A boiling sun drives July temperatures to more than 100 degrees.
Grass, what little there is, wilts under the blistering heat and has virtually disappeared from the countryside.
Somewhere in West River or north central South Dakota?
No.
Welcome to Afghanistan.
ADVERTISEMENT
For Jerry Bertsch, Mitchell, the climate is about the only similarity. If he were here, he'd be cooking up brats and burgers for the Exchange Club at the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo. As former president of the club and District 3 director for the Dakota Territories, Jerry stepped down from that position when his 147th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters put together a 16-man embedded team to help the Afghan National Army.
After active duty in February at Camp Shelby, Miss., where he and other National Guardsmen learned about Russian weapons systems that are common in the Afghan Army, he headed to Afghanistan.
Today, he's in the southeast edge near the Pakistan border. While the sun and heat are plentiful, the English language is sparse, so Jerry is learning Pashto through interpreters.
I knew Jerry from the Exchange Club, his position with Northwestern Energy and his public involvement in this community. I knew he had been sent to Afghanistan but I was surprised to hear from him this week.
He thanked me and our employees for our online stories.
"It is my highlight of the day when I get a chance to go on the Web and pull up The Daily Republic. This gives me a chance to stay current with what is happening in the Mitchell area. We have limited communications with our families. There is no cell phone coverage and limited access to e-mail."
Afghanistan has been in the news all week, crowding out the coverage from Iraq that usually is dominant. Some reports say the hot weather has contributed to the increasing resistance from the Taliban in southern regions because, as one soldier put it, "Nobody wants to operate in the cold, not even the bad guys."
Since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in late 2001, at least 254 soldiers have died there and in Pakistan and Uzbekistan. In spite of this, Jerry, 55, believes in his mission. He watches the Afghan people every day and what they go through.
ADVERTISEMENT
"You gain respect for the average citizen when you see them walking for miles in the dirt and dust just to get to a market and sell their products and goods," Jerry said. "They are very respectful to others and if you need a place to stay, they will invite strangers in their homes and will feed you, even if they can barely feed themselves."
Can the Afghan National Army hope to provide the defense needed to return stability to this ancient land?
I didn't ask Jerry that question because neither he nor anyone else could answer with certainty. But those involved with the training know they are making a difference. Jerry's job is to mentor the command sergeant major of the Afghan National Army. He meets with him twice a day to plan training and observe what the ANA is doing. He assists the sergeant major and teaches him the Seven Army Values -- loyalty, duty, respect, selfless-service, honor, integrity and personal courage.
Jerry says the typical ANA soldier is ready to go on a mission and succeed; where he needs help is the planning phase.
"He will go on a mission and not think about taking water, food or additional ammunition," Jerry said. "He addresses that issue once it occurs."
Those flaws aside, the ANA soldier "is a good fighter and a brave soldier. They are very respectful toward the U.S. soldier and appreciate the help that we are giving."
While I and others are watching the rodeo this weekend, or maybe helping with concessions for the Exchange Club, Jerry is serving his country in a way that enables us to enjoy freedom at home. When we're watching the bull riding, Jerry and others are on patrol from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. If they come under fire or contact, the patrol could be out until 5:30 in the morning.
Jerry routinely does a perimeter walk around the forward operation base at 3 a.m. just to make sure the ANA soldiers are awake and alert at the guard towers.
ADVERTISEMENT
He has 11 months left on his tour. What he's doing places our life back home in a different perspective.
It might be a good thought today, as we're downing that burger or pulling on a longneck, to say a prayer for Jerry and all the others who are serving our nation abroad, and who face dangers every day that most of us can only imagine.
