By 1st Lt. Emily Chilson
PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Navy Cmdr. Donald Cox, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, assumed command of the Paktika Provincial Reconstruction Team during a ceremony here, Nov. 3.
Paktika’s governor and several line directors, as well as past and present members of the PRT, attended the ceremony to celebrate the transition of authority.
“My team stands ready to do all that we can do to help Paktika province and the people of Afghanistan,” Cox said. “May God bless our partnership, our friendship and watch over us as we work together.”
Cox leads a team of roughly 100 Air Force, Army and Navy service members from active duty, Reserve and National Guard units. Representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Afghan populace are also members of the PRT.
“Although my team members come from all across the United States and their backgrounds and experiences represent an area just as vast, they are singularly focused on our mission,” Cox said.
The guest speaker, Paktika Gov. Moheebullah Samim, said he has seen a lot of change in terms of Paktika’s development since he was appointed governor in April. The War on Terror is not just an Afghan war, he said, but an international war that the whole world is fighting together.
Samim also passed on his condolences to the families whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Before relinquishing command, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Brian Hoyt from Phoenix, emphasized the importance of spending time building relationships with the Afghans.
“Not only is it the people in uniform making a sacrifice, but every single person working for the government of Afghanistan,” Hoyt said.
In summing up his team’s collaboration with the Afghans in Paktika, Hoyt mentioned the more than $50 million and 145 projects, some of which are still ongoing, invested in the province.
“The projects that PRTs work on with the people of Afghanistan provide hope,” Cox said. “Through our efforts, in cooperation with our Afghan partners, we will strive to provide some hope of our own.”
| Date Taken: |
11.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
11.03.2010 08:22 |
| Story ID: |
59349 |
| Location: |
AF |
| Web Views: |
234 |
| Downloads: |
9 |
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