An example of what right looks like

Korean Hospital and Vocational Training Center

The Republic of Korea is one of our staunchest allies. This is no exception in Afghanistan. Here at Bagram the Koreans operate a hospital and vocational training center complex that is completely dedicated to helping the local population. The center is funded through the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), which is their equivalent to our United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The month of October started for me with an invite from the Koreans to tour their facilities. Although they lured me in with a promise of a traditional Korean lunch, the tour turned out to be the most satisfying part of the visit. What they are doing with the local population is exactly what right looks like. Even the most cynical of people would be unable to visit the Korean center here and not be impressed. They are making a positive impact on the lives of local Afghans through their dedicated medical care and skill training. And I have to say that the lunch at the end of the tour was splendid Korean fare.

My tour began with the hospital. This small facility handles around 250-400 outpatient cases a day and has a limited ability to provide longer-term care. On the day I visited they were only treating women. Their husbands huddled in the village nearby patiently awaiting their return. My tour guides, Nurse Yoo and Mr. Lee, were very passionate about their work and clearly expressed sincere belief in their efforts. They showed me the entire operation and it was very impressive. We started by looking at the Entry Control Point (ECP), which was manned by tough Korean Soldiers and professional Nepalese guards. Then we moved through the patient inprocessing area, where multiple Afghan women waited patiently for their appointments. The Koreans kept the process extremely orderly and the hospital was immaculate. As we moved through the corridors I met various doctors and nurses - all of whom were very polite and professional. At one point we stopped to speak to an Afghan father who was visiting his daughter. She was ill with a rare form of cancer and kept in an isolated, germ-free environment. This meant I could not visit her. But her father was teary-eyed and expressed such heartfelt appreciation for the help his daugher was receiving. I walked away with solid belief in my heart that I had just met at least one family that would never consider joining the Taliban.

My next stop was the vocational training center. This was a center devoted to training local people in critical skills that would make them readily employable. There were classes being taught in woodwork and carpentry, plumbing, electrician skills, automative work, computer operation, and various other areas. Every class was full. I was extremely impressed when I was shown the attendance rosters. Almost every class had perfect attendance for the year and those that didn't were close to perfect. The students were enthusiastic and eagerly embracing their new skills. The Korean instructors were dynamic and engaging. There were also Afghan graduates of the institute who had been hired as instructors. The real honor came when I was informed by Mr. Lee that they wanted me to return as the guest speaker at their graduation in a few months. I accepted on the spot. Damn right.

I think the ultimate feeling of satisfaction came the day after the tour. I was visiting our automotive shop that services the Bagram Non-Tactical Vehicle (NTV) fleet. While walking around the maintenance bays I noticed local nationals working on the vehicles. I asked the manager where his Afghan workers had been trained. I should have known the answer - the Korean Vocational Training Center. Yes, that's what right looks like.