Future Female Doctors Enrolled at Afghanistan’s ‘West Point’

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

10.12.2010

Story by Chief Petty Officer Brian Brannon 

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — Lining up on the firing range at Kabul Military Training Center, female cadets sight in their M-16 rifles. As students at the National Military Academy of Afghanistan—the Afghan equivalent of West Point in the United States—the future medical officers are undergoing summer training, focusing on weapon familiarization and land navigation. Following a year of instruction at NMAA, they’ll complete a seven-year medical degree program at Kabul University.

Nargis Shirzad is one of 12 female cadets enrolled in the program at NMAA. After graduation, she hopes to make a difference with her fellow Afghans by working as a doctor in the Afghan National Army.

“I want to help our poor people and our war-stricken country,” she said.

Afghan medical students begin their studies with a year of math, physics, chemistry, and biology. In addition to these courses, cadets at NMAA also study military science, physical education, Dari and Pashtu composition, and computer science. This is the second year that female officer candidates have gone through the intensive instruction at NMAA.

As the head of the Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, U.S. Army Col. Edward P. Naessens Jr. has impeccable credentials to serve as the team chief for coalition advisors at NMAA.

“We help them out,” he says. “We observe and advise, but they do the training. It’s Afghans leading Afghans and they do it very well.”

NMAA Is built on four pillars. The academic pillar teaches critical thinking, appreciation for other cultures and the value of science and technology. The physical pillar inculcates cadets with the warrior spirit and the importance of regular exercise. The military pillar teaches military science, weapons handling and land navigation. The last pillar, character development, teaches ethics and morality under the banner of Islam.

“Their mission is to develop leaders of character for the Afghan National Army and Afghanistan,” Naessens said. “When we develop leaders of character that understand ethics and values, they’re more likely to reject corruption. These officers will be the future of Afghanistan.”

• Date Taken: 10.12.2010
• Date Posted: 10.13.2010 04:14
• Story ID: 57998
• Location: KABUL, AF