There were many gifts and certificates given and received by our Afghan friends. Ww all enjoyed getting a few tokens of esteem - and having a tasty lunch!

One of the more interesting items for sale here are wooden replicas of what we refer to affectionately as "jingle trucks" - so named because they have all manner of decorative tassles, carapaces and the like. These wooden versions you see here look just like the real thing - minus the fantastic colors!

  Military Working Dogs have a long history in the United States dating back to World War II.   

About 2,000 of these working dogs confront danger beside American soldiers, largely in the Middle East.   With noses that detect scents up to a third of a mile away, many sniff for explosives. Their numbers have been growing about 20 percent a year since the terrorist attacks of 2001.  

  The remembrance poppy has been used since 1920 to commemorate soldiers who have died in war. They were first used in the US to commemorate soldiers who died inWorld War I (1914–1918). Today, they are mainly used in current and former Commonwealth states to commemorate their servicemen and women who have been killed since 1914. In those states, small artificial poppies are often worn on clothing on Remembrance Day/Armistice Day  (11 November) and in the weeks before it.

    More than 20 veterinary professionals from across Kunar province, crowded into a small room in a training center located next to the government-run nursery in Asadabad, the provincial capital.

The gathering, organized by the Iowa National Guard's 734th Agribusiness Development Team in cooperation with the provincial Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, marked the first continuing education for veterinarians in Kunar province in decades.

Me and my able assistant, MSgt Sheasley, went to Asadabad - to a training center in the town's nursery - to provide continuing education to a large percentage of the vets in the province. They did knot-tying, a refresher on animal parasites, slaughtered a sheep and necropsied the animal... then had lunch!   We also had a local TV reporter and the Kunar Agriculture Minister drop in and a good time was had by all!

The training session was so significant that the Kunar Province Director of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, Haji Mohasal Khan, made a surprise visit. He also brought with him a reporter from Kunar Radio Television of Afghanistan, the only television station in Kunar province.

However, training was not the event's sole purpose. U.S Army Master Sgt. Darla Sheasley, the ADT's veterinary technician, explained the other benefit of getting so many provincial veterinarians into the same room.

- Basically it's to bring them together and teach them to go out and teach their people and bring them closer together with their farmers.

The training, conducted by Sheasley, U.S Army Maj. Loren Adams, the ADT's veterinary officer (myself), and Dr. Mohammed Ghalib, the Kunar province veterinary officer, covered a wide range of topics. We reviewed basic animal handling procedures, infectious diseases and animal nutrition. I also performed a necropsy on a recently slaughtered sheep.

- This is just a refresher course," Sheasley said. "They've already gone to a four-year veterinary school.

Nevertheless, the training was immensely popular with the veterinarians who attended.   According to Ghalib, he looks forward to working with the ADT to provide more continuing education sessions to the veterinarians of Kunar province.

- I was very pleased with this successful program and the training, and my doctors were also very happy with this program, Ghalib said.

- We are wanting some more courses for the doctors' information, especially ones introducing new treatments and new technology.

I pointed out continuing veterinary education is sustainable by the provincial government. Moreover, it serves as a model for interaction between veterinarians and their potential customers.

This is a simple program that has very little cost, and it's an approach Dr. Ghalib will be able to carry on with now that he's seen it for himself. It also helps improve the professionalism of the provincial veterinarians and improves their status with ordinary Afghan livestock producers.   

  Everyone of the ADT worked very hard to help the people of Afghanistan during our deployment, and everyone richly deserved the recognition they received when being awarded their decorations by the Iowa Adjutant General.