations that might be able to help.

The lesson learned is that we simply cannot pull off a humanitarian mission in a heavily populated urban area. I will look for something closer to home, with better ground to defend.

The reality is that we can't help others if we can't be assured of our own safety.