Exclusive: US Soldier Turns Aid Worker in Afghanistan

Peter Stoll, (whose name, and some details, have been changed to preserve his identity), served two tours of duty in Afghanistan during which he faced danger upclose. His mother back home in a small town in the Midwest feared for his safety. Though there was severe resentment about the US Military presence in the local Taliban and their supporters in the general population, Peter believed strongly in the US mission in Afghanistan. Yet, when he completed his tours of duty and retired from the US Army, he felt that he needed to do something more for the people of Afghanistan.

So a year ago, when a multi-lateral aid agency wanted someone with a good knowledge of Afghanistan who could help build roads, Stoll, who has a degree in civil engineering, grabbed the opportunity. "This visit to Afghanistan would be on my terms," Peter says, "Rather than following orders, I now had much greater flexibility in deciding what to do and how to do it in order to benefit the deprived and poor people that I had come across."

"I would say I am pretty much part of a small minority," Peter admits when asked how many of his other soldier friends think like him. "Nevertheless, every little bit and every one's contribution counts."

Peter has always been a bit different. Even back in the USA, he seldom watched television, and instead savored moments with friends and family. Though an excellent money and time manager, he was never stressed by the continual urge to make more money and buy more things. However, he readily admits a money element to his current mission in Afghanistan.

"With gas prices so high in the USA, it is becoming increasingly hard to purchase a nice home and provide a good college education to your kids." Wages in Afghanistan for foreigners are much higher than those for similar jobs in the USA, and Peter is saving every penny with the frugality of Mr. Scrooge. "In about two years, I figure I will be about set financially. I don't really have big ambitions."

Peter's work day starts at 6:45. When he is in Kabul, his day is filled with meetings and presentations with aid donors, implementing agencies, builders and Government agencies. Frequently he has to drive down to road building sites and that has its own challenges. "We take lots of security precautions, but there is no such things as 100% safety. In some regions of Afghanistan, you can never be sure where the next attack will come from."

He misses his wife and two kids, but gets to visit them every four months or so. Once a year they come over. His wife, thankfully, shares his dream -- for now atleast!

"But really what keeps me going everyday, what makes me excited about coming to work is building that road to a remote village which brings with it the hope of jobs and medical supplies, schools and prosperity."

And what does Peter think about the Afghans? "I really enjoy meeting people from other cultures. It expands ones horizons. For a boy from the Midwest, to get to see the world as I have had the opportunity to do, is really great."