ASADABAD, AFGHANISTAN -- Marines from 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based here, met recently with village elders in the small hamlet of Yargul, located near Asadabad in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan, in an effort to get a better understanding of the village's humanitarian needs.
The Marines, led by 1st Sgt. Gerard Calvin, first sergeant, Charlie Company, 1/3 handed out food and candy to the multitudes of young Afghan children who followed them through the streets of the village as they made their way to the meeting.
"We couldn't have asked for a better reception," said Calvin, a native of Richmond, Va., currently serving his third tour of duty in Afghanistan. "The people greeted us with open arms. It is obvious that they are happy we are here."
After receiving hugs, high-fives and plenty of smiles from the throngs of villagers who came out to welcome the Marines, Calvin, accompanied by representatives from the U.S. Army as well as Afghan service members, attended a meeting at the home of one of the leading village elders.
"During the meeting, we discussed potential humanitarian projects that we would like to help them with, such as possibly building a new school as well as helping them with projects aimed at getting electricity and safe drinking water," said Calvin. "We also offered to have our corpsmen do medical checkups on the children. These people are our neighbors. They support us and we support them."
"The elders also spoke of horrors inflicted upon their countrymen by the insurgents and expressed their gratitude that we were here to help the Afghan National Army and their country do something about it," added Calvin.
According to Capt. Jared Spurlock, company commander for Charlie Company, 1/3, meetings such as the one attended by Calvin are of the utmost importance.
"Having a good relationship with village elders is absolutely critical," said Spurlock, a native of Pocatello, Idaho. "The purpose of these meetings is to make sure we help them get the things they need in order to govern themselves and have an effective government and a safe and secure environment in which to conduct their day-to-day living operations."
"1/3's mission is to support the Afghan people and the Afghan government," continued Spurlock. "We're here to help them. We're at their service. The better we can prepare them to assume full control of their country, the sooner we can go home."
Staff Sgt. Mark Robinson, a 1/3 infantry platoon officer with Charlie Company, said positive relationships with the Afghan people and village elders are formed and based upon mutual respect.
"If you come into my neighborhood back home, without giving the proper respect, there's going to be problems," said the Newark, N.J. native. "It's the same thing here. We respect the Afghan people and their culture and by respecting them, they in turn respect us. That's how it works. By meeting with and getting to know the locals and village elders, we build trust. The Afghan people are good people who want the insurgents out of their country as much as we do."
According to 1st Lt. Jerome Greco, executive officer for Charlie Company, 1/3, things are getting better in Afghanistan.
"I don't think anybody can say that Afghanistan is not progressing," said the Moorestown, N.J. native. "This country has clearly been moving forward over the past few years. There is still an element of insurgents - really terrorists - but the vast majority of the population has functioning governments and a desire to see democracy work."
Greco also noted that meeting with local village elders is a key step in continuing the positive relationships formed by previous units.
"Everything we do impacts the locals, and everything they do impacts us," said Greco. "Most of the people here are openly happy when they see us. They want the insurgents out of their country. With the type of attitudes I have seen among the people, I am not concerned with Afghanistan failing as a free and democratic nation. They are going to make it."