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Cub Scouts interview ANP officer

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Amber Ashcraft
  • Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team Public Affairs
PANJSHIR PROVINCE, Afghanistan --  With the help of social media, military members overseas are able to easily keep in touch with family and friends back home.

Although many service members take advantage of the capability, it is a rare occurrence when an outlet like Skype is used for American children to interview an Afghan National Police officer.

"When I was deployed in 2003, we didn't even have Internet access," said U.S. Army Master Sgt. Todd Eipperle, senior non-commissioned officer in charge of Task Force Red Bulls Embedded Training Team in Panjshir. "Being able to have a meeting like this, face-to-face, makes the experience even better."

The meeting took place here, Saturday morning, Jan. 22, at 9 a.m. and in the United States, Friday night, Jan. 21 at 10:30 p.m. for the Cub Scout Pack 182 from Ankeny, Iowa. The scouts took turns asking Capt. Sefat Mire, Rokha District ANP training officer, about his life in Afghanistan. Their questions included what it was like for Captain Mire to be a police officer, what the best part of his job was and if he was able to go home to his family every night.

"Some days, we are very busy and travel, so I come home very late," answered Captain Mire, through an interpreter. "But I enjoy being a police officer."

Sergeant Eipperle, Marshalltown, Iowa, native, also a part of the Iowa Cub Scouts, helped set up the Skype session by sending an e-mail to some of the packs back home, asking if they would like to talk with an ANP member.

"There is a 'Language and Culture' award that scouts can get," Sergeant Eipperle said. "Pack 182 responded that they would like to get that award and participate in the Skype meeting."

After speaking with the pack's leader, U.S. Army National Guard Lt. Col. Sean Ogelsby, Sergeant Eipperle worked on finding an ANP member to be on the receiving end.

"Captain Mire was outspoken in our train the trainers course and was easy to talk to," Sergeant Eipperle said. "Having four boys of his own at home, he was excited to participate."

For more than a half hour, the scouts, Captain Mire and Sergeant Eipperle exchanged questions and answers through an interpreter about life as scouts in the U.S. and as ANP in Afghanistan.

"It was good to be able to speak to the Cub Scouts," said Captain Mire. "When the PRT goes on missions here and talk to our children, our children come home and tell their fathers about the good experience they had with the Americans. Afghan children are like American children, we want them to look up to us and have good experiences."

After teaching the Cub Scouts how to say "thank you" and "goodbye", "tashakor" and "huda hafez" respectively, they ended their Skype teleconference.

"When I thanked Captain Mire for doing this for our boys, he simply replied, 'It's something I will remember forever'," Sergeant Eipperle said.