Feeding Afghan children a formula for peace

[unhappycamper]

Feeding Afghan children a formula for peace
By Vince Little, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Monday, January 26, 2009

Heading into a 10-month deployment to Afghanistan a year ago, Capt. Tim Harrelson wanted to do something about malnutrition and infant mortality, but figured he would spend most of his time treating trauma and running sick call inside the wire.

By the time he returned to Misawa Air Base in Japan around Christmas, the physician assistant had helped develop a nutritional paste that saved many Afghan children from starving to death. The knowledge was left for local doctors and other provincial reconstruction teams.

"You get involved with a mission that can sometimes seem overwhelming in scope," said Harrelson, 38, of Indian Land, S.C., who was recently awarded a Bronze Star for his deployment efforts.

"It was greatly satisfying. In that situation, you hope you can leave a positive legacy. It doesn’t matter if your name is attached to it or not. What matters is it works and someone else can use it — and you get to where people can be happy and they can be healthy.

"I think that’s what helps establish peace in the region."


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60241