Civilian Contractor's Mid-East Visit Revealed Afghans' Gratitude for U.S.

(AgapePress) - A born-again Christian who spent a year as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan says he saw many humanitarian acts performed by U.S. soldiers that have not been reported by the mainstream media. Based on his interactions with the people in that Middle Eastern country, he believes it is apparent the people of Afghanistan appreciate the U.S. presence there.

In the wake of 9/11, Mississippian Randy Moody wanted to find a way to go overseas and serve his country. He had considerable knowledge of the construction trades, but because he had also attended Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee, he believed his service should also be a calling by God.

"Being a Christian and mission-minded," Moody says, "I was looking at this as a mission field, too. So the opportunity came up for me to go in [to work in Afghanistan] as a military contractor."

There in the Middle Eastern nation, the American civilian says he had the chance to work closely with the Afghan people and "just got to know them on a very personal basis." In the course of those interactions, he notes, he was gratified to learn that many Afghans are deeply grateful for the work U.S. citizens are doing in their country.

"And none of them -- none of them -- had negative things to say about us," Moody asserts. "In fact, they went out of their way to let me know how much they appreciated the Americans being there, and specifically the American troops."

The Christian "missionary-contractor" says Americans can be proud of the U.S. military forces and the many wonderful things they are doing for the people in Afghanistan. He contends that, while much of the good the military is doing goes unreported by the mainstream media, it has not escaped the notice of the Afghan people.

"By and large, our troops over there have done so many humanitarian things for the Afghans," Moody says, "and they know about that. Word travels real fast over there by word of mouth."

Many times, the Mississippi man notes, the U.S. military has had officers go in on patrol to villages in Afghanistan and the troops have brought in medical teams, dug wells for the villagers, and evacuated them during snow storms.

Moody believes his year in Afghanistan was a calling by God, a chance to do some good. While there, he says he met many Afghans who see the U.S. as doing a great deal of good in their midst, and he has talked with other contractors who have done similar work in Iraq and report a similar attitude among most Iraqi citizens.