PARWAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Pfc. David Fountain sat in a darkened room in Charikaar, Feb. 16. Candles sat on the table in front of him and a string of colored lights on the wall added to the illumination. A microphone and a group of Afghans waited for him to speak.
“Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,” Fountain began.
Beside the intelligence analyst from Ames, Iowa, sat an interpreter, who filled in the pauses with a translation of the poem Fountain was reading, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” for the audience of the Afghan Radio Dunya.
The occasion was a mix of Western and Islamic cultural traditions. Ahmad Anaiesh, who runs Radio Dunya and also read a poem, said the broadcast was part of a two-day celebration to mark Valentine’s Day and honor the birth of Muhammad, known as Mawlid al Nabi.
“Today we also share our culture with a society and also with other people in the United States,” Anaiesh said through an interpreter.
This mix of cultures was not lost on Fountain. While he often works with data about Afghans, this was his first time to leave Bagram Airfield and experience the culture firsthand.
“I feel, personally, like my eyes were opened to something new, and I think it was a really great overall experience,” said Fountain with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls.
The Soldiers who came, however, did not just recite the poetry of others. U.S. Army Spc. Robyn Smalley of Fairfield, Iowa, an intelligence analyst with Company B, 2nd BCT, 34th Inf. Div., Brigade Special Troops Battalion, read a poem, titled “Peace” she composed two years ago for International Peace Day.
“Part of the reason I went ahead and decided to choose that poem, even though it was two years old, was because I thought it would be special. I wanted to help bridge that relationship between U.S. and Afghans, and what better subject to speak on than peace?” Smalley said.
| Date Taken: |
02.18.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
02.17.2011 17:13 |
| Story ID: |
65615 |
| Location: |
PARWAN PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: |
116 |
| Downloads: |
2 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Afghans, soldiers share poems over radio, by SGT Adam L. Mathis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Subscribe
