By Air Force Staff Sgt. Mike Andriacco
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – A group of Bagram Airmen has been making a difference in local Afghan villagers' lives one schoolbag at a time.
Members of the Air Force (AF) Office of Special Investigations (OSI) Expeditionary Detachment 2405 handed out school supplies to approximately 560 children in the villages of Qal'eh-ye Dewana and Chawni, Sept. 26.
Each set consisted of a backpack, notebooks, pens and pencils. The items were donated by families in the U.S. or were collected from the humanitarian assistance office here, said Special Agent Rosa Cervantes of OSI.
The team's goal is to get out at least three times per week to meet with local villagers and see if they need assistance.
Special Agent A.J. Brasseur, commander of the detachment, said visiting the villagers and helping to see to their needs whenever possible plays an important role in Air Force operations here.
"The villagers are happy with and very appreciative of the assistance we provide them," he said. "It shows that coalition forces are here to help them improve their quality of life as well as to make sure they are prepared for a brighter future."
AFOSI isn't the only agency providing such support, said Brasseur. Other organizations include Army maneuver elements and provincial reconstruction teams that are working daily throughout the country to help improve the infrastructure within villages. Such efforts not only help build prosperous communities, but also bolster the security capabilities of Afghanistan and help ensure the safety of deployed military members, he said.
The agents also recently visited several nearby Afghan national police checkpoints. The agents gave the police winter clothes for their families as well as blankets for the police themselves to help make winter at the checkpoints a little more bearable.
"Fostering relationships with our host nation counterparts goes a long way toward helping build a secure Afghanistan," said Special Agent Randall Evans.