ONU Graduate Discusses Afghanistan Experiences

Colonel John J. Smith, ONU Class of 1982, delivered a talk Tuesday evening in the Dicke Forum on his experiences in Afghanistan. Smith, who teaches English Literature at the United States Military Academy at West Point, was in Afghanistan working with the Afghans to set up an English Bachelors program for the military academy they are in the process of creating.

Speaking of his personal experiences, rather than in his official position in the U.S. Army, Smith detailed many of the problems that he encountered in this project. While all Afghan army officers will be required to learn English as a part of their curriculum at the academy, he found that the faculty’s skills in the language were not yet sufficient to justify awarding a degree. The program was also hampered by the entrenched corruption that plagues efforts there. Smith related that when he removed texts that he had brought along from their cellophane wrappings, there was an audible reaction from the faculty, who were apparently concerned that the price these books would fetch on the black market had been lowered by the action. Unfortunately, according to Smith, this is the fate of much of the aid sent to Afghanistan. He used a hypothetical example to illustrate his point, saying that if Sweden had sent a team to build an orphanage, there would have been an impressive ceremony to open the facility and the Swedes would have left believing they had made a difference. But if those Swedes had returned a year later, they would likely have found that an Afghan warlord had taken over the building and subdivided it into apartments that would have then been sold to cronies, forcing out the orphans. He also related that the computers at the nascent academy were not hooked up because imams (Muslim religious authorities) were concerned that students would use them to view pornography. Despite the difficulties, Smith stated that the Afghans were doing the best they could, given the many problems under which they had to work, but that change would be slow and difficult.

Colonel Smith also delivered a talk for the Western Civilization Speaker Series earlier in the afternoon in the Hakes-Pierstorf Pharmacy building. Around 150 Western Civilization students listened to Smith talk about the Vietnam Era and Popular Music. He played various songs, including Where Have All the Flowers Gone, The Universal Soldier, and the Ballad of the Green Beret’s, making the point that despite the human and material destruction of war, we study conflicts as a part of Western Civilization because these times also serve to accelerate changes in society, including the arts. Smith’s Civ Series talk can be accessed in streaming video at HPJ SIGNATURE LECTURES - WATCH US IN ACTION!! (see upper left of this page) there you will find Western Civilization Series: Colonel John Smith on Vietnam and Popular Music that will open the presentation.

Pictured are Professor Rob Waters of HPJ, Smith's brother-in-law, and Colonel Smith. Professor Sarah Waters of the Music Department is Smith's sister.